May 31, 2025.
It was the most radiant firmant Yang Changxu had ever seen.
The world roared, as if at the most blurred mont of the day-night cycle, the mountains and rivers were bathed in radiance.
At that ti, he was standing among the panicked crowd, anxiously awaiting the judgnt of destiny. Their Mana Points had been fully infused into the sky, and before him was a mix of shadows, with countless sounds echoing around him.
"God bless, Buddha bless, Bodhisattva bless..."
"Latest news, top players have calculated, the current energy is still not enough to take everyone away..."
"Will I be one of those left behind?"
"Is it really the end of the world?"
Yang Changxu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It’s said that at the last mont, people miss their family the most, and at this mont, he indeed longs to see his mother.
"...Mom?" A childish voice sounded.
Yang Changxu instinctively looked over, only to see a girl holding a communicator, seemingly trying to contact her mother:
"Yes, Mom... I’m not scared, it’s okay, I know." The girl said softly into the microphone:
"Mom, you’re too far from , but soon we will et again in the New World."
"We promised to buy a small house with a garden. It’s said that the New World offers a corresponding exchange system. We’ve worked hard for a long ti, and we won’t have to live in that moldy-slling house on Zhai Xing anymore, nor will anyone chase us for debts."
"Hmm, I’m not worried, we will definitely et again..."
Beside the girl were several young n, also walking around making calls.
"Hey, Jiajia, don’t worry! Although we’ve struggled for half a year, we finally made it, won’t be rich, but surely won’t starve." The young man said to the other side of the call:
"After returning, once things stabilize, we’ll have the wedding!"
"You’re worried chaos will break out? It’s okay. It’s said that place has been developed for a long ti, and organizations like the United Group aren’t amateurs. Hmm, it’s decided then... Jiajia, I must see you there, no one gets left behind!"
At this point, his voice choked a bit.
Yang Changxu stood in the crowd, hearing many cries, choking sounds, and phone calls.
People seed to be venting all the fear, pain, joy, and anxiety of the past half-year.
So didn’t believe everything would go smoothly, and thought so unexpected events might occur; so believed the future was bleak, possibly reenacting the tragedy of the Ruined World; so cried simply out of sentint; others worried about distant family and friends; and so wept for the sacrifices made by others...
Thinking of his mother, even as a resolute soldier, Yang Changxu couldn’t help but feel a pang in his nose.
That elderly woman who couldn’t even use a smartphone, will she really reunite with him in the New World? Will inspiration abandon her? Will she secure a ticket aboard the ark? If he could never see her again...
Before leaving, he hadn’t had a chance to properly bid farewell to her, and if this plain goodbye was the final encounter...
Yang Changxu gently covered his face, then lowered his hand.
The various voices continued, and even the barrage beca unprecedentedly heated.
[Did the organizers really disappear, all held up?]
[The Ninth Thrones Divine Envoy Lü Shu is blocking, Su Ming’an also brought the Fifth Thrones Starfire, and Yuanyuan is helping with all her might. Other organizers are drawn by the punishnt rules of Su Ming’an’s public Death Rebound.]
[I ask now, who still says Su Ming’an is the organizers’ lapdog!!??]
[Respect.]
[I really didn’t expect a student to achieve this level.]
[No, you can no longer call him a "student," now he is the Savior, the true Savior of humanity.]
[Nobody should say, "Death Rebound is an ability even a pig could use" anymore.]
[But you can’t discount, there’s always the dark side of the world. I heard so people are deliberately trying to stir chaos, even signaling the universe, intentionally seeking world destruction.]
[At least, no one openly insults him now. Twelve whole instances... I witnessed people’s doubts, disdain, rejection towards him, increasingly more people support him, increasingly more people are influenced by him, until most people believe him, support him, respect him...]
[Soone exposed themselves as a mixed spectator all along.]
[I don’t care about any nonsense, I must survive!!! I must survive, must succeed!!!!!!!]
[Is Noel truly a traitor?]
