Roaring waves, galaxies reversing.
At the same time, in the blink of an eye, countless images flashed before everyone’s eyes.
It was the first ancient ape leaving the forest, entering an endless grassland.
It was the first ancient ape standing on two feet, starting to create tools.
It was the first flicker of flames, accompanied by lightning, descending upon the earth.
…
It was the Great Wall of China winding its way, the pyramids of Egypt towering between the deserts.
It was Shakespeare’s plays performed in theaters, black people in plantations raising the flame of freedom.
It was steam trains emitting billowing smoke, a series of mobile phones constructing a world in the clouds.
This is the civilization of this era.
They don’t possess extraordinary powers, facing difficulties on this planet.
Due to a fortunate coincidence, they stood out among myriad creatures, using their own hands to step by step reach the present and move toward the future.
When the first ancient ape began to walk upright, it wouldn’t know that, while freeing its hands, it would pay the cost of childbirth. The first tribe that started farming didn’t think that, from then on, they would be bound to this land by wheat, rice, and corn. And those who traveled by steam engine probably couldn’t imagine that someday in the future, their descendants would set foot on the distant moon…
This is civilization roaring.
They are unwilling and refuse to become slaves to obsolescence.
The world fell silent for a moment as if someone had pressed the pause button.
Time seemed to freeze in that instant.
Loisette appeared from mid-air, appearing beside Isaac.
She looked at Zhao Xiaokui, her eyes filled with astonishment.
“I thought it was just a rumor…”
“It turns out there really is a civilization that can gather its own consciousness and resist the darkest ages.”
She suddenly smiled, the madness that Zhao Xiaokui had seen before diminished, replaced by a sense of relief.
She opened her arms, embracing the suspended Isaac, and softly said to Zhao Xiaokui, “It’s rare to see something new. Consider it a gift from me to you.”
Countless beliefs converged, and Zhao Xiaokui changed her palm to a point.
At her fingertips, a faint light emerged.
This light was extremely weak, swaying in the wind as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
Yet, it was also incredibly strong, stubbornly lingering on Zhao Xiaokui’s fingertip, flickering but never going out.
In the final minute, Isaac finally felt a tremendous fear creeping into his heart.
The almost imperceptible glow in the eyes of others completely occupied his entire eyeball. His eyes, under the illumination of this faint light, almost turned into a blank space.
“No—”
He struggled, but like a fish out of water, he was tightly bound to the ground.
No, to be precise, he was even less than a fish.
A fish could still jump and wag its tail, but he seemed to be stuck in a cement pool.
From head to toe, it was difficult for him to move even a single strand of hair.
Zhao Xiaokui’s fingertip finally gently touched the space in front of Isaac.
The fear in his eyes solidified.
This space, like shattered glass, cracked into pieces.
In each fragment of space, there was a piece of Isaac’s body. These spaces, when they fell halfway, were suddenly swept away by a hurricane that appeared out of nowhere, and no one knew where they were blown to.
Only a black hole remained.
Zhao Xiaokui stumbled, almost being swept into the suddenly appearing hurricane.
Her vacant gaze, while falling, also regained its color.
She thanked the unfamiliar transcendent who pulled her back, “Thank you very much.”
It was an elderly woman with many golden patterns on her skin. Upon hearing Zhao Xiaokui’s thanks, she just smiled gently and said, “It’s okay. Anyone with the ability would have done the same. You did well; it was you who ultimately defeated the evil god.”
As the Illusion Domain collapsed with Isaac’s death, sunlight that hadn’t visited this land for a long time fell on them, even reaching each and every one of them.
The evil god was dealt with.
But as everyone stared at the black hole, new worries crept into their hearts.
What is this?
What is its purpose?
Could this thing cause irreparable harm to humanity?
The pitch-black, profound appearance, seemingly devouring even light, instilled a genuine fear in everyone present.
Meanwhile, humans began to cheer.
Under the lens, they only witnessed the defeat of the evil god but couldn’t see the appearance of this new black hole.
With a wave of Sheng Boming’s hand, the drones hovering in the air returned to their original positions.
“What is this?”
“What do we need to do?”
“It gives me a bad feeling.”
While everyone was discussing, Sheng Boming suddenly smiled.
He waved to Zhao Xiaokui and said, “Xiaokui, come here.”
Zhao Xiaokui went over, standing beside him in confusion.
