Chapter 518

Blue Star, Blue Star

"Blind student, I found the key point," Star's eyes gleamed: "He's attacking the tree for the third time."

March 7 stared blankly and said: "That's just too brutal."

Sandgold rubbed the coin in his hand, lost in thought, watching the other repeatedly strike the legendary Imaginary Tree to alter the past, his eyes flickering with strange light.

Similarly, there is Sunday, one of the speaking figures of the "Family" Pnykny.

This was not surprising; after witnessing "Otto" manipulate spacetime through the Imaginary Tree, numerous beings across the universe who followed this livestream felt ripples—large or small—in their hearts.

The memory bubble in Kleine's hand proved more durable than expected.

Inside it, 【Otto】 reached the Imaginary Tree—or its extremities—in various ways, then initiated changes to the past, returning again and again to this crimson desert.

It seemed he was searching for a perfect ending.

A God of Light must exist.

In the final alteration, they witnessed the deity, emitting the last thread of light for the survival of all, perish; the bishop then took that final ray from the deity's hands and became the new Sun, guiding the path ahead.

The Antimatter Legion witnessed the Forger, humanity, ancient beast descendants, and the Cloudrider Army all fighting under Bishop Otto's leadership against creations fused with Abundance and Fertility, battling the Star God's emissaries.

This time, he was no longer alone.

He brought countless beings down from a special train, charging together toward the extremities of the Imaginary Tree, attempting to alter the predetermined ending and carve out a new future.

He planned with calm precision, unruffled and composed.

On the outer fringes of the Imaginary Tree, he engaged in fierce battles against legions of replicas.

Even without firsthand experience of that era, every player from all factions was shaken by that tragic yet sacred scene.

Especially when they saw this Tianmingzhu Sect bishop embrace all faiths—even the Antimatter Legion and the Abundance folk—guided by him, they unleashed their own Path of Destiny's light to shatter the darkness.

When darkness came, only light shone equally upon all things, sentient beings.

What an terrifying charisma!

"Now it all makes sense."

A researcher from the Academy of Knowledge said:

"If this involves multiple reversals of spacetime, all the inconsistencies in the memory bubbles and documents suddenly align—this also explains why the God of Light and Otto Apocalys appear identical in historical records!"

"This is a miracle only a Star God could achieve, yet he, a mortal, opened new timelines again and again!"

"This discovery and experiment are revolutionary for the entire academic world—it means several new disciplines are about to be born!"

For instance, why did records from a certain city-state show Otto, Karin, and Ya-chong being hanged, yet later records show him becoming the Tianmingzhu Sect bishop?

And why did the girl named Ya-chong, who died shielding Otto from a blade, reappear alive in later memory bubbles?

This man

is changing the world again and again—for love!

At this moment, the Academy of Knowledge researcher couldn't help thinking of his first love—would he, too, spare no cost to win her back?

No, it's not a matter of whether he wants to—it's whether he can.

He stared at the spot where Otto's figure vanished, and suddenly, a flicker of reverence appeared in his eyes.

"Even if the Imaginary Tree's theory is verified, this method of altering spacetime must come at a cost."

Heta watched the projected footage end, pondered for a moment, then decided: "I'm signing off. Send me a message if you find anything."

The automaton finished speaking and stood motionless.

"Not a Star God, yet one who fought the Fertility Emissary, altered stellar laws and history—surviving to this day shouldn't be difficult."

Jingyuan smiled, turning his gaze to the Rasha beside him: "My Lord Bishop, did you pay some price when touching the extremity to carve out the future, losing your power of light?"

Others stood still for a moment, their gazes toward Rasha filled with complex emotions.

"General Jingyuan, I make this request solely in my personal capacity," Sunday suddenly spoke: "Mr. Apocalys should not be bound by chains and manacles."

Unexpectedly, Jingyuan nodded, a faint smile on his lips:

"Indeed, I agree. Had the Bishop not been entangled in recent major events on Xianzhou, I should have received him with the highest honors."

