Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1328 - 1321: Demon Line - "Your Pen Surpasses Ten Million Lives.
Instantly, the players all turned their gaze towards Su Ming’an. The tense atmosphere was broken, and Su Ming’an’s appearance was like a soothing balm.
The next moment, a sound of inhalation arose.
"Why is he purple-haired? Purple hair isn’t allowed to be Su Ming’an."
"I’ve long heard that he’s been stirring up the world, angering the Dragon Emperor’s people, killing the Goddess of Life, and now that the instance is almost over, today I finally see him in person."
"Whoa! He’s alive, Su Ming’an is alive!"
"Is it really that exciting? Is a living Su Ming’an so rare?"
"Not rare now, but maybe after the eleventh instance ends, it will be rare, maybe we won’t see him anymore."
"Su Ming’an." Mizushima Kawa Sora spoke: "Are you here also for the position of [Protagonist]?"
Her voice was cold and indifferent, and the whole venue fell silent as she spoke.
Behind her hovered an elderly man with white hair and beard, his figure vigorous, exuding an immortal aura, the golden finger of Mizushima Kawa Sora’s powerful female lead novel [Grandpa-in-a-pocket]. This grandpa was originally a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator from the Third Epoch, the Immortal Tao Era—Bai Wuya of the Nine Heavens Sword Sect. He had to abandon his physical body due to a cultivation mishap and was nourishing his soul within a ring until Mizushima Kawa Sora found the ring after surviving a fall, from which Bai Wuya became her mentor.
Bai Wuya stroked his white beard, looked at Su Ming’an, and said, "This young hero has remarkable talent and a firm will, a rare genius in a hundred years, it’s a pity... a pity he is not my disciple."
He could tell at a glance that Su Ming’an’s nature far surpassed that of ordinary people, making him an excellent talent for sword cultivation. In his era, even with mixed spiritual roots, he would have hoped to reach Foundation Establishment before adulthood.
"Young friend, I still have a few cultivation techniques in my Mustard Space: the Path of Ruthlessness, the Nine Heavens Sword Path, the Path of Harmonious Joy, the Path of Divination... I perceive that your familial relationships are thin, easily severed, and cannot last long, thus you are very suitable to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness. Maybe someday you might attain true immortality, equal to the Mother Goddess, are you interested?" Bai Wuya solicited.
Su Ming’an, however, was indifferent, shaking his head: "On one hand, dragons and elves, on the other, enlightenment to immortality, really a super jumble that Luowasha is."
Bai Wuya stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "Hahaha... First Epoch, Stars Era. Second Epoch, Genesis Era. Third Epoch, Immortal Tao Era. Fourth Epoch, Demon Era... each with unique features, once your song ends, mine begins. Since the young friend is not interested in Immortal Hero swordsmanship, so be it."
Su Ming’an walked straight towards the World Tree, its branches and leaves embracing Su Ming’an as if very excited.
Next to him, Atlanda squinted his eyes, a vivid blue clock face painting on his face, like a tattoo, shimmering with a dazzling radiance, looking extraordinary.
A gleaming blue Time Elf perched on his shoulder, saying with a smile: "Atlanda, is this your competitor? You’ve truly chosen an extraordinary person."
Atlanda was also a candidate for [Protagonist], his golden finger being this Time Elf, Ming Rui. Ming Rui was born in the First Epoch and descended into the world alongside the God of Chaos, possessing the Power of Time Tides, very compatible with Atlanda’s occupation [Prophet].
If Mizushima Kawa Sora represents the strong female lead in an Immortal Hero novel, then Atlanda represents the hero and Demon King in a Western Fantasy novel.
In the late First Epoch, the Demon Mother God was keen on reproduction, nurturing numerous offspring, and forcing many species to bear offspring for her, producing a large number of Demon Race members, as well as many Demon Kings wielding the power of Evil Demons with considerable heritage and reproduction capabilities. Even if people killed at great speed, they couldn’t keep up with the demons’ rapid growth.
The times created heroes, and to save Luowasha, several heroes took to the world stage. They did not receive any deity’s blessing, relying solely on human wisdom and sacrifice, slaying several Demon Kings.
Among them, the Time Elf Ming Rui was the contract elf of one of these heroes, Salmos. With the help of Time Power, Salmos, a newly adult human youth, racked his brains and calculated extensively, killing a total of four Demon Kings, cutting the number on the demon side by half, averting Luowasha’s crisis. Finally, this disaster came to an end, and the remaining Demon Kings were also successively slain by other heroes.
