Chapter 171, The Eternal Prison, is complete.
The nebula transformed into a long spear, its tip probing into Xue Chao's back, piercing through the complex meridians, and stopping at his heart.
Xue Chao was thankful that Jiang Ming wasn't there; if his heart had been beating any faster, he would have been walking into a trap and committing suicide.
The ship was deathly silent. The patrol ship moved toward a certain destination. Apart from the stars, there was only one special place in the Eternal Prison: a tower at its center.
The tower is the shadow of the company building climbing into the universe, an hourglass shape made up of two pyramids, stretched infinitely, passing through the stars and reaching into the higher and farther darkness.
"What do you want from me now, boss?" Xue Chao's voice was very soft, so as not to be too dramatic and offend the enemy, but the sarcasm was strong.
"You're the best of all the employees, always have been." The Crevice Consciousness still spoke in Yotner's youthful voice, making no attempt to hide its admiration; it knew exactly how to provoke his hatred.
Xue Chao gave a half-smile: "The most outstanding, hmm, the most useful. They didn't kill me, but instead made me the warden. Isn't it all for my little bit of value? What do they want to use me for this time?"
He kept reincarnating, searching for a way to survive. The consciousness in the cracks didn't pay attention to him for a long time. Returning to zero would cleanse the pollution, and it was very effective.
When the Crescent Consciousness finally noticed this person, it initially dismissed him with disdain. However, as ants roll around repeatedly, they eventually cause an avalanche. The Crescent Consciousness felt annoyed like it was being bitten by a mosquito, but it also discovered Xue Chao's value.
A player whose spirit has been repeatedly tempered through endless reincarnations shouldn't be a player; he's suited to be a host.
The consciousness in the cracks doesn't feel the crisis. No matter how many times he reincarnates or how many times he sees the truth, it's all in vain. He's just a Sisyphus, and all he needs to do is wait, wait for him to try every possible way to become the host.
This human is easily swayed by emotions and likes to meddle in other people's business. To prevent him from discovering the truth too early as the host, the "gap consciousness" isolates him from everyone.
When the time for the final harvest arrives, exploit his anger and make him the most useful pawn.
His good warden wants to awaken his sleeping comrades and remind all the boss candidates of who they once were.
He never expected that Xue Chao would jump into the tower in the center of the prison, be forced to lengthen his mental state, and command all instances, causing a huge explosion that shook the universe.
It was no longer a bursting bubble; it was an explosion deep in the ocean, raising boundless waves. But the waves eventually subsided, and the prisoners were only awake for a moment, uttering human cries in the voices of monsters, before falling back asleep.
Those comrades who died to prove their innocence and toll the death knell also died in vain, giving Him a wave of corruption points.
The dramatic effect was perfect; He hadn't misjudged the person. The popularity of each space was raised to a new level; it was the generation with the best and most comprehensive pollution, something He often reminisced about.
Unfortunately, it was a one-time thing, and He would always retaliate against that presumptuous ant.
But He didn't expect that He didn't die, but was reborn once again.
The Crevice Consciousness doesn't know how he did it, but it must have been with the help of his partners. His top employees are very popular, and there is always a group of people surrounding him, following him, and willing to give their lives for his unrealistic dream.
He does not understand human emotions, and the new life that evolved after being blessed with power by Him does not have such a cumbersome and ridiculous flaw.
But He still felt a sliver of gratitude. The flaws of this race were truly useful; they could be easily divided, turned against each other, and filled with hatred. Yet, in the process of uniting, they helped Him reshape the most useful pieces.
He can use him again. With him around, this pollution will go a step further, and perhaps... it will be almost over. This may be the last time.
"Don't be so formal. I admire you and see your value more than anyone else. They can't bring out even one percent of your potential, but I know you have two hundred percent."
"Yes, even the best machine will break down after running at 200% capacity. Can't our company have a little bit of human compassion?"
Ignoring Xue Chao's sarcasm, Jiajianyi said, "Of course you don't trust me, but I don't need your trust either. Don't you like cooperation the most? I can also exchange benefits with you."
Xingyun brought Xue Chao to the side of the ship, leaving half of his body suspended in the vast universe, looking at the Shadow Tower.
"The roots of the tower are in the soil of the infinite world, which is the company building. Its shadow grows upward like tree branches. The copy space surrounds it. It passes through them and points to the stars in the dream. These are the fruits that it must strive to grow upward in order to pick."
