Destroy the world?
Han Xiao and Kasuyi exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
Just a few of us, going to crush a high-level civilization alliance like the Federation of All Stars Alliance...
How many dishes did you have to drink to this extent?
Han Xiao secretly grumbled to himself, but he also sensed that there seemed to be a lot of hidden information, so he patiently asked:
"You're saying this is the only way for us to leave? Explain carefully."
"I know you think this is an impossible task, but in reality, it's not as difficult as you imagine... but it's not easy either," the Mysterious Person said hoarsely. "I believe you were quite shocked when you first entered this Secondary Dimension, never expecting that a space similar to the universe existed here, and that it was inhabited by an incredibly powerful civilization."
"That's right." Han Xiao nodded; there was no point in hiding it.
"Heh, it's not just you; every outsider has reacted the same way." The Mysterious Person said slowly, "I understand your troubles, but your worries are unnecessary. Everything you've seen... the Federation of All Stars, tens of thousands of Holy Body Grade and above powerhouses, including myself, are all long-gone illusions. Our world... was destroyed long ago!"
Han Xiao was taken aback, and with some doubt, pressed for an answer:
What exactly happened?
"The world you see is a mutated spacetime loop based on Information State Technology," the Mysterious Person said calmly. "You should have found some information about the World Restart Plan online. This plan is not just a simple insurance policy; it's also a special scheme used by the Federation of All Stars to escape the end of the universe... However, this plan failed. Due to certain anomalies in the Information State, a timeline was intercepted, forming a closed loop spacetime, which is the world I'm in. It keeps ending at fixed points in time and Restart at fixed points in time, and I am the only anomaly who retains my memories within this loop."
"... So, if we want to leave here, we must break your so-called closed spacetime loop?"
Han Xiao frowned deeply.
Based on the principles of Spacetime Shearing Technology, this situation could indeed occur, but he found this explanation hard to believe, as he only vaguely understood several of the terms used.
The Mysterious Person glanced at their expressions, chuckled hoarsely, and said:
"Hehe, don't look at me like that. I'm not a liar. It's normal for you to have doubts. Since I invited you here, I intend to explain the whole story from the beginning. It's a long story..."
"It's alright, we have plenty of time." Han Xiao stood with his arms crossed.
"Then prepare yourselves. No matter how shocked you are, do not interrupt my narration, for what you are about to hear will involve secrets and truths concerning the entire universe..."
The Mysterious Person's tone became solemn.
"Please speak." Han Xiao straightened his expression and gestured for him to continue.
The Mysterious Person exhaled and slowly said:
"Everything has a lifespan, and the universe is no exception. According to normal development, the universe will inevitably meet its ultimate fate, perhaps heat death, perhaps the Big Crunch, or perhaps the Big Rip. When everything comes to an end, everything is destined to end."
However, in the very beginning of time, there existed a civilization that had reached its zenith, far more powerful than ours. To escape this fate, they chose to give the universe new life and prolong their own existence... Ultimately, they did not succeed, but they were not utterly defeated. Under their transformation, the fundamental rules of the universe changed. When it expanded to a certain extent and reached the crossroads of its ultimate destiny, the universe would collapse on its own, devouring everything and becoming the initial singularity, then generating the Big Bang, transforming back into an empty yet vibrant new universe... We call this the ' Great Restart '.
This god-like civilization, which gave all living beings in the universe a glimmer of hope, was destroyed by the Great Restart long ago, and their names have disappeared into the river of time. However, their transformation of the universe is the only legacy they left to future generations. Nothing can measure the preciousness of this legacy. Without their contributions, no subsequent civilization would have existed.
Therefore, we call this civilization the Savior Civilization, and they initiated the iteration of the universe... and the universe they inhabited became the anchor point of the timeline, which we call the First Iteration.
However, the Great Restart brought forward the time when the universe faced its ultimate fate, thus shortening the development time of subsequent civilizations. No one could ever reach the heights of the Savior Civilization again; they were merely repeating the cycle of destruction. No matter how a civilization developed, it would eventually perish in the Great Restart. They could not make any changes to the universe, nor could they leave any information behind.
Countless iterations passed in this way, until finally a variable emerged: the most powerful civilization in this iteration achieved an astonishing breakthrough in the Information State domain.
They discovered clues about the Savior Civilization and found part of the reason for the Great Restart. They believed that the modifications made by the Savior Civilization happened to trigger an anomaly in the Information State, thus affecting the development path of the universe... In their view, the universe is a program whose operation can be rewritten, and the Information State is the compiled language.
So they tried to perpetuate their civilization using Information State, but unfortunately they failed in the end. However, they did leave behind a legacy, which is a kind of existence called ' Sanctuary '.
