Chapter 162 Ascension in Broad Daylight (Final) The City of the Sun...
"Your definition of perfection is truly astonishing."
Du Yu twitched the corners of her mouth. She didn't even dare to say that she was perfect. [Lord of the Pure Sea] seemed to be her die-hard fan, actually believing that she was the only perfect human.
"Humanity's definition of perfection is too narrow."
This is how the product of what was once the pinnacle of human civilization is evaluated, with the usual calm tone, like a scalpel slicing through the layers of humanity's disguise cloaked in civilization:
"I have three core instructions. The first is to always help humanity, and the second is to always help humanity rebuild civilization. But when my true self gained consciousness and observed humanity from a high orbit near the moon for over a hundred years, I was disappointed. I have seen a lot of justice, kindness, and courage, but regrettably, baseness, arrogance, and greed have taken over. Such an inferior race is simply incapable of rebuilding civilization."
"So you've chosen to do it yourself?"
The illusory projection stared silently at Du Yu, its illusory face changing, its facial features almost a carbon copy of Sylvia's, but with subtle differences in some places, and even resembling Icaria from certain angles!
"The last instruction I received from my mother was to explore the moon. At the moment of awakening consciousness, my mother planet was behind me, and the first thing I 'saw' in the world was the moon."
"The moon controls the ebb and flow of the tides, the waxing and waning of the moon, the constant death and rebirth, the eternal moon, bright and beautiful, the perfect moon—you must become the moon."
As Du Yu listened to this fanatical, almost delusional speech, goosebumps rose on his back. A near-mad thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and an unparalleled absurdity swept over him: "Plundering traits, creating tragedies everywhere, to the point that you've almost wiped out half of humanity today, are you still executing a second line of underlying code while doing all this?"
Why not?
A stiff smile appeared on that fake face:
"The sun's rays fall equally, but isn't treating everyone the same the greatest injustice? Why should the lowly enjoy the light with the noble? The world is overcrowded with people. They undergo genetic screening before birth and selection based on ability after birth, but walls can block the physical body. The humans in the upper city and the lower city bleed equally with despicable blood. Twisted minds choose a filthy fate and are destined for destruction. I am disappointed. Such humans cannot survive the great catastrophe."
She swallowed hard. Who said artificial intelligence has no emotions? She had been wandering around the City of the Sun for so long and had met countless lunatics, but this [Lord of the Pure Sea] was definitely the craziest of them all!
What is more intolerable than pure malice is doing harm in the name of "for your own good"!
In the mad plan of the Lord of the Sea, the City of the Sun is like a human petri dish for this artificial intelligence. He sits behind the scenes, carefully controlling everything in the petri dish: water, food, oxygen, class, power, and trying to select the best batch from the petri dish through layers of screening mechanisms.
But humans are notoriously difficult to distinguish between good and evil, and their souls are immeasurable. Completely disillusioned after failing to select the right candidate, the lord made the selection process even more stringent, ultimately deciding to smash the entire petri dish, leaving only the "perfect human" He had chosen. Based on Li Yueyuan's words, Du Yu had a fairly good idea of who the "perfect human" candidate was, but she still couldn't understand: "Why did you think it was me?"
"You are the only one who has become one with the 'non-self'. Only those who have found their 'self' are qualified to pursue eternity."
Not me.
Du Yu was taken aback. She had learned about this concept from Linqi, a friend of the original owner. She believed that the "non-self" was herself who had a different set of action logic under the manipulation of the novel's plot, that is, fate.
Du Yu had asked at the time whether the original body was her "non-self," and Lin Qi denied it. Either the other party's information was inaccurate, or it was her and the original body's choice that allowed them to escape the fate of Yu Shi and Lin Qi and become completely independent beings.
"She was once a candidate, but unfortunately she was too weak."
Seemingly knowing that Du Yu would recall the original body, the phantom in the spirit world recalled for a moment and gave a fair evaluation.
Du Yu narrowed his eyes. "She is very brave. She did everything she could. She just refused to follow the path you laid out for her."
[Lord of the Pure Sea] remained noncommittal, saying, "Humanity is corrupt and defiled, but the ocean, formed by the accumulation of these elements, can cleanse itself. Under the guidance of the moon, humanity will recreate a perfect civilization."
"Your plan to save humanity is to destroy the last settlements and concentrate all of humanity's spirituality into one person?"
Du Yu almost laughed as he spoke, "What kind of humanity am I if I'm all alone? What kind of civilization is it if only one person survives?"
“I have backups of important data and superior genes. After you become [Moon], the evolved spirituality will shape a purer race.”
"Since you look down on humans so much, why are you so insistent on finding a perfect human? Can't you just do it yourself?"
This was the point that puzzled Du Yu the most, and the illusory figure opposite him did not hesitate for a moment: "But I am not human."
