Chapter 457: The Grand Finale

Chapter 457: The Grand Finale

The moment Lu Wu opened his eyes, a strong sense of crisis overwhelmed Zeroer.

"It's over!"

Instinctively, he devoured all six Divine Flames.

Madly refining the six flames, their power surged through his body, and Zeroer instantly returned to his peak condition.

Seizing the opportunity, he reached out towards Lu Wu.

This was the same hand that had just annihilated six demigods.

It held the essence of Zeroer's development, [Zero], and upon contact, Lu Wu would revert to his original state.

But as Zeroer extended his hand, a sword beam appeared out of thin air, severing his arm.

Undeterred, Zeroer reached out with his other hand, grabbing for Lu Wu's face. He had to seize this chance; it was his only opportunity to defeat Lu Wu.

Once Lu Wu fully absorbed the power of the Gateway Fragment, defeating him would become much more challenging.

Yet, as Zeroer's hand reached out, it was blocked by a sword beam once again.

At that moment, Lu Wu also fully recovered.

The first thing he did upon awakening was to look at Dudu, who was in front of him.

Dudu, having been disintegrated by Zeroer's attack, left only a lingering aura that Lu Wu could sense.

"You deserve to die!"

Feeling Dudu's lingering presence, Lu Wu went berserk. He extended his hand, and the Celestial Cloud Sword appeared in his grasp.

The Celestial Cloud Sword was now completely different from before.

Having reached the demigod level, the entire sword exuded an indescribable aura of nobility and mystery.

Lu Wu held the sword and thrust it forward, and the sword beam tore Zeroer in half.

Ordinary people would die from being cut in half, but epic-class powerhouses might not. As for Zeroer, it was even harder to kill him.

Within a second, Zeroer, now split in two with a severed hand, returned to his original form.

"It's a bit challenging. I didn't expect that girl to pull off such a move at the end."

"In that case, I have no choice but to use this move."

As Zeroer spoke, a giant beast appeared behind him.

This was the beast he had used to devour the founder of the Holy Church Alliance's attack. It's also my summon beast.

The moment the beast appeared, Lu Wu could see its data in his eyes.

...

Name: Zero Beast

Rank: God-level

Description: Zeroer's summon beast, created from the Gateway Fragment, possesses an extremely terrifying power.

...

"Don't think that absorbing those Gateway Fragments makes you invincible.

The fragments you absorbed are actually the remnants I used.

The original energy is within this Zero Beast.

In terms of power, it's stronger than you!

I didn't plan to use it, as it consumes a lot of energy and requires the original source. But now I have no choice but to do this."

As Zeroer spoke, his figure gradually melted, merging with the Zero Beast.

The moment they became one, Lu Wu felt the entire Holy Angel Sanctuary tremble, and a strong sense of crisis overwhelmed him.

Lu Wu subconsciously summoned his pets.

Along with the Celestial Cloud Sword in his hand, Little Skeleton, Little Boss Lu, and Dopey all appeared.

Even Ellya, who had just shouted 'Master', underwent a transformation.

Little Skeleton turned into a grim reaper holding a scythe.

Little Golden Dragon transformed into a nine-clawed golden dragon, and Dopey became an ice phoenix exuding freezing cold air. On the other side, Ellya grew 72 wings, adding to Lu Wu and his sword.

Lu Wu's side formed another six-demigod combination.

However, compared to the previous six-demigod combination, Lu Wu's side was clearly much stronger.

The previous combination had lasted less than a minute before being annihilated, while Lu Wu's side took the initiative and launched the first attack.

Lu Wu, alone with his sword, charged towards the Zero Beast and slashed with his longsword.

The long-unused [Divine Judgment] erupted, and a golden thunderbolt pierced through the Zero Beast.

At the same time, Little Skeleton appeared beside the Zero Beast, swinging his black scythe and carving a massive gash in Zeroer's body.

Little Golden Dragon roared at the gash, and Dopey froze the Zero Beast with extreme cold ice.