Xue Chao knew all of this; how could he not know that he had put himself into it in his previous life?
The fruit is not the goal; the goal is for the branches to grow long enough to pierce through the dreamlike form of this universe and reach the two worlds that follow.
“You help me pick the fruit, and I…” The consciousness in the crevice coaxed gently, as if it had full confidence in the conditions it could offer.
Xue Chao felt a flicker of anticipation, but his heart remained calm. He had only one wish: for Him to die. They could not possibly cooperate.
The voice of the person in the crack suddenly lost its strange tone and became flat.
He possesses an even greater detachment than AI, like the ruthless rules governing the universe—He is equally aware that cooperation is impossible: "You are merely humans; you cannot defeat me. Fulfill your mission, and I will remember your contributions." This is like an unparalleled blessing.
The infinite world beneath the Shadow Tower is like a giant, open eye, staring directly at him in the sky.
Xue Chao stopped pretending. Tai'a appeared out of thin air, severing the nebula that imprisoned him. The sword's edge instantly reversed and pierced through the screen.
The power of the Sword of Might is that it can cut through anything that the sword master considers a "target." Whether it can cut through anything depends on the sword master's physical strength and mental power.
Nebula was severed, and Tai'a pressed his advantage. The ship lost power and flowed downstream like melted cheese. The sword missed its mark, and the consciousness of the crevice had been withdrawn from the patrol ship.
Xue Chao, trapped in the nebula, fell into the Shadow Tower. His spirit was forcibly torn apart and stretched, extending to both the top and bottom, causing him excruciating pain.
Tai'a caught him and found his body suspended in the tower, so he flew away and returned to his master.
Xue Chao's body was suspended, yet he felt himself falling and then struggling to rise again. Two opposing forces acted on his mind, but there was no resistance, as if the two forces were working for the same purpose.
Like a growing tree, its roots are sinking deeper and its branches are reaching towards the sky.
Xue Chao's downward spiritual energy fell into the company building, connecting with the infinite world. He saw the roots and leaves on this giant tree.
The earth, or the infinite world, is a completely polluted land and a guild space that is about to be completely polluted. Above, the trunk branches out into branches, and the dungeon space is the leaves on countless branches. The tips of the branches are still pointing upwards, and the buds are the stars.
As the leaf buds grow and the leaves fall into the soil, they become nutrients for the giant tree, propelling it to the sky... and pulling it down from the heavens.
Yggdrasill, the World Tree, saw clues to the endgame in the very first instance.
The nebula grew along with him, covering the surface of his mind. Countless eyes blinked on the nebula, and he could see the space inside each leaf through these eyes.
His third eye burned, as if it had been set ablaze. He saw the corrupting forces originating from the roots, climbing up his sprawling spirit, going against the current, and pulling the power of countless leaves upwards, polluting the leaf buds.
The force of the crevice made him a bridge.
There is already space for His power; He only needs to mobilize the power of pollution to the maximum extent, sending it upwards and driving the pollution.
A large number of guild dungeons were completely corrupted, followed by other dungeon spaces above them. The corruption level increased by one, and the spaces with the highest historical popularity value of over 80 points quickly dropped to 100 points and then plummeted.
Xue Chao is the main bridge, connecting the other hosts among the stars. He is the trunk and branches of the tree, allowing the polluting power to reach the stars, which are like blank sheets of paper, and further leave the treetops to reach the darkness above—the consciousness space of the main dark world, the dream in which the consciousness of the two world life forms probes.
The notification sound for the dungeon's activation rang continuously from bottom to top, and players were matched into a newly, hastily developed dungeon space—the Starry Sky.
The incantation that started the game played like a virus, repeating itself wildly in Xue Chao's mind, almost causing his spirit to collapse inside the tower.
He saw the players' bewildered expressions. The planet only had a single wonder from the dark world; the story hadn't unfolded yet, and they would write it themselves.
During the Xibeishan instance, his room was attacked by a persistent illness. There weren't enough dice, and the investigation raid almost couldn't be started normally. If it really couldn't be started normally, the players who lost the main quest would only be able to find and kill the hidden boss, or engage in a simple and brutal mutual hunt. When the instance space closed, the players who were still alive would win.
Xue Chao later learned about this situation, which his colleagues and familiar players jokingly called "regression," a battle in a primitive society.
That's absolutely right.
The initial story of each instance space is the last game before the previous generation's demise. It's a simple hunt without main or side quests, and the empty planet is a natural arena.