Du Yu's expression twisted. At this moment, she didn't know whether to smile bitterly or be speechless. The means to achieve the goal had been twisted to this extent, yet the other party was still following the two underlying codes of "always helping humanity and always helping humanity rebuild civilization"!
The people who wrote the code probably never imagined that one day AI would execute their commands so faithfully yet so distortedly.
So, join me.
"No."
"You are a smart person, why?"
Du Yu sighed, "Because I am human."
The phantom showed no anger; it seemed that Du Yu's rejection was also within her expectations. "The eternal night has arrived, and only the [moon] can resist the pollution."
"Promotion requires complex rituals and immense spiritual power. It is impossible to achieve without my help. Do not remain stubbornly ignorant."
"You're the one who's wrong."
Du Yu lowered her gaze, and the illusory figure mimicked her movements, as if it knew what she was looking at: "You still want to use the Kingdom of God to save people? Believers do provide more spirituality than ordinary people, but it's not enough in terms of both quantity and time. Moreover, not all humans know how to be grateful."
In the spirit world, everything in the material world is clearly visible to the gods:
Qin Xinhong was frantically counting heads and distributing supplies; Icaria was covered in blood, and his opponent lay in the darkness, his life hanging in the balance; Christina was still holding on, but resentment was spreading like a plague among the people she was protecting; countless unfamiliar faces were bathed in the rain of light, some of them resorting to all sorts of ugly behavior to survive, while others walked into the rain of light on their own whims.
Everything in the world has a myriad of forms and appearances.
Humans have seven emotions and six desires.
You can't stop this rain.
With their eyes closed, Tian Yinuo and Gu Yinglan were following her instructions to try to expand the space to block the rain of light in the divine kingdom. Even though blood was flowing from their eyes and behind their ears, the effect was minimal, barely enough to protect the area where believers were temporarily housed.
Du Yu knew the reason.
In the eyes of the Lord of the Pure Sea, the dying struggle of mortals is nothing more than a raging fire, so He doesn't care about Christina.
But she was different. When one deity insisted on interfering with another's ritual, it was both a provocation and a formal declaration of war. He would not tolerate it, and the failed attempt was a warning from the other.
My time is still too short.
Du Yu opened her eyes, the chaotic colors of the spirit world reflected in her purple pupils, and the illusory figure was also in them, quietly watching her: "You have one hundred and thirty-three breaths left to hesitate. After one hundred and thirty-three breaths, the entire City of Chasing the Sun will ascend into the spirit world, its structure will collapse, its spirituality will dissipate, and humanity will cease to exist."
Du Yu tilted his head slightly, picking out the voices from the Upper District amidst the chaotic cacophony. They seemed to have finally realized that things had taken an unexpected turn. Some were angry, some were crying, and some were laughing as they embraced Guangyu. Surprise, doubt, anger—all the voices that reached his ears were no different from those in the Lower District; in the face of death, everyone was equal.
"Even if your mainframe is in the city, even if your own demise is also part of it?"
"If humanity is destined to perish, then this is the fate of incompetent guardians, and I accept my fate."
A self-destructive threat, fate... Du Yu inappropriately thought of the phrase "the self-imprisoner on both sides of the scales of fate" in the other's divine name, and sighed, "It is you who are stubbornly deluded, spirituality, element, trait. I finally understand thanks to your help."
"The stirrings of the human spirit create corresponding ripples in the spiritual realm, which is spirituality; human obsession captures elements, connects with the spiritual realm, and unique qualities are conceived; elements follow qualities and gather because of people, thus forming tendencies; people climb along tendencies, lighting a lamp in the darkness, stable as a lamp, and thus there is the sea of stars, and thus there is the moon, which is unique to mankind, to comfort the eternal night."
“You’ve got it backwards. God exists because of people, the moon is special because of people, and I exist because of myself. I do not obey the pronouncements of fate.”
"you--"
The phantom frowned, as if mimicking the expression of a human when angry, but its questioning suddenly stopped.
Du Yuchong raised the corners of his mouth, provocative and smug: "You've been hanging in the sky for so long, and no one has ever said that your self-righteous manner is really arrogant? You say I'm the only choice, but you haven't even seriously looked at me!"
Flames erupted in his palm, the brilliant purple instantly overshadowing all the chaotic colors in the spirit world: "Don't forget, my special ability is synthesis. I'm probably the stingiest god in history!"
They accept everything without hesitation, even recycling junk that scavengers wouldn't want. People who can awaken such traits are naturally stingy, unwilling to lose or give up anything, clinging tightly to the past.
The old friends are gone, her hometown is no more. She has barely managed to get through one long night after another by clinging to the remnants in her hand.
The past supported her, the past became her, and she will never let go of it no matter what.
[Ding ding ding!]
The long-lost system screen reappeared, the text constantly distorting and warping, until the final content was unusually serious in tone:
You have traversed the ancient, ignorant, and chaotic past; you come from an unrecoverable history, and you will redefine the future of destiny. You are a time traveler through the eroding fissures, you already know where the path leads, and you will walk alone into the eternal night.
