The news that the Memory Core was operating stably spread throughout the heavens, like a shot of adrenaline, easing the tension in their nerves caused by the threat of Return to Silence. The cultivators began to actively input more memories into the core—farmers working in the fields recorded the seasons for sowing and harvesting, teachers in the school recorded every classic text they had taught, and even fledglings that had just learned to fly had their flapping wings captured by the cultivators using a recording stone.
These seemingly trivial memories, gathered at the core, formed an indescribable "life force." The light of the fragments of the Seed of Creation became even more gentle, and even the aura of Return to Silence surrounding the core receded slightly.
That morning, the Star Patrollers's probes suddenly detected an unfamiliar fluctuation of laws emanating from outside the defensive perimeter of the Memory Core. The fluctuation was gentle yet strange, carrying a "humming" rhythm, neither an attack nor an invasion.
"A new visitor." The Star Patrollers leader's crystalline head glowed blue. "According to the analysis of the laws, the other party's energy form is highly compatible with 'memory'."
Xiao Yan immediately boarded the observation platform of the Star Patrollers flagship. In the void, a spaceship shaped like a giant seashell was slowly approaching. The surface of the spaceship was covered with spiral patterns, within which flowed a pale purple light. Within the light, countless tiny specks of light could be vaguely seen, like sealed fragments of memory.
The spaceship stopped outside the defensive perimeter, the hatch opened, and a figure floated out. It was a slender being, its entire body composed of translucent "light filaments," within which countless flowing images were entwined—the birth of stars, the rise and fall of civilizations, birth, aging, sickness, and death... as if it were a walking "memory bank."
"We are the Memory Star People." A gentle thought entered everyone's consciousness directly, "We sensed an 'existential crisis' in the universe and have come to offer assistance."
Xiao Yan's heart stirred slightly. This being's aura shared the same origin as the Memory Core, yet it was far purer. He released a Power of Order in response. "Welcome to the Heavens. Do you know the Those Who Return to Silence?"
"The 'corrective hand' of the universe—we've seen its traces beyond three thousand galaxies." The hand formed of light filaments from the Memory Star People gently rose, and a pale purple beam of light shot towards the Memory Core. "They erase not only existence, but also the 'collective memory of the universe.' And we are the guardians of that memory."
The light fell on the Memory Core, and the core instantly burst forth with a dazzling light. Those originally blurry memory fragments became clear, and even the blank spaces that had been eroded by the aura of Return to Silence were tinged with a faint purple halo.
"Your core is very special," the Memory Star People being exclaimed in amazement, "using the ' Seed of Creation ' to carry memories, a method we've never seen before. But it's not complete enough—it lacks the support of the 'Memory of the Origin of the Universe.'"
"The original memory of the universe?"
"Yes." The Memory Star People's light surged, revealing a breathtaking scene: at the beginning of the universe, the singularity exploded, energy transformed into nebulae, nebulae condensed into stars, and stars gave birth to the first life... These images were ancient and clear, carrying an undeniable sense of "realism."
" Those Who Return to Silence erase is essentially the memory of the 'birth of the universe.'" The thoughts of the Memory Star People became solemn. "They believe that 'birth' itself is the beginning of 'imbalance,' and they want to return everything to the 'absolute nothingness' before the singularity. The key to fighting them is to make all living beings remember 'why they exist.'"
It handed a purple ball of light to Xiao Yan: "These are the 'fragments of primordial memory' we collected. Integrating them into your core will make them true 'cosmic Memory Anchor,' which even the Lord of Return to Stillness cannot completely erase."
Xiao Yan took the ball of light, feeling a warm touch on his fingertips. The memories flowing within the ball of light were ancient and vast, instantly making him understand the origin of "existence." Without hesitation, he injected the ball of light into the Memory Core.
The moment the core merged with the light cluster, the entire Star Patrollers flagship trembled violently. A purple-gold pillar of light shot into the sky, piercing through heaven and earth. Within the pillar, all the key scenes since the birth of the universe appeared—from the formation of the first atom to the rise of the first civilization, and then to the birth of All Heavens and Myriad Realms... as if reenacting the history of the universe.
All living beings in the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, no matter where they were, clearly "saw" these scenes at this moment, and a sense of awe and appreciation for "existence" welled up in their hearts. The "self-doubt" that arose from the influence of the aura of Return to Silence vanished at this moment.
"We succeeded!" Qing He shouted excitedly. She could feel that the power of the Memory Core had become stronger than ever before.
However, at that moment, the light filaments of the Memory Star People suddenly fluctuated violently, emitting a piercing buzzing sound, "Not good! The Lord of Return to Stillness has been alerted! The blank area is expanding at an accelerated pace!"
Everyone looked at the observation screen, where the black area representing absolute blankness was spreading outwards at a visible speed. Wherever it passed, galaxies, nebulae, and even space itself disappeared silently, leaving behind a pure void. Even more terrifying, countless gray light mists appeared at the edge of the blank area—the number of Emissary of Returning to Silence was more than a hundred times greater than before.
"They want to completely erase our ' Memory Anchor '!" Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically. " Memory Star People, do you have a way to stop the expansion of the blank space?"
The light from the Memory Star People dimmed slightly. "We can protect memories, but we cannot resist the devouring power of 'Absolute Nothingness.' The Lord of Return to Stillness is using 'Original Power,' attempting to reset the 'birth memories' of the entire universe to zero."
It paused, a resolute intent surging within its light. "But we can help reinforce the core. The fusion of the Memory Star People's origin with the core can temporarily withstand the impact of the Emissary of Returning to Silence."
"No!" Xiao Yan immediately refused, "You will be completely wiped out!"
"The meaning of existence lies in inheritance." The Memory Star People's thoughts carried a hint of relief. "Our memories will be integrated into the core, coexisting with your memories; this in itself is another form of 'existence'."
Before Xiao Yan could say anything more, the Memory Star People transformed into a purple stream of light and actively merged into the Memory Core. The core erupted with unprecedented light, and the purple-gold pillar of light, like a giant umbrella supporting the sky, enveloped the entire All-Heavens Hub and the Star Patrollers Fleet.
At the same time, the Emissary of Returning to Silence in the blank area launched a fierce attack. Countless gray light mists surged towards the pillar of light like a tide. Each impact caused the pillar of light to tremble violently, and the memory images on the core surface flickered, as if they could be erased at any moment.
"Everyone, defend the pillar of light!" Xiao Yan roared, the gray-gold law power on the Heaven Burning Sword surging. "Remember why we fight—for the stars that were born, for the joyful beings, for every moment we have existed!"
The cultivators of the heavens responded to his call, and Buddhist light, sword intent, flames, energy beams... all kinds of laws and powers converged into a torrent, pouring into the purple-gold pillar of light. The pillar of light swayed in the impact, but never broke.
The blank area is still expanding, but under the protection of the pillars of light, the memories and existence of All Heavens and Myriad Realms are temporarily safe.
Xiao Yan stood in the center of the pillar of light, sensing the last thoughts of the Memory Star People flowing within the Memory Core.
"Memory never dies, existence never ends."
He clenched his fist, a tear glistening in his eye, which was then replaced by an even more resolute light.
They must win this war.
Not only for myself, but also for all living beings who have left their mark on the universe, for the light of "existence" that has never ceased since the explosion of the singularity.