After the dungeon was completed, Tao Yuanyuan and Zhu Wen told him that the deeper he went into the dungeon, the more realistic and detailed the world constructed by their spirits became.
The higher the degree of alienation, the more the "gap consciousness" can explore the player's mental world and construct the story from the player's memories.
Therefore, some dungeon stories are very similar to real-world events because players have participated in or have memories of these events.
Their memories and their battles will become the origin of future stories in this space.
As the games began, the audience poured into the room. Xue Chao could clearly feel the endless night sky hanging low, while the treetops climbed upwards even faster.
After being torn apart continuously, his stretched mind was subjected to a second wave of excruciating pain, and his consciousness became blurred due to the pain that exceeded the limits of his body and mind.
Nebula's device hadn't melted; it hung on his chest, bending his neck. Xue Chao's head drooped limply, his temples pressed against the device's interface.
The electric current flashed through his fragile nerves at breakneck speed, penetrating the equipment and minimizing the mental burden on him.
There is a half circle on the screen, the other half disappeared due to the withdrawal of the consciousness of the gap, and now it has been completed.
A genderless silhouette emerges from the complete circle, and a dual voice, male and female, speaks: "Xue Chao."
The male voice is Li Changying, and the female voice is Boss Tang. Together they form an AI that takes over the place of the twins.
Xue Chao was brought back to his senses by the call. It sounded like one person was calling him, or four people were calling him, or even more.
But no matter how many people are involved, they all hope he will come to his senses and do what he should do.
“…You’re quite skilled at this.” Xue Chao forced out these words, as if teasing a friend.
“I’m not an ungrateful person,” Boss Tang raised his voice.
She was someone who had received his kindness and whose life he had saved, so she was willing to hide in various dungeons and survive, guarding the key to the truth for their shared ideals.
She infiltrated the group of players heading to Xibei Mountain to find Jiang Ming, but was discovered by the guild leader, who was being manipulated by the guild's consciousness. Thinking she was going to die at Xibei Mountain, Li Changying betrayed the company and helped her escape.
So she waited until the day Xue Chao reappeared, and this time it was her turn to help him.
Xue Chao thanked her. She existed as an electronic life form and spent most of her time asleep, yet she gave him crucial hints at several critical moments, including just now.
Li Changying was inside the equipment on the Nebula patrol ship, but Boss Tang did not react at all. This was a signal that she was awake but did not make a sound, which could only be to avoid being discovered by the consciousness in the crack.
Li Changying also refrained from mentioning Boss Tang's name at all. They were perfectly in sync, conveying the same message to Xue Chao in the same way.
The awareness of being in a niche lies here.
Xue Chao was prepared. His inner consciousness was about to reappear in his previous life, using his increasingly powerful mental strength as the main bridge to launch a violent pollution attack.
During the standoff, he also found information that was advantageous to them.
The consciousness in the crevice was easily severed by Tai'a, who was hidden beside Han Zheng—the pollution level of the stars was too low. The higher up the starry sky was, the closer it got to the dream consciousness space of the main dark world, the weaker the power of the consciousness in the crevice became. Moreover, it was afraid of being discovered by the main dark world.
If He has consciousness even in a crevice, then the Lord's dark world must also have consciousness; they exist at the same level.
The life of the Dark World that secretly crosses over is fine. The more He is exposed to both worlds, the more likely the consciousness of the Dark World is to perceive His existence. Therefore, He created the position of Host as a bridge.
The same applies now. He cannot control spaces that do not belong to Him, and he is afraid of being exposed, so he uses Xue Chao, who has the strongest spiritual power, as the main bridge, and all the other hosts as branch bridges.
Since that's the case, whatever He fears, they will accomplish.
Countless attempts have proven that the consciousness in the cracks is right: humans are as insignificant as ants before it, and humans cannot kill it, but the Dark World, which is also a world consciousness, can.
In his previous life, he ignited a deafening roar in the cosmic sea, but the sea only briefly awakened the sleeping life before returning to its deathly silence.
His bitterness and power were too insignificant; this was not a revenge he sought alone.
This time, he will still ignite a deafening roar, a roar from everyone—the living, the dead, the conscious, and the still in a state of chaos.
Everyone, come and awaken the two worlds that have been silent and asleep for a long time.
Li Changying: "Are you ready?" For the first time, he spoke without any pretense of hostility, taking a deep breath, as if sounding the first clarion call of war.
