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Chapter 1557 Final Chapter: Crossing the Sea [36]: "Forward".

"Why are you here?"

“The newly born Rin clan does not want to become the rulers of the new world, so I want to remove the curse from their DNA.”

"I will help when I get back, after all, I promised my personal little jewel."

"Thank you."

"You have your only chance to awaken your memories. Do you remember who you are?"

"Hmm, I remember now, but I'm still confused. The me of the past and the me of now have completely different experiences and identities. Should I accept and integrate into that distant past, or should I believe that memories are ultimately just memories?"

“When I was a child, I heard a saying… that human cells are replaced every seven years, which means we are completely renewed every seven years. When I look back, I find that the thoughts of my five-year-old self and my twelve-year-old self are incomprehensible. So, if this time scale is extended to hundreds, thousands, or even infinitely… we will also feel a sense of estrangement from ourselves. However, even if we feel estranged, those memories have a real impact on us now, like salt dissolved in water. You can't see it, but it always exists. Whether you pour out the water or savor the salt is your choice.”

"Haha...No wonder you're a psychology major."

"Psychology doesn't teach these things; it's mostly dry theory."

"Su Ming'an."

"Ok?"

"Sometimes I envy you for being able to sit comfortably in the classroom."

"This one……"

"Haha, no need to comfort me. This is just my envy of another possibility, but I don't think my past was bad." Suddenly, Hui Bai looked up: "Look, 'they' have come to pick us up."

Su Ming'an raised his head.

The snowflakes swirled and spun, circling around.

A solemn pallor, the wind howling and wailing across the snowfield.

"Whoosh-"

Like a rushing river flowing into a calm bay, when all was quiet and at the end of the world, he saw a golden road, bright, peaceful, and radiant.

His little world was about to collapse; he felt his consciousness being squeezed, shattered, and disappearing...

Everything reversed, everything reverted.

"After I get back... I need to find Shan Shuang and the others as soon as possible. They should have arrived by now. Then, I need to use their strength..." Su Ming'an quickly sorted out his next steps in his mind.

He walked toward the road, but suddenly felt a pushing force behind him.

He turned around and was startled for a moment by the figure behind him.

Behind him, many people had unknowingly gathered.

Lu Shu, whose face had aged, whose hair had turned white, and whose life was nearing its end, stood behind him.

Su Lin, wearing a crown and the robes of a realm lord, stood behind him.

Yueyue, whose form was transparent, whose energy had collapsed, and whose black hair flowed freely, stood behind him.

Luna, whose face was also wrinkled and aged, stood behind him.

Covered in blood and riddled with wounds, Norl, poisoned, stood behind him.

Exhausted and pale-faced, Lin Yin stood behind him.

Bei Wang, her skin covered in frost and as white as ice, stood behind him.

—The figures of his companions, each with an imperfect ending and covered in wounds, stood behind him.

The deceased Lu Shu, the Realm Lord Su Lin, the poisoned Nuo Er, the aged Luna... They, covered in wounds from different cycles, seemed like a collection of all the bad endings, standing together behind him, their palms gently pushing against his shoulder blades.

“Go ahead,” Lu Shu said.

“If you want to be a realm lord, then go and be a good one,” Su Lin said.

"If you're tired, you can take a short rest in the dream world." Yueyue blinked.

"Lord of the Realm, this small world is the future you created, how can you be the only one absent?" Luna smiled.

“Backwards, forwards.” Noel’s gaze was calm.

"I don't need you to come back and save me, but I believe you deserve a better ending." Lin Yin raised an eyebrow.

“ZZZZ…” Bei Wang said many Z’s, pretending to be asleep, but his eyes were fixed on Su Ming’an.

"I believe in you, and I believe you will have a better future," Lu said with a smile.

“Let’s go, let’s keep going. But I wish you were happier, we haven’t seen the cherry blossoms in Japan yet.” Yamada Machiichi chuckled.

“We’ve always been behind you,” Isabella said.

Beneath my feet lies a vast ocean.

Standing in the ocean, a young man with flowing white hair and fiery golden eyes slowly raised his head.

“…Lighthouse Cult Leader,” said the Jellyfish Emperor, “Let’s go, let’s go back—let’s go forward!”

Moving backward in time is also moving forward.