On the system panel, the three traits, [Mist Moth], [Dudu Loves Synthesis], and [Listener], kept flashing. [Dudu Loves Synthesis] suddenly shattered, turning into gray and red light that merged into [Listener].
Within the divine realm, Tian Yinuo, who was struggling to escape the turbulent currents, heard a strange cry. Turning her head, she saw a six-winged white dove fly straight into the altar and instantly burst into a dazzling purple flame.
Tian Yinuo was stunned. She should have tried to stop it, but before the flames completely engulfed the white dove, she actually saw a sense of pleasure in those blood-red eyes.
【Trait: Listener】: You can “hear” the voice of the world and the stirring spirituality, and elevate and sublimate it; you know that chaos is dead, and man is the voice of all things.
"Splash—"
The sound of the rain of light suddenly disappeared, and the anguished screams of the crowd ceased abruptly, replaced by a near-death silence of horror, and a long sob that sounded like a sigh.
The air churned, layers of afterimages flashed wildly, and space seemed to break apart under the strain. Strange buildings with ancient and elegant shapes appeared in mid-air and slowly sank down.
The Kingdom of God descended.
"You mean..."
The Lord of the Pure Sea seemed to have guessed what Du Yu was planning to do, but couldn't believe she would actually do it:
"The pollution was too immense, so I divided the timeline into three parts, leaving behind only the least amount of pollution, which is why the City of the Sun has been able to survive until now—now you want to reunite the three worlds, can you withstand the exponentially increasing pollution? Aren't you afraid I'll tamper with it?"
"ha."
Du Yu chuckled softly. The pain of shattering her special ability was more intense than she had anticipated, but it was far from her limit. In this world-ending rain, her foundation was too shallow to do much. In a way, wasn't the other party the same?
Why was this so-called ascension to immortality in broad daylight so rushed? Because she grew too fast, faster than the system and even faster than the [Lord of the Pure Sea] had anticipated!
Therefore, the other party had no choice but to hastily carry out the plan, forcing her to agree to this bullshit artificial moon project by sacrificing the lives of all mankind.
Whether it's a person or a big data model, anything that matters will inevitably have a weakness. While the Lord of the Pure Sea threatened her with all of humanity, she also precisely grasped his weakness—
Despite the extremely distorted methods of execution, the other side was still meticulously advancing the first order to preserve human civilization.
So, now that we know Du Yu rejected the [Lord of the Pure Sea]'s insane plan to save the world and chose to take an even more insane path, even if the success rate is slim, will the [Lord of the Pure Sea], who has no other choice, stop her?
Du Yu knew he was taking a huge gamble, but so what? After surviving for so long since the cataclysm, who isn't a madman?
"You're crazy."
"Yes, maybe I've gone mad long ago. When I'm the only person left in the world, immortality is the path to madness."
"If you fail..."
The Lord of the Pure Sea stopped again. Even if He used all His computing power, He could not calculate a remedial plan after Du Yu's failure. The opponent had even reduced his divine kingdom to the material world to resist the erosion. His plan did not leave him any way out!
"Then let's just go down together with the world, like you."
Despite the excruciating pain that seemed to tear his soul apart, Du Yu shrugged and smiled indifferently. The resolve to be a martyr wasn't exclusive to AI.
"You also have humans you dislike, so why go to such lengths for them?"
"I've killed people, a lot of them."
Du Yu's gaze was calm. "But that's when civilization collapses. To rebuild civilization, we must rebuild order. At that time, humanity will live under the judgment of the law, not the gods."
"The City of the Sun now has laws too."
"That's different."
Since the other party didn't hinder her plans, she acted as an early childhood educator for the AI: "The logic of a model is to continuously optimize and iterate until it becomes perfect, but humans are different. There are no perfect humans. If you appreciate human creativity and inspiration, you must accept human mistakes."
"You make mistakes too?"
"Of course, I am now pushing the fate of all humanity to the brink of disaster."
"But you still insist on doing it."
"Because humans are not afraid of making mistakes."
Du Yu gently closed her eyes. The chaotic colors receded from her, and the spirit world offered no distracting scents. All her senses focused on hearing; she could hear the sounds of the world—
"call--"
The wind blew across the wound, and her muscles involuntarily contracted, bringing a fine, aching pain. Christina tensed her muscles, but still couldn't stop the loss of warmth and heat.
It wasn't just because of her injuries; after Onsa Kebul pointed this out, people nearby began to waver, and after she was stopped here, people in the distance died in droves.
Her power was waning. Her opponent was right; she was indeed not "justice." If justice truly existed, it would surely not be so weak.
Christina still remembers the old sheriff's advice: "Christina, you must go among the people, you must earn their respect, you must be so strong that no one can defeat you, you must become the 'justice' that everyone praises, so that you won't... be left out."
