"Turning back time? Rejuvenating?"
Li Yao chewed on the words again and again. He recalled the trick of the "sound of marbles" that the Flood once played. Greatly alarmed, he immediately realized what was going on. "You — you're going to perform a 'reboot' of a super large scale in the entire universe and reset the entire timeline to the time billions of years ago when nothing happened?"
"Yes."
The Flood's voice was very deep, and its silver, glittering surface showed the whole process of the lost souls that lingered on Earth billions of years ago, the war between the 'supercivilizations' and the 'Primeval Civilization', its control of everything, the breakthrough from the three-dimensional universe to the 3.5-dimensional universe, and even the march toward the four-dimensional universe. "You're right. At the beginning, I was indeed made of the lost souls of billions of abandoned civilians on Earth who were roasted in furious flames. When I, or rather, 'we' were reborn in the solar storm, every ripple that we released contained nothing but the roars of fury and revenge.
"After we defeated the 'Primeval Civilization' as a 'supercivilization', the flames of revenge were already calmed down. What we were thinking about was how to connect everybody's thoughts and feelings to ensure the absolute peace of the entire universe in such a way.
"However, the more we explored, the more we knew about the universe and the universes beyond the universe, the more we were shrouded in darkness, desperation, and regret. We could destroy our enemies, but we could not bring the dead back to life. We could create the most beautiful world, but we could not fix the evilness and ugliness of yesterday. We could control matter and energy at will, but we could not return to the past, to the time when the 'Origin Earth' was not destroyed and everything was so beautiful and vigorous.
"The river of time flowed nonstop to the deep ocean named 'destruction'. We were like old men who were sitting on infinite wealth and power. We were tired of everything, but when we recalled the beautiful days of the past more than once, we could only watch time cut us into pieces and leave ineffaceable marks on our faces, bodies, and souls.
"So what if we controlled the universe? So what if we dominated the stars? Aging is our unavoidable fate, and destruction is our only destination.
"You're saying that if there is a way to reverse the flow of time across the Multiverse, allowing us — every intelligent being that forms a superhuman civilization, every single droplet in the Flood — to return to the past where everything had yet to begin, wouldn't such a thing be worth paying every price and expending every energy in pursuit?"
Li Yao did not know what to say.
He had never felt such fear or such fury.
"No matter how much you yearn for your lost childhood, if billions of years are really reset, what do you take us, the people who were born billions of years ago, for?"
Li Yao gritted his teeth, his fists clenched into two black holes. "Are we all faint pencil words that can be erased by an eraser at any time?
"No, we can't turn back time. We can only move forward bravely!"
"Advance bravely? Hehe. Hehehehe. You don't understand at all. There's no path ahead. If you don't want to smash your head and be destroyed, you have to turn back! "
The expression of the silver sphere once again flooded Li Yao with endless information. This time, the content of the information was indescribable by pen and ink, and was even more terrifying than the nine levels of hell.
"Do you think that the Multiverse Sea is the cruelest battlefield? Do you think that there are god-tier beings who are warm and friendly to humans in the real four-dimensional space? Do you think that the so-called 'god-tier beings' are really benevolent deities who would be moved by your prayers, passion, and so-called justice? Laughable. Too laughable! "
Hong Chao growled. "You humans who are nothing more than specks of dust know nothing about true danger. Do you know what the Great Purge Agreement is? Do you know what the Tachyon Collapse is? Do you know how many universes and dimensions the Singularity Exalt's wrath could affect when he is enraged? Have you ever seen the Primordial Devourer Beast awakening from the Black Hole Abyss, causing even the Singularity Paragon to tremble in fear, and countless civilizations sacrificing their futures just to seal the Primordial Devourer Beast for one more second?
"No. You don't know anything at all. You are just a tiny cockroach, a bacterium and a virus that are even more insignificant than a cockroach. You have no idea how horrifying the real hunters and prey in the universe above the universe are!
"Dark Forest. Hehe. Hehehehe. You guys like to use the term 'Dark Forest' to describe the vastness and horror of the universe. Let me tell you, the most terrible thing is not that you live in the Dark Forest, but that the Dark Forest you speak of is actually an 'ecological reserve' in the eyes of some superior being, or even a bunch of weeds in the 'zoo' of a superior being. You have gone to great lengths to ignite the Dark Forest and escape, only to find countless pairs of mocking eyes staring at you!
