81: I can’t tell the difference, I really can’t tell the difference!!!

"I can't tell the difference, I really can't!" Gu Yanci knelt there, roaring in agony.

Ahead was the cold reality, behind was the warm illusion.

He knew what he should choose.

His humanity, his responsibility, everything urged him to grasp that sword.

But... he couldn't bear to.

He couldn't bear to part with ten thousand years of mutual support, the love in his wife's eyes, the joy of having his children and grandchildren around his knees.

He closed his eyes in pain, his soul on the verge of collapse from the tug-of-war between reason and emotion.

In his mind, the ten thousand years of happiness in the illusion clashed with the memories of fighting alongside his comrades in reality.

Like two raging torrents, they fiercely collided, stirring up monstrous waves.

He remembered.

He remembered that year on Azure Star, facing the powerful Gravekeeper, he was forced to ascend to godhood as a mortal.

The 'karma' of his existence was too vast; his foundation shattered into countless fragments, scattering across the Multiverse.

Aside from his main soul falling into slumber, those 'clones' had already met members of the Joint Squad in their respective worlds.

Scenes flashed by.

He 'saw' a completely different Ye Liuli.

[Magic World · Winter Moon]

Snow fell heavily.

A black-haired magic swordsman lay in the snow, his life force rapidly ebbing away.

He was a karmic fragment of Gu Yanci.

In the distance, a young woman in a mage robe, with an arrogant and aloof demeanor, stopped.

She was Ye Liuli, before she became the Shadow Empress.

At that time, she was merely a magic apprentice, devoted to her research and indifferent to worldly affairs.

She didn't want to meddle, as the lives and deaths of mortals were none of her concern.

Just as she turned to leave, the dying magic swordsman, with his last ounce of will, unconsciously muttered repeatedly: "I don't want to die... I... don't want to die yet..."

That obsession with 'life' was like a needle, piercing the softest part of Ye Liuli's heart.

It reminded her of her own past, struggling to survive like an ant.

She finally sighed and walked forward.

Using her still-unskilled healing magic, she pulled this stranger back from the brink of death.

The man's consciousness was blurry; he pulled out his last savings from his pocket, trembling as he tried to hand them to her.

Ye Liuli pushed them back, while scolding him with the harshest words, calling him "idiotic," "reckless," and "like an overgrown child."

At the same time, with her hands that wielded endless shadows and were decisive in killing, she clumsily and carefully applied ointment to him.

Her movements were gentle, as if afraid of hurting him, but her verbal reproaches grew harsher with each word.

That tough-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside concern was so real.

That accidental first encounter was not one of tender affection.

Instead, it was a flicker of pity in the snow, an unexpected resonance between a strong person and a weak person's unyielding will.

[Heavenly Evolution Continent · Demon Burial Abyss]

A blood-soaked young man was being hunted by so-called righteous sects.

He was another fragment of Gu Yanci, a demon sect disciple who had been framed.

And above the clouds, Ling Xi, the Saintess of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, held a star compass, silently observing everything.

The star compass showed that this person was key to a future catastrophe and, by law, should be executed.

She should have summoned a heavenly thunderbolt to completely erase this 'variable.'

But when her gaze penetrated the clouds and she saw the young man, even in his unconscious state, still clutching a broken jade pendant devoid of spiritual power, she was moved.

That jade pendant was the only keepsake left to him by his master, who had also been falsely accused of being a demon.

At that moment, Ling Xi's heart, which had long merged with the Heavenly Dao, wavered for the first time.

She saw the purest mortal 'emotion,' transcending good and evil, transcending fate.

She ultimately chose to disrupt the heavenly secrets, conceal his tracks, and grant him a sliver of hope.

That first encounter was not mutual affection.

Instead, it was a mortal heart under the Heavenly Dao, the first collision between rules and emotion.

[Nine Nether Realm · Soul Severing Cliff]

A mortal, betrayed by his family and with his cultivation completely destroyed, was pushed off a cliff and was plummeting downwards.

He was the weakest fragment of Gu Yanci.

Below the cliff, two figures had been waiting for a long time.

One was the Dark Division assassin, Shadowless Ghost - Ye Qiong, who had been ordered to deliver the finishing blow and ensure the 'cripple' was truly dead.

The other was Seer - Cang Xuan, who was wandering the mortal world and happened to pass by.

Ye Qiong's sword was cold and merciless, aimed directly at a vital point.

But Cang Xuan smiled and extended two fingers, clamping his sword blade, and lazily said, "Don't be in such a hurry; this child has a unique destiny. It would be a pity for him to die so cleanly."

And that mortal, 'Gu Yanci,' faced death without any fear or plea for mercy.

He merely raised his head, fixed his eyes on Ye Qiong with a gaze burning with vengeance, and calmly said, "My only regret is not being able to personally slay my enemies and make them accompany me to the underworld."

That unyielding pride in the face of death caused Ye Qiong's sword to pause for the first time.

It also brought out genuine interest in Cang Xuan's eyes, which had seen through all worldly affairs.

That first encounter was not a hero saving a beauty.

Instead, it was pride in despair, a mutual appreciation in the face of death... True love is not eternal perfection and smiles.

True love is a helping hand extended in the snow, a trajectory shifted under the Heavenly Dao, a soul ignited with fury in desperation!

These memories might not be perfect.

They were filled with struggle, hardship, arguments, and blood.

But this is what 'comrades' are.

These are the 'companions' one can entrust their back to!

Those countless bonds, noisy and fervent, all transformed into boundless resolve and clarity.

He loved his family in the illusion, and this love was heartbreaking.