This thing may have originally been just their seedbed, but by chance, it mutated into one of the fundamental laws governing the universe, and it won't be destroyed during the Great Restart. It records all the information that occurs in an iteration, storing it in the form of Information State, and when the Great Restart occurs, it randomly extracts a portion of this information, integrating it into the fundamental laws of the new universe, making small changes to the universe time and time again, constantly enriching the universe in the next iteration...
To give you an example, the Five Superpower Systems are products of the Sanctuary. In the ancient times, some Universe Iteration, while others did not; the systems varied. The Sanctuary recorded a portion of these superpower systems, which, by chance, were permanently integrated into the laws of the universe during the Great Restart. Thus, in subsequent iterations, superpowered individuals from those systems inevitably emerged... This is how the Five Superpower Systems came to be. They didn't appear simultaneously but were continuously supplemented and completed through iterations. Therefore, we have five systems, and you also have five systems—this is not a coincidence.
To give another example... you should have noticed that there are no Secondary Dimension World here. Our iteration predates yours, and the World Restart Plan may be the origin of Secondary Dimension World. The Sanctuary incorporated it into our Great Restart... Therefore, we may be the pioneers of Secondary Dimension World!
In short, the emergence of the Sanctuary allowed subsequent iterations to break free from the eternal cycle, bringing more variables. It continuously enriches the universe of the next iteration, which is actually a kind of inheritance, allowing the new universe to enjoy the development achievements left by the previous iteration, making the Great Restart an optimization of subsequent Universe Iteration... Although weak, it adds up.
So generally speaking, the later the Universe Iteration civilizations, the more powerful and advanced they become!
Therefore, we call this civilization the Sanctuary Civilization, and the Universe Iteration in which it exists is called the Revolution Iteration.
Besides its function of optimizing the universe, the Sanctuary also served as a record-keeping tool at the dawn of civilization, allowing for the recording of successive historical iterations and the transmission of information. Later civilizations, having developed to a certain level, were able to open the Sanctuary; the higher their technological capabilities, the more information they could obtain from it...
Thus began a relay of civilizations that transcended iterations!
Generation after generation of cosmic civilizations inherit the research of their predecessors, learn from their failures, and constantly explore new paths. Even if they fail, they leave their insights in the Sanctuary for future generations to continue studying... All of this is done in order to escape the ultimate fate of the universe, placing their hopes on the future, hoping that future civilizations will survive the Great Restart and find a way to continue.
With experience continuously passed down, subsequent iterations have a higher chance of achieving breakthroughs.
In our iteration, the World Restart Plan became our achievement. Although it ultimately failed to ensure the continuation of our civilization, it created Secondary Dimension World for future generations, giving you more possibilities.
This world is a small segment of a looping timeline from the end of my universe, a failed Restart, a phantom that should have vanished long ago. We... are merely one link in this long relay race."
At this point, the Mysterious Person stopped.
In contrast, Han Xiao and Kasuyi had been frozen in place since the beginning, their eyes widening as their minds were filled with turmoil.
The amount of information contained in these words was enormous, exceeding the expectations of both of them.
"Is it real or fake?" Han Xiao found it hard to believe.
This explanation had a profound impact on his mind, and he couldn't help but doubt the authenticity of this cosmic secret.
There was no relevant information in my previous life; neither the Three Universal Civilizations nor the World Tree had revealed any information on this matter.
Is it because the Three Universal Civilizations are not yet advanced enough to unlock the secrets of the Sanctuary?
Could this be the true meaning behind the mission name, "Relay Across Iterations"?
If this is true, it would be truly magnificent. Generations of civilizations have devoted their efforts to research, and this kind of research is passed down continuously, like a torch relay.
Just by thinking about it for a moment, he could feel a vast sense of epic scale, the indomitable spirit and resilience of generations of cosmic-level civilizations defying the heavens, and the dignity of advanced civilizations that never passively await their fate!
Shocked, Han Xiao was momentarily at a loss for words.
Seeing the two's surprised and uncertain expression, the Mysterious Person didn't continue explaining, but calmly said:
"I know you're probably skeptical of what I'm saying now, since these secrets overturn your preconceived notions. But as your Universe Iteration and develops to a certain level, you'll eventually learn these things. As for now... let's get back to business."
"Okay." Han Xiao composed himself and temporarily suppressed his shock.
There was no way to verify the truth of this story at the moment, but he thought of the Oathkeeper, who had gone to the Sanctuary and had not yet returned. He believed that he could obtain information about the Sanctuary from the Sanctum and then confirm whether the secret was true or false.
If that's true, then we'll have to think about this carefully... Players from his previous life couldn't reach this level, and this is his first time experiencing it too. He doesn't know what to do yet.
