Chapter 2690: The Altered History
After the situation stabilized, Jiangnan didn't immediately go find Wu Kuang and the Eighteen Star Martial; instead, he cultivated for a while!
He consolidated his experience controlling the Black Hole Jet, but that wasn't the most critical thing!
The key was that Jiangnan was still suffering from side effects. If he went to seek the Wei Xin Zhi Fa from Wu Kuang like this, with his voice sounding like a cartoon character, using baby talk, and throwing temper tantrums, it might not go well, right?
Wouldn't his face as the leader of the Carbon Alliance be completely lost?
So he first sent Yakeli and Wu Zang to contact the Eighteen Star Martial and see what the situation was like over there!
The Carbon Alliance army continued to lie low in their positions, taking on mercenary missions and collecting debts in their spare time!
The disappearance of the slave marks on the chests of the Eighteen Star Martial was utterly unbelievable to them. This caused a huge shock, both within their own races and to Wu Kuang and the others whom Jiangnan had suppressed!
At this moment, their feelings were extremely complicated!
Because the faith of their entire lives had vanished…
In the blink of an eye, the side effect time passed. Jiangnan stepped out of the base with a radiant complexion!
Leaving behind only Xiong Er, Wu Liang, and even Wang Youzhi, the three of them kneeling on the ground, rolling their eyes and foaming at the mouth!
Jiangnan was not human!
He really went for the kill!
With a line like "If you're my brother, let me take it out!", he directly suffocated them and subjected them to Jiangnan's vicious hands!
So brothers were meant to be taken from?
If it weren't for the guy nicknamed Steel Egg, the most manly man in the entire starry sky, Bo Deng, who came to the rescue, it would have been over!
……
Above the Styx River, Jiangnan strolled with his hands behind his back all the way to the Carbon Alliance's Quality Prison. Everyone he met along the way saluted him respectfully!
From the corridor of the Quality Prison came waves of screams and clanging sounds!
Clearly, the beating of the Bose was still ongoing!
And now, the entire Eighteen Star Martial legion was crowded together in the cells, silent as if dead!
Wu Kuang sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes closed in meditation, his entire body enveloped in a layer of golden light, as steady as a rock, unmoving like a mountain!
Meanwhile, Wu Zang was holding his blade and dozing off nearby, almost asleep!
Yakeli was furious and frustrated:
(งᵒ̌皿ᵒ̌)ง "*******! Die or not? Who cares about you? Brother Nan shouldn't have saved you! Go back to licking your damn god's toes!"
"Let them use you as cannon fodder! It'd be good if your races get wiped out!"
Jiangnan walked over with his hands behind his back, patted Yakeli on the shoulder, and grinned:
(｡･ˇ◡ˇ･) "What's the situation? Why are you so angry? Couldn't get through to them?"
Yakeli replied bitterly:
(︶益︶ꐦ) "These guys are all crazy, they've been brainwashed. Hopeless. You talk to them. I'm out of ideas!"
With that, he leaned against the corridor wall in a huff, arms crossed, muttering about killing them all!
The fact that he held back from killing anyone showed how much Yakeli's temper had improved!
Jiangnan, on the other hand, looked at Wu Kuang and the others with great interest!
Feeling Jiangnan's presence, Wu Kuang opened his eyes and fixed his bright, spirited gaze on Jiangnan!
Countless eyes followed, filled with hatred, coldness, confusion, and even murderous intent!
Jiangnan looked down at these people from a height, not saying a word, just watching!
Wu Kuang took a deep breath: "The victor is king, the loser a bandit. Do as you please. Since we set foot on the battlefield, we were prepared to die!"
Jiangnan sneered upon hearing this:
(ꐦ°᷄↼°᷅) "Do as I please? So it's fine if I annihilate the entire Eighteen Star Martial race, right?"
"Don't forget, your tribesmen are all in my hands. Your master doesn't want you anymore; the dog leash has been handed to me!"
At these words, Wu Kuang's breath caught sharply!
"You…"
Jiangnan said coldly: (˶‾᷄⁻‾᷅˵) "Who are you trying to fool? Get your facts straight! The lives of your tribesmen, including yourselves, are all in my hands!"
"If I want you dead in the next second, you'll die in the next second! If I hadn't gone to great lengths to protect you, they'd all be dead now, dead under the so-called Wrath of God!"
"And if the one who can control your life and death is the god you believe in? Then at this moment, am I not also your god?"
Wu Kuang's gaze dimmed, and he bowed his head, silent…
The others gritted their teeth. They did not fear death, but they feared losing those they cared about!
Jiangnan said calmly: "I don't expect you to thank me. I know you won't thank me; you might even hate me. Just consider me meddlesome～"
Wu Zang, holding his blade, spoke up: "These races have been educated for generations that the Bose race is the only one, their god! The commands of the gods are absolute!"
"The truth of history has long been buried under time. They are blades, but they are the blades of the Bose! Pity～ tsk tsk tsk!"
Jiangnan pulled out a small stool and sat down, suddenly interested!
(͡°～͡°) "Tell me—how are the Bose your gods? What is your history? Don't act deep!"
"If you make me even slightly displeased, I'll wipe out your tribesmen, every last one of them!"
It wasn't that Jiangnan was being cruel; dealing with such servant races whose servility was ingrained in their souls required this approach!
Wu Kuang's mouth twitched. Even if he didn't want to say it, he had to for the sake of his people!
