I! Cleaner!-Chapter 1074 - 990: Old King
Did we... our true selves have really been killed by the Food God? And now we are just a segment of the past preserved by Yesterday's Residence?
After hearing the news from Thrush Crow, the True Gods of the Slaughter King Association were stunned, and the entire Yesterday's Residence was eerily quiet, even more silent than a graveyard in the wilderness.
Though they haven't experienced the future, they knew Thrush Crow, the vice president, wasn't the sort to joke about such things despite being somewhat vain, so... 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Could what he said all be true?
"Thrush Crow..."
After a long silence, the old woman wearing a monkey mask was the first to raise her head, hoarsely asked:
"Is what you said... true? Did you see with your own eyes that we were killed by the Food God?"
"Not just you, but also over forty other True Gods who went to investigate after finding the Food God entering the Origin Mud Plate..."
After explaining how the Food God disguised himself as a board member of Ophidian, infiltrated the Slaughter King Association, and climbed to the 250th step, and then fought against hundreds of True Gods, Thrush Crow glanced at the shocked White Snake beside him and said with a rueful expression:
"After that, I chose to fight for survival with you all, and successfully repelled the Food God's attacks multiple times, even caused him significant injury... but ultimately, the Food God was still too strong, and I couldn't defeat him in battle.
However, when I planned to retreat with you, White Snake insisted on opposing me, held me back, and wouldn't let me go. In the end, he got his neck snapped by the Food God, and none of you escaped. I couldn't do anything but rely on truth to forcibly evade the Food God... Alas..."
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"You don't believe me?"
Seeing the doubtful expressions on the faces of the True Gods from the Slaughter King Association, Thrush Crow's face darkened, and he raised his chin for everyone to see his neck, then tore open the robe under his armpit, revealing the thick strangulation marks like those left by a python.
Recalling the experience of being tightly constricted by White Snake, almost being killed by the Food God, Thrush Crow glared angrily at White Snake, then spoke with a hint of indignation:
"There, see? That's the evidence!"
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"If you had believed me once in the past, would you have let the Food God infiltrate?"
"..."
"If you had listened to me and stopped with the internal disputes incited by White Snake, would the Food God have had the opportunity for slaughter?"
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"Hah... believe it if you want to!"
Seeing the suspicious looks of the gods who haven't experienced the future, Thrush Crow seemed provoked and called the portal to enter and leave Yesterday's Residence, intending to leave, but was pulled back by the old woman promptly extending her hand.
"Thrush Crow... Vice President."
After politely adding the title, the old woman wearing the monkey mask, with a hint of hesitation in her expression, said:
"It's not that we don't believe you, but we were having a meeting peacefully, and suddenly you appear, announcing that we're actually all dead, it's really... difficult to accept.
And in the thousands of years past, this Yesterday's Residence has always been the gathering place for the Slaughter King Association. Many have died at the hands of the Cleaner Bureau, but why is it only this time that Yesterday's Residence was activated?"
"How would I know?"
Upon hearing this, Thrush Crow couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"I only relied on my perception as a Pillar God to detect traces of the operation of truth, guessing that Yesterday's Residence might have been activated, preserving your past from the Food God's hands. As for anything else you ask me, I don't know!"
"I might know a bit..."
At this point, White Snake, who had been silent, finally checked his current state, then spoke with a pale face:
"The Yesterday's Residence we've stayed in is one of the palaces left in the 'past' by the Black King, and the name of the Black King's truth is Old King, holding supreme power to traverse through time.
To the Black King, returning to the past is as simple as a human descending a staircase. If willing to pay the price, he could even forcibly bring things that only exist in the past to the present or future, like carrying items upstairs.
And when the Black King created this palace, it was during the most brutal time for the Cleaner Bureau, with nearly twenty Cleaners possessing the power of a Pillar God, even forcing the four masters to retreat back to Old Soil, ultimately being killed mercilessly by the Cleaner Bureau.
So the Black King likely intended to preserve some seeds for the Slaughter King Association left here, thus leaving his truth in this Yesterday's Residence, triggering when conditions are met to pull our 'past' back.
As for the condition... if I'm not mistaken, it should be when we experience a significant reduction in numbers, almost to the brink of extinction..."
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So... we really were killed by the Food God? And everything Thrush Crow said was true?!
Having listened in silence to White Snake's explanation, the hearts of the True Gods finally sunk completely, although even in the face of such irrefutable facts, someone still refused to accept their own death.
Soon, a True God wearing a shrew mask looked around at the other members, suddenly brightening, and hurriedly questioned:
"Wait! If we were all really killed by the Food God as Thrush Crow said, and only he survived, then everyone should be here, but not all of us are present now - Boar, White Bee, Armadillo... why aren't they here?"
That's right!
Upon hearing the shrew mask man's words, hopeful expressions appeared on the faces of the True Gods in the Slaughter King Association, and one pair of hopeful eyes stared intently at Thrush Crow.
Receiving their expectant gazes, Thrush Crow's lips parted slightly, then he slightly turned his head and quietly replied:
"They're not here... because they're not dead..."
Great!
Hearing that there were survivors besides Thrush Crow, the gods of the Slaughter King Association were immediately delighted, and the old woman with the monkey mask couldn't help but ask joyfully:
"So they successfully retreated?"
"Captured..."
"What?!!!"
"They were captured by the Food God."
After a slight twitch of his cheeks, Thrush Crow reluctantly whispered:
"The Food God checked their powers and seemed to find them potentially useful, so he didn't kill them but tied them up and took them away..."
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After another long silence, the True God wearing the shrew mask questioned with a trembling voice:
"Are you saying that while facing over a hundred True Gods, the Food God still had the leisure to pick and choose?"
"Yes..."
"No? That's impossible!"
At this point, White Snake was also anxious.
"Didn't you just say it wasn't much difference, that you even seriously injured him?"
"..."
Seeing White Snake's anxious expression, Thrush Crow's throat moved slightly, but eventually held back from saying anything, responding ambiguously with a few hums.
Who said a serious injury has to be physical? When I fled... when I retreated, the Food God's expression was so unhappy, surely he was psychologically seriously hurt!
