253: Chapter 253 The Dawn of a New Universe

When Shen Zhao woke up, sunlight spilled through the window lattice onto his face, warm and soft.

He hadn't slept this well in a very long time—no, it would be more accurate to say he hadn't slept at all in a very long time.

Ever since the tree of civilization returned, he had been constantly busy—saving Souls, sealing rifts, comforting the common people, and handling post-war matters.

Every single matter required his personal attention, and not a single mistake could be made.

He had already forgotten when he last lay in bed and closed his eyes.

He stood up, pushed open the window, and took a deep breath.

The morning air was fresh, carrying the clean scent of vegetation and the dampness of dew.

In the distance, the chants of Disciples practicing their swordplay echoed from the Martial Arts Arena of the Guardian Academy, uniform and full of youthful vigor.

Cooking smoke from breakfast stalls rose from the streets and alleys, and the playful laughter of children could be faintly heard.

Everything was as usual, as if nothing had ever happened.

But Shen Zhao knew that everything was different now.

The threat of The Designers was resolved, the rifts were sealed, and those imprisoned Souls now had a new home.

The New Universe had welcomed true peace.

He got dressed and walked out of the small courtyard.

On the stone table in the courtyard sat that half-jar of spiritual spring water from the Lingxi Realm, the water droplets on the jar gleaming slightly in the morning light.

Beside it was a plate of steaming hot buns and a small dish of side items.

Director Su Yun had been here and left him breakfast.

Shen Zhao sat down, picked up a bun, and took a bite.

The bun was very soft and sweet, carrying the fragrance of fresh wheat.

He ate very slowly, bite by bite, chewing for a long time.

It wasn't that it didn't taste good, but rather that he couldn't bear to eat it too quickly.

He was afraid that once he finished, there would be no more.

He was afraid that once he finished, days like this would come to an end.

After finishing the last bun, he cleared the dishes and stood up to walk toward the Monument of Heroes.

The eight-colored light at the top of the monument shone brilliantly in the morning sun, the grayish-white light intertwining with the other seven colors like an eternal rainbow.

Below the monument, his uncle's spirit tablet stood quietly, flanked by his grandfather's spirit tablet, as well as those of his father and mother.

The four spirit tablets stood side by side, golden characters carved upon the black Xuanhuang stone, gleaming brilliantly in the morning light.

Shen Zhao knelt before the spirit tablets, placed the qinglian sword across his knees, and kowtowed deeply.

"Uncle, this Disciple is going to visit the various domains of the New Universe today. I want to see how those rescued Souls are doing and how the common people are living. This Disciple will return soon."

The golden characters on the spirit tablets glowed slightly, as if in response to him.

He stood up and walked toward the Star Port.

Director Su Yun was already waiting at the Star Port, holding a Jade Slip in her hands, her complexion looking a bit rosier than yesterday.

"Shen Zhao, this is the summary of the situation in the various domains of the New Universe compiled by the Investigation Department. The lives of the common people are stable, the Spiritual Veins are functioning normally, and most of the rescued Souls have already found a place to settle down."

Shen Zhao took the Jade Slip and swept his Divine Thoughts into it.

The information in the Jade Slip was highly detailed, with records of the situation in every domain, from population to Spiritual Veins, and from crop yields to the morale of the common people.

Everything was progressing in a positive direction.

"Director Su, this Disciple wishes to visit the Meteor Minor Realm. The Old Farmer has planted a field of spiritual crops there, and this Disciple wants to see how he is doing."

Director Su Yun nodded.

"Alright, I will accompany you."

Shen Zhao shook his head.

"Director Su, you have already accompanied this Disciple for a long time. You should rest. The Investigation Department still needs you, and the sea of stars still needs you."

Director Su Yun looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.

"Alright. Be careful then. Take the communication talisman with you, and send word immediately if anything happens."

Shen Zhao took the communication talisman, tucked it into his robes, and turned to board the spacetime flying boat.

The cabin door closed, and eight-colored light flowed around the hull, even more dazzling and eye-catching than before.

The flying boat slowly ascended into the air and flew toward the east of the New Universe.

The Meteor Minor Realm was one of the most remote domains in the New Universe, with sparse Spiritual Veins and a thin population.

But the common people here were the very first to accept the Guardian Academy, and they were also the ones who believed in Shen Zhao the most.

