Fireflies perched on the windowsill, gazing at the scenery outside.
After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes.
The bound volumes of Xuan paper beside her rustled softly as the wind turned their pages.
That was the complete translation of the Ancestral Dragon's Diary that Yin Ming gave her before she left.
The translation records that past, which she had forgotten and which had been erased by the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, from the perspective of the First Dragon.
No wonder she couldn't remember many things; it turns out these... were the truth.
Although the memories have faded, the body still retains its instincts—
Later, Liu Ying successfully extended the Three-Mile Barrier to cover the entire Forbidden Forest, which is now known as the outer barrier of the Forbidden Forest.
But within the barrier, the person she wanted to protect was no longer there...
What saddened Liu Ying the most was that... this villa was indeed left behind by Zu Long.
It was built by Zu Long when she was in seclusion, by organizing a group of magical beasts.
But before they could live together, the Ancestral Dragon perished under the coercion of the Heavenly Dao's incarnation.
He left no trace in the villa.
In other words... all the details she had in her mind about their life in the villa were fabricated out of thin air by the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao.
They should be sad.
After all, the happiness she imagined was nothing but a dream.
The warm glow of the setting sun felt like it could dispel all the gloom in my heart.
Let her not think about anything, and not want to do anything.
I just want to lie here quietly forever...
Half-asleep, firefly seemed to be having a dream.
A noisy voice suddenly exploded in her mind's eye.
Along with the sound, a semi-transparent virtual screen appeared, simultaneously translating lines of corresponding text onto the screen.
[Dear Host No. 002, this is the Heavenly Dao Assistance System, at your service.]
This system is dedicated to providing the host with various high-quality services to help the host better fulfill the role of the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao.
[Does the host confirm binding with this system and assuming the glory and responsibility of being an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao?]
[Friendly reminder: Once bound to this system, it will accompany you for life unless you die.]
Two semi-transparent floating buttons suddenly appeared at the bottom of the virtual screen.
One is 'Confirm', and the other is 'Cancel'.
Upon seeing this, Liu Ying couldn't help but furrow her brows slightly.
'To assist the host in better fulfilling the role of the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao', and 'to shoulder the glory and responsibility of the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao'?
The host? Her?
If she binds to this system, she will become the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao?
According to this, the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao is not a naturally occurring deity in the world, but rather a person chosen by this system and given the ability to become the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao.
If that's the case, why does this strange system possess such high power?
It also allows you to communicate with her directly in her mind without any intermediary...
Could it be that this Heavenly Dao Auxiliary System is the will of the God and Demon Continent?
Thinking of this, Liu Ying couldn't help but recall the man in white.
If the voice refers to her as Host 002, then there must be a Host 001 before that…
It must be the man in white.
No wonder the man in white sometimes talked to himself for no reason; he must have been talking to the system at the time.
The statement that "once bound to this system, it will accompany the host for life unless the host dies" implies that the white-clad man had completely perished, which is why the system turned to her.
Liu Ying's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly. Regardless, the fact that the man in white was truly dead was still a source of considerable relief.
However, let's forget about binding it to the system.
Liu Ying didn't care about being an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, and she didn't want a voice to be noisy in her divine consciousness every day.
This would give her an uncomfortable feeling of being constantly monitored.
Furthermore, who knows what impact binding to this system might have on oneself?
The white-clad man's previous madness might have been partly due to this system.
Even if it's not due to the system, changes in status and position can easily alter a person's character.
Holding a high position for too long can easily cause one to lose the ability to empathize with ordinary people, gradually turning into a ferocious beast driven only by power and ambition.
This conclusion can be seen from the fact that the man in white kept referring to people as ants.
Although Liu Ying knew she wouldn't do that, this system was something that would accompany her for life once she was bound to it.
If she were to truly become bound to him, and something went wrong, it would be too late to regret it.
But as soon as the firefly uttered its refusal, the voice immediately followed up with persuasion:
[Host No. 001's situation is somewhat special. He was originally a natural incarnation of the Heavenly Dao from the Divine Demon Continent. However, the system was not yet perfect when he was born, resulting in certain defects in his body, which led to the previous calamities.]
Thanks to the timely intervention of this system, he has received the punishment he deserved. Furthermore, this system has learned from its previous failure, and after meticulous analysis of various data points, it has optimized and upgraded its systems to address any shortcomings.
The upgraded system is now near-perfect and will absolutely not repeat the previous errors, nor will it have any impact on the host's physical or mental well-being. Please rest assured.
Liu Ying stared at the virtual screen that floated quietly in her mind's eye and subconsciously pursed her lips.