Thus, the late First Epoch became known as the "Era of the Brave", commemorating those human heroes. They were weak, yet determinedly brave, possessing nothing, yet giving their all.
However, the cost was heavy, none of the heroes died peacefully at old age, most died young. Salmos used the Power of Time Tides excessively, exhausting his soul by the age of twenty. After his death, Ming Rui, who was keen on making contracts with humans, never contacted another human again.
It wasn’t until ten thousand years later, when the [Protagonist] selection competition began, that Ming Rui re-emerged.
For the position of [Protagonist], Atlanda was determined to win, believing his golden finger was the top among the ranks, possibly even at the first place.
Then, a loud voice arose.
"Su Ming’an, I’ve heard you’re the Lighthouse Jellyfish Su Liujin, yet others say you’re the greatest Creator Sique—who are you truly?" Alger stood with arms folded, eyes like flames.
He was tall, dressed like a hippie, with a bone-studded choker around his neck, a blue and red collared long shirt, and several iron rings around his thighs, extremely eye-catching. He was also one of the eight [Protagonist] candidates, but he kept his information well hidden, no one knew what his golden finger was, only that he represented the Urban Reality genre.
Alger was a member of the Peak Alliance, but he did not get along with Su Ming’an, remaining a lone wolf. Considering Alger corresponds to Rong Yuan among the Nine Thrones, Su Ming’an was cautious.
"Alger, I also have a question." Su Ming’an halted and looked at everyone: "I returned to the Second Epoch from the Fourth Epoch, why are you all here? Shouldn’t you all remain in the Fourth Epoch?"
The players looked at each other.
Alger said: "This is the most interesting part, Su Ming’an. When you returned to the Second Epoch, all players who were originally in the Fourth Epoch... seamlessly switched to the Second Epoch. So now, everyone is in the Second Epoch."
Su Ming’an widened his eyes slightly.
It turned out... the players were following his time.
Wherever he went, the players’ time would immediately switch to that epoch. After all, the Second and Fourth Epochs correspond to each other. Even if the epoch changed, some players might not notice because they are so similar.
"Come over quickly..." The World Tree’s consciousness transmitted, its branches swaying excitedly, as if eager to touch Su Ming’an.
"The World Tree likes Su Ming’an so much, if Su Ming’an becomes the [Protagonist], all our competition will have been in vain..." Atlanda’s expression changed.
He and Mizushima Kawa Sora killed two [Protagonist] candidates together, with only three remaining candidates not arriving. If they could just deal with Alger, they would win! Who would have thought Su Ming’an would suddenly appear midway.
"Come... come quickly..." the World Tree called.
But just then, Su Ming’an halted.
He saw that third group of people—a group lying on the ground, half-dead.
They were all old, weak, sick, and disabled, lying in black water, with thousands of the World Tree’s branches pressing on them, as if the World Tree was absorbing their life force.
What shocked Su Ming’an the most was that he saw Lin Hejin and Lv Shen’s grandma among this group!
"!" Su Ming’an hurried over, trying to tear off those branches, but they clung to the people on the ground like blood-sucking parasites.
The grandmother, lying on the ground, slowly opened her eyes.
Her complexion was as pale as snow, her flesh gaunt and lifeless.
"Lord Sique." A guard stopped Su Ming’an: "Please do not approach this area, the branches here are very dangerous."
"What’s going on?" Su Ming’an questioned, immediately helping to tear off the branches from the grandmother, revealing her body riddled with blood-sucking holes, like a dense beehive.
The guard answered: "Lord Sique, these old, weak, sick, and disabled individuals, who have reached the end of their lives, should have been offered to the World Tree."
"Who decided this!" Su Ming’an said coldly.
"Lord Sique, this is the fundamental operating rule of the world."
"Who authorized it?" Su Ming’an raised his voice. Under this logic, even a hero who had fought countless battles and was dying, wasn’t he also supposed to be drained like this?
The guard looked at Su Ming’an complicatedly, speaking with caution:
"Lord Sique."
"This was authorized by you."
...
["Lord Sique." Nora raised a glass, smiling: "Thank you for your previous authorization of the ’Nutrition Plan,’ which has reduced many obstacles for the Nalan Court and the All Living Beings United. The frontline pressures of Sanctuary Mountain and the Star Corridor have also eased... I toast to you."]
...
Nutrition Plan...
Su Ming’an thought this was a plan for public welfare, creating nutrition supplements to feed those who couldn’t afford food.
