pjbooks Chapter 164 Nothing special
Chapter 164 Nothing special
In the void, the pure white sword of Origin hovered in its palm, the patterns flowing on its blade denser, brighter, and closer to some ineffable essence than before. It was the first mark left in the void by the first ray of light at the moment of the universe's birth, and also the ultimate manifestation of Origin's "creation" law.
Jiang Chen looked at the sword, at the pure white light flowing on its blade, and felt his heart pounding faster.
It wasn't fear. It was a pure, overwhelming shock that he had never felt before, welling up from the depths of his soul.
"Creation." Jiang Chen repeated the word, "The first ray of light that burst forth from nothingness at the moment the universe was born. You can create everything that doesn't exist, including matter, energy, laws, life, and even time itself."
He took a step forward.
"Then can you create hope?"
For the first time, confusion appeared in the pure white eyes of Origin.
"Hope is not something that can be created." Its voice came from the void, calm yet tinged with a hesitation it itself was unaware of. "Hope is something that can only be nurtured. It is nurtured in human fear, grows in human despair, blossoms in human sacrifice, and bears fruit in human inheritance."
Jiang Chen looked at it, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"Do you know where humanity's hope is conceived?"
He raised the Primordial Sword, its tip aimed at the pure white sword of Origin.
"It's in the abyss."
A seven-colored beam of light exploded from the blade of the Primordial Sword and hurtled toward the Origin.
Origin did not dodge. It raised its left hand, the pure white sword held horizontally in front of it, the pure white light flowing on the blade colliding head-on with the seven-colored beam of light. The two forces created an extremely bizarre scene at the point of impact—not an explosion, not a roar, but an intertwining.
The pure white power of "creation" and the golden power of hope within the seven-colored pillars of light intertwined, merged, and resonated in the void. They were not enemies, but compatriots. It was the first ray of light at the moment of the universe's birth, and the light of hope that humanity nurtured in despair three million years later, meeting for the first time after traversing endless ages.
Origin lowered his head, looking at his sword blade that was merging with the seven-colored pillar of light, and for the first time, emotion appeared in his pure white eyes.
"What is this?" Its voice trembled with a tremor it had never heard before. "Why can your power of hope merge with my power of creation?"
Jiang Chen gripped the Primordial Sword and took a step forward.
"Because the essence of hope is creation. It is creating the future in despair, creating light in darkness, creating life in death. Your power of creation created the universe. The power of human hope created humankind itself."
The second step.
"Origin, didn't you want to know how long humanity's hope could withstand your creation? The answer is—it doesn't need to withstand. Because humanity's hope is the most perfect form of your creative power in this universe."
third step.
He stopped in his tracks, and the seven-colored light on the blade of the Primordial Sword suddenly shone to its fullest. At that moment, the golden light of hope completely merged with the pure white power of creation, transforming into a light that Jiang Chen had never seen before—a light that transcended the seven colors, pure and without any impurities.
That was the first ray of light that burst forth from nothingness at the moment the universe was born, and the light of hope that humanity conceived in despair three million years later, truly merging for the first time after countless years.
The pure white sword in Origin's hand shattered at that moment. Not shattered by force, but shattered willingly. Pure white fragments drifted in the void, each fragment carrying the lingering warmth of the power of creation, transforming into countless tiny golden specks under the illumination of the golden light of hope.
Origin looked down at his hands, which were turning into pure white light spots that began to scatter from his fingertips, and his pure white eyes reflected the golden and pure white light that was intertwining in the void.
"Jiang Chen." It raised its head, looking at Jiang Chen, and for the first time, a smile appeared in its pure white eyes—not a smile at the corners of its mouth, but a smile in its eyes, the kind of smile that embodied the first mark left in the void when the first ray of light burst forth from nothingness at the moment of the universe's birth. "Your power of hope can indeed merge with my power of creation. Because the essence of hope is creation. It is creating the future in despair, creating light in darkness, creating life in death."
Its body began to dissipate from the edges into pure white specks of light. First the feet, then the legs, then the torso, and then the face that had no features but still conveyed a smile.
Before the last glimmer of light dissipated, it uttered its final words.
"Jiang Chen, thank you. Thank you for letting me see that my power of creation has blossomed into such a beautiful flower in this universe."
The pure white light spots dissipated completely.
In the void, only Jiang Chen and the slowly dissipating golden and pure white intertwined light remained.
The crimson sky of the seventh layer of the abyss began to crumble from its edges after the fall of nothingness and origin. Not a shattered collapse, but a voluntary one. For three million years, this sky had been shrouded in the shadow of the primordial chaos, never having seen the light. Today, it finally saw the light—a golden, warm, hopeful light.