"You are on the ground, and they are in the sky. You are a bacterium, and they can cross nineteen different dimensions. How are you going to fight them?
"As I said, I admire your courage and foolishness, but foolishness is nothing more than foolishness. In the past, I was as ignorant as you, thinking that I had grasped the power to dominate the multidimensional space. But the moment I poked my head out, I was beaten back to my original form and fell into the awkward state of the '3.5 dimensions', trapped in this broken body. If I had not taken the risk to march and was heavily wounded, do you think that dust, cockroaches, bacteria, and viruses like you would have stood a chance?
"Do you know what the saddest thing is? The saddest thing is that a long time later, when I used all my computational ability to deduce what had happened, I realized that they were not targeting me at all. I was merely hit by a 'stray bullet' from the battlefield of a higher dimension. Or rather, I was a groundhog that had crawled out of its hole, only to be stomped back by a soldier's scalp boot. That was all! From the beginning to the end, those beings of higher dimensions did not even look me in the eye!
"That was the gap between me and them. It was even greater than the gap between you and me.
"Since then, I have understood one thing. Evolution has an end. All civilizations have to hide in their own place on the food chain. Any civilization that tries to 'show up' will be struck mercilessly, and those who are struck will not even realize the existence of the civilization.
"I have reached the end of evolution on behalf of the civilization of mankind. If I continue walking, I will break out of the 3.5 dimensions and march into the four-dimensional space again. I will certainly suffer a fatal strike again. Perhaps it will no longer be a 'stray bullet' but real destruction!
"Tell me, is there any better way to protect the civilization that we have earned after so much effort other than 'reversing time and returning to the past'?"
Li Yao was rendered speechless, not knowing what to do.
As a matter of fact, his soul had been completely filled by the information that the Flood sent over, which contained the indescribable horror of the 'Great Purge Agreement', 'Tachyon Collapse', 'Master Singularity', and 'Primordial Devourer Beast'. He was almost caught in a state of 'data overflow'.
"Returning to the past …"
Li Yao mumbled, "Can it really solve all the problems?"
"It can."
Hong Chao said, "As long as you return to the past, all the mistakes can be corrected, all the regrets can be erased, and all the evilness and ugliness can be eliminated. Before it happens, the next reincarnation will certainly be more beautiful than this one. Everything can be changed."
"Then, what about us?"
Li Yao narrowed his eyes, his soul aching vaguely. "Aren't we going to completely disappear?"
"Not necessarily. Do you remember what I said just now? The universe is determined by the observer."
Hong Chao said, "As long as your 'obsession' is strong enough, you will be able to interfere with part of the quantum to some extent during the time reversal. You and your loved ones will be reborn in the beautiful past in a happier way!"
"However …"
Li Yao hesitated. "Even if time is reversed, we will still evolve nonstop. Ten thousand years, a million years, and a hundred million years later, we will still touch the … barrier of evolution that you mentioned. Should we break out of the four-dimensional space, we will still be destroyed by the 'Great Purge Agreement', 'Tachyon Collapse', 'Master Singularity', and 'Primordial Devourer Beast' that you mentioned."
"Then, let's reverse the clock and let time flow backward again," Hong Chao said.
Hong Chao said, "Reset back to the beginning before everything happened."
"Well —"
Li Yao slightly frowned. His soul struggled to resist. "Aren't we digging a hole and burying ourselves in it? Are we running away without a fight?"
"No. This is where our civilization should be on the food chain of the universe!"
Hong Chao said, "If we are destined to be grass, there is no need for us to grow so tall. If we are herbivores, we will try our best not to make any noise and live our life in silence. That is the way of our existence. As long as we live in such a way, no matter how chaotic the universe outside is, no matter how many civilizations rise and fall, we will be granted eternal life in the cycle of time!"
"Immortal … life …"
Li Yao mumbled. His entire body, including his throat, was enshrouded in silver liquids that were spreading and swallowing him.
"Yes, immortal. I have spent billions of years collecting the energy of the split chain reaction of parallel universes. At this moment, I have finally reached the critical point of 'time reversal'. All I need is the last step, the last bit of energy, to complete the first 'time reversal'. When the dust of time settles, you will know that I was right. I made a choice that I had no choice but to protect this civilization!"
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