Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 390: Chapter 389: The Final Challenge to Break Through to Legendary

The howling cold wind swept across the land, covering everything in a boundless expanse of ice and snow.

The ground began to crack, and one after another, Undead Creatures emerged, their hollow, pitch-black eye sockets flickering with a cold, bright radiance. And in the sky, Undead Giant Dragons and Gargoyles circled and danced, charging at their enemies like piercing, raging storms.

This was a battle between life and death.

Stage IV Intestinal Creatures were not easy to deal with either; their massive bodies and strange, rapid recovery powers were also a tough nut to crack for the Undead Creatures. However, conversely, the Intestinal Creatures had no effective means against the Undead Legion—they couldn’t turn the Undead into allies by injecting them with the Intestinal Virus (which was only to be expected). On the other hand, the attacks of the Undead, filled with Death Energy, also gave these Intestinal Creatures a hard time.

After all, these Intestinal Creatures, with their various appearances looking as if they’d escaped from a B-grade horror movie, were still living organisms. And when faced with the power of death, even Intestinal Creatures would feel pain.

But the Taurus was completely different.

Indeed, was a Creature of this Rank not affected at all?

Watching the indescribable, massive figure that continued to advance slowly, Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes. From the current situation, it appeared that these Stage IV Intestinal Creatures were a bit stronger than his own Scourge Legion sealed within, but only by a limited margin. However, the Taurus was strange; Fang Zheng could determine that if it were in the Main World, this Creature’s Rank could probably reach the level of a Legendary. After all, he had battled enemies of Legendary Rank before, and the aura and power of such adversaries were not unfamiliar to him.

But what puzzled Fang Zheng was the reaction of the Taurus.

On the surface, the Taurus was just an indescribable Creature with immense strength. But when Fang Zheng pulled it into the Sealing, he clearly noticed the surprise and confusion revealed in its hundreds of blood-red eyes—correct, this Creature actually had emotions!

Not only that, but what surprised Fang Zheng more was that after entering the Sealing, it didn’t attack immediately as he had expected. Instead, it resembled a child who had discovered a novel toy, moving instinctively within the Sealing. Even when faced with the attacks of the Scourge Legion, the Taurus seemed unconcerned.

Of course, due to the Taurus’s immense size, the Scourge Legion couldn’t halt its progress. It was purely a matter of being overwhelmed by sheer volume; in the face of its overwhelming size and strength, the numerically superior Scourge Legion couldn’t stop its advance.

However... that being said, what really was the purpose of the Taurus, or the Zodiac Belt?

As the large figure drew nearer, Fang Zheng pondered another question. Ever since he learned from Mirune that the Intestinal Virus was a man-made product, Fang Zheng had been considering this issue. The Zodiac Belt was among the first eleven Intestinal Creatures to appear, but clearly, these entities weren’t naturally occurring. So, where did these eleven Stage V Creatures come from, and why did they seek to destroy humanity?

This question flashed through Fang Zheng’s mind, but at the moment, it wasn’t the focus of his attention. For him, the purpose of the Taurus was irrelevant; his goal was to utterly annihilate it.

Because...

With this thought, Fang Zheng raised the Vampire in his hand, aiming at his target ahead.

But at that moment, he suddenly halted his action.

Because as he lifted the Longsword, aiming at the Taurus, Fang Zheng suddenly felt a powerful force materialize out of nowhere, firmly restricting his movements. However, this strength did not come from outside but seemed to be from his own body, hindering his actions.

What exactly do I want to do?

Suddenly, a thought surfaced in Fang Zheng’s mind.

Having been reborn in this world, all the way up to now, Fang Zheng was gradually mastering power, an ever-greater power. So, what did he want to do with these powers? And how should he go about it?

Before his Rebirth, Fang Zheng was just a corporate executive, managing a few hundred people, but that was about it. He wasn’t some urban Elite Soldier King, nor was he a descendant with a mysterious family heritage. Of course, he had some fame in certain circles, but that was all.

His decisions might affect the livelihood of a group of people, the quality of a game, or the attitudes of a group of players. But that was the extent of it. If he failed, the worst outcome would just be getting harshly criticized by players online or receiving a few lukewarm reviews in the gaming media.