In reality, it meant treating people as nutrition supplements, feeding them to the World Tree.
"Sigh..."
A faint sigh echoed.
Su Ming’an’s gaze trembled as Grandma Lv patted him.
Her whole body was devoid of color, shriveled like a dried corpse. Yet, her eyes remained quietly fixed on Su Ming’an.
"... My body has long since failed, and you wiping away my illnesses time and again merely extends my painful struggle for survival." She tugged at the corner of her mouth, "But it ultimately leads to this moment."
"... Will it lead to this moment?" Su Ming’an shook his head, "But it shouldn’t be forced."
"For the prosperity of the World Tree, people chose to sacrifice the worthless old, weak, sick, and disabled, just like the food chain, where producers are eaten by predators... better than rotting away." Grandma Lv said.
Su Ming’an couldn’t tell if these were her true thoughts.
——But if one can live, who would want to die?
He helped Lin Hejin up once more. Lin Hejin’s condition was slightly better, but his hair was already gray. Such ordinary people without backgrounds, even if not old, weak, sick, or disabled, would become food.
"Is this necessary? Is energy so scarce?"
"It doesn’t have to be this way." Grandma Lv said softly, "... provided we find the ultimate energy."
"Ultimate energy?"
"Hmm... like a person who can never be drained." Grandma Lv said, "As long as he lives here forever, possessing inexhaustible life force, under slowed time, he could replace the countless people continuously sent here... cough cough cough!"
She coughed, her voice weak:
"But such a person... how could they... exist."
Su Ming’an blinked.
At this moment, what he felt wasn’t panic, but an unexpected... relief.
... Is that so, such a person could serve as eternal energy.
The world’s problems are numerous, mostly due to lack of energy. But if energy is solved, nothing is a problem.
Then, does he... fit this condition? Even without mentioning the Death Rebound... his previously unlimited death Hydra body seems to fit.
Could it be used in the small world?
Can it be used for Zhai Xing?
Could it be... him?
"... Please, take care of... Lv Shen..." Grandma Lv said, gradually losing consciousness, her fingers still gripping something tightly.
Su Ming’an crouched, holding her hand.
He wanted to say, it’s okay, you will live again, because I will return.
So, no matter how terrifying the tragedy, it won’t happen.
Because I am here.
But he merely responded, then gently pried open Grandma Lv’s hand.
——It was a dead butterfly.
Like a specimen, it was made of wood.
"This... this was his first pet." Grandma Lv said tremblingly, "What my grandson liked... I remembered them all..."
The light in her eyes slowly dimmed, and at the same time, Su Ming’an saw ——
...
[Name: Lv Wenmo]
[Age: 87]
[Identity: Qing Zhu Clan elder (now exiled), Grandma Lv Shen]
[Personality: Gentle and kind]
[Experience: In her youth, she was a famed War God of the Qing Zhu Clan, later retired to find a cure for Lv Shen’s illness, but her old wounds flared, with little time left.]
[Estimated remaining lifespan: 0 days]
...
In the last line, the number gradually turned to 0.
As if a death knell of destiny.
The cold, thin hand slipped from Su Ming’an’s grip. The old woman’s gaze remained fixed on the sky, as if there was a lively butterfly up there.
"Splash——"
Black water splashed, fell into his eye sockets, stirring a rush of heat.
At this moment, the young man bearing the surname Lv became alone again, with his last relative gone.
As if such a similar young man, even if he escaped the tragedy of extermination, was destined to lose everything, including his last kinship.
Su Ming’an held the wooden butterfly, turned around.
At some point, hundreds of soldiers stood behind him, led by a blue-haired youth.
"Lord Sique." The blue-haired youth bowed:
"There is a demonized Rin Clan outside causing a massacre, to stop him, we need massive life sacrifices, please allow it."
"The scene here is about to become a bit brutal, please avoid it."
"This isn’t a simple calculation question, yet it’s also a simple one. Your pen outweighs millions of lives — you versus millions of lives, you are more important."
"It’s alright, you can be a glorious artist, living in the free and romantic Luowasha. Because an occasional flash of inspiration in your head, a casual stroke from your hand, outweighs millions of people’s relentless efforts day and night."
The blue-haired youth lowered his head respectfully, and the hundreds of soldiers behind him bowed in unison.
His voice was so gentle, as soft as a feather:
"Dust shouldn’t stain your spiritual energy, filth shouldn’t obscure your vision. You only need to... keep gazing at poetry and the distance."
"... And we bear the sins that follow like a shadow."