He sat cross-legged on the ground and said hoarsely: "The gods gave us everything and enlightened us! In the past, the God Martial race were just a bunch of barbarians, living a primitive life. Although the entire race valued martial arts, it was only for hunting and survival!"
"Then one day, the gods descended, bestowing upon us the Ling Xu, giving us inexhaustible food, granting us spirit energy, allowing us to further advance on the martial path, gain greater strength, and reach a broader world!"
"The gods brought us writing, culture, civilization, resources—everything was granted by the gods, enabling the God Martial race to develop!"
"Without the existence of the gods, there would be no God Martial race today, nor the Eighteen Star Martial of today!"
Yakeli, leaning against the wall, sneered upon hearing this, turned his head in disdain:
(￢益￢ꐦ) "A bunch of idiots!"
Wu Kuang: (̿▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿̿)̄……
Jiangnan smiled: "Ignore him. Go on."
Wu Kuang took a deep breath: "We are the people favored by the gods. The Holy Seal is the proof of the gods' favor! The gods selflessly provided us with everything!"
"Thus, we should be grateful and repay the gods with what little strength we have! The Divine Oracle is the manifestation of the gods' will; we must fulfill it, even if we give everything. That is what the gods deserve!"
"If the Divine Oracle is not fulfilled, the gods will unleash the Wrath of God to punish us! That is the punishment we deserve; we have disappointed the gods. Only by further improving our strength can we respond to the gods' expectations!"
Jiangnan clicked his tongue, shook his head, and applauded: "How beautiful! The gods give selflessly, and the Eighteen Star Martial repay their kindness!"
"Now I'm really glad that humanity won the Star Ruins War back then!"
Wu Zang smiled bitterly. Otherwise, humans might have become servant species too?
Wu Kuang narrowed his eyes: "The Eighteen Star Martial Legion is composed of the strongest beings from each race, selected through screening!"
"Fighting for the gods, carrying out a holy war of life and death as per the Divine Oracle—that is a lifelong honor for us!"
"Only in this way will the gods grant us even more abundant resources as a reward for his people. And you are the enemy of the gods. Anyone who opposes the gods is my enemy!"
"If not for you, we would still be the gods' people! Now the Holy Seal has disappeared; we have been abandoned by the gods! We can no longer bask in the divine radiance!"
"So I hate you! I hate you to the bone! I wish I could skin you alive, grind your bones to dust! I…"
Jiangnan waved his hand impatiently:
(≖_≖) "Enough, enough! You can't do it! Even your gods couldn't do it, so how could you? How are you so impressive?"
Wu Kuang's face turned red: "I… I…"
Jiangnan raised an eyebrow: (๑◔↼◔ิ) "You saw what just happened. Your gods used the lives of all your tribesmen as leverage against me!"
"If I didn't agree, they would kill you all! It was me, the enemy you just cursed out, who took the risk of sparking a starry sky war to save you!"
"The gods you believe in wanted to end you, while I, the demon, am the one who saved you. The only reason you're alive now is because of my mercy!"
"Isn't that ironic?"
Wu Kuang's gaze dimmed: "That… that was because the gods had to do this to exchange for their own kind!"
"We are worthless compared to the gods! So…"
Jiangnan said calmly: "So you're willing to sacrifice all your tribesmen for that, right?"
"Compared to the gods, you are worthless? I only ask one thing: why? When did life ever have a distinction of high and low?"
"What are you really fighting for? Is it for the Divine Oracle? Or to keep your tribesmen from dying under the Wrath of God?"
Wu Kuang's face was red, his fingers digging deeply into the flesh of his thigh, blood dripping!
He couldn't answer that question!
Jiangnan continued: "The will of the gods is absolute, right? They want to use your lives to exchange for their kin, right?"
"I'll give you this chance! Fulfill the will of the gods! If you nod now, I will immediately release all the Bose hostages in my hands and set them free!"
"But the price is to kill all the Eighteen Star Martial and you immediately! Wipe you out—old, weak, women, children—not a single one left!"
"I, Jiangnan, keep my word! The choice is yours! You decide! Do you exchange?"
"Exchange or not? Speak up!"
This line was delivered almost in a commanding tone!
Wu Kuang fell silent. He looked down at the ground, his eyes bloodshot!
The warriors of the Eighteen Star Martial Legion clenched their teeth so hard they nearly broke them. In their minds flashed images of their families—parents, spouses, children, friends!
That was their home, everything they had!
Could they really trade that away? How could they bear it?
Yakeli watched this scene, his eyes filled with helplessness, and looked at Jiangnan with a hint of admiration in his gaze!
Brother Nan really had patience!
Whether it was facing his own former crazy, self-destructive self or these servant species now!
Jiangnan was always the same!
If not for Jiangnan, there would be no Yakeli today!
He never hesitated to lend a helping hand to any existence trapped in darkness!
Wu Zang smiled as well. The silence of the Eighteen Star Martial was already the answer!
Jiangnan narrowed his eyes: "I'll give you three seconds to choose! Do you want to fulfill this will of the gods? Or I'll make my move!"
"Three! Two! …"
Wu Kuang suddenly stood up, grabbed the cell bars, his eyes blazing!
"No! No exchange! Don't kill my people! I beg you!"
Jiangnan snorted coldly: "It seems the will of the gods isn't as important in your eyes as I thought!"