Chapter 372 The Great Impermanence and the End of the World 2
Perhaps it's because I haven't been a Great Impermanence for very long, or perhaps it's because I've never thought about running away when the end of the world comes. Only now have I realized that the end of the world, which is enough to destroy the world, is actually not enough to destroy the life of the Great Impermanence.
They could easily move to another planet before this planet is destroyed.
The Great Impermanence beings have long since transcended the need for material things; they do not require food or sleep and can survive in the vacuum and radiation of the universe. Their power can be generated inexhaustibly from their souls. Although they may experience temporary exhaustion during high-intensity bursts, they can recover completely with just a rest, making them a kind of alternative biological perpetual motion machine.
Mingzhuo might be an exception; he only has a maximum of ten years left, and cannot leisurely spend his days in the vacuum of space and on barren alien planets. If the apocalypse comes before his lifespan ends, then he will have to remain on Earth, a world filled with terror and chaos, to continue searching for a way to enter the afterlife.
Although he questioned me during the battle three days ago, asking if I didn't want to find a way to survive the apocalypse, it seems that he is the only one who really needs to rack his brains to find such a method.
"Wait a minute... but in the doomsday prophecy, there really was a Great Impermanence who turned into a Great Demon, right?" I said. "Since the Great Impermanence can escape into outer space, why would there still be a Great Impermanence that has become a Great Demon in the prophecy?"
It would be somewhat understandable if Mingzhuo and I became great demons in the apocalypse, but why would the future naval master Xuanwu and Xuanming become great demons? Of course, it's also possible that it wasn't Xuanming who became the great demon of calamity, but me instead. However, it doesn't make sense for the naval master Xuanwu, who might not have died in the original timeline.
I couldn't directly bring up the doomsday prophecy in front of the fortune teller, so I had to start by mentioning the doomsday prophecy. Although it's not very ethical to ask for answers while concealing my own information, I didn't intend to reveal Asaha's identity as a doomsday visitor so hastily.
"Perhaps it's because only a portion of the Great Impermanence are prepared to abandon Earth," the Divination Master said without hesitation. "People like Shenzhao and King Yama... they have no attachment to this planet, and when the great calamity arrives, they will definitely enter the deep space of the universe without looking back. Mingzhuo is the same; as long as he solves his own lifespan problem, he will also abandon this planet without hesitation."
"But someone like Fazheng, who is a great impermanence, is different. He cannot convince himself to abandon humanity, so he will definitely stay. Jian Feixian is Fazheng's good friend and has a nature that disregards life and death, so he will most likely stay as well. Xuanming and the Lord of Taoyuan both have unique feelings for human civilization, so they will most likely stay and fight to the end against the apocalypse."
"I am also one of those who plan to stay on Earth. Although we are currently at odds with Fazheng, neither of us wants to see the human race become extinct. There will probably be a day when we join forces in the future."
So even if I side with Fazheng, it's acceptable to him... I've figured it out now, and then I noticed some other issues.
"Since the apocalypse is already imminent, why haven't you publicized this matter widely, and why are you creating a conflict between supernaturalism and worldlyism within Luoshan?" I said. "Besides, if we want to continue the human race and civilization, we don't necessarily need to stay on Earth, do we?"
After the divination master broadened my perspective from Earth to the universe, I quickly came up with a solution to deal with the apocalypse: to use the power of the Great Impermanence to migrate humanity to other planets.
If a powerful and unpredictable person like the Diviner Master can even restore the scorched earth I destroyed to a natural forest, then it is entirely possible that he could also transform a barren alien planet—such as Mars—into an environment suitable for human habitation, and then use the power of the unpredictable to migrate humans to Mars.
Of course, even with the power of the Great Impermanence, it is impossible to turn the entire Mars into a habitable environment; at most, it can only transform a region. It is estimated that even the number of humans capable of interstellar travel under the power of the Great Impermanence cannot cover the entire planet, but some of them should still be fine.
Then, by spending time to allow the land to recover and rebuild, transforming more areas into habitable zones and developing the population, it might not be impossible to restore human civilization to its peak. This is just my current rough idea, and there may be some technical difficulties that are impossible to achieve. However, as a direction, I think it is worth trying.
Admittedly, this approach will inevitably leave many people unsaved, but it concerns the survival of the race and civilization. It's not to say that this cold-blooded solution should be applied comprehensively from the outset; at least it can be considered a last resort.
"Your two questions actually have the same answer." The fortune teller looked helpless. "That is... the source of this apocalyptic event lies in humanity itself."
"Human beings themselves..."