Su Ming'an took a step.

“I used to drift on the high seas. Sailing was very boring, and the best way to get closer to the crew was through singing and dancing. Whenever we arrived at a new place, we would hold bonfire parties to socialize with the locals. We would trade and learn local songs and dances... Life passed by in laughter and the clinking of coins.” Hui Bai’s voice rang out: “What a pity, I’ve completely forgotten about it.”

Su Ming'an saw a boy with light green hair and brown eyes beside him.

The boy, amidst the boundless wind and snow, in a world on the verge of collapse, at the end of time—spins his feet, one spin after another.

At the end of the world, at the end of time, this pioneer was finally able to reclaim his true self, finally remembering his former passions. Even though all of this—will still fade away with the passage of time.

"You danced quite well." Su Ming'an couldn't help but smile when he heard the laughter behind him.

Although his mind was still racing, constantly thinking about what to do after the time travel, his expression was no longer stiff.

Behind him came the increasingly loud laughter and strength of his companions, who were pushing him toward him with smiles.

Su Ming'an could no longer distinguish whether this was his own fantasy or a deathbed revolving lantern. He moved forward, step by step, amidst the singing and dancing.

It was like a snowy evening party, a welcome and farewell celebration.

He stepped into the golden forest, as if he had stepped into a blazing campfire.

……

A white-haired young man stood under the World Tree.

He slowly raised his hand, gazing at a dazzling ruby ​​in his palm.

“The Emperor,” he said.

"Ok?"

"If I want to find the image of the Supreme Lord, there are two paths. The first is to kill my teammates and companions. The second is to resolve the Ash Rain, complete the Zeroth Disciple Game, and become the winner to see the Supreme Lord."

“Yes, yes,” said the little brocade pendant.

“We—” Su Ming’an’s eyebrows curved into a smile: “How about we try a third path?”

"Huh?" The little brocade pendant was startled.

The "Book of the World" was opened.

Su Ming'an raised his pen and wrote at the end: "Su Ming'an has temporarily left the Zeroth Disciple Game and returned to the original timeline."

A surge of immense divine power erupted from him, and he felt an immense weight on the tip of his pen. The next moment, his body suddenly relaxed, and he found himself beneath a somewhat withered World Tree.

The forced rewriting and replacement of space left his head spinning. He patted his forehead hard before lifting his head.

“Noel had contacted Dan Shuang, Siber, Serena, and others beforehand, but they didn’t show up during the final battle.” Su Ming’an had completely grasped the development of both lines of events, his mind racing: “On the shoreline, they were waiting under the World Tree, but on the sealine, they didn’t appear from beginning to end. There’s only one place that could make them stay for long—”

"Outside of the zeroth generation of the disciple game."

"Noel temporarily brought them to a timeline parallel to mine, like inside and outside a mirror."

"Therefore, I am under the World Tree within the Zero Disciple Game, while they are under the World Tree in the original timeline."

The next moment, he landed on his feet and saw a familiar figure.

Her red robes were like fire, and she wielded a long sword, leaving a deep gash on the tree trunk. As if hearing a sound, her pupils focused slightly, and she looked over in surprise.

“Siber!” Su Ming’an called out.

I've found you.

“As expected, you seem to be fine. That guy named Noel even told us you were going to become the big villain.” Siber stepped forward to look at you and breathed a sigh of relief: “We waited under the World Tree for a while and were just about to go looking for you in various places.”

"Can I borrow your 'reincarnation' authority for a moment?" Su Ming'an asked.

Siber paused for a moment, then decisively placed a key in Su Ming'an's left palm: "I'm sharing it with you. Use it as you please, I'll cover the costs."

"What's wrong?" Dan Shuang walked over, her single ponytail swaying. When she saw Su Ming'an, she crossed her arms and exclaimed, "Oh~ Our savior has finally arrived." Although she was smiling, she seemed to be secretly relieved.

“Odds and evens, I need the power of you, the evil dragon,” Su Ming’an said.

"Hmm... This is the malice in my bloodline, it's not easy to distinguish." Dan Shuang scratched her head, thought for a while, and suddenly looked up: "Oh! Right! The talent bloodline awakening array that Qin Wang researched! You use that on me, and I'll see if I can inject the power of malice into the array and share it with you."