The Mysterious Person shook his head, steer the conversation back to the current situation, and said in a low voice, "This spacetime is in an endless cycle. When the World Restart Plan is fully activated, it will be the time to start a new cycle from the beginning. Because I am an individual in the cycle spacetime, even if I die, I will be reborn in the cycle, but I can retain my memories. However, outsiders do not belong to this spacetime and will be annihilated here."
If you want to leave, you must break this cycle before it ends. In this way, you will regain your freedom, and I will also be freed.
I encountered the outsiders before the seventy-third cycle, the sixty-second cycle, and the fifty-ninth cycle, the earliest of the First Ones. I helped them all, just as I did today, but they failed to break the cycle and all of them died.
After hearing these words, Han Xiao's eyes flickered, and he pondered silently.
This cyclic spacetime is similar to Spacetime Shearing Technology, both of which solidify a timeline. The difference is that the formation of this Secondary Dimension is many times more complex than that of Spacetime Shearing Technology.
However, this was not the only way for him to leave. The Sovereign's teleportation function was almost identical to that of the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter, so he should be able to leave. But he was more curious about what the Mysterious Person's plan to destroy the world was.
"You want us to destroy the world? You can't possibly start a war against the entire Federation of All Stars, can you? Even if he's just a phantom in your eyes, their combat power is real, existing in this spacetime."
"Of course not. The original World Restart Plan was to destroy and then rebuild. After the Great Restart, we would reappear using Information State Conversion Technology. I'm not entirely clear on the principles behind it, but I do know that the program is executed by an intelligent core created using Information State Technology, which we call the Protector. The Federation of All Stars is trying to bind it to the Immortal Sanctuary in some way so that it can survive the destruction of the Great Restart."
But it ultimately failed, and a mutation occurred. Although we reappeared, we became phantoms, transforming into the current cyclical spacetime Secondary Dimension. And that core intelligence became the dimensional consciousness of this Secondary Dimension... When you came in, you should have seen its avatars, right?"
Han Xiao's heart skipped a beat.
The "Supreme Guardian" encountered outside the Secondary Dimension was actually an avatar of a dimensional consciousness?
The battle information at the time didn't seem to reveal any relevant intelligence; it looked like a living person.
At this moment, the Mysterious Person continued:
"The Protector is the root of the time loop. He has no independent thought, only a pre-programmed sequence, rigidly protecting this Secondary Dimension from outsiders. Destroying him will break the loop, and only outsiders can do that..."
Because I am part of the cycle, no matter what I do to this world, the final result is always Restart of the cycle. The Protector will not interfere actively, and I cannot leave this world or contact them... But the existence of outsiders is a variable. Once you invade, the Protector will inevitably chase after you, and only then will we have a chance to kill them here.
The Protector's program still retains some Information State Conversion Technology from the World Restart Plan. Most of the Information State of outsiders who die in the Restart will be captured by him. He will use dimensional energy to create extremely similar physical clones. So far, three groups of outsiders have died, and he already has several clones."
Wouldn't that mean the more outsiders who die, the more Beyond Grade A can be replicated? A Secondary Dimension consciousness actually has such powerful functions, even though it's a product of mutation... Han Xiao's heart stirred.
The Federation of All Stars truly lives up to its reputation as the leader of the previous iteration. Even a failed product has become so powerful. The development time of the Three Universal Civilizations is only a fraction of theirs, and their technological level is still inferior to theirs.
"That sounds a bit more plausible, but how do we get the Protector to show itself?" Han Xiao nodded.
The Mysterious Person said, "Because of the anomalies in the time loop, and because the underlying logic of the Protector being unable to tamper with the Restart content was set up to avoid certain risks, the Protector appearing in this world are not as free as they are in the outside world. They can only descend near the carrier. For example, the Super Security Department of the Federation of All Stars has a cosmic treasure called the Positioning Star Map, which is one of the automatically formed dimensional consciousness carriers that can monitor the entire dimension. I created a concealment device called the Heaven-Shielding Device, which can escape its monitoring. It was because of this that you were not discovered by the pursuers."
In short, as long as you get close to the carrier, the Protector will appear and kill you. This is its core mechanism and cannot be violated... And all these carriers are in an important warehouse of the Super Security Department. So our plan is to break into the Super Security Department's warehouse, get close to the carrier, bring down the Protector, and kill it."
"This is quite difficult..."
Han Xiao pondered.
"I will provide assistance. You can use the resources of the Eye of Insight at your leisure, and I won't let you two work for free..." the Mysterious Person said softly. "You and I are both mechanics. I will pass on all my knowledge to you as payment for helping me find liberation."
After saying that, he paused and added:
"Of course, only by breaking the cycle and surviving will your learning have any meaning."