The sky suddenly grew dark, with dark clouds swirling wildly as if an unseen force was twisting the laws of the whole world. Lin Yuan's ring grew faintly hot, then trembled violently. Dazzling light erupted from its engravings, engulfing his figure entirely.
When the light faded, he stood inside a library.
"Damn, did you just teleport?!"
A familiar voice sounded beside him, laced with surprise. Lin Yuan jolted in surprise and spun around, only to see a familiar face, Lu Chenglin.
"Chenglin?" Lin Yuan froze, his throat tightening as a dizzying sensation washed over him.
Was he really… back?
Lu Chenglin's eyes widened too, staring him up and down in disbelief. "Wow, it's really you! You just vanished into thin air a second ago—I thought you'd mastered some superpower!"
Lin Yuan's mind still reeled. Memories of nine worlds flooded back, blurring the line between reality and illusion. This was the main world, his home, his starting point—the place he'd always longed to return to.
But why… did he feel no sense of belonging?
The librarian got annoyed by the commotion in the library and gave them a glare. "Quiet! Get out!"
Lin Yuan and Lu Chenglin were shooed outside.
But the moment they stepped through the door, they froze at the sight before them.
The dark clouds were pierced by an eerie red glow, burning like flames. The air reeked of charred ozone, as if the world were slowly disintegrating. Faint whispers lingered, like murmurs from another realm.
Lu Chenglin didn't notice anything strange and kept chatting. "Hey, ever since you put on that ring, I'm the only one who saw you disappear, and you were back in five seconds. Are you really some kind of chosen one?"
Lin Yuan ignored him, staring up at the sky torn by red light. His instincts screamed that things were far from simple.
Then, a low voice echoed in his mind.
"While there's still time, I'll explain some things."
It was Jiuchong.
"…You finally want to talk?" Lin Yuan frowned, voice tense. "Tell me—what's happening?"
Jiuchong spoke calmly. "Three years ago, the Heavenly Dao here was invaded by the Will of Destruction. I'm a fragment of it, part of its way to save itself."
Lin Yuan's heart jolted, his pupils contracting.
Jiuchong continued, "The energy you collected in the nine worlds is crucial to expelling the Will of Destruction. Other Heavenly Dao fragment hosts are gathering power too. Your return isn't a coincidence—it's because your mission has reached its final stage: saving this collapsing world."
Lin Yuan's fingers clenched, nails digging into his palms.
"…You didn't have to tell me this," Lin Yuan said softly. "I just want to know—why me?"
Jiuchong hesitated before replying slowly,
"Because in your past life, you were my friend."
The air turned to ice.
Lin Yuan froze, his thoughts grinding to a halt.
"…What?" His voice was hoarse, as if he couldn't believe his own ears.
Jiuchong murmured, "Your soul isn't bound to this life alone. After the Heavenly Dao began collapsing three years ago, I slept within the ring, waiting in endless darkness… then I sensed a familiar aura in you."
Lin Yuan's breath caught.
Past life? A friend?
He'd never pondered his past lives, always seeing himself as an ordinary college student who'd stumbled into a quick-transmigration journey by accident. But now Jiuchong claimed it was all fate's foreshadowing.
"You're joking…" Lin Yuan's throat tightened. "Who… was I in my past life?"
Jiuchong dodged the question. "Now isn't the time to dwell on the past. Your choice will determine this world's future."
Lin Yuan looked up at the splitting sky, sensing an indescribable horror approaching.
He closed his eyes and asked again, "…What should I do?"
Jiuchong stated flatly, "First, become the new Heavenly Dao, control world laws and rebuild order… but you will cease to be 'human.'
"Second, erase yourself, releasing your energy into the Heavenly Dao's core to fix the world… but you'll disappear completely.
"Third, refuse both and let the world fall."
======================
天空陡然阴沉,乌云疯狂汇聚,仿佛有某种无形的力量在扭曲整个世界的法则.林远的戒指微微发烫,随后剧烈震颤,刺目的亮光从戒指的纹路中喷涌而出,将他的身影完全吞没.