Sheng Boming’s hand rested on her shoulder; his withered hand was surprisingly powerful, making people feel reassured. However, Zhao Xiaokui inexplicably felt a flutter in her heart. She opened her mouth, “Elder Sheng…”
Among the top surviving transcendent beings, there weren’t many left, especially the top one from the Thunder Sound Holy Land who fell shortly after the battle began, as his power dealt the most damage to the evil god, making him the target of the strongest attacks.
Fortunately, Sheng Boming, the top transcendent being from Huaxia, was still alive.
Among the top forces, the transcendent beings from the Freedom Tower and the Alliance of Gods, although heavily injured, still had the strength to fight.
He looked at these people, who were once his old friends and enemies.
They used to target each other and also share a drink together.
“I believe you have seen that the success of this mission is credited to my disciple.”
Oliver Hood from the Freedom Tower stroked his beard but didn’t object to Sheng Boming’s words. Anyone could see that in this mission, they all played a minor role, and Zhao Xiaokui made the most significant contribution.
“She will be the successor of the Nightwalker in the future. I hope you can maintain the proper respect for heroes. After I leave, please avoid any misconduct. I believe you can do that, right?”
His sharp gaze swept across everyone, and all who met his eyes felt a piercing pain as if cut by blades. Unperturbed, they locked eyes with him, each making their commitment, saying, “Certainly.”
These were all top-level experts of the sixth order, and they had already guessed Sheng Boming’s next move.
Oliver Hood, the somewhat cunning-looking old man from the Freedom Tower, took the initiative and promised, “As long as I’m alive, I guarantee no one will harm her.”
Sheng Boming smiled confidently, saying, “I appreciate all of you in advance!”
With that, he pushed Zhao Xiaokui toward the crowd and walked toward the black hole.
Zhao Xiaokui barely had time to turn around when she saw Sheng Boming’s figure dissolve into nothingness in front of the black hole. Finally, like a brushstroke, he outlined the incomplete space.
Her lips moved, wanting to say something, but her nose tingled, and tears rolled down.
The world was not ready for the arrival of the seventh order.
A whale couldn’t survive in an inland lake.
Sheng Boming chose to become the world itself, filling the gap left by Isaac’s death.
For everyone, this was the most correct choice.
Yet, Zhao Xiaokui couldn’t help but feel the pain.
Her interactions with Sheng Boming were limited.
They had only met three times – the first in the capital, the second on the deck of a military ship, and the third during the siege against the evil god.
Despite the few encounters, Sheng Boming had helped her a lot.
Zhao Xiaokui knew that many of the things she had come into contact with exceeded the permissions she should have originally had. It was Sheng Boming’s guarantee that allowed her access to those matters. Even in his sacrifice, he thought about how to erect a better barrier for both Huaxia and Zhao Xiaokui.
With the commitment of this group of people, at least for the next hundred years, Huaxia would be worry-free until Zhao Xiaokui grew into a seventh-order superbeing. Even without top-tier superbeings in command, the superbeings of these forces would uphold their promises due to the balance of power among them.
He departed with a sense of ease, just like every person in Huaxia’s history.
During the sacrifice, it seemed as natural as eating and drinking, calm and composed, as if they were doing the simplest thing in the world.
They harbored beautiful hopes, believing that the future would always be better than the present.
Even in the darkest moments, they aimed for the light, holding onto their inner justice and unwavering persistence.
In later history books, Zhao Xiaokui wrote:
“I am not a hero. Instead of saying I am a hero, it is more accurate to say that I was forced to become one because I am a person with no choices. From the beginning, I was chosen by the world as the savior, and from the first step to the last, the script was already written.”
“But like Elder Sheng, like many heroes who followed one after another to resist the evil god and its lackeys, they had choices. They could have chosen a more peaceful and safer life. They could preserve themselves in times of danger, but they didn’t. They chose sacrifice, using their lives to pave a path for future generations that they would never see.”
“In the history of Huaxia, countless heroes emerged, some leaving behind renowned names, but many others were submerged in the river of history. On the contrary, people like me, who became involved in major events due to fortuitous circumstances, left behind our insignificant names. We should remember those heroes, and behind all our joy and happiness, there lies their blood and tears.”
Translator’s corner:
Two more extra chapters to go and we will be saying goodbye to Xiaokui and Zhifei ૮꒰ ˃̣̣̥△˂̣̣̥ ꒱ა