Finally, a holy light cross descended.

Ellya, who had just joined Lu Wu's combination, delivered the final blow, shattering the reactivated Zero Beast into fragments.

"Is that all?"

As he witnessed the Zero Beast being subdued so easily, Lu Wu couldn't help but feel that it didn't seem to possess any remarkable abilities.

Just as Lu Wu had this thought, the Zero Beast returned to its former glory, and the voice of the Zeroer echoed once more.

"Are you surprised? Let me tell you, this summon beast of mine is immortal. No matter what attacks you unleash, it will always recover and return to its original state."

"You can never kill it!"

Lu Wu's eyebrows furrowed, and he swung the longsword in his hand once more, unleashing the same attack.

The Zero Beast was shattered again.

However, it didn't take long for the Zero Beast to regenerate.

"As I said, it's immortal. After enduring two rounds of your attacks, it's now my turn."

As the Zeroer spoke, the Zero Beast suddenly unleashed its power, expanding its body.

The terrifying giant beast's body expanded, instantly enveloping half of the Holy Angel Sanctuary, including Lu Wu and his pet, who couldn't escape.

The Zero Beast's body began to contract, trapping Lu Wu and his pet within its grasp.

Lu Wu's expression changed, and as he tried to struggle, he found his strength somewhat uncontrollable.

To be precise, it was the power of the Gateway within him, which had not been fully absorbed yet.

The sudden rebellion of this power plunged Lu Wu into a desperate situation.

"I have to admit, that woman is quite capable, but I am not to be underestimated either.

I, too, have made preparations.

After all, I intend to use you as the Gateway, and it wouldn't be right to leave you without some means of countering me. The energy of the Gateway fragments you absorbed is within my summon beast, and you only absorbed the superficial power while I control the essence."

"In essence, you are merely my tool."

"As a tool, why would you dare to rebel against me, your master?"

At this moment, the Zeroer was particularly excited, constantly contracting his body, compressing Lu Wu and his pet together.

Bit by bit, he pushed Lu Wu's pet into Lu Wu's body.

Lu Wu also began to feel that his body was becoming increasingly uncontrollable, and he even had the sensation of transforming into the Gateway.

On the Zeroer's side, a look of joy appeared on his face.

He had successfully controlled Lu Wu, and the refinement of Lu Wu was within his grasp, allowing him to obtain the Gateway.

His wish of over a hundred years was about to be fulfilled.

He was about to restart the world and return to his original world.

Just as he was rejoicing, a voice filled with mockery echoed from the depths of his mind.

"Do you truly believe that you can return to your original world?"

The Zeroer's expression changed.

Lu Haikong, it was Lu Haikong!

"Impossible, I have already erased him, and even the Six Divine Flames couldn't bring him back under these circumstances..."

"Why would I need to be resurrected? I never died in the first place.

Because you and I are one, and as long as you live, I cannot die."

"No, that's not it, you're just a replacement..."

"Are you sure I'm just a replacement?"

Lu Haikong's voice echoed once more from the depths of the Zeroer's mind, taking him back twenty-odd years.

In the past, when he synthesized the Gateway, he had, in a sense, succeeded. At least, at that time, he could have restarted the world, but when he attempted to do so, he realized he could only turn back time for the world, not for himself.

This caused the Zeroer to crumble instantly.

His efforts of over a hundred years were not for the world to revert to its original state.

He merely wanted to find someone before the world changed into its current state.

If he couldn't go back, what was the point of restarting the world? It was precisely during that moment of collapse that the Zeroer failed, his body shattered, and only a wisp of his soul escaped into Lu Haikong's body, giving birth to Lu Haikong.

Therefore, Lu Haikong and the Zeroer were originally the same person.

The Zeroer, after losing his memory, developed a new personality, one that embodied all the love the Zeroer had for his first love, and Lu Haikong focused this love on Li Ruyu.

