1: Chapter 1 Rebirth and Return, The Era Resets

Blood.

Viscous, dark red blood dripped along the edge of the shattered armor, blooming like tragic flowers on the scorched earth.

Lin Ye knelt on one knee in the center of the ruins, the broken half of his sword gripped tightly in his left hand, stabbed deep into the ground, barely supporting his collapsing body. His right arm was severed at the shoulder, the cross-section charred black—the mark of being eroded by the Laws of a Supreme Being. In the center of his chest, a bowl-sized hole allowed light to pass through, revealing the burning city and fleeing crowds behind him.

But he could not feel pain.

It wasn't numbness; all his pain nerves had been completely destroyed three days ago—from the moment the Dark Turmoil erupted in full force and the real world completely fused with covering the heavens era, for mortals of flesh and blood under the pressure of Supreme Being-level existences, even the qualification to feel pain had become a luxury.

"Cough..."

A mouthful of black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs sprayed out. Lin Ye's vision began to blur.

In the distance, that figure spanning the sky was slowly raising a hand. Just this simple action caused the space for a hundred miles around to shatter like glass. That was the projection of the Supreme Being of the Forbidden Zone, the "Lord of Reincarnation". Although it possessed less than one ten-thousandth of the power of his true self, it was enough to turn this last refuge of humanity into powder.

"Lin Ye! Run!"

A hoarse roar came from the left. It was Chen Hao, his best brother from his past life. At this moment, half of his body was frozen, while the other half burned with the golden flames of the God King Body, desperately blocking three ancient kings.

"Heavenly Court Lord... cannot die here..." On the right, Su Qingyue's voice was so weak it was almost inaudible. Her Vast Cold Spirit Body had burned to its limit, and her body was dissipating into specks of moonlight.

Lin Ye wanted to smile, but he didn't even have the strength to twitch the corners of his mouth.

Run?

Where to?

The game manifested, the two worlds merged. covering the heavens era, which he once thought was just a virtual world, had devoured the entire Blue Star. Emperor-level existences walked in modern cities, Supreme Beings of the Forbidden Zone treated humans as blood food, and those players who were once prominent in the game—including him, the so-called Heavenly Court Lord—were nothing more than slightly stronger ants in the face of true horror.

"If... I could do it all over again..."

This thought flashed like a final spark before his consciousness completely sank into darkness.

Then—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A heavy and rhythmic knocking sound, accompanied by a familiar, annoying vibration.

Lin Ye opened his eyes abruptly.

A white ceiling, an old-fashioned ceiling fan rotating slowly, sunlight spilling onto his face through the gaps in the blue curtains. Beneath him was the familiar touch of a hard wooden bed, and the air was filled with the unique smell of a dormitory, a mixture of instant noodles and sweat.

He was stunned.

For a full ten seconds, Lin Ye lay on the bed like a statue, only his eyeballs moving slowly, scanning this small and familiar room: the mountain of professional books piled on the desk on the left, the faded Covering the Heavens poster on the right wall, a T-shirt washed white hanging at the foot of the bed—a souvenir from the junior year sports meet.

"Is this... my college dormitory?"

A hoarse voice squeezed out of his throat. Lin Ye tried to lift his right hand.

A complete arm.

Five fingers spread, closed, then spread again. The skin was smooth, with no scars, let alone the traces of Supreme Being Law erosion deep into the bone marrow. The muscles of the arm were somewhat soft due to a long lack of exercise, but they were undoubtedly the healthy limbs of a twenty-three-year-old youth.

"Buzz—"

The mobile phone vibrated by the pillow.

Lin Ye turned over mechanically and grabbed the domestic mobile phone with a cracked corner of the screen. On the lit screen, the time was: September 28, 2025, 7:03 AM.

Below was an unread push notification:

[Breaking] The epoch-making virtual reality game "covering the heavens era" global synchronized server opening countdown: 3 days, 0 hours, 57 minutes! The number of pre-registrations has exceeded 800 million!

covering the heavens era.

These four words were like a red-hot branding iron, searing fiercely into Lin Ye's mind.

"Ahhh—!"

