The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

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He could sense that the Time Aphid was weakening, and if he allowed the nun to unleash another round of attacks, he feared he might really die...

"why?"

As a well-mannered and witty straight man, Fran naturally followed up with one of his nine questions.

Nigel responded rather obediently.

Right now, he must buy as much time as possible to allow the Time Aphids to finish feeding. For this, some secrecy is a negligible price to pay.

"Because the ancient banyan tree did not possess the divine authority to control the order of time... Even those colossi beyond the transcendent world could not single-handedly interfere with the rules of time. Coveting that supreme concept, the gods of the Dust Order Era divided the order of time and each ruled over a certain moment."

"At that time, they had another name and title, which I think most of you know."

"That is... 'Si Chen'."

As he spoke, Nigel let out a cold laugh, his mockery evident in his words.

"Hey, the time authority that Gu Rong obtained was always just a deception... The 'time' in His divinity and person does not come from Himself, but from these Time Aphids that He nourished with His own flesh and blood..."

-

-

I'm not feeling well after my business trip, need to take a break!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: My Future Self

The secret Nigel revealed certainly carried considerable weight.

The entire old sanctuary was now silent, with only the sound of banyan branches slowly wriggling on the ground.

Haida originally didn't intend to listen to this guy's nonsense; eliminating the threat posed by this fanatic was the Hunter's style. However, just as the funeral maid was about to draw her sword and press forward again, a soft hand quietly rested on her shoulder.

She turned her head slightly and saw Fran winking at her. The doctor's meaning was clear... calm down and wait for him to finish speaking.

Terence suppressed the surprise welling up inside him, his mind racing as he quickly connected all the clues he had witnessed.

If the ancient banyan tree truly was feeding these aphids with its own power, then the destruction of the old sanctuary was probably not just a simple insect infestation. Furthermore, the densely packed chisels on the original icon murals… the sheer number of these things is clearly astonishing.

Albert initially stated that the "core layer" of the Library ruins should never be opened under any circumstances. Does this mean that the remaining massive amount of Time Aphids is currently sealed beneath the Old Sanctuary?

If even one is this troublesome, imagine if they were all released... it would probably be a natural disaster on par with a great plague.

"call……"

Nigel's facial veins throbbed violently.

Even with the extraordinary vitality of the son of the tree, it was difficult to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the aphid.

In just a few moments, his face turned as pale as paper.

"The rules and authority of time are so close at hand, aren't you tempted? If you can live in symbiosis with them as I have, you will be spared from being devoured and can touch true 'eternity'."

Nigel's voice was filled with an eerie spirituality, so much so that every word he uttered carried a powerful seductive quality. At the same time, seeing that the people around him did not take any further action to stop him, he concluded that they had begun to waver.

"Think about it! Even the ancient celestial deities could only control a portion of their power. Instead of spending the rest of your life serving those fakes, why not think about what you can gain yourself..."

"Nun! What has the God of Hunting given you? Endless killing and hunting, endless silence and loneliness. What will your end be? Will you die in the hunt, or will you grow old with a body full of wounds?"

He then turned his gaze to Terrence on the other side.

"And you, Professor Terence... your so-called 'passing on' and 'transferring it to future generations' are nothing but self-deception born of desperation. The laurel wreath of truth is so unattainable; don't you wish to break free from the shackles of life and hold it up yourself?"

"Do you really want your life's work to leave behind only a few books, waiting to gather ashes after you die?"

"Look at this library, the culmination of the thoughts of generations of Suju's sons, its final fate is nothing more than complete destruction and abandonment..."

Hearing Nigel's almost outrageous and arrogant words, Teren VII couldn't help but frown.

"Have you said enough?"

He raised his hand, and the second-class superior secret technique, [Blood Control], was activated.

Under his control, the surrounding blood turned into threads that wrapped around Nigel's body, and he immediately tried to drag him into the blood pool to strangle him.

"Oh, I almost forgot. You're a White Cup professor, yet you possess the secret techniques of the Crimson Cup; perhaps you're not so concerned about lifespan..."

Nigel's neck was constricted by a thin line of blood, and her skin was even cut, but she remained calm.

