allendalepharm Chapter 281 The Guardian Spirit of the Tomb, The Torture of Consciousness
Chapter 281 The Guardian Spirit of the Tomb, The Torture of Consciousness
Led by the local gang of "Void Tomb Raiders," the Earth fleet skillfully avoided one deadly energy storm and spatial trap after another, successfully reaching the heart of the graveyard of civilizations—the Silent Core.
Here, there is absolute nothingness.
There was no debris, no light, and not even cosmic microwave background radiation could be detected.
It was like a huge black void in the center of the entire graveyard, swallowing everything.
"Revered...Revered expert, the 'Silent Core' is just ahead."
The voice of the tomb raider leader trembled noticeably:
"Legend has it that this is the gathering place of all the resentment and curses in the entire cemetery, and any substance that enters will be broken down into the most basic information flow. We...we dare not go any further."
"You all wait here," Su Chen said calmly.
He could sense that the fragment of the Ark of Creation was at the core of this void.
At the same time, he also sensed an extremely large, ancient, but not evil consciousness residing within him.
"Chen Zhou, the fleet shall remain in place and maintain the highest level of alert."
"Ougus, come with me."
After Su Chen finished speaking, he took a small shuttle and flew alone towards the absolute darkness.
Ogus gritted his teeth and followed closely behind in his own vehicle.
When the shuttle entered the "Silent Core" area, Su Chen did not sense any physical attack.
However, an indescribable, grand, and sorrowful thought instantly flooded his mind.
Images of countless civilizations, from their birth to their glory and then their destruction, surged through his consciousness like a tidal wave.
There is a silicon-based empire that was reduced to ashes in a star explosion.
There are energy life forms that were compressed into two-dimensional drawings due to the collapse of the mother world's dimension.
There is an organic civilization that is addicted to the virtual world, ultimately resulting in collective brain death and physical decay in petri dishes.
……
The series of tragic and desperate events are enough to cause anyone with a weak mind to have a mental breakdown in an instant.
Ogus had already let out a painful groan. His star-level mental power seemed to be teetering on the brink of collapse in the face of this torrent of "death messages" from countless civilizations.
However, Su Chen's consciousness remained as steadfast as a reef standing firm amidst a tsunami.
His "Divine Kingdom of Will" unfolded with a roar, and golden light shut out all the sorrowful and chaotic torrent of information.
"Outsider...you possess a very strong will."
An ancient, neutral voice, composed of countless superimposed sounds, resounded directly in the depths of Su Chen's soul.
"Who are you?" Su Chen asked through his own will.
"I have no name," the voice replied.
"You may call me the 'Gravekeeper' or the 'Collected Consciousness.' I am the embodiment of the last lingering attachments of all the vanished civilizations in this graveyard."
Su Chen understood.
So that's what it is.
No wonder the Shadow's memory described this place as a "forbidden zone of life," because no normal living being could withstand the impact of such a massive amount of "death information."
"I'm here to find something," Su Chen said bluntly.
"I know," the collective consciousness replied, "It's a fragment of that 'key.' It's here, and I'm keeping it safe."
"What will it take for you to hand it over to me?" Su Chen asked.
He knew that force was the least efficient and most foolish means of dealing with such a metaphysical being.
"I don't need anything." The voice of the collective consciousness was tinged with weariness and confusion.
"I have guarded it for countless years. I have seen countless seekers like you, some powerful, some cunning, some noble, some despicable... but they all failed."
"I just want to know one answer."
"What's the answer?"
"What is the meaning of all this?" the collective consciousness asked.
"Birth, struggle, development, glory... and then, in a certain instant, it is completely erased by an irresistible force."
"Like a sandcastle on the beach, no matter how beautifully it is built, one wave will wash it all away."
"What is the meaning of our existence? What is the meaning of our struggle? If the end is destined to be destruction, then why do we even begin?"
This is an incredibly heavy problem.
It is the ultimate question posed by countless extinct civilizations using their own corpses.
When Ogus heard this question, he was completely stunned.
He had never thought about this kind of question.
Their Star-Eating Cult's creed is to devour, become stronger, and achieve immortality.
As for its significance?
Strength itself is meaning.
Su Chen fell silent.
