Chapter 1013: Tree King
Li Xiaofei replied, "Isn’t it all for the sake of evolution?"
The desire for ultimate evolution ran deep in the very soul of the Reapers. They were willing to abandon everything in pursuit of it.
But Li Lan shook her head. "You’ve met the Ancestor of Wisdom. Do you think he is fanatically obsessed with evolution?"
Li Xiaofei paused and recalled his brief encounter with the Ancestor of Wisdom. Then, he shook his head. This absolute leader who had pioneered the Reaper transformation into human form had carried an unfathomable calm.
His goals had been very clear. He had simply wanted a conversation with Lin Beichen to seek cooperation. Evolution seemed to hold no further meaning to the Ancestor of Wisdom.
"Evolution is merely a homework assignment the Ancestor of Wisdom gave to the Reaper race," Li Lan said with a faint smile. "The Reaper society is structured like a typical ant colony. No matter how any of the King-ranked clans evolve, they are always under the absolute domination of the Twin Ancestors. A single thought from either Ancestor defines the purpose of the countless King-ranked clans’ existence. Evolution... is just an excuse."
Li Xiaofei didn’t know how to respond. He had seen with his own eyes how countless ancient Reapers had charged forward relentlessly inside the Evolution Temple in the name of evolution.
He had witnessed the staggering cost the Reapers had paid across endless ages for this pursuit. Evolution was everything. It had been humanity’s most profound understanding of the Reapers, formed over long centuries of war and bloodshed. And now, when he heard that evolution was merely a pretext, Li Xiaofei found it hard to accept.
But he also knew that Li Lan, as one of the most powerful human cultivators closest to the five great Emperors, would not speak such words without reason.
"Let’s talk more about the murals you saw," Li Lan said with a faint smile. "What do you think that mysterious ascended race was trying to convey through their myth of the Giant God creating the world?"
Li Xiaofei began to recall the contents of the ten murals in his mind.
"They depicted the birth of the universe. The first lifeforms, one male and one female, or perhaps one masculine and one feminine, emerged from a divine egg. In the beginning, they coexisted in harmony. But for some unknown reason, conflict arose between them. The female killed the male and fell into deep sorrow and loneliness. Then, she discovered she was pregnant. She gave birth to a human and a beast. These two offspring entered the universe and began to reproduce rapidly. However, for reasons unknown, a half-human, half-beast monster later emerged from the remains of the female. It devoured her corpse and also ventured into the universe..."