Zeus's grace is higher than the sky

Description of fate changes

Reproduction destiny

Under the shadow of the Imaginary Tree, a new destiny, winding from the corpses of reproduction, quietly sprouted. It spun away the mother's endless instinct for replication, forging the twisted urge for growth into a spiraling principle of life—this is the destiny of reproduction. Its essence lies not in producing an endless supply of homogenous bodies, but in weaving a web of inheritance that transcends individual extinction. While the swarms of the reproduction destiny gnaw at the stars, seeking to sate their empty hunger, the believers of reproduction lean in to listen to the dying breaths of all things, transforming what has vanished into fuel for continuity.

Lifeforms imbued with this destiny cease to be mindless reproductive puppets and instead, at the critical point of individual decline, burst forth into a transcendent transformation. An ancient tree collapses, yet within its woody veins emerges a metallic neural network; a dying scholar imbues his consciousness into a bacterial colony, his thoughts spreading like spores on the interstellar wind. This is a ritual of sublimation, a sacrifice of the self—flesh and blood may decay, but the entire information carried by life will be reconstructed within a foreign medium. Thus, ecological arks transformed from the remains of civilization drift across the universe: after a planet's oceans evaporate, its liquid wisdom condenses into crystals and rains down on a barren moon, giving rise to a singing silicon forest.

Conquer Destiny

Amid the unforgiving laws of the vast starry sea, there exists a ruthless destiny called "conquest." It is neither simple destruction nor a union of equals, but rather the complete overtaking and reshaping of the weak by the will of the stronger. Those who practice this path firmly believe they represent a superior form, a purer truth, or a more inevitable direction of evolution. Their mission is not to educate or coexist, but to impose their own order, ideals, and even form of existence on all "inferior" civilizations and individuals they encounter with irresistible force. The essence of conquest is forced assimilation, the complete dissolution of the complex "other," melting it into the conqueror's vision of "perfection."

The Walkers of Destiny are often entities that possess overwhelming power—whether it be military technology, supernatural strength, or profound mental control. They view the universe as a clay mold to be shaped, and themselves as the sole mold. Their logic is clear and brutal: identify the target, assess its "deviation" from their own standards, and then initiate the process of assimilation. This process may manifest as forced physical transformation, twisting and reshaping the alien body into a form acceptable to the conqueror; it may manifest as a complete cleansing of thought and culture, burning texts, erasing languages, and engraving the conqueror's beliefs and laws into every captive mind like a steel seal; or it may manifest as the violent reorganization of social structures, shattering existing families, city-states, and nations, and forcibly integrating them into the conqueror's vast, unified, and rigidly hierarchical order.

For the conquered, this was not liberation or elevation, but a radical stripping away of the very foundations of their existence. Their history was dismissed as false, their emotions as flaws, their unique star shapes as deformities. In the light of the conqueror, the uniqueness of individuals and civilizations was deemed errors that must be "corrected." Those unable or resistant to assimilation were deemed useless impurities, ruthlessly purged under the guise of "purification." Ultimately, the conquered world assumed a suffocating "harmony"—all faces facing the conqueror's dictates, all voices repeating the conqueror's precepts, all differences flattened, leaving only the pale echoes of the conqueror's will, endlessly replicated. The end of this fate was a universe forcibly unified, stripped of all its splendor, reduced to a monotonous reflection of the conqueror's own cold, grandiose vision. The C'tan-god who presided over this process, perhaps Siddiqa the Assimilated, existed as a vortex of devouring and reshaping, constantly absorbing the stars into its ever-expanding, absolutely singular form.

Chapter 167: Cosmic Upheaval

Zeus closed his eyes, and countless fragments flashed through his mind, including his arrival in Greece, defeating the White Giants, unifying the world, breaking out of the universe, winning a tragic victory over the Star of Tears, and now standing in front of Hippie. Strength is naturally his greatest reliance, but he relies on more than just strength - the people's faith, the mystery of change, the sophisticated technology... all integrated with his power, and the source of it is "civilization".

Civilizations adapt to new environments and also change them. Simply forcing assimilation will only lead to collapse or extermination by stronger opponents. Only by transforming themselves during the assimilation process can civilizations eliminate the contradictions of collapse and continuously optimize themselves, allowing them to assimilate even stronger opponents.

"If you blindly assimilate without change, the internal fissures will only grow wider. Eventually, you will collapse and be destroyed by a stronger force."

