Chapter 479 This is the Return of the Gods (7500, First Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

A world can be roughly divided into the material realm and the spiritual realm, with the void covering both, separating them from other worlds.

Purely material realms and purely spiritual realms both exist. The former lacks any extraordinary power but will gradually孕育(yùn yù, gestate) its own spiritual realm as spiritual energy surges in. The latter is a chaotic collection of extraordinary power elements, which may孕育(yùn yù, gestate) pure elemental and spiritual realm lifeforms.

Purely spiritual realms drifting in the void may one day come into contact with a material realm, covering or merging with its local spiritual realm, instantly elevating an ordinary world to a state of extremely high magic.

In other words, the spiritual realm itself is the soul of the world. Independent spiritual realms in the void are likely formed from the remnants of a destroyed world's soul. Of course, the possibility of spontaneously formed pure spiritual realms cannot be ruled out. They interfere with the material realm, but only those with灵视(líng shì, spirit sight) can observe both worlds simultaneously.

The soul space is a manifestation of a cultivator's own thoughts and willpower, akin to a dream, but a non-material realm more solid than a dream. It exists within the spiritual realm but is relatively independent, like a private network fortress on the internet.

Su Zhou's soul space, apart from the Wisdom Tree, is like the soul space of all ordinary cultivators, a void of darkness without light. Generally, only those who have cultivated for hundreds of years without any progress have the spare time to construct their soul space into a true soul fortress, filled with dense defensive arrays and soul shields. For young cultivators, the soul growth from cultivation itself provides a greater defensive boost than any法阵(fǎ zhèn, spell array).

Visible is a cyan-white tree-shaped spirit essence located at the core of the black soul space, surrounded by a circle of strange spirit herbs. Layers upon layers of cloud-like spiritual light flow above the Wisdom Tree's spirit essence.

On the trunk of the tree, wreathed in this mist, is a scarlet little snake, lazily tapping the fruit on the tree with its tail.

Its actions are listless and without pattern, showing no apparent purpose, as if it could play with the fruit here forever.

Until a voice sounds, causing it to lift its head.

"Yala Yala."

It is Su Zhou's voice. Because it is Su Zhou's soul space, the voice arises from nowhere, without any concrete form.

The young man's tone carries a hint of youthful vigor as he says with great interest, "There's something I want to ask you!"

"What is it?"

The snake spirit replies languidly, ceasing to tap with its tail. It stretches out its body into a long strip, shaking itself as if stretching. After doing all this, Yala sighs, "Speak, what question do you have to ask now?"

"I always feel that the principles of the Great Existences, if simplified and labeled, seem as if they can be defined by games, which makes them easier to understand!"

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Yala immediately feels interested. Its interest is piqued, and it rationally and objectively comments, "The principles of the Great Existences permeate all fields, and games are naturally one of them... tell me your thoughts?"

This is the method of daily communication between Yala and Su Zhou. They occasionally chat in reality or converse in personal space, but most of all, they communicate in the soul space.

"Currently, the Great Existences I've come into contact with the most are the Lord of Silence, Destiny, the Pioneer, the Divine Tree, and you, Yala. At most, there's also Twilight, as I've killed two Twilight Devils."

Su Zhou's voice carries a hint of consideration as he says, "Of these, Destiny is a bit like a JRPG (Japanese role-playing game) with a predetermined ending. The plot is the most important, gameplay takes a backseat. He may have written the ending well, or he may have written it badly, but whether it's dialogue, choices, or the level collection rate, in the end, it can only determine those few endings, and there are no other endings to choose from."

"And the Lord of Silence is a bit like one of those games where you can only achieve a perfect ending through multiple playthroughs. Each time you play, you lay down some good elements for the next game. After countless轮回(lún huí, reincarnations), countless successful elements converge, eventually allowing people to reach a happy end."

"As for you, Yala, I personally feel that you're a bit like a roguelike game… the important thing is randomness. Every adventure is completely different. Whether it's good or bad, right or wrong, you might clear it in one go, or you might die as soon as you step out. No one knows the experience or the characters, the process or the outcome."