After feasting on flesh and blood, the Time Aphid has regained its vitality and, even if it failed to consume the sacred relic "Shadow of the Future," it still has the ability to forcibly open the core layer.

"Ms. Flamel."

Heda softly called out to Fran, asking if she should continue attacking Nigel.

She had already noticed that the Time Aphid had weakened under the spiritual absorption of the Power Sword. If they had continued fighting then, it would have only taken a few more breaths to prevent it from using Rewind.

"Please wait a little longer, Haida."

Fran comforted Haida, who had already gripped the hilt of her sword, his amber eyes calm yet holding a hint of something intriguing.

The doctor seemed to be waiting for something...

Haida nodded slightly, then pressed down on the restless power sword "Nirvana" in her hand.

Nigel noticed the expressions on Fran and Heida's faces as they talked, and a slight smile appeared on his pale face.

"It seems that Ms. Flamel is more reasonable than the stubborn old man... You are so young and you have already begun to explore the mysteries of the body and achieved such great results. Don't you want to have a longer life to study all of this?"

Elsa glanced at Fran discreetly, a hint of worry in her eyes.

She didn't know why Ms. Flamel had disguised herself to join the group, nor what her purpose was. But immortality was extremely tempting to any esoteric follower, even a high priest who enjoyed a lifespan of hundreds of years.

Fran, however, simply smiled silently, remaining expressionless. He neither agreed nor disagreed.

Seeing her attitude, Nigel wasn't angry. He just gave a low, sneer.

“I know you are cautious, so I will let you witness firsthand the ‘miracle’ from the Age of Dust. Then you can choose whether to accept this blessing…”

As it spoke, the Time Aphid, which had been huddled on his back, quickly climbed up and came to his chest.

Having consumed countless lives, this mythical creature's originally emerald-green body had taken on a deep crimson hue. It appeared chaotic and malevolent.

While Nigel was gathering his spiritual energy, Fran had already swiftly completed the first aid for Albert. Although he had been pierced through the chest and abdomen with a ritual knife, it was merely a physical injury; all that was needed was to stitch up the wound and put a green capsule in his mouth.

As the son of the Tree of Beards, Albert was imbued with the spirit of the Old Sanctuary. After a few breaths, his vital signs stabilized, and he even emerged from shock, slowly opening his eyes and waking up.

"Mr. Nigel...why did you betray the Son of Suju?"

Due to the tearing damage to his lungs, his voice was intermittent, hoarse, and weak.

"betray?"

Faced with Albert's questioning, Nigel merely scoffed dismissively.

"What I am doing now is the true wish of the Son of the Tree of Life! Do you know what our longevity traits mean?"

He raised his hand and tore off the shirt at his chest, revealing rough, light brown skin.

A closer look reveals patterns resembling those of an ancient tree. The tree's veins replace blood vessels, and you can even see tender green buds sprouting.

"Do you know why the sons of the banyan tree who are over a hundred years old all wear long robes? And why they stay in the order for many years and never leave? It's because those old things have become highly tree-like, and have even taken root in the ground. The blessing of the ancient banyan tree is no different from a curse."

Nigel's voice was almost clenched through gritted teeth, and his spirit was intensely activated.

"The son of the banyan tree is no different from the aphid of time, nor from the flowers surrounding the 'Shadow of the Future'; they are all merely parasites on the ancient banyan tree..."

"I am the only one who truly serves the Ancient Banyan Tree, and today, I will truly offer this authority to Him!"

He raised his hand, which was covered in his own blood, and slammed it hard on the ground.

The Time Aphids have resumed their "rewinding," but this time the target is not Nigel, but the entire main tower of the Old Sanctuary. (Nine)

The once dilapidated ruins were instantly transformed, and mutilated corpses began to appear on the ground, which was covered with the veins of banyan trees. As the investigation progressed, these dead men rose again…

Their attire was stylistically quite similar to Fran's bachelor's smocks, bearing a distinctly Gormouth influence. Furthermore...

"Indeed, Gormouth people have been here. Those who would specifically travel to such ancient ruins are probably thieves from the Six-Eyed Ravens..."

Terence's gaze sharpened slightly, and some of the strange phenomena from before were now explained.

The Dream-Sleeping Flower, which should only exist in the Abyss Sea Kingdom, and a considerable number of Abyss Sea Evil Creatures... were clearly those who had preemptively arrived and died here.

