Chapter 721: Chapter 430: Epilogue (Part 3)
Chang’an.
The scorching sun was high in the sky.
The thunderclouds that had just covered the sky seemed never to have existed, with only the horrified expressions of a few Saints within the city proving that the thrilling heavenly tribulation was not an illusion.
Several figures appeared simultaneously in Ningxin Garden.
King Chun, still with flour on his hands, was the first to speak, asking Li Nuo: "What happened? What was with those clouds and the Thunder Dragon earlier?"
Li Yun and that Mechanism woman were holding hands, looking confused.
The handsome young man also stared at Li Nuo with astonishment.
Believing himself to stand at the Peak of the continent, at that moment, he felt a strong sense of impending death.
It was a power that he could not resist, no matter what he did.
Li Nuo smiled slightly at King Chun and Li Yun, saying: "It’s fine now."
After breaking through that layer of constraint, this world appeared completely different in his eyes.
All the rules governing the world were laid bare before his eyes.
With just a thought, he could change those rules.
He could strip all the Saints present of their cultivation or grant ordinary people the power of any Saint in a moment. He could turn spring into winter in the next instant and then immediately return to the height of summer, make time leap forward a hundred years, or flash back a hundred years...
He could stir up tsunamis, cause earthquakes, control volcanic eruptions, summon meteors to end the world, even unleash Godzilla from the ground and then have Ultraman appear to destroy it...
After all, no matter how absurd the plot, it was still a plot.
As long as the author dared to write it, it would happen in the story.
From ancient times till now, everything that happened on this continent has been meaningless.
History can become the future, the future can become history, events that have occurred can be modified, events that haven’t occurred can be foreseen, it is no wonder Senior Dongfang experienced a crisis of faith, and countless yin and yang Saints went mad and died...
For those Saints able to see destiny clearly, nothing is more despairing than this.
King Chun was still shaken by the Thunder Dragon and clouds from earlier. If it happened again, not even he could protect Xuanjing’s family. With a serious expression, he asked: "Tell me, what exactly was it..."
Li Nuo looked at the people before him; they were the strongest in this world. They had the right and the need to know the truth about the world.
For them, reality, though brutal, is more pitiful when it cannot be perceived clearly.
A moment later, King Chun looked at Li Nuo in astonishment and said: "You’re saying that our world is fake, a fictional story created by someone else, and we are merely characters in the book?"
He couldn’t help but touch Li Nuo’s forehead, then said: "Do you need me to summon the Imperial Physician... You yourself are the most skilled doctor, Li Nuo, are you alright? You’re worrying us..."
The handsome young man was similarly astonished but managed a wry smile. "Just like that, another madman..."
Over the centuries, he had seen too many Yin Yang and School of Calligraphy members go mad, and he was not surprised by it.
He looked at Li Nuo and mockingly asked: "Are you suggesting that the one writing the book, with just one pen, can cause a Saint to lose their cultivation, a mortal to transcend to saint, give life to the dead, or resurrect the dead?"
Li Nuo shook his head gently, saying: "No pen is needed."
As soon as his words fell, the handsome young man’s Saint Realm cultivation of the School of Cross and Vertical disappeared without a trace.
The young man showed a mocking expression, as if about to speak again, but suddenly his body shuddered. He looked down at his hands in shock, exclaiming: "My, my, my cultivation!"
His head lifted sharply, staring at Li Nuo with shock and fear.
At this moment, he preferred to believe that the person before him had stepped into an incomprehensible realm rather than accept that the world in which he had lived for hundreds of years was false, and that he, a proud Saint of the School of Cross and Vertical, a mastermind controlling the continent’s affairs for centuries, was merely a fictional character created by someone else!
If this were so, what meaning was there in the life he had lived for these centuries?
What meaning was there in the things he had done over these centuries?
"No, it is not possible!"
"This is not real; this cannot be real!"
The handsome young man shook his head repeatedly, recalling after seven years the pitiful gaze of that man and his evaluation...
Just a stronger pawn among the ignorant pitiful worms...
"This is not real; this is not real!" After repeating this several times, he gritted his teeth and said: "Even if what you said is true, I am the protagonist of that story. I am different from you; I am not a pitiful worm!"
Li Nuo continued shaking his head, saying: "Unfortunately, you are not. You are merely a minor character appearing only at the conclusion, a character with a very short appearance, and you don’t even have your own name. Do you remember your name?"
The handsome young man raged: "Of course I remember my name! My name is... my name is..."
His face turned pale, and he cried out in fear: "My name... I’ve forgotten what my name is. What is my name?"
Li Nuo gently patted his shoulder, saying: "It’s not written, so I don’t know either. However, you need not be too upset. At least he confirmed your looks..."
The handsome young man was dumbfounded for a moment before he suddenly started laughing wildly.
"Haha, you’ll not fool me!"
"I must be the protagonist!"
"Only I am fit to be the protagonist!"
"You little secondary characters, foiling to steal my limelight!"
...
This Saint, who had traversed the continent for hundreds of years, had a face full of madness. Shaking his head manically, laughing wildly, he ran out.
Silence fell over the scene.
King Chun swallowed hard, asking: "Can you strip my cultivation too?"
Li Nuo nodded slightly, and King Chun’s Royal True Qi vanished, soon transitioning to the Confucian Seventh Realm, Legalist Seventh Realm, Mohist Seventh Realm... finally returning to normal.
King Chun responded in disbelief: "Then as he said, can you bring the dead back to life as well?"
Li Nuo nodded again.
Every life born into this world is merely composed of a few words at its core.
Indeed, only those who appear in the book with a name occupy those few words. The vast majority are just natural evolutions of the world, only gaining their names when the plot requires it.
When the plot doesn’t demand it, they are called "the crowd" or "the people"...
A figure approached from a distance, Li Xuanjing looked at Li Nuo and said softly: "Follow me."
...
Li Mansion.
Study.
Sixteen spirit tablets were neatly arranged in the cabinet.
Besides the spirit tablets within the cabinet, there was also a long list on the desk.
Li Xuanjing gazed at the spirit tablets and the list, saying: "I once promised these people they would see the flourishing era we wanted to create, but I cannot break the shackles of this world; you are not like us..."
Li Nuo sighed gently and asked: "You know already?"
Li Xuanjing placed his hand on Li Nuo’s shoulder, saying: "No matter who you were before or where you came from, here you will always be my son."
Li Nuo reached out, gently picking up the list.
Soon, the small study was filled with voices exclaiming in astonishment.
"Brother Xuanjing!"
"Xuanjing!"
"Lord Li!"
...
Li Xuanjing bowed deeply to everyone and smiled, saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been a long time..."
