Zhang Zheng felt a bit pleased seeing Morgana's nervous expression, though he didn't show it on his face. He knew he had made the right gamble this time.
"Morgana, this is the last time," Zhang Zheng said. "If you harm ordinary people again, I will erase the Time-Space Gene entirely. If I can't save Qiangwei, then I'll have to apologize in advance."
He smiled as he spoke, but the words he uttered were anything but kind.
"Hahaha, stop joking. You wouldn't really do that to Qiangwei," Morgana laughed. At first, she had been tense, but remembering that Zhang Zheng was a friend of Du Qiangwei, her fears eased.
But as she continued to laugh, her smile gradually faded.
"You're not serious, are you, you lunatic?" Morgana asked, suddenly realizing that Zhang Zheng wasn't joking.
"Morgana, it seems you've forgotten that Qiangwei isn't originally from Earth. Even if she were, what difference would it make? If sacrificing her could stop you, I wouldn't hesitate," Zhang Zheng said coldly.
This was the truth. Zhang Zheng wanted to protect Earth, but he would never allow anyone to use Earth to threaten him—not now, not ever.
"You b****! Isn't Qiangwei your friend? Don't you care about the Xiongbing Company? Aren't you afraid they'll turn against you?" Morgana shouted, growing more agitated as she saw Zhang Zheng's madness.
"I have no friends. The only person I truly care about is Zhixin, and I trust her abilities. You, Morgana, might defeat Zhixin, but you aren't strong enough to kill her as she is now," Zhang Zheng replied, unconcerned about revealing his priorities. His protection of Zhixin surpassed anyone or anything else, including Earth.
"Why don't we play a little game, Morgana? You just killed an ordinary person on Earth, so I won't bother you about it," Zhang Zheng said as he used his mind to locate the Demon Castle. The Stormbreaker Axe once again crackled with purple lightning.
He aimed at the Demon Castle's location, and a massive bolt of lightning shot out.
Morgana had been ready to attack when Zhang Zheng mentioned a game, but she didn't expect him to target Earth instead of her. Just as she was starting to think Zhang Zheng had lost his mind, the demon communication network provided her with a grim report.
Every demon she had revived on Earth, including Atto, had been wiped out simultaneously.
"Damn it!" Morgana cursed through gritted teeth.
Zhang Zheng watched her seethe with rage, trembling with anger, but he didn't respond to her insults. Instead, he slowly aimed the Stormbreaker Axe at Earth again and said, "Think carefully before you act, Morgana. This time, I'm aiming at the Juxia. Do you think I'll pull the trigger?"
Hearing Zhang Zheng's words, the demon claws that had been ready to attack halted.
Morgana was stunned. How could such a freak exist in the universe? A god of Earth threatening his enemy with the future of Earth—could that really be wise?
"Come on, let's find out. I want to see how much you truly care about the Time-Space Gene," Zhang Zheng said, unleashing the Stormbreaker's energy toward the Juxia.
"You b****!" Morgana screamed. Seeing that Zhang Zheng was really attacking the Juxia, she cursed him before quickly using a micro-wormhole jump to intercept the lightning. The demon claws appeared before her, blocking the devastating bolt.
"Are you insane?" Morgana was now nearly hysterical.
She couldn't believe that Zhang Zheng would actually attack Earth. She could no longer remain calm.
But Zhang Zheng didn't respond. Instead, he slowly flew over to Morgana, leaned in close, and whispered in her ear, "This is your last chance. If you, as a god, can't control your claws and make a move on Earth again, believe me, Morgana, I will destroy everything you care about—including the entire demon star system, the Time-Space Gene, and even the entire universe."
Zhang Zheng held Morgana as if they were lovers, but the words he whispered were crueler than anything the demon queen had ever heard.
"Believe me, Morgana. You've seen my power firsthand, and you know it would be easy for me to do what I've said. If keeping Earth safe from gods like you is so difficult, then I'll just destroy it—and then I'll avenge it."
Zhang Zheng finished by gently stroking Morgana's shocked and numb face.
It took Morgana a long time to snap out of it, and when she did, she recoiled as if she were a frightened deer, stepping back with a trembling body and staring at Zhang Zheng in fear.
Morgana remembered the first time she had met Zhang Zheng, and the data she had read on him using her Eye of Insight. At this moment, she recalled the dust that filled the entire universe and the mountains of corpses on every planet.
"I won't make another move on Earth. Please don't carry out such a cosmic massacre," Morgana said. For the first time, the proud demon queen bowed her head before Zhang Zheng.
Morgana pursued freedom through corruption, but she had no desire to destroy the entire universe.
The space principal of Super Seminary had once said that Morgana was the future of the universe, which indicated that she wasn't truly a bloodthirsty being.
In Zhang Zheng's eyes, Morgana was a deeply conflicted person. She cared about life, yet could kill on a whim. To call her a ruthless murderer would be an overstatement.
"Then let's return to Earth and finish the play. As long as you don't personally make a move on Earth, I won't care what you do," Zhang Zheng offered his final terms. "If you can manage it, you can have everything on Earth outside of Asia—but only if you can withstand the counterattack of the Xiongbing Company."
Zhang Zheng expressed his bottom line. He liked Earth because it reminded him of the China from his previous life and carried his last memories of that past. But if anyone thought they could use Earth to threaten him, they were gravely mistaken.
Earth is my home, but my home being on Earth is a different matter.
For Zhang Zheng in this world, only the latter held true.
He could fight for Earth because he lived there, but if anyone thought they could use Earth to threaten him, they would be sorely mistaken.
Zhang Zheng had only lived in this world for less than two years, so how much affection could he really have for it?
"Can I go back now?" Morgana asked nervously after seeing Zhang Zheng fall silent.
Morgana wasn't afraid of death, but she was terrified of facing a madman like Zhang Zheng. She had seen Zhang Zheng at his most deranged and had witnessed his greatest power.
She might be evil, but she had no intention of dragging the entire demon star system down with her.
The demon star system wasn't only full of demons; there were many ordinary civilizations as well. The angels wouldn't target those civilians, but Morgana knew that a crazed Zhang Zheng would.
So now, facing Zhang Zheng, it was Morgana's turn to feel uneasy.
"Go ahead. As long as you stick to our agreement, I won't care what you do," Zhang Zheng said, returning to Earth first.