Chen Tian released his fingers, and Yun Shui also recovered from the image. Yun Shui looked at Chen Tian with a mournful face and said, "Why? Why is it like this? Does that mean my sister can never come back?"
"Why? Why did you involve people from our world?"
Yun Shui, filled with anger, approached Chen Tian and roared, "I apologize for this, but it's not something you or I can decide. This was decided thousands of years ago by the Heavenly Dao of both sides. I am also human, and I merely inherited the memories of my past self in that world. I don't know how to answer you."
"Let me do it!"
A voice appeared in Chen Tian's mind. Chen Tian knew it was his own voice from the Divine Realm. Chen Tian closed his eyes, and his aura changed. Chen Tian transformed into a different person and said faintly, "To this world, to all living beings, I am sorry!"
"Why, must you drag us into this? Can't you protect it yourselves?"
Yun Shui released his palms and spoke powerlessly. Chen Tian shook his head, "It's not that we can't protect it. As you saw, we have been at a disadvantage in the battle against the Evil Spirit Clan for thousands of years. What's the point of holding on? In the end, everyone will die. The Divine Realm is behind your world. Do you think if we, the Divine Realm, can't protect it, your world can?"
"I am doing this for the future. I hope it won't be like the past. Thousands of years ago, I saw hope dwindling in the present, but hope could exist in the future. I am entrusting my hope to the future. The Heavenly Dao of both sides has agreed. If one side's Heavenly Dao hadn't agreed, this contract wouldn't have been established. The future can be protected, but the present cannot."
"Then, why. Why can't the deceased return, why?"
"I understand your feelings, but you can't blame me. The beings controlled by the Evil Spirit Clan, the assimilated beings, have only one goal: to shroud the entire world with the aura of the Evil Spirits. If your sister is left unchecked, the entire world, and even more, will fall into crisis. How many people will die then? Will the world become what you see? Is that what you want?"
Chen Tian's consecutive words completely silenced Yun Shui. Yun Shui was momentarily at a loss for words. Indeed, what the other party said was true. The Divine Realm was a world that preceded the Hua Xia world, a bastion protecting the worlds behind it. If even the people of the Divine Realm couldn't contend with the Evil Spirit Clan, what if the Divine Realm were breached? Could their world resist?
There was only one answer: they couldn't resist. They would be destroyed even more easily than the Divine Realm. From the perspective of all living beings, doing this could indeed save the world. But why did it have to be their world? Couldn't it be other worlds?
To save the world, must a small portion of people be sacrificed?
Yun Shui also voiced this question. Chen Tian seemed to recall something sad and became despondent. "No, it's not a small portion of people being sacrificed. There's a follow-up to the contract. That is, after the Evil Spirit Clan is completely annihilated, the Divine Realm will disappear. All beings in the Divine Realm will cease to exist, even I will vanish. The entire world will simply become a complete game world."
"We are sacrificing all beings in the Divine Realm, those who persevered and survived the great battle. Do you think sacrificing a small portion of people is better than sacrificing all beings in an entire world?"
"I proposed this myself. Every decision must have a consequence, and consequences represent a price. The outcome will be beautiful, but the beauty will be for you, not for us."
"Let's go out for a walk. Let him think by himself."
After Chen Tian finished speaking, he and Chen Ling left the cave. Yun Shui was unable to adapt for a moment. Sacrificing the beings of an entire world, only for the entire world to become a game world in the end. The price of sacrificing one world, just to ensure the stability of the world behind it and prevent invasion by Evil Spirits.
This... Yun Shui couldn't speak. The weight of sacrificing an entire world versus sacrificing a portion of people was very clear. Moreover, the other party was contributing their own world. After everything was over, the Divine Realm would be completely called the Epoch of Time, merely a game world.
Everyone would disappear, and all memories of this time would be erased. No one would know what the beings of the Divine Realm had done and contributed to the world.
"Is protecting the world alone so costly?"