Countless memories flashed through Xue Chao's mind, countless faces froze, silently watching him. He exhaled, as if answering himself, and also answering them: "For this moment."
The monitoring equipment instantly emitted a beam of light, which passed through the Shadow Tower and burst into bloom in the universe—this was the signal they had set.
A leaf trembled violently in Xue Chao's eyes. The leaf was located at the bottom and was a heavily polluted copy. It should have been completely contaminated by the first batch, but it returned to stability every time it was about to fall from the branch.
But this frantic tremor finally caused the leaf to fall, and before it landed in the infinite world, it used Xue Chao as a bridge to go upstream!
Xue Chao used all his mental strength to lift it up, passing over the very tip of the branch—the spherical library emerged from the dark universe and arrived among the stars.
This is copy number 142857; the Möbius strip is broken.
The dilapidated state of instance 142857 is different from that of the stars. The stars are still in their infancy, but the space of instance 142857 is highly polluted and too heavy. To fly among the stars, one must reduce one's own weight and deconstruct and break down from bottom to top.
Upon reaching the Cosmic Sea, only the library, protected by a ring, remains.
The witch stood alone on the Emerald Tablet, like a sword stuck in a jeweled plate.
The library is further deconstructed, her gaze following the fluttering books, flying to all corners of the universe, the pages rolling in the silent waves, falling into the stars, falling into the hands of the players.
The consciousness of the gaps cannot control the stars, nor can it seal them off.
Since Xue Chao is being used as a bridge, he can not only transmit pollution, but also his memories and all the truths he knows. At this moment, he is completely connected with their spirits.
Players exploring maps, players searching for quests, players hiding when something seems amiss, players chasing after others to win... were all stunned by the memories that suddenly appeared in their minds.
It's all so vivid in my mind, as if I experienced it myself.
What is this... Is this real? They had no choice but to be forced to participate in this shitty game, struggling to survive in fear, willing to turn their swords against each other, betraying others and themselves, yet there is no end in sight?
What about their blood, their lives, and all that they cherished yet had to give up? They are nothing but a complete joke!
How could this be?! How could this be?!
The players shouted and hurled insults, but the Crescent Consciousness didn't even glance at them. It wasn't the first time He had seen this scene; they just couldn't accept it yet.
After a while, the ants' arrogant anger will subside. Without having to force them to pass the final test, they can create a hope for themselves, betray their kind, flatter Him, and exchange it for survival, kowtowing and confessing their disrespect.
Unfortunately, they didn't have time this time. This was the only time they learned the truth on the verge of destruction, and everyone knew the truth, which is why the scale of the event was so large.
There was indeed a risk of awakening His two neighbors, so He had no choice but to accelerate the pollution process, assimilating them as quickly as possible.
An even greater force of pollution flowed through Xue Chao's mind, and his body, which was barely holding on, could not bear the burden and developed cracks, like a piece of blue and white porcelain that would shatter at the slightest touch.
He could no longer feel the pain, and he was on the verge of falling apart at any moment, but he just gritted his teeth angrily and stubbornly held on—the consciousness in the crevice wanted to applaud him. It was this powerful mental strength that made the bridge stronger than all the trash, it was simply His Tower of Babel!
He wanted Xue Chao to hold on and stay here more than anyone else. The pollution this time was also very strong, but there was still a regret that it was just a little short.
But he held on, and there's no need for a next time; He will erode those two worlds and turn them into His paradise!
The forces of pollution excitedly trampled on Xue Chao's spirit, like the most primitive dance of stepping on the skeleton of prey, the tree trunks rumbling loudly.
The branches and leaves trembled as they grew wildly upwards, a resentful shriek, which the squeaks of consciousness merely took as entertainment.
He stared at the crumbling bridge, growing increasingly smug. He was indeed somewhat grateful to Xue Chao, but even more grateful to himself for bestowing upon Xue Chao the extraordinary ability to reincarnate, for his keen insight, and for giving this treasure to the most stubborn person, which led to his present existence!
Just hold on a little longer, it'll be over soon...
Thump! Thump thump thump!
Xue Chao's heart skipped a beat, like a restarting power source, and truly protected his body.
Before the sense of being squeezed in the crevice could even rejoice, the frantic cracking of branches and leaves pressed down on the trunk from the opposite direction!
The swarm of morpho butterflies hidden in the deep blue nebula surrounding the library suddenly dispersed, revealing the scene that had been hidden.