"Although I've never directly communicated with the Divine Tree, I deeply feel its form of existence... Whether it's the Panrong Undying Tree, the Tree of Life, or the Wisdom Tree itself, their essence is 'existence'. As long as they exist and繁衍(fán yǎn, proliferate) down, the Divine Tree can grow stronger—this is a bit like a management simulation game. It needs to cope with external disasters, while developing and growing itself. While dealing with劫难(jié nàn, tribulations), it simultaneously expands itself and its势力(shì lì, forces), which is the growth of the Divine Tree and the ecosystems attached to it."

"As for the Pioneer, it's more difficult to summarize. His characteristic is exploring any unknown, and this isn't quite the same as the sense of 'randomness' that you give me, Yala… Right, a sandbox adventure game, that's it. He expects people to explore the borders of the map, to find every easter egg and surprise within it!"

Su Zhou's thinking is smooth. Every Great Existence that he has come into contact with has been summarized by him—naturally, not very accurately, nor completely encompassing. Just like Yala, he only spoke of the chaotic aspect, not the questioning aspect. However, if only taken as a label, it is indeed very objective.

But when he reaches the end, Su Zhou instead becomes somewhat stuck. His voice hesitates, as if pondering, "But Twilight..."

Although Su Zhou has come into contact with the Great Existence Twilight several times, he can never quite distinguish the difference between Twilight and 'destruction'. Although Yala has said that Twilight is meaningless, what exactly is meant by meaningless?

So, after pondering for a while, Su Zhou abandons the thought. He directly asks with a hint of doubt, "Yala, I've had less contact with this aspect. In your opinion, how should Twilight be summarized?"

To this, Yala slightly shakes its head and says, "Your ideas are indeed somewhat one-sided. Great Existences intertwine in many fields, but overall, it's alright."

"As for Twilight..."

As it says this, it coils its body and hangs from a branch. It ponders for a moment, and then says, "That guy's essence, if divided according to your way of thinking, is very likely a pay-to-win mobile game."

Su Zhou's voice is immediately puzzled, "A pay-to-win mobile game?"

"Yes, and a pay-to-win mobile game that is about to shut down its servers."

The snake spirit says with a light laugh, its tone carrying a hint of sarcasm, "No matter how much brilliance you burn, how wonderful a life you live, how great achievements you establish... What meaning is there in the face of a predetermined ending?"

"In the end, it's all Twilight, in the end, it's all meaningless, in the end, it's all nothingness."

"This is, Twilight."

"Is that so..."

Su Zhou's thoughtful voice sounds, "Thank you, Yala!"

"There's nothing to thank."

To this, the snake spirit does not care. It again flicks its tail, tapping the fruits on the Wisdom Tree, "Games are a simulation of reality, carrying the creator's ideas. The fact that you can use games to represent the ideas of the Great Existences proves that you have begun to think about your own path..."

The snake spirit asks its contractor quietly to himself, "So, Su Zhou, if your path were to be compared to a game, what kind of game would it be?"

In reality.

Su Zhou slowly opens his eyes.

"My path, if it were to become a game..."

He says softly to himself, then raises his head with a smile, looking at the bright sunshine and the magnificent, undulating coastal scenery before him.

"That's... really hard to say."

This place is the Holy Flame Continent, the eastern coast, the Sunset City shore, Food Street.

Shark Whirlwind Shop.

The position Su Zhou is sitting in is an outdoor dining table outside the shop, facing the sea, and in front of him is a promotional sign.

[Sea Demon Stew]

[Sea Demon Stew was originally called 'Six Fresh Fish Soup', a traditional delicacy of Sunset City. It is made from six carefully selected types of seafood stewed in a rich broth, with a fresh, fragrant, and mellow taste. It is a fine dish for entertaining guests.]

[To commemorate the Lord of Judgment's descent into the world and the slaying of six evil sea demons, it was renamed Sea Demon Stew. It is said that the Lord of Judgment specially came to this shop before setting off to kill the sea demons… This is the origin of the famous dish Sea Demon Stew.]

