NOVEL NEXT Chapter 753
753——————==
Dark Heaven Village
Clang!
Clang!
All around the continent, I heard something [opening]. It was the sound of massive doors being opened, and soon I spotted enormous iron gates, about three stories high, scattered all over the world. The sheer number reached hundreds, and there was not a single place left untouched. However, there were no structures behind the doors, just the doors standing alone, which made me question their purpose.
‘What are those doors…?’
In that moment, I realized what they were, and I was taken aback.
“Transference Gates?!”
I recalled the memories I had collected in the past.
[Do you know that Zheng He had embarked on seven expeditions all over the world? During that time, the dark forces had already created doors (門) leading to various parts of the world. Zheng He’s expeditions were sent for that very purpose: to easily transport the armies of the Great Ming Empire to conquer the lands of other races.]
[The Philosopher’s Stone is an infinite power source and also holds the power to freely open and close that ‘door’. In other words, the completion of the Philosopher’s Stone means the establishment of the Great Ming Empire, which rules over the entire world.]
[According to the historical records, the noble class of the ancient Yin Dynasty seemed to be able to utilize the Transference Gates. The one recording history was also a noble, and it appears they freely traveled long distances to learn the cultures of other tribes. They must have had a premonition of something, as they translated the history of the Yin Dynasty into the ancient barbarian language, the runes.]
[The Transference Gates were not created by the Great Ming Empire; they are merely utilizing what was made in antiquity! That is the crucial point!]
The knowledge of the Transference Gates that I first obtained from Zhuge Bu, and through that, I learned about the ancient secrets while investigating the ancient library’s materials with Mangnyang. Zhuge Bu, along with Zhuge Yulong behind him and the dark forces, aimed to complete the Philosopher’s Stone and the Divine Portrait while also acquiring the ability to activate the Transference Gates as they pleased. However, afterwards, their focus shifted solely to the Divine Portrait, and they didn’t pay much attention to the Philosopher’s Stone itself.
So then, what I now see before my eyes are the Transference Gates that the noble class of the Yin Dynasty had created, and they have simultaneously activated? If that’s the case, the physical constraints of movement in this world have greatly vanished!
‘That means…’
I shouted to Changhil.
“Could it be that you have completed the Philosopher’s Stone?!”
[Of course… This iteration of Changhil completed it long ago. The alchemists and Zhuge Yulong had nearly finished it, so it must have been easy. Moreover, based on that power, they revived all the Transference Gates and completed the Divine Portrait.]
“……”
[What a profound feeling. I had created those Transference Gates long ago.]
Changhil mumbled something and suddenly shouted.
[Awaken, my people…!!]
Ooooooow
In that moment, countless humans from around the world began to jump into the Transference Gates. Their expressions were blank, as if they were soulless, and only white light swirled in their pupils. Moreover, humans from other continents who jumped into the gates immediately found themselves transported to Luoyang.
Kugugugu
It felt like a flood of humanity pouring into the city of Luoyang. Innumerable humans with different skin and hair colors were diving into the Transference Gates without a care. In an instant, the city was bursting with people, and the celestial immortals were taken aback by the sudden influx.
‘How many are there?’
I was overwhelmed by the bizarre sight. Even if it were hundreds, I would be shocked, but it had already surpassed thousands and tens of thousands. It was believable that the number could reach hundreds of thousands. Furthermore, it was chaos with countless humans of completely different skin colors, hair colors, and clothing mixed together.
I noticed that many of them were white or black and said,
“Unbelievable! Your dominance with the Chinese characters should only work on those who are aware of it; how could those humans…”
[Do you think this iteration of ‘me’ resurrected the Transference Gates and did nothing while having fun? I had already mobilized the Eight Parts of the Divine and the army of the Great Ming Empire to spread civilization around the world. There have been cases where I conquered a single nation, so the influence of my characters has corroded over more than half of the world.]
“……!!”
[The current territory of the Great Ming Empire… is probably the largest in human history.]
The spread of civilization.
In other words, it meant that the Eight Parts of the Divine moved alongside the army, attacking and killing the people of other nations with guns and blades. I recalled the horrific sight of white fleets brutally slaughtering the indigenous people in the southern continent. Changhil had surely committed atrocities many times that over.