[It’s already confird, and soone still wants to cover for him?]
[The barrage information restriction is much less, even intermingling information from different live broadcast rooms is possible, looks like the World Ga is gradually losing control over us.]
[Yuanyuan infiltrated for so long, I can’t imagine how much effort she put in behind the scenes.]
[Odd, at such a critical mont, where did Boss Rabbit go?]
[Latest intelligence from the front line, with the help of Dan Shuang, Xiber, the Godfather, and others, Su Ming’an pierced the World Tree with one sword!]
[Eva! No need for broadcast, even a dog saw it!]
[Oh my goodness! Look at the sky!]
[Oh heavens!]
[Su Ming’an, Su Ming’an...]
...
Initially, there was a colossal transparent entity like water on the horizon.
At first glance, it seed like a whale under the firmant, a mont later, humanity finally glimpsed its entirety.
— It was neither made of steel nor wood, but composed of flowing golden runes, shimring verses, and ancient maxims woven into the hull.
The ark was massive like mountains, yet light like a kite, suspended beneath the fractured firmant. On the hull, strokes of light shifted and turned— Chinese character strokes like soaring eaves, Latin alphabet curves like waves, hieroglyphics like flowing ropes, data streams like silver streams rushing.
It was an ark made of words.
In the center of the ark, as if symbolically, floated a small, blue, envy-inducing planet, not emitting dazzling light, yet inviting tears of longing.
Flocks of birds seed to heed an oracle, pouring from dense forests, valleys, city chimneys, like flowing black silk, golden rivers, silver-white whirlwinds, spiraling around the majestic ark.
At the heart of everything, supporting this epic migration, was the world tree that reached the sky. Its branches pierced the clouds, roots dug deep into the star core. Like stars and dawn interwoven golden streams, a warm current flowed gently along the horizon.
The sight was indescribably beautiful.
"Ho..." He Yuan’s throat involuntarily gave a choking sound.
Though just a distant image, it seed as though that distant holand was already in sight.
Short ti apart, yet seed like ages away.
"Patah patatah."
The sky was lush and warm, with pink transforming into a grand and unparalleled "rain." They were encased in crystalline icing, falling to the ground without shattering but gently bouncing, rolling into the crevices of ruins, startled palms, and even onto people’s shoulders.
Then, amidst people’s frozen gazes and tight breaths.
"Pop."
——An invisible barrier that shielded the firmant broke and shattered.
At the sa ti, the towering and ancient firmant tree, a landmark seemingly eternal, majestically slid down, shattered, collapsed, and fell with a violent roar.
The mont the massive trunk tilted, the sound of its collapse echoed like a thunderclap, as if every person’s heart was heavily struck, their silhouettes couldn’t help but tremble.
This is the end of one world.
It is also the beginning of another world.
Alger, running within the temple, halted his steps.
"The World Tree has fallen, Noel... lost?" Alger murmured: "Oh no, little sister..."
He slowly knelt to the ground.
Isabella stopped the bombardnt of the Star Destroyer Cannon.
She watched her target slowly disappear from the scope, feeling an indescribable heaviness.
"What path have you taken?" Isabella murmured to herself, caressing the silver-white wall: "What price have you paid?"
Laine, cigarette in mouth, stood in the alley corner, gazing from afar at the crowd and the giant tree. He smoked one cigarette after another, his heart seemingly full of dissatisfaction.
He touched the crucifix on his neck, murmuring:
"It’s been a long ti since seeing Boris, but next ti I see that guy, I can finally tell him the end of that long story."
"The Captain did not die at the hands of Sea Monsters; he successfully sailed the ship back to the Empire with all the crew."
"Just...," he took a puff of smoke:
"The crew found that nowhere could they find the Captain. It was as if... he beca a part of the ’Immortal Pearl’ ship, beca glory itself."
"Will the Captain like this final version of the story?"
The Dawn Angel caressed the stone monunt.
