"Do you really think we would allow anything that could threaten us?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Isn't that underestimating us a bit?"

Scarlet trails tore through the sky, as more and more Secret Citizens ruptured the cosmic dimensions, forcibly landing in the Void with a swarm of Earth-born soldiers.

Standing beside Gaia, Du Zexin, privileged to borrow Gaia's perspective, looked downward from above, overlooking the entire Zhou Yuan Universe.

She merely sat at a teahouse dining table, yet looked upon all creations on the ground as if she were a god.

It was only at this moment that Du Zexin finally realized how terrifying Earthlings could be.

With the advantage of technology and civilized systems, there were also many Earthlings.

At this instant, entities from Earth—no, from all civilizations derived from Earth—began a merciless, all-out invasion of the Void.

Flowers and trees from Earth took root and grew in the Void, as Earthlings speaking English, Chinese, German, French, Russian, and other languages built skyscrapers and grand architecture on flat land, rising as if fast forwarded in a video, unfolding decades, centuries, millennia in an instant. In this breathtaking surge of construction, Earthlings' bodies also adapted to the Void.

Even more beyond Du Zexin's imagination, Earthlings adapted to the Void and assimilated its culture.

War?

There was no war here.

No blood, no fire, no bloody slaughter.

Only influence.

He saw Void beings start speaking English, shedding their spikes and tentacles after learning Earth culture.

He saw Primordial God Clan Warriors struggle fiercely, attempting to destroy Earthlings' buildings, but the massive tide of infrastructure swallowed their bodies.

He saw magnificent histories and figures rushing towards them, a vast gathering of diverse cultures, where anyone could find their cultural pursuits, whether cultivating immortality or worshiping Evil Gods.

Finally, Du Zexin wavered.

"What exactly is this weapon?"

"Ideology."

Gaia explained openly:

"Ether is merely a tool; thought is the ultimate weapon of our Earth civilization."

"The most colossal empires can disintegrate with the collapse of faith; a naturally disabled waste can forge immortality through belief. Ordinary, mundane people can unite under the guidance of ideological doctrine, and transform into waves that sweep across the world, ceaselessly growing, destroying everything that blocks our path!"

"This is the power of thought."

"Starry Abyss people only know violence, but for Earthlings, violence is something we've mastered since the age of apes. Humans who only rely on violence haven't conquered the world in two million years, but with progressive thought, it only took us a few thousand years to charge out of the Universe."

"You can use violence to destroy the body, but what can you use to combat civilization?"

"Conquering barbaric backwardness doesn't require knives, guns, or cannons, but water, electricity, and medicine."

"In Confucian terms: A gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity; a petty person seeks uniformity but not harmony."

"I am all-knowing and all-powerful, naturally broad-minded, and there's no need to annihilate Starry Abyss completely. In contrast, Leoz knows that if I am left to proceed, and conquer Starry Abyss like slowly boiling a frog in warm water, Starry Abyss will become fully Earthified within a few millennia."

"So, Leoz will continuously defame, attack, and vilify me."

"Though I don't want to admit it, he's doing the right thing."

"If he doesn't incite war between Earth and Starry Abyss, the world will only be left with Earth's civilization."

"Sounds ironic, doesn't it? In fact, on Earth, the conquest of civilization is always respectable: organizing households, seeking common ground while preserving differences, forging a community of shared Fate—yet the independence of Freedom is often bloody and cruel."

As he spoke, in the god's-eye view Du Zexin saw, the map of Earth colonists had completely covered the entire Zhou Yuan.

"Alright, the Void has been conquered. Next, only eliminating Leoz remains. But before that..."

Gaia turned her head, extending her hand toward Du Zexin:

"You once had Earth's bloodline and gave us something tasty."

"So, we are happy to give you another chance, Du Zexin."

"Do you wish to become our child?"