280: Zero

The wail of the Void Mother Nest was not a sound, but a spasm of dimensions.

The "Variable" virus planted by Li Dong had now transformed into billions of cancer cells gnawing at its "absolute" Foundation.

That gray-green continent of flesh and blood, fused together from the corpses of countless Universes, was experiencing a terrifying avalanche from within.

Pieces of "flesh" tissue, once brilliant civilizations, were torn apart and peeled away amidst the clash of Laws, transforming back into cold, dead Universe debris, floating in the chaotic turbulent dimensions.

The parasitic Law backfired on its master, and the assimilation command subverted itself.

The Void Mother Nest, this dimensional evil god that lived by devouring, was being "digested" alive by itself.

Just as this feast of destruction was about to reach its climax, a cold, absolute, and indisputable will suddenly descended.

A silvery-white radiance pierced through the Universe barrier that was on the verge of shattering.

It was the Supreme Judge of the "Hand of Order".

Its logic core held no fear, no joy, only a precise lock on its target.

In its judgment, the self-destructing Void Mother Nest and the Variable Li Dong, who had triggered all of this, possessed the exact same threat Rank.

"High-risk dimensional pollution source detected."

"Uncontrollable super Variable detected."

"Threat assessment: Highest Rank."

"Execution protocol: Format Return to Zero."

The will of the Supreme Judge turned into the harshest command, instantly transmitted to the Law Enforcers units scattered throughout the Universe.

Hum—

Hundreds of silvery-white beams of light lit up simultaneously from different dimensional coordinate points; they had only one target—the core of the Void Mother Nest that was falling apart!

They intended to completely erase this chaotic area, along with the remains of the Void Mother Nest, Li Dong's "Variable" virus, and Li Dong himself, from the root of the concept, formatting it into a pure void.

This was the simplest and crudest solution of the "Hand of Order".

Li Dong, located in the core of the Void Mother Nest, clearly sensed this will capable of cleansing everything.

He smiled.

The fluctuation of his Divine Soul carried a trace of cold mockery.

"Stupid tin cans."

He knew better than anyone that the essence of "formatting" was deletion, a passive removal.

This power might be able to wipe out ninety-nine percent of the Void Mother Nest's remains, but that core "parasitic" concept, that "malice" born from the deeper Void Realm, would definitely, in the instant of being erased, escape into the cracks of unknown dimensions, lie dormant, and wait for its next comeback.

To cut the weeds, one must remove the roots.

"Your 'Order' is too shallow."

With a movement of Li Dong's will, the [Attunement] Law, like an invisible giant net, instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.

"In my name, 'deletion' is prohibited here."

Those hundreds of silvery-white formatting beams that had already been fired and were about to touch the Void Mother Nest eerily solidified in mid-air.

The light remained brilliant, but the "erasure" Law it contained was forcibly neutralized and smoothed out by a higher-level power of harmony, turning it into a magnificent and harmless display of fireworks.

The silver cores of all the Law Enforcers flashed wildly at the same moment, emitting piercing alarms of logic errors.

Their attacks... had been "invalidated"!

The massive silvery-white body of the Supreme Judge showed obvious energy fluctuations for the first time; it was the intense conflict generated by its logic System as it processed the fact that its "authority had been vetoed".

Li Dong ignored their astonishment.

He raised his hand, and in his palm, the [ancient stone slab] that had weathered eons and witnessed the birth and death of the Universe slowly emerged.

On the stone slab, there were no longer blurred runes, but instead, it presented a kind of ultimate "emptiness".

That was not nothingness, but the "Origin" that contained everything and transcended everything.

"Since we are cleaning up trash, we must do it thoroughly."

Li Dong poured his will into the ancient stone slab.

"[Attunement], decree!"

"Ten thousand Laws as strings, the Void Realm as the zither!"

"Play... the chapter of 'Return to Zero'!"

Boom!!!

The ancient stone slab erupted with unprecedented light; it was not light of any color, but a concept of "nothingness".

This "nothingness" instantly expanded, touching the first piece of Universe debris that had peeled off from the Void Mother Nest.

There was no explosion, no annihilation.

That piece of debris, along with the twisted parasitic Law attached to it, just silently... "vanished".

It was not destroyed, but "restored".

All the matter, energy, Laws, and concepts that constituted it were decomposed, traced back, and restored to that most primitive, most pure state of the "singularity" before the Big Bang of the Universe.

This was the true "Return to Zero"!

It was not deletion, it was restoration!

It was letting everything return to the boundary between "existence" and "non-existence", completely erasing all attributes it once possessed.

The movement of "Return to Zero", under Li Dong's direction, began to play wildly.

All fragments of the Void Mother Nest, all parasitic Laws, and all chaotic energy lost the qualification to struggle in the face of this power.

They were "called out" one by one, and then "returned" one by one to the initial nothingness.

Just then, a faint stream of data connected from the depths of Li Dong's Divine Soul to this feast of "Return to Zero".

