Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 185: Truth and Illusion

【"This is……"】

[A red light was passed to your hand by Wang Chengen, which made you stunned.]

[Although you don't know what this is, you can clearly sense an aura within it that is identical to your own... This alone is enough to prove its extraordinary nature!]

【But...what is it exactly? 】

“I don’t know what it is…”

Wang Chengen shook his head. "I only know it fell out after the collapse of the illusory world... Hmm, it seems it has some connection to you, Tianzun."

“Since the Celestial Lord does not wish to stir up chaos in the human world, let this be my and the world’s gift of gratitude to the Celestial Lord…”

[Faced with these somewhat offensive words, you can't help but feel bitter: They're treating me like an out-of-this-world demon again...]

[In this illusory world, you have never been recognized by the world. Both the Divine Emperor and the world itself regard you as an extraterritorial demon.]

[Now in the real world, you are treated like this again. It is really sad...]

【But, you don’t want to argue anymore.】

[So, you caught this mysterious red light amidst your complex emotions.]

As soon as you took it in your hand, the originally calm crimson light suddenly changed. It expanded and contracted, as if breathing... For no apparent reason, your crimson spirit also inexplicably glowed, gradually synchronizing with it!

[In this strange scene, you seem to have had a dream...]

【…】

“May the Heavenly Lord bless my family of four, and may they all be happy and safe, free from illness and disaster until death, so that they may ascend to the Western Paradise…”

You see a man praying devoutly before you, with his wife and two children standing behind him. The four of them are all looking forward to the bliss of paradise...

[Then, the scene changed like smoke, transforming into a lonely old woman... The old woman trembled and prayed to you.]

“God of Heaven, please bless me to ascend to the Western Paradise after my death, where I will have no worries about food and clothing, and have many children and grandchildren…”

[Then, the scene changed again, transforming into a soldier of the divine heavenly army... The crystal powder soldier prayed devoutly.]

"Goddess of Heaven, I vow to be eternally loyal to you and fight for your great wish to save all living beings. If you act in a selfish and unjust way, I will be deprived of my ascension to paradise and condemned to eternal reincarnation!"

【"loyalty!"】

[The scene changes again...]

[This has changed countless times, and each time the characters that appear are your devout believers. They place their hopes in you, hoping that you can lead them to accumulate merit and ultimately ascend to the Western Paradise.]

[The human world is too bitter. Only in the Western Paradise are all things perfect. Only the Heavenly Master is trustworthy!]

[As you look at them, your emotions become increasingly complex...]

[Many people continued to appear, and they were not limited to Ming civilians. Many foreigners also appeared... Although they were not Ming civilians in the traditional sense, they were still recognized by you as "people." Even though they could not generate divine power, it did not affect their piety towards you.]

[Mongols, Koreans, Annamites, Japanese, people from Southeast Asia, people from the West...]

[In every region where the Tianzun faith spreads, people sincerely express their gratitude to you: Although Tianzun did not incorporate all people from all regions into the Ming Dynasty, Tianzun did strike down powerful and wealthy people around the world, alleviate feudal oppression, and greatly improve the lives of the people everywhere!]

[So thousands of words converge into one sentence...]

[“The Heavenly Lord’s kindness is not over yet!”]

"If there really is a Western Paradise, then we must go there! This is not to enjoy happiness, but to worship the Heavenly Lord forever!"

"There is no two suns in the sky. In my heart, there is only one sun, Tianzun!"

【…】

[As I watched, a few people from the Qing Dynasty with pigtails appeared on the screen.]

Their eyes gleamed with piety and fire: "God is above!"

"Although you are merely a myth passed down by the elders, your followers are completely different from those of the White Lotus Sect... Therefore, we are willing to believe in your divine power." "If you truly have a spirit in heaven, then please bless us with success in our anti-Qing uprising!"

[As they spoke, they cut off their braids, a symbol of feudal ignorance, right in front of you. Then, armed with their guns and ammunition, they turned and left with high morale...]

No one knows whether their journey was successful, nor what year this happened. You don't even know who they are, but you can guess that they are not from the imaginary world, but from the real world...

[No! At this moment, there is no distinction between illusion and reality. No matter where people are from, they have all lived and believed in you devoutly.]

[Under this illusory "Western Paradise" of yours, the innate differences between people are easily erased, and everyone has gained the same equal identity in your presence: a real person!]

[No matter whether they are real or fake, at least to you, they have become real...]

【And this is not over yet. 】

[Just after the manifestation of the believers in this world ended, many more people emerged! ]

"Prime Minister Zhou! You have been wrongly accused, and it must be that tyrant emperor's doing. This time, even if it means risking our lives, we will become that tyrant emperor!"

"Master, I have been thinking of you in the West... Although the West is wonderful, and I have the throne to sit on, I cannot feel at ease. I wonder how you are doing in the Ming Dynasty fighting against that tyrant emperor... Alas, I cannot help you in your war against that tyrant..."

"Master, I owe my life to your support and help. Now I have several Japanese wives and concubines who play the zither and the harp with me. I am truly content... I only hope to follow you again in the next life. Next time, I, Old Yu, will be the first one to rush in!"

"Prime Minister, don't worry. Although we offer sacrifices to Your Majesty, Your Majesty will surely use our divine power to quell natural disasters and man-made disasters. This is a good thing. At least our deaths will be worthwhile..."

"Prime Minister! We are all willing to follow him into the sea!"

【…】

Countless people from the past three lifetimes appear one after another, their words and actions appearing vividly before you, as if they weren't illusions at all.

[Until the two familiar yet unfamiliar children also appeared...]

"If I could drag the entire Shaanxi officialdom down with me to hell, even if I die, it would be worth it!"

The five-year-old prodigy laughed heartily, then hanged himself to death in front of the stunned Jinyiwei. Before his death, he recited "Farewell to the Clouds" as his final poem!

"Reporting the darkness rashly is certainly irresponsible to one's own life... But I, Zhou Liang, am stubborn! Why should people always compromise? Death is death. I have chosen the path myself, so even in death I should not regret it..."

[The child muttered to himself in his dying moments...]

【You saw everything, and you couldn't help yourself for a long time. 】

【…】

“Is it an illusion?”

“Is it true?”

[When the red light gradually fades, you finally come back from the illusion, but you still can't tell what those things were.]

Feeling lost, you look at the vanished red in your palm: it's like a key, a key to a new world...

Are those who died in the three lives truly dead? Were those just illusions, or were they real people? If they truly existed, are they still waiting to enter the "Promised Land" you promised them?

[And for these people who may still exist, what practical things can you do? ]

“The Promised Land…”

You murmur to yourself: "Perhaps, death is not the end, and the Western Paradise is not a scam..."

“Perhaps, I should take everyone away from the virtual world, or even leave the simulation…”

[“Perhaps, this is the best ending, and the most perfect world…”]

[I don't know what you were thinking about, but you started to smile like a madman.]

[When Wang Chengen saw this, he felt an inexplicable chill in his heart... But he didn't dare to say anything. He just watched you go crazy silently, praying that you, the demon from outside the realm, would quickly dissipate...]

……

(End of this chapter)