Zeus had seen it all in his colonization efforts. He had seen vast empires encompassing planets and even solar systems, yet with a little instigation and external pressure, they could be "brought into the fold," ultimately colonized with minimal effort. He had also seen tiny lands fight tooth and nail, ultimately conquered only after exhausting every possible means. Forced assimilation, no matter how large, would crumble at the slightest provocation, while the integration of civilizations, no matter how small, was as indestructible as a rock.

Simply advocating "harmony" only results in "harmony," with the wrong being assimilated, and the superior also being assimilated, resulting in only expansion in size but no quality. While quantitative change can bring about qualitative change, how can qualitative change be achieved when the power of the Star God has long been locked above it?

The excellence of "civilization" lies in the fact that even if it is weak for a while, "conquered" by others and has others singing songs of "harmony", it can still "assimilate" the stronger ones by virtue of its own characteristics.

On the first blue planet, when he met the "immortal" who was about to enter the universe, Zeus had seen the resilience of their "civilization" in countless parallel universes. Even if they were defeated by aliens, even if they were ruled by aliens, after several generations, the aliens would be assimilated into their civilization. Although their bloodlines were different, their food, clothing, housing and transportation were no different. Even the aliens that were powerful for a while would eventually be assimilated into it.

The strength of "civilization" lies not in its power but in its resilience based on "change".

The power of "harmony" hitting the high wall of "civilization" will only make it stronger, and naturally no trace will be left.

Zeus and Hippea shared the path of "civilization".

"Is that so?"

The three phases of Shipe's body showed relieved expressions at the same time, and cracks appeared on his body again, but the pieces of the puzzle did not float anywhere else, but flew towards the high wall representing "civilization". As the pieces of the puzzle left Shipe's body, flew towards the high wall of "civilization" and sank into it, Shipe's breath became weaker and weaker.

Until finally only the head of the last three phases remained, and the body had completely disappeared.

"Nothing you want to say?"

Hippie's six eyes were tightly closed, and even when she looked sad or angry, she showed a satisfied smile.

"See you later, then."

"See you later then."

As Shipe finished speaking, the last three phases turned into fragments and sank into "civilization".

At this point, the evolution of destiny from the outside to the inside is completely completed. Zeus is no longer the star god of the destiny of "reproduction", but the star god of the complex destiny of "civilization", which is mainly based on "reproduction" and "harmony", and supplemented by concepts such as "change" and "inheritance".

The spiritual world gradually collapsed with Hippie's "death", and Zeus' consciousness returned to the real world.

A protracted war between gods took place in the spiritual world, but in reality, only a fraction of a second had passed.

When Zeus opened his eyes again, his eyes met with Kiara Sesshōin who had also just opened her eyes.

The mark of harmony in her eyes had dissipated, and the light returned to her eyes, along with the mark of "civilization".

Feeling the heat from Zeus between her lips and teeth, Kiara Sesshōin was a little surprised and shy at first, and then she responded passionately, with spring waves in her eyes like a clear spring about to overflow.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

Kiara Sesshōin's face was flushed. When she thought about the heated conversation she had just had with her "idol", she felt extremely happy and satisfied.

"Ah, Lord Zeus. Surprisingly, surprisingly..."

However, Zeus underwent a drastic change at this moment. The power of "harmony" completely entered Zeus' body with the in-depth communication just now.

The changes in the destiny of the spiritual world were reflected in Zeus's body in the material world.

The fusion and evolution of destiny allowed Zeus to take another step forward. A huge pillar of light rose from the Asdena star field. The huge power fluctuations shook the entire universe. A new destiny was born, or evolved.

The remaining "breeding" relics in the world slowly began to change, shedding their hard shells and beginning to "evolve", moving towards a direction that could better adapt to the environment. Most importantly... the hard-won... Under the influence of "civilization", these "breeding" relics will obtain a treasure they have never had before - wisdom. The mark of lightning completely covers the mark of breeding.

It is said that every insect in the locust plague swarm, which is notorious throughout the universe, is a replica of the last Coleopteran King Taiziyuros. The King Taiziyuros may return at any time through his "offspring" remaining in the universe. Now, Zeus has completely wiped out this possibility, and there will be no more "reproduction" from then on.

As for "harmony," all travelers and family members who walked this path, without exception, suffered a loss of strength to varying degrees. The more steadfastly they followed the path of "harmony," the greater the loss, and some even perished on the spot. "Harmony" had become a thing of the past, and so had the family.

The huge changes in the universe have caused all forces to focus their attention on the Asdena star field.

The previous incident of the suspected resurrection and subsequent demise of the Order Taiyi would have been enough to plunge the entire universe into a vortex of conflict in the past. However, now that the destinies of Harmony and Reproduction had undergone drastic changes, it was merely a minor incident.