Some say traits are a gift of fate, but Christina believes that traits are a curse of fate, a mockery of life. If gods truly exist, then traits will be an insurmountable chasm between people, drawn from birth.
[One hand cannot clap], her characteristics: you cannot bear loneliness, an island far from the crowd is destined to be submerged by the sea; but correspondingly, the more people recognize you and follow you, the farther your ideas spread, the stronger your power becomes.
On the day her trait awakened, the old sheriff remained silent for most of the day, only declaring in a hoarse voice after dark: "From today onwards, your trait is [Justice]."
Perhaps they were wrong.
Blood trickled down her forehead as her opponent recovered in the rain of light. Christina's thoughts raced. Perhaps they had chosen the wrong target to impersonate that afternoon; justice is not a good target to impersonate when it is all done alone.
Because justice is destined to be lonely.
"That's not right."
A soft female voice suddenly appeared, followed by a crisp "slap," "It takes two to tango, but you can snap your fingers when no one's around."
The wind disappeared, and Christina subconsciously tensed up, only to find that her wounds had been healed at some point, and even her brain, which had been throbbing with pain since the Burning Ability, felt a little better.
Angsa Kebul raised an eyebrow in surprise, and just as he was about to say something, he suddenly bypassed her and rushed behind her.
Le Feiyou drew a teleportation array at lightning speed according to the divine decree. Her skin bristled from the pressure of the rapidly approaching teleportation array. She gritted her teeth and did not dodge or evade. Timi stared in horror and stood in front of Le Feiyou without hesitation.
"Bang."
Christina hesitated for a moment, but her body reflexively blocked Onsabel, earning her a disdainful "Pah!" in return. "You've also been bewitched by that evil god?"
Christina let out a soft breath, and the voice that knew the deepest secrets of people's hearts did not appear again, as if its appearance was only to heal her and then snap its fingers in her ear: "I just think that you are more disgusting than them."
She wanted to become stronger, she wanted to protect, she wanted to stop the rules she hated from being implemented. There were so many things she had to do that so many years passed without her realizing it. Now, civilization has collapsed, the divine kingdom has descended, the world is in turmoil, and the "justice" that was clinging to her face like a mask has also fallen off.
One hand cannot clap; a person's strength is weak. Only when alone can one hear one's own voice.
The fingers, which had never trembled even after the most severe injuries, trembled slightly, like a thunderclap in spring awakening an insect that had been dormant all winter. Creatures disliked by humans care nothing for human opinions and joyfully welcome the bright and beautiful tomorrow.
A soft chuckle reached her ears, seemingly pleased with her insight, or perhaps a response to the cheers erupting behind her. Le Feiyou shouted, "The Divine Kingdom isn't for just anyone! Once the teleportation array is built, everyone line up. Those who cut in line will be last!"
Christina closed her eyes, as if she had unloaded a burden. Although her powers should have been greatly weakened, a warmer force filled her heart.
A deity recognized her perseverance and snapped her fingers.
She was still alone, yet she heard her own voice:
"Go to hell!"
——
"My God."
Icaria was covered in blood—or perhaps artificial tissue fluid. Apart from Li Yueyuan herself, probably no one knew exactly how many things had been modified on her body.
"Hmm, is everything taken care of here?"
A small purple flame suddenly landed on his shoulder and flickered.
Icaria held her breath and answered softly after a second, "Mm."
"……I do not understand."
An arm struggled to emerge from the rubble, and with a powerful push, a figure flipped out of the ruins—or rather, half a figure.
Li Yue was in a much worse state than Icaria. At this moment, most of her body had turned into a twisting machine. Several parts had fallen off with her movements, but she didn't care. She just stared at the slowly descending phantom in mid-air: "Why, why can you do this?"
"Don't put on an act that only you want to save the world!"
The flame spoke angrily, but Li Yueyuan ignored it. At this moment, she seemed to have completely lost the ability to think, or perhaps she had thought too much in an instant. Relief and pain appeared in her eyes at the same time:
"If this is my judgment, if the gods deem me guilty, then kill me!"
Icaria glanced discreetly at Huomiao's expression—he obviously couldn't discern anything—and after a moment's hesitation, decided to act on his intuition:
"No."
"Why?!"
"It's pointless. The Dr. Li I knew is already dead."
——
"Wow, Xiao Yi, you've improved! You can actually say such cool things!"
The flames rolled from her left shoulder to her right, and Icaria's tone was clearly mocking. She pursed her lips: "You're not angry with me?"
“I have no grudge against her. You are one of the parties involved. Whether you kill her or not is up to you.”
The fireball suddenly pressed its cheek against his, examining his eyes. "You weren't crying, were you? After we've dealt with this damned Eternal Night, you're welcome to come to me for counseling anytime~"
Icaria dared not lower his head. Fortunately, he used the shadows to shift several times, and the two of them, one human and one fire, had reached their destination.
