Calamity of Tomorrow

Unlike the first time I had a conversation with Doctor Zhuang in this area, which involved a series of information exchanges before the topic of intelligence species was broached.

At this moment, Zhou Bai didn't mention the demon bloodline, didn't mention the primal Dao collection, didn't bring up Christina, and didn't reference the Tomorrow Plan; he asked about the intelligence species as soon as they met, immediately surprising Doctor Zhuang.

Doctor Zhuang looked at Zhou Bai with suspicion, "Where did you learn about the intelligence species? Why are you asking me? And how do you know that I would be aware of their existence?"

Zhou Bai immediately realized his mistake, because without the previous groundwork, the doctor seemed to react differently.

After some thought, Zhou Bai felt he definitely couldn't say that he learned about the intelligence species from the Heavenly Demon. The enmity between humans and Heavenly Demons ran deep. He couldn't guarantee that Doctor Zhuang wouldn't become hostile upon learning that he had contact with a Heavenly Demon.

But Zhou Bai's hesitation was caught by Doctor Zhuang, whose eyes narrowed slightly, "Hesitation? Are you thinking of how to deceive me?"

Zhou Bai's gaze flickered, stating directly, "No, I was just considering whether I could trust you with such sensitive information."

Doctor Zhuang, "Oh? And what's your decision?"

Zhou Bai repeated what Doctor Zhuang had once mentioned before Time Reverse, "The Void is a world of spirit and consciousness, many rules of the Material World do not apply there. Concepts of time and space change with the shift of consciousness..."

Doctor Zhuang unexpectedly said, "You seem quite knowledgeable about the Void."

"Somewhat knowledgeable…" Zhou Bai said, "So the you in front of me, you're not the real you, are you? The real you is probably already dead, and this you in front of me is nothing but a reflection of the Void."

"So some secrets, I think I can tell you," Zhou Bai said. "About the intelligence species and other information, I learned it from the mouth of a true god from the heavenly court. After cultivating the primal Dao collection you left behind, I made a series of breakthroughs..."

"Impossible... You're lying, the true gods of the heavenly court would never voluntarily tell you these things," Doctor Zhuang asserted while looking at Zhou Bai, "They would never disclose such matters to a mortal, unless... you have something special about you. But if you were that special, there wouldn't be a need for them to tell you voluntarily."

"Since it wasn't the true gods of the heavenly court that told you, then the only possibility is that the Heavenly Demon told you."

Heeding Doctor Zhuang's words, a sinking feeling welled up inside Zhou Bai, a sense of foreboding.

Doctor Zhuang fixed his gaze on Zhou Bai, "You have contact with the Heavenly Demon? Even for the Heavenly Demon, there would be no need to inform a mortal about the intelligence species... Could it be that you are related to the intelligence species? Their bloodline still exists? Unbelievable."

Watching as Doctor Zhuang nearly guessed the truth within a few words, Zhou Bai was slightly alarmed. There were too many clever people in this world, a brief moment of urgency, a single slip, and the other party had seen through much of it.

Zhou Bai simply asked directly, "Correct, I have the bloodline of the intelligence species within me, and I want to know the history of their extinction."

"The bloodline of the intelligence species managed to cultivate my primal Dao collection? Where did my clone find you?" A flicker of something unusual crossed Doctor Zhuang's face, followed by a tinge of regret, "It truly wasn't easy. Everyone thought the evolution of the intelligence species was a failure, believing they had abandoned the most powerful force in the universe."

"But in my view, their original direction of development–seeking collective, organized, and systematic power–had more potential than individual immortals or gods."

Zhou Bai urgently said, "Don't talk to me about these, this place could collapse at any moment, I just want to know if the intelligence species were exterminated by the Spiritual People and the heavenly court of that time?"

"Do you seek revenge?" After a pause, Doctor Zhuang shook his head and slowly said, "If only you had appeared earlier, it's too late now, they have already abandoned the intelligence species."

Zhou Bai gravely said, "Abandoned? Who abandoned the intelligence species? And how does this relate to their extinction?"

Doctor Zhuang sighed and solemnly articulated four words, "Heaven—Earth—All—Beings—"

"Whether it be immortals, gods, or demons, they were all filled with enmity toward the intelligence species. They all played a part in the extinction of the intelligence species."

"In this world, there's no longer a place for the Wise Ones to stand."

"Zhou Bai, if you want to take revenge, the only way is to become stronger. By cultivating the Primitive Dao Collection and becoming more powerful, surpassing gods, you might be able to make sense of everything."

Zhou Bai looked skeptically at Doctor Zhuang before him, who had claimed his goal was 'Sealing Heaven and Earth', that there would be no more gods in the world, just before the Time Reverse happened.

Now he was telling him to become stronger, to surpass the gods? Wasn't that contradictory?

As he was thinking this, the entire world seemed to tremble once again, and Doctor Zhuang before him began to dissipate once more.

Watching this scene, Zhou Bai knew that the gods outside were attacking inside the gate again.

Looking at Doctor Zhuang beginning to fade away, Zhou Bai clenched his teeth, thought of the many questions he had yet to ask, and bitterly exclaimed in his heart, "Zi Yang!"

Doctor Zhuang frowned and quickly said, "I'm about to dissipate, if you have any questions, ask them quickly. I'll try to cooperate and answer swiftly."

Zhou Bai hurriedly asked Doctor Zhuang, "Do you know Li Tai? Was he a traitor of the Wise Ones? Is he still alive?"

"Li Tai?" Doctor Zhuang frowned as if recalling, "I don't recognize that name. There's probably no such person among the gods, and as for immortals... I'm afraid there isn't one with the same name either."

Zhou Bai's heart sank, "Just as I thought... This guy must have changed his name, maybe he even completely changed his identity."

Meanwhile, Doctor Zhuang's fade sped up, and in a blink of an eye, only his upper body was left.

Zhou Bai pressed on with another question, "You said the Heavenly Demons also harbor hostility towards the Wise Ones? Why? Weren't they in slumber during the development of the Wise Ones?"

"It's not that simple, the demons' slumber..." Doctor Zhuang looked at the half of his face that had dissipated, his eyes filled with regret.

The next moment, with the Void Gap opening behind him, what remained of his head slowly floated into it.

Watching Doctor Zhuang's figure dissipate into the void once again, Zhou Bai's face revealed a hint of unwillingness.

"Zi! Yang!"

With the gods outside watching closely, no matter how much he hurried, he only had this small window of time to ask questions, never enough to fully communicate with Doctor Zhuang before him.

"If not for Zi Yang, if I could just talk with Doctor Zhuang for a few more days, it's too short... this time is too short..."

As Doctor Zhuang had already entered the void, Zhou Bai was not willing to just watch.

In the brief one or two seconds, an idea surged in his heart.

In hindsight, it might not have been the best method, but indeed, in that instant, it was the best solution Zhou Bai could come up with in less than a second.

"Doctor Zhuang! Lend me yourself!"

"Lend me your memories!"

"Lend me your essence!"