Kuaaaaaaaaa!!
Pzzzzzz
From their backs, intense light suddenly soared, and their bodies began to ignite like flames. They resembled fire-beings with wings of a bird, and the moment I saw this, I immediately thought of something.
‘Western angels!’
Angels, referred to as the apostles of the monotheistic faith believed in the West, and since I had studied the West, I was familiar with their appearance. Although it was only a similarity, it looked as if I were seeing a grotesque being from some distant otherworld, exuding immense killing intent and magical power.
And it wasn’t just angels. Among them were those morphing into grotesque forms, like twisted bugs, having just escaped from chaos. Some turned into dragons, while others appeared as hybrids of beasts and humans.
Then, a moment later, the first transformed angel swooped in, swinging its sword and beheading one of the immortals.
[Krakh.]
As the humans continued to pour into the Transference Gates, they were transforming and shedding their former selves; those who completed their transformations began attacking everything in sight. The problem was that each of those beings was extraordinarily powerful.
Kwahkwaangg!!
The sounds of destruction echoed endlessly. As I observed the chaos, I was shocked.
‘The Celestial Realm is being overwhelmed?!’
The transformed humans were quickly torn apart by the treasures and techniques wielded by the heavenly immortals, but some were enduring or even reflecting and absorbing their attacks. Furthermore, some of the transformed beings had enough combat strength to withstand the overlay techniques. For example, when over twenty angels attached themselves to the Second Truth Lord, it seemed that he could not deal with them while handling the situation elsewhere.
That’s right – each of them possessed powers comparable to high-level otherworldly races. Moreover, there appeared to be numerous branches in their lineage, allowing for a vast array of tactics and strategies, along with strength to manipulate immense chaos. From the looks of it, they did not seem to lack intelligence in the fight either.
What in the world is this insane power?
How could mere humans, just from transforming once, be able to fight against the beings of the Celestial Realm?!
As I watched in disbelief, Changhil spoke.
[What do you think of the strength of my people?]
“…You maniac…”
[The characters I created erode the essence of humanity, awakening the chaos within, and when I perform a spell of words, they gain artificially crafted immortality and the powerful essence of chaos.]
“…Are you saying you’ll create a new race under the Changhil system?”
[You’re quite perceptive. Since your civilization is built through the characters I created, you are already my people.]
“That’s impossible. Even the Old Ruler couldn’t accomplish that multiple times.”
Changhil chuckled softly.
[That’s right. No matter how much an Old Ruler tries, they can only awaken the essence of the characters once… I had planned to use it when the population exceeded ten billion on the day of doom and revelation. However, it doesn’t matter now.]
“Can those beings return to their original state?”
[Is there a need for them to return…?]
“What?”
Changhil replied confidently.
[Humans are a weak race. The chaos they bear is extraordinarily feeble, and they were a slave race at their very essence, hence their physical and mental abilities are also weak. Compared to the countless otherworldly races traversing the universe, they’re no different from bugs… Now my people have evolved from humans into powerful chaos and will achieve immortality to create a blissful Peaceful Millennium Kingdom.]
“…E-evolution?”
[That’s right! This has been the plan I set in motion since I was King Tang of the Yin Dynasty!]
He burst into an insane laughter.
[Humanity will soon break free from the confines of being a weak subspecies and become the cornerstone of the great civilization led by me, Changhil.]
“……!!”
[The history of superior humanity begins.]
This lunatic!
When he said he was saving humans, he meant saving humans evolved into the high-level otherworldly race?!
Can we really call that saving humanity?!
At that same moment, a conversation with Empress Wu Zetian came to mind.
[They sought to adapt to the life of the otherworldly, wanting to abandon their identity as humans. To them, the existence of humans was entirely inferior and ugly, so they believed they could not match their evolved forms to that of inferior humans. Initially, they purged them, but later gave up and let them be.]
[Hoo, what is humanity? They thought that even if their appearance changed, maintaining a human life and achieving immortality was the best life. Yet, if they deny their essence as humans, what meaning is there for this kingdom?]
