Chapter 652: The First Heaven

What kind of ending could possibly match this journey of hardship and wandering?

That sentence suddenly surfaced in his mind for no reason.

【Everyone will die, including me.】

Under the gauzy crimson moonlight, gaslamp flames illuminated the script; from the moment he awoke again from death, he was no longer merely Zhou Mingrui.

Along this path, he had played many identities.

The bearded, sharp-witted Baker Street detective "Sherlock Moriaty."

The cold-faced, decisive mad adventurer "Gelman Sparrow."

The elderly, shrewd investor and mysterious tycoon "Dawn Tannese."

The wandering miracle-worker who grants wishes, "Merlin Hermes."

And the Great Sovereign above the Gray Mist—the Fool.

Each identity had its own vivid story and left traces upon this world.

But this was merely acting.

"I"

Miss Kelaien clutched his head as scenes flashed through his mind. He stood dazed in a deep darkness, as if a fog had settled over his brain, dulling every memory and thought.

He finally remembered these things.

There was no sense of direction around him; he simply moved forward by instinct, as if some memories remained unrecovered—but it didn't matter.

Miss Kelaien walked forward step by step. Patches of something like historical light-spots gradually appeared along this path. He looked around and saw bizarre, surreal scenes.

A remote village, a brother and sister drawn into a cult ritual and reset, the young man chosen by an Outer God.

Himself living a 996 office slave life in the dream world, accidentally meeting Young Lady Sharon, making her watch A Chinese Ghost Story all night beside his computer.

Huang Tao, in the mist-shrouded thirty-third layer of heaven, within magnificent buildings, fought against the Unstable Mist; he shouted "Elder Brother!" and received power from the Western Continent.

Several young people entered the dream world, attempting to awaken themselves.

Finally, the Fool awoke.

Each scene branched into countless different possibilities, some existing in the future, others in the past.

He saw countless versions of himself rushing in and out, too hurried to pause, all racing to meet the coming apocalypse—all "Miss Kelaien" were in motion, some succeeding, others failing.

But none of them gave up.

"The most pleasant time after awakening was still those days in the Night Watch team," Miss Kelaien saw a scene where Old Neil was teaching him how to submit expense reports; a hint of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

Earning a decent salary, doing work that brought a sense of accomplishment, buying seasonings and meat for Melisa and Benson after work—he had once thought like that.

Yet they were pitiful creatures constantly battling danger and madness, and also guardians.

"A Parallel World?" Miss Kelaien stopped walking; after the temporal light spots faded, a kaleidoscope of illusions appeared before him.

The original Creator also came from these illusory black worlds.

A formless destructive force churned and boiled at the heart of infinite chaos, this force like the convergence effect of extraordinary traits, exerting upon him an indescribable allure.

He tried to resist, yet was stunned to find this convergence power far exceeding any prior experience; his recently restored mind gradually scattered, the sensation of madness once again enveloping his entire being.

At that moment, a thin, terrifying monotone hum entered his ears; everywhere, the contradictory sensations of terrifying pulsation and calming stillness coexisted.

"No way~ You actually found your way here? The First Heaven is such a useless pile!" A familiar voice rang out, sounding like human speech yet also like babbling.

"Ah, seriously, men who won't leave me alone are the worst! You're not actually in love with me, are you?!"

"Lucky I sensed something was off and came back to guard against your home invasion—heeheehee~~~"

Beyond the realm of light and darkness, a rod-shaped object flew from the end of time and space, striking Miss Kelaien's head with perfect accuracy.

He could not comprehend what had happened.

Miss Kelaien felt the world spin wildly, his head reeling; he broke free from the terrifying convergence, regaining his rational self amid searing pain.

He saw the path he had come from—the temporal light spots that marked his fate's turning point, beginning when he obtained the chat group, granting him an utterly unique journey.

Miss Kelaien struggled toward the light spot reflecting countless familiar faces, reflecting a bustling city, reflecting the Immortal Realm where cultivators battled, reflecting countless similar yet alien starry skies.

Boom—!

Piercing a fine barrier, Miss Kelaien felt himself plummet violently into a sea.

Black, void-like waters surrounded him, both real and illusory; at this moment, all memories surged forth from the depths of his soul-island.

