Chapter 54: The Lonely World (Part Two)

Tang Jinbiao remained silent, not interrupting Huang Biaozi. After a moment of calm, Huang Biaozi continued, “Heh, it’s truly ironic when spoken aloud. That person had a dream—an unparalleled dream. After waking from that dream, he finally stepped into the Fifth Step, coveted by countless God-Kings in the Divine Realm. That very same person brought this old man to the World of Destruction. Upon arriving at the World of Destruction, I saw his tears fall for the second time! The first was when my first disciple perished. That person wept then, but never again afterward… until the World of Destruction. He wept once more…”

Huang Biaozi seemed lost in profound memories. As he spoke, confusion clouded his eyes. Though merely a soul-body, illusions of tears seemed to swirl within them.

“Cough, enough! Speaking of it brings tears! But regarding that World of Destruction, this old man can tell you—it was a world of death. There was no spiritual energy there, only void and endless shattered stones. Of course, those stones might be what you call ‘planets.’ For when they gather densely enough, they resemble a giant sphere from afar. Reflected light from distant fragments truly made them gleam like stars. After that person departed, I stayed. I sought to explore that world’s vastness, extending my Divine Sense outward. Day after day, month after month, year after year… I resolved not to leave until uncovering that world’s limits. Yet that exploration lasted ten thousand years… Heh, ten thousand years! For ten entire millennia, my Divine Sense journeyed immeasurable distances, encountering only cold and boundless void. Occasionally, I witnessed planets crumbling—some regions even devouring Divine Sense like ravenous beasts. But nothing more. Only void and desolation. Not a flicker of vitality. At last, I grasped why that person shed tears. Just as I prepared to halt… I detected somewhere—”

“What about that place?”

Tang Jinbiao’s heart lurched. He sensed Huang Biaozi’s discovery might involve his own world—a realm where space held only cold and planets, while “Divine Sense-absorbing voids” were likely akin to Black Holes.

“Heh, life finally emerged! After millennia of exploration, my Divine Sense found life! On a Giant Boulder—no, by your terms, a planet. A small one, insignificant as grains of sand in the eyes of beings like us. Yet upon such grain-sized soil, I first detected life! You cannot fathom my exhilaration then! I yearned to rush there instantly—to witness what manner of life it was. But delving deeper with my Divine Sense… I was stunned. Yes—because Humans lived there! Humans! Alongside beasts, blossoms, forests. Yet no spiritual energy remained. Those people were mere Mortals, living scarcely a century. For a thousand years, I observed. Many unprecedented events unfolded there—things I’d never beheld as an ancient being. Yet every few decades, war erupted. Those conflicts seemed trifling to me—like watching ants fight. Devoid of passion. Eventually, I withdrew my Divine Sense, bored, ready to depart. But turning away… I finally understood. At last, I knew why those tears had fallen! Heh!”

Huang Biaozi’s face lit with fervor when recalling life’s discovery—the overwhelming relief and joy after ten thousand desolate years. Describing Humans and plants and wars, his expression stayed neutral, still mired in wonder. Only upon mentioning tears did his gaze shroud in an unspeakable sorrow.

“What happened? Why did you weep? For those lost in war? And… can one still reach that world?”

Tang Jinbiao felt certain: that “grain” was Earth. His cradle—where he’d been born.

“Heh, why weep? If you lived in such a world… wouldn’t you feel lonely? Sorrowful? Wretched? A cosmos so vast, yet inhabited solely on one tiny speck? Where are the others? And with such scarcity, why wage wars? Think: here, the Tang Family spans mere hundreds of miles—crowding thousands. Nearby cities bulge with millions! Should you ascend to the Immortal Realm… cities harbor billions! But that World of Destruction? More expansive than the Divine Realm tenfold—and left only with cold, emptiness, and oblivious fools trapped on their speck! Don’t you ache?”

Huang Biaozi stared at Tang Jinbiao as he might a freak.