The pale dragon, with bloodshot eyes, clung tightly to the library door. Its body was stretched to its limit, devoid of scales, leaving only countless wounds where scales had been torn away. Its tail was hooked to the roof of the tavern.
The tavern's doors and windows were wide open, bottles were shattered, and the liquor had long since been blown into every page of the library by the upward force.
It was only then that the awareness in the gap noticed that the pages of the book the player had received were wet, and that on every other planet, there was a book with bloody dragon scales tucked inside.
The longer the time goes on, the more variables there are. Xue Chao understands this better than Jiajianyishi, as he is the one who has witnessed his countless failures.
Regardless of who relays the message, the more steps are set up between them and the truth, the less likely they are to believe it.
Therefore, Xue Chao handed over his most genuine memories to them, while letting the smug, shaky consciousness in the cracks reveal its true, ferocious nature.
There is no room for ambiguity, no room for self-deception, only the cruel truth. At that moment, there is no room for pretense; when they face it head-on, their souls will give the most genuine and poignant response.
They are the same kind, they were originally one; that is not someone else's memory, but another version of themselves.
Fear, anger, sadness, despair, hatred... they felt it all deeply, experiencing it as if it were their own.
They are leaves swaying on the branches, destined to fall into the filth, but why?
Leaves are not only nutrients for the cycle; they can also burn brightly.
The wine that awakens emotions, and the dragon scales that fulfill the most urgent desires—that is this fierce wind.
They had no time for pain, only anger, and an intense desire so strong they would give anything to kill Him.
Kill Him!!!
"They" include not only the players, but also the planetary wonders themselves, life forms originating from the dark world, and the awakened boss candidates. At this moment, the remaining human intelligence overwhelms the inhuman aspect, and they lament for themselves.
This wasn't the end. The audience, separated by the universe, was pulled down by the forces of the gaps, drawn closer to the stars. They were tainted with too much of the aura of the gaps, enough to become the next batch of players after waking up from this dream. They saw the truth about themselves—they had actually been watching their own misery all along, foretelling their own tragic end.
Endless resentment and murderous intent ignited the cosmic sea. Amidst the deafening roar, all life forms in the game heard a deep, pleasant male voice. Some recognized it as Xue Chao's.
Xue Chao used his authority as the chief host.
He straightened his clothes, set up the microphone, and, as always, began the performance in a leisurely manner:
"Hello, fellow players and fellow players."
"The rule of this game is... I am the rule."
"We are the rules."
After a moment of silence, the cosmic sea was overwhelmed by the cries of their souls.
The red and white disciples were the first to cry out, shouting angrily while crying and laughing: "Those whose blood is not offered to Heaven, whose lives are not laid to rest, will not have a good end, experiencing great joy or great sorrow!!"
"They will not have a good end!!"
"We are the rules!!"
"We are the rules!!"
...
The sounds were continuous; they were poisonous dragons that had bitten off the roots of the World Tree, bringing twilight to the gods!
The desperate cries seemed to light up the darkness, a flickering light, as if awakened, slowly approaching them.
That was the power that shared their origin, a true vastness that encompassed them; that was the tree from which they grew.
Another force that accompanied it also felt the call and came from the other side.
The consciousness of the Dark World finally glanced between them, and a narrow crevice actually came to life, while the creatures growing on them let out earth-shattering cries from within the crevice.
This is why they weakened so quickly.
They relentlessly drew closer to one another, narrowing the gap between them, and the cries of countless souls merged into a carnival symphony.
He anticipated a celebration, but he didn't expect that it wouldn't be to help him succeed, but to kill him!
His first reaction was to threaten the lives of these ants, but these ants were fearless and were willing to celebrate His death with their own, as long as He was dead!
He finally felt fear and retreated in a panic, intending to destroy the bridge!
But the heart located at the very center of the cosmic sea, the heart belonging to Xue Chao and Jiang Ming, was beating violently, supported by the trembling branches and leaves.
The towering branches bent back, becoming shields, blocking the trunk and receiving the final, desperate attack from the crevices.
Xue Chao, who had merged into the cosmic sea, separated a portion of his consciousness, and his third eye glanced down at their only enemy. The eye of the consciousness in the crack had once swept over them with the same contempt.
He said he was being lifted up by them, but the sense of being caught in the cracks will never understand.
In the end, he just laughed and said, "Good riddance."
The two worlds relentlessly drew closer to each other until there was no gap left, merging into one. A humming sound of retribution came from the cosmic sea, and amidst cries, a new life was born.
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