Chapter 271: A Dumpling Meeting with the Golden Heaven Emperor

Meeting with the Golden Heaven Emperor was not as solemn, formal, and epic as you imagined; on the contrary, when you saw him, he seemed like an ordinary person, freely chatting and joking with you, and he even prepared the traditional Golden Flood Dragon Clan reunion food: dumplings!

It is said that, after the Golden Heaven Emperor conquered Mount Buzhou and the Hall of Lingxiao in those days, upon becoming emperor he finally returned to his hometown; at that time the Golden Flood Dragon King, to welcome his son, specially made dumplings… Since then, dumplings have always been a necessary food for the Golden Flood Dragon Clan's celebrations of reunion, and everyone hopes to thereby share in the emperor's auspiciousness.

Faced with the Golden Heaven Emperor's kindness, you gladly accepted, eating the dumplings he personally wrapped while engaging in friendly conversation with the amiable retired Heavenly Emperor.

Actually, there's no need for much communication, because since he prepared the reunion-only dumplings for you, it shows he knows your purpose…

In the Golden Flood Dragon King's palace, the black-clad youth sitting opposite the Golden Heaven Emperor, while holding a bowl and eating dumplings, curiously asked: 'So, you actually know everything about our affairs?'

Of course I will know.

This retired Heavenly Emperor, who looks exactly like the pirated Jin Bing, smiled and glanced at the other self eating dumplings with head down nearby, sighing: 'After all, he is formed from a fragment of my true spirit; although he has independent consciousness, essentially he remains part of me, and whatever he knows, I also know.'

Saying this, the retired Heavenly Emperor praised Xue Xuan:

Your clearance record, I've been keeping an eye on…… not worse than when I was younger! Junior, you're really impressive!

You saved all the Asura Clan, re-anchored heaven and earth, rescued all living beings, and also saved the Primordial Wasteland from the brink of extinction; you are a qualified protagonist!

Being praised so highly by a legendary figure of idol status, even the battle-worn Xue Xuan couldn't help but smile foolishly…

What astonishes me even more is that you not only saved the surviving Asuras, but also gave vent to resentment for the dead Asuras, and ultimately even helped me take revenge…

Upon hearing the Golden Heaven Emperor mention this, Xue Xuan, who had been smiling foolishly, immediately showed panic:

Don't!

The matter of elbow-striking the sage is not to be spoken of recklessly! 'Rest assured.'

The Golden Heaven Emperor chuckled:

The Eternal Primordial Wasteland lacks the Heavenly Dao; the sages won't know what we say, and even if they did, they wouldn't understand what we mean…… I back then concealed heaven and earth in this way.

Really?

Upon hearing that, Xue Xuan's heart instantly relaxed:

Heavenly Dao, good riddance!

Just then, the pirated Jin Bing, who had been bowing his head eating dumplings, silently put down his chopsticks, speaking weakly: 'It turns out…… you already knew……'

Well! The good news about the Heavenly Dao's death that I had planned to share personally with my main body now has no meaning……

The Golden Heaven Emperor gazed at this not-quite-a-clone clone, his face showing helplessness: 'You're thinking about all that nonsense again…… are you worried I'll do something to you?'

Jin Bing remained silent.

He has always believed that his existence is an insult to his main body, especially regarding identity, making it hard for him to accept that he is not the main body……

The Golden Heaven Emperor sighed softly: 'You are part of me; I naturally know I am your worry…… but actually, you are also my worry.'

Hearing this, Jin Bing lifted his head, his face pale, and said:

'Do you…… also think I am a mistake?'

The Golden Heaven Emperor gave no answer, merely turning his gaze again to Xue Xuan; in his bewildered eyes, this once vigorous legendary Heavenly Emperor suddenly asked: 'Do you know? After I learned of your existence, I once thought the protagonist status would transfer, that when the previous-generation protagonist completed the grand ending, the protagonist would cease to be the protagonist, until the next-generation protagonist was selected.'

But, when you and he clarified in Pangu's true form the essential function of the 【anchor point】, I realized I was wrong……

The Golden Heaven Emperor bitterly pointed at himself:

'I…… have never lost protagonist status, because I never possessed it in the first place.'

'I have never been the protagonist, and I am not even the true Jin Bing……'

He muttered to himself: 'Actually I should have realized this earlier; since the clearance standard is the protagonist's eternal immortality, the protagonist is the game's main entity, and everything in the game is subordinate to the protagonist…… under such conditions, how could protagonist status possibly be transferred?'

'If I lost protagonist status, there would be only one possibility: I…… am not myself!'

This earth-shattering remark left Jin Bing staring wide-eyed, unable to react for a long time.

Xue Xuan, however, was not surprised; on the contrary, he remained calm, for he had long understood the reasoning, and this very reason is why he brought Jin Bing to see the Golden Heaven Emperor.

Being fellow pirated copies, since the Golden Heaven Emperor can accept reality, he must also be able to teach Jin Bing to regain his mindset……

Seeing that Xue Xuan was not surprised, the Golden Heaven Emperor looked at him helplessly: 'You must have guessed this long ago, right?'

'Not exactly early, though.'

Xue Xuan hid nothing, merely eating dumplings as he spoke while eating: 'I too only understood this while inside Pangu's true form.'

'As the anchor point, heaven and earth are bound to me; because I exist, they exist…… this result will not change, no matter how much time passes, I will forever be the protagonist unless I voluntarily relinquish it.'

'Since I am like this, you ought to be the same, but……'

'But I am not.'

