Chapter 1501

"Hai Se Yin still found it hard to believe, pressing on with a question: 'Willing to be so candid—have you…given up resistance?'"

"Huang Di gave a bitter smile, chuckling without end: 'Ah, resistance…a dying beast—what resistance is there to speak of?'"

"'Is that so? A thousand years have passed, and your spirit…has long since been shattered to pieces.'"

"'This aged body bears the full weight of all I have betrayed. Now, I only wish to rest eternally in those unchanging days of the past…to sleep alongside them.'"

—

Sword Art Online.

"'Ah, I see now. The so-called 'betrayal' was not actually a betrayal of the Fire Pursuit Journey, but a betrayal of Gaius Octavius's Dragon Cavalry.' Asuna suddenly understood, 'Then the 'regicide' Caesar spoke of…actually refers to the Earth Titan Gaius Octavius?'"

She never expected there to be such a twist hidden behind all this.

Asuna suddenly recalled that Ke Lü De La had once said Huang Di was 'the wisest of all Gaius Octavius's creations, the only one capable of seeing the direction of the times,' and now, looking back, Caesar's words were truly spot-on.

"The Fire Pursuit Journey's momentum is irreversible; Huang Di made the correct choice. Yet the cost of this choice is also high—his comrades have died, and he himself can only stand in the rocky abyss, taking over divine authority..."

Although Huang Di's figure was as towering as a mountain, Kirito could only see loneliness and desolation upon him.

No wonder he chose to cooperate with Night Moon. Time wears down all things, even the hardest stone cannot escape it; if Hai Se Yin did not intoxicate herself with her song, her spirit would likely also be shattered like Huang Di's.

"'Helping Night Moon conceal her tracks…so, why is Night Moon hiding here?' Asuna curiously gazed at Kirito."

"'Unclear. If one wishes to be undisturbed, Wengfaluo Si should still have other, more secluded places.'"

—

"'Go forth, Dragon Descendant. That flame has already pierced the secret guarded by 'Earth'…' Huang Di stepped aside, revealing a lava road: 'The deepest part of Wengfaluo Si, the great tomb burying all that has passed—you seek Night Moon, who walks forth from within it. Before her, no one knew of her existence.'"

"Dan Feng gazed afar at that road: 'In other words, that is the place where 'Night Moon' manifests…'"

"Hai Se Yin: 'And also her current whereabouts.'"

"Dan Heng lowered his head to look at the surrounding long-dead Jin Xue Yi Ling: 'Even if you sink into the past, your 'memory' has become this appearance…is it worth it?'"

"'At least, I still remember. As long as I have not forgotten, they still live.'"

"'Primitive, bestial…I understand this instinct.' Dan Heng paused, then asked, 'You…have you ever regretted it?'"

"'Earth is not an island in the ocean, but the sum of all things upon it. To defend the heroic spirits of the world, I have never regretted.'"

"'Then, one final question…' Dan Heng slowly stepped forward to stand before the beast, raised his head, and asked the question he had once answered not long ago: 'Huang Di…now, for the 'immortal' dragon power, how much sacrifice are you willing to make?'"

"……"

"Huang Di remained silent for a long time, then answered word by word:"

"'Everything.'"

"'Having come this far, I have fully understood my fate: no matter how I struggle, 'Earth' can never advance toward the stars. But my kin—they deserve to continue struggling. At the end of life, I wish to make one final effort for them, to seize one chance to advance toward the future…even if that future is one I can no longer witness.'"

"'I understand. Then…' Dan Heng solemnly placed his hand over his chest, 'Let us, together, launch another rebellion against unjust fate.'"

"'Even if the world collapses, 'Earth' must stand firm—entrust the fire seed burning within you to me, and let this 'immortal' body bear the furnace of your life.'"

—

A Certain Scientific Railgun.

"'What a perfect echo…Dan Feng asked Dan Heng, Dan Heng asked Huang Di, and Huang Di's answer was exactly the same as Dan Heng's. Perhaps this is the common point of 'immortality'?'"

Zuo Tian watched Huang Di give such an answer against the sky curtain, feeling as if struck hard by an arrow shot from the past.

Past events cycled and repeated, forming a perfect closed loop.

"'Early spring, do you still remember what Dan Feng said back then at the gathering?' Zuo Tian asked, twirling a strand of hair with her finger as she tilted her head."

"'Um…which one?' Chūchūn tilted her head curiously."

"'If we do not share sweetness and bitterness, then clarity cannot become part of the alliance's fate, but merely a bystander to others' suffering'—look, here and now, Dan Heng is also about to walk the path he has walked, becoming part of Wengfaluo Si's fate."

"'But Dan Heng becoming a 'Demigod' of Earth—wouldn't that be…well, a bit strange?' Chūchūn frowned slightly, perhaps still vividly impressed by the earlier Water Dragon Lord's demeanor, making it hard for her to imagine Dan Heng manipulating rock and land for a moment."

"'Moreover, Earth and water…wouldn't they conflict?'"

"Misaka Mikoto chuckled: 'They do conflict greatly, but if you think carefully—if Dan Heng harvested other power through Earth's fire seed, wouldn't you find it quite a coincidence?'"

"'A coincidence?'"

"'Yes, the three who came to Wengfaluo Si all became demigods and gained new powers. Mm…looking at it this way, Ji Zi and Mr. Walter not coming was truly a loss—if they had also come to Wengfaluo Si together, wouldn't they too have gained some unique power?'"

—

"'Dragon Descendant…are you willing to bring them to a new world?'"

"'Empty promises—probably not what you want to hear. Let me try answering from another angle.' Dan Heng explained, 'Immortality is the dragon's path; eternity is the deepest longing of life. If you entrust the earthly beings to me, they will surely coexist with the instincts in my blood.'"

"'With this body as a vessel, I will bear them to tomorrow. That place is not Wengfaluo Si's West Wind's End…but a vast, boundless Star Sea.'"

"'Star Sea…' Huang Di repeated the words over and over, as if feeling their weight."

"'It is the future forged shoulder-to-shoulder by all beings, not a prison that uses 'memory' as consumable.'"

"'In the memory of the Eternal Night's Veil, you have always been…someone who held back.' Huang Di let out a self-mocking bitter laugh: 'Ah, I misjudged your resolve. I understand…what the sole choice is.'"

"'Look, the fire seed burning in my chest—the one that gave birth to Earth. It is the red soil where life sprouts, the furnace of all things…'"

"A fire seed slowly drifted from within Huang Di's body, floating down to land before Dan Heng."

"'It tells me to launch the final rebellion, to entrust the tasks of reclaiming wasteland and guarding the continent to the 'pioneers' of outer space…so that the ever-living may be brought to distant lands.'"