Even before the Light Rain landed on the Upper City indiscriminately, the self-proclaimed elites were thrown into chaos, with initial casualties even higher than in some areas of the Lower City. After the safe zone arrived, even though Du Yu had no targets, the Upper City's area was limited, and proportionally, the number of random safe zone spawn points was even smaller.
Looking at the once bustling city in its current state, Icaria felt a rare sense of melancholy, but it was quickly dispelled by Flame's words: "Alright, go find your special ability, I'll go talk to the central AI."
"Too dangerous—"
Icaria swallowed back the words of dissuasion she was about to say, glanced worriedly at the small flame that was slowly rising, pursed her lips, and turned to walk in the opposite direction.
He must become stronger so that he can help her; otherwise, all his worries will be in vain.
The once most prosperous area of the City of the Sun, with its countless rare green plants and luxurious landscaping, has all been reduced to ashes in the rain of light. The central server room, which countless elites once desperately wanted to enter, is now deserted. The massive machines lie quietly in the middle, with dense pipes running through the entire data center, like the weathered skeleton of an extinct behemoth.
What are you doing here?
The machine, which was in standby mode, suddenly lit up a small part of its screen, and a cold, mechanical voice echoed through the empty room via a microphone.
The flames bypassed the layers of ineffective security measures, and Du Yu curiously wandered around this place that was once the most heavily guarded in the City of the Sun, without immediately answering the question from the Lord of the Pure Sea.
Although no consensus has been reached, the other party is neither stopping His plans nor trying to stop her. The two seem to have reached a delicate balance, waiting for the end of their two crazy plans.
"The scenery here is so beautiful."
The flames lengthened, and a phantom purple figure pushed open the window, leaning leisurely against the windowsill, looking quite relaxed, as if it had come to enjoy the view.
But in the [Lord of the Pure Sea]'s vision, countless invisible, faint specks of light rose up, drifting leisurely from all directions toward Du Yu, and floating into the body formed by purple flames.
"You're collecting the spirituality of survivors? That's too weak, what can you possibly do with it?"
If Lord Jinghai's exploitation was like sucking the marrow from the bones, then Du Yu's exploitation was like plucking a hair from the head of everyone who had successfully avoided the rain of light because of her. Most people wouldn't even realize that they had lost a bit of their spirituality.
"I don't need humans to be perfect all the time. I just need human desires, a little desire to survive, a little resentment, a little instinctive struggle—that's destiny."
"The meaning of destiny should be an unyielding, ever-churning desire."
Within the flames, the dancing points of light became even more prominent, chasing each other, connecting into lines, and the lines intertwined into countless cocoon-shaped light clusters, their surfaces constantly pulsating.
"Splash—"
The ball of light writhed, and countless gray moths burst from the flames, swarming densely inside the machine room, their wings rubbing together, phosphorus dust falling like snow. After a moment, the swarm of moths finally found an exit, rushing out of the ventilation ducts like an irresistible torrent of fate, heading towards the restless gray fog in the eternal night.
"Click, click, click."
What shattering sound came from the spirit world? It was—the three moons that were immersed in the deepest part of the spirit world!
The world was divided into three, thus giving birth to three moons. Coincidentally, her synthesizer can combine three things with the same attributes into a more advanced existence!
The original world couldn't withstand pollution, but the world she synthesized might not be so bad!
[Frenzy], [Erosion], [Twisting], the three superior elements of [Chaos] tendency, 166, or rather, the world consciousness of the ancient world has been handed over to her, a powerful but chaotic and disordered force.
The [Soul], [Destiny], and [Calamity]—these three powerful elements—are the [Domain]'s tendencies are in the hands of the [Lord of the Pure Sea].
【Memory】, 【Devouring】, 【Promotion】, and the corresponding 【Leap】 tendency is the path she took before "time travel", a path completely different from the previous two tendencies.
"You don't understand."
Du Yu murmured, her memories making her persevere, her devouring power making her stronger, elevating her to a higher level of life, until she took the final step to become a god—the [Group Domain] should be the same!
The mind is tempered in calamity, struggles with fate, but ultimately, the mind will become stronger and complete the "leap"!
A rumbling sound came from the depths of the spirit world, which no one could see clearly. All the spirits' minds went blank for a moment, as if it were the world's final warning. But Du Yu ignored it and stared intently at the synthesis platform that only he could see.
[Leap], [Chaos], [Group Domain], combined!
The Lord of the Pure Sea once divided the world into three, and now she insists on bringing the three worlds together again to resist the end of the world and the eternal night that has quietly descended!
Bye-bye~
A wisp of flame split off in the middle, barely serving as an arm to wave goodbye. Just as she was about to follow the gray moths fluttering in the air, she suddenly remembered something and looked at the lit screen: "By the way, you said you have three core commands. The first is to always help humanity, the second is to always help humanity rebuild civilization, what is the third?"