These resurrected beings seemed to lack sentience, merely delirious and frantic attempts to attack everything around them. (Road)

But this kind of unconscious opponent couldn't even last a single round against Haida.

The power sword "Nirvana" swept across, transforming into a streak of black light, sending the dead back to their deaths... in the form of minced flesh.

Nigel didn't care about that; all that remained in his eyes at that moment was pure longing.

His entire lower body had completely transformed into a tree, merging with the ancient banyan tree veins inside the main tower. As his emotions fluctuated more intensely, the roots coiling around the main tower gradually tightened, seemingly trying to crush the entire structure.

"The ancient banyan tree... the ancient banyan tree accepted him..."

Albert's eyes were filled with surprise, so much so that his voice trembled involuntarily.

Before he could recover from the dazed feeling of waking up from his serious injuries, the scene before him caused his perception to begin to crumble.

Nigel had clearly fallen into fanaticism, yet he still managed to integrate himself into the ancient banyan tree's lineage.

"...Could it be that releasing those monsters was Gu Rong's wish?"

"boom!"

The main tower of the old sanctuary finally shattered under the entanglement of the banyan tree, and the entire foundation collapsed. Beneath this wedge-shaped tower lay the "core layer" where the Time Aphid was sealed.

Taking advantage of the cover of debris and dust, Nigel dragged his lower body, which had transformed into roots, and slithered like a python into the cracks in the ritual array on the ground.

"Do not……"

Albert watched his figure disappear into the core layer crack, then let out a low moan of near despair.

His physical weakness and the collapse of his faith left him confused and bewildered, to the point that he was at a loss, unsure whether he should go and stop his former colleague.

He began to doubt his own stance.

If releasing the Time Aphids was indeed the ancient banyan's will, then if I were to stop Nigel...would I be going against His will? But if I were to truly stand idly by, a natural disaster would be almost inevitable.

"Are you confused, Albert?"

Fran's voice rang out at just the right moment, and then she slowly walked to the side of the still confused Son of the Tree.

“Ms. Flamel, I am very sorry to have dragged you all into danger. This was by no means my intention. Also, thank you for your rescue.”

"...Right now, I really can't sort out my thoughts."

His speech was still relatively clear, but the spiritual light in his eyes had faded, leaving them dull and empty.

"Hey."

Fran simply gave a meaningful smile.

"If feeding the aphids with flesh and blood and releasing them were both done by the ancient banyan tree, then we should think carefully about why they went out of control and became an insect plague, and why the son of the Susanoo sealed off the entire old sanctuary?"

Her question forced Albert to pick up his fragmented thoughts again and begin to think deeply about the network of relationships involved.

"You mean...we betrayed Gu Rong?"

His voice trembled slightly, without him even noticing.

Fran, maintaining a patient and persuasive demeanor, began to help Albert analyze the current situation. Her tone carried a strong sense of calm, like that of a psychiatrist seeing a patient.

"Or perhaps it is the opposite, that the ancient banyan betrayed the son of the tree. But that history is too distant to trace back. But in any case, one thing is undeniable... your ancestors and their own gods stood on opposite sides."

So, what's your choice?

Seemingly influenced by her calm demeanor, Albert's gaze steadied slightly, forcing himself to find a sliver of clarity amidst his chaotic thoughts.

"We must stop Nigel first, no matter what."

After Albert made up his mind, Fran slightly crossed his fingers, his amber eyes showing a hint of appreciation.

“Like the ancestors of the Su-shu children in the Age of Dust, raise the banner of rebellion against the gods you worship…”

-

Nigel arrived at the core layer and was greeted by numerous skeletal remains that had begun to turn to ash.

In terms of its structure, the core layer resembles an underground tomb.

The remains were mostly human; some were the sons of the Tree of Truth, and others were grave robbers from the Six-Eyed Raven.

Besides these, one can still vaguely see some empty shells of the aphids. They are all entangled in the fig tendrils, as if all their nutrients had been taken away before they died.

"So magnificent, so beautiful, the glory of the past is within reach..."

With that, he took out the ritual knife, still stained with Albert's blood, and pierced his own chest, along with the Time Aphid.