"Okay." Without waiting for a reply, Su Ming'an immediately took out a pen and began to draw.

"Ming An?" At this moment, a clear female voice came, followed by a pair of bright green eyes as vibrant as life. Asagao, dressed in a simple cloth dress, walked out from behind the tree. She seemed to be using the World Tree to comprehend the power of heaven and earth, her expression hazy.

"Su Xiaobi, may I use your 'life' authority?" Su Ming'an asked, turning around.

“Of course.” Asagao’s eyes widened awkwardly for a moment, then she coughed lightly. “Male protagonist, although I’m happy to see you again, you don’t have to call me by that name anymore… It reminds me of some unpleasant memories.”

“Asagao.” Su Ming’an readily agreed.

A vibrant green crystal was placed in his right palm. Chao Yan blinked gently, and even though she didn't know what Su Ming'an was going to do, she still said, "Good luck."

"...Ming'an?"

A little further away, a bishop in a white robe and a quirky girl approached.

"Godfather." Su Ming'an felt a pang of sadness; he already knew this Godfather was not the same Godfather. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long, just a moment." Li Mingyue gently shook her head. "You need help, don't you?"

"Yes, I need your immortal..."

Before Su Ming'an could finish speaking, a "Celestial Talisman - Retraction" was placed in his palm. This was a new talisman that he had been comprehending day and night for the past thousand years since Mingyue arrived in Rovasa.

“You said before that you wanted me to give you some good things,” Li Mingyue said softly. “I originally intended to use this talisman to assist you in your final battle. If you need it, then take it.”

The talisman, covered in the marks of countless hands, lay quietly in Su Ming'an's palm.

Su Ming'an looked down and seemed to see long monuments of time.

Now, he possesses the authority of Asagao's "Life", the authority of Siber's "Reincarnation", the authority of Dawn's "Observation", his own authority of "Faith", the authority of the Sixth Seat's "Devour", the power of the dragon of the two, the "Immortal Talisman - Retraction" of Li Mingyue, and even the "Book of the World" left behind by Olives and the others.

He already knew that these abilities played a huge role in the final battle to defend the shoreline, assisting him in the fight and ultimately defeating Noel, who was possessed by two high-dimensional beings.

"Ding-dong—ding-dong—"

Then, Salina, with the jingling of medicine at her waist, and Arterev, leaning on his cane, arrived in turn.

“We probably don’t have god-level abilities,” Shalina said helplessly, exchanging a glance with Arterev.

“It’s okay, as long as you’re all here with me, that’s enough,” Su Ming’an said.

Finally, he took out a sparkling ruby ​​and a small, blue, beautiful planet in his palm.

He gazed at the dazzling array of colors before him, his eyes reflecting a radiant glow.

"What are you going to do?" asked the little brocade pendant in surprise.

"Forward," Su Ming'an said.

"Forward...?" Little Liujin, who was with him, asked, puzzled.

“Forward, truly forward.” Su Ming’an smiled. Through his understanding of the truth of the universe, he had gained inspiration.

Under normal circumstances, time is a straight line.

For him, who possesses the "Book of the World," time is a forest without beginning or end.

Previously, when Si Que created the "time" authority, he thought, since Si Que could use the existing resources and abilities to forcibly create an artificial authority that could cycle through Rovasa countless times, his own current resources and abilities far surpassed those of Si Que back then... Why not give it a try?
Where does power come from?

It is the sublimation of one's own abilities, the advancement of a certain power. For example, when Su Lin ascended to Cloud City, he gradually gained control of the "soul" authority after absorbing the souls of a large number of the dead.

But for a world system, or a book, it can be flipped "from front to back"—

—Of course, you can also flip it from back to front.

The observer can begin from any line or any page; that is the essence of a book.

Paragraphs and punctuation, like time and events, separate entities, encompassing everyone like a net. They deconstruct, they arrange, they disrupt, they unfold…

"Wow—"

Danshuang closed her eyes, let out a roar, and poured half of her power into the magic circle.

Siber silently chanted a spell, and the key gleamed.

As the morning glory sings a hymn, life surges forth.

Li Mingyue slightly raised one hand, outlining the golden light of immortal talismans.

