Once, I wanted to be a good person

"As time goes by, will a demigod's personality, preferences, and memories all erode?" Fang Ze softly muttered the words of the Flower God, recalling the information Old Mr. Bai had told him in the Time Waterfall.

Back then, Old Mr. Bai had told Fang Ze that after the Federation's contact with outer realm demigods, they discovered that they seemed incomplete, having lost some of their memories and showing peculiar traits. So there was suspicion that the World Origin might have 'taken away' something from them. (Chapter 258)

Could it be... that the incomplete parts of demigods are related not to the World Origin but to time?

Thinking this, Fang Ze couldn't help but ask the Flower God, "Does this kind of erosion have any features or patterns?"

The Flower God quietly pondered for a moment, then said, "Generally speaking, the weaker the strength, the greater the erosion experienced over time."

"For instance, within the same span of 500 years, demigods like us in the lowest rank of mortality-shedding would forget many things, and our personalities would change greatly. However, the impact on the Venerables is very small."

"Secondly, using a clone to walk around outside greatly reduces the effects of time."

"And the more one uses their True Body, the greater the influence of time."

"This usage isn't just about directly employing the True Body, but also includes borrowing the power of the True Body, or summoning the True Body. Each use of these powers sharply reduces a segment of lifespan."

Hearing this, Fang Ze couldn't help but recall a recent situation in the Real World where he interacted with several demigods: whether it was Dahei Jialuo, Rakshasa, or Liu Shui and Suo Luo whose clones were slain by He Weidao and others, all of them either declared or thought of using their True Bodies for a turnaround but ultimately chose to abandon their clones.

At that time, Fang Ze was unable to understand why: they had been bullied to that extent, so why not use the True Body to counterattack?

Now, he understood.

However, the thought of Rakshasa, Suo Luo, and other demigods who never used their True Bodies, also reminded Fang Ze of those demigods who descended their True Bodies into the Real World right from the start: Yuan Gu and Peacock God King.

He couldn't help but ask, "But, why do Yuan Gu and Peacock God King keep using their True Bodies?"

Hearing Fang Ze's words, the Flower God responded indifferently, "I mentioned earlier, strength can resist the erosion of time. Therefore, compared to us ordinary demigods, Absolute Pinnacle demigods and Venerables standing at the pinnacle of demigods can naturally be more casual."

"However... although they are casual, it's indeed rare for them to descend into the Real World so early."

"Generally speaking, demigods would only descend their True Bodies during the mid to late stages."

"After all, the later they descend, the less they use their True Bodies, and the less lifespan they lose."

The Flower God floated in the air, holding her chin while thinking, then blinked and said, "Although the exact reason is unknown. Their early arrival must have been caused by something special. For example...."

Saying this, her gaze briefly swept over Fang Ze, and she said, "Dahei Jialuo's disappearance; or perhaps the divine demise of the demigod from the Galan family, those are possibilities."

The Flower God paused again and said, "But, I remember their descent all involved the usage of sacrifices, right?"

Fang Ze thought for a moment and nodded. The descent of the Peacock God King and Yuan Gu indeed involved sacrifices. If he guessed correctly, the Peacock God King should have used the entire corpse, blood, and positional grid of the Si Family's ascension demigod. And Yuan Gu used the entire corpse, blood, and positional grid of the Galan family's Absolute Pinnacle demigod.

Seeing Fang Ze nod, the Flower God said, "Then that's right. Using sacrifices can greatly reduce the cost of their descent, making it more cost-effective."

"Cost-effective?" Fang Ze keenly caught this term, he couldn't help but ask, "You mean they could gain benefits from descending into the Real World?"

Hearing Fang Ze's words, the Flower God laughed and then asked in return, "Why do you think every time a new world is born, demigods flock to destroy the world?"

Hearing the Flower God's words, Fang Ze was initially stunned: he had never really thought about this question before. Ever since he learned about demigods, he knew that demigods were enemies of this world, with the purpose of destroying it.

Lately, he had just gotten fragmented information from some demigods or the big shots of the Federation: like how demigods desire to destroy new worlds and their creatures out of jealousy for their own world's destruction; or how demigods believe there's a path to True Godhood in the Real World, thus they come to achieve godhood; or perhaps because the material life in the Real World is abundant, and demigods crave enjoyment, etc.

Perhaps sensing Fang Ze's thoughts, the Flower God patted his shoulder and said, "Stop thinking about it. What you considered are actually secondary reasons, or incidental."

"The real reason demigods want to destroy the world is because, every time a world shatters, it emits a mysterious substance impossible to normally acquire. This substance can replenish demigods' lifespan, and resist the erosion of time—a dream come true for all demigods."

"And as long as demigods occupy more territory or make significant contributions during the process of destroying the world, they will receive a corresponding share of rewards."