“This…”

Suddenly, Tang Jinbiao’s world seemed remade. Standing in Huang Biaozi’s shoes, he saw the true cosmos: endless darkness, a lone inhabited dot. So vast a universe—abandoned to ruin, void alone enduring.

He recalled his childhood world—fantasizing aliens dwelling afar, living like Humans. Dreams that filled his heart with hope and wonder. Yet time eroded all. He ceased caring about aliens, gods at the world’s edge. His concerns shrank to daily chores, exam-strategy, idle pleasures…

Huang Biaozi’s words struck like thunder, jolting him from slumber!

In that forgotten realm, are Humans truly alone?

In that forgotten realm, are Humans truly lonely?

In that forgotten realm, are Humans truly… the sole possessors of consciousness?

Tang Jinbiao fought an urge to weep. Though he’d long dismissed aliens—belief in “others” withered—faced anew with his world’s orphaned fate: the revelation carved ache. Yet his tears stemmed not from isolation—but from those who still searched. Who clung to hope that distant hearts might beat, proving their world not bereft. Till truth’s blade severed that fragile thread—

“Heh… perhaps… we are indeed alone.”

Tang Jinbiao swallowed the impulse to sob. Tilting his head back, refusing tears, he stared at the Triple Moons and whispered words recalled from ancient tomes.

“Enough. Youngling: I recounted that world not without purpose. I meant to tell you—even a boundless world faces doom. Should you ever reach this realm’s apex, never grow arrogant. For skies hold mightier skies; men harbor greater men. To this day, I cannot fathom why that world was destroyed—abandoned—nor how its pitiful dwellers survived. Lonely or not—discover what your heart pursues! Find a goal to shatter! Like myself: seeking only the Fifth Step—thus loneliness fades! Now my sole ambition. But you? Your ambitions sprawl— Second Tier of Body Refining, that maiden… Heh, she’s quite impressive… Worthy of you!”

Seeing Tang Jinbiao stirred, Huang Biaozi pressed—goals achieved.

“Bah! That demoness? Beyond me. Huang Biaozi—you mentioned journeying elsewhere?”

Tang Jinbiao sighed faintly. Why did ten months feel like lifetimes adrift from home? Why did memory’s distance threaten tears?

Recalling joy only deepened loneliness!

Loving those beyond reach makes the heart weep!

Huang Biaozi replied, “Didn’t you pick up a Yin Pearl?”

“Yin Pearl? The black little orb?”

Tang Jinbiao puzzled briefly before recalling it.

“Exactly. That object is the Yin Pearl. Lately, I pondered that ancient war’s cause. After speaking of the World of Destruction, suspicion coalesced. Thus I depart temporarily—entering that broken realm within the Yin Pearl to seek answers.”

“Huh? Meaning you’ll exit my mind? Entering that black bead?”

Tang Jinbiao retrieved the stone pearl from his Storage Pouch, expression twitching.

“Precisely. To enter that bead, I must quit this flesh-vessel! Would I drag you inside? Ha! Waste-flesh like yours? Yin-corroded instantly— Soul Flame snuffed beyond rescue!”

Huang Biaozi sneered, misreading Tang Jinbiao’s curiosity as pleading.

“Hah! Should’ve said so earlier, bastard! I’ve endured long enough—your voice rotting my brain! Fucking go! Now!”

Tang Jinbiao burst into laughter, as though freed from chains.

“I…”

Huang Biaozi gaped.

“Shut it! Fuck off! Scram!”

Tang Jinbiao yelled, impatience boiling.

“Very well. Tend yourself during my absence,”

Huang Biaozi relented.

Shiuuk!

Huang Biaozi dissolved into yellow light—surging into the stone pearl.

“Drown out there!”

Once the glow faded, Tang Jinbiao stood—hurling the pearl into the cliff’s abyss.

“Finally shed that leech! Bliss awaits!”

Flinging the stone away, he turned for the mountain’s base. But three paces later—he froze. Cursing, he spun—a black streak hurtling after the plummeting pearl…