Bailian lifted the corners of her mouth in a bitter smile. Half-clear-minded, half-dazed, she reached out her hand, barely touching his face.

From Su Ming'an's black pupils, she seemed to see great rivers, high-flying kites, candied haws and colored fabrics outside the palace walls...

Yet none of those belonged to her, she was not that White Fox entangled through three lives, that was merely a life she stole. She was a tasker from the command ship, a thief of lives, not the older sister palace maid yearned for by Su Shaoqing in 615 years.

It's over... Unable to bring anything back.

The hibernation capsule closed, Su Ming'an turned to leave. His complexion grew paler.

Some people can't survive even when they hang onto life with blood. Thus, whenever they step into death, Su Ming'an would reach out his hand to touch their foreheads, "store" them, and place them into the Life Hard Drive.

The light spots in his mind were increasing.

One day, when the light spots reached the number "thousand," he heard the system's voice.

...

[You have fully grasped the essence of "Soul Ferrying." Detected your occupation "Bai Shen" has a compatibility of up to 88%, the "Bai Shen" occupation has evolved.]

[You have obtained a new active skill: Soul Ferrying.]

[Soul Ferrying lv.1 (Purple Grade):

When seeking consent from others during an instance, you can condense and store their emotions and memories in your own mind, and utilize their weak abilities. (Can only be effective at the death of others).]

[Henceforth, if you touch upon more concepts, technologies, or authorities regarding "soul" and "life," perhaps you can bring them "rebirth."]

[As long as you alone achieve eternal life, all lives you stored will "eternally live." You alone are the spiritual consolidation of an entire race. But killing you is equivalent to instantly killing an entire civilization.]

...

[Combat Power: 4400+100!]

...

Soul Ferrying evolved into part of the occupation. From now on, he could bear the wraiths of others to fight, free from any instance. He alone was an entire civilization's hard drive.

... Does it matter.

Su Ming'an didn't know. Because he didn't know what the concept of "rebirth" was, or to what extent he could resurrect others. This felt like a big pancake, distant, yet seemingly delicious.

... If only this skill had come earlier.

He stared at the names on the Ring of Time, each and every one... his fingers bit by bit tightened.

... If only it had come earlier.

But suddenly he thought... there's no mention of "unable to store players" in the concept of this skill.

So,

What was this for...

...

An old man held a stone in his hand.

As the light flowed bit by bit into the stone, the old man's expression turned bleak, and the stone gradually sparkled brightly. He then handed the stone to a soldier, who took it away.

"... Who will this stone be for?" the old man asked.

The soldier replied gently, "For a certain angel or deity, it will surely be of use."

The old man nodded with a smile, his breath dimming bit by bit:

"Useful is good, useful is good..."

People created a cycle.

The elderly who had participated in the World Game, nearing the end of their lives, without combat power, willingly offered the life force in their bodies, infusing it into the stone. The stones were passed by soldiers to key figures in the millennial plan, like the thirteen principals, powerful transmigrators, or directly to Su Ming'an and such players, allowing them to exchange stones for points, and redeem Blood Bottles.

After drinking the Blood Bottles, Su Ming'an and the players would recover health points and continue bloodletting, feeding more critical combat power.

Thus it stretched onward.

Like forming a vivid yet cruel chain of life. Only, nature's "producer," "consumer," "decomposer" metamorphosed into specific individuals.

This was Xiao Ying's devised method, he always could come up with more ruthless yet more effective ways.

When soldiers walked out of the cabins with stones, several children gathered around.

"I took part in the third World Game, I also want to craft stones!" Kids jumped and bounced on the ground.

"Me too! Me too!"

"Count me in! I don't want to live that long, life's too meaningless!"

The soldier scolded them, "God commanded all children to live well! You still have to live four or five more generations! Your lives are long too!"

"God seems just six or seven years older than us," the kids said.

"Why are They so much more powerful than us."

"Would be nice if we could help..."