Tears welled up in Yun Shui's eyes. Protecting the world, and in exchange, losing a world. There was gain and loss. The reward for eliminating the Evil Spirit Clan was world stability; the loss was a world that would cease to exist. After all, the Divine Realm had already split into a game world and could no longer return to its original form.
Night fell, and the moonlight shone. Chen Ling and Chen Tian were communicating. At this time, the Chen Tian in control of Chen Tian's body was the Chen Tian from the Divine Realm. This was his last appearance. His origin had been completely integrated, and from now on, there was no distinction between them.
Yun Shui slowly emerged from the cave, appearing mentally refreshed, as if he had come to terms with things. Compared to a portion of people, the sacrifice of an entire world was indeed significant. It could be said that the game "Epoch of Time" was not yet a game at this moment. It would only become a complete game after everything was over.
"I've figured it out. I shouldn't blame you. If anyone is to blame, it's our powerlessness. I want to become stronger. I want to avenge my sister."
Yun Shui roared. His sister was gone, and he was the only one left alive. Chen Tian's consciousness returned to its original state and he said faintly, "Tell me, where did you get the Bright Stone? The Bright Stone was tampered with. Any player who wears it will eventually become a puppet of the Evil Spirit Clan."
"It was a shop opened by players from the Yun Shui Guild. It's at the turn after Gui Ming Mountain. Players came here because the Yun Shui Guild issued an announcement saying there was an astonishing treasure and secret here. That's why we came to explore."
"It must be them. Because all of us here refused to join the Yun Shui Guild. It must be them. I want to find them and get revenge."
Yun Shui let out a powerless roar, his voice echoing. Chen Tian's expression instantly turned cold. The surrounding flowers, trees, ground, sky, moonlight, and starlight were all frozen.
"Yun Shui Guild, you are simply courting death. I originally planned to deal with the problems in the real world before dealing with them. Now it seems they have rotted to the core. Turning players into puppets, if they can't get something, they'll forcefully take it. These people don't deserve to live."
Chen Tian was enraged, and the surrounding weather changed in response: fierce winds, thunder, ice, earthquakes, and shaking mountains. Chen Tian looked outside Gui Ming Mountain. The Yun Shui Guild, after this is over, I will deal with this guild first.
Chen Tian calmed his emotions; he had been too agitated. Chen Tian looked at the sky above Gui Ming Mountain, which was completely dark. Chen Tian sighed, "It seems all the players have been turned into puppets."
"Chen Tian, is there no way? Is there no way to restore them to their original state?"
Yun Shui didn't want to see a scene of people fighting each other. Was there no way to save these people?
"No. Their existence has been replaced. Their origin aura has been replaced. They have completely become Evil Spirits, though they have no consciousness. Even if they had consciousness, they couldn't be restored. Having their origin replaced means that the person before no longer exists. The only solution now is: kill!"
"Kill them all. Otherwise, if they leave the game world, the outside world will be turned upside down. Is that what you want to see?"
"I... I...!"
Yun Shui stuttered in the face of Chen Tian's questioning, unable to answer.
"Tell me, if I can give you the strength for revenge, what will you do? Will you save the world, or bring disaster to it?"
"I, I want to protect the world. I have already lost my dear sister. I don't want to lose my family, and I don't want to lose the people I love. If, if I had the power, I swear I would protect the world."
"Good."
Chen Tian could see that Yun Shui's determination was genuine. With a flick of his finger, the data modification ability was activated. Yun Shui's level rose to the highest, and all his panels changed.
Yun Shui's eyes widened as he looked at Chen Tian. With such means, perhaps hope truly existed.
Chen Tian spoke slowly, "I have raised your level to the highest. Now, there are only three of us alive in Gui Ming Mountain. We must fight our way out. Killing is the only way out, there is no other choice! Since ancient times, it has been about killing and being killed. Which do you choose? If you want to survive, you must step over the corpses of others."
"I know. I will no longer be confused. I want revenge. I want to kill all the Evil Spirits."
Yun Shui's mind and body underwent a transformation at this moment. Experiencing such an event could easily change a person's mindset. To protect the world or to watch the world shatter, which would you choose?