For a moment, the crack in the night sky was particularly bright.
It was like the interconnecting lightning in the legends.
Illuminated by the ‘lightning’, the devil’s eyes were glittering with ‘sincerity’ like translucent gems.
Enshrouded by the brightness, the young man felt deeply guilty. He blamed himself for deceiving the devil and was about to succumb.
“He knows! He knows that I’ve met the boxing champion before and that I have the mission of the boxing champion!”
A voice screamed in Gus’ heart.
Taking a few deep breaths, he managed to calm himself down. Gazing at the dark night sky and the bottomless universe beyond the cracks, Gus said in a trance, “Give me a reason. Tell me why I should help you break out of this illusionary and painful world and go to another universe that is equally painful and illusionary?”
“Because it is closer to ‘truth’.”
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Lu Qingchen paused for a moment and said, “It is also because it is the only thing we can do.
“The only thing… I can do?”
Gus opened his mouth, wanting to say that there were many things that they could do, including enjoying an eternal life in a perfect paradise.
But on second thought, if the world was virtual, everything that happened in the world, be it enjoyment, struggle, suffering, or struggle, was not ‘something that everybody wanted to do’. It was just something that the creator allowed, manipulated, and commanded them to do.
They simply had no choice. They wouldn’t even realize the existence of the options.
In an illusionary world created by an omniscient and omnipotent creator, everything was false. Only one thing was possible to be true.
It was to resist the creator, find the loopholes in the illusionary world, go to a higher level of the real universe, and—kill the creator!
“It seems that you have understood what I meant.
The devil looked at the young man and smiled. “What do you think? Are you willing to join me?”
The devil extended his hand to the young man, but the young man was shaking.
The young man licked his lips and stammered, “I—I don’t know. You won’t succeed.”
“It depends on your definition of success.”
Lu Qingchen said, “Everybody has to die eventually. Even the world they live in will turn into chaotic dust billions of years later. But it does not mean that everything they did when they were alive is meaningless, nor does it mean that they have never succeeded.
“In many cases, victory does not necessarily mean success. As long as you pluck up the courage to rip off the strings of the puppets on your back, blow the horn of war to the masters of creation, and pursue a higher level of reality, it will be a success. Those who are bold enough to do such a thing—regardless of their form, whether they are made of data, cells, or electric currents, I think they are all real human beings.
“Right now, two paths are in front of you. Gus, are you going to be a virtual human being for the rest of your life in a perfect eternal paradise at the mercy of the creator, or are you willing to cut through all the obstacles, slay the tigers and slay the dragons, endure all the pain and suffering, and become a real human being in the fierce battle against our creator?
Gus was breathing heavily.
The devil had painted a magnificent and miserable picture for him. It was a life that he had never imagined would be filled with attraction despite the pain and cruelty.
“Then what?”
The young man heard himself murmuring in a ghost-like voice, “Hypothetically, I mean hypothetically, what will happen if I really help you defeat the Fist King, destroy the Fist God’s World, and escape to the Pangu Universe?
“According to you, the Pangu Universe was created by a certain intelligent life form of a higher level, too. Above your head, there are creators similar to the Fist King. You—no, we—might even be insignificant supporting characters in a certain story. Then, what should we do?”
“Close your eyes and imagine that you are living in a small village surrounded by mountains. Although you don’t have to worry about food and clothing, you always feel frustrated. You’ve always wanted to leave the village and see the outside world.
The devil said, “One day, you grew into a young man with strong muscles and bones, and you prepared enough food and equipment. Finally, you set off. You climbed all the way until your limbs were worn out and even your bones were broken. You climbed to an unprecedented height and conquered the once unreachable peak.
“As a result, when you stand on the top of the world, breathing the thin and cold air, and looking at the world in the distance, all you see are endless mountains, each higher than the last… At this time, what should you do?
“There is only one way, which is to keep climbing and conquer all the mountains as far as your eyes can see, until the interconnecting scars tear your body apart, the interconnecting rocks grind your every bone, your last drop of blood runs dry, your corpse is shattered, and your life comes to an end.
“The mountain is right there. What else can we do except climb it?
Gus was silent.
In a trance, he felt that he was really hanging on the mountainside with wounds all over his body. Looking up, he could see high mountains surrounded by clouds and mist. He could vaguely hear the cries of animals and birds. He didn’t know when he would be able to climb to the peak, nor did he know whether or not there were higher mountains behind the peak.
Looking down, he saw the familiar small mountain village surrounded by mountains.
Climbing upwards was indeed difficult, and there was no end to it.
However, he had seen the vast world halfway up the mountain and knew that he had the ability to reach the top.
Looking down at the remote village and his past, he felt that it was unbearable to retreat and live the rest of his life in the village.
Up or down, where to go, the young man was lost.
“You ask me, if the Pangu Universe is really a scene in a story and we are both characters in the story, what should I do?
Lu Qingchen smiled and said casually, “This is the biggest difference between me and Li Yao. I’m afraid that Li Yao will never consider such a question. He will be satisfied as long as he can defend the Pangu Universe and the world of Cultivators that has lasted forty thousand years.
“But as for me, I will try everything I can to escape from the story of Cultivators forty thousand years ago and ascend to a higher dimension. I will find the creator of Cultivators forty thousand years ago and kill him.
“Yes. If the Pangu Universe and the world of Cultivators over the past forty thousand years are really the same story, only by killing the author of the story can we be considered real human beings and be closer to the ultimate truth.
“Of course, this is destined to be an extremely long and difficult journey. It would be too boring to embark on such a journey alone. Therefore, I have been looking for traveling companions and comrades. You are very lucky to be the first one that I have set my eyes on. Let me ask you again. What do you think? Are you willing to ascend with me and kill the creator who is above us, the one who manipulates our destiny, the one who slays the gods to prove our Dao, and become a true human being?”
