Chapter 312

"To go to heaven or not?"

This question looks like it has plenty to discuss, but the answer is actually obvious, since Lin Liu is the protagonist who can reset, so the focus is naturally on a death‑seeking puzzle.

Zhao Si pondered for a moment: "Going to heaven is definitely the right choice; I've been full of questions about the worldview, and now I finally have a chance to go to heaven and unravel these mysteries—this opportunity cannot be missed."

"However, there's nothing wrong with worrying about worldly affairs... First go up to heaven to take a look, then after that take care of worldly affairs."

Having made up his mind, the extremely curious Zhao Si made his choice:

"Choose A!"

【If you choose option A and go to heaven, after fighting a lifetime, can't you enjoy yourself? Take this good opportunity—you should naturally go and witness all the beautiful legends of the Heavenly Court; if a true god doesn't go to the divine realm, isn't that equivalent to wasting all those years of practice?】

【You ultimately couldn't resist your curiosity about heavenly matters; under the invitation of Taibai Star Lord Li Ziliang, you accepted the Heavenly Emperor's edict of ascension.】

【Then you began making final arrangements for worldly affairs…】

【First you found the monkey, explained your ascension plan to it, and formally transferred your authority to it.】

【The monkey is your disciple and the person you trust most; inheriting your position poses no difficulty—just issue a decree of succession externally, and it can take office immediately!】

【But upon hearing this wonderful news, it showed no trace of desire or joy for supreme worldly power; instead, it was filled with worry… It has never been a power‑hungry monkey; it only cares whether you will encounter anything bad in heaven.】

【"Master, when will you return?"】

【It asked anxiously.】

【You just smiled and rubbed its head: "It won't take long; I'm just going up to see if the Heavenly Court is as good as the legends say—if not, I'll return to the mortal realm!"】

【"Master…"】

【But after hearing that, the monkey wasn't reassured at all—it became even more worried: "What if the heavenly realm really is wonderful and you refuse to come back?"】

【You shook your head: "I'd rather cling to a speck of my homeland's soil than love a foreign land's ten thousand taels of gold!"】

【"I said I'd return, and I will! Besides…"】

【You earnestly said: "Our dreams are still unfulfilled—I haven't made the world enjoy eternal peace and prosperity, you haven't made the monkey and its descendants immortal… Our journey has only just begun; ascending to heaven is merely the first step!"】

【Hearing your words, the monkey finally relaxed a little…】

【The next day, you issued an edict in the name of the Grand General Who Subdues the Barbarians: effective immediately, you will ascend to the heavenly realm; thereafter, all worldly affairs will be fully entrusted to your sole inner‑transmission disciple, who will become the new Grand General Who Subdues the Barbarians!】

【With that order, an uproar arose: some expressed reluctance at your departure, others doubted whether a monkey could bear the burden of the state…】

【But under your edict, all such talk could only disappear: whatever the General says goes, and everything is up to the General—end of story.】

【Thus, the monkey, in a non‑human form, inherited the post of Grand General Who Subdues the Barbarians and was additionally given the title of Regent, becoming the unique non‑human supreme leader in history!】

【That year, Regent Monkey renamed Eight Banners City to Peach City, following the practice of renaming a general's seat to signify the new ruler's ascension… From then on, the world entered a brand‑new "Monkey Era"…】

【The Regent ascended the throne, and being a non‑human, naturally needed to establish authority to legitimize his rule.】

Thus, the monkey launched a large-scale invasion of Xiniu Hezhou the following year, and the world, which had not seen warfare for many years, once again fell into chaos of blades and strife…

However, these have little to do with you.

After you passed on the throne, you followed Lord Tai Bai away from the mortal realm…

As you walked, Lord Tai Bai sighed, saying, "You deceived your disciple… You clearly knew that going to the Heavenly Court would mean you could never return, yet you still made him that promise…"

You said nothing, only unconsciously clenched the edict in your hand.

Can one still return to the mortal realm after ascending to heaven?

It is written plainly in the edict.

The answer is: No!

According to the Heavenly Edict established by the Heavenly Emperor, all true gods who accept heavenly appointments may not descend to the mortal realm on their own; violators will be cast into the heavenly prison and sealed forever…

You do not understand the reasoning behind this edict, and precisely because of it, you are doubtful about whether to go to heaven to report.

Once you ascend to heaven, you cannot return to the mortal realm before your next death.

The promise you made will become a great deception in this world line…

But in the end, relying on the safety net of your restart ability, you gritted your teeth and chose to accept the heavenly summons: after all, this life is just expendable cannon fodder for scouting; at worst, you'll die once more!

Of course, being able to restart does not mean this decision is easy, for no matter how many times you restart, the events have already occurred, and you will ultimately betray their trust…

But this is the only way, and you know it, as does the monkey.

It possesses mind-reading abilities, so it naturally knows whether you have deceived it, but it also knows you can restart… Thus, even knowing you will not return, it still believed in you.