He sat up abruptly from the bed, holding his head in both hands, letting out a roar suppressed to the limit.

It wasn't a dream.

That shiver sweeping through his whole body, those memory fragments surging in his blood, every life-and-death struggle, every battle, every sacrificed face experienced in those three years... too clear, too heavy, absolutely not a weight that a dream could fabricate.

Rebirth.

This cliché setting in novels had now become the only straw he could grasp.

"I have returned to three years ago... three days before the server of covering the heavens era opened..."

Lin Ye took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The Heart-Nature honed in countless desperate situations in his past life began to play a role. He forcibly suppressed the surging emotions and began to sort out the current situation.

First, time point confirmed: September 28, 2025, just the beginning of the first semester of senior year. His parents were alive, his younger sister was still in high school, and all tragedies had yet to happen.

Second, covering the heavens era server opening countdown: 72 hours. This game, built by the mysterious optical brain "Heavenly Dao", would open globally at midnight on National Day in three days. By then, over a billion players would flood into that virtual world based on the Covering the Heavens Universe.

Third, and most importantly: one year later, the game would fuse with reality. Laws would manifest, Spiritual Qi would recover, and everything in the virtual world—power, Realm, items, and even those terrifying Forbidden Land existences—would descend into reality.

And humanity was completely unprepared.

"Hoo..."

Lin Ye kicked off the quilt and stepped barefoot on the cold concrete floor. He walked to the desk, pulled open the drawer, and took out a blank notebook and a pen.

The pen tip hovered over the paper, trembling slightly.

Three minutes.

He remained still for three minutes, then began to write.

The handwriting was messy at first, then became faster and steadier.

[Key Time Nodes]

1. Opening day (2025.10.1): The Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin plot begins. All players gather at the peak of Mount Tai, are sucked into the bronze coffin, and cross the starry sky to arrive at the Big Dipper Star Field. Key: Must complete character creation within 0.1 seconds, grab a specific ID, and trigger the "First Created Character" hidden reward.

2. Days 3-7 of opening: The nine sacred mountains of the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land open, and each mountaintop has an archaic sacred fruit. Consuming one can activate the wheel sea secret realm, all attributes +50. Key: Must collect all nine, this is one of the biggest advantages for the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body in the Early Stage.

3. Day 15 of opening: Bronze Ancient Palace hidden dungeon opens. First clear reward [myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo], a growth-type life weapon, laying the Foundation for future Emperor Weapons. Key: Need to form a reliable team in advance, the dungeon decryption guide is as follows...

4. Day 30 of opening: Outer gate trial of Yaoguang Holy Land. Breaking the historical record can obtain clues to [Nine Secrets · Jie Character Secret]. Key: Must climb the Star Gazing Platform on the night of the full moon...

5. Day 60 of opening: City of God Stone Gambling Convention. The third "Ghost Cracked Stone" in the ninth row of the seventh district contains the [Dragon Pattern Black Gold Sword Embryo]. Key: Need to prepare at least 50,000 Spirit Stones...

...

[Must-Get Legacies and Treasures]

1. Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body (Unique Talent): All attributes +100%, experience gain +200%, ignore Realm Bottleneck, unlock a Chaos Divine Ability every time a major Realm is broken through. Acquisition method: Create a character within 0.1 seconds of server opening, the ID must be "Lin Ye" (same as real name), choose Human Race, and set all attributes to default.

2. bodhi seed: Comprehension Ability permanently +30%, key item for early Epiphany. Location: Ruins of the Great Thunder Sound Temple on Yinghuo Ancient Star, in the palm of the Buddha statue.

3. bronze lamp: Fragment of a Buddha artifact, has a restraining effect on evil spirits. Location: Side hall of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, need to move the collapsed beams.

4. Void Scripture · Incomplete Manual 1: Introduction to spatial Laws, comes with the skill "Void Step". Location: Yan State royal treasury, need to complete the "Yan State Secret History" hidden mission, choose the inconspicuous one on the far left among the three stone boxes.

