However, after this incident, Yun You really didn't have the mood to chat with these people any longer.

She noticed that Jin, who was originally seated at the head of the table, had unknowingly left his seat and returned to his office alone, quietly observing the scenery outside the window.

Yun You's heart trembled. She instinctively pushed away the person offering a toast and, amidst the puzzled gazes of others, left the banquet and returned to the office.

"What's wrong? Girl, are you in a bad mood?"

Seeing Yun You walking toward him with her head down, Jin was somewhat confused.

But Yun You did not answer; she simply closed the door silently and then murmured...

"Old man..."

"How much time do you... have left?"

Truthfully, Yun You was considered to be quite articulate.

Through years of living in the Lower City of Nest City, she had long developed a habit of reading people and knew the art of speaking appropriately according to the situation.

But at this moment, facing her mentor, this elderly person who absolutely trusted her and was willing to entrust his ideals to her, Yun You couldn't utter a single lie or polite remark.

She couldn't bring herself to lie, so she had to open up the conversation in the most direct way possible.

"..."

Jin was stunned.

This was the first time he was utterly at a loss in front of Yun You.

He couldn't understand how Yun You knew about the issues with his body when even Jiang Wuji and Chen Zaikun knew nothing about it.

"Could it be... that I've become so weak that even the girl can see my condition?"

Jin instinctively thought, but he soon understood.

All of this probably had something to do with Yun You's "Calamity Demon" bloodline.

Even today, Calamity Demons remain a highly mysterious group, possessing the power to turn decay into magic, so it's not surprising that they could sense his physical condition.

Therefore, after a moment of silence, Jin realized that continuing to hide it served no purpose.

"About... a year, I guess."

He gave a number that even he felt uncertain about, sensing that Yun You might not believe him.

"Really?"

As he expected, Yun You leaned forward, her eyes piercing as though capable of seeing right through the old man.

"Uh... Strictly speaking, it's more like 9 months."

Jin hung his head low and reported an even shorter number.

Yet, Yun You still didn't retract her scorching gaze.

"Uh... alright then."

With no other options, Jin could only sigh and tell the truth.

"At most, half a year. I can feel it... My body is deteriorating at a visible speed, my cells are constantly decaying, and my internal organs are starting to fail."

"But it's not a 'disease'; it's a phenomenon akin to 'aging,' so there's no way to treat it."

"I've finally understood why Zhao Xuan was in such a hurry to abandon his physical form and ascend to the Supreme Heaven... haha, who would have known that before becoming a 'God,' the Initial Sequence that allows us to become gods would be a deadly poison."

"Girl, you're right. In this incident, every 'greedy' person doesn't meet a good end."

"I ultimately fell to a sliver of greed for becoming a god."

He turned his head away, somewhat embarrassed to face Yun You directly.

"..."

Yun You clenched her fists, but she still felt a bit unwilling.

"Can't you replace your organs or your body?"

After a moment of silence, the young girl asked quietly, "I heard that the wealthy nobles extend their lives by replacing organs once they get old; the previous Lower City Overseer Carlos did this, living to 120 years through surgeries when he was supposed to die in his sixties or seventies."

"Old man, your body is stronger than Carlos; such surgeries should be feasible multiple times, right?"

Jin shook his head helplessly.

"I just said, this isn't a disease."

"If it were a simple illness, then perhaps replacing organs would help, but the symptoms I'm experiencing are 'aging' and 'decaying.' It's a natural law, and even I can't overcome it."

"Sure, you can replace organs, but what about the brain? Can you replace the brain too? Definitely not, and even if you could, the person afterwards wouldn't be me."

There is no solution to speak of.

Faced with the "poison" of the Initial Sequence, even Jin is at a loss.

Because the Initial Sequence is a higher existence than a True God, no one knows how it was created, so even True Gods have no way to overcome its toxicity.

However, it seems that Jin had long anticipated this day for himself.

Thus, he wasn't very frustrated or saddened; he just felt... a bit regretful.

He had clearly acquired enough power to change the world, had the platform to display his abilities, yet lacked the time.

"But girl, you shouldn't feel sad for me either."

Jin sighed lightly, ruffling Yun You's hair.

"The death of a True God isn't the complete end; it's merely discarding the physical form. My soul will ascend to the Supreme Heaven like Zhao Xuan. I'll still have my consciousness and can watch over you, carrying out my ideals and continuing the fight."

"Even up there, I'll still do everything I can to protect and shelter you all..."

"Perhaps, one day in the future, our mentor-disciple group might reunite in the Supreme Heaven, who knows..."

He forced a slightly strained smile.

Yun You said nothing, just remained silent with clenched fists.

But she also knew there was nothing she could change, and she could only accept it.

The two shared a mutual understanding, like a tacit bond, and did not bring up the unchangeable matter again.

Yun You understood that what she needed to do now was to become as strong as possible before Jin's departure and fulfill her duties as a commissar.

And Jin also knew he had to clear as many obstacles for Yun You and his other students as possible while he still had the strength to act and swing his fist.

He had to put aside a portion of his compassion...

...

Time always seems to pass quickly.

In February 2078, after much contemplation, Jin initiated a war against Nest City No. 4.

Nest City No. 4 was a commercial and financial metropolis, situated just a few hundred kilometers from Nest City No. 3, home to numerous corporate giants and financial nobility headquarters.

After Nest City No. 3 was occupied by the Equality Association, it launched a series of financial offensives against Nest City No. 3, attempting to economically cripple the city.

Although, with the help of Aurora and a team of consultants, Nest City No. 3 managed to weather the financial storm without major disaster, the attack nevertheless dealt a significant economic blow to the city, leaving millions jobless and causing nearly ten thousand businesses to collapse.

Jin understood that he could not allow others to threaten his position, and if he couldn't bring this city into the Equality Association's sphere of influence, Nest City No. 3 would inevitably face more financial attacks in the future.

War was ultimately unavoidable; if he couldn't make the decision now, his students would face greater dangers.

So even though he loathed war, he eventually chose the path of battle, opting to endure the infamy rather than allow a malignant tumor to continue to exist.

The war itself proceeded quite smoothly.

Upon learning that Nest City No. 3 had declared war on them, most of the corporate giants in Nest City No. 4 immediately mobilized their armies, even calling forth overwhelming fleets.

But in the face of Jin, the True God, battleships within the atmosphere posed no threat.

Only space warships had the slightest chance of threatening a True God.

Thus, after destroying over a thousand warships barehanded and taking scores of thousands of lives, the corporations of Nest City No. 4 found themselves unable to bear further massive losses.

They either chose to withdraw their troops or surrender.

Therefore, by April, Nest City No. 4 was also under the control of the Equality Association.

However, this was not the end of the war, but merely the beginning of a series of conflicts.

Jin vowed to forge a peaceful era for his students and the people.

In the past, when he still had time, this could be done gradually.

But now, he had to speed up the process, so he could only use the most direct methods to deal with those who refused to cooperate.

The Eleventh Corporate War had begun...