The voice said that, through its intervention, the man in white received his due punishment…
This reminded Liu Ying of what the man in white had said when he was urging the tide of the Qing Dynasty: that no one could break the protective barrier around him.
He must have had exceptional confidence in that protective shield to be so shocked when the barrier shattered.
As for the man in white, being the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, his strength is self-evident.
Although his words were arrogant, he certainly had the right to be arrogant.
At the time, Liu Ying didn't actually think they could break through that barrier.
But everything has come to this point, and we have to give it our all no matter what.
Unexpectedly, the barrier actually shattered.
This was absolutely unexpected by everyone.
Could it be that this system was secretly helping them break through the barrier and successfully kill the man in white?
On second thought, Liu Ying felt relieved.
Indeed, without the tacit approval of the will of Heaven, how could such a majestic embodiment of Heaven perish so easily?
Perhaps the white-robed man's insane behavior had already incurred the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people, which is why the will of heaven completely abandoned him.
It can be considered that he brought it upon himself.
But... "Why me?" Liu Ying asked in confusion within the Divine Court's sea of consciousness.
The previous explanation is somewhat understandable, but why must she be chosen as the next incarnation of the Heavenly Dao?
[After comparative analysis, the system has found that you, host, are highly qualified to serve as an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, both in terms of mindset and other aspects.]
Therefore, compared to the uncertainty involved in creating another incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, the system prefers to appoint you as the next incarnation of the Heavenly Dao.
[The position of Incarnation of the Heavenly Dao concerns the well-being of all living beings; please consider it carefully, Host.]
After the system's calm and composed voice faded, Liu Ying remained silent.
Although this system seemed to be threatening her with the lives of all living beings, frankly speaking, it was better to let it create another incarnation of the Heavenly Dao that might be as incomprehensible as the previous white-robed man...
It would indeed be better to have Liu Ying take on the role.
At least she wouldn't arbitrarily harm the interests of others or disregard their needs for her own selfish reasons.
What benefits would I get from being bound to you?
After a long silence, Liuying finally relented.
The system also sensed the compromise in her words and responded very positively:
[The host can click on any module on the screen to familiarize themselves with the operation.]
[As for the benefits, after binding with this system, the host will become the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, second only to the Emperor in the Divine Demon Continent, enjoying boundless glory.]
[At the same time, the host can also learn all the spells of the Divine Demon Continent, and his cultivation will reach the peak of the tenth realm.]
Liu Ying frowned slightly, as if she wanted to say something more.
Upon hearing that his cultivation could reach the peak of the tenth realm, he ultimately held back.
In addition, the host can create their own clones or appoint others as their clones.
The clone will inherit 70% of the original's abilities, handling trivial matters for you so you don't have to do everything yourself.
Liu Ying paused in her swiping motion across the screen, as if thinking of something, and tentatively asked:
[Can anyone do it?]
The system answered affirmatively:
Yes, anyone can. Even if the other person is dead, as long as their spirit remains, they can be appointed as an avatar of the Heavenly Dao, gaining immortality like you.
Before the firefly could even raise the corners of her mouth, it instantly wilted back after hearing the second sentence.
The spirit remains...
But the First Emperor has been gone for ten thousand years... Will his spirit still exist?
Although she knew the chances were slim, Liu Ying still had the system try to search for the soul of the Ancestral Dragon in the God and Demon Continent.
After waiting anxiously for a while, the search results finally appeared on the screen.
Sorry, the system could not find the spirit soul specified by the host.
Upon seeing this text, Liu Ying couldn't help but feel a tightness in her chest, and the flame of hope that had just ignited in her heart was instantly extinguished by cold water.
After a long while, she finally gave a self-deprecating laugh.
I knew this would happen, didn't I...?
Knowing it's impossible, yet still unable to resist hoping, people are always contradictory and ridiculous.
In fact, if the Ancestral Dragon's spirit were still intact, she wouldn't even need this system's help; she could create a body herself and allow the Ancestral Dragon to be reborn...
With a wry smile, Liu Ying shook her head. After calming herself down a bit, she focused all her attention on the virtual screen in front of her.
When you're feeling down, find something to do. Once your attention is diverted, you won't feel so tormented.
Several modules float on the virtual screen in front of me, including 'Story', 'Characters', 'Skills and Spells', and so on.
Liu Ying clicked through the links one by one and was surprised to find that she could also view her past actions.
For example, in the 'Story' section, in the text where Yin Ming helps Ling Yao achieve Nirvana, there's a red note next to it that says, 'Use the Sixth Elder's words to change the plan and lure him into a trap.' At the end of this text, it also says, 'Revision complete, back on track'...