Back then, the first batch of evacuees were the people of the Meteor Minor Realm.

The Old Farmer had led the villagers, lining up to step into the teleportation formation and head toward that unfamiliar new world.

They had not hesitated or questioned, because they believed in Shen Zhao.

Shen Zhao had said that the New Universe was vast, large enough for them to make a home.

The New Universe was wonderful, with mountains, rivers, Spiritual Veins, and hope.

And they believed him.

The flying boat sped through the sea of stars, eight-colored light flowing around its hull, its speed reaching the absolute limit.

In less than an hour, the flying boat arrived at the Meteor Minor Realm.

Looking from afar, that small celestial body still floated quietly in the Void Realm—not large, yet very warm.

Large stretches of spiritual fields covered the surface of the star, planted full of spiritual rice, their golden ears swaying gently in the breeze like a golden ocean.

Beside the spiritual fields stood a small wooden cabin, and in front of it sat a white-haired Old Farmer.

He was puffing on a pipe, squinting as he looked at the spiritual rice, a trace of a satisfied smile on his lips.

Shen Zhao had the flying boat land beside the spiritual fields and stepped out of the cabin.

When the Old Farmer saw him, he froze, and the pipe in his hand almost dropped to the ground.

"Young man? You... why have you come?"

The Old Farmer's voice was still raspy, and his toothless mouth was particularly noticeable in the sunlight.

His face was covered in wrinkles, like parched earth, but his cloudy eyes were filled with light.

Shen Zhao walked over and sat down beside the Old Farmer.

"Elder, this Disciple has come to visit you. Have you been doing well?"

The Old Farmer smiled, revealing his toothless mouth.

"Good, very good indeed. Look at this spiritual rice, how well it grows. This old man has lived for over eight hundred years, yet I've never seen such wonderful spiritual rice."

He pointed at that golden ocean, his hand trembling slightly.

"The Spiritual Veins of the New Universe are so much better than those of the Old Universe. We can harvest three crops of spiritual rice a year, and each harvest yields twice as much as before. The villagers all say we have you to thank for this blessing."

Shen Zhao shook his head.

"It is not because of this Disciple's blessing, but your own. You were willing to believe in this Disciple, willing to come to this unfamiliar place, and willing to start anew. You saved yourselves."

The Old Farmer looked at him, a glimmer of tears flashing in his eyes.

"Young man, you've changed a lot. You're thinner than the last time I saw you, and your eyes look deeper. You must have suffered a great deal during this time, haven't you?"

Shen Zhao shook his head.

"This Disciple has not suffered. This Disciple only did what needed to be done."

The Old Farmer fell silent for a long time, then patted his hand.

"Good child. If your uncle has spirit in heaven, he will surely be proud of you."

Shen Zhao's eyes grew red, but he did not let his tears fall.

He stood up, looking at that golden spiritual field.

"Elder, this Disciple must leave now. I still need to visit other places. Please take care of your health, and when the spiritual rice is ripe, this Disciple will come to eat."

The Old Farmer nodded and stood up to see him off.

"Alright, this old man will wait for you."

Shen Zhao boarded the flying boat, the cabin door closed, and eight-colored light flowed around the hull.

The flying boat slowly ascended into the air, flying toward the next star.

In the spiritual fields behind him, the golden ears of rice swayed gently in the wind like a golden ocean.

The Old Farmer stood by the edge of the field, gazing at the increasingly distant flying boat, remaining still for a long time.

In his hand, he still held that pipe; the smoke had already gone out, but he did not relight it.

He simply stared in that direction, watching the young man's departing figure.

As the flying boat sped through the sea of stars, Shen Zhao stood before the porthole, watching the stars flash past one by one.

Lingxi Realm, Cangwu Domain, Qingmang Mountain, Liuli Realm—he went to visit every single domain.

The common people of every domain were living well.

Some were farming, some were cultivating, some were building houses, and some were teaching children to read.

On their faces were smiles, sweat, and hope for the future.

They had not forgotten the past, but they cherished the present even more.

Looking at those smiles, a surge of warmth welled up in Shen Zhao's heart.

This was everything he had desperately fought to protect, and this was the reason he was willing to give his all.

It was not for fame or fortune, nor for immortality, nor for any selfish desires.

It was simply for these smiles, for this ordinary happiness.

On this day, while Shen Zhao was on his way to the next star, the communication talisman suddenly lit up.

