Chapter 425: New Life

Caroline was startled, then stood there blankly, her vacant eyes showing confusion.

“Yes, what do I need to do if I find the Ultra-Ancient God?”

She had been frantically searching for the Ultra-Ancient God. She had traversed mountains and rivers to find the truth behind the destruction of ancient civilizations, but that truth had already been found from another angle, so there was no longer a need to continue seeking the Ultra-Ancient God. Yet, after learning the truth, her desire to find the ancient deity grew even stronger! It was only when she snapped back to reality, truly facing him, that she realized she had no real reason to seek him out.

“Why were you looking for me?” Xu Zhi chuckled again. “Are you going to treat me to milk tea again?”

Caroline’s numb eyes stared blankly, unable to react.

The young man still stood there, incredibly lazy and leisurely, as if repeating the exact same words he’d spoken years ago when she’d called him to her room to meet her in her old age.

“Don’t you recognize me? It’s me.” Xu Zhi smiled, saying the exact same words as back then, not missing a single one.

“Are you a broken record? Why are you saying the exact same things as back then?” Caroline’s heavily suppressed emotions suddenly broke through, and she couldn’t help but utter her next sentence from that day:

“Why do you still speak that way?… I still can’t believe you are an ancient god!” Caroline said, laughing, her eyes gradually welling up, filled with shimmering memories of the past.

It was still the same dialogue from back then, but the changed context of the moment brought a renewed sense of shock that once again made her mind wander.

Had everything returned to the beginning? To that very first moment, when she presented the beast contract, received the god’s approval, was kissed on the forehead by the god, and then began her absolute rise?

Her mind was filled with endless loneliness and solitude. She had been constantly rushing and running in this new world, wanting to escape it, even wishing to enter a tomb for eternal slumber. That feeling was too unbearable—to be the sole bearer of an entire civilization’s graveyard, guarding their past.

“Why can’t you believe it? Aren’t you an Ultra-Ancient God now too? And don’t call me ‘Your Excellency,’ just ‘you,’” Xu Zhi said calmly. “You are very strong now; you should have confidence…”

His identity as the God of Creation placed many restrictions on him. Often, he preferred an identity like Bai Xiaosheng, interacting with people on equal terms. He genuinely disliked being the high and mighty God of Creation, not just because of his vast size, but also because it made communication difficult, requiring him to hold people in his palm to speak with them.

“Just ‘you’?” Caroline was surprised.

Xu Zhi extended a hand, and a table appeared with two cups of milk tea on it. He said placidly, “Just as your Ishtarians say, gods are also people, merely powerful people.”

“Your Excellency…”

She was stunned, staring blankly at the leisurely young man before her. He merely chuckled; at that moment, he seemed to transform into the bright golden morning sun that melted ice and snow. The overwhelming depression she had felt instantly dissipated.

She suddenly thought of the other Ultra-Ancient God, who had experienced even more than him. As the gravedigger of another era, he had clearly endured more pain than she had. As the gravedigger of the first cycle, he had no peers and walked alone in the world… Yet, he still smiled so gently and languidly. He had clearly gone through so much hardship—friends, family, all turned into the dust of history, buried in his memory, making him the gravedigger of a civilization. If he could be so calm, why couldn’t she?

Her body trembled violently for a moment, then instantly calmed.

“It still tastes the same as back then.” She smiled freely, suddenly put down her crimson umbrella, and, like the Ultra-Ancient God, sat on the edge of a tombstone, picked up a cup with a straw inserted, and took a sip. There was no trace of the most ruthless tyrant in history, just like an ordinary girl.

Xu Zhi simply smiled and sat opposite her, drinking milk tea. The two sat like ordinary friends, and Caroline’s ashen, despairing eyes and slightly numb body slowly began to revive.

Xu Zhi said nothing, merely sitting quietly with her, drinking their beverages.

One day…

Two days…

Ten days passed…

The surrounding trees swayed, and cups littered the ground.

“Can I say… we two gravediggers of old eras, sharing a drink at one table, can watch the passage of time and the shifting of seas into fields together from now on?” Caroline suddenly asked, trembling and full of apprehension.

“Yes,” Xu Zhi replied from across the table.

Caroline’s eyes gradually brightened.

Xu Zhi knew exactly what Caroline needed. She was very good at hiding her emotions, with an extremely strong-willed personality—dogged, obstinate, and radical, a typical Ishtarian. Even now, having learned the terrifying “truth of the world” and with her faith collapsing due to “destiny’s cycle,” she was immensely suppressed and broken. But what she needed was not much; she simply needed another version of herself, the companionship of another era’s gravedigger, so that she wouldn’t feel alone.

Just as he knew back then that Medusa needed a battle to resolve her confused heart, and he gave her that battle, watching time flow and the world transform… Just as he knew back then that Di Qi needed a higher dream, so he gave him the dream of “seeing the mysteries of heaven and earth, able to expound the three vehicles of teaching, perfecting all laws,” defining an epoch as “129,600 years.”

So it was today. Caroline didn’t need the first two kinds of help; she simply needed someone to quietly accompany her, sitting beside her, watching the distant lava river. She didn’t even need words for her Dao Heart to recover.

“Shall we go somewhere else?” Xu Zhi asked.

“Where?” She picked up her umbrella, her fair, pretty face looking a little nervous.

“To that old milk tea shop.”

Caroline’s eyes lit up. “Okay!”

*Whoosh!*

In a flash, they returned to a ruined area. The entire shop was dilapidated, half-collapsed, covered in moss and flowers, and strange monster beasts wandered in the distant streets. Pushing aside a table, the two sat down again.

She seemed to snap back to herself. “With another Ultra-Ancient God arriving, does this count as me achieving the same great honor as Mr. Levi did before his death?”

“It does,” Xu Zhi said.

Caroline smiled, sipping her milk tea through the straw, then stared into Xu Zhi’s eyes for a moment, sighing. “I never thought, when you lightly kissed my forehead and said you’d give me some time, that I’d reach this point today.”

“I really didn’t,” Xu Zhi replied with a smile, feeling a little emotional. “A seed planted so casually could grow into such a flower.”

The two sat like ordinary friends having a meal, engaging in the most common small talk. “Can I ask, where have you been all these years?” Caroline seemed to have recovered, chatting like an old friend, but her questions still revolved around science. She asked, “Another world? Or a vacuum world? What exactly is that vacuum? Is it your dream, part of your ancient civilization… or a real world?”

“Probably… a real world,” Xu Zhi answered.

“Probably…?”

“Probably. No one in this world knows whether the world they live in is real, or just someone else’s dream. If they knew the truth… if it were fake, perhaps their faith would collapse just like yours,” Xu Zhi replied. Perhaps the world is a cage, and outside the cage, there is another cage.

Caroline listened, then fell silent for a moment. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-something,” Xu Zhi answered directly. “What, interested in me, looking for a blind date? My house happens to need a maid.”

“You know me; I’ve never had such thoughts.” Caroline suddenly burst into laughter, both crying and laughing. “Twenty-something… What kind of ancient unit of counting is that? Twenty-something epochs? Or what? I think our age difference is too great. Even adding my two lives together, I’m only just over three hundred years old.”

“A high-level god over three hundred years old is very impressive.” Xu Zhi smiled, raising his milk tea. “Our age difference is indeed quite large.”

Caroline also raised her milk tea, clinking cups. “So, will it take you thousands of years to reach this level? I believe we Ishtarians developed quite fast, just as we were destroyed quickly.”

“Hmm… about two months,” Xu Zhi thought seriously.

*