I Will Teach You How to Hunt Gods

Chapter 753 - 36: Mother and Daughter (4,000 Words)_2

Even though it was harmless, it was enough to make her scramble out clumsily, while Deng laughed boisterously from afar.

This childish yet harmless teasing and jest broke the eternal tranquility typical of the library, shattered Deng’s icy aura, and melted away the restraint and alienation Yun You felt.

Through this kind of "sparring," their relationship became more natural, more like that of a real mother and daughter.

A powerful yet childlike mother, a child who, despite rebelling after an increase in power, still instinctively craves attention.

Interestingly enough, in this Cosmic Library dominated by Deng’s will, all beings sheltered or created within it invariably reverently address Deng as "Mother."

This title carries feelings of awe... dependency, even fear; even Lamia is required to follow suit.

Except for Yun You.

The "daughter" whose power is closest to Deng, yet whose relationship with Deng is most delicate and intimate, is the only one who does not call her "Mother," but instead uses "Old Deng."

"Old Deng! Change my room back!"

"Old Deng! You stole my snack again!"

"Old Deng, stop pretending to sleep, you promised to join me in simulating that special timeline today!"

Whenever Yun You uses this slightly impatient... yet somewhat affectionate term to call Deng, the Gods and maids standing by lower their heads, pretending as if nothing was heard, though internally, tides of astonishment have been stirred.

And Deng?

Sometimes she would deliberately put on a stern face, using her tail to flick Yun You’s head, calling her a "bad-mannered brat"; at other times, she’d roll her eyes, lazily replying, "Call me Mom! Show some respect!"

Occasionally, when she was called out repeatedly, she would instinctively respond, "Hey, what’s up?"

Old Deng.

This seemingly unimpressive, even somewhat crude nickname, uttered from Yun You’s mouth, carries an enviable...

sense of home.

Sometimes, after pranking Old Deng, watching her puff up and stomp in frustration yet helplessly, Yun You’s mind would involuntarily drift to a thought...

"If it could always be like this, it wouldn’t be so bad."

Deep down, she doesn’t dislike Deng.

Though she still couldn’t find traditional "motherly love" from this biological mother; her affection is more like that towards a proud creation... an interesting companion, with control and a touch of wicked fun.

But compared to the cold, ruthless world outside and its deceit and brutality, life in the library, especially her interactions with Deng, indeed gave Yun You an unprecedented sense of stability and belonging.

No oppression, no daily fear of annihilation, her power growing steadily, accompanied by Lamia and a quirky yet surprisingly delightful Old Deng.

Overall, this life isn’t so bad.

However, this rare tranquility, like the false starlight simulated by the library’s dome, is beautiful yet fragile.

Yun You knew better than anyone that these days couldn’t last forever.

...

The current time is the year 2085 AD.

Contrary to the near-eternal peace and harmony inside the Cosmic Library, the outside reality has long descended into a boiling purgatory.

The war between the Death God Organization and the Equality Association did not quietly fade as many once wished.

On the contrary, with Monarch Tiankui’s power in the depths of Supreme Heaven spiraling out of control and manipulated by the Death God Organization, this war engulfing the entire Solar System and its surrounding star regions burns with increasing ferocity, as if doused in hot oil.

The scale of the war has long surpassed anyone’s control, billions of lives turning to ash beneath the roar of weapons, once-prosperous alien colonies collapsing like ant nests crushed by naughty children, one after another turning into cosmic dust amidst the war, space station debris floating like tombstones in the cold void.

For survival, the rulers of the major Nest Cities, the once lofty... scheming Death God families or corporate spokespersons, now under the threat of death, had to temporarily set aside their grudges and form a fragile "Survival Alliance."

Furthermore, some major corporations once pursuing maximal profit, opposed to the Equality Association, secretly or openly allied with it, providing resources and technological support to resist the advancement of the Death God Organization.

Yet, all these maneuvers appear pale and powerless in front of absolute power.

The elites of the Death God Organization, empowered by the Monarch’s strength, reached an almost incomprehensible degree of power increase.

They maneuver dreadful warships modified by the Monarch’s power, distorting space, disrupting rules, even as Chen Zaikun and Zhu Xing, two pillars of their factions, fought blood and fire, ever stretching their limits, yet continued to retreat in defeat.

And the most despairing part, in the area where battles rage most violently... and the space structure remains most unstable, phenomena frequently occur.

Irregular spatial rifts, like ugly scars, open sporadically across the world.

Horrified claims surfaced, stating that within those rift depths they glimpsed giant, twisted eyeball-like energy vortices, some dying warriors let out roars before their connections were broken, saying monstrous shadowy hands emerged from the rifts, easily grasping entire fleets along with the satellites guarding colonies, silently erasing them.

To outsiders, these terrifying signs might seem like mythical tales, but Yun You knows they point toward an icy reality.

The sleeping Monarch Yun Tiankui within Supreme Heaven may already be slowly eroding the real world.

The scent of apocalypse has never been so intense, like dark clouds enveloping every resisting planet, oppressing every breathing life.

The collapse of the real world has evidently started its countdown.

...

Cosmic Library.

Yun You stands before a holographic wall composed of flowing stars, projecting real-time scenes from the real world, the tea cup in her hand long gone cold.

In silence, Deng lazily approaches, her eyes sweeping over a fierce battlefield on the screen.

There, a familiar figure leads the remaining forces of the Equality Association, resisting the Death God Organization’s onslaught, valiant yet failing to hide despair.

It’s Zhu Xing.

"Tch."

Deng pouts, her tail tip lazily swaying.

"Didn’t expect that kid, in the end, chose the ’worldly’ path without any prospects."

"Pity his abilities aren’t enough, talents average, hitting a bottleneck solidly, his lifetime just like this."

"In the end, probably will reap no good fruit."

Upon hearing this, Yun You paused in thought.

She had been keeping an eye on the real world, naturally knowing Zhu Xing, aware of his collaboration with Chen Zaikun, so upon hearing Deng call Zhu Xing "child," she immediately understood their relationship.

"Zhu Xing... is he your child too?"

"Sort of."

Deng shrugged, casually speaking: "One of the adopted children."

"And among all the children, he’s considered one of the stronger ones."

Deng floated over to a nearby nebula-formed couch, comfortably nestling in it, utterly indifferent to Zhu Xing’s bloody struggle in the real world.

"But, well, just like that, the ’Tower Master’ position is pretty much his limit. Beyond that..."

Deng chuckled, shaking her head.

"The bottleneck is like a wall, headbutting without budging. Boring, so when his potential is exhausted, naturally I lose interest in him."

"As for him causing a ruckus in the real world... perhaps he wanted to make some noise, maybe attracting a look from his ’mother,’ demanding a bit of attention, proving he is still somewhat useful... huh..."

"Boring."

Deng gently shakes her head, letting out a slightly chilling laugh.

"Things lacking value, no matter how lively, how tragic, hold no significance, I do not even have the interest to specifically spare a thought to ’watch’ it."