5. Nine Secrets · Jie Character Secret (Incomplete): Passive, 3% chance to trigger five times critical damage, can evolve with the improvement of Realm. Acquisition method: Clues from the Scripture Pavilion of Yaoguang Holy Land, sense the movement of stars on the Star Gazing Platform on the night of the full moon.

...

[Key Figures and Forces]

1. Su Qingyue: Awakener of the Vast Cold Spirit Body, specializing in ice-type Dao techniques. In reality, she is the successor of an ancient martial arts family, cold on the outside and warm on the inside. Contact point: During the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin plot, she will be chased by the Crocodile Ancestor's divine thought; saving her can unlock favorability.

2. Chen Hao: Inheritor of the God King Body, excellent melee talent. In reality, he is Lin Ye's college roommate, loyal and reliable, died in battle to cover Lin Ye in his past life. Contact point: Dormitory, can be pulled into the team before the server opens.

3. Zhao Wuji: Business Genius, heir to a large financial group in reality. Contact point: Recruitment office in the City of God in Yan State, he will be attracted by the name of the "Heavenly Court" force and take the initiative to contact.

4. Qin Ruoxue: Intelligence queen, core member of a hacker organization in reality. Contact point: Around the 45th day of opening, she will take the initiative to seek cooperation through the Heavenly Secret Pavilion channel.

5. Shi Potian: Inheritor of the Tyrant Body, battle maniac. Contact point: Seventh pass of the Ancient Star Road, can be subdued after defeating him.

...

[Force Development Blueprint]

1. Day 10 of opening: Establish "Heavenly Court", initial members 7. Site selection: Capital City of Yan State, take advantage of the prophet's advantage to seize the copper mine vein in the west of the city.

2. Day 30 of opening: Force upgrades to level 2, establish four halls: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu. Su Qingyue serves as the Hall Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall, Chen Hao serves as the Hall Master of the Azure Dragon Hall.

3. Day 60 of opening: Establish "Heavenly Court Chamber of Commerce", headed by Zhao Wuji. Host the City of God auction to make a name for themselves and accumulate the first pot of gold.

4. Day 90 of opening: Members exceed 500, occupy at least three resource points (mine veins, medicine gardens, Secret Realm entrances).

...

Lin Ye filled twenty full pages of paper.

His wrists were sore, his fingertips were white from the effort, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

This was not a simple game guide; this was a survival blueprint for the next three years, the only chance for human civilization to fight for a glimmer of life in the coming great catastrophe.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The dormitory door was knocked, and then pushed open.

A fat man wearing sports shorts and drenched in sweat poked his head in. It was Chen Hao. He had just returned from a morning run, carrying two breakfasts in his hands.

"Brother Ye, awake? I brought you steamed buns and soy milk." Chen Hao grinned, revealing two canine teeth. "Seeing you stayed up late writing your thesis yesterday, I didn't call you to get up early."

Lin Ye looked at this familiar face, his throat tightening.

In his past life, on the seventh day of the Dark Turmoil, Chen Hao burned his God King Body Origin to block a fatal blow from the Ancient Royal Family for him, eventually dissipating into golden light. Before dying, this always grinning fat man only said: "Brother Ye, in the next life... let's be brothers again."

"What's wrong? Your eyes look weird." Chen Hao felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at. He walked in and put the breakfast on the table. "Could it be you dreamt of the beauties in the game? Let me tell you, have you seen the trailer for covering the heavens era? That modeling, that image quality, it's said to be 99% realistic! I can't wait!"

Lin Ye took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions.

"Hao," he opened his mouth, his voice calm, "do you trust me?"

Chen Hao was stunned: "Nonsense, we grew up together wearing the same pair of pants, if I don't trust you, who do I trust?"

"Good." Lin Ye nodded and pushed the full notebook in front of him. "From now on, do as it says. First, take out all your money—including next month's living expenses. Second, go to the 'Future Technology Experience Store' on the back street of the school and order two top-tier game pods. If the money isn't enough, pay in installments. Third, in these three days, read the Covering the Heavens novel from beginning to end again, especially the plot from Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin to the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land."

Chen Hao widened his eyes, picked up the notebook and flipped through two pages, his expression gradually changing.

