Chapter 978: Error

Countless years later, a figure carrying hope followed this broken cycle of time and space, appearing here.

This was a new Eternal, an Eternal who inherited hope in this timeline, in this starry cosmos, born countless years later. He appeared here because the Void Wanderer Overlord's words were still echoing in his mind.

"The past and the future are constantly changing. Sever the past and the future, unify all variables into one. Only then are you the true you; only then are you qualified to pursue the origin... to perceive the cause of all things, the effect of all things."

The figure repeated these words, looking ahead, gazing directly at the origin.

Even after countless years had passed, in this place that was like the end of boundless spacetime, that unyielding will and undying belief still reverberated.

Countless times and spaces intersected and collided here, rippling outward in circles, forming timelines, which evolved into multiverses. This was the ultimate; the cause of all things, the effect of all things.

This was...

"Origin," he muttered softly.

He finally understood the true meaning of origin. He also understood why people had forgotten the true essence of Eternity, yet all knew of the origin above Eternity.

The origin they spoke of was not a realm. It was... a person.

"So, the Origin is not destiny, nor is it the beginning of all things."

The figure spoke, stepping past Origin. "The true beginning of destiny is..."

The next moment, his pupils dilated violently, as if he had seen something most bizarre and terrifying in all existence. Even though he had walked this far on the path of Eternity, he still felt as if he were falling into an abyss, chills running through him. Under the shock of this sight, his thoughts fell into silence.

"How... could it be..."

Only after a long time had passed did he finally break free from that bewilderment and dead silence. He stared ahead, speechless for a long time, standing still on the spot. However, he quietly sensed behind him, sensing.... the Origin.

He felt that will, that undying faith that, no matter how many years had passed, would never yield so long as it had not utterly perished.

Did you succeed? he asked in his heart.

His inner spirit even trembled slightly with admiration, worry, and even fear. Following a lingering aura, he gazed in a certain direction.

That was the spacetime of a being trapped in eternal emptiness, eternal nothingness. But at this moment, this spacetime seemed to have changed. And he saw it, the key to the change.

***

In a small place called Qingyuan Mountain that was on a small planet named Tianhuang, the Void Emperor sat calmly on the balcony of an old courtyard, quietly watching the city ahead.

A day, a month, half a year...

When one hundred and eighty days had passed on his planet, dawn broke, and the cold light of morning shone upon him, he stood up.

"Mortal..." he muttered to himself. "So be it."

But then, destiny changed.

It seemed that he did not simply leave the city, completely shed his humanity, achieve the Oblivion True God, and then transform into the Void Emperor. Instead...

"Eh? Young one, you're back?"

A somewhat surprised call changed everything at that moment. The wheel of destiny began to turn, but it rolled toward an entirely different direction.

The Void Emperor was awakened by his human friend Zhao Si, who forced him into a life-and-death situation. In the end, he was reborn as Baili Qingfeng.

The shackle of hope was no longer on him. His life was no longer bound by destiny. He found the meaning of his life, stayed with his beloved, and grew old together. It was just like one of the outcomes once shown in the Divine Treasure World.

A prayer of the Void Emperor containing the power of destiny seemed to echo in his ears endlessly.

"I witnessed the rise and fall of countless worlds, the fading of countless eras, wandering aimlessly through endless voids for what could be billions of years.

"In the time it takes a mortal heart to beat, countless galaxies and star systems vanish in dazzling brilliance before my eyes.

"Yet, even now, I feel nothing for them—no emotion, no sympathy. I am the void itself, unable to hear, see, or feel anything... Ten million, a hundred million lives—vanishing into nothingness. I am eternal life, eternal death, eternal emptiness, eternal nothingness...."

But this prayer had changed.

"Until he... fulfilled his promise."

"There is no longer a need to endure with unyielding resolve, no longer a need to love everything... no longer a need to pursue perfection, nor cling to fearless conviction while staggering forward. You guys can simply let your humanity shine, and walk toward a life of your own."

The figure standing within endless time and space, carrying hope, quietly watched this scene. He watched Baili Qingfeng rediscover his true heart, live his life, and rewrite his destiny.

Even though he was so small, to the extent that, in his eyes, he could only be described as insignificant, the change in his destiny undoubtedly proved a truth. And also... granted him hope once more, giving him the courage to keep moving forward.

"Thank you," he whispered, sincerely expressing his gratitude.

That soft murmur broke the dead silence before him, infusing his hope with new strength.

"There's no longer anything in this world that can make me afraid," he said.

The confusion was gone, the dead silence was dispersed. Like the darkness of the deep sea abyss being driven away by the light that illuminated heaven and earth. At that moment, what filled his heart was the absolute conviction built upon countless near-death struggles, turning impossibilities into possibilities along the way.

Then, he raised his palm, and upon it, there seemed to be light. Within that light, the faint silhouettes of three figures appeared, layered together, depicting three entirely different eras.

What they finally formed and pointed toward was neither the Origin, nor a realm above the Origin, but rather... an error. And as he carried this error forward with his steps, everything suddenly expanded and erupted to the extreme.

Error! Error! Error!

At that moment, everything within his sight was filled with this concept!

Error! Error! Error!

Countless streams of information were overwritten by the concept of error! Countless erroneous concepts filled time and space, permeating all things, and finally surged together toward fate, which represented everything!

Destiny—error!

Buzz!

"·"