He did not answer immediately.
He openly revealed his "Divine Kingdom of Will," without constructing any false illusions, but instead presented his most authentic memories and beliefs to this ancient consciousness.
He showed us Earth's past.
That blue planet, from single-celled life to the age of dinosaurs, and then to the emergence of humankind.
He presented the history of humankind.
From eating raw meat and drinking blood, to slash-and-burn agriculture, to the Industrial Revolution, and now to the information age.
Human beings have paid countless blood and sweat and overcome countless difficulties in order to survive and live better.
He demonstrated the coming of the end times.
As spiritual energy revives, strange beasts roam freely, and the order of civilization collapses, humanity struggles to survive amidst the ruins, where the brilliance and ugliness of human nature intertwine and unfold.
Finally, he revealed himself.
An ordinary person who died in the apocalypse is reborn.
Step by step, they led their civilization from a remote planet to the vast and boundless sea of stars.
Everything he did was not for any grand ideal, nor for any universal truth.
"To survive."
Su Chen, through his own will, gave the simplest and purest answer.
"It's not for immortality, not for power, and not for exploring the ultimate mysteries of the universe."
"It's all for the sake of living itself."
"So that I can see tomorrow's sun, so that I can have a full meal, so that I can talk to the people I care about."
"To find hope in despair. To light a bonfire in the darkness."
"Does living need a reason? Living itself is the greatest reason. Does striving need meaning? The process of striving is the whole meaning."
Even if a sandcastle on the beach is destined to be washed away by the waves, the sunshine, the sea breeze, and the laughter of our companions that we feel while building it are the real and authentic things.
"The end may be destruction, but we can choose the path that leads to it and make it bloom with flowers."
Su Chen's will was calm yet firm.
This is his most profound insight from his two lifetimes.
The collective consciousness fell silent.
Within Su Chen's candid divine realm of will, it saw struggle, pain, deception, and slaughter...
But it also saw, behind all of this, the inextinguishable, tenacious flame of life that burned for the sake of "living".
It was something it had never seen in any of its previous seekers.
Among those who seek, some pursue power, some pursue eternity, and some pursue truth.
Their goals are all very ambitious.
But this young man in front of me has a goal so insignificant that it is simply to "live".
But it is precisely this insignificance that makes it seem incredibly profound and real.
After an unknown amount of time, the grand voice of the collective consciousness rang out again, but this time, it seemed to carry a hint of relief.
"I see."
"Perhaps you are right. The meaning lies not in the destination, but in the process."
Just then, a slight fluctuation appeared in the collective consciousness's memories, and an extremely blurry yet terrifying scene was unintentionally revealed to Su Chen.
Su Chen saw a pair of "eyes" that were indescribable, so huge that they seemed to cover the entire universe.
Those eyes were indifferent and cold.
Then, he saw a pair of equally enormous "scissors" made of pure light and rules.
The scissors snapped shut.
Countless galaxies and countless prosperous civilizations were cut apart like pieces of paper.
The severed portion was not destroyed, but rather... vanished into thin air.
It was completely and cleanly erased from the timeline and from the law of causality.
It's as if they've never existed in this universe.
Shepherd! Progenitor of life!
This is what Oghuz was referring to as "pruning"!
This is "rule-based cleaning"!
Su Chen's heart skipped a beat.
The scene was more terrifying and despairing than anything he had ever seen before.
"Thank you for your answer, young life."
The voice of the collective consciousness pulled Su Chen back from that terrifying scene.
"This fragment, in your hands, might truly have a different ending."
As soon as he finished speaking, a softly glowing object slowly emerged from the endless darkness and floated in front of Su Chen's shuttle.
It was an irregular crystal, seemingly made of solidified light.
The third fragment of the Genesis Ark map!
Suppressing his excitement, Su Chen extended his robotic arm and carefully stored it away.
Goal achieved!
Just as Su Chen was preparing to leave this silent core with the fragmented map and Ogus.
"boom!!!"
A deafening roar came from the outside!
Immediately following was Chen Zhou's extremely anxious roar.
"Advisor! We've been ambushed by a large unidentified fleet! It's the main force of the Star Devouring Cult! They've surrounded us!"