But regardless, Fang Zheng’s ideas and actions were never going to affect the course of a nation or the life and death of people. Everything he did was within the bounds of law. He had never considered that his decisions could result in irreversible consequences.

That’s also why Fang Zheng chose to stay away from the heartlands of the Kingdom of the Holy Church and start the Heavenly Dao Palace; he didn’t want to get too entangled with the Sanctuary Sect, nor did he wish to be constantly caught up in peculiar troubles. Previously, Fang Zheng always felt he had nothing to worry about. Because people around him, like Black Katie, Tilia, and the Nymph, were his Summoned Items. And Nanali and Kuliya could also be taken away at any moment, so he was confident that even if something went wrong, he could just walk away with those close to him.

But the situation was different now.

The Heavenly Dao Palace was no longer just a home for him and a few girls; it was gradually transforming into a power. If Fang Zheng was going to save Natsuse and the others, then these children would naturally have to follow him back to the Main World. And by that time, the Heavenly Dao Palace, as a power, would probably find it difficult to remain concealed any longer.

So that’s how it is.

Not until this moment did Fang Zheng finally understand why he had been stuck at this stage, unable to move forward.

Applying what many hot-blooded manga protagonists say —— ”Your conviction isn’t strong enough!”

Previously, Fang Zheng also thought that his ideas weren’t noble enough, but now, he had finally understood that what he thought was morally upright was actually a complete misunderstanding. The ideas of destroying the world for one person, or sacrificing everything for the world, were just superficial outcomes. In fact, what mattered was not the choices they made, but the ”conviction” that drove them to make those choices.

And that was something Fang Zheng currently lacked.

All along, he only had a few people by his side, and as long as he protected them well, maintaining a life under the existing order was not too hard to accept for Fang Zheng. But, when the number of beings he needed to protect had multiplied, it was a different story. Fang Zheng had to make changes to protect them, changes he was unwilling to make when he was alone.

This was like getting married, dating was one thing, but when it comes to actually marrying, one starts to think. After getting married, it’s no longer just cohabitation, but a real marriage. One cannot casually flirt with other girls, nor can they spend their salary as they wish; it must be saved for emergencies.

If there were children involved, then one must consider the care they need at birth, the attention they require when sick, and selecting a good school for their education...

All this meant that the carefree life of doing whatever one wanted for the past several decades had to come to an end. It had to be transformed into a life that was not centered around oneself, but around family and children. Not to mention the need to establish good relations with the wife’s family, who were nothing but strangers one knew...

Thinking this way, is getting married really what one desires?

What Fang Zheng now needed was a conviction several hundred times stronger than that required for marriage, and it was not simply the troubles of dealing with the mundane or maneuvering around unfamiliar relatives.

If he made that decision, it would mean he would use his own power to influence the entire world.

Not just this world, not just limited to one world... but... everything.

”I understand now...”

Thinking this, Fang Zheng finally showed a smile, and at the same time, he could feel that the force binding his body was slowly dissipating.

Had he made a decision?

To confront and accept everything about himself in order to protect those children?

Was he ready for the conviction?

To seek even greater power in order to protect all that?

Yes, that’s right...

He thought of Nymph, Tilia, and Black Katie, as well as Fumie Busei, Natsuse, and Tina, those children waiting for him in the Heavenly Dao Palace, those fighting alongside him, and those who placed their trust in him.

Once more, Fang Zheng raised the giant sword in his hand, and this time, a shining radiance emanated from his body.

So, to change everything that he needed to protect,

At all costs.

”Click.”

At that moment, Fang Zheng felt as if something within the depths of his heart had suddenly been released. Then he lifted his head, and in those pitch-black eyes emerged a bright and dazzling starlight.

”—————!!”

As if even the Taurus had sensed an invisible crisis looming, it let out a fearful wail and gathered the other intestinal creatures around itself, attempting to use them as meat shields to resist the unparalleled, terrifying attack that was about to befall it.

Then Fang Zheng raised his longsword, facing forward, and spoke softly.

”Shatter, Sword of Nine.”

After that, time stopped.

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