The soldier not only didn't take their lives, but instead handed them a very small glass tube from his arms, "Here, this is the new 'medicine.' Take it to the aid station over there, hurry! I'm watching you."

The kids pursed their lips and turned around with the glass tube. They knew this was very precious "medicine," adults always valued it greatly, just a drop could save a person. Light golden, appeared very pretty, like flowing gold. They didn't know how it was synthesized, but adults said God could do anything, thus it seemed reasonable for God to conjure divine medicine.

"It's so beautiful!"

"It truly is divine medicine..."

The golden liquid sparkled in the sunshine, smiles rose on the children's faces.

Xiao Ying stood in the shadows, watching people cheer for the arrival of "divine medicine."

At first, he felt puzzled, mystified—why would God pity human life, why to bleed to save people? Gradually, he started to develop a kind of "resentment." This resentment was not directed at humans, it was towards God.

Resenting why God couldn't cherish themselves a bit, why treat their body as a tool. Would it only be apparent when they collapse one day, that they had merely been giving foolish kindness?

Until he stood in front of Su Ming'an, voicing his doubts.

Su Ming'an, with a pale complexion, replied:

"I'm not kind enough to save everyone, they are strangers to me, I won't risk my life to save them."

"But I cannot do nothing... I'm afraid if I cherish myself more, more lives would perish, the defense line retreat, encroaching upon what I truly care about. A single horseshoe could ruin an Empire."

"I'm afraid those soul light spots in my mind would start showing familiar faces... even start showing you all."

... So that's how it is.

It turns out.

Xiao Ying backed away repeatedly. The resentment in his heart subsided, replaced by sorrow. If he could previously console himself with "God too foolishly kind" as justification, finding ways to reverse the situation, now he finally detected a sense of tragedy—he had no way to change it.

God needed "them."

...

Su Ming'an began to feel dizzy more frequently.

So much so that when he was perceiving the Time authority on the rooftop, he didn't even notice when the Shadow approached him.

It was just a silhouette of the Shadow, separated by The Republic, unable to even touch him, but almost close to his shoulder.

"...By the way, Chang Ge is still freezing at this moment." Shadow lowered their head and spoke meaningless words: "Won't you go back and check on him?"

Only then did Su Ming'an remember.

Oh, right, there's still Chang Ge freezing.

"When the instance ends, I'll treat him to barbecue in the Main God World. His harvest will far exceed that of ordinary players, so you don't need to worry." Su Ming'an said.

Shadow smiled, "You say this because you've already determined your victory, haven't you? You're already thinking about barbecue."

Su Ming'an said, "You say this because you're subtly telling me that Chang Ge is real, even a thousand years later, he's real?"

Shadow's eyes moved, and they seemed to laugh more heartily.

"...Five more days."

"Yes, your triumph won't last more than five days." Su Ming'an said.

Shadow did not speak.

Su Ming'an headed straight downwards, deciding not to come back to the rooftop, so as to avoid encountering them again.

After this, the fifth World Game began.

Aside from Su Luoluo and Li Yuxuan, others were not chosen for this World Game. The chaos caused by this World Game was the greatest—because most players were from ten thousand eras, and people became recklessly bold after gaining power, causing a downgrade dimension impact on the era they belonged to. Many from the ten thousand eras began to admire the power from High Dimensions, actively turning to Shadow.

The Command Ship officially entered the first year of the Heavenly Era.

The Command Ship is independent from ten thousand timelines, but that doesn't mean its time will remain frozen forever, otherwise, everyone could achieve eternal life. It will "parallel" other timelines, and when it enters "Year 1," it means the time anchor point falls on the position of "Year 1."

In short, for now, "Year 1" has become the most important timeline.

…

On the night of the fourteenth day of the instance, a Principal entered the Old Divine Palace, pleading with Su Ming'an:

"Please... I've heard you can resurrect the dead, resurrect my mother, please..."

