Chapter 643: The Ultimate Brain (Grand Finale)

This was a twisted world, where fragment after fragment of worlds floated, and countless images drifted past before his eyes.

“Is this inside the supermassive black hole?” Ye Nan murmured, glancing around.

Suddenly, he saw a scene: the world of Resident Evil, Alice, Wesker.

“Are all these images from movies?” Ye Nan saw Liaozhai, Huapi, and countless other cinematic scenes—images that should have existed only in films—continuously evolving before him.

“These should be events we’ve encountered before,” Xu Sibo said cautiously, surveying the surroundings; a pagoda continuously emitted dark-yellow qi, enveloping his body.

“The Heaven-Earth Mystery Luminous Pagoda?” Ye Nan muttered, then fixed his burning gaze on Xu Sibo. “That’s the treasure said to be impervious to all arts.”

“Now, now,” Xu Sibo replied humbly, though the pride on his lips could not be hidden.

“If I’m not mistaken, this must be the source,” Beth said, no longer holding her harp; she raised a tablet-like object, its faint glow enveloping her. “All the plots we’ve experienced originated here—this is like a factory, and we’re the ones using its products.”

“You’re right,” came a stern voice, followed by an axe-blade streaking from afar.

“Creation of Heaven and Earth.”

At the end of the axe-light, a colossal figure ten thousand zhang tall swung his axe; the light was born from the blade cleaving through void.

“Pangu!” Xu Sibo shouted; his Heaven-Earth Mystery Luminous Pagoda flew automatically upward to block the axe-light.

Boom!

A brilliant flash erupted; Xu Sibo’s Heaven-Earth Mystery Luminous Pagoda was flung back, a thick crack appearing on its surface. “My Heaven-Earth Mystery Luminous Pagoda!” Xu Sibo cried in anguish.

“Was that Pangu, the one who split Heaven and Earth?” Ye Nan stared in dread. Pangu was the one who created the universe—the Cosmic Emperor was famed for supreme defense, yet compared to Pangu, he was still weak. For instance, the Cosmic Shredder, capable of harming the Cosmic Emperor, might not even scratch Pangu.

If the opponent truly was him, then none of them had even a sliver of chance to survive.

“Let there be light.”

Pangu vanished; in his place stood God—white robe, smiling, Bible, the call of death.

“By the name of the Tablet of Fate, I summon the power of the gods, and share eternity with you.”

“I say the world shall be destroyed.”

The smile vanished; grotesque fury took its place. A torrential flood surged toward them.

This was no ordinary water—it was the World-Ending Water. Once unleashed, it drowned all things, leaving no escape, no breath, eroding will, annihilating all.

“By the names of the gods,” the Tablet of Fate flared with power, halting the flood.

“The Wrath of the High Heaven’s Primordial Deities.”

Three figures slowly appeared in the void; their energies entwined, birthing strange, monstrous deities.

“The High Heaven’s Three Deities?” Fushan Meixue gasped.

The High Heaven’s Three Deities were Tianzhiwuzhushen, Gaoyuchancha Ri Shen, and Shenchancha Ri Shen—they jointly forged the High Heaven, the origin of Japanese gods. Though slightly inferior to Pangu and God, they were far from weak.

“But gods are inferior to ghosts,” Fushan Meixue shed one ghost after another from her body—Kaya, Guhuoniao, Gui Yikou, and more.

The ghosts immediately clashed with the Japanese deities, locked in fierce, indecisive battle.

“The Rasenmon itself is a vast, twisted world, teeming with ghosts beyond imagination. But these deities are pitiful—they can’t even defeat ghosts,” Beth shook his head, disappointed in the High Heaven’s Three Deities.

A figure slowly formed—but before it fully took shape, Ye Nan raised the Civilization Cannon and fired; a brutal white light swallowed the figure, followed by a scream, then silence.

“Whoever you are—I blast you to oblivion.”

Ye Nan’s casual remark left the other three speechless.

“Welcome,” a massive brain drifted toward them; under its influence, surrounding images were sucked back and absorbed into its mass.

Human fantasy created this universe and everything within it. But fantasy is limited. When humans stopped imagining, the universe shrank. Unwilling to perish, we sought power to transcend fantasy—and thus the Realm of Non-Thought and Non-Non-Thought emerged.

Yet how difficult it was for an illusory being to transcend into reality! He spent untold eons, until finally he conceived the idea of the Chosen Ones.