"Bring him in. Remove the Bishop's manacles."

Rasha: "."

If this continues, my plan with Jingliu cannot proceed—this is likely exactly what Jingyuan intended by intervening.

Unless I can sever ties and prove myself innocent.

But can I still sever ties?

How can I prove I am not the same person as that 'Otto Apocalys'?

"I am the Tianmingzhu Sect bishop, Otto Apocalys."

Above the sky, the precisely engineered projection silenced all unrest:

"Yes, I am still alive. For reasons unknown, I lost my past memories—but now, if I gather the twelve Divine Keys and enough golden memory bubbles, I can reclaim my divine throne."

Rasha recited the script he had memorized, expressionless before several cameras.

A female Pipixi gazed longingly at Rasha speaking there:

"In an underground ruin, resembling an experimental site, we encountered several Cloudrider Army shadows. These are the weapons they dropped, along with memory bubbles—my thousand-person bodyguard team was revived twice and deployed heavy weaponry to retrieve them."

"We agreed—I get to have dinner with the Lord Bishop tonight."

Rasha now really wanted to strike the Imaginary Tree once, erase this absurd experience, and return to the Imaginary Prison.

After finishing his lines, Rasha sighed faintly—then a whiff of charred fragrance drifted into his nose.

Shi Hao handed him a skewer: "Want one?"

"Thank you," Rasha gazed at the blue beetle, his voice low: "I appreciate your kindness."

Shi Hao nodded, sprinkled cumin and chili powder over it, then pinched the pincer and began chewing.

Crunch.

Could this be the Gluttony Order Bearer?

Unspoken thoughts arose simultaneously in everyone's minds.

No one doubted Shi Hao's strength, for the insect in his hand was unmistakably a replica of a Breeding Order Bearer.

"He doesn't pick his food," Ye Fan shook his head.

Meng Qi said: "Not the same person."

"Big Brother, isn't it obvious?" Lu Mingfei forced down his discomfort, snapped off a leg of the insect, and tasted it: "If it were him, he'd probably already set up a zero-cost ingredient farm. Never mind, Luffy, I'll treat you."

"Munch munch. Definitely not Su Nan."

Luffy reached over, took the fried insects from Lu Mingfei's plate, and struggled to swallow the food in his mouth.

This eliminated the possibility that he had traveled back and replaced the identity and existence of the original.

Then again, the Luo Sha's eyes radiated pure, clear light—how could he possibly be that guy who always stared blankly unless there was some entertainment?

Embark on the path of pure love!

Love can embrace everything—they three deserve it!

The misunderstood religious leader? The self-proclaimed villain, Luo De the Savior.

This time, light shall stretch toward the future because of you!

Can't do without any one of them—restarting endlessly, not to save the world, but just so the three can stay together?

Shocking! Inside the Memory Bubble, Saintess Kallen and Shrine Maiden Ya-chong's relationship turns out to be anything but ordinary?!

The Knowledge Daily: The triangle is the most stable structure!

Xing scrolled through endless comment threads on her phone and the outrageous posts on the "Genshin" community, and sighed.

"You think it's such a pity, right?" San Yueqi comforted Xing: "Though personally, I still think monogamy is better."

Xing sat slumped across the bench: "I want to join them too."

Why didn't they take her along for cosplay when it's this fun?

"Are you serious?" San Yueqi stared at Xing in horror.

Surely not—this guy has also been conquered by such a story?

Although the scenes from this memory domain had only just been transmitted across the galaxy, various film adaptations and movie trailers had already been released.

The company's Strategic Investment Division truly didn't miss any opportunity, beginning deliberate marketing campaigns.

Of course, it wasn't just for credit points—it was to confuse the public, diverting attention away from things like the "Numeral Tree."

Thanks to the agreement reached with the Immortal Ship Alliance, the several most influential organizations in this universe joined forces to establish the Dao Defense Lines in the Yarilo star region and Pionkoni.

Players may still participate in memory domain exploration, but only under the supervision of multiple parties.