Elemental Calendar 307, August 22nd.

A month has passed since the battle that calmed the elements.

Many things have happened in this month.

Firstly, neither the visitors from the Pioneer Space nor the pirates are to be seen.

Most of the pirates captured by Ishaar's Firefolk fleet have been sent to coastal cities for trial, execution, or labor reform.

As for the Seafolk, due to this ocean disturbance, some chose to remain ashore and abide by the precepts, while others chose to return to the sea, living a free life with its own unique order.

More noteworthy is that the trade routes between the Holy Flame Continent and the Distant Wind Continent have been reopened. After more than one hundred and thirty years of separation, the Windfolk and Firefolk, isolated for so long, once again have large-scale civilian contact.

The Food Street of Sunset City has even greater foot traffic than it did a month ago because of the enactment of the new 'Ocean Law' and the popularization of the related 'Exploration Law'. More and more people have become curious about the ocean, which was previously occupied by many pirates, and what kind of charms and treasures it might contain. As the main port for departing into the eastern sea, Sunset City has naturally become the base camp for many emerging adventurers and explorers. Food Street, as a local specialty, is naturally a must-try, and business is extremely booming.

Even, on the edge of the street, several new shops have opened, which are actually some of the Seafolk opening new shops with the help of the Saint Hall. They specialize in selling sashimi, live sea urchins, and other fresh seafood, as well as various unique marine creatures that the Firefolk have never eaten before. Now, there are crowds of people coming and going in an endless stream.

Recently, Su Zhou has visited all the shops in turn, and some of them are truly excellent, no less than some well-known restaurants on Earth.

Of course, the most noteworthy thing is the matter of Sarah's family moving into Su Zhou's personal space.

After promising the Windfolk little girl to help her find her family, Su Zhou seriously went to the island where Sarah originally lived in the sea to look for clues to her tribe. But not to mention that Sarah's clan had long been driven out of their hometown by pirates, even their hometown island had been completely washed over by the aftermath of the huge waves he had caused when fighting the God of Water, and there were no clues left.

Su Zhou opened his Dragon Eyes and tracked the smallest clues everywhere. After searching for most of the day, he found that most of Sarah's clan were living well, and Sarah's parents had long been rescued by Aimon and others and were now living well around Sunset City, using their past professional skills to help people raise fish and grow flowers, living a carefree life.

After happily reuniting with their daughter, Sarah's father and Sarah's mother had no objections to Su Zhou's proposal and invitation. These two bee people were quite indifferent. As long as they could live a stable life as a family, whether living on an island, in Sunset City, or in Su Zhou's personal space, it was all the same to them.

Therefore, after signing the contract, this family of bee people happily moved into Su Zhou's personal space and began to manage this increasingly large private world.

Sarah's father is good at raising fish, most skilled at stabbing fish with his bee stinger, known as the number one fish stabber across the Eight Hundred Island烦恼(fán nǎo, worrying) Sea. The water quality in the personal space is too clear and not suitable for raising fish, so he is currently spreading a certain spiritualized seaweed at Su Zhou's instruction to pave the way for a vibrant ocean in the future.

Sarah's mother is good at growing flowers. Sarah's excellent gardening skills were passed down from her mother. This skill is now very useful, whether it is taking care of the spiritual plants that the Wisdom Tree casually plants or making the entire personal space beautiful.

As for Sarah, she is the Wisdom Tree's playmate, without the need for professional skills. But even so, Sarah is also very good at growing flowers and raising bees. Sarah's family used to rely on fishing, growing flowers, and raising bees for a living, self-sufficient and self-entertaining.

"Thinking about it carefully, after returning to Earth, I can completely sign contracts with my two marine beast眷族(juàn zú, family members) on Earth—occasionally having them come to my personal space to进修(jìn xiū, take advanced courses) would obviously be more beneficial to them."

Thinking this, Su Zhou stands up. After paying, he leaves Food Street and walks along Sunset City's seaside avenue.