Because you have infinite possibilities, that is enough!

Sooner or later you will return to the mortal realm and continue bringing it to fulfill your respective dreams…

Therefore.

"I did not deceive it."

You said in a deep voice, your tone without a hint of doubt.

Huh?

Lord Tai Bai gave you a strange look… but said nothing more, merely shook his head and continued leading the way…

【...】【Having passed through the Nine Heavens cloud masses and crossed the gale-force wind zone, you arrived above the starry sky.】

Looking down, the outlines of the four great continents are clearly visible, the land and seas resembling an inverted hemisphere…

Looking up, the stars sparkle, as if a chessboard…

Above and below, there is nothing.

So, what about the heavenly realm?

Just as you were puzzled by this, Lord Tai Bai laughed and led you upward another zhang; a mere zhang's distance, and the heavens and earth before your eyes completely changed!

All you saw: auspicious clouds filled the sky, rosy light spread everywhere, and various phenomena unheard of in the mortal world suddenly appeared!

There were immortals riding swords on cranes, fairies with flowing robes, true dragons and phoenixes dwelling in the clouds, and auspicious qilin lying beside the path.

Moreover, a huge gate stood not far away, with four heavenly generals standing imposingly on either side, each holding their own magical implements.

On the gate were written three characters.

【「Southern Heaven Gate……」】

【You murmur: Is this the heavenly realm?】

【But... why couldn't I see it just now, yet I can see it now?】

【You look doubtfully at the Venus Star Lord.】

【"Isn't it very confusing?"】

【The old star lord laughed heartily: "I was also startled back then, but actually..."】

【Seeing him step forward and slap his hand, the four seemingly mighty heavenly generals suddenly dissipated, turning into specks... of incense?】

【He then stepped forward and grabbed a true dragon; the true dragon also suddenly scattered... it too was incense.】

【He then stepped forward and blocked a beautiful fairy; his palm landed without hesitation on her colorful robes, and thereafter the beautiful fairy also turned into incense...】

【You stare, dumbfounded: "This is..."】

【"Haha! Fooled you? It's all fake!"】

【The Venus Star Lord stroked his beard and laughed: "They were originally incense offered to the Heavenly Court by the mortal realm, but we true gods hardly consume any divine power in daily life, so we have no use for them."】

【"So the Heavenly Emperor had us transform this incense into various divine beasts, heavenly generals, and immortals that fit the heavenly realm's imagination, plus various auspicious signs... Anyway, it serves to deck out the Heavenly Court's facade and look a bit nicer!"】

【Hearing these words, you couldn't help but believe what he had said before: the Heavenly Court truly has little need for mortal incense; otherwise it wouldn't be wasted to the point of using it as scenery...】

【"The entire Heavenly Court is formed from incense divine power; although we don't need them, since they're placed here, we ought to let them serve some purpose, otherwise they'd be quite an eyesore..."】

【"Alright, follow me to see the Heavenly Emperor!"】

【……】

【After passing through the Southern Heaven Gate, you gradually saw many true gods; they dwell here, all buildings and utensils are formed from incense illusion, and the whole Heavenly Court is like a continent formed of incense.】

【Each time you see a true god, the Venus Star Lord introduces their identity: they were once rulers of the mortal realm, founders of dynasties—there's the previous dynasty's Grand Ancestor, the dynasty before that's Grand Ancestor, the one before that's Grand Ancestor...】

【Their great number leaves you dazzled; most of them come from eras you've never heard of—thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of years ago... mankind has long forgotten them, those once trend‑setters of the age now eternally live carefree in this world.】

【And you, in the future, will also become one of them!】

【Seeing you this newcomer, the myriad ancient gods are warm toward you, all wanting to invite you to chat and have fun, to learn about changes in the mortal realm... This is one of the few pleasures in their long lives...】

【At the end, you entered a magnificent palace!】

【"Reporting to the Heavenly Emperor, the mortal realm's regent Lin Liu has arrived!"】

【The Venus Star Lord bowed respectfully to the black‑robed figure on the throne.】

【And you, too, are seeing this legendary figure for the first time in your life.】

【He wears a black robe; though he looks like a youth, his bearing is steady and imposing...】

【Heavenly Emperor Xue Xuan, in person!】

【You bow respectfully to him.】

【"You're the one who refused to be emperor, Lin Liu?"】

【The Heavenly Emperor's youthful voice sounded, seeming quite interested in you.】

【"Indeed, I am your humble servant."】

【You spoke somewhat nervously.】

【"Why don't you want to be emperor? You've already abolished the previous dynasty's emperor..."】

【The more he asked, the more intrigued he became; just as he was about to ask a few more questions, he suddenly let out a soft gasp, as if he had discovered something surprising.】

【"Your dharma manifestation's aura seems a bit strange... could you manifest it for me to see?"】

……

(End of chapter)