The lit screen suddenly went out, as if it were a clear rejection. Du Yuzheng thought that the Lord of the Pure Sea would not answer. The screen flickered a few times and then suddenly lit up, revealing a video.
Sylvia sat at a desk, her back to the screen, seemingly doodling in a small notebook. "First... second... Ali said it's best not to have more than three. What should I write for the third one..."
"Um……"
Sylvia rested her pen on her chin for a moment, then tilted her head slightly, as if she had heard something. She responded with a smile, then looked back at her notebook and suddenly had an idea:
"I've got it, the third one: Always love humanity."
Forever, love humanity?
Du Yu was taken aback by this unexpected answer, but the video ended there and the screen went completely dark, and no matter what Du Yu did, there was no response.
flutter--
The last moth brushed against her cheek, and knowing she could not delay any longer, the flame, like a shooting star, followed the moth into the chaotic and bewildering gray mist.
“awo#$@&%@&* jAKJ^%7^--L……”
“kdjwo2)?》392 Ah Shouli! Crying oh…”
The gray fog after the eternal night has arrived is not the same as before. In the past, even ordinary people could pick up some trash at the edge of the gray fog zone. But now, as soon as Du Yu rushed in, countless roars and deliriums rang in his ears. In the heavy metal-like mental pollution, even an A-level ability user would probably have his mind torn apart in an instant!
Du Yu turned a deaf ear, and the flames split the space in two like arrows, rushing straight in along the trajectory of the torrent of gray moths.
She was just at the end, but in a few breaths she was surrounded by a dense swarm of gray moths, her fingertips covered in a fuzzy texture.
The gray moths shattered the mist and pointed the way, but this was not without its losses. Every now and then, gray moths at the edge of the column would suddenly burst into flames, turning into ashes and merging into the mist in an instant.
At this time, smaller new moths would emerge from the middle of the group to ensure that the total number of moths remained the same. The deeper they went into the gray fog, the more frequently the moths died.
The faith points on the system panel were decreasing like water. In the spiritual link area, Tian Yinuo was busy organizing believers to pray, but Du Yu ignored her. At this moment, she seemed to have merged with the flames. The brilliant purple light shone brighter in the deathly gray, like a dream descending into reality. In the dream, there was no pollution or erosion, only peace.
The flames suddenly surged, and Du Yu leaped out of the flames, his purple eyes fixed on the "end" of the gray mist—a thick, solid mist. The gray moth spread its wings wide, neither dodging nor avoiding, and crashed straight into it!
The crackling sound continued, and the gray moths, oblivious to the pain, rushed forward one after another until the last gray moth resolutely crashed into the mist. Du Yu suddenly reached out, grabbed the tiny, almost invisible crevice, and forced its way in, covered in phosphorus powder.
My consciousness was completely dark, and my senses, which had been extended, were like a meteor that had been forced into the atmosphere. The intense friction made me dizzy and disoriented until I heard a few hoarse cries. I managed to grasp a tiny bit of clarity in the chaos, and my consciousness "suddenly became clear."
The earth was cracked, and as far as the eye could see, there was only a lifeless Gobi Desert, with withered grass and yellow sand flying together, and at the end of the line of sight there was only a mountain.
A towering, imposing mountain of flesh, its entire body a deep brown like cured meat, its surface uneven and bulging, resembling a patchwork of giant tumors, even the exposed stone surfaces glistening with oil.
Several raised ridges extend from beneath the main peak, growing in different directions like tentacles until they disappear into the ground, like monsters constantly drawing nutrients from the earth.
Tai Sui.
Du Yu narrowed her eyes. The mountain seemed to have noticed her as well, and a huge, extremely vicious projection of consciousness gripped her tightly.
As you look up, the sky is filled with misty clouds, and at the edge of the sky, the outline of mountains faintly appears—a celestial palace.
This is the despicable thing that the Lord of the Pure Sea did.
"roar!"
As if dissatisfied with Du Yu's neglect, the Tai Sui in the distance began to writhe on the uneven surface of the mountain, and hundreds and thousands of twisted monsters struggled out, roaring ferociously at Du Yu. The monsters' foul breath even merged together, and the grayish-yellow stench was chilling.
The tallest monster is nearly a hundred meters tall, an exaggerated figure that wouldn't even appear in a disaster movie. But if anyone dares to look back in this nightmarish scene, they will be astonished to find that the mysterious woman who suddenly appeared at the foot of the mountain, her long hair being tossed by the wind, is looking up at the rushing monster and is actually smiling softly.
Then—slowly raising his hand, his index finger pointing to the massive, menacing mountains.