"Brother Ye, this... are you serious? The game opens the day after tomorrow, is there enough time to read the novel? And these game pods, a top-tier one costs 88,000! Two is 176,000! Even if you sell me, I can't afford it!"

"I'll handle the money." Lin Ye stood up, dragged an old suitcase from under the bed, opened the interlayer, and took out a bank card. "There is 100,000 in here, which I saved from doing projects and part-time jobs during my three years of college. Plus your savings, the down payment should be enough."

"But this is all your money!" Chen Hao said anxiously, "What if the game isn't that popular, or we don't play well, and this money goes down the drain!"

Lin Ye looked out the window.

The sun was shining just right; students were walking in twos and threes on campus, and cheers could be heard from the basketball court in the distance.

Peace, tranquility—this was the last calm before the storm.

"A-Hao," he said slowly, "this is not a game.

This is a war, a war that concerns the fate of all of us.

In one year, you will understand every word I have said today."

Chen Hao was shaken by the solemnity in Lin Ye's eyes.

He had never seen his friend wear such an expression—it was not a joke, not fanaticism, but a kind of determination bordering on compassion.

"...Okay." After a few seconds of silence, Chen Hao nodded heavily.

"I believe you.

I'll go order the game pod now."

"Wait." Lin Ye called him back.

"Remember, use your real name 'Chen Hao' for your game ID, choose the Human Race for your race, and set all attributes to default.

The moment the server opens, you must complete the character creation within 0.5 seconds.

After entering the game, go to the Jade Emperor Summit of Mount Tai to gather immediately; I will be waiting for you there."

"Understood!"

Chen Hao grabbed his laptop and hurried out of the dormitory.

Lin Ye closed the door, leaned his back against the door panel, and slowly slid down to the floor.

The first step had been taken.

Next was to deal with everything in reality.

He picked up his phone and dialed home.

"Hello, Xiao Ye, why are you calling so early?" His mother's gentle voice came through, and in the background, there was the sound of his father watching the news on TV.

Lin Ye felt his nose sting and blinked hard.

"Mom, is Dad nearby? I have something important to say."

"He is, he is. Wait a moment... Old man, it's our son on the phone, he says he has something to discuss!"

Footsteps came from the other end of the line, followed by his father's voice: "Xiao Ye, what's the matter? Are you short on money?"

"Dad, Mom, listen to me," Lin Ye said, enunciating every word.

"From now on, do three things.

First, list the house back home for sale.

The price can be 10% lower than the market price, but it must be fully paid in cash, and the transaction must be settled within a week.

Second, withdraw all savings and exchange it all for gold.

Third, ten days from now, no matter what excuse you use, take my sister and move to Grandma's house in the countryside.

Stay there for at least half a year."

The other end of the line fell into a deathly silence.

After a long while, his mother's trembling voice came through: "Xiao Ye... did, did you get into some kind of trouble out there? Did you take out a loan shark loan? Tell Mom the truth, we'll figure it out together..."

"Mom, I didn't get into trouble." Lin Ye closed his eyes.

"But I have seen the future.

In half a year, the city will become very dangerous.

The countryside, especially places with few people and farmland, will be much safer.

Dad, Mom, trust me this once.

After half a year, if nothing happens, I will buy the house back and pay you back double the money."

There was another silence.

His father said in a deep voice: "Xiao Ye, did you join some... cult?"

"Dad, when have I ever lied to you since I was a child?" Lin Ye opened his eyes, his tone firm.

"Just this once.

For me, and for my little sister.

If you really don't believe me, at least buy the gold.

In half a year, the price of gold will rise by at least 50%."

This was not a lie.

After the game fused with reality in his past life, the real-world financial system collapsed, gold became hard currency, and its price skyrocketed.

"...Okay," his father finally said.

"Your mother and I will discuss it.

But Xiao Ye, remember, no matter what happens, home will always be your backup."

"I know.

Thank you, Dad."

Hanging up the phone, Lin Ye felt a wave of exhaustion.

This was all he could do.

His parents were traditional people; convincing them to buy gold was already the limit.

To really get them to sell the house and move immediately, he would likely need more direct evidence—and that evidence would arrive in a year in the most cruel way.