As he walks, the young man sighs, "Thinking carefully, the number of races related to me is increasing. Not to mention the recent bee people, most of the Firefolk in the entire轮回(lún huí, reincarnation) world have my bloodline... Plus the fox people of Qingqiu Star, the races and lives I influence are truly growing more and more."

"Clang!"

However, he did not expect the Miedu Blade to become angry.

As for why, the answer is also very simple...

The Miedu Blade was originally extremely excited about this battle against the God of Water—the enemies were gods, immortal, and some even possessed dragon and snake bloodlines. The gathering of many characteristics made it think that this was its time to shine.

Who knew that Su Zhou would directly transform into a naval battle version of the Candle Sun, only changing form once from beginning to end, and crushing all the enemies.

Weapons? Unnecessary!

The Miedu Blade watched helplessly as the enemies it was supposed to be especially effective against were all instantly killed by Su Zhou with a single blow. It felt like its heart was breaking... It was as unbearable as smelling catnip and not being allowed to吸(xī, inhale) it!

"Hey—I know, the main reason I didn't let you appear this time is because I haven't had time to add you to my 'Chainsaw Cutting Tail'."

To this, Su Zhou naturally explains patiently, "Moreover, the True Body is the True Body, and the Dragon Body is the Dragon Body. Haven't I already used you to cut the Judgment Dragon once? I even took you for a walk around the entire Sunset City."

"...Clang!"

Hearing this, the Miedu Blade suddenly understands—so it did cut something! Therefore, it obediently returns to the personal space, chasing after the elemental sun in the sky.

"Hey... The past me would never have imagined that one day, besides raising trees, I would also have to walk a blade..."

Somewhat troubled, Su Zhou rubs his head, unable to help muttering in his heart, "Or maybe I shouldn't use weapons in the future?"

"No, indeed, at least the human form still needs to use them."

Today is Su Zhou's last day deciding to stay in the轮回(lún huí, reincarnation) world.

In the past month, he and Elias co-authored the latest法典(fǎ diǎn, code), and popularized a new code to all Firefolk according to the new oath.

Whether it is an industry or society, the most important thing is to formulate new regulations and戒律(jiè lǜ, precepts) with the progress of the times. The old regulations cannot cover new industries, and without clear regulatory systems规范(guī fàn, regulate), it will naturally cause new things to be suppressed and exploited.

But even so, many people have doubts—they do not understand why they should set up new laws and change the法典(fǎ diǎn, code) that has been used for hundreds of years from beginning to end, which makes people confused.

To actively dispel all the Firefolk's doubts, Elias, as the Lord of Fire, made a choice that shocked the world.

God, proclaims a divine decree.

Actively acknowledges his mistake.

Even, casts the result of this mistake into a statue stele, permanently placing it in front of all temples.

At this time, Su Zhou walks to the end of the coastal avenue, around Sunset City's port.

In front of the Grand Temple of Sunset City, he sees a towering stone tablet standing at the main entrance of the temple.

The stone tablet is rectangular in shape, with dense names engraved on both sides... On it are the names of all those who were wrongly convicted and suffered刑罚(xíng fá, punishment) under the covenant法典(fǎ diǎn, code), as well as the names of all those who stirred up trouble and used the法典(fǎ diǎn, code).

In addition, it also commemorates all those without names who suffered injustice and died... All the judges, the judged, all the innocent people, the people who encountered pain because of God's mistakes, their names and representatives are all here.

[Laws are insufficient to guide for ten thousand years, constant reflection and frequent革新(gé xīn, innovation) are needed]

[The evil in the world is the fault of man, but even more so, the fault of God]

[Never forget, remember it in your heart]

"This is the fault of order, and those who have died cannot be compensated. The only thing that can be done is to remember the戒律(jiè lǜ, precepts) and remember this lesson."

Looking at the huge gray stone tablet, Su Zhou cannot help but feel some emotion, "I hope that one day, humans can remember the lessons of history."

This trip to the轮回(lún huí, reincarnation) world, which was originally just to come back and see the situation, has instead reaped a lot of rewards for Su Zhou.