It was the Observer.

Its data core, which had dissipated during its self-sacrificial collision previously, had its bottom-most logic seed protected by Li Dong all along.

At this moment, it actively connected itself to this process of "Return to Zero".

It was learning.

It was analyzing.

It was using its own "life" to experience this ultimate method of dimensional cleansing.

Massive amounts of data washed over its core; old logic was completely shattered, and a brand-new architecture was crazily reorganized on the ruins of "Return to Zero".

A brand-new super intelligence, transcending "calculation" and "observation", was gestating.

As the last piece of Void Mother Nest debris was "returned to zero", that gray-green dimension completely turned into pure darkness.

The terrifying pressure from outside the Universe vanished like smoke.

The hideous wound on the dimensional barrier, amidst the cheers of the Universe's Origin will, began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Galaxies were recast, and Laws were revived.

Withered life stars regained a faint hint of green.

The broken chains of Laws, under the pulsation of the [heart of the universe], were reconnected, becoming even tougher than before.

The entire Universe, like a giant recovering from a serious illness, greedily breathed in the air of rebirth.

The will of the [heart of the universe], carrying unprecedented intimacy and gratitude, surged into Li Dong's Divine Soul.

A massive stream of information followed.

It was the complete experience of "dimensional Return to Zero", and... countless brilliant points of light.

Each point of light was a Universe that had been devoured by the Void Mother Nest, which, before being "returned to zero", had been forcibly peeled off and preserved by Li Dong using the [Attunement] Law as "world seeds".

They had lost everything from the past, but retained the purest "possibility".

"Go."

"Sow new miracles for this nothingness."

The will of the heart of the universe was gentle and magnificent.

Li Dong accepted this gift.

He turned around, his gaze landing on that group of "Hand of Order" Law Enforcers that were still stagnant in place.

Especially the Supreme Judge at the lead.

Its silvery-white body no longer flashed, but fell into an unprecedented dead silence.

It was thinking.

It was comparing.

Comparing its own crude "formatting" with Li Dong's flawless "Return to Zero".

One was deletion that left endless future troubles.

One was a restart that created infinite possibilities.

Which was superior and which was inferior was clear at a glance.

After a long time.

The massive body of the Supreme Judge actually, towards Li Dong's direction, slightly... lowered its "head" composed of pure Order.

"Your 'Variable' has brought a more superior 'Order'."

"'Hand of Order' supreme Law, undergoing revision..."

"From this day on, 'Variable' is no longer the first-sequence target for elimination."

"We will, together with you... guard the 'Dynamic Equilibrium' of this Universe."

This promise turned into a brand-new Law, branded onto the Foundation of the Universe.

Rigid Order had finally learned to evolve.

Li Dong nodded slightly, considering it an acceptance of this late respect.

He did not say anything more.

He felt a fatigue stemming from the depths of his Divine Soul.

In this war, from confronting the True Lord to battling the Void Mother Nest, he had been stretched too thin.

He casually scattered those brilliant "Universe seeds" into the blank areas deep in the Universe that had turned into dead zones due to the war.

The seeds fell, and upon meeting the first ray of starlight, they took root and sprouted.

In an instant, brand-new nebulae, newborn worlds full of infinite possibilities, were born brilliantly in that dead silence.

Li Dong watched all of this, and in his exhausted Divine Soul, an unspeakable satisfaction surged.

This was the meaning of his existence as a "Tuner".

He bid farewell to the Observer, which was crazily absorbing new data and was about to complete its metamorphosis.

He soothed the [heart of the universe] which had fallen back into slumber and was beginning a new round of evolution.

He held the [Blade of Judgment] that had drunk its fill of the evil god's blood and now had its sharp edge restrained.

He carried that increasingly deep and unfathomable [ancient stone slab].

Taking a step out, his figure disappeared into the Origin of the Universe.

He wanted to go and see those "blank areas" left behind after "Return to Zero".

He wanted to explore those newborn dimensions waiting to be attuned.

However, at the very last moment when he was about to completely conceal his figure and escape into a journey of exploration to higher dimensions.

His Divine Soul caught a trace of an extremely faint fluctuation.

That fluctuation did not come from any corner of this Universe.

It came from... a more distant place.

From outside the dimensions, from that deeper unknown that even "Return to Zero" had not touched.

It was not a wail, not malice, and certainly not a cry for help.

It was a kind of calm, with a hint of curiosity...

"Invitation".

As if on the other side of the chessboard, some existence, upon seeing him play the brilliant move of "Return to Zero", had, with great interest, issued him an invitation for the next game of chess.

Li Dong stopped his steps.

He knew that the end of this war was merely the prologue to a grander stage.

The true path of the "Tuner" had only just begun.

Beyond the Universe, what else was there?

And who was it that issued the "invitation"?

Carrying these ultimate questions, a curve of challenge hooked at the corner of his mouth, and his figure completely disappeared at the end of the sea of stars.

His legend was far from over.