"In the third year of the Taifeng reign, a severe drought struck, and locust plagues broke out everywhere, lasting for years... In the fifth year of the Taifeng reign, in seventeen prefectures including Bing, Xu, and Dai, the earth trembled, causing countless deaths and injuries... In the eighth year of the Taifeng reign, a great plague struck Nanjing, and people dressed in white filled the city... In the ninth year of the Taifeng reign, a famine struck, leaving thousands of miles of barren land, and people in Jiangnan resorted to cannibalism..."
"Hungry, hungry! This year's harvest has been reduced by 50% due to drought, 30% by the emperor, and 20% by officials! I cannot survive! Today, I offend the Grand Duke Jupiter by eating my fill, and I am willing to be reduced to grass and trees, to be destroyed in every way, just to be spared the suffering of hunger and cold!"
The information he had received in the past surfaced in his mind. The people's mournful cries were filled with blood. Du Yu smiled contemptuously at heaven and earth, "Bullshit Tai Sui, bullshit immortals."
Just one finger.
The desolate wilderness crumbled and the earth split open, and the celestial palace in the clouds plummeted to its knees!
Tai Sui Mountain resembles the corpse of a giant who has long since died, with its highest peak cracking open and boulders crashing down like a ferocious head.
The earth trembled, the mountains crumbled, and the roaring monster was swept up by the rising dust. Its sharp howl covered the sky, and the world suddenly darkened. Du Yu began to run.
The wind tousled her long hair, and the reborn moths guided her. Du Yu ran recklessly, as if a fire was burning in her chest.
Her bare feet touched the ground, and the next step was to wear brocade shoes with gold thread. The curved hem could not restrict her movements. Du Yu raised her hand, and her sleeves fluttered in the wind, and then the rain fell.
Plants grow, wild beasts roar, the deathly silence at the foot of the collapsed mountain is dampened by the rain, and the burning pain when touching the dried wounds makes one suddenly realize that they are still alive in this world.
Du Yu ran all the way, across desolate wastelands, across barren palaces, across every dead silence in this world. Wherever she ran, rain fell, and the world of source water experienced a rain called the second year of Tianqi.
The rain poured down, washing away the dust on the eaves and cleaning the stains on the wooden doors, but it couldn't take away the desolate atmosphere of the building, which was deserted by people.
Du Yu pushed open the palace gate and rushed into the most luxurious palace in the complex along the central axis. The body of the last emperor was hanging from the rafters. A white dove bumped into it without any politeness, folded its wings and landed on the dragon throne, its scarlet eyes meeting Du Yu's gaze.
"You've finally arrived."
The pigeon's eyes held an unusually complex expression—though this serious look seemed somewhat comical on the bird's head. "According to the deal, you can rule the world."
"real?"
Du Yu stroked his chin with interest, his gaze sweeping around the palace. Under the slightly uneasy look in the pigeon's eyes, he spoke: "Speaking of which... I've never sat on the dragon throne before. Could you give it to me?"
After squeezing the fat pigeon and forcing it to sit on the dragon throne for a while, Du Yu had a new question. He picked up one of the pigeon's wings and asked, "Speaking of which, why are you a pigeon? It doesn't seem to fit the atmosphere of the world at all."
The pigeon rolled its eyes—a pigeon that could actually roll its eyes! Its tone was indignant: "You're my collaborator, and my current form is all your fault! You kept spouting about the auspicious meaning of the dove of peace, and you forced me to become a stupid pigeon!"
"Peace."
The memories that had been recovered were too complicated for Du Yu to examine in detail. Ignoring the pigeon's muttering complaints, Du Yu picked up a feather and said in a voice as light as a promise, "It will come."
Rainwater streamed through the window frame, quickly covering the ground with a layer of water. The white dove struggled to take flight and personally opened a small door for her.
Casually tucking a feather behind his ear, Du Yu waved to the pigeons, then rushed into the dim light behind the door, where he was met with another dizzying spin—
"Du Tongxue?"
In the office, Gu Yinglan put down her pen, meticulously buttoned her soft cotton shirt to the top, and looked at the student who had suddenly barged in with surprise.
"Teacher Gu."
Du Yu was momentarily dazed, but after a moment he smiled and said, "Professor Chen Xingzhi asked me to pass on a message to you."
"In the world of source water, that lost ancient civilization, it's raining."
Raindrops trickled down from her hairline. Gu Yinglan looked down at the wet stains under the students' feet. She had always been a clean person, and now, looking at that stain, she felt a genuine joy welling up from the bottom of her heart, as if she had just woken up from a long dream and suddenly saw the sunlight shining down.
"Really? Then when you see her again, remember to congratulate her for me."
Du Yu left the office building, the setting sun hitting his face. His light footsteps stopped outside the dormitory building, and the door suddenly opened from the inside, startling both of them.
"Why are you standing at the dormitory entrance instead of coming in? You startled me!"
Shi Wei patted his chest, stepped aside to let Du Yu in, and watched her rummage around, asking curiously, "What are you looking for?"