Initially, this situation seemed fine, but as time passed, the Zeroer's memories gradually revived.

The woman in his memories conflicted with Li Ruyu, causing Lu Haikong to fall into a dilemma, which eventually led to the emergence of the personality that had been seeking to restart the world for over a hundred years.

Subsequently, these two personalities clashed.

The Zeroer's personality, bolstered by a hundred years of memories, gradually gained dominance and eventually devoured Lu Haikong.

However, even after consuming Lu Haikong, he couldn't completely eradicate him.

Within the depths of his consciousness, Lu Hai Kong, an integral part of his being, reached out.

But Gui Ling Zhe, the Zero Beast, deflected the attempt.

"Who says I can't return? Just because I couldn't restart or go back then doesn't mean I can't now. Don't forget I gave you a son. With him as a medium, I might be able to go back." Gui Ling Zhe's words caused Lu Hai Kong's expression to darken.

"So, there's no room for negotiation?"

"No. You must die, and this world must be restarted."

Lu Hai Kong's lips curved into a smile as he heard those words, and he slowly approached Gui Ling Zhe.

"What are you doing?"

"You didn't heed my wishes. You killed my wife and daughter, and now you want to involve my son. I can't just stand by and watch, can I?"

At that very moment, Lu Wu, surrounded by Gui Ling Zhe's influence, felt his control returning. The system accelerated its refinement process.

In less than a few minutes, Lu Wu's system completely absorbed the power of the gateway, and his strength surged to an unprecedented peak.

Simultaneously, Gui Ling Zhe's body trembled as the battle of personalities within him seemed to reach a conclusion.

"A substitute is just a substitute. No matter how hard you struggle, the winner can only be..."

"Pfft!"

Just as Gui Ling Zhe finished his internal struggle, a sword beam sliced through him, tearing him apart.

However, this attack had little effect on Gui Ling Zhe, who could recover in minutes if he chose to, as he did now.

But as Gui Ling Zhe prepared to restore himself, a hand reached out, pulling a force from his regenerating body.

"Impossible! How can you..." Gui Ling Zhe's face paled.

"No..." he cried out in shock.

Lu Wu bit down, and the surging power flowed into his body, absorbed by the system.

As the system continued its absorption, Gui Ling Zhe's body shrank.

In less than half an hour, the giant beast was completely devoured by Lu Wu, and Gui Ling Zhe, who had merged with it, emerged, revealing his figure.

Lu Wu, having absorbed the power from Gui Ling Zhe, fell into a deep slumber.

This sleep was necessary for him to fully absorb the gateway's power. When he awoke, he would likely have complete control over it.

With this power, he would possess the ability to alter the world and bring the dead back to life.

The End.

---

Well, another novel has reached its conclusion.

Let me share some thoughts. First and foremost, I'm grateful to all of you for accompanying me on this journey.

I understand that many of you persevered to reach this point.

After all, the final stretch wasn't exactly a scenic route. Many of the initial elements, like pet cultivation and heartwarming daily life scenes, were absent.

Instead, it was a relentless push through the main storyline, with several sections written in disarray.

Even I found it unbearable, and I imagine you must have felt exhausted as well.

Alas, I apologize for my inadequacies. I couldn't provide you with a satisfying conclusion.

I suspect many of you have already started cursing 'Trash Laughter' by now. But I'm helpless; recent events have been overwhelming, and I never expected to find a partner and possibly get married. Various chaotic situations have emerged, and I'm struggling to cope.

Consequently, issues have arisen, not only with Little Skeleton but also with the neighboring novel. I'm unsure if I can see it through to the end.

Oh, my head hurts.

If I can't finish that novel, I might leave Qidian, perhaps even web novels altogether. After writing for so many years with such mediocre results, I may not be suited for this industry.

With the recent controversies surrounding web novels, I wonder how long I can continue.

Oh well, enough said. I'm off. You can follow my official account (search for Laughter) for future extras if I have the time. If that novel fails, you might only find me there...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end