The new leaf collided with the key, the talisman and the ruby ​​swayed, countless rays of light flashed, and finally all converged on... the ruby ​​in Su Ming'an's palm, and the small blue planet.

"This gem can grant you the power to transcend all," the words of the Supreme Lord still echoed in my ears.

Now, Su Ming'an is using "reincarnation," "withdrawal," and "observation" to completely expand this power.

Since it only borrowed the power of its companions, rather than completely absorbing it, this power wasn't enough to make the object in its hand extremely powerful, but—

"Follow me, jump in!" Su Ming'an shouted.

A tiny world in the palm of your hand radiates a swirling light.

Without hesitation, his companions followed Su Ming'an into the small world.

……

The small world is not under Rovasa's control; it is an independent space that can serve as a "transfer station" for everyone.

Su Ming'an, through the transformation of multiple powers, used the power of "observation" to deconstruct the "Book of the World", the power of "reincarnation" to reverse the flow of the "Book of the World", and the power of "retraction" to trace back the "Book of the World".

Reverse the order of the books. This goes a step further than Si Que's artificial time authority—"turning the pages from back to front."

This power cannot reverse higher dimensions, much like Su Ming'an's equipment, the "Ring of Time," which can only trace back to ordinary people and things. However, this is precisely the third path that Su Ming'an is about to take.

Since the Supreme Lord wanted to make things difficult for Su Ming'an, he deliberately hid His image on Su Ming'an's companions, intending to force Su Ming'an to kill them. Therefore, He must have made actions of "contact" and "hiding." As long as Su Ming'an traces back from back to front, finding the moment when the Supreme Lord extended His little black hand, he can find the remaining two halves of the image.

Finally, with the help of the Supreme Lord, we can truly question or confront the ultimate being—the Lord of Dreams.

In the miniature world, Su Ming'an landed in a park. Without lingering, he immediately opened the "Book of Worlds" and found the most recent page:
……

[Bei Wang's eyes, now stained crimson, glanced at Xiao Fuxing Hui Zi; it was she who had caused all this chaos.]

Hui Zi also looked up at him and said:

【——】

【——】

[(Space-time distortion exists here; please do not observe.)]

【——】

【——】

[With a "crack!", Hui Zi's body was crushed, and a few drops of blood splattered onto his cheek. Bei Wang wiped away the blood; he had already heard Hui Zi's words.]

So she was...

[Bei Wang immediately suppressed his urge to go down, to avoid being observed.]

……

right here.

The first time we climbed over, we decided to go here.

Su Ming'an looked at the people around him, explained his thoughts, and then turned his gaze to Siber.

“Siber, your ‘reincarnation’ authority is most suitable. This time, would you please come with me?”

“I understand, so that’s how the world works. How interesting…” Siber smiled. “No problem. This time, it’s my turn to save your world. Good deeds will be rewarded… My father was right.”

"Will you all come out with me, or stay in the small world? The small world will not be affected by the time reversal," Su Ming'an said, looking at everyone.

"We'll go out when you need us," Asagao replied calmly.

"Come on, take down those arrogant guys." Dan Shuang clenched his fist.

Li Mingyue simply nodded, without saying anything more.

"Then I'm off." Su Ming'an took a deep breath and turned the page face up.

Reincarnation, faith, observation, devouring, life... multiple powers gleamed at this moment.

Every authority is a long trail he left behind.

Every ray of light comes from a distant world he once saved.

As if it were the power of a god, as if it were the power of a true higher dimension, Su Ming'an closed his eyes, and Siber also closed his eyes.

"call……"

He was slightly nervous, unsure if his idea would succeed. However, Siber gently patted his shoulder, as if giving him strength.

When he was a child, he read a peculiar children's book.

The children's book was short. After reading it, he discovered that the story was only half finished; the rest was missing. He was so anxious that he flipped through the book again and again, wondering what would happen next. It wasn't until his father reminded him that the book was special—reading it from the back to the front revealed the second half of the story.

"From front to back" and "from back to front" represent the first and second halves of the story, respectively.

Time is divided into two: one inside the mirror, and one outside the mirror.

……

“Read from back to front, Su Mingan.”

"Wading forward" does not simply mean "moving forward".

This will be a—

Our story of constantly "moving forward" (turning the page).

……

(End of this chapter)