Chapter 454: The Truth

Chapter 454: The Truth

Within the crypt, before the enigmatic altar.

Tie Hong retrieved the fragments he obtained from Zhang Zhao and placed them on the altar.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Almost there, now we're just missing the fragments on Li Wu's body."

"Is that so? Well, I'll bring them to you right now!"

As Li Wu's voice fell, Tie Hong's expression changed, and he instinctively tried to react, but it was too late. A terrifying force descended upon him.

Tie Hong was blasted away.

Just as his body flew up, several more forces struck simultaneously.

One by one, longswords appeared, easily piercing through him and pinning him to the altar.

A perfect ambush, a flawless kill.

However, just as Li Wu finished impaling Tie Hong on the altar, he immediately sensed something amiss.

Too weak! Tie Hong's displayed strength was indeed too feeble.

Aside from the fragment in Tie Hong's possession, even his Epic 3-Star Rank strength should not have been as weak as he appeared.

After all, Li Wu had only displayed Epic 3-Star power during his outburst.

Therefore, Li Wu instinctively felt something was wrong.

At that moment, as Li Wu's brows furrowed, Tie Hong, pinned on the altar, lifted his head and smiled faintly at him, "You don't need to sense it; something is indeed wrong."

The next instant, Li Wu felt a power within him awakening.

It was as if someone was regaining consciousness within his body.

Li Wu's expression darkened.

How many times had this happened now?

Including this, it should be the third time someone was waking up within his body, right?

Why did they all want to emerge from him?

What did this mean?

Could anyone just come and go as they pleased?

What enraged Li Wu even more was that he had already guessed who this new presence in his body might be.

Unless something unexpected happened, it should be the leader of the Zero Organization, the so-called Zeroer who claimed to control everything.

Li Wu refused to let his body fall into that person's hands, and he would never allow it.

So, from the moment he felt the awakening power, Li Wu struggled and tried to suppress it.

No matter what, he would not become a puppet to that person.

At this moment, Li Wu summoned all the power he could muster.

Hahah, Little Skeleton, Little Golden Dragon, Celestial Cloud Sword...

The strength of four summon beasts, the epic power of the Panorama of All Existences, the power he had recently obtained from Old Bone, and the fragment's power.

Li Wu utilized almost all his strength.

However, the suppression of the awakening power remained ineffective.

On the other side, Tie Hong, pinned on the altar like a specimen, shook his head at the struggling Li Wu, "It's impossible. Don't struggle; your fate was sealed the moment you spoke.

The Zeroer has spent over a century setting up this grand scheme, and you are the final piece he needs. You can't imagine the effort he has invested in you.

Your achievements today are entirely due to the Zeroer; there's no way you can defy him."

"Impossible!

I'll show you defiance! Just you wait; I'll twist that old bastard's head off."

Li Wu flew into a rage, further pushing his powers, clenching his teeth and unleashing his strength without regard for the consequences, but to no avail.

As Li Wu's efforts proved futile, Tie Hong suddenly asked a question that left Li Wu perplexed, "Do you know the Zeroer's true identity? Do you know your own true identity?"

Li Wu had no time to pay attention to this strange question, as all his focus was on resisting the awakening power.

Tie Hong, aware of this, provided the answer after asking, "The Zeroer is your father!"

"Boom!"

Tie Hong's casual words echoed, and Li Wu's head buzzed. Instinctively, he lifted his head to look at Tie Hong, "What did you say?"

"I said, the Zeroer is your father. Your father is the Zeroer!"

"That's impossible!" Li Wu couldn't imagine such a thing, but Tie Hong's words left him speechless.

"Why is it impossible? Honestly, do you know your father well?"

Indeed, Li Wu realized he didn't know much about his father, Li Hai Kong.

It was clear that Tie Xiong knew more about Lu Hai Kong than Li Wu.

"There's no doubt that your father is a Zero Organization member.

Your life has been arranged from the moment you were born.

Your talents, your friends, and the people you love—all of these were predetermined from the start.

Even your pets.

From the first little skeleton you summoned, to the Little Golden Dragon given to you by the Zero Organization leader, the bird you encountered in Zhenhai Tower, and the Celestial Cloud Sword you obtained in Region 11—

All of this was planned."

"Not only were these things arranged, but even people like Tsumugi Haruko and Old Bone were part of the setup.

Do you feel like your life has been full of freedom? In truth, it's all an illusion. Every step you take, every action you perform, every person you meet, and every moment of emotion or anger you experience has been meticulously designed."

"All of this is merely because the Zero Organization leader needs a suitable medium to fuse so many fragments.

Do you know why you were sent to that Crimson Space before?

It's because fusing so many Gateway Fragments requires two forces. One is the power of Old Bone, which you just obtained, and the other is the power of the Holy Angel, with whom you formed a semi-contract.

You've already completed the predetermined path of your life, and now it's time for your journey to reach its end."

As Tie Xiong calmly finished speaking, Li Wu's emotions were on the verge of collapse.

Indeed, who wouldn't feel overwhelmed if they discovered that everything they had experienced was someone else's design?

Li Wu couldn't help but feel the same.

He tried to think.

He struggled to find a way to refute Tie Xiong's argument.

Usually, Li Wu had a photographic memory, and his mind should be agile, allowing him to quickly recall anything he needed to find a rebuttal.

But at this moment, Li Wu's mind seemed to draw a blank, and he couldn't find any counterarguments.

The more he thought about it, the more desperate he became, and the more he felt like everything was true.

His life seemed to be a scripted play.

However, just as Li Wu was about to succumb to despair, he suddenly realized a blind spot.

