The solemn, magnificent Divine Temple.
On both sides stood stone statues carved with giant-stone patterns.
An aged emperor stood silently before the temple. Endless Rosy Cloud Qi spilled away around him, carrying an immeasurable loneliness.
Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng, Chong Dao.
Even with death approaching, this old man still carried the murderous, brutal, bloody, and unruly aura that had lingered around him through a lifetime of warfare, making those nearby feel immense oppression.
Simply standing there was enough to make the many Immortal Herbs in the nearby pool's scalps prickle with dread. Ever since this emperor had arrived, they had abruptly awakened in this Sleep Game, completely robbed of sleepiness.
An Immortal Herb swayed and twisted its body,
"Wow! That gaze filled with remembrance is so evocative. Everywhere he looks is memory; everything in his heart belongs to the past; everything his eyes see is regret. Just one look vividly captures the final moment of a heroic emperor in his twilight years, looking back over his life."
Another Immortal Herb was dressed in full bloom—it was a girl—
"Has technology already become this advanced? Is this an actor or AI? I feel as though I'm not watching a film, but a vast epic from real history. Every movement is full of flavor and ancient charm."
"It's steeped in history, as if you're really there."
"Awesome, awesome, awesome! Give the special-effects artist an extra chicken leg!"
Some players from the Mortal World praised the excellent production of this Wallpaper Game.
They thought it was a beautiful story-driven movie game, never realizing that everything happening here was real. The dense sense of history was something no film could imitate.
At this moment, the old man was still waiting.
In the sky, the Rosy Cloud Qi grew increasingly intense.
At last, a figure descended from above the clouds.
Zhu Zhengwei had used the slightest bit of GM Authority, manipulating the wind and clouds as he descended from the sky. It at least gave his appearance the proper presence of a god.
He looked at the middle-aged traveler from the Tea Shed years ago. That Revolutionary Army Leader had already achieved complete success, embarked upon the path to kingship he had dreamed of, and reached the end of his life.
Rumble!
A peal of thunder.
At that moment, the tear-moled god descended step by step from the clouds, surrounded by pure, sacred radiance, as though he were the only true god beneath heaven and above earth.
A celestial voice rang out:
"Human Emperor Chong Dao, you have already become an Eternal Emperor."
"In the Shaman Zhu Era, humanity achieved unity. It began with you. You cultivated longevity for the people of the world, allowing them to pursue the wind and consume qi."
"You were destined to be remembered by posterity. You have no regrets in this life, and your dreams have already come true. Why did you insist on meeting me?"
His voice was sacred and tranquil, yet filled with the empty stillness of passing ages. Every word seemed to peel back the layers of history, revealing a mighty and dignified ruler of humanity, an Eternal Emperor who had loomed over the myths of human history.
The terrifying aura pressed down until the entire Divine Temple could barely breathe.
"I'm numb, I'm numb. It's only a few simple lines, yet they carry such pressure. Is this what a god is like?"
"I was shaken numb by this magnificent opening scene with the god. What terrifying pressure! That aura is frightening. Is this the presence of a god? With dialogue skills this superb, this Story Wallpaper Game is destined to become a god-tier classic!"
"Whoa! Cool!"
Quite a few viewers were shaken to the core.
In the pool, they watched the god descend from the heavens, as though weak souls were gazing upon a vast spiritual giant, as though they were seeing the center of the entire world—the only true god who held the world's authority.
That oppression, which arose from the depths of their souls, was like howling gales.
This VR game was simply too realistic.
It was so immersive. How could anyone not rave about it?
They had never imagined that a little wallpaper sightseeing game could reach such a scale. Was the Development Team itself a special-effects company? How much money had they burned on this?
"What are they discussing?"
Zhu Zhengwei pricked up his ears and listened to what the Servers were saying, unable to stop himself from laughing.
However, he let them be and paid them no attention.
He treated them as nothing more than wildflowers and weeds nearby, their voices like sounds carried by the wind.
They were merely clamor produced by nature. They could make noise, mock, play, rejoice, and rage—but what did any of that have to do with this world?
After all, in a certain sense, they were truly nothing more than spectators of the Mortal World.
At that moment.
Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng showed no sign of fear. Instead, he revealed an aged, wearied expression. "I knew you would come. From the moment I saw you at the Tea Shed all those years ago, I knew we would meet again."
Zhu Zhengwei merely looked at him.
But in the next second, the old age on Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng's face vanished in an instant. He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "May I ask whether the one standing before me is a god, or the traveler from the Mortal World whom I encountered at the Tea Shed all those years ago and with whom I had such a pleasant conversation?"
"What difference does it make?" Zhu Zhengwei said with a smile.
"Hahahaha!"
Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng suddenly burst into hearty laughter. Boldly, he said, "If you are a god, then I should invite you into the Divine Temple and bow three times with nine prostrations! If you are a traveler, then let us speak of old matters as we did back then, sitting in the Tea Shed, talking and drinking to our hearts' content. Consider it a friend seeing me off at the end!"
Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng waved his hand, dismissing all the terrified ministers and guards around him. He strode straight away from the temple entrance and came before the Tea Shed beside it. "Please, sit."
Zhu Zhengwei looked at the Tea Shed.
He knew that this extremely stubborn man who had embraced a dream wanted to end his life where it had begun.
The Tea Shed was the starting point of his fate and its turning point as well. He had already ordered people to move it perfectly to the front of the temple, even planting an identical Immortal Herb atop its roof.
Zhu Zhengwei took his seat.
The old man sat down afterward. As if repeating their first meeting, he asked with clasped fists, "You have traveled through wind and dust. Where did you come from?"
Zhu Zhengwei looked at him, then suddenly laughed outright.
For this man to have reached his present height was indeed no coincidence!
If he had sought longevity and begged for a god's help, revealing fear, Zhu Zhengwei would instead have looked down on him.
Because from the very first moment, he had understood this man's nature.
Heroic, pure, ruthless—he was practically a madman who feared neither life nor death, a Revolutionary Army Leader who yearned for change and had not hesitated to shed blood to overthrow Stone Light Emperor Changshou!
How could such a fearless hero be afraid of death?
As Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng, he possessed countless Immortal Herbs. He could have lived forever and walked the same desolate path as Zhang Zhi. But he was an aggressive fanatic who disliked hiding things away. He did not choose to live endlessly. Instead, he chose the Demonic Path, burning his lifespan to transform a single brilliant life into a burning butterfly, solely to accelerate the advancement of civilization.
Beneath the Tea Shed, Zhu Zhengwei shifted into a more relaxed posture. He glanced at him and answered calmly, "I came from the old days, and I'm heading toward the future."
The emperor's body trembled. After a moment, he suddenly smiled as well. "When I was young, I once met an old man. He also said he had come from the old days. He was an ancient sage worthy of respect, a longevity-seeker who had survived the disasters of the old era. According to him, he was born between the transition from the old era to the new."
Zhu Zhengwei still smiled. "I know him."
Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng showed no intention of continuing on that subject. Instead, as though speaking to an old friend with whom he had shared a spiritual connection for years, he suddenly smiled with immense pride. "God of Eternal Life, how do you think my achievements in this life have been?"
"I already told you." Zhu Zhengwei took a sip of tea.
The other man revealed a proud, arrogant expression. Like a child showing off, he said, "I have done so much in this life! I did it without restraint! I did it without caring what others thought! I overthrew tyrannical rule and left behind an eternal foundation for posterity. I also committed every evil imaginable. But in the future, they will understand my painstaking efforts!"
His expression was domineering and intimidating. He pointed toward the distant coastline.
"When I ruled the country, I used a million slaves to build and constantly reinforce the 'City of a Hundred Stones,' a true miracle of the Mortal World!"
"Giant stones encircle the land, with a million crossbows standing ready. Twelve cities stand atop the stone walls, from which six hundred thousand soldiers can wage war. Lighthouses shine day and night, while mighty armies stand guard, protecting and patrolling the vast ocean. If the Sea Giant invades again, it will never leave alive."
He swept his sleeve and pointed beneath his feet, then continued with a laugh. "I also ruled the realm with harsh laws! Through this, the country was peaceful and the people safe, every villain was slaughtered, and countless test subjects were provided for research to open a path toward the future."
"No matter how I look at it, the eternal foundation I established will ensure that the empire continues for thousands upon thousands of years after my death, remaining immortal forever!"
He recounted the many events of his life: the achievements he was most proud of, the ambushes he had carried out with the greatest satisfaction, the terror he had felt when Stone Light Emperor Changshou died, and the ecstatic joy of discovering that Immortal Herb.
Zhu Zhengwei listened calmly.
Time passed second by second. Dusk fell, and night was about to arrive.
Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng kept speaking until his mouth was parched, his breath weakened, and his voice grew faint.
He pointed toward the evening clouds of that day and said,
"I should have died long ago, but there were still things I could not let go of. Only after finally completing the All Living Beings Scripture did I truly relax. To be honest, for this body to endure until now is already a miracle."
He smiled, then rose and slowly took two steps forward with his aged gait. Pointing at the stone tablet of the City of a Hundred Stones, he said, "Back then, I forged that stone tablet. Now, what it described has increasingly proven to be the truth."
"Oh?"
Even on the verge of death, the old man's tone remained forceful. "I still believe that ordinary people must accept their mediocrity, while the strong must accept their death. That is the most tragic thing in this world."
He stood with a domineering air that could swallow mountains and rivers, his hands clasped behind his back. "But as the first Human Emperor, I must set an example. As a human being, I must calmly accept a human life and accept this most tragic thing in the world."
Before you continue