当光芒散去,他已经站在了图书馆内.
"我去,你这是玩突然消失术么!?"
熟悉的声音从身旁传来,带着几分惊讶.林远一愣,猛地转头,就看到一张熟悉的脸,陆承霖.
"承霖?" 林远怔住了,喉咙微微发紧,甚至有些恍惚.
他真的... 回来了?
陆承霖也瞪大了眼睛,上下打量着他,满脸不可置信:"哇,真是你啊!你这家伙,刚刚一瞬间人就不见了,我还以为你学会了什么超能力呢!"
林远的思绪仍然有些混乱.九个世界的记忆如潮水般涌来,他几乎要分不清现实与幻境.这里是主世界,是他的家,他的起点,也是他一直以来渴望回来的地方.
但为何... 他却感受不到一丝归属感?
图书馆的骚动引起了管理员的不满,对着他们怒瞪了一眼:"别在这里吵吵嚷嚷的!出去!"
林远和陆承霖被赶了出去.
然而,刚踏出图书馆大门,他们就被眼前的景象震住了.
天空的乌云被诡异的红色光芒穿透,如烈焰般熊熊燃烧.空气中弥漫着焦灼的气息,世界仿佛正缓慢崩解,隐约间还能听见细微的呢喃声,如同来自另一个世界的低语.
陆承霖还没察觉到这异常,仍在絮絮叨叨:"话说,你带上那个戒指后,好像就只有我看到你消失了,不到五秒又回来.你该不会真的是个天选之人吧?"
林远没有理会他,而是抬起头,死死盯着那片被红光撕裂的天空.他的直觉告诉他,事情远远没有那么简单.
这时,一个低沉的声音在他脑海中响起.
"趁现在还有时间,我就和你交代一些事情吧."
是九重.
"...你终于肯说话了?" 林远微微皱眉,沉声道,"告诉我,这到底是怎么回事?"
九重的声音依旧冷静无波:"三年前,此界的天道已被毁灭意志侵袭.而我,便是天道自救的手段之一,我是天道碎片."
林远心中一震,瞳孔微缩.
九重继续道:"你在之前九个世界收集的能量,正是为了驱赶毁灭意志所需的关键力量.当然,其他天道碎片的宿主也在收集.你能回到这里,并非巧合,而是因为你的任务已经到达最后阶段,拯救这个即将崩坏的世界."
林远的手指微微蜷紧,指甲嵌入掌心.
"... 其实你不用和我说这些的," 林远沉声道, "我只想知道,为什么选的是我?"
九重沉默了一瞬,才缓缓道:
"因为你的前世,是我的好友."
空气陷入死寂.
林远怔住了,连思考都停滞了片刻.
"...什么?" 他的声音有些干涩,仿佛连自己都不相信这句话的真实性.
九重低声道:"你的灵魂,并非只属于这一世.三年前的天道逐渐崩溃后,我沉眠于戒指之中,在无尽的黑暗中等待着... 然后,我在你身上感受到了熟悉的气息."
林远的呼吸渐渐沉重.
前世?好友?
他从未思考过自己的前世,他一直以为自己只是个普通的大学生,因一次意外戴上戒指,踏上快穿之旅.然而现在,九重却告诉他,这一切并非偶然,而是命运早已埋下的伏笔.
"你在开玩笑吗..." 林远的喉咙微微发紧,低声道, "我的前世,到底是谁?"
九重并未回答,而是转移了话题:"现在不是追溯过去的时候.你的选择,将决定这个世界的未来."
林远抬起头,看着那片逐渐撕裂的天空.他能感受到,一股无法言喻的恐怖力量,正缓缓降临.
他闭了闭眼,再次问道:"... 我应该做些什么?"
九重淡淡道:"第一,成为新的天道,掌控世界规则,重塑秩序.但你将不再是 '人' ."
"第二,抹去自身的存在,将你的能量释放至天道核心,修复世界... 但你将彻底消失."
"第三,拒绝一切,让世界毁灭."