The Power of Ten Thousand Ages of革新(gé xīn, innovation), this newly integrated神通(shén tōng, divine power), is actually not the most important. The most important thing is that Su Zhou has completely clarified his thoughts, opened up the path he will take in the future, and completely solidified the foundation for his future advancement to immortality and even higher realms.

This cannot be compared to any kind of gain, it is a gain that belongs solely to the individual.

In addition, the personal space has also expanded dozens of times compared to its original size due to the feedback from the Tartadis world, and the Wisdom Tree has gained a lot of surplus space for future growth.

And the excellent fertilizer, the substantialized world dust, has also allowed Su Zhou to consume all the inferior evil souls he had accumulated in the past, exchanging them for this precious currency that is probably common in the multiverse.

As for other aspects, whether it is the improvement of combat skills or the adjustment and evolution of the naval battle-type True Body, they are all trivial matters, a matter of course.

And among these personal gains, the most important thing is to find a true agent who believes in him and to see that his past friends have not gone astray and are still walking on the right path.

"I should go, Elias."

The young man says this, and behind him, a burst of crimson fire flashes, and the white-haired少年(shào nián, boy) wearing a crown appears from the light, his robe dancing in the wind, floating in mid-air.

He looks at Su Zhou's back with a somewhat complicated expression, then nods lightly and sighs: [Then, I can only say goodbye, Teacher.]

"Why sigh? You are still alive, and I am still alive. One day in the future, we will be able to meet again."

Turning around, Su Zhou's expression does not change, he even smiles: "However, the next time I come back, I hope to see a world better than today."

[No problem, Teacher.]

Seeing Su Zhou's smile, Elias, who was originally in a somewhat complicated mood, is slightly stunned, and then slowly smiles. He firmly says: [In the past, I swore to myself that when you, Teacher, return, the entire world will传颂(chuán sòng, sing the praises of) your name—no matter what the final result, I have completed this oath.]

[And this time, I am also willing to make an oath to myself—as long as I exist for one day, the Tartadis world will inevitably develop in a better direction. Perhaps there will be mistakes, history will develop in a spiral, but what will not change is the heart to move forward and climb upward.]

"I am very pleased to hear your promise."

Laughing heartily, Su Zhou has already taken out the Heavenly God's Scale from his怀(huái, bosom)—on the silver pocket watch, the gray刻度(kè dù, scale) is flashing with bright brilliance.

He looks at Elias, and the image of the少年(shào nián, boy) who was still somewhat reserved and lacked confidence four hundred years ago appears before his eyes. At that time, the young Grand Duke was so confused and at a loss, he could only force himself to move forward, almost forcing himself to continue—and now, the white-haired God before him, although still with some regrets, has a heart that is already extremely strong, and can even bear the world and face the bleak sacrifices without fear.

—This is革新(gé xīn, innovation)... Everyone's革新(gé xīn, innovation) of themselves, correcting the old shortcomings, amplifying the due advantages, and turning themselves into a better version of themselves.

"Then, see you next time, Elias."

Finally, the young man calmly waves his hand, and then handsomely activates the Scale, causing the silver radiance to bloom and open a space-time gate.

[See you next time, Teacher Su Zhou.]

The light flickers, and then, there is nothing.

Above the sky, a cyan-purple star appears, rising against the current, speeding towards the distant end of time and space, going farther and farther, farther and farther.

Sunset City, coastal avenue.

In the bustling port street, where people come and go in an endless stream, the noisy sound waves of ordinary people come.

Shouts, curses, bargaining, encouraging voices full of hope, tired complaints, whispered mysterious conversations, fierce threats, and all kinds of other sounds.

It can even be seen that a disabled person with broken hands and feet is cursing and walking towards a small fishing boat with crutches, leading some former pirates with various brands and戒疤(jiè bā, Buddhist monastic scars) all over their bodies—Nid, the captain of the Wild Boar, has no hands and feet and cannot do hunting business, but with his years of maritime experience, there is no problem in being a fisherman or a guide.