After all, the restoration of order would at most plunge the world's famous and powerful "family" into turmoil, but the current drastic changes have brought the "family" to the brink of destruction.

Even the remnants of the Zerg, who are known as the Three Plagues in the universe along with the Antimatter Legion and the People of Plenty, have changed because of this. Perhaps in the future these intelligent Zerg will become new opportunities.

All of this, just because of that one kiss, overturned the pattern of the universe, and the entire universe is about to face a brand new reshuffle that is no less severe than the one when Hippie swallowed Taiyi and the gods besieged the Insect King Taiziyuros.

Chapter 168 Post-match summary time

"Everyone, we have gathered here after a long absence to discuss the future of Pinocchio."

There is only a huge round table in a magnificent hall. The materials used in its manufacture are extremely luxurious, and all of them are very rare materials in the universe. Different from the Terminator in Pinocchio's dream, the material of this round table is real, without a trace of memory as a substitute.

However, there were only four people sitting on the five chairs, namely:

The family responsible for the economy and the manager of the Pinocchio wealth - Oti Affa, the head of the Clover family.

The family responsible for culture, the founder of the Pinocchio entertainment industry - Maeveen Iris, the head of the Iris family.

The family responsible for security, maintaining the safety and order of Pinocchio - Don Wyyard, the head of the Hound family.

The family responsible for construction hired architects and scholars from all over the universe to build a wonderful dreamland together - Sir Whittaker, the head of the Hidden Thrush family.

Only the middle chair was empty. It had belonged to Sunday, the head of the Oak family, the politically responsible branch of the Five Great Branches. Sunday's fate was unknown, and even if he had survived, he couldn't possibly sit in that chair again.

"Because of the Oak family, Sunday and Gopher wood, Pinocchio has suffered an unimaginable loss."

The one who spoke was Oti Aifa. As the head of the Alfalfa family, which controlled the economy among the five major families of Pinocchio, he saw the losses of Pinocchio most directly.

"Yes, our family has suffered heavy losses, and our defense force is almost in a vacuum."

Don Wyatt, the head of the Hound family, had tired eyes. As he was in charge of security, he hadn't closed his eyes for a long time. Every minute and every second, he would receive news of the death or serious injury of world-famous figures. He was already exhausted both physically and mentally from dealing with all this.

"I don't need to explain the dream in detail; you can probably guess what it was like—it was a ruin. I don't know how long it would take and how much it would cost to rebuild its former prosperity."

Sir Whittaker, the head of the Night Thrush family, was also very distressed. His huge dream was destroyed and he didn't know where to start again.

Then everyone looked at Maeveen Iris, the head of the Iris family. The artists of the Iris family were the business card of Pinocchio. If problems occurred with the artists of the Iris family and no one came to Pinocchio anymore, then even if Pinocchio was rebuilt, it would be nothing more than a dead star.

"very bad."

Maeveen Iris also had a headache.

"First, there was 'Taiyi's Dream,' then 'Return to One' and the divine battle with that adult, and finally 'Harmony' ...

Compared to these events, the complete annihilation of the Oak family in this series of events, leaving behind a brand new "cake" for the remaining four families to divide, did not pique the interest of the four present. After all, the prerequisite for eating it was to stay alive. As for Pinocchio's Holy Grail War, that matter did not even need to be brought to the meeting table.

"The Oak family... Never mind, let's not talk about it. Besides..."

Everyone was silent. Although many pressing matters had been discussed before, the real core issue of today's meeting was - what should be done with Pinocchio?

The star god Hippie is suspected to have fallen. The family has suffered an unprecedented blow and is on the edge of a cliff. Life or death depends on the next step. There is no time to consider Pinocchio.

"[Dream Master], you dragged the entire Oak family down with you to death, and before you died, you caused us a lot of trouble."

Looking at the mark of "harmony" in the center of the round table, and the Gefeimu who was once a member of the Tianhuan tribe, it was he who used the star core as the core to build Pinoconi's dream and thus the star of the former Shengcheng Club. The heads of various families more or less knew a few words of this "Dream Master" of Pinoconi.

"It can't be said that they are all dead, but there is still one person."

Needless to say, everyone knew who it was—the world-famous singer Robin, and also the sister of Sunday, who turned away from "harmony" and turned to the arms of "order".

But this meeting was not to judge her. On the contrary, the hopes of the four family heads present were placed on her. She was the only girl who had direct contact with Zeus.

"Is it possible? Will that lord accept us? After all, that lord and the Star Train..."

The four family heads present fell silent.

Though it's a long time ago, one thing is certain: the prosperity of the Gala Star Pinocchio was built on the betrayal of the watchmaker Mikhail, the "Former Unknown Guest" of the Star Express.

