Chapter 383: The Path to Destruction is also a Rebirth!

【The strategy from "another self" slowly flowed through your heart; upon seeing it clearly, you couldn't help but stare for a long time…】

【"The sun that shines for others should also shine for itself once…"】

You repeatedly murmured those final words, and an inexplicable stirring began to brew.

Yeah, why should you entrust all decision-making power to others? This decision leading to death should originally be made by yourself.

Normally it's fine; asking others for advice is a kind of humility and a good way to fill gaps, but when you clearly know there's no room for choice and still ask others, that's purely a lack of confidence!

They're all dead ends; what else do you want him to choose?

Moreover, haven't you already had your own answer…

After a moment of silence, the evasion in your expression gradually faded, replaced by calm and resolve.

【"Thank you."】

You said softly.

【…】

You ignored the monkey's advice!

In the days that followed, you continued to promote 'Heaven-Earth Materialization', constantly establishing and deepening a consensus among all beings: 'Heaven and earth are composed of material elements; they are particles, divided into microscopic structures such as atoms and molecules…'

Since turning back would bring disgrace, better to go all the way down this path!

Will materialization cause the difference between heaven and earth and the primordial wilderness to grow ever larger, making cultivation hopeless?

No problem!

Will materialization lead to the 'Age of Dharma Decline', thereby making immortality hopeless for true gods and cultivators like you?

No problem!

Will materialization cause your death, thereby making the world lose its anchor point and head toward destruction?

No problem!

After all, you've come this far, you've expended all your effort and energy, achieving the best result you could; what more could you be dissatisfied with!

Whether death, life, world destruction, or falsehood, the path is yours to choose, and it's the only one available; even if the outcome is poor, you can endure it.

As for Zhao Si saying he could still let you start over…

That's unnecessary.

Because you have already seen the essence of the world and your sole path; no matter what, you could not do better than now, so you choose to accept this fate and refuse reincarnation again.

This life is your final life!

"Ah?!"

Seeing Lin Liu's willing-to-die words and his description of refusing reincarnation, Zhao Si couldn't help but be shocked: "No… how did you also learn to seek death like Jiao Ming?!"

Old Jiao seeking death was because he couldn't see the way forward, and his mindset had completely aged under time's wash, leading him to self-destruction.

Could it be that Lin Liu also…

"System, what's going on with Lin Liu?"

Impatient Zhao Si directly asked the system:

"I haven't seen him grow old like Jiao Ming either!"

【Lin Liu hasn't aged.】

Zhao Si puzzled: "Then what is this…"

【Jiao Ming went to die because, as an aged person, he couldn't see the way ahead; whereas Lin Liu wants to die because he has seen the way ahead.】

"He's seen the way ahead? Then why would seeing it make him want to die?"

【Because the way ahead he sees is to die in a blaze of glory.】

Zhao Si opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but had to admit this was right…

He did everything he could, maxed out both macro and micro, even exhausted external aid, yet still saw no hope of reaching the ideal perfect ending.

From start to finish, he had only one path, and it's precisely the one under his feet now.

In other words, no matter what, he couldn't do better…

【For him, rather than repeatedly wasting time and energy, it's better to let his life remain in this beautiful world he guided and created.】

【In the future, as technology constantly breaks through, ordinary people will step by step walk into the peaceful prosperous era he dreamed of; independent and self-reliant, each of them is a sun!】

【As for the primordial wilderness… he was never a person of the primordial wilderness heaven and earth, nor does he have any obligation to save it; to him, a person of this dream realm, the primordial wilderness is instead a false dream.】

【If poor, cultivate oneself; if prosperous, benefit the world. If he could balance both worlds, that would naturally be good; but if he truly cannot, then he can only cultivate himself, bringing genuine benefit to the dream realm—that is the limit of what he can do.】

【Full of ideals and ambition, forever young, he is willing to forsake the immortality of a true god, to rest eternally in the warm soil of his homeland, turning into ordinary earth and gentle breeze, forever accompanying his homeland and people…】

Zhao Si hesitated:

Seems right too; Lin Liu isn't from the primordial wilderness, being a native of this dream realm, he really doesn't need to worry about that broadly.

But… "But he's the anchor point; if he dies, won't the dream realm still…"

Wait!

The questioning Zhao Si suddenly realized: according to the system's experience, every completed simulated ending is actually retained, forming an independent worldview.

