Chapter 365: Chapter 60: Let’s Hope So
"For a Cultivator, the physical body is meaningless, save for being a vessel for our emotions. Those who take pride in their bloodline are the most likely to fall into a vicious cycle. For us of the Human Race, what matters most is courage, curiosity, and greed—it is our spirit, our civilization, and our heritage!"
As he said this, the Celestial Pool Dragon King himself began to laugh, his form rippling with shattered Spiritual Light. "It is precisely because I practice the Mimic Dao, which relies most on inherited bloodlines, that I understand how meaningless bloodlines truly are... The Mimic Dao and humanity are one and the same. An individual who can transform into an Exotic Beast but still abides by Order and protects the Human Race is ten thousand times better than one who has human blood but defies Order and preys upon the common folk."
"The former is human; the latter is worse than a beast, a disgrace to their kind."
Having displayed his Divine Techniques and answered the questions, the Celestial Pool Dragon King looked at his hand, now completely gone, and his lower body, which had begun to disintegrate. He nodded slightly. "I am fading away. Cultivators of the future, my wish is that when my True Spirit returns, hundreds of millions of years from now, I can still be a part of the Human Race."
This was, in truth, a Blessing. He hoped that the Human Race would still exist hundreds of millions of years from now.
A solemn Su Zhou, all the exploration team members in the submersibles, Nine Nether, and the vast majority of the audience watching from afar all bowed their heads slightly in respect. But the Artifice Sage’s calm, emotionless voice sounded again, reminding Su Zhou, "This may be rude, but Su Zhou, quickly! Before the Dragon King’s remnant soul completely dissipates, ask him ’where the Immortal Gods went’!"
"Ah, oh, right."
Though he certainly felt it was rude to disturb the man as he was dissipating, Su Zhou frowned, also knowing that if he didn’t seize this moment, the chance of ever meeting a living Immortal God again was practically zero. After all, not everyone possessed an attachment as profound as the Celestial Pool Dragon King’s, one that had allowed him to wait for so long.
A decision concerning the future of civilization was at stake; he had no choice but to ask.
And so, he asked.
"His Majesty the Dragon King, one last question—where exactly did the Immortal Gods go? Will they return?"
This was the question that the humans of the present day cared about most.
Cen Yun, who had been about to depart in peace, was slightly taken aback for a moment. He gazed at Su Zhou, his eyes also sweeping over the people inside the submersibles. Their solemn expressions made him understand. "Ah, I’d forgotten. It is exceedingly difficult for different Orders to coexist. Even if everyone is working for the prosperity of the Human Race, their ways are different... But do not worry."
He chuckled softly as his long black hair burned away like a Flame and dissipated. "They will not be coming back."
"None of the Immortal Gods will."
"After witnessing the true, endless expanse of the All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds, after seeing the truly Boundless Infinite, no matter how warm, lovely, and nostalgic their home may be, for that group of folks whose greatest joy is exploring the unknown and reaching for greater heights, it will remain just that—a fond memory. They won’t turn back."
As he spoke, the Celestial Pool Dragon King’s tone grew melancholic again. His Soul Body had shattered up to his chest, and his Spiritual Qi sent ripples through the water and the Spirit Realm. "In the past, we fought countless wars over the ownership of various Realms. Countless humans and Immortal Gods died. We never imagined that beyond what we thought was the vast Immortal Realm and its heavens, there existed such a boundless, endless unknown. The overly superior spacetime structure of this Ancient Earth Realm obstructed our vision. If not for the severing of Spiritual Qi, Cosmos by Cosmos, we would never have conceived of traveling to other, unknown worlds."
"No one will come back. They left their legacies here and chose to walk toward the future... As for me, just knowing what has become of the Human Race in my homeland is enough to leave me content..."
Saying this, the Celestial Pool Dragon King smiled and nodded. His Soul Body had disintegrated, leaving only a final pair of deep blue Dragon Pupils that seemed to pierce through time and space, gazing toward a distant direction.
’I just miss... the scent of fruit from home...’
With that thought, the remnant soul of the Celestial Pool Dragon King, Cen Yun, dispersed completely.
Only a single point of True Spirit remained, returning to and vanishing within the great beyond.
A millennium after death, a remnant soul awakens. Consciousness stirs, returning once more to its homeland.
Content at last, the worldly soul of the Celestial Pool Dragon King dissipated completely.
Su Zhou stared at the spot where the remnant soul had finally dispersed, his hand holding the Jade Scroll inscribed with the Celestial Pool Dragon King’s most complete legacy. The young man lowered his head, looking at the name on the Jade Scroll.
Celestial Pool Dragon King - Cen Yun.
A name that carried immense weight.
"This kind of casual, matter-of-fact goodwill..." he murmured softly. "Sometimes, it really feels like too much to bear."
"Can we—humanity—truly live up to such expectations?"
No one knew the future.
But they hoped they could.
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