"Let's give it a try. After all, there is no other way."

That’s right, just like they converted to their family one after another, the remaining four families hope to seek the protection of Zeus.

......

"How's it going? A brand new body."

Zeus looked at the three "people" in front of him who looked almost identical.

"It's amazing. I never thought it could separate us."

The one who is speaking is "Tranquility" Shippe, which corresponds to the image of Shippe smiling peacefully "before death".

"It's so sad. It's just going to be like this from now on."

This time it's "Sad" Shippey.

"..."

The one who remained silent and serious was "Angry" Shipe.

Today's three Shipes are no longer star gods but have become beings similar to subordinate gods, responsible for the "harmony" part of the destiny of "civilization".

Although its power has been weakened compared to when it was still in the "harmony" with the Star God, its advantage is that it will not be held back.

The three Hippies are now in charge of the functions of the former Harmonious Chords. "Tranquility" Hippie is in charge of Beatrice, the music of the "Blissful Ball," "Sorrow" Hippie is in charge of Constantina, the chorus of the "Theatre of All Sounds," and "Anger" Hippie is in charge of Airnev, the life of the "Infinite Husband." Dominic, the wish of the "Chorus of All Sounds," who was originally in charge of faith, is now...

"I will take over Dominic's duties in sorting out the faith, all three of you."

The person who appeared in front of the three Shipes was none other than Kiara Sesshōin, who was initially regarded by Shipes as a substitute for Dominicus.

There was no doubt that she would be the immediate superior of the three Shipes in the future. Kiara Sesshōin smiled broadly as she met the gazes of the three Shipes.

Now, in just seven days, she has completed her growth from childhood, growth, maturity, perfect form and even ultimate form, far surpassing all other Kiara Sesshōin and embarking on a completely different bright road.

Chapter 169 The Answer Given by the Holy Grail

After seven days, the Pinocchio Holy Grail War officially ended.

Although the original goal was achieved, Zeus was still not very satisfied.

"What's wrong? Lord Zeus, you can talk to me about your troubles. Although I can't help you, I am happy to be a good listener."

Kiara Sesshōin, radiating the aura of a saint, sat on the sofa, letting her beloved Lord Zeus rest his head on her plump legs.

However, Zeus, who was somewhat worried at the moment, didn't care about these things at all.

"Hey, it's not that simple, is it?"

Zeus specifically lured out Hippea and even devoured her for this purpose in order to study what kind of help devouring and fusing the star god could bring to himself.

The result was good, but far from what Zeus had expected. According to Zeus's expectation, she hoped that after consuming Hippie's "harmony", the quality would be further improved. However, the fact is that a cup of 50-degree water plus a cup of 50-degree water still results in 50 degrees. Only the total amount of water has increased, and the temperature has not changed.

But Zeus sought 100-degree boiling water, not two cups of 50-degree water. At the level of a Star God, quantity alone only served as an advantage in combat, but quality was paramount when it came to determining victory.

The restraint of concepts meant that Hippie's attacks wouldn't leave a single mark on the walls of "civilization," even if the total amount was multiplied several times. The outcome was determined only when the two were nearly equal in level.

If one wants to replace the true creations such as roots and sea of ​​trees, a mere star god is still far from enough.

The simulated universe constructed with the power of intellect is ultimately just a simulation. Everything in the simulated universe is merely transformed by the power of intellect, and it is still a long way from the real creation.

According to Zeus's initial speculation, in order to achieve a level comparable to the Root, he only needed to integrate the remaining destinies, but it turned out that Zeus was too naive.

"Yes, it's still too idealistic. Throughout history, countless destinies have separated and merged. Now there are eighteen Star Gods—oh, right, seventeen now. It's hard to say how many more destinies will be opened up in the future."

It is true that Star Gods are powerful beings at the extreme end of their destiny, but as the saying goes, "all roads lead to Rome," there are so many roads that lead to the name of "Star God."

As long as there is enough time, there will probably be endless new destinies in the future. Boshizun can only anchor the known universe through calculations. Even if Akivali dies, his pioneering power will still rush towards the unknown world. It is impossible to achieve the goal of being on par with the root by simply devouring the existing destinies.

Zeus began to play with the Holy Grail he had made.

"Holy Grail, Holy Grail, if you could only grant my wish, I ask nothing else. Just tell me how to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Source."

The next moment, in Zeus's shocked eyes, the Holy Grail shone brightly, gradually turned into specks of flying ashes and disappeared in Zeus's hands. At the same time, a message appeared in Zeus' mind - the method is in your own hands.