It presented the face of Lin Yin, head held high, gazing at the collapsed World Tree on the horizon.
"They’re all the sa." It murmured:
"They’re all the sa."
In the crowd, Xiao Xiao tightly grasped Wang Zhenzhen’s hand.
"Mama, mama... I miss mama, I want to go ho..." Wang Zhenzhen was trembling all over: "The World Tree has fallen, we can go ho, right... I’m so scared, I’m really scared. I’ve seen many movies, usually at this ti sothing unexpected happens, many, many people die..."
She was nervous to the point of incoherence, Xiao Xiao embraced her tightly, burying her head into Zhenzhen’s shoulder.
"No more, no more." Xiao Xiao softly said:
"Because all unexpected occurrences have been eliminated by him, by them."
"What we see, is a future without any unexpected events."
The halo surrounding the Ark slowly solidified, like a layer of ancient and firm glaze.
All the runes, verses, aphorisms, and data streams flowed slowly, majestically, and unstoppably.
In an instant, it exploded with a trendous suction, countless golden rays of light descended, as if angels had arrived in the mortal world.
At that mont, countless silhouettes ascended.
At that mont, the corners of the Ark’s eaves resembled raised feathers.
At that mont, the white-haired youth’s gaze was calm, turned his sword to the right, and with one thrust pierced through.
At that mont, the Deity Ming’an’s chest burst with blood, quietly falling.
At that mont, Lu Likalpos returned from the ruins, lifting his head.
At that mont, Anthony, Hua De, i Yani, Violet, and others finally ceased expending mana points that lasted for more than ten days.
At that mont, the giant tree spanning millions of years crumbled with a loud crash.
At that mont, people were like fireflies caught in a web of light, resembling reverse teors, breaking free from Earth’s gravitational pull.
At that mont, countless voices calling for "ho" converged into dazzling counter-streams, rising upwards, rushing towards the shadow of the giant text ship or higher skies.
Garnts fluttering, long hair flowing.
A single white-robed Cloud City God looked down upon the people gazing upward from the ground, seeing nurous small yet steadfast black dots rging into the clouds illuminated by the Ark’s radiance.
Light like a tangible veil, softly shrouding the ascending crowd, bathing in the strawberry crisp rain, caressing the runic hull of the text Ark, and softly kissing the wings of flocks of birds.
It resembled a grand dawn.
"..." Those dark golden eyes slowly swept over solemnly: "You have ultimately chosen to beco..."
"Look, over there—!" soone shouted.
Even without shouts, people could see a ray of light shooting from the fallen World Tree towards the heavens of the Ark.
"That’s a teor! Make a wish!" a child shouted.
"That’s the dawn!"
"Ignorant! That’s the Number One Player... no, that’s Su Ming’an! He’s heading to the small world, he will beco our future World Master!" soone imdiately countered.
"Great, he has Death Rebound, the small world certainly won’t be destroyed."
"He’s just ensuring the bottom line, is all humanity worthless? United Group, Human Self-Rescue Alliance, Peak Alliance, top-ranked players... We won’t let him need to use Death Rebound!"
"I still feel like I’m dreaming...he really did it..."
"Strange, feels like almost everyone is ascending, seems like no one is left on the ground... Didn’t top players previously say a large group would be forced to stay behind?"
"Perhaps the energy was finally supplented!"
"Truly a miracle!"
"I used to like Su Ming’an, so said he’s an entertaining Adventurer Player, now that he’s the World Master, I can rightfully express admiration. Building monunts, recording in history books, offering flowers... I must rush to the forefront."
"The first thing must be to stabilize order, there will be a period of chaos, many are displeased with the Rulers."
"He will surely be World Master, if it were soone else, like Mizushima, or Wilson, I wouldn’t trust them."
"Great, I can see him on TV for a long ti."
"World Master! World Master!"
"Ah, the World Master, so majestic, he can finally be happy..."
The white "teor" flies toward the small world, toward the firmant, toward the Ark.