"Wait, how could I have forgotten this? Perhaps Li Wu's life was predetermined, but I'm not the original Li Wu. I'm a transmigrator who inherited Li Wu's identity.

His life might be fake, but I'm real! Yes, and I have my system too!"

Li Wu's eyes lit up at that moment.

He sprang into action, no longer restraining the power within him but instead throwing himself onto the altar.

More precisely, he dove into the Gateway Fragments on the altar.

Li Wu unleashed his power, frantically absorbing all the Gateway Fragments on the altar.

This was the only solution he could think of at the moment, his only lifeline.

The system responded exceptionally well, and the absorption speed of the Gateway Fragments skyrocketed.

Li Wu barely needed to touch a fragment for more than a few seconds before it was completely absorbed.

With each absorbed Gateway Fragment, Li Wu felt his strength surging, and a terrifying power surged within him. Soon, Li Wu's abilities reached the pinnacle of Epic Class power.

In a world where strength was everything, Li Wu not only felt an unprecedented surge of power but also perceived the surrounding world as incredibly fragile. It was as if he could tear it apart with a mere exertion of force.

Both his instincts and the pressure from the world seemed to warn him against becoming any stronger, hinting at dire consequences if he continued.

But at this moment, Li Wu couldn't stop.

The force within him was still there, and he hadn't completely suppressed it. He needed to become even stronger.

So, Li Wu continued to devour the Gateway Fragments.

As he absorbed the fragments, the environment around him began to distort, and it seemed like the heavens and earth could no longer contain his presence.

Just then, the entire crypt started to activate.

The altar, too, began to rotate.

As the altar spun, the space around Li Wu gradually stabilized.

But this wasn't a good sign; it seemed like everything was going according to someone else's plan.

And that plan apparently included Li Wu's empowerment.

As Li Wu absorbed the final fragment, his body underwent a startling transformation. His hair, skin, and blood began to change, shifting towards an unknown, jade-like state.

Simultaneously, a powerful force erupted within Li Wu's mind, causing his entire consciousness to go blank. He stood motionless, devoid of any awareness.

At that very moment, the altar stirred, and countless chains emerged, binding and restraining Li Wu tightly.

Only then did Tie Xiong finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Phew, it's finally done!"

"My task is complete. Now, I just need to wait for the Zero Organization leader's return."

In another mysterious realm, Lu Hai Kong opened his eyes, revealing two distinct gazes and emotions. If Li Wu were here, he could have identified two different individuals through those eyes alone.

The left eye belonged to his cheap father, and the right eye, which Li Wu had never seen before, belonged to the Zero Organization leader, whom he had heard about countless times.

Tie Xiong's words to Li Wu were half-truths and half-lies. This was true regarding both Li Wu and Lu Hai Kong.

In reality, Li Wu wasn't the one who had been targeted from the start; it was Lu Hai Kong.

Lu Hai Kong wasn't a member of the Zero Organization, but the two were connected as one.

Over two decades ago, the Zero Organization leader had attempted something extraordinary—he tried to synthesize the Gateway.

The cost of this attempt was nearly fatal, and he was forced to merge with Lu Hai Kong to survive.

Subsequently, Lu Hai Kong embarked on an extraordinary journey, simultaneously entangled with the Zero Organization leader.

The Zero Organization leader, residing within Lu Hai Kong, gradually recovered as Lu Hai Kong grew stronger. By now, he had fully regained his peak strength from two decades ago.

However, Lu Hai Kong's original consciousness was slowly being eroded.

The last vestige of resistance was shattered when Li Wu was subdued.

Looking into Lu Hai Kong's eyes, one could see that the eye belonging to Lu Hai Kong was gradually being assimilated by the Zero Organization leader.

In fact, this assimilation had begun several months ago, but it accelerated after Li Wu's defeat and the loss of Lu Hai Kong's only hope.

At this rate, within a few days, Lu Hai Kong would be completely assimilated by the Zero Organization leader, becoming a part of him.

Then, the Zero Organization leader would be able to return to the Alliance and the Crypt to meet Li Wu.

Li Wu had been targeted by the Zero Organization leader after his transmigration.

For a powerhouse like the Zero Organization leader, Li Wu's transmigration was glaringly obvious.

He keenly sensed the peculiar energy within Li Wu and even detected the presence of Li Wu's system.

The system was the key.

Upon discovering the system within Li Wu, the Zero Organization leader was ecstatic to find the energy he had long sought—the ability to fuse with the Gateway.

Thus, he began to manipulate Li Wu, using him as a pawn in his grand scheme.

Tie Xiong's half-truths were revealed.

He carefully guided Li Wu's growth, creating opportunities for him. When Li Wu reached a certain level, he introduced Pong Dudu to ignite Li Wu's emotions.

His goal was to catalyze Li Wu's development.

And Li Wu's progress unfolded as planned. After Dudu's death, Li Wu's strength began to skyrocket.

Within a month, the desired fruit ripened.

The Zero Organization leader began his harvest.

Then, Tie Xiong led a group to besiege the Changping Mystic Realm, forcing Li Wu deep into its depths.

After Li Wu emerged, Tie Xiong appeared promptly, luring Li Wu to this Crypt to absorb the Gateway fragments.

These fragments had been tampered with, making it easy for Li Wu to absorb.

From start to finish, it took only a few minutes.

Absorption was simple, but digestion proved more challenging. As all the power erupted, Li Wu transformed into a jade statue.

At this point, Li Wu had essentially become the Gateway.

This was the Zero Organization leader's ultimate goal—to turn Li Wu into a vessel for the Gateway. And now, he had succeeded.

The Zero Organization leader's century-long plot was about to come to fruition.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end