Elder Mo stared at the cup of steaming “Frost Night Condensed Fragrance”, his eyes remaining completely calm.

He didn't touch the purple clay cup, only looking coldly at the man before him.

"You doing this," Elder Mo let out a soft snort, his hoarse voice unceremoniously shattering the silence.

"will only make me feel that you are even more hypocritical."

Mr. Duan's hand holding the teacup paused slightly.

"The Seventh World was destroyed long ago." Elder Mo raised his volume, his turbid eyes bloodshot, his chest heaving violently: "It was destroyed right in your hands!"

"Right now, what qualifications do you still have to sit here and reminisce with me?"

Outside the pavilion, the Red-haired Strongman, Scarface, and the others gripped their weapons tightly, their knuckles turning white.

Their eyes red with fury, they stared at Mr. Duan, ready to fight for their lives at any moment.

Even knowing that rushing up meant death, that hatred was almost enough to swallow their sanity.

However, Mr. Duan turned a blind eye to the surrounding killing intent.

He showed not a trace of displeasure, simply placing the purple clay cup to his lips and taking a sip of tea.

"Things shouldn't be put that way."

Mr. Duan put down the teacup and raised his eyes to look straight at Elder Mo.

"The one who destroyed The Seventh World was never me." His voice was calm, "It was the Heavenly Dao."

"Shifting the blame? If it weren't for you drawing down the heavenly punishment back then—"

"That was an inevitable outcome, Elder Mo."

Mr. Duan interrupted him.

"The Heavenly Dao is ruthless. In its eyes, we are nothing more than a group of specks of dust that can be erased at any time, puppets casually fabricated and discarded by it at will."

Mr. Duan stood up, walked to the edge of the pavilion with his hands behind his back, and gazed at the koi swimming in the courtyard.

"It has always wanted to erase all of the Human Race, to erase all Professionals."

"Once our existence threatens its control, it will descend a cleansing without hesitation." Mr. Duan turned around, pointing at the sky above his head: "It was me, who has always been trying every possible means to contend with it, fighting for that glimmer of survival for our Human Race!"

Elder Mo listened to him quietly.

Even though Mr. Duan spoke so sanctimoniously, Elder Mo's gaze still did not waver in the slightest. A breeze brushed past the pavilion, stirring his white hair.

He spoke slowly, his voice exuding a dead silence.

"So what?"

Elder Mo stared fixedly into Mr. Duan's eyes, asking word by word: "If this world were controlled by you, what difference would it make?"

"What on earth is the difference between it erasing us and you sacrificing us?!"

Mr. Duan walked back to the stone table and poured another cup of tea.

He took a light sip, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile: "That naturally will be our Human Race becoming the Dominator of the world."

"We will no longer be subject to the heavens, but instead trample the heavens beneath our feet. We will establish an eternal, immortal new era. That will be a perfect world without calamities and without cleansings."

"The Dominator?" Elder Mo shook his head, tearing away Mr. Duan's disguise, "That is simply you wanting to become the Dominator of the world!"

Elder Mo stood up, his withered fingers pointing straight at Mr. Duan.

"In your eyes, whether it is we ghosts of the old era, or those struggling living beings of the present world, everyone else is simply a tool for your ascension!"

"You want to devour everything, to complete your arrogant divine persona! You and that aloof Heavenly Dao are simply birds of a feather!"

Mr. Duan looked at the agitated Elder Mo, the smile gradually fading from his face.

He shook his head.

"Elder Mo, I originally thought that after experiencing so much, you would understand me."

"I didn't expect that you are still so obsessed and unrepentant."

Mr. Duan sighed, his gaze sweeping over Elder Mo and the Red-haired Strongman and others outside the pavilion.

"However, it doesn't matter."

"One day, you, or all of you, will understand."

Mr. Duan placed the purple clay cup on the stone table, making a crisp sound.

"I don't resent you for stopping me. On this road, there are bound to be misunderstandings, betrayals, and sacrifices."

"But since things have come to this step, I already have no turning back."

Having said that, Mr. Duan stood up.

He straightened his lapels and leaned on that cane inlaid with a pigeon-blood ruby.

"Come out."

He casually uttered these three words.

As soon as his voice fell, the muddy ground outside the pavilion began to surge violently.

The soil rolled in all directions.

"What is that?!" The Red-haired Strongman turned pale with fright, instinctively raising his giant axe to block in front of Elder Mo.

"Roar—"

Accompanied by a sticky sound, an ugly monster crawled out from the mud.

It was only over half a person tall, its entire body covered in tumors and tentacles, with blackish-green mucus flowing across its surface.

Everyone present felt a shudder the moment they laid eyes on it. The aura emanating from its body was too familiar—it was precisely the giant beast that had been slain by Zhou Huai in the Dead Sea earlier, the Sea God.

This was also the vague outline that had escaped from the Sea God's mouth earlier; at this moment, it had already acquired a physical form. Looking closely, its facial contours were seven or eight parts similar to the Sea God, simply being a miniature version of the Sea God.

The Red-haired Strongman and Scarface drew a sharp breath.

"Th-This… This is the core Origin of the Sea God?!" Scarface's voice trembled, "It actually escaped here?!"

The miniature Sea God paid no attention to the others' horror.

As soon as it crawled out of the mud, it impatiently wriggled its body and crawled to Mr. Duan's feet. Like a dog begging for a reward, it ingratiatingly rubbed against Mr. Duan's trouser legs with its tumor-covered head.

Its mouth emitted a "woo-woo" low whimper, as if claiming credit.

Mr. Duan lowered his head to look at this monster, without any disgust in his eyes.

He squatted down, extended his white-gloved hand, and stroked its slimy head.

"You've really worked hard."

Mr. Duan's tone was gentle, "In order to bring back this Origin for me, you must have suffered quite a bit."

Seeing that Mr. Duan did not blame it and instead comforted it, the miniature Sea God immediately cried out even more cheerfully.

It even rolled on the ground, exposing its belly, displaying absolute submission.

The Red-haired Strongman and the others watched with their hair standing on end.

A monster that had almost destroyed the present world was actually as docile as a begging pet in front of Mr. Duan.

Just in the next second.

A sudden change occurred.

The smile on Mr. Duan's face vanished instantly, replaced by extreme ruthlessness.

His hand that was originally gently stroking the miniature Sea God suddenly gripped the cane.

"Puchi—"

A muffled sound of flesh being pierced appeared exceptionally harsh in the quiet courtyard.

The pupils of the Red-haired Strongman and the others shrank violently.

They saw Mr. Duan expressionlessly raise his cane, the bottom end of the cane having somehow turned into a sharp spike, fiercely piercing into the body of the miniature Sea God.

"Roar—?!!"

Amidst the miniature Sea God's bewildered expression, the tip of the cane pierced through its body, deeply nailing it onto the bluestone slabs outside the pavilion.

Red and black intermingled blood spread along the gaps in the stone slabs.