Chapter 55: An Ending 2

Roughly thirteen thousand years later, the rebellious streak of the half-bloods had gradually taken shape.

They had always stood at the pinnacle of the human world, commanding the resources and power of countless planets — how could they possibly allow a dragon race entrenched on a backward homeworld to keep pressing down on them from above?

The technology to destroy a planet had long since become widespread, and the half-bloods' Word Spirits and bloodlines were continually enhanced with the aid of science.

"The old-era Emperor cannot keep pace with the new era — the moment for change is now!"

Capture the old Emperor alive for experiments, and everyone shall become the new Emperor.

The premise being that this old Emperor couldn't hand-crank solar flares, and his control over the elements of matter had already reached the microscopic level.

"Come to think of it, they had it pretty rough too." Lu Mingfei sighed with feeling. "I originally thought they'd lose patience around the five-thousand-year mark, but they endured, generation after generation."

After the foundations of rule were once again laid down, the Greater Interstellar Era arrived.

Lu Mingfei recalled the interview question when he'd entered Kassel College: Do you believe in aliens?

In the deeps of the universe, there naturally existed many different life forms and intelligent civilizations.

To survive, gathering the crystallized wisdom of all humanity and the half-bloods, developing the spiritual abilities of the dragon race, the Emperor ascended, five hundred thousand years later, to a realm humans called the "Divine" tier.

Countless civilizations were stunned — measured by the history of the universe, the speed of this civilization's power development could only be described as leaping by leaps and bounds.

A mere few hundred thousand years…

From a civilization that couldn't even leave its own planet at the start, developing to this point — the dragon bloodline formally entered the sight of the universe's many civilizations.

Integrate, exploit, ally.

Wage war, conquer, assimilate.

Another two hundred thousand years passed, and under the support of all living beings, Lu Mingfei took a new step forward.

One day, he discovered that while his authority could remain anchored in the present state of material motion, his spirit could simultaneously trace back the past states of all things.

He returned to over seven hundred thousand years ago — able only to observe, unable to interfere.

"For a near-immortal life form like the dragon race, however they evolve, they can maximize their advantage."

The authority to restart the world was pushed to its absolute limit.

He returned to that summer when he was eighteen.

"A success, and also a failure."

Two different viewpoints appeared in his mind — the black dragon coiled on the Moon, gazing down at the Earth; the human him sat in the Literature Department, watching Chen Wenwen holding a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude.

"There's really nothing more to be done." Lu Mingfei chewed his vegetables as he spoke, his tone calm:

"Their spirits and bodies are forever stranded in the Arctic Ocean of 2012."

Many years ago, when he had just obtained his authority, he had already tried — unable to restart to a point before he'd gained it.

This time he broke through the limit, but…

His true body was still in the starry sky hundreds of thousands of years later, gazing at that blue planet where ships rose and fell from time to time.

Only… he'd created a different world-line.

Over the next several hundred thousand years, he found a new way to pass the time.

"I was thinking, weren't there a lot of games and anime back in the day? Might as well satisfy the fantasies of my youth."

"Like, sculpt a planet, then create some life… and toss in a version of myself with my current memories erased."

"Later I found a way to cross the void, and discovered some interesting worlds…"

"Anyway, they're avatars born after the restart — toss them out, when they're about done pull them back, throw them back to before 2012, and my main consciousness latches onto them for an immersive experience."

"You really know how to have fun…" Su Lin commented, then seemed to think of something and asked: "That magical girl…"

"……" Lu Mingfei was silent for two seconds, then said slowly: "When you play enough, you always end up trying some… stimulating tricks, don't you?"

"Magical girls were popular for a long time, after all."

"You're really something." Su Lin's expression was a little strange, not knowing how to respond.

"Don't 'something' me, sit."

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, hearing Lu Mingfei's explanation, asked somewhat oddly: "Then what's the deal with my world? And Ye Fan's world — did you find the coordinates of our worlds?"

"?" Lu Mingfei didn't understand what Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan was talking about.

"Oh, that was me." Ye Fan said from the side: "My hands itched a bit — before sending his Dao Fruit over, I extracted a few True Spirits and seeded them into other worlds."

"……"

What could Su Lin even say — you guys really know how to have fun.

"Alright, that's pretty much the whole story — time to say goodbye." Lu Mingfei finished off the food in his bowl in a few chopstickfuls, then took a swig of beer.

Light points began to emerge across his body.

"Ye-ge, you said it's not too late to regret, but honestly there's no need to regret this at all — I missed those guys too much." Lu Mingfei's voice was low, but his tone carried a hint of release: "Living inside him is fine too — at least I get to be Lu Mingfei one more time."

"I've wanted to do this for a long time, but I couldn't do it alone."

"My true body can't go back to the past."

"Anyway, I can't go back either — and he, he's only just beginning."

He stood up, walked toward the version of himself under the tree, and — just like all those avatars of his — dissolved completely into Dao Resonance, merging into the sleeping Lu Mingfei's body.

Only a used bowl and chopsticks, and two empty bottles, remained as proof of his existence.

For a moment no one spoke atop Water Mirror Peak; the atmosphere was a touch awkward.

Han Li sized up the current situation, considered for a moment, then said to Ye Fan: "Senior Ye, if you have no further instructions, Han Li will take his leave first — there are still some matters to attend to in my original world."

The words Han Li spoke were originally what Miss Kelaien wanted to say, but at this point, just going along with the crowd would have been a bit off.

"Strange — others struggle even to see me, yet you two see me and want to run. Being too cautious isn't always a good thing." Ye Fan lifted a cup of tea, took a light sip, his gaze fixed all the while on the moon in the sky: "No rush — sit."

"Thank you, Senior." Han Li bowed respectfully and sat down properly.

"Just call me Ye Fan, no need to stand on so much ceremony."

Su Lin swept a glance at the other people present — Han Li, Miss Kelaien, Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan, Medicine Elder, Zhongli.

Han Li can be let off…

Two, then — who's the other one?

You lot ran off fast enough, but my old home is right here — where am I supposed to run?

"Is the Ye Fan we know also you?" Su Lin asked the Ye Fan before him. "Honestly, at my level it's far too hard to grasp your realm."

"I am every Ye Fan, but the Ye Fan you know is not me." Ye Fan said slowly. "I'm just sitting here in this era for a bit, I'll be heading back soon — no need to be so formal."

Judging from Ye Fan's description of existences above the Sacrificial Dao, once one reaches that step, many things lose all meaning.

It's nothing more than a matter of a single thought — cause and effect, time and space, changed at will.

Everything is just a stretch of information — so what's the point of him staying here playing with a bunch of kids like us?

Is it like another Lu Mingfei, experiencing a different life?

"Even healthy people should keep some medicine at home, right? In case they fall ill one day, there's something to treat it with." Ye Fan seemed to know what everyone was thinking — no need to probe, no need to investigate; at this moment, he simply knew whatever they cared about.

Ye Fan looked at everyone with a smile and said, "When you have time, go read the *Sacred Ruins* side story. I'm heading back first — don't go linking this me with the one above the Sacrificial Dao. Just get along with him normally."

"Farewell, everyone."

Ye Fan raised his tea cup in a gesture to the crowd. The next second, his gaze went blank for a moment, then clarity returned.

"…?" Ye Fan stared at his own raised arm and asked in confusion, "Why am I holding this cup of tea up?"

He looked around.

"How's Lu Mingfei doing? Huh, why's the sky gone dark?"