But he could not betray his comrades who, in the real world, struggled with him through mud and blood, never letting go of each other's hands!

They, in reality, were fighting valiantly!

And he was here, enjoying a false peace!

I'm sorry... I love you all... but in reality... there are still people bleeding for me.

I... must go back.

He silently apologized to his family behind him in his heart.

Despite all his reluctance, despite his heart being torn apart.

He finally, slowly, with all his strength, raised his trembling hand and reached for the cold Human Emperor's Sword.

His departure was not because he didn't understand love.

It was precisely because he loved.

He loved the squad members who would fight alongside him, bleed for him, argue with him, yet never abandon him.

He couldn't abandon his comrades, who were still waiting for him in the cruel reality, just because he coveted this perfect dream.

"Thank you all..." Tears streamed down his face the moment he gripped the hilt of the sword.

"For giving me... the most beautiful dream of this life."

He closed his eyes, unable to bear looking at the faces of his wife and children behind him.

Sword in hand, heaven and earth changed color!

He used all his lifelong will and Dao heart to unleash the Human Emperor's Sword!

The sword light did not bring destruction.

Instead, it was like a key, opening the boundary between reality and illusion.

A huge rift, emanating the aura of the real world, opened before him.

The expected cries, pleas, and accusations... none appeared.

The entire world fell silent.

Gu Yanci stiffly turned his head.

The scene he saw was not one of resentment and confusion as he had expected.

Instead... it was a smile.

His wife, Ye Liuli, who had accompanied him for ten thousand years and was as gentle as water, was smiling at him through her tears, a supremely gentle smile.

"Go, my husband." Her voice held no trace of pleading, only immense pride and understanding.

"Go do what you must. We... have always been proud of you."

Ling Xi, beside her, also smiled, her eyes sparkling with starlight, as if she saw through everything.

"The dream is about to end. We... can't hold you back any longer."

"Don't forget, over there... there are 'us' waiting for you to return."

His 'wife,' his 'children and grandchildren,' all the 'citizens' in his kingdom.

From every corner of the city, from distant stars, they stopped everything they were doing, stood quietly, and smiled as they looked at him.

They looked at him, their 'Holy Father,' 'King,' 'Ancestor.'

In their smiles, there was no longer the perfection of a program, no longer the falseness of a setting.

Instead, there was the purest sense of relief, pride, and blessing from the depths of their souls.

It was a human epic Gu Yanci had never seen, a radiance called 'humanity.'

"I knew my husband was a peerless hero." Ye Liuli in the illusion smiled, tears of pride glistening in her eyes, "Go back quickly, return to your battlefield."

"Father, you have fought your whole life; it's time you lived for yourself for once." His 'son,' whose hair had long turned white, bowed deeply to him.

"But we know you can't let go. So, we are proud of you."

"Great-grandfather, hurry and go! Go defeat those 'bad guys'!" His great-grandson, who had once asked him what sadness was, waved vigorously at him, smiling more brightly than ever.

This illusion, constructed of 'falsehood,' had, through his ten thousand years of 'real' love, given birth to a genuine emotion called 'fulfillment,' purer than 'reality' itself!

They were no longer data, no longer programs.

They were his family.

Gu Yanci completely broke down.

The resolve he had just built with reason shattered beyond repair at this moment.

He was wrong... terribly wrong!

The shackles he had personally severed were not a false illusion.

But the purest, most selfless love in the universe!

"No... no!!!" He threw away the sword in his hand and turned frantically.

He wanted to rush back, to embrace them again, to close that rift leading to reality!

"I'm not going anywhere! I'm not leaving! I'm staying! We'll be together forever!"

He regretted it. At the very last moment, just as he was about to be freed, he chose to sink.

He would rather drown in this gentle falsehood than return to the cold reality without them.

However, he could no longer take another step forward.

Because all of his 'family' moved.

They, these programs that were supposed to be set to 'happiness,' for the first and last time, violated the creator's iron rule.

They did not hold him back; instead, they transformed into gentle streams of light.

Converging into an irresistible torrent, they gently, yet incredibly firmly, pushed him towards that rift to reality.

Countless warm hands caressed his cheeks, his white hair.

"Goodbye, Father!"

"Grandpa, you will always be our hero!"

"Holy Father, may your journey be blessed with martial prosperity!"

"Don't be sad for us; this is our own choice."

"Forget us... and then, carry our love, and live well..."

"You must..."

"...be happy."

Amidst the final blessings, their bodies, with smiles, transformed into golden stardust fluttering across the sky, like a grand and brilliant farewell.

"No—!!!"

At the very last moment, as he was pushed out of the rift, Gu Yanci looked back and saw the entire perfect 'Illusion of Joy,' along with the home that had held him for ten thousand years, his love for ten thousand years, plunge into the abyss before his eyes, annihilated into blank nothingness... [World of Joy · Central Square]

Outside, it was but an instant.

Gu Yanci's body trembled violently, and his eyelids opened.

His long-empty eyes regained their brilliance.

Su Ke Ke's coldness, Xi Xi's confrontation, the Joint Squad's calls... all became distant background noise at this moment.

His world was utterly silent.

He couldn't hear Xi Xi's questions, nor see Su Ke Ke's cold face, nor feel the surprised gazes of his teammates.

His soul was still lingering in that moment of shattered family.

In his mind, only the scene of his family turning into bubbles remained.

That phrase, "Be happy," became the torrent that broke through his tear ducts.

Drip.

Drip.

In this World of Joy, where it was forbidden by law to cry, two lines of hot, clear tears silently fell from his eyes, which had witnessed the vicissitudes of ages.