The true him was a pitiful office worker named Zhou Mingrui, chosen by Yuanshi Tianzun from the Old Era, stranded far from home, unable to return to his parents, relatives, best friends, or companions.

He was Miss Kelaien Mo Leidi, the man who daily checked in at the Night Watch team to collect his salary and submit expense reports, with a brother and sister at home.

Only when these two lives overlapped did he become who he was now.

"I am Miss Kelaien Mo Leidi, and I am Zhou Mingrui."

Having confirmed his self.

The world shattered; a terrifying storm swept away all darkness.

He opened his eyes, beneath a blue sky, upon the chaotic sea that embraced all colors, countless figures surrounded him.

"Congratulations," Su Lin clapped.

Huai Shi moved his restored throat, tears welling as he congratulated: "Congratulations."

Zhong Li glanced around and clapped too: "Congratulations."

"Well done, Senior Zhou!" Song Shuhang.

Xing clapped happily: "Congratulations!"

Lu Mingfei bit his lip, lips trembling, clapping: "Puh."

He seemed unable to hold back and burst out laughing, then immediately forced a serious face to offer his congratulations.

"Congratulations."

"Congratulations."

Familiar and unfamiliar faces in the chat group gathered around Miss Kelaien, clapping and offering congratulations.

He pulled a hat from nowhere and placed it on his head, gazing calmly at everyone.

No matter the outcome, it shouldn't be the finale of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Pulling this stunt nearly sent him into another blackout!

"Thank you," Miss Kelaien said matter-of-factly, nodding. "Without your help, my sleep might have lasted much longer."

"Could you please stop clapping for a moment?"

He exhaled helplessly, then reached out and seized a weathered, scarred clock woven from light and shadow, pressing it down with his gloved left palm.

With a slight shake, the clock transformed into a cane.

Miss Kelaien looked at the group and asked:

"The dream world created by Yuanshi Tianzun was entirely false—but I wonder, after the concept of dreams vanished, has the outside world not yet returned to its original state?"

His words carried two meanings: one, to shift the topic; two, to urge certain people not to dwell on the details of the dream world.

The Chaotic Sea shimmered, and after violent tremors, a city—wildly eclectic, like a chaotic stew—appeared beneath the Gray Mist Castle.

Next time, I should set a door lock, so the Source Fortress isn't so freely entered by anyone.

Miss Kelaien rubbed his head; the sensation of being struck by a rod had not yet faded, but he no longer remembered what happened at the moment his consciousness vanished.

He probed instinctively with his spiritual sense—but found nothing. Instead, his mind grew clouded, influenced by a higher-tier force of blind folly.

Forget it.

Now isn't the time to dwell on this.

The residual self of Yuanshi Tianzun was extracted by Su Lin; now, this Path has become far more stable than before.

He thought, and through the Source Fortress arrived at the city. The concept of dreams had vanished, yes—but due to the power of Xinsu anchoring reality, and the overlay of fictional multiverses from the comics, restoration would require procedure.

Still, he now had a simple solution.

At that moment, a black-robed sword immortal he vaguely recognized spoke: "Quite interesting. If it could be preserved, it wouldn't be bad—could I preserve these stories and characters within my own created multiverse?"

Not impossible—but when did this group gain someone of such weight?

Teacher Yan Sen

Miss Kelaien remembered the man's name was this.

"But if that's the case," Song Shuhang raised his hand awkwardly, saying, "Don't all of you seniors feel this world is… familiar?"

"Yes," Meng Qi frowned. "Looks like I'll need to train harder than ever to refine the primordial source of the True World soon!"

A red-furred creature radiated divine light, shedding its ominous aura to reveal Ye Fan's face: "I don't care."

What does it resemble?

What are you talking about?

"Didn't you notice?" Su Lin pointed with his thumb at the surrounding scenery: "Under your dream world's fusion and transformation, the world's setting—"

Advertisements for Ye Zhetian Corporation, Dan Alliance Pharmaceuticals, and the Liyue Immortal Court were everywhere; resurrection artifacts flooded the streets, available anywhere; cultivators, mages, and transcendent beings were participating in the annual Peak Challenge Tournament.