Fragments of the celestial dome drifted through the void like a silent, golden snowfall. Each fragment carried the chaotic essence of the abyss accumulated over three million years, transforming into countless tiny golden specks under the golden light. The specks multiplied, growing denser and denser, eventually coalescing into a golden sea of light.
Within the sea of light, countless figures were coalescing. These were the human awakeners, defenders, civilians, and explorers who had sacrificed themselves over the past three hundred years, caught between the apostles and the demon gods. Their faces were no longer blurred, their bodies no longer transparent, and their eyes no longer empty. They stood in the golden sea of light, looking at Jiang Chen, at this young man in a dark cyan uniform, a light blue ribbon tied around his right wrist, and the Primordial Sword in his hand.
The figure in the front row was Zhao Lei. Twenty-six years old, a B-rank fire-type awakened individual, he sacrificed himself in the Apostle's descent in the capital. His wife was four months pregnant, and their child, a girl named Zhao Nianchen, had already been born. He took a step forward, looked at Jiang Chen, and a slight smile played on his lips.
"Jiang Chen, thank you."
The second step.
"Thank you for protecting the capital for me, thank you for protecting my wife for me, thank you for protecting my daughter for me."
third step.
He stopped and stood in front of Jiang Chen, extending his right hand. The hand was transparent, but Jiang Chen could feel its temperature—the temperature of fire, the temperature of the flames burning within an Awakened One, the temperature of the final wall of fire that Zhao Lei released during the Apostle's Descent in the Imperial Capital.
Jiang Chen raised his right hand and shook hands with Zhao Lei's right hand.
Golden light burst forth from their palms, illuminating the entire void as if it were daytime.
Zhao Lei's figure began to dissipate from the edge, turning into golden specks of light. But his smile did not fade, his warmth did not fade, and his will did not fade. They merged into the golden sea of light, into Jiang Chen's Primordial Sword, and into the seven-colored pillar of light that was slowly flowing in the void.
After Zhao Lei came Lin Xiaoyu. Twenty-three years old, an intern reporter for the Imperial Capital Television Station, she perished during the Apostle Hall Challenge live broadcast. Her parents were waiting for her to come home for the New Year in Jiangnan Province, but she couldn't go back. She took a step forward, looked at Jiang Chen, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
"Jiang Chen, thank you. Thank you for letting me see the hope of humanity's victory at the last moment."
Her figure transformed into golden specks of light and dissipated.
Then there's Zhou Minglang. Eighteen years old, a student in Class 1 of Jiangzhou Academy, who sacrificed himself in the C-level monster incident at the training ground. He had mocked Jiang Chen, had been jealous of Jiang Chen, and had even kicked Jiang Chen when he failed to awaken. But in his last moments, he chose to stand on the same line of defense as Jiang Chen.
Then there's Liu Ruyan. Nineteen years old, the eldest daughter of the Liu family in Jiangzhou, an S-rank illusionist. She was once Jiang Chen's girlfriend, broke up with him after his awakening failed, and humiliated him in front of the whole class at the celebration banquet. But in her last moments, she saw Jiang Chen standing in the sky above the capital, with a million swords rushing past him.
Her figure transformed into golden specks of light and dissipated.
One by one, the humans who had sacrificed themselves in the gap between the apostles and the demon gods over the past three hundred years emerged from the golden sea of light, shook hands with Jiang Chen, and then turned into golden specks of light and scattered. As each figure dissipated, a wisp of golden light merged into the blade of the Primordial Sword, into the seven-colored pillar of light, and into Jiang Chen's dantian.
As the last figure vanished, the seventh color—gold—on the blade of the Primordial Sword had completely stabilized. It was no longer a beacon of hope injected from the outside, but a part of the Primordial Sword itself, a new power born from the harmony of the Dao Fruits of the six Immortal Emperors and the sacrifices of humanity over three hundred years, all within Jiang Chen's Dao Heart.
Jiang Chen looked down at the blade of the Primordial Sword, at the seven slowly rotating stars. The golden flames of the Heavenly Stars, the dark red flames of the Burning Soul, the icy blue power of the Ice Profound, the pure black power of nothingness, the emerald green power of life, the pure white power of chaos, and the golden power of hope—these seven powers intertwined on the sword, forming a slowly flowing, starry scroll.
He clenched his five fingers and put the Primordial Sword into his palm.
Then he raised his head and looked at the collapsing sky of the seventh layer of the abyss, at the void being illuminated by golden light, and at the chaotic origins that had been sleeping in darkness for three hundred years, which were beginning to dissipate from the edge.
He turned around and walked back the way he came.