Director Su Yun's voice came through, carrying a hint of excitement.

"Shen Zhao, the Investigation Department has discovered a new star in the western part of the New Universe. The Spiritual Veins on that star are extremely abundant, several times denser than those of New Yongning City. And... and on that star, there is a small tree. The appearance of that small tree is exactly the same as the one you brought out from the tree of civilization."

Shen Zhao's hand paused slightly.

A small tree of the tree of civilization?

He remembered that when the tree of civilization collapsed, a small tree had drifted out from the ruins and followed him out of the rift.

He hadn't paid it any mind, thinking it was merely a fragment of the tree of civilization that would soon dissipate.

Could it be that the seed had taken root in the New Universe?

"This Disciple will go take a look."

He had the flying boat accelerate, flying toward the western part of the New Universe.

Eight-colored light flowed around the hull, its speed reaching the absolute limit.

Within less than two hours, the flying boat arrived at the outer periphery of that new star.

Looking from afar, that star resembled an emerald gem, suspended in the Void Realm.

The surface of the star was covered in dense forests, with a clear river flowing through them. Beside the river was a hill, and at the foot of the hill stood a small tree.

The small tree was not tall, only about ten feet high; its trunk was very thin, and its canopy was small, bearing only a few leaves.

But its leaves were golden, each one glowing like countless tiny lamps, illuminating the entire forest.

The tree of life.

No, it was not the tree of life, but the rebirth of the tree of civilization.

Shen Zhao had the flying boat land in front of the small tree and stepped out of the cabin.

The leaves of the small tree swayed gently, making a rustling sound, and golden light spilled over him, warm and soft.

It was as if it were welcoming him home.

He walked up to the small tree and reached out to gently touch its trunk.

The trunk was very thin and soft, a warm sensation transferring from his palm as if he were touching the pulse of Life.

A faint voice echoed in his mind, very soft and delicate, like the murmur of an infant.

"Father... you have come..."

Tears welled up and spilled from Shen Zhao's eyes.

The newborn consciousness of the tree of civilization was calling him father.

Just like how the consciousness of the New Universe had called him father back then.

"Child, are you doing well here?"

That voice was very soft, carrying a hint of a smile.

"Very well. The Spiritual Veins here are highly abundant, the sunlight is warm, and there is plenty of rain. This Disciple will grow up, and I will grow very tall and large. When the time comes, this Disciple will shield this sea of stars from the wind and rain, and protect everyone who needs protection. This is this Disciple's promise."

Shen Zhao smiled, and as he smiled, tears streamed down his face.

He leaned against the trunk, closed his eyes, and felt that faint heartbeat.

That was the heartbeat of the tree of civilization, the heartbeat of new Life, the heartbeat of hope.

He recalled the words of the Shadow of Beginning before it dissipated, and the words of the Spirit of Nothingness before it dissipated.

They had both waited for far, far too long, waiting for someone who could break the cycle.

They had both lived to see it, and they had both pinned their hopes on him.

He had not let them down; he had truly done it.

Shen Zhao sat beneath the small tree for a day and a night.

He watched the sun rise and set, watched the stars light up and fade, and watched those few golden leaves swaying gently in the wind.

The small tree kept talking to him, speaking of its wishes, its dreams, and its worries.

It said it wanted to grow tall, tall enough to touch the sky.

It said it wanted to grow large, large enough to cover the entire sea of stars.

It said it wanted to protect everyone, just as Shen Zhao had protected everyone.

Shen Zhao listened and smiled, though his eyes remained red throughout.

The next morning, Shen Zhao stood up and took one last look at the small tree.

The leaves of the small tree swayed gently in the morning light, golden rays spilling over him, warm and soft.

"Child, Father must leave now. Father still needs to visit other places. Be good here, grow up well, and protect this sea of stars well."

The leaves of the small tree bobbed once, as if nodding.

"Father, when will you come to see this Disciple again?"

Shen Zhao thought for a moment and smiled.

"Soon. Father will return very soon."

He turned and boarded the flying boat.

The cabin door closed, and eight-colored light flowed around the hull.

The flying boat slowly ascended into the air, flying toward the next star.

In the forest behind, that small tree continued to sway gently, its golden leaves gleaming brilliantly in the morning light.

Like a tiny Guardian, standing watch over this sea of stars.