Chapter 761 - 755: "Since Ancient Times...
Zheng Jiang nearly ground his steel teeth to dust, his chaotic thoughts focusing on his temporary allies, his eyes red with rage: "Traitors!"
This voice was filled with hatred and anger.
However...
The response of the Divine Emperors and Immortal Kings who surrendered before Ye Fengqing was extremely strange.
They looked at Zheng Jiang with eyes that said...
They looked like the eyes of those who watch a "thief crying thief."
Being looked at like this, Zheng Jiang felt a cold jolt in his heart, his mind clearing slightly, and he faintly seemed to notice something unusual.
Before he could think deeply, his former temporary teammates began to rebuke him in unison.
"Zheng Jiang, you traitor, having been pardoned by Her Highness Honglian, you show no gratitude at all, your sin is unforgivable!"
"The Wu Family has been blessed by Her Highness Honglian from generation to generation to today, you dog of a thief, if you do not quickly kneel and confess, even if I have to search all the Nine Heavens and even the Yellow Springs, I swear to kill you!"
"I, in the name of the Zhang Family Patriarch, announce severing all ties with the [Arcane Tyrant]!"
Zheng Jiang was scolded till he was drenched like a cur, yet his anger subsided rapidly, leaving his heart cold.
In the story from the comic book Earth Chronicles, Ma Ran’s charisma and diplomatic skills were maxed out, able to rapidly gain the friendship of the strong and wise at any moment, seen as a reliable partner, always entering the scene with stars holding him up, beloved and supported by living beings.
Even so, that was still within the understandable range.
At least, although Zheng Jiang couldn’t reach Ma Ran’s level, he could accept it.
After all, before Ma Ran exposed his true nature and decided to be authoritarian, he had always represented the interests of allies and could help everyone achieve their ideals and pursuits, gaining the support of the strong and wise was only natural.
But what did this [Lord of the Red Lotus] Ye Fengqing do?
In Earth Chronicles, she, like the other three Cangming Overlords, had relatively few scenes, aside from terrifying combat power, she didn’t seem to have overly impressive abilities.
The four great worlds were developed over trillion upon trillion of years, even if class rigidification and internal pressure were too much necessitating external expansion to shift conflicts, it shouldn’t have been so easy for Ye Fengqing to pry away at the seams with just a word!
Even when facing a life-or-death crisis, the first to rebel shouldn’t be those with steely resolve!
This situation was simply absurd!
As ideas clashed in his mind, Zheng Jiang suddenly felt his consciousness became muddled, his thoughts chaotic.
Even his memories were gradually blurring, mixing up.
All the past turned into two parts.
The first part was true past experiences—Zheng Jiang’s dull life as an ordinary person on a Demonless Planet, after rebirth and obtaining the [All Heavens Comics System], he progressed triumphantly, dismantled the system, broke through to the [Divine Demon Tier], and strategized with the rulers of the Four Great Worlds to secure cultivation resources, descending upon the [Sin Universe] and encountering Ma Ran and Ye Fengqing.
The second part...
Zheng Jiang was born in a bubble world under the Immortal Wood Plane, supposed to die from exhaustion of lifespan, yet due to a stroke of luck, he was observed by [Lord of the Red Lotus] Ye Fengqing, eventually, when his lifespan was nearly exhausted, he gained the qualification to transcend, and was even granted an external aid called "system" to assist his cultivation.
And the Frost Gold Great World, Immortal Wood Plane, Fiery Fire Universe, Profound Thunder Dimension, these four worlds, had recognized their master trillions of years ago, ruled by [Lord of the Red Lotus].
"How is this possible?!"
Zheng Jiang gritted his teeth, shook his head, trying to make himself a little clearer, but all his efforts were in vain.
He went from a conqueror to a rebel.
The immense psychological gap, how could he accept it?
If he hadn’t honed himself to today’s Giant through countless bloody battles and grinding, his mindset might have collapsed.
Even with resilient beliefs and a firm Dao Heart, he could only maintain a stiff face, barely enduring.
Until this moment, he sorrowfully realized that the methods Ye Fengqing employed were not simple memory alteration but a literal modification of the past of the Four Great Worlds!
What he firmly believed as the past became illusory delusions.
What he thought to be false pasts, instead became the irrefutable "history!"
So...
The previous inconsistent behavior of his temporary allies was not the actions of two-faced petty persons—They genuinely believed that they and their ancestors had been favored by Ye Fengqing, and from birth, were trained as "soldiers under the Red Lotus," taking pride in serving Ye Fengqing, and feeling disgrace at failing to earn merit.
Zheng Jiang could be one hundred percent sure, not only were he and his group of temporary allies influenced.
Every intelligent life form in the Four Great Worlds silently accepted these transitions, without even being aware reality was profoundly altered.
Only very few individuals with high "inspiration" attributes would occasionally get a strange sense of déjà vu in their lives, feeling as if everything before them had happened before, yet when they tried to delve deeper into the thought, it would slip away like sand through fingers.
Zheng Jiang being able to hang on till now was partly due to his natural strong inspiration attribute; the other part was because he had dismantled his former hack [All Heavens Comics System] with his own hands, using the system core to protect his soul and the traces of his past existence.
Therefore...
His situation was even more awkward than that of his temporary allies.
Trying to pretend being brainwashed to muddle through was purely wishful thinking, it was akin to underestimating the opponent, equivalent to seeking death.
Even without aligning his gaze with Ma Ran and Ye Fengqing, Zheng Jiang could feel their scrutiny.
Now, presented in front of Zheng Jiang, only two paths remained.
To resist stubbornly, leading to a dead-end.
To accept this "altered past" as the true history, turning to the brighter side, might allow him to survive.
And Zheng Jiang and his temporary allies’ arrival to the [Sin Universe] was the result of multifaceted balancing by the Four Great Worlds.
He initially thought himself a vested winner here to harvest the fruits and share the spoils, yet surprisingly, he was still a step behind, becoming a manipulated pawn and cannon fodder.
Thus...
Is there anything else worth hesitating over?
No more!
Zheng Jiang unhesitatingly shattered the core of the All Heavens Comics System, voluntarily embracing a "brand new past."
In an instant, his facial expression changed, his eyes becoming completely different from before.
The new timeline, the new history, had been entirely embedded into the deepest reaches of his soul and memory.
Zheng Jiang knelt on one knee, prostrating before [Lord of the Red Lotus] Ye Fengqing, speaking with reverence, akin to a Saint: "Since ancient times, the Immortal Wood Plane, Fiery Fire Universe, Profound Thunder Dimension, and Frost Gold Great World have all been under Her Highness Honglian’s rule."
"I, Zheng Jiang, a second life in this world, only wish to be Her Highness’s vanguard, battling across all heavens, quelling all those who do not obey!"