I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to the truth of the apocalypse.
I can accept the development that "humanity itself will destroy the world." This kind of quintessential plot often appears in some science fiction movies, while also promoting certain environmentalism.
But is that really the truth?
While pondering this, I also confirmed a question I had asked earlier: "So that's how it is... Is this one of the reasons you believe that the apocalyptic event cannot be a cosmic-scale event?"
“That’s right. Compared to the universe, humanity is far too insignificant. Even if we lift a rock only to drop it on our own foot, we still can’t possibly shatter the entire universe.” The fortune teller nodded. “I’ve concluded that the source of the apocalypse is humanity by combining my divination and prophetic abilities with an analysis of the increasing frequency of strange events in recent years. I wonder if you’ve heard of a hypothesis about the increase in the number of people suffering from amnesia?”
Upon hearing this, I remembered something Fufeng had mentioned to me in the past.
It is said that the surge in the number of people suffering from amnesia is related to the increasing merging of the common-sense world and the supernatural world. And closely related to this merging is humanity's understanding of strange events.
In other words, the more people who know about the strange events, the more people suffer from amnesia.
Soul Loss is a strange phenomenon closely related to the apocalypse, a fact acknowledged by the Lord of the Divine Seal. Therefore, the dramatic increase in the number of Soul Loss sufferers can also be interpreted as a dangerous signal that the footsteps of the apocalypse are drawing ever closer.
"The source of the apocalypse is closely linked to human consciousness," the divination master said. "I don't know the specific causal relationship between the two, but according to my divination results and my premonitions about the future, if the truth about the apocalypse is widely publicized, the speed at which the apocalypse manifests will be greatly accelerated. And once everyone believes in the existence of the apocalypse, it will manifest immediately."
"Initially, we did intend to tell everyone about the doomsday prophecy, but just as we started spreading the doomsday prophecy within Luoshan, my divination results and premonitions about the future changed drastically. We had no choice but to stop all the publicity work."
"This is also one of the reasons for abandoning the extraterrestrial immigration plan. If the apocalypse was brought about by human consciousness, then even if human civilization is re-established on other planets, the outcome will be the same."
The frequent occurrence of strange events is also considered one of the signs of the end of the world, and the general public's perception of this phenomenon may also be understood as an indirect perception of the end of the world.
The mere indirect awareness of the apocalypse has already caused a surge in the number of people suffering from disorientation. If the reality of the apocalypse were to be widely and directly publicized, who knows what the consequences would be.
“However, if it’s not for the sake of preserving civilization and race, but just taking a few or a dozen close friends away from Earth, it shouldn’t bring about the apocalypse,” the fortune teller said. “And with your abilities, as long as you master the power of natural laws, you can probably establish new ecosystems on other planets in the future. But I don’t think you would choose to escape.”
"Of course," I said without hesitation.
Putting aside the fact that I myself have always longed for the apocalypse, the friends I trust are all fools who would rather live a life of mere survival than abandon their homeland. This path was never in our sights from the very beginning.
"So, is the current conflict between transcendence and pacifism in Luoshan just a show you're putting on to divert most people's attention from the doomsday prophecy?" I asked.
“No, that’s not it.” The fortune teller shook his head. “Although we have to admit that the opposition between these two ideologies did objectively help to divert attention, our debate over our respective paths was also genuine.”
"It's just that because of the major event of the apocalypse, we haven't escalated the conflict to a truly intense level yet. Over the years, even though we don't like each other, we haven't had any conflicts. Instead, we've maintained a tacit understanding as much as possible and focused most of our energy on researching how to deal with the apocalypse... except for one person."
Was he saying someone had a turbid fate? That was my first reaction, but I quickly realized he was talking about someone else.
"You mean Xuanming?" I asked.
The divination master nodded.
"Unable to analyze the cause of the apocalypse or find a specific solution, we, the Great Impermanence, began to try to find a 'universal solution,' which is the Divine Seal. In order to use the Divine Seal to stop the apocalypse, we must first collect all the fragments of the Divine Seal. As you probably know, we have already collected some of the fragments," he said. "However, just half a year ago, Xuanming suddenly went mad, attacked Fu Hongchen and Mingzhuo, and took away the fragments of the Divine Seal they possessed."
"No one understands why he did such a thing. Was it because he had a secret wish that could only be fulfilled by using the divine seal? Or was he instigated by someone? He didn't give us any explanation and just disappeared without a trace..."
"When he reappeared, he had become a so-called 'Apostle of the Void Realm,' claiming to submit to the 'Lord of the Divine Seal.'"
(End of this chapter)
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