There really are people closing their eyes to make wishes, for them, wishing to Su Ming’an is more effective than wishing upon a shooting star.
At that mont when everyone saw the "teor", they simultaneously widened their eyes, wanting to engrave the scene in their minds.
So that when they grow old, when they look back at the past, when they are gray-haired, they can proudly tell their children: "Back then, at the turning point of human destiny, I saw the most brilliant teor with my own eyes."
On the ground, Lü Shu slowly raised his head.
"Clang——!"
The Black Blade fell heavily to the ground, as he heard the collapse of the World Tree, it was as if he lost all strength.
The Eighth Thrones who was entangled with him also stopped his actions and looked up toward the sky.
"The World Tree has collapsed, the World Barrier has shattered, and there’s no stopping it..." The Eighth Thrones’ voice was hoarse: "I never thought anyone would have such courage, willing to abandon a good life to ensure the Savior plan’s success one hundred percent."
He paused: "I thought he would beco one of the Organizers... heh, a number one player, a once-in-a-millennium perfect player! And yet he chose to cocoon himself... is this stupidity or..."
He fell silent for a mont, then turned around, disappearing into the air.
Above the firmant, the Ark radiated a dawn of thousands of feet.
As if a pair of black eyes opened calmly within the void, gazing at all living beings.
It seed to offer solace to weary souls for this chaotic yet magnificent final scene.
Its very existence is the last and most solid "Lighthouse" in this broken world.
This is both an end and a beginning.
When the Ark carried away the fireseed of civilization, as strawberry crisps fell like rain, when humans rushed to the firmant,
—soone gently leaned down, their back a ladder, their heart a fuel, witnessing and protecting this grand and bizarre farewell and rebirth that coexists with despair and hope.
Those black eyes gently curved into a smile.
When everyone wished to him,
he revealed a smile as gentle as a tea flower.
...
"...The United Group is quickly organizing and integrating, as people are just coming in, there are bound to be so who want to stir chaos."
"...A global summit is about to convene, led by the five permanent mber countries and top-ranked players, aiming to improve global communication and coordination chanisms, with the primary topic being the prevention of large-scale player conflicts and malicious destruction of human civilization."
"...Also, the ’Basic Frawork for Returnees’ Safety and Responsibility’ already formulated in the Main God World, defining globally accepted player conduct limits (prohibiting mass destruction, overthrowing governnts, protecting basic human rights, etc.)."
"...Furthermore, the Player Affairs Coordination and Handling Departnt, in na, is to coordinate relations between players and governnts, provide psychological support, resettlent, and identity reconstruction; in reality, it serves as a core node for information collection, threat assessnt, and establishing connections."
"...According to the plan agreed upon by various top players and organizational forces, we will establish 256 High Towers as soon as possible, integrating technologies learned from the ruined world, Pulaya, Luowasha, and other instances, using thods similar to the Dawn System, The Republic, Storm Barrier, and World Book, to erect barriers at the planet’s edge while real-ti modulating within the planet. Each tower will manage a section of the area, governed by a ’Tower Master.’"
"...But this is a massive project, even though Lady Su Mianbao and Lady Luna have already been cooperating in the construction for a long ti, it still requires ti for the Tower Masters to assu office and settle."
"...Before this, we still need the World Master, that is, Su Ming’an’s governance. He is the creator of the world and also a deity."
"...Um, Lord Su Rin, Lord Su Rin, are you listening?"
Su Rin stood under the gray-blue sky, silently gazing into the distance.
Grett, the assistant political commissioner from the United Group, poked his head out.
"Got it, I’ll go find him," Su Rin said.
"Then I’ll trouble you. We just ca in and had ti to find you but haven’t found Su... ahem, the World Master." The wrinkles on Grett’s face creased into a smile: "I’ll go look for Lady Su Mianbao first, you can contact anyti."
After Grett left, Su Rin darted through the crowd, over the sea and wind, forward, onward.