“You, who are real, have absorbed illusory power—this is precisely the Non-Thought and Non-Non-Thought I’ve pursued!” The crimson brain swelled. “Now, surrender yourselves to me.”

“Divine Judgment.”

Beth struck first, raising the Tablet of Fate; countless divine figures appeared upon it, crying “Guilty!” Instantly, cosmic judgment descended, and a River of Fate surged from the void, engulfing the brain.

“Zhu Xian Sword, Lu Xian Sword, Xian Xian Sword, Jue Xian Sword—Zhu Xian Array!”

Four ancient swords occupied the four cardinal directions around the brain, radiating blade-light.

“Hundred Ghosts’ Night March.” Countless ghosts spilled from Fushan Meixue’s body; she was the Mother of All Ghosts, endlessly birthing monsters.

The monsters surged forward like fearless, scattered soldiers, relentless in their assault.

“Civilization Cannon.” A spectral cannon appeared behind Ye Nan, aimed at the brain. “The spread of civilization requires cannonfire—wherever the fire reaches, civilization follows.”

A blinding white light roared from the Civilization Cannon, hurtling toward the brain.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” the brain swelled violently. “Ultimate Brain.”

Divine Judgment was devoured. The River of Fate was devoured. The Zhu Xian Four Swords were devoured. The Hundred Ghosts’ Night March was devoured. The Civilization Cannon was devoured. Only the colossal brain remained.

“I created everything. I am the ultimate synthesis of human fantasy. You wield my own power against me—how absurd.”

The brain surged wildly, swallowing Ye Nan, Beth, Xu Sibo, and Fushan Meixue whole.

No matter how they resisted, it was useless. The Heaven-Earth Mystery Luminous Pagoda, Pangu’s Banner, Taiji Diagram, Tablet of Fate, Time Net, Hundred Ghosts, Rasenmon, Civilization Cannon, Civilization Shield—all were devoured.

“Success at last. The Realm of Non-Thought and Non-Non-Thought—crossing the boundary between illusion and reality. Now, I shall descend into the real world and become the one true god.”

A new black hole opened within the black hole, slowly expanding, inching toward the brain.

“Reality, I’m coming,” the brain nearly burst with laughter. He had waited for eons—since the universe’s birth, he had plotted.

As the ultimate synthesis of human fantasy, he was born alongside humanity—when humans imagined deities and worshipped them, he came into being. He grew with humanity, evolved with it, until he saw fantasy fading. Then he devised this plan: to use real-world humans to absorb fantasy’s power, fuse reality and illusion, and then absorb it all to break through both.

“You think too simply,” a brutal white light erupted, blasting a gaping hole in the brain’s right side; Ye Nan flew out.

“Fantasy’s power is yours, yes—but reality’s power is not.” Ye Nan sneered. “We who fused fantasy and reality have already changed.”

“As he said—we’ve already escaped you.” Countless pale hands ripped out a massive chunk of brain matter. “What is fantasy to us? We are the Realm of Non-Thought and Non-Non-Thought.”

“The gods’ power is not yours to steal.” The crisscrossing Time Net sliced the brain into countless bloody fragments.

“I am the Immortal who harmonizes with the Dao,” Xu Sibo raised an axe and charged forward, cleaving through.

“Fragile Civilization—Civilization’s End.”

When civilization falls, it takes the entire universe with it—that is the most terrible civilization.

“Rasenmon’s Will.” The colossal Rasenmon descended from the heavens, crushing the brain.

“The gods say—we offer our lives to grant you equal destruction.” The gods screamed; the Tablet of Fate shattered, and annihilation erupted instantly.

“This is the true Pangu Axe.” Xu Sibo brought down his axe—the universe was cleansed.

Watching the crumbling brain, they exchanged smiles.

“Where will you go?”

“Home, to visit.”

“The gods need me to re-evolve them.”

“To return home with my family.”

They gazed at the door to the real world and laughed. A colossal cosmic warship suddenly materialized behind Ye Nan; Simila, Yilisi, Jessica, Ali, and all his loved ones were pulled in—but the buildings, materials, machines—all remained behind.

Yet Ye Nan didn’t need those materials. He only wanted to return to reality with his loved ones. He believed his power could grant them bodies capable of surviving in the real world.

“Come back to reality with me.” (To be continued.)