The Golden Heaven Emperor also picked up a dumpling, his face inexplicably showing reminiscence:

'I clearly remember all past events, and I can find countless involved parties to verify them one by one—witnesses, material evidence…… I can find them all.'

'But the more this is so, the more I find it terrifying!'

'Our lives are actually all fake……'

'I have never been selected as protagonist, never undergone three reincarnations, and never served as a sage-like equal Heavenly Emperor.'

The Golden Heaven Emperor ate a dumpling, a self-mocking expression on his face: 'In fact, I and all beings and things between heaven and earth were born at the moment of your birth…… the ancient Primordial Wasteland has no history; you are the world's beginning!'

'You were born, and then we came to exist…… all things are bound to you, arising because of you and naturally also perishing because of you.' 'Pangu's creation of heaven and earth is merely a false myth; Xue Xuan's creation of heaven and earth is the truth unknown to anyone.'

Xue Xuan remained silent.

Because the truth is just this ridiculous and cruel, everything is fake, from Pangu's creation of heaven and earth to the moment of your own birth, the Primordial Wasteland simply did not exist.

The history of the Primordial Wasteland begins from the moment of your own birth! There is too much falsehood and too little truth; perhaps the only genuine thing in heaven and earth is oneself……

No! Perhaps even oneself is fake……

'I…… want to ask one thing.'

Xue Xuan suddenly asked the Golden Heaven Emperor:

'You said you once left the Primordial Wasteland and saw…… Zhao Si?'

'Zhao Si……'

The Golden Heaven Emperor, who hadn't heard that name in many years, stared blankly as old memories surged again…… his gaze softened: 'Yes, I have seen him…… if my memory is true.'

Xue Xuan pursued the question:

"What kind of person is he? And how does he control us?"

"He..."

Golden Heaven Emperor smiled:

"He is an ordinary person, very kind and also very enthusiastic."

"He told me that his world has no immortals or monsters; it is merely a mundane and ordinary world, just as ordinary as he is."

"As for him controlling us… in fact he does not control us, just as he said—he is merely a chosen player who seems able to dictate our life and death, but in reality, everything in the game has already been set by the game itself."

"He cannot control anyone, because all his commands to us were prearranged by the game; as he put it, he is merely a… tool person."

"Moreover, the game exists as text; whenever we ask him a question, he must make a choice, and if he does not choose, the plot will not advance…"

Golden Heaven Emperor, speaking of this old friend, evidently felt deep emotion.

"Tool person…"

Xue Xuan pondered for a moment:

"Our world is merely a chapter of the game, existing in text form within Zhao Si's observation."

"If he does not play the game, the textual plot will not move forward…"

Xue Xuan raised his eyebrows: "How does it feel that this game seems made for him? If he doesn't play, the game world wouldn't exist… isn't that just like our protagonist?"

"We are the protagonist and cornerstone of the wilderness, anchoring it; everything revolves around us, and if we die, the wilderness will perish… if he doesn't play the game, the game world ceases to exist, we cease to exist, and the plot cannot advance…"

"Then, by that logic, is Zhao Si also a protagonist? Does he also serve as an anchor?"

Xue Xuan's whimsical idea left the Golden Heaven Emperor stunned; thinking along this line: the simulated protagonist anchors the survival of the wilderness.

Zhao Si, as this protagonist, anchors the survival of the game's plot.

Moreover, there is the title "another self"…

Golden Heaven Emperor's eyes gleamed with strange light, as if he had thought of much… but ultimately, this ethereal topic was quietly brushed aside: simulated protagonist, what's the point of thinking so much? In any case, nothing can be changed; the more you know, the more powerless and troubled you become…

"No matter what, you are the sole anchor point of our world; now that you have cleared the game, it is naturally a good thing, and as long as you remain unharmed, heaven and earth will endure forever."

Golden Heaven Emperor deliberately changed the subject, laughing:

"Furthermore, without the Heavenly Dao, the world would also lack merit and karmic force; the greatest obstacle troubling the great undertaking of human equality has finally been eliminated."

"Humanity is no longer the Heaven-ordained protagonist, nor naturally the Asura clan; under the governance and balance of the Heavenly Court, the beautiful future of equality among all peoples has become reality."

"In this regard, you have done far better than I…"

No one knows how delighted the Golden Heaven Emperor truly feels; having struggled through three lifetimes, even imprisoned in countless eons, he never fully resolved the issue—yet now he has solved it so lightly! Even though he knows everything in this world is false, the true Golden Heaven Emperor remains troubled by human inequality, yet he is still happy.

At least for himself, all this beauty is real…

And Xue Xuan, upon hearing that the issue of the Heaven-ordained protagonist had been resolved, also felt some emotion, after all he had previously worried about it.

Merely the buff humanity gains from doing good deeds is enough to give countless people headaches; the Asura's buff from killing would surely make them street rats—but now it's a happy accident: reuniting Pangu directly eliminated the Heavenly Dao, and without the Heavenly Dao, the Heaven-ordained protagonist cannot even be discussed; everything is developing for the better!

……

【You and the Golden Heaven Emperor conversed happily, eating dumplings while chatting idly…】

【After the classic dumpling feast of the grand reunion, you left the East Sea and went together with Jin Bing, who had received guidance from his true nature, to this realm's Sea of Blood.】

【There, your clansmen awaited you, ready to welcome the peerless great hero who saved everyone!】

【And waiting with them for you was the Nether River Saint, whose feelings were complex.】

【All grudges and grievances—it was time to settle them; at this final moment, He was no longer that lofty saint, but merely a helpless father.】

【This shared creator, father, and enemy of all the Asura clan… had much to say to you……】

……

(End of chapter)