Originally, many players were dissatisfied, but

"It's time for dinner. Remember to balance work and rest," Walther brought several rations to the trio on the train.

"Uncle Yang, are you alright now?" San Yueqi asked with concern: "This must be hard to accept—why not rest for a while first?"

"What's wrong?" Walther asked, puzzled.

In the confused gazes of Xing, Dan Heng, and San Yueqi, Walther's face was utterly calm.

San Yueqi exhaled in relief: "Looks like Uncle Yang has realized too—Otto is a good person. No need to be so tense."

"Who is Otto?"

Walther asked with a smile.

"Uncle Yang?!"

His answer left everyone stunned; when they looked again at his confused expression,

"Just kidding," Walther pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, then turned serious:

"The urgent task is still to gather all the Divine Keys and handle them properly. Better still, find a way to avoid any connection with that Star God."

Such an entity, even a tiny jest, could unleash a tidal wave capable of destroying civilizations across the universe."

"Correct," Bronya stepped forward, her brow heavy with fatigue:

"Though the grand sweep of history is awe-inspiring, Yarilo now has no Heavenly Mandate, no divine protection."

Yarilo had gained unprecedented attention because of this, and the resulting impact had left its Great Guardian exhausted.

"Better not take it too seriously," San Yueqi said to Bronya: "As Uncle Yang said, balance work and rest. What if it's all just the Joy Star God fooling us?"

Xing glanced at San Yueqi and repeated: "It's the Joy Star God fooling everyone."

"." San Yueqi blinked: "Don't copy my way of speaking."

"Didn't you notice I was stating a fact?" Xing retorted.

San Yueqi sighed: "You're so annoying!"

Compared to the commotion here, Huang Quan stared at the Ming Dao in her hand, then looked up at the illusory sun on the horizon, unusually quiet.

"Mr. Walther said that in his homeland, people who look and name the same are comrades."

Hearing the voice, as if returning from a vast distance, Huang Quan's attention snapped back to the present.

"Forgive the intrusion, Miss Huang Quan," Bronya met her gaze, sensing a faded gray flicker pass through it: "Have you ever encountered people like us during your journey?"

Huang Quan looked at the Great Guardian and the girl beside her, lost in thought.

"Does this question really need so much thought?" She asked.

"I do recall a blade similar in truth and fate," Huang Quan spoke dully: "Similar people—I've likely met them too. I remember the comfort I felt with them, just as I do now."

She lowered her hands from her waist. Suddenly, she noticed the emptiness in the other's eyes—like stagnant water—and apologized: "Sorry..."

"No need to apologize," Huang Quan shook her head, speaking with feeling:

"Dreams have no meaning—the meaning comes from the underlying color of life. If the color is nothingness, dreams become only black-and-white shells."

This is a memory domain, a dream, where black shadows drift everywhere, and memory bubbles lie scattered across the land.

But I felt there were no drowning souls here; their presence filled this dream with countless colors.

Bronya and She didn't understand.

Huang Quan beside them offered no further explanation, only pulling out a red oil-paper umbrella, opening it, and standing between the two.

"It's snowing."

No sooner had she spoken than countless black snowflakes, like ink spilled across the sky, fell in a torrent, covering everything like ashes.

Cold. Dark.

Almost at the instant everyone tensed their nerves, Eternal Night merged with the snowfield ablaze with firelight, accompanied by a violent roar.

Above the iron curtain of clouds.

A cold steel construct surged forth from a brilliant azure tide, its surface blazing with fire from friction with the air.

"The Second Divine Key," Walter, gripping his cane, took two steps forward and turned back. "It's time to move."

Kleine put on his top hat, preparing to lead Lu Mingfei away, when suddenly he felt an intense, terrifying spiritual warning.

"Otto! My former superior—how wonderful to see you here!"

A humanoid shadow whispered.

It appeared without warning, its voice clear enough for all to hear, even making them unconsciously cheerful.

A bead of sweat slid down Rosary's forehead; he glanced at the presence clinging to his back with the corner of his eye, utterly incredulous.

