I Am Also in the Cage

The Ancient God of Light was the mastermind operating in the shadows in broad daylight.

Li Qing's answer before him would only be taken as the answer of the Ancient God of Light, the mastermind behind it all.

"Sometimes, I really do wonder—when will this ever end?"

The Ancient God of Light continued performing surgery, suddenly opening up as well while chatting with another dying old man.

"The appearance of someone like you in this universe, seemingly an accident that monopolized the universe, may perhaps also have been inevitable fate."

Su Heng sighed. "In a sense, although you seem to be the universe's greatest overlord, you still became the universe's puppet, passively pushed forward by the unseen tide of the greater trend. Can't you choose to let go?"

Li Qing shook his head. "Choose to let go, stop being the mastermind behind the scenes, give up the supreme authority of ruling the universe, wash my hands of it all, and become one of the All Living Beings of the universe?"

At that point,

wouldn't I still be the universe's puppet, passively working for the universe?

It was merely a difference of scale.

As long as people lived, they experienced birth, aging, sickness, and death. They were all passively driving the progress of the era for the universe.

No matter how unwilling you were, your birth and death were both part of nature's cycle, both passively pushing the era forward.

"You can't escape it," Li Qing said.

"That's right." Su Heng let out a long sigh. "We can't escape birth, aging, sickness, and death. We can't escape the laws governing nature's operation. Even someone as lofty as you can't escape them. As long as we live in the universe, we have to abide by its laws and principles."

Li Qing's expression