"Huh? Was that Su Rin just now?" soone looked up.
"Really? Are you seeing things?"
"He can fly! Definitely not an ordinary player! Wow, quick, record it, we can make money off short videos with this!"
"Mom, can you hear ? Yeah, we’re not far apart, the United Group previously announced that we’ll be allocated according to our previous residence on Zhai XIng. There are controlled chanical n everywhere now, I’ll co find you once the control ends..."
Flying all the way, Su Rin looked forward.
In front of him was a vast mountain range, a stretch of rolling hills.
Su Rin recognized this place because Lü Shu often ntioned it, so he surfed the internet to look it up.
—Taihua Mountain.
No one landed on the remote Taihua Mountain, it was very quiet here. Nearby were bamboo forests and wooden huts, seeming to be Lü Shu and Lin Yin’s old residence, recreated one to one.
Su Rin continued upward, flying past the swaying trees and the uneven stone path.
—Reaching the mountain top.
At this mont, it was dawn in the small world, the first ray of dawn fell on the mountain top, everything was drenched in fractured light, and the vast scene of mountains and rivers unfolded before his eyes.
A crystal-like-small tree grew on the mountain top, about two ters high, just beginning to grow.
Su Rin landed, gazing at this small tree.
"You didn’t really make the World Master, did you? Once I find my holand, I’ll leave." Su Rin said: "Becoming a tree to avoid the position of World Master, you have no idea how fervent humanity’s trust and reverence for you is now..."
"For the record, you’re just a tree now, not dead, I definitely won’t sit in that position. I estimate that Lü Shu and the others wouldn’t either, that position will always be kept for you."
"Until you return."
"Until you wake up."
"If soone takes that position, I fear you might never truly co back."
"You made your decision too quickly, without a word, at least tell , do you want people to know you’ve beco a tree, or should we create a false image of you as an eternal deity?"
"If you don’t answer, I’ll assu you chose the forr?"
"You’ve given so much, if no one knows, it’d truly be too bitter."
Suddenly, the rustling of wind through grass was heard.
Su Rin was instantly alert, this is a place no one should visit, unless it be a hostile enemy.
He was about to draw his sword, but his gaze suddenly froze.
—A young man stood on the slope.
A young man with white hair and a colorful mask stands on the hillside.
The morning light filters through the sparse shadows of the trees, casting mottled patterns on the ground. The clown mask with golden edges tilts slightly upward, and the bright red paint on its lips, almost spiritual, draws an exaggerated and comical smile.
He steps on the sunlight scattered across the ground, seeming to rge with the radiance surrounding him.
"You..." Su Rin’s eyes widen.
"Surprised?" Su Ming’an points to his chest with a smile: "’Faith’ authority hasn’t been very useful my whole life, but in the end, it brought a rare surprise."
The World Tree naturally possesses the ability to create clones. At the Sea Crossing Line, Su Ming’an divided countless clones of himself by ’Symbiosis’ with the World Tree, and ’Faith’ enhanced his ability to move freely.
"Your original body is still here..." Su Rin glanced at the tree.
"It’s not important. Have you regained so humanity?" Su Ming’an asked.
"...Kind of. Seeing you resolutely stab towards the World Tree did remind of so past mories," Su Rin averted his gaze and said with crossed arms.
Su Ming’an let out a muffled laugh, the sound not entirely clear under the bright mask.
At this mont, he resembled a colorful butterfly encased in amber.
"Since you’re here, let tell you about my plan," Su Ming’an adjusted his mask, "You should know, in the end it was Dan Shuang and the Godfather who helped . Now they’ve arrived in the small world, and I’m about to find them."
"Hmm." Su Rin nodded.
"The small world is still sowhat unstable. They agreed to gather abilities and authority to help transform the ’World Book’ of the small world."
"How will you transform it?"
"Simply put, to grant the ability of ’ti travel’."
"Death rebound?"