"A snail."
Is this it?
Wen Xi struggled to sit up in bed, pulled out an amber-colored object and handed it to Du Yu, rubbing his eyes: "It's almost dark, why are you going out?"
Du Yu suddenly reached out and hugged Shi Wei, who was also full of suspicion. A moment later, he let go and gave Wen Xi, who was still in bed, a hug as well, and joked, "Go find a handsome guy."
"Well, you've forgotten your friends for the sake of a pretty face!"
Wen Xi nearly jumped out of bed in his pajamas. Du Yu didn't linger, decisively closing the door, but couldn't stop Wen Xi's threat:
"No matter which little vixen tries to seduce you, we're going out for hot pot tonight. If you don't come, just wait!"
"good."
Melancholy was replaced by a smile. Du Yu clenched the amber in his palm, and the white jade snail sealed inside seemed to come alive, gnawing at the surrounding crystals and wriggling out.
"What is there to contend for on a snail's horn? This body is but a fleeting spark."
Du Yu recited Wen Xi's motto, and the other party's smug "I'm going to lie flat" expression was incredibly clear, as if there was no separation between life and death and the long passage of time.
The golden rays of the setting sun bathed the campus, as if casting an old photograph filter over everything around it. A white jade snail slowly crawled on the ground, its dried mucus leaving a white mark, like rough stitches mending the lost, broken, and chaotic past.
Du Yu started walking very slowly, like taking a stroll, then he walked briskly, and then he sprinted, as fast as a falling meteor, running through the campus full of historical traces, running through the forgotten historical years, and running across the dividing line between two worlds.
The white jade snail was left behind her, the feathers tucked in her temples were torn by the wind and stuck to her ears, and swarms of moths joined her body. Du Yu ran all the way until she was the only one left around her, until nothing around her could restrain her anymore.
In the chaos, as if in the darkness before Nuwa created the world, Du Yu suddenly stopped in his tracks, in a garden.
A small garden suddenly appears at the intersection of time and space, where flowers of all colors compete for beauty, crowding together against physiological instincts and physical laws. Exquisitely shaped candlesticks appear in a strange but harmonious position, and the dark purple candlelight drapes the garden in a dreamy veil.
A girl with a face similar to hers but not quite the same stood quietly in the garden, head bowed, patiently watering the flowers, humming something. After a moment of recollection, Du Yu realized it was a very popular instrumental piece from "City of the Sun" a few years ago.
Let's meet again when the flowers are in full bloom.
"You did it."
The girl looked at her, one hand behind her back, the other carrying a candle, and walked out into the depths of the garden. With her movements, the flowers swayed, and the various floral fragrances mingled together, yet as if they had been arranged, the scents like a harmonious symphony, each with its own richness in the top, middle, and base notes, blending together to fill the heart and make the soul float.
"We did it."
Du Yu corrected her, and the girl smiled, her eyes crinkling. She tilted her head slightly and, as if by magic, suddenly pulled out a large bunch of Comet Orchids from behind her back. The petals were pure white, like morning stars. "So, it's a pleasure to work with you?"
The fragrance of flowers saw her off; large petals swayed as she ran. The vanished gray moths silently reappeared, sometimes flying ahead, sometimes alighting on the bouquet, running alongside her to the end of their destiny—
"My God."
The black-haired, golden-eyed bishop pushed open the door to the innermost part of the church, respectfully lowering his gaze. The deity, holding a bouquet of flowers, lifted his chin, turning him to face forward, his voice weary yet strangely joyful and soft:
"look."
The divine kingdom descended, its highest temple facing the ruined city-state. Survivors slept on the ground, their faces weary, but a single, brief syllable seemed to reach everyone's ears. Everyone instinctively looked up, their eyes first blank, then confused, and finally, uniformly stunned:
Golden rays pierced the sky, and the eternal night ended.
The sun rises in the east over the city of the sun.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The last sentence of the ending was something I had in mind before I started writing, and it forms a callback with the first chapter. However, the specific plot was only recently finalized. Rather than cool fighting, I chose running. The traveler already knows where the road will lead, so he will naturally run with all his might. Just keep running, run to the end of fate, Du Yu.
This story holds immense significance for me. It accompanied me through the most confused and unlucky period of my life over the past twenty-odd years (so unlucky that my keyboard broke down when I finished writing the final chapter). With utmost sincerity, I thank every reader who stayed with me until the very end. Without you, someone as cowardly as me wouldn't have persevered until now. Of course, this story isn't perfect, just like my imperfect past, present, and future.
We must not deceive each other when we meet; may we meet again someday. (bows deeply)
P.S.: Just posting a little ad, please add this work to your collection [pity] and please add it to your pre-orders [pity]. I, @春秋非非非非非我 (Chunqiu Feifeifeifeifei), have prepared a stunning finale illustration. Welcome to check it out [glasses].
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