The 'Skills and Spells' module lists countless spells that Firefly has heard of and those she hasn't. At the top of the list is 'Tide of Purification,' followed by 'Light Shield,' 'Teleportation,' 'Memory Modification,' and so on.
The 'Character' module records the myriad beings of the God and Demon Continent. At the very top of the list is none other than Lingyao.
Liu Ying knew that the "Under One Person" mentioned by the system referred to someone below Ling Yao.
Therefore, it wasn't too surprising to see that his character frame was edged with a gorgeous gold trim, making it stand out from everyone else's.
She casually returned to the system homepage and clicked on the last module she hadn't yet looked at—the recycle bin.
Unlike other modules where the entire screen is filled with dense text, this pop-up interface only contains a single line of data composed of gibberish.
Liu Ying didn't understand the purpose of this module, let alone the strange symbols.
However, since she had nothing better to do, she immediately called out to the system to inquire about the meaning of this data.
As for the questions asked by Liu Ying, the system answered them all:
After the host deletes unnecessary data from other modules, the data will be temporarily stored in the recycle bin.
The purpose of the recycle bin is to give the host a chance to undo their mistakes. If the host accidentally deletes important data, it can be retrieved from the recycle bin.
As for the meaning of this data, after a simple check, the system answered as follows:
[There are too many data types to match at the moment...]
The system is unable to read this data entry effectively. The host can choose to restore this data entry to directly view its contents.
Her eyes, a faint glint in the light, replied: "Okay, help me restore the data."
She was quite curious to see what data the man in white had deleted.
[Okay, host, please wait a moment, data recovery in progress...]
[Data recovery rate: 10%...]
[Data recovery is 20%...]
[Data recovery rate: 30%...]
As the recovery progressed, a virtual figure, seemingly projected by a hologram, suddenly rose in front of Liuying.
The virtual figure was unstable, occasionally flashing static lines like an old, dilapidated television set.
He even appeared and disappeared intermittently, making it impossible to see his true appearance; one could only vaguely discern that he was a man.
Even so, Firefly still recognized him from his familiar figure.
"Long Cheng...?"
Liu Ying murmured something and was about to take a step forward when a sharp siren suddenly exploded in her mind.
[Error, an error has occurred... This data entry has been detected as incorrect and will be automatically deleted...]
The virtual figure suddenly disappeared, as if it had never existed.
Liu Ying stared blankly at her empty hand, not yet realizing what had happened, when she heard the system say again:
Automatic deletion failed... Data recovery in progress...
Error, an error has occurred...
[Warning: Data error detected. System will restart automatically shortly...]
[Warning &*...Reboot...]
As the last sentence fell, Liu Ying suddenly opened her eyes.
Outside the window, the setting sun was about to disappear below the horizon, the chirping of insects gradually subsided, and the passing breeze carried a hint of coolness.
She remained in the same position, leaning against the windowsill...
Liu Ying lowered her eyes, staring blankly at the sandalwood windowsill beside her, then slowly closed her eyes again, murmuring a soft sigh.
Was it all just a dream...?
Recalling the moment when the virtual figure suddenly disappeared, Liu Ying felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.
I thought I'd see him again...
Why can't I even get what I want in my dreams...?
Crystalline tears slid down Liu Ying's cheeks.
She ignored it and simply immersed herself in the darkness after closing her eyes.
As my consciousness began to fade again, the sound of the beaded curtain clattering suddenly rang out behind me.
A faint breeze swept by, and the wind chimes hanging from the roof rang out with a clear, tinkling sound.
The firefly couldn't help but think drowsily that the wind had picked up again.
"Long time no see, Miss Firefly."
A familiar yet unfamiliar gentle voice suddenly rang in my ears, making it hard to tell whether it came from reality or a dream.
Liu Ying felt a pang in her heart and squeezed her eyes shut even tighter.
She seemed to... hear the voice of the First Emperor.
Was this another dream?
Does that mean that if she enters her dream right now, she will be able to see the First Emperor again?
Then go to sleep quickly.
Liu Ying kept silently telling herself to fall asleep, trying to hypnotize herself.
Suddenly, a warm sensation came from the corner of my eye.
It seemed as if someone was wiping away the tears that had just fallen from her eyes.
Liu Ying opened her eyes in disbelief, and stared at the newcomer in silence for a long time.
A calm and serene voice suddenly echoed in my mind:
The system has successfully restarted.
Data recovery successful.
[Heavenly Dao Auxiliary System successfully bound.]
[The appointment of the Heavenly Dao clone has been successful.]
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