"It's exactly like the background world in that movie."

"."

Miss Kelaien fell silent.

"I have no objections," Tony Stark shrugged, holding a can of Alchemist's Potion Soda.

"During your sleep, the Marvel Universe has been destroyed many times… why do I feel my IQ dropped?"

Miss Kelaien stared blankly around, turned in a circle, and saw a wild Father Amon standing before the Yuzhe Sect's gate, sketching something in midair with an ink pen.

Upon closer look, it appeared to be a bronze gate and a small village.

"Penglai Mystical Realm and Eden will be finished soon and ready for deployment," Amon adjusted his monocle and asked:

"My dear toy—when will the cultivators arrive?"

Crossover comic stories, the newly born world's patchwork settings and transcendental systems

At this moment, Miss Kelaien's spiritual sense screamed in warning; hidden dangers lurked in the surrounding gazes—even without spiritual sense, he sensed the aura of persecution.

"Just coincidence," he said, smiling at the group with a smile utterly free of shadow or hesitation:

"Besides, I must restore this world to its original state, or others' pasts and selves will become chaotic."

Teacher Yan Sen blinked and said: "No problem—I merely copied the setting."

Ding!

The bell's chime seemed to have crossed vast ages from ancient times, echoing through the information-saturated city.

Within the Astral Plane, a misty ocean of faint light, mixed with countless concepts, surged into the city, covering every corner and every person, weaving the power of authority into it.

As if to return all things to illusion, reverting to their original state.

Teacher Yan Sen reluctantly withdrew his gaze.

The true nature of this real city had been altered back into its former dream state; the settings and images projected from Miss Kelaien's subconscious began to peel away from real people, reverting into illusory concepts.

Except for true gods and certain unique angels, most—even half-gods—would merely believe they had experienced a dream.

Ordinary people would likely forget these things within a few days, minimizing the impact.

Boom—

The stream of information surged toward Miss Kelaien's right hand, misty and hazy, coalescing into a spherical mass of gray mist—his dream, where the affected Old Ones still lingered.

"Hahaha, Lu Mingfei, why are you wearing a dress again?" Xiao Yan laughed, his body shaking.

"Brother Huai Shi, I feel you're prettier than before," Ge Xiaolun slapped himself hard: "Damn it, what am I saying?"

"In the end, I still didn't find that pretty little thing who was with Adam. The Dragon Elder made a wasted trip," said the Purple Gold Divine Dragon, stroking his whiskers as he asked Miss Kelaien:

"Who was that beautiful little thing who stayed with Adam?"

Voices of conversation arose.

Kleine suddenly remembered that since he had turned reality back into a dream, certain images and settings from the previous dream would naturally overwrite the corresponding people again.

"Including those female images." His expression immediately grew grim.

The Faceless One strained to maintain a stiff smile, but his pupils could not help but drift toward Su Lin, who had been trying to snatch the story belt from Xing's waist.

Xing stopped struggling and instead pulled out a wig and placed it on Su Lin's head.

Huh?

Su Yuling, who had just obtained the transformation device, froze.

A certain sixth sense was triggered; everyone followed Kleine's gaze and turned toward the same spot.

Time

Stopped.

Although time stop was ineffective for many, Yi Leina even tried to conjure something to block Su Lin.

Alongside the surge of tangible malevolent energy like crashing waves, and the swift actions of some who pulled out interdimensional talismans to flee.

The Azure Celestial Manifestation automatically materialized; at the moment Su Lin's spiritual will surged to its peak, the inverted Kabbalistic Tree of Life insignia on his dorsal hand spun and flew free.

As the familiar evolution music sounded, a long ribbon of light tore through the void and descended from the heavens, sinking into the body of the Azure Celestial Manifestation.

"So it's not a Stand."

Before Su Lin's eyes appeared the black abyssal Throne of God; a searing sensation burned through the Azure Celestial Manifestation, draining all concepts and incinerating everything.

"It's Digimon."

【First Azure Ultimate Evolution: Abyssal God Form】

【Abyssal God: Current Void Plane · Material Realm · Creative Authority】

【Information · Annihilation】

【Thou Shalt Go to Heaven: Modification of the Material World Commencing.】