After hearing Chun's words, Zhou Huai wasn't really surprised.

After all, his mother had told him the same thing very clearly in a dream a long time ago.

His mother had told him that he was a fruit that grew from the sacred tree of origin.

Zhou Huai never expected that the reversal of his identity would come so quickly and so absurdly.

Previously, Mr. Duan kept calling him his "elder nephew," and Zhou Huai really thought that the old bastard who ruined the first half of his life and caused him to sit in a wheelchair for five years was his uncle.

After all this trouble, it turns out that Mr. Duan was actually the second fruit borne by the Origin Tree.

According to seniority, that old bastard wasn't an uncle at all, but his own brother.

This family dynamic is absolutely outrageous.

Zhou Huai tapped his fingers rhythmically on the armrest, coldly questioning Chun in his mind: "So what?"

"Since you are the first fruit, Mr. Duan is the second fruit, and I am the third fruit, so what?"

"You've given me such a long explanation of creation myths, going through the history of the entire universe across several eras. What exactly are you trying to say?"

Deep in his mind, Chun's voice carried a hint of urgency and helplessness: "Zhou Huai, even now, don't you understand?"

“I admit that I did give you a lot of guidance before, and even used the form of system tasks to guide you step by step to get here.”

"But my purpose has never been to harm you. I have only one goal, which is to make you replace Duan and become the Heavenly Dao of the new world."

"As long as you can merge with the essence of the Origin Tree, you will be able to control the highest authority in the entire universe, instead of letting that madman Mr. Duan succeed."

After hearing this, Zhou Huai couldn't help but chuckle.

The laughter sounded particularly jarring in the empty underground plaza, causing the Dawn Guild elites, who were kneeling on the ground and unable to move, to shrink back in fright.

"Let me become the Heavenly Dao of the next new world?"

"That sounds nice, Chun, or rather, the lofty Heavenly Dao System."

"But why should I believe you?"

"You've been scheming against me all along, using me as a knife to cut down Mr. Duan, that tough nut to crack."

"You're telling me all this now simply because you see that I'm not cooperating and you're afraid that I'll let Mr. Duan complete his higher-dimensional divine status."

Zhou Huai's gaze was icy, his tone full of mockery: "Your wishful thinking is too grand. When Mr. Duan and I are fighting to the death, when we have played all our cards and are both badly injured, you, the so-called ruler of the First World, will step in and reap the benefits."

"When the time comes, you can take away the essence within me, continue to be your eternal Heavenly Dao, and erase both me and Mr. Duan along with it."

"Do you really think I'm a three-year-old?"

In her mind, Chun fell completely silent.

Several seconds passed before she let out a deep sigh.

"Since you don't trust me at all, there's no point in me saying anything more."

"You can go and find your mother; perhaps she can give you the answer you're looking for."

After saying her last words, Chun's will completely severed the connection.

Zhou Huai sat in the chair and pondered for a moment.

Regardless of whether Chun is using someone else to do her dirty work, and regardless of what kind of mess Mr. Duan wants to make of this world, one thing will never change.

Since we're already here, we still have to save my mother.

This was his fundamental purpose in coming to the Free Federation and infiltrating the Holy City.

Zhou Huai stood up and straightened the priest's robe that belonged to Archbishop Andrew.

He didn't even glance at the thousands of Dawn Guild members around him who were still kneeling on the ground in a humiliating posture.

As long as the alien parasites remain, these S-class and SS-class powerhouses who normally kill without blinking an eye in the real world will have no choice but to kneel here obediently as slaves for the rest of their lives.

Zhou Huai flipped his wrist and took out the Origin Sacred Tree leaf that emitted a faint green light from his spatial ring.

As soon as the leaf appeared in the air, it automatically pointed to a dark corner at the deepest part of Obsidian Plaza.

Without hesitation, Zhou Huai strode forward in the direction indicated by the leaf.

After passing through a heavy iron gate at the back of the square, a very hidden, spiraling stone staircase came into view.

The steps were so deep they seemed to lead straight to the earth's core.

Perhaps because most of the Dawn Guild's professionals and core combatants had been gathered at Obsidian Square above amidst the alarms and then wiped out by him with parasites, the area along the way was exceptionally empty and desolate, without even a single patrolling guard.

Zhou Huai walked down the steps deeper into the area.

The surrounding temperature was getting lower and lower, and an ancient aura filled the air, as if this place had escaped the jurisdiction of the laws of the present world.

Without any hindrance, Zhou Huai walked smoothly into the main hall deep inside.

After passing through a cold, dark tunnel, the view suddenly opened up ahead.

Zhou Huai paused, realizing he had stepped out of the man-made underground structure and into a void.

There are no walls or domes here; it is pitch black all around.

What they were stepping on was not stone bricks, but a mirror-like black void. With each step, subtle ripples of laws would spread out.

Zhou Huai looked down at the leaf in his hand.

At this moment, the leaf that had originally emitted only a faint green light shone brightly, and the inscriptions in the veins seemed to come alive and flow wildly.

Following the strong sensation from the leaves, Zhou Huai continued walking forward.

After walking hundreds of meters in the pitch black void, a source of light finally appeared in the endless darkness ahead.

Zhou Huai finally saw the giant tree that radiated a holy light.

That is not the original Tree of Origin, but only a branch that extends into this dimension.

Even so, this branch was still incredibly large. The trunk required dozens of people to encircle it, and the lush foliage stretched out in the black void. Each leaf dripped with strands of high-dimensional law light, illuminating the surrounding pitch-black void.

The moment Zhou Huai saw the tree, a natural sense of closeness welled up from the depths of his blood.

He stopped dozens of meters away from the giant tree, watching the light and shadow flowing deep within the canopy.

"Mother?"

Zhou Huai called out softly.

The sound echoed in the void, traveling far and wide.

As he called out, the giant tree radiating holy light seemed to respond.

The massive canopy swayed slightly, and the entire tree emitted a flickering light, as if a consciousness had been awakened by the sound and was trying to penetrate the barriers of the laws to respond to him.

But just then...

"Slap, slap, slap."

A crisp, abrupt slapping sound drifted from the darkness behind the giant tree.

In the darkness, someone slowly walked in, clapping as they went.

Then, a familiar, somewhat refined yet playful middle-aged voice came from the shadows.

"Congratulations on your reunion with your child."

Zhou Huai's eyes narrowed, and his dark gold battle armor instantly appeared beneath his robe, raising his aura to its peak.

He squinted and looked in the direction the sound came from.

In the vast darkness, a middle-aged man wearing an ancient ceremonial hat and a sharp black suit walked in with unhurried steps.

The man held a finely crafted walking stick in his hand, his expression calm and composed, with a faint smile on his lips.

Zhou Huai's heart tightened when he saw the other person's appearance.

Mr. Duan?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, and he thought to himself that the intelligence was wrong.

Shouldn't Mr. Duan be at the ruins of the Eighth World right now?

How could it possibly be here?

Mr. Duan stopped a dozen meters away from Zhou Huai, seemingly sensing the doubt in Zhou Huai's mind.

He adjusted his top hat and spoke with a smile.

"Don't be surprised, this is a clone I prepared especially for you to welcome your arrival."

"I was tricked when your clone blew me up in Donghai City."

"Today I will use my clone to completely eliminate you."