Besides Chao Yan and General Qin, most people didn't understand the essence of Soul Ferry, nor did they understand what the Life Hard Drive was; they only knew God was omnipotent, able to create "divine medicine" and resurrect the dead.

Su Ming'an recognized this Principal, Yi Zhongyu. Once, Yi Zhongyu would walk alongside him, even able to joke together. But now, their gap had widened to an irretrievable degree.

Su Ming'an looked at the young man kneeling on the ground, responding: "I don't have your mother's complete emotions and memories; even if resurrected, she'd be nothing but a walking corpse..."

"That's fine too, please..." The young man pleaded.

So thereafter, people often saw Yi Zhongyu leading a woman's corpse, resembling a zombie, slowly walking down the street.

People grew even more convinced.

God can easily accomplish what they cannot.

God can easily fulfill the wishes they cannot attain.

God is omnipotent.

Once on the Divinity, it was only fitting—humans can never truly comprehend God.

Su Ming'an looked at the ever-growing list in his hand, his head hung low. He surrendered himself to the swiftly flowing time, as if being solidified into a marble statue of a deity.

Time and time again of speeches, time and time again of farewells, time and time again of returning, time and time again of putting people into the Hibernation Capsule... It was like nailing butterflies one by one into specimens, nurturing them with his own blood.

People can easily praise his great name, swear to fight for him, struggle desperately in this tug-of-war—but they cannot do one thing.

—Bear the burden of his soul for him.

As time moved to the night of the fourteenth day of the instance, Su Ming'an's consciousness suddenly blurred, leaving his mind blank.

For that instant, he suddenly realized —

He seemed to be walking... the old path of Yasa Acto.

This concept was like a basin of cold water suddenly poured over him, awakening his stupor. His gaze cleared, fingers unconsciously trembling, clutching the list with indistinguishable names together.

Yes. Indeed.

—Isn't this precisely what Acto suffered after the Century Catastrophe ended? Worshipped as a God, praised by people, witnessing life and death... then gradually numbing, sorrowful, worn down.

Su Ming'an's current situation is almost identical to those days in Acto's Emotional Resonance.

But the biggest difference is that everyone in this era shares the same burden with him, and none survive sneakily. He has no other path to take; Acto could abandon everything and live in seclusion with the Eight Seats. If he were to abandon everything, the Command Ship would instantly collapse.

—Because the path he is currently walking is indeed the correct one.

As long as he continues, he'll surely reach the end—a correct path.

No turning back, or reversing course is permitted. Only forward, always forward.

He placed the list on the table, talking to himself. Unsure if it was to distant audiences, or to himself. Voice so low it was barely audible.

"...I've really tried my best."

"Just endure a few more days, and it'll be over..."

…

On the morning of the fifteenth day of the instance. Heavenly Era Year 1, January 1st. Chao Yan walked before him.

"I want to train you into a qualified Savior, as you are still immature, not yet sufficient. That's why your soul is so weary, heavily burdened, because you bear too many unnecessary things. You are not mature enough." She looked at him:

"...Are you willing?"

Between them seemed to be separated by a river of time, since he first saw her, she had already weathered many storms. She was an independent and complete individual, yet opened up a space for him, accepting the young him.

Her age is far beyond his.

Her life experience also far exceeds his, she better knows how to steer this Ark of civilization. Even though The World of Old Days' Ark is soon to reach its end, he can remember her taught experiences for the next instance, even a long time afterward.

Upon understanding this.

There seemed to be no other answer.

"Okay."

Nineteen-year-old God nodded.

No other reason, solely due to an equation.

An equation he understood a long time ago...

…

His life = Lv Shu, Noel Yuanyuan, and others' lives + Chao Yan, Li Mingyue, Xiao Ying's lives + Xia Jiawen, Li Yuxuan, Yi Zhongyu, these followers' lives + sixty billion lives of The World of Old Days' inhabitants + Zhai Xing seventy billion people's lives

With one left and one right, the scale is stable.

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