Empress Wu Zetian had elevated the humans of the Tang Dynasty, along with their souls, to ascend to the Dark Heaven Village through the help of the Eight Parts of the Divine, creating her own Peaceful Millennium Kingdom. But contrary to her intentions, the humans who had transformed into otherworldly beings did not consider themselves human, rejected human life, and entered a state where their identity and values as humans became uncertain.
And the dialogue with Empress Wu Zetian made me realize how deeply steeped in madness and arrogance Changhil was. Because I still remembered my answer back then.
[Currently, they are not human. However, if Empress Wu Zetian considers herself human, then she is human.]
That’s right.
To me, the most important aspect of being ‘human’ is not a simple distinction of body and mind. If one desires to have an identity as a human, then they can be immediately acknowledged as human.
Thus, the kingdom that Changhil intends to establish as ‘superior humanity’ can never be the descendants of humanity. Those who have gained mighty divine powers and mutated into other beings, let alone those brainwashed by Changhil, how could they think of themselves as human? In the end, they would simply become one of countless high-level otherworldly beings scattered across the universe, infinitely spiraling into chaos!
At the same time, I felt a chilling sensation.
‘What if… In five hundred years, during the era of doom… a time when technology has advanced beyond imagination… and just before doom and revelation, Changhil activates this ability on ten billion people…?’
Right now, the Celestial Realm is merely being turned upside down, but I couldn’t even fathom the kind of chaos that would ensue then.
Yeah – my journey was one that had to see through to the end.
I could not afford to seek my happiness along the way or compromise at all.
It would be impossible to simply burden the future with the hope that our descendants would handle it well. The overwhelming despair, unimaginable by humanity five hundred years from now, had been plotted by Changhil since the days of the Yin Dynasty.
I said to Changhil.
“…But those powerful people of yours are attacking their own side too?”
Kukwakwakwang
It was as I said. Changhil’s ‘people,’ wielding the power of intense chaos, were not only attacking the Celestial Realm but were also assailing the Eight Parts of the Divine’s main body. Furthermore, in reckless abandon, they charged at the main body of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, only to be promptly dispatched like flies. Up to now, the Eight Parts of the Divine seemed to have suffered no deaths, but they were clearly showing signs of distress with the endless onslaught of monsters from all directions.
Gin Nara cried out in anguish.
[My lord!! We can’t hold on any longer! Please call us back!]
[Just a little longer, Gin Nara!! My lord is still undergoing the ceremony.]
[Hold on!!]
The Eight Parts of the Divine seemed to want to escape this calamity, but due to Changhil’s order to secure Luoyang, they seemed to be gathering every bit of strength left to endure. Seeing the Eight Parts of the Divine encouraging one another, I couldn’t help but take a mocking tone directed at Changhil.
“Hah, so now you plan to call back the Eight Parts of the Divine to soothe your subordinates? You’ll face those monsters soon enough.”
[……]
But something felt off.
Changhil was merely watching the screen, without moving a finger. It didn’t seem like he was focused on anything particularly important, which was strange. I noticed this odd vibe and wondered in disbelief.
“You… you can’t be…”
[The spell of characters is a crucial grand spell that I can only activate once in history. I have wagered everything on this game, so the Eight Parts of the Divine are no longer needed.]
“What do you mean?!”
As Changhil continued speaking, I felt a chill run down my spine.
[Awaken, Reborn Person. Now, the true game will finally begin…]
Changhil was laughing.
[Kuaaaa… I’m off first, brothers!!]
Boom!
[Kahuraga!!]
Gin Nara screamed in despair. The main body of Mahuraga, after a fierce battle, could no longer withstand the swarm of Changhil’s ‘people’ and self-destructed in humiliation. Following Mahuraga’s death, soon after the gang leader also perished, and the others were rapidly cornered.
Purburr
Finally, the spirit bodies of the celestial beings began to shatter, transforming into masses of light. The celestial beings, sensing something, screamed in betrayal.
[My lord… how… could this happen… we are being… absorbed…]
Swish swish swoosh
And as I witnessed this scene right beside Changhil, I felt his aura growing stronger as white light seeped into his body.
[Hahaha… the Law of Cause and Effect is accumulating…]
I saw Changhil smiling innocently while watching his subordinates get slaughtered before him.
The Eight Parts of the Divine were merely offerings for Changhil.