Everyone has their own destiny.

Standing at the end of the street, the God who is already alone is somewhat lost as he watches all of this.

But then, he laughs softly: [Even if we are still in the轮回(lún huí, reincarnation), we must try as much as possible to live in a better and happier轮回(lún huí, reincarnation), rather than being satisfied with inferior happiness.]

The God in the form of a 少年(shào nián, boy) shakes his head, then turns into fire and disappears in place.

[Your teachings, I will not forget them.]

At the same time, in the Seven Seas, on a large ship in the雀跃(què yuè, joyfully leaping) Sea.

The gray-haired 神官(shén guān, priest), the Lord of Judgment's Agent, Aimon, watches the star flying away倒(dǎo, backwards), then bows slightly, paying his respects to his Lord.

Now, he has become second only to the Lord of Judgment's Blessed One, the Grand Priest, and holds the Grand Priest's authority. He is responsible for managing all adventurer-related matters in the Seven Seas and also serves as the Chief Justice of the coastal regions.

The old 神官(shén guān, priest) does not care about these powers, he just wants to practice his and his Lord's道(dào, path).

Straightening up, Aimon stares at the gradually receding star, then fumbles in his懷(huái, bosom), taking out a complete dragon scale of black and white intertwined.

Above, there is an extremely dense aura of karma fire and an almost substantial will to judge evil.

The dragon scale directly given by the Lord of Judgment, inscribed with all the inheritance, is a sacred object bestowed by God... But compared to this sacred object, what Aimon really cares about is the word of encouragement that his Lord gave him.

[Aimon, face the future, may as well be bolder, because you will eventually reach there.]

[Do not be afraid, for I am with you.]

"Why should I be afraid? My Lord."

Remembering these two sentences, the gray-haired old 神官(shén guān, priest) slightly raises the corners of his mouth, causing wrinkles to pile up, he says with a calm smile: "I walk on Your正道(zhèng dào, righteous path), and even in the face of destruction, I am as safe as Mount Tai."

At this moment, in the Icy凝(níng, congealing) Void.

Just as Su Zhou is preparing to drive the time-space sphere formed by the Heavenly God's Scale back to Earth, he suddenly raises his head, gazing towards the other side of the distant time and space.

In the dense area of gray world dust, a cyan light seems to light up,飘摇(piāo yáo, fluttering) from afar.

It is a huge needle bee-shaped divine soul.

This divine soul, as bright as琉璃(liú lí, glazed tile), as if it has been tempered by countless times and disasters before it could be cast, is now dragging a long stream of light, returning from the other side of distant time and space.

Just as Su Zhou is watching the huge Wind Giant Bee in surprise, the giant bee-shaped divine soul also senses Su Zhou, and then, emits an incredibly delighted波动(bō dòng, wave), waving the giant needles on its forelimbs.

And Su Zhou also waves his hand remotely with a big laugh, and behind him, the huge dragon-shaped phantom shakes its tail, seemingly also greeting.

It is just that they are too far away from each other, so much so that communication is extremely difficult, and they can only pay their respects to each other.

Then, they part ways.

The cyan divine soul,坠(zhuì, falls) towards the world.

Immediately afterwards, within the Tartadis world, a cyan star lights up from the end of the horizon, falling towards the other side of the continent.

Four hundred years after the New Era, the Judgment Dragon returns, bringing a new order to the chaotic world.

Four hundred years after the New Era, the God of Wind returns, bringing news belonging to the new world.

The returning gods, again and again, change the world, surpassing the轮回(lún huí, reincarnation) that binds everything.

The Great Existences watch all of this, until the end of the轮回(lún huí, reincarnation).

And at the same time that the God of Wind returns to the internal of the轮回(lún huí, reincarnation) world.

Once again, the gray mist permeates, appearing in front of Su Zhou.

[Su Zhou.]

The voice says this.

First update, seeking monthly tickets!

The second update, which is also the end of the volume, will be updated around tomorrow morning, you can read it when you wake up.