"No, I am a tree now, and I’m unsure if death can still trigger death rebound. If it can’t, committing suicide would destroy all humanity." Su Ming’an’s voice was calm, "What I’m going to do is cross ti within the scope of the ’small world’, similar to Sique’s artificial ti authority in Luowasha."
Su Rin thought for a mont, then nodded, "Feasible. The ’Soul’ authority can turn you into a spiritual body, the ’Reincarnation’ authority can let you shuttle through ti, and the ’Faith’ authority can strengthen the forr. As long as it doesn’t involve High Dinsions, just shuttling through ti inside the small world, it’s fine. Then, your plan is to—to reverse forward?"
Unexpectedly, Su Ming’an gave the opposite answer.
"Reversing forward is aningless," Su Ming’an said, "Now, this mont, is akin to a new beginning in human history, everything begins anew, with everyone standing at the starting line. Even if I reverse forward, humanity hasn’t arrived at the small world, and I can’t help much."
Su Rin slowly nodded, "So, your idea is—to reverse backward."
"Exactly." The young man wearing a clown mask revealed a bright red smile, "To go backward, to see the future developnt of humanity, to understand the problems they will encounter, to touch the truths of the future. If possible, find a way to make myself free, and then..."
He glanced at the sky:
"After ending all these responsibilities, I want to go to the universe to find the Dieying, or Noel Agnini, to ask for clarity."
"Then, I will no longer have any burdens on my shoulders, and I can search for the truth, unravel those questions that still puzzle ."
"Or, go to Eden, I still do not know who their World Master is. Or perhaps, I can simply go back to the World Ga, where there are still many unsolved mysteries."
"Hmm." Su Rin nodded, suddenly saying:
"Being conservative for a mont isn’t cowardice; it’s just better preparation for trekking backward."
Su Ming’an was slightly stunned.
The fierce laughter on the mask restrained itself sowhat.
"You haven’t wronged anyone, whether choosing to be conservative or radical, humanity should thank you." Su Rin said.
The smile on the mask constricted further.
"Before boarding the chariot, think more about ’how many people you’ve saved’, rather than ’how many you haven’t rescued’." Su Rin said.
Su Ming’an adjusted his mask and turned around.
His voice was muffled:
"When I return, I will dye my hair back to black."
"I do think black looks better than white." Su Rin pressed his brows, saying: "Are you going to set off now?"
"Yes, the main body of the World Tree will remain here, automatically regulating the world. I’ll co back if manual adjustnt is needed." The tail of Su Ming’an’s laugh trembled slightly, "After instructing Lü Shu and the others, I will set off."
"Go ahead." Su Rin said.
He never asked why Su Ming’an wore a colorful mask.
Su Ming’an waved goodbye and walked down the hillside.
Su Rin quietly watched the small, golden figure bathed in the dawn light.
He took out a crumpled letter from his chest and slowly buried it under the crystal-like small tree.
...
"Read from the beginning, Su Ming’an."
The young man with the clown mask ventured toward the distant river.
Behind him, the clear and vast sky stretched into the distance.
Su Rin looked one last ti, turned, and walked down the hillside in the opposite direction.
...Go, walk backward, Su Ming’an.
You rely chose to first calm humanity’s crisis, it doesn’t an you abandoned truth and perfection.
No one should bla you, no one should reproach you.
Trek backward, beyond ti, toward the future, towards the distant Cang Mountain and the sea.
While we, we will guard your place, telling everyone of your achievents, letting them know their World Master hasn’t disappeared, he has beco a gentle giant tree, and he still trudges backward for humanity, until the far reaches.
Telling people, the one called "Su Ming’an," never once stopped redeeming.
"Backward" standing by the shore doesn’t refer to "cowardly retreat," but extends humanity’s future, leading toward "the end."
It is on the basis of preserving ideals, a temporary respite, reorganizing, and setting off anew.
It ensures that the "later" path is still walkable.
—Because of his decision, humanity gained countless, countless "laters."
...
This will be a—
A story of us constantly "trekking backward."
...
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