Norton steadied himself, gently extending his slender, pale fingers. A glass of crimson liquor rose from the table in front of him and slid smoothly into his hand.
Norton took a small sip of his drink, and a sense of melancholy welled up in his heart.
Am I being too extreme?
"I have lived for countless ages, and from now on, I will endure forever. Such immortality is already within my grasp, and supreme authority is firmly in my hands. Yet, I still know not the meaning of satisfaction, only yearning to go further, to cross that ethereal barrier, to pursue that unattainable transcendence... even at the cost of sacrificing countless lives, even at the cost of destroying the very foundation of Garden of Eden, to call upon a god who may not even exist..."
Fifteen thousand years ago, I would have been delighted enough to have a decent meal. I could still be content and at ease even when I was alone in that remote cave.
Now I am consumed by lust and my mind is in turmoil. Immortality cannot satisfy my greed, and the highest Garden of Eden cannot satisfy my desire for something even further.
I, Norton, have long since forgotten what I want...
Norton sighed deeply, as various memories and feelings from the past surfaced in his mind. Even his golden eyes shimmered with gold, as if he had crossed the river of time and watched his entire life, from birth to entering the Church, to his death and transformation into Vampire, and finally to becoming a god.
But the more I looked at him, the more bewildered I became; the more I looked at him, the more impure his heart seemed.
He has traversed ten thousand years of time, he has slain gods twice, and faced life and death countless times, all so that he would not become a toy that others could control at will.
Today, he is able to manipulate all living beings in the Garden of Eden at will. He stands at the highest level of the gods, the highest Existence Level of independent consciousness, and is truly immortal.
But the more this happened, the more unwilling he became!
He only has one last step left, perhaps then he can truly transcend this entire universe; he only has one last step left, perhaps then he can avoid perishing with the heat death of the universe. How could he willingly sit down now and slowly enjoy the heat death of the universe?
"How pathetic, how hateful, how lamentable!"
If I, Norton, were a person of this world, how wonderful it would be if I didn't know that there were universes beyond universes? Perhaps then I could truly relax completely and fully enjoy the beauty of power in this near-eternal time...
Norton sighed softly, but then couldn't help but scoff.
His current position is entirely due to an external soul. If he were truly from this world, he would most likely have died when the Church knight pierced his chest with a sword, and would never have reached his current high position.
But this unique soul also gave him a vision and aspirations far surpassing those of Jonah, Kuba, and even all other living beings in the universe.
He was unwilling to become a particle that constituted the mature body of God along with the heat death of this universe. He knew that there were universes beyond universes, and God beyond God!
Therefore, this has made him extremely distressed.
Just like the protagonist in a cultivation novel, no matter if he likes to enjoy life or he's a beast, the main quest is always to cultivate to the highest realm, and then see if he can ascend. If he can ascend, he'll ascend again to the immortal realm to continue cultivating until he reaches the highest.
That's precisely why Norton is feeling so bad right now.
Jonah Kuba, Shenyin sacrificing themselves for the sake of all living beings, were perhaps unaware that there were universes beyond universes, and God beyond God. Moreover, they were born in the Garden of Eden, and all their power and Existence Level were established by Garden of Eden. They could never escape Garden of Eden, nor could they surpass God. Therefore, if Garden of Eden withered, they would inevitably wither as well. That is why they sealed off reality and Heaven, solely to prevent Garden of Eden from withering and causing their own demise.
But Norton is different! From the beginning, Norton knew that there were universes beyond universes, God God, and that he himself was not a being born in the Garden of Garden of Eden. He was different from the Shenyin Kuba Jonah; Norton had the potential to transcend!
So, who the hell can resist trying to transcend this?
Just like in those Primordial Wilderness novels, if Norton cultivates the Great Dao of Strength, does he really need to become Heavenly Dao Sage?
That's definitely not going to work! Heavenly Dao Sage is only a Saint within the Primordial Wilderness. Outside, he's automatically inferior and will suffer from all sorts of calamities in the Primordial Wilderness. Norton is only one step away from becoming Pangu. He definitely wouldn't want to switch careers now and become Hongjun, who merges with the Heavenly Dao!
"Hehehe, Norton, oh Norton, three thousand years of privileged life have completely corrupted you!"
"Back then, I could endure being a beggar in Lino City for ten years, all for the sake of my eventual rise. Now, a mere one- Gore year of freedom has already tempted you to see only the immediate benefits and disregard your future safety?"
Norton a thought, countless particles of matter coalesced in front of his face to form a mirror.
His pale, perfectly delicate face was reflected in the mirror. He looked at himself in the mirror and muttered to himself, his words even sounding somewhat neurotic.
The muttering had barely ended when the veins on his neck bulged, and madness and ferocity instantly materialized in his face and eyes.
His hand, which was holding the wine glass, suddenly crushed it into nothingness, and his obsessive and insane words, along with the suddenly ferocious face reflected in the mirror, appeared together.
"No! Even if it means sacrificing the entire Garden of Eden, I, Norton, am determined to ascend to the true highest place!"
I am determined to distort the entire Garden of Eden and Heaven, to awaken the will of God once more, to devour and corrupt, to seize his body and Ascension!
With a wave of his arm, Norton caused the solidified mirror in front of him to vanish in the wind.
Then, a galaxy composed of miniature planets appeared before him, far from the abbreviated representation of reality that Abraham had seen.
Its interior already shows a complete trend of intrusion by the souls of Heaven, with fine particles forming waves like a sea of sand, appearing synchronously throughout the shrunken galaxy along with Norton's observations.
The entire galaxy seemed to be shrouded in a sea of sand, looking exceptionally exquisite and dreamlike.
Norton extended his pale, slender fingers, inserting them straight into the crevice between the planet and the sea of sand, like a steel nail.
Yet it was like a true millstone of destruction, forcefully carving out a void of nothingness between the planets of reality and the soul-filled sands of Heaven.
"I have opened the gates between reality and Heaven. Humanity shall go forth, one after another, until death, to build the bridge that connects reality and Heaven!"
All living beings shall be at my command, becoming nourishment for the Most High God ...