And if the protagonist voluntarily chooses complete death, that too can count as an ending, thus being preserved.

For example, what happened after Jiao Ming's death initially.

Thus Lin Liu's plan can be fully realized; as long as he sacrifices himself, he can exchange for the freedom and peace of the dream realm's beings, which, to the beings of this world, can be called the perfect ending!

Lin Liu, having considered everything…

"But I still feel it's not possible…"

Zhao Si hesitated a moment, then decided to use the game's final active command opportunity to stop Lin Liu's suicide attempt: "Issue him a command…"

However, just then, the system spoke:

【Players had best not use active commands to interfere with Lin Liu's decision!】

Zhao Si frowned: "Why? If he really died, how could we still clear the level?"

【First, you have previously seen the command mechanism; active commands are mandatory. If the simulated protagonist refuses to obey, the system will instantly erase him and nullify all his achievements in the current world, turning the whole world into illusion and leading to destruction.】

【Since Lin Liu has already made a decision, there's no need to discuss his choice regarding the command; he will surely directly oppose it… Therefore, your command will only cause his premature death and the world's destruction.】

【Second, this choice to walk toward death is the one you let him make; you said you didn't want to control him forever, you wanted him to be independent for once, which made him firm in his resolve. Now he has truly made his own choice—how could you oppose it?】

【This sun, which has lit the way for countless people throughout its life, now wishes to shine upon itself in its final moments, both in accordance with the allowance of "another self" and in accordance with its own heart….】

【So, the player had better not keep changing orders back and forth; otherwise it would damage both their own authority and the simulated protagonist's life and effort.】

"I……"

Zhao Si was truly speechless this time:

What else could I say? After all, it was I who let him choose; now he's really chosen—how can I turn against him right away…

After a moment of silence, Zhao Si finally let out a long sigh:

"All right, let him go through his final moments in glory……"

As for clearing the level…… it's not absolutely necessary; the simulation game is just a game to me, and whether or not I clear it makes no difference.

As long as Lin Liu is happy, that's fine.

……

【In the days to come, you continue to steadily advance the "materialization" process of the Dream World.】

【In fact, you don't actually need to pay too much attention or maintenance, because once you introduced the knowledge concept of "extraterrestrial elemental material," beings using telekinesis to drive the "materialization" process are destined never to stop….】

【After materializing the sun, beings continually cognize all sorts of things, and countless world settings are thus changed imperceptibly—item by item, clause by clause. At first you could still notice the things they'd affected, but as time goes on you gradually can't tell them apart anymore.】

【Because you never deliberately observed those tedious details, when they were changed you didn't notice, and you just assumed they'd always been like that….】

【But after a while you also realized, for example, "electricity"!】

【In your past life, the Divine Way Civilization you created was undeniably strong and advanced, yet you never saw people in that past life using electrical power.】

【Not only electrical power, but also the basic properties of "magnetism generates electricity" and "electricity generates magnetism"—you had never even heard of them…… If these settings had existed from the start, then people in your past life would surely have discovered and used them…… So the only answer is that they originally did not exist!】

【They are clearly the result of humanity's "materialization" of heaven and earth.】

【As for the specific principle, you can't explain it, but this product of the "I'll think about it" force—you actually don't need to think too much about it, because even thinking won't make it clear….】

【Over time you grew accustomed to this process and way of life; all you need to do is manage social governance well and timely fund research projects with sufficient investment and expenses, and that's enough.】

【But the emperor isn't anxious, the eunuch is—due to the ever‑deepening "materialization" of all settings in the Dream World, the Patriarch Bodhi of Lingtai Fangcun Shan is already anxious to the point of being unable to be any more anxious!】

【"Monkey, this megaphone," dashes over to see you every few days, relaying the Patriarch's urgent advice: "Hurry and rein in the horse before it's too late!"】

【Rein in the horse?】

【You laughed carelessly, then proceeded to feast with the monkey….】

【Once a word is spoken, even four horses cannot catch up.】

【What you have decided will certainly not be changed lightly!】

【This sun, which has guided others all its life, has decided to live for itself once in its final moments—whether out of whim or something else, you will not turn back.】

【As for life and death……】

【"Sunrise and sunset are the natural order; I do not fear death, for after I die, heaven and earth will be saved, and countless rounds of new suns will also gain the chance to shine upon the world."】

【"From now on, everyone is a sun!"】

……

(End of chapter)