"My lord, you've come to the funeral too? I knew you would—you're sentimental. So I gathered many loving families."

Its words vanished before completion; chains containing all the secrets of cause and effect pierced from the void—but bound nothing, leaving only a few chilling laughs.

The scene fell into dead silence until a company employee ran over: "We can't exit the Dream Realm!"

Above the heavens, a black sun had somehow risen high overhead.

Growing larger.

A dim tide of current surfaced at the ears of all sentient beings; within the black sun lay a dark ocean.

Smell, taste, joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure—all lost meaning, descending into eternal death.

Someone remembered the Star God's earlier words and suddenly, illogically, wondered:

—Whose funeral is this?

Darkness was torn apart by lightning; a burning colossal tree stood dozens of li away.

This "beginner village," known as Rhodes Island, was packed with a sea of people; had it not been for a recent execution to make an example, riots would have already broken out.

The so-called absolutely safe dream game cannot be exited?

The unexpected situation filled the trapped players with fear.

The company and the Xianzhou Alliance maintained order without offering specific explanations; the only thing offering comfort was that the sea of countless shadows had been suppressed by a few Envoys with a mere gesture.

Yet some suspected the company and Xianzhou had orchestrated this deliberately—to prevent participants from taking their loot and force everyone to surrender their gains.

But at this moment, to escape as soon as possible and avoid being drawn into some colossal event, many had begun exchanging the items they'd gathered—even Divine Keys and golden special memory bubbles.

At least the Interstellar Peace Corporation's prices were acceptable.

Two golden memory bubbles were successively fed into the machine.

One of the memory bubbles came from a divine descendant.

Beginning with the disappearance of the Eleventh Divine Key, the Church of Destiny launched an unprecedented purge; the few races granted access to the secret vaults turned suspicious of one another, until…

In the headquarters of the Winged Ones' renamed race, the Winged Ones' leader, they found the lost Divine Key.

Then, due to the death of a Cloud Rider in the conflict, the Church descended into civil unrest.

The Divine Keys, originally meant for sealing, became weapons under the calls of their highest-authorized holders, and the plan to reshape planetary environments was shelved.

Having emerged from the Dark Age no more than a century ago, this divine descendant personally witnessed the Church of Destiny's full decline; consumed by guilt and self-reproach, she chose suicide one morning beneath the sun.

But from her memories, everyone learned one crucial piece of information.

The Church of Destiny was originally meant to use the Second Divine Key in the first year of Amber Era 2158 to open a passage to the Quantum Sea, bringing along the other eleven Divine Keys to assess the state of the Bishop who had severed the Dark Age.

The first scenario: Otto Apocalypsis was corrupted by the Black God—the negative divine aspect of the Dusk Beast—requiring twelve Laws to defeat him and grant him peace.

The second scenario: he achieved synchronization of "Light" and "Dark," successfully mastering the tree's tip; at that time, the twelve Divine Keys must be given to the Bishop to contain them and aid his awakening.

The other bubble came from a Yàoqīng Cloud Rider.

After fleeing the Fertile Star Region of the Starquake, they came to the planet named Yalilo, but their technology had not yet recovered, and all communication devices were destroyed, preventing contact with the Yàoqīng Xianzhou; thus, they joined the Church of Destiny to repay their debt.

During the Divine Key theft case, they followed clues and information to search the territory of the Winged Ones, their former enemies.

As expected, they found evidence of the Winged Ones' misconduct; during their withdrawal, a Cloud Rider named Shouzhou died at the hands of their leader while covering others' retreat.

The earlier events matched known history closely.

But at the end…

In the final moment as this Cloud Rider fell on the battlefield, a vision suddenly flashed through his mind.

It was a skeleton clad in Cloud Robes, clutching a Formation Blade, lying dead in an ancient ruin.

Awakening as from a dream, he uttered his last words, filled with deep confusion: "Shouzhou… wasn't he already dead?"

(End of Chapter)