Absolute Choice
chapter-430

Liu Yu stiffly turned his head and looked at the rest beside him. Stiffly, he opened his mouth and asked, "Uh, if This Penniless Priest did not remember wrongly... Isn't the Hero King's name Dawn Li?"

It was only a question, but Liu Yu's tone was filled with astonished affirmation.

Pulp Farmer and Feng Yuanlin sluggishly nodded. The famous historical figure who appeared numerous times in their primary and secondary school education was honored by having the name, Hero King. However, no one would forget his name.

However, the name 'Dawn Li', which seemed feminine, was not a name people liked to mention. There was a feeling that it was a strange 'stain' on the Hero King, who had been a hero for an entire lifetime and lead a magnificent life.

But it was because of this that his name left a deep impression on people.

The man, who began the age of heroes, possessed a feminine name. It was Dawn Li.

"The Hero King stole the Celestial Jade and sent it to the Infernal King. He then stole the Infernal Sword and gave it to Leonis. He then pretended to be the Celestial King to burn down the Transcendence Holy Tree and instigated the war. At the peak of the war, he appeared and revealed everything, causing the three kings to angrily attack him. Finally, he killed the three kings alone."

Liu Yu repeated the summary of that legendary story that was written in the textbooks. It was done in a stiff tone before he exclaimed in horror, "Other than Leonis being replaced by a new king, as well as the life-and-death battle between the three kings being different from that legendary story, everything else is the same. This Penniless Priest originally believed that it was a coincidence or that it was set up by the assessment program, but...why would the Hero King appear!?"

Liu Yu, who was always sharp-witted, was even beginning to stutter. The appearance of the Hero King shocked him beyond his senses.

"Fake."

Sunless, who had been focusing on Shi Xiaobai, revealed an indifferent calmness. She said in an unperturbed manner, "The Hero King is also a designation."

That sentence seemed to reveal a heaven's secret.

Everyone was jolted awake.

Since Shi Xiaobai and Speechless could be designated as the Infernal King and Celestial King respectively, and the assessment program was able to repeat the instigation of the war of the three domains, why couldn't the assessment program 'create' a fake Hero King, making this 'repeated' story appear more reasonable?

This was a fake Hero King.

It could only be a fake Hero King.

The reason was the real Hero King had died three thousand years ago before becoming an eternal legend.

Liu Yu realized this point and seemed enlightened. A bitter smile suffused across his lips. "To think that This Penniless Priest needed a reminder to figure out such a simple logic. Indeed, being concerned only makes you flustered. The Hero King's name has deep influences on people of our age. However, why would the assessment program do this? Why did it create a fake Hero King and repeat a legendary story? Now, with the story reaching this stage, what follows would be..."

When Liu Yu muttered to that point, he suddenly felt like he was struck by lightning. His face suddenly turned pale as his lips quivered while saying, "When the story reaches this point, what follows would be...the Hero King killing the three kings!"

"Could it be...that this is the goal of the assessment program?"

...

In the basin.

Speechless felt as though he had been struck by a thunderbolt. He stood stupefied in his spot. Speechless had recognized the blond youth's identity before needing to know his name. The youth's white robe that was embroidered with violet stock and that resplendent blond hair, as well as that handsome face was sufficient.

That was the Hero King in his youth. His appearance looked identical to the ancient drawing that had been passed down for three thousand years.

The existence which he was forced to imitate from a young age, it was like a shadow that shrouded him, like a nightmare that rooted in his reality. The words Speechless had heard the most in his life was 'Hero King'.

"Child, the Hero King did it in this manner, so you should do it in this manner too."

"Speechless, you didn't do this perfectly. If it was the Hero King..."

"You can't do it? Then force yourself to do it. The Hero King was able to do it, so you have to be able to do it!"

"Why is your hair not blond? Should you dye it? The Hero King's hair was blond."

"What are you so proud of? You are still inferior. At your age, the Hero King had already..."

"Child, everyone knows that the Hero King remained single his entire life, nor did he leave behind any male descendants. Our Li family's ancestors gave birth to the Hero King. Some people say that our Li family doesn't have the bloodline of the Hero King. That is ridiculous talk. The Hero King is a descendant of our Li family and that should be made known! Therefore, Speechless, you must prove to everyone that if our Li family was able to produce the first Hero King, it means that we can definitely produce a second."

"..."

Familiar but also seemingly unfamiliar voices resounded in his head like the chants of the devil. It sounded like the gnashing of teeth by wild beasts in the night.

Speechless' eyes glazed over as his mind went blank.

The Hero King had appeared.

He had appeared in front of him.

That man he had been attempting to imitate for more than ten years had appeared in his world.

How was this possible?

"Impossible..."

Speechless muttered to himself as he suddenly stared with widened eyes, as though he woke up from a stupor.

"Yes, it's impossible!"

Speechless' glazed eyes gradually had its luster restored. He looked at the blond youth and said with a sneer, "You are fake. You are a fake existence!"

Speechless figured the 'truth' behind the matter. The real Hero King had died a long time ago. The blond youth in front of him might have the same looks, name, and plot connivance as the Hero King, but it was a fake existence. It was an imitation created to imitate the Hero King!

The blond heard Speechless and turned his head slightly. He said in a deadpan manner, "Just the opposite. You are the fake one. To be precise, everyone present is fake."

Speechless suffused a mocking smile as he said, "To the fake you, the real us are obviously fake."

When the blond youth heard this, he slowly shook his head and no longer said a word. It was as though he could not be bothered to comment on the issue. He surveyed the three kings and repeated the words when he appeared, "The Infernal Sword was stolen by me. The Celestial Jade was stolen by me. The Transcendence Holy Tree was burnt down by me. The war was instigated by me. Everything was done by me. So, seek revenge against me."

When the giant heard this, his eyes flashed with a questioning look as though he was pondering if what was said was real.

Shi Xiaobai grinned as he gradually lifted his sword. The clever him had naturally already realized that the youth named Dawn Li was an imitation of the Hero King. But since it was an imitation, it could not be too weak. Since it was a mighty person, Shi Xiaobai had no reason to reject his provocation.

There was no need for a reason to fight a mighty person.

However, someone had made a move before Shi Xiaobai could even say something.

Speechless had already taken a step forward. His eyes were glimmering angrily. The cold smile along his lips was colder than the snow in the deep of winter.

"You can imitate that legend, but you shouldn't have let his imitation appear in front of me."

Speechless suffused a self-deprecating smile as he said, "Because as that man's imitation, I do not permit another similar existence."

Speechless turned his head to look at Shi Xiaobai and the giant. He said with a light laugh, "None of you make a move. He is mine. I need to prove myself...to be the most excellent imitation, because that is the meaning of my existence." IChooseDogLeading (我选择狗带) when read in Chinese sounds like I Choose Go Die. It was a meme that resulted from a former member of famous Korean boygroup, EXO, TAO (Huang Zitao). At a concert, there was a part in a rap that where he said "", but due to a mispronunciation, it sounded like he will not easily choose to be led by dogs. This phrase now means 'I'd rather die/I choose death'.