Next was to deal with his own assets.

Lin Ye logged into several investment platforms.

He cleared all his stocks, redeemed all his funds, and sold off all his virtual currency—these would all become worthless paper after the Fusion.

After totaling all his funds and deducting the 100,000 for Chen Hao and the portion left for his family, he had 420,000 left.

He opened a shopping website and searched for "wilderness survival gear."

High-strength tents, water purifiers, compressed food, first aid kits, multi-functional engineer shovels, solar charging panels... he ordered enough of everything that could save lives in the Early Stages of Chaos for five people, and filled in the shipping address as his grandmother's warehouse in the countryside.

After doing all this, it was already 12:00 noon.

Lin Ye made a bowl of instant noodles, and while eating, he opened his computer and logged into the official forum for covering the heavens era.

The homepage was already flooded with various posts:

[Technical Analysis] Looking at the realism of the physics engine in covering the heavens era from the trailer!

[Strategy Warm-up] A full analysis of the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin plot, taking you one step ahead to reach the Big Dipper Star Field!

[Guild Recruitment] The "Temple" guild is sincerely recruiting elites; benefits are excellent, and spots are limited!

[Trading Zone] Buying game beta testing qualifications at a high price; if you have one, private message me!

Lin Ye browsed quickly, his gaze finally resting on an inconspicuous post:

[Chat] Does anyone else feel that the promotion for this game is a bit weird?

The poster's ID was "Star Gazer," and the content of the post was not long:

"Starting three months ago, the advertisements for covering the heavens era have been everywhere.

But have you noticed that to this day, no media outlet has publicly reported specific information about the game's developer, 'Heavenly Dao Technology'?

There is only a vague address on the official website, the phone line is always busy, and you can't even find the company registration information.

What's even stranger is that governments around the world are maintaining a high level of silence about it.

Usually, for a virtual reality project of this scale, at least the technology department or cultural department would come out to say a few words, but this time, there is nothing.

It's like... everyone has tacitly accepted its existence.

And that slogan about 99% realism.

With current technology, is that really possible?

If it has been achieved, is it still a 'game'?"

There were only a few sporadic replies under the post, most of them mocking the original poster for overthinking.

But Lin Ye remembered this ID.

Star Gazer... if he remembered correctly, on the eve of the game's Fusion in his past life, a mysterious organization codenamed "Star Gazing Platform" had foreseen part of the truth in advance and tried to warn the world.

Unfortunately, their voices were drowned out in the waves of global revelry.

"It seems I'm not the only one who has noticed the anomaly."

Lin Ye closed the forum and clicked on the game's official website.

On the pitch-black background, stars slowly rotated, finally converging into four ancient characters: covering the heavens era.

Below was a countdown:

Time until server launch: 2 days, 12 hours, 34 minutes, 22 seconds

Next to it was a short introductory text:

"covering the heavens era is a surreal virtual world constructed by the heavenly dao system.

This world takes the Universe of the famous literary work Covering the Heavens as its basic framework, and has undergone comprehensive expansion and deepening.

Core features:

1. Time flow ratio of 1:10 (1 hour in reality = 10 hours in-game)

2. 99% realism, full simulation of the five senses

3. Open Cultivate system, no level cap

4. Coexistence of ten thousand races, collision of civilizations

5. Hidden plots and Legacy waiting to be explored

Warm reminder: This world has a certain degree of unpredictability; please prepare yourself mentally."

Unpredictability.

Lin Ye chewed on this word, and the corners of his mouth curled into a cold arc.

It was more than just unpredictable.

It was the collision of two worlds, the rewriting of Law, a dark epic of countless civilizations struggling to survive in despair.

And this time, he would not let the tragedy repeat itself.

In the afternoon, Lin Ye went to the bank and transferred most of his funds to a newly opened card, leaving only the necessary living expenses.

Then he went to a mobile phone store and bought three high-capacity power banks and a satellite phone—the latter cost him quite a bit of money, but it was worth it.

In the evening, Chen Hao returned with a flushed, excited face.

"Brother Ye, it's done!

