"You killed him?"
What these creatures were saying caught Chu Hao off guard.
He had not expected that they had directly killed a "scientist" who had developed technology far beyond this era, whose thinking was advanced by an unknown number of generations.
"Yes. Because his research, in the eyes of the leaders at the time…"
"Was far too terrifying!"
"To them, what he sought was the complete eradication of humanity, eliminating individual independent thought, and creating a 'collective consciousness'!"
"While such work had value, at that time…"
"It was unacceptable!"
"With the technological level and moral standards of that era, there was no way to evaluate the consequences of his research."
"So the leaders could only deal with it in that way."
Chu Hao, as a god, said nothing.
Indeed, mortals with limited lifespans had to remain cautious in the face of unpredictable future technology and thought, or they would not survive one "dark age" after another.
"Then why, after killing that scientist and sealing his research, did you still end up like this?"
"Because…"
The female animal head's eyes darkened.
"War came!"
"Behind the prosperous society, in corners beyond the reach of light, darkness always grows."
"Conflicts between races, the poor and the rich, the privileged and the abandoned—all finally reached an irreconcilable extreme!"
"The war the Sage had predicted eventually arrived."
"The major powerful races began brutal wars of extermination, countless smaller races were wiped out."
"Supporters of steam technology, magical energy, and alchemy turned their achievements to military use!"
"The land was destroyed into barren wastelands, the air filled with remnants of curse magic, the oceans polluted into red, foul-smelling liquids by alchemical potions…"
"Even the once unbreakable alliances between races shattered in the war!"
"This once-beautiful world was reduced to ashes in an instant!"
"So your leaders, after the war, remembered the previously discarded experiment?"
"Hoping to use it to end disputes?" Chu Hao asked curiously.
But they gave a negative answer.
"No, still not!"
"The death of a powerful world takes millennia to measure."
"A single war cannot completely destroy a world."
"At that time, we could still fight on, as there was plenty of time, right?"
"What made the leaders, including us, notice that experiment again was a side effect that occurred after restarting it…"
"What side effect?"
"During the fusion of Inner Seas, as individuals became part of the collective, besides significantly increasing collective wisdom and reducing desires…"
"The resulting existence experienced a huge boost in both life essence and the level of the Inner Sea!"
"If the essence of ordinary life is 1, and we estimate the essence of a god as 100,000…"
"Through further study, we found that the fusion of dozens of Inner Seas produced an existence whose life essence could be raised to 20, and as the number of fusions increased, this value could continue to rise without limit!"
"This fused existence could possess incredible intelligence, far beyond human comprehension, even if a portion of its will was erased!"
"Not even the most powerful magical energy computation machines could match such a being!"
"In other words…"
"Although we couldn't figure out how to make an individual's Inner Sea ascend and emit life energy outward… (creatures in the secret realm, like ordinary beings in the divine realm, cannot fully ignite their Inner Seas like I can with divine fire)"
"We could fuse countless individuals' Inner Seas to create an unprecedented vast Inner Sea!"
"And such an Inner Sea didn't need to ascend at all!"
"It only needed 'reverse ascension,' exploring into the depths of the Inner Sea, to form a powerful existence!"
"Theoretically, with enough fusion, one could create a being worthy of the title of True God!"
"A being with infinite wisdom, infinite power, immortal, eternally existing!"
"At that point, with our supreme wisdom, we would achieve immortality!"
"Our civilization would become more glorious with the enhancement of intelligence."
"All people would be part of this god, sharing glory and enjoying endless life and wealth!"
"There would be no more suffering, no more disputes, no more plunder or killing!"
"Everyone should join!"
At this, not just the female animal head, but the others also showed expressions of hope.
Clearly, this was the future they had dreamed of.
But Chu Hao sighed in disappointment.
"I see…"
He lowered his head, gazing coldly at the monstrous creature before him.
"From my perspective, you are far from so great…"
The heads fell silent at Chu Hao's words.
The entire palace was quiet.
After a moment…
"Although your so-called experiment could bring a 'god' to your civilization, there is a crucial point unresolved!"
"Who controls the behavior and thoughts of this 'god' you created?"
"Is it you, the high-ranking leaders, or…"
Chu Hao smiled coldly, his eyes as if seeing through everything.
"The common people you captured, tortured, and forced into experiments?"
"Y-You… how do you know?"
A head trembled.
They didn't know how Chu Hao discovered the fusion process—a history that utterly destroyed humanity and was steeped in darkness.
"Simple. I heard it from the direction of your 'reverse ascension,' from the opposite side of the Inner Sea of Mind."
"What voice?"
Chu Hao said nothing. He plunged his divine fire into the deepest part of the creature's Inner Sea, creating a "large hole" in the darkest region.
In an instant, the most terrifying sounds a living being could produce erupted throughout the palace and the world!
Screams, wails, moans, contortions, agony…
Curses, invocations, pleas, howls…
All the sounds representing the most extreme emotions resounded through the world!
Countless Hayes soldiers, hearing these sounds, nearly lost all reason and trembled to their knees.
Their bodies and souls rapidly collapsed, transforming into indescribable beings!
But the demons from the Abyss closed their eyes, enjoying this "melodious" symphony.
"They have been cursing you greedy leaders from the deepest part of their Inner Seas!"
"No, they have long, out of extreme pain, envied and cursed all living beings."
"The voices I hear… are exactly that!"