Here, Burn Everything to Ashes.

Before speaking with Doctor Mobius, Su Qing'an understood that there was an insurmountable chasm between him and Fuxi.

The future of genetic modification was initially unknown.

The limits that can be reached by advancing to the Void Realm and entering the Ascended State are already predetermined.

Even though he had not deeply understood the concept and significance of dimensional ascension before, nor was he aware that the ultimate path was the same, he still understood the objective gap between the two.

Fuxi's Ascended State is not the Ascended State of one person. Not only can she reside there eternally, but she is also naturally located at the top level closest to the Alaya-Vijnana.

The so-called "completion" today is to pursue completeness in a conceptual sense, so that it can truly reach the state of permanent residence in the Alaya-Vijnana.

Dimensional ascension, dimensional ascension.

Even though they are both at the same level, there is still an incomparable distance between them.

A newborn embryo and a fully grown human being.

This is a precise example of people at the same life level but in different life cycles.

But the gap between Su Qing'an and Fuxi was even more terrifying than that.

The young man understood this better than anyone else; he could accurately gauge his own and his opponent's levels from the upper limit of the Void Sword Qi and the concept of the Ascended State.

In contrast, soldiers who don't know enough about this might be able to maintain an optimistic attitude.

But he can't.

Su Qing'an will never be a match for Fuxi; this is an established and unchangeable fact.

Even if it achieves the ultimate sublimation in a perfect sense, even if it has ample time to complete itself, the final result is merely a difference in how long it can last. It still cannot change the ultimate defeat and the annihilation of humanity.

So in the end...

Su Qing'an had only one choice from beginning to end in order to reach the ending she desired.

That is, to use everything as a bargaining chip to Soul Scale.

All the previous preparations, whether it was trying to learn the Soul State and transform into Idealistic Lifeform, advancing to the Great Void, entering the Ascended State, undergoing genetic modification and sublimation, or even the current aberration and dimensional ascension, were all in order to ultimately accumulate the chips to the limit.

Fuxi once asked, "Why?"

Why allow this distortion at different levels to be allowed to corrode and completely destroy the Manas consciousness?

Why allow your soul to be twisted into a fragmented and mottled state?

Why would you rather die in such a lowly and wretched way?

Because that throne is the source of the aberration, a combination of the path of genetic modification and the path of Ascended State, a phenomenon of the soul becoming increasingly integrated with it, and it also represents the qualification of this aberration itself to be considered a bargaining chip.

Everything, all of it, is for this one moment of burning.

Su Qing'an's limbs and torso gradually peeled away, and the fingertips that touched the Soul Scale crumbled inch by inch, turning into pitch-black [Ashes] that drifted into it.

The throne, piled with blood and bone, collapsed, and the chains, interwoven with gold and thorns, decayed.

The Planet-class Honkai Beast's body, which had ascended to a higher dimension in a distorted form, emitted a mournful wail and scream, and the remnants of the Manas consciousness that merged into it defined it as part of the bargaining chip.

And so, between the sky and the earth, there was a flurry of falling [Ashes].

The boy's remaining remains sat upright on the dust-covered throne, his eyes lowered, his dark pupils so dull and lifeless yet reflecting the burning starlight.

The concept of Su Qing'an is dead.

The human being who was once defined by that name, along with all the emotions and memories he experienced, felt, and possessed, vanished completely the moment the Soul Scale were set in motion.

All that remains is the [thought] frozen in that instant by the spacetime axis of ascended life.

That was still Su Qing'an, but he was no longer himself.

Fuxi sensed the moment of glory that person had gained at the cost of everything, understood the frozen spacetime axis and the solidified heaven and earth within himself in that instant, gazed at the ruins on the throne, and whispered:

"Everything of yours, all of yours."

"It can only be exchanged for this one moment, and only this one moment."

In the instant the world was covered in [Ashes], it completely shifted to another timeline.

This will be the final battlefield, and also a defensive measure to prevent the war between the two sides from annihilating the Earth's crust, destroying the ecosystem, or even destroying the planet.

And only in this one instant could he briefly freeze the unified state that the other party had reached in its Ascended State, and replace the spacetime axis of this conceptual being with his own authority.

This is the only and last chance, the ultimate opportunity given in Equivalent Exchange with the Soul Scale.

Even if we can infinitely stretch and extend this instant by evolving the exponential threshold of the spacetime axis.

However, when it comes to actually making a move, the spacetime axes of both will still be somewhat disrupted.

Knowing he was about to be attacked, Fuxi would not wait for his opponent to make the next move; even the slightest opening would be enough to eliminate any further opportunities.

Su Qing'an's [Nian] sits atop a throne covered in dust, his posture frozen in the moment before it should have vanished, disheveled and broken. He is like a dying relic, covered in the mottled dust of years and history.

In reality, for the person who has already died, this is a relic that still carries memories and emotions.

This seemingly violates the rules of instant exchange, but it is also the only struggle he can make in the end.

They had no choice but to give it their all, yet they also had to leave behind [Nian] to deliver the final blow.

The current [Su Qing'an] is a product of this extremely distorted vision.

For Fuxi now, what he sees is nothing more than a corpse and a reflection of the past.

So she wasn't angry at all; perhaps she never would have been angry about it in the first place.

Therefore, only one question can be raised.

She asked frankly:

"What can you do with this instant?"

"After swapping the spacetime axis with the universe, the power you gained through all your sacrifices is no longer sufficient to accomplish anything."

The boy remained noncommittal, and whispered:

"Yes, I know."

This is an undeniable fact.

The Soul Scale used Su Qing'an's concept itself as the final bargaining chip, causing his frozen [thought] to reach a level above Fuxi in an instant.

Once the opponent is completely frozen in place, the power granted by this level is reduced to a few scattered sparks.

The brilliance squeezed to its limit will ultimately be extinguished within the fleeting years.

Once the real action is taken, neither this [thought] nor the Soul Scale will remain in the world.

Su Qing'an has an inseparable connection with the Soul Scale, perhaps this is the concrete manifestation of the special characteristics of his soul all along.

Therefore... its very existence can be defined as something that exchanges chips.

Fuxi gazed at the pitch-black, Lightless sea.

--This is an extremely desolate World Bubble. The Sea of Quantum on the outside has already corroded the outer shell, and this place could perish at any moment.

The Proper World is a leaf of the Imaginary Tree, and is quite distant from the World Bubble that is drowning in the Sea of Quantum.

But since the other party is of the same race and knows his origins, he should understand that there is no cage in this world that can imprison him.

As long as humanity exists in this Proper World, as long as there are still souls on that land that have not been completely extinguished.

As a conceptual life form born from [humanity] in the Proper World, Fuxi was able to return to that homeland by tracing back to its origins.

This is even an instinct that cannot be defied.

From the fact that she was banished to outer space but quickly returned to Earth, it can be seen that Fuxi, as a conceptual life form, possesses a natural desire to complete herself. This ability she possesses is an unsolvable problem for humanity in the Proper World.

Theoretically speaking, you can either stall the opponent indefinitely or annihilate them completely.

Otherwise, the boy would not have been able to reach the ending he wanted.

However, this was precisely beyond Su Qing'an's capabilities. Fuxi understood this and knew his goal, so he naturally found it strange.

Because this is a meaningless act.

She gave her evaluation:

"This is a pointless act."

Su Qing'an's expression was complicated, and he sighed:

"Born from intertwined human souls, and born into this world with the concept of [humanity], have you become incapable of understanding humanity?"

Fuxi remained unmoved upon hearing this.

She possesses the innocence of being at birth, yet because she has the memories of countless Daoist thoughts, she can clearly understand the implied meaning of others' words.

Compared to Su Qing'an and the world's opinions, Fuxi's understanding and mindset were the most profound and clear; she proclaimed her will within the boundless timeline of space and time.

"I am [human], and I define humanity as my fellow human beings."

"But from the moment I was born, I was destined to separate myself from the path defined by the old era."

"After reaching the higher dimension, you will also be able to perceive the vast ocean and the essence of the world beyond your Proper World."

"Human beings are but a drop in the ocean of the boundless universe. They are inherently weak and destined to be unable to withstand the selection process originating from the world's own mechanisms. Their lifespan and life cycle are as short as mayflies. With a single shift on the spacetime axis, they will be completely annihilated and enter dozens of unknowable cycles of reincarnation."

"But the humans of this Proper World are different from those of other worlds. They only need to unite with me in one thought, becoming [fellow citizens], and everyone can obtain the happiness and eternity they deserve in the great dream."

"They will thus break free from the selection process of the world's mechanisms, further escaping the constraints of the physical body and the cumbersome methods of civilization's inheritance, and will no longer be bound by lifespan, nor experience pain and sorrow."

She said calmly:

"Compared to other civilizations and worlds that are still struggling to survive under the selection process, my Proper World is very fortunate."

Su Qing'an remained silent.

He could tell that Fuxi genuinely believed it was the right choice.

And just as she said, at the moment of dimensional ascension, her way of observing the world was completely different.

If we assume that the Imaginary Tree is the source and trunk of all worlds, Proper World is merely a leaf on it, then he has already become an existence that has autonomously jumped out of this leaf, and the perspective from which he sees the world has naturally become completely different from before.

If SU needs to rely on the Thousand Worlds One Ride to observe the rest of the Leaf World.

Su Qing'an and Fuxi could do similar things by instinct, and both could even go further and directly enter other Leaf World or even higher-dimensional areas.

This is what it means to ascend to a higher dimension of life.

From this high vantage point, even the previously limited powers seem insignificant.

The Herrscher? The Finality?

Only after truly reaching a higher dimension could Su Qing'an understand how ridiculous this was compared to Fuxi.

This is why Fuxi would have doubts about the actions of this member of his clan.

She couldn't understand why a being of a higher dimension, who had transcended the Leaf World, would give up everything for humans, who were not from its own Proper World, just to gamble on a future with little hope for this civilization that was crumbling under the weight of Honkai.

Fuxi stated:

"This is not your Proper World, and you have no reason to do this."

A kaleidoscope of colors flickered within the girl's pupils; even though her Ascended State was imprisoned, this very essence still rendered her emotions bland and ethereal.

"If you wish, I can send you back to where you still have a wisp of your soul, placing you in Leaf World that has not yet been Honkai, so that you may enter the cycle of reincarnation."

Throughout the entire process, Fuxi never believed he could possibly lose.

Su Qing'an was not surprised that his true colors had been seen through.

For Fuxi, who lived based on the concept of humanity within the Proper World, she could confirm this by observing whether he would have the thought of completing it.

Although this occurred before the dimensional ascension, the other party could find the answer simply by reviewing their records of observing the Frozen Lake at that time.

He had already lost interest in responding.

The Manas consciousness possesses the ability to communicate with all things in heaven and earth, and even all living beings, but it lacks the power to enable people to understand each other.

Since he and Fuxi were destined to be unable to understand each other, there was no need for communication.

The boy looked up at her. Now, with deliberate effort, his [thought] could see through the appearances that were previously impossible to discern, and glimpse the true core within.

It was an innate divinity that ascended to the highest dimension in the concept of [humanity], an accident that emerged from the collision and evolution of the creation of heaven and earth and the mysteries of the universe.

In the instant one glimpses the truth within, a vast ocean of countless thoughts and souls enters the eye.

Su Qing'an was stunned. In the frozen world, those familiar soul auras seemed to be embracing this [thought].

It contains Satou Yunona, the girl who died in the midst of the light and heat that melted the world, ultimately leaving behind an empty shell like a cicada shedding its skin; and Himeko, the captain of the Moth to Fire, who was tricked by the missionary and ultimately forced to submit to the Will of Honkai, turning into [Ashes] on the battlefield.

And Seele Fulei, whose soul was crushed when she became the Herrscher of Death, and the Herrscher of Death who gave Su Qing'an [Creation] and the Perfect Stigmata at the cost of her own soul.

However, it seems that because the Herrscher of Death's soul was shaped from the core material of Seele Fulei's soul remnants, and because the two's personalities and emotions were highly consistent with hers, their souls were so broken that they could not sustain themselves on their own.

Their thoughts and souls were like twins, nestled together, complementing each other's existence, so that a wisp of their souls was not completely extinguished.

The boy parted his lips and whispered:

"The soul perishes and does not enter the cycle of reincarnation."

Just as the Thousand Herrscher said, whether it was Seele, who was forcibly crushed by the Honkai Consciousness, or the Herrscher of Death, who sacrificed her own soul, they were all destined to meet the same fate.

However, a series of coincidences and factors led to a miracle, which gave both of them the opportunity to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation in a special way.

Having seen the answer it sought, this [thought] lost the will to continue wasting time.

The frozen world gradually crumbled.

However, the timelines of both remain utterly still and lifeless.

Looking at the strange phenomena around him and the slowly shattering Soul Scale, Fuxi understood the other party's final choice.

She didn't know the true nature of the scales, but she understood that they still obeyed the law of conservation of energy to some extent.

In any case, the miracles it can generate are still products of an autonomous assessment of the chips.

It is unknown how many times it will expand during this period, but it will inevitably be constrained within the limits of the chips it provides.

However, the power to transcend to a higher dimensional level using anything that is not of Higher-Dimensional Being is most likely beyond the limits.

The other party crossed this threshold and exchanged a huge amount of capital through two paths of advancement, which is the basis for his ability to stabilize himself.

The concept of burnout.

There is still room for maneuver for both Su Qing'an and her.

Because the spacetime axis and records of higher-dimensional beings belong to themselves, [miracles] are phenomena that can be autonomously triggered and exist.

This is why I was confident that I could trace it back to where a wisp of soul still remained.

However, there is a fundamental and inviolable principle within it.

That is, adhering to the Equivalent Exchange.

However, if the boy exhausts the power of transformation on his own, Fuxi and he himself will no longer be qualified to follow this principle, and there will be no turning back.

She still asked that question:

"Why?"

But this time...

The boy's corpse slowly collapsed and shattered. As heaven and earth, and all things in this World Bubble completely annihilated by the terrifying power, his murmurs echoed in Fuxi's ears.

"Because I want them to have another summer."

"This era is not dead yet."

This dying World Bubble collapsed into nothingness, and the remaining matter was lost and destroyed under the scouring of the Sea of Quantum. But in that moment of immeasurable crushing and roaring, the ultimate firelight was greater than every corner of sight, and the radiating dimensions transcended time and space, illuminating the extremely distant Proper World and the surrounding thousands of World Bubble and even the other leaf worlds.

At the cost of Su Qing'an's concept being completely eroded, the resulting phenomenon is an incomparably dazzling Polar day in countless worlds.

This phenomenon lasted only for a fleeting moment, so brief as to seem like an illusion, or a dream.

It looked like cherry blossoms, but even more like fireworks.

The quantum tributary, falling with overwhelming force, was completely burned out.

The source of all this lies in the annihilation that Fuxi entered amidst his myriad Daoist thoughts and the sea of his soul.

"I... I hope they can still enter the cycle of reincarnation."

Hearing the man's final whisper, the girl finally understood his purpose.

Within that sea of consciousness, several souls and thoughts broke free from the constraints of the concept of [humanity] and slowly returned to their Proper World.

The vibrant colors within Fuxi's eyes faded, and the ultimate sense of harmony Honkai, revealing complex emotions.

Her lips parted, uttering the whisper before her consciousness slipped into a long slumber:

"Su Qing'an?"

"That's incredibly stupid."