Two top-spec game pods, they'll be delivered and installed tomorrow.

I haggled with the boss for half a day, only paid a 300,000 down payment, and the rest is in twenty-four installments!" He lowered his voice.

"But Brother Ye, the boss secretly told me that there are a lot of people buying game pods these days, especially the top-spec version; they're almost out of stock.

And... the price has risen by 20% compared to the official price."

Lin Ye was not surprised.

In his past life, three days before the server opened, the black market price of top-spec game pods rose by a full five times.

Because only the top-spec version could support 99% realism and long-term online play, the standard version only had at most 70% realism, and would force a logout if online for more than eight consecutive hours.

"Let it rise, as long as we can buy them, that's fine." Lin Ye handed a piece of paper full of writing to Chen Hao.

"For these three days, follow this schedule.

Six hours of sleep every day, eight hours of physical training, four hours of Covering the Heavens plot review, two hours of game operation rehearsal, and the remaining four hours for handling miscellaneous tasks."

Chen Hao took the note and his mouth twitched.

"Brother Ye, this is military training..."

"It's ten thousand times crueler than military training." Lin Ye stared into his eyes.

"A-Hao, you can resurrect if you die in the game, but there will be experience penalties and equipment drops.

But if we are wiped out in a key dungeon because our operations are not skilled enough or our reactions are not fast enough, what we might lose is the opportunity to change our destiny."

Chen Hao opened his mouth, and finally nodded heavily.

"I'll train!"

For the next two days, the dormitory became a temporary training ground.

Relying on his past life memories, Lin Ye designed a set of adaptive training for the covering the heavens era operation mode: including quick skill switching under the holographic interface, multi-line operations, extreme reaction tests, and so on.

Although there was no game pod now, through computer simulation and physical exercise, he could at least let his body enter the state in advance.

Chen Hao went from wailing at the beginning to gradually keeping up with the rhythm.

Although he didn't know why Lin Ye was so certain, his trust in his brother overwhelmed all doubts.

The third night, September 30th, 11:30 PM.

Two silver-grey streamlined game pods had been installed in the center of the dormitory, almost filling the entire space.

The surface of the pods flowed with a faint blue halo, and the side was printed with the "Heavenly Dao Technology" logo—a simple circle with countless light points moving inside, like a miniature Universe.

"This thing is really cool." Chen Hao touched the pod door and exclaimed, "It feels like a hibernation pod in a sci-fi movie."

Lin Ye did not speak.

He was doing the final check: nutrient solution infusion completed, neural connection electrodes cleaned and disinfected, backup power connection normal, network lines stable.

"Brother Ye, I'm a bit nervous." Chen Hao rubbed his hands.

"Do you think this game is really as divine as it's advertised?"

"It's more divine than advertised." Lin Ye looked out the window.

The night sky was clear and dotted with stars.

But in his eyes, the positions of those stars... seemed to be slightly different from his memories.

It was as if something invisible was slowly changing the underlying rules of this world.

"Five more minutes." Lin Ye withdrew his gaze.

"Get in the pod.

Remember, use your real name for the ID, set attributes to default, and you must create the character quickly."

Both of them lay into the game pods.

The pod doors slowly closed, and a soft female voice sounded in their ears:

"Neural connection starting... compatibility test... 99.7%... Excellent."

"Brain wave synchronization... complete."

"Consciousness transmission channel established... countdown: 3 minutes 21 seconds."

Lin Ye closed his eyes.

The final images of his past life flashed through his mind: crumbling cities, the burning sky, the dissolving light points of his brothers, his lover turning into moonlight, and that Supreme figure suppressing the ages.

"This time..."

He clenched his fists.

"...I will Solely Deciding the Ages."

The moment the countdown hit zero, boundless darkness engulfed all consciousness.

And in the real world, over a billion game pods around the globe lit up simultaneously.

A torrent of data crossed physical boundaries, converging toward an unknown destination.

Deep in the Universe, a cold light-brain slowly rotated.

On its surface, a line of ancient characters appeared, the last words of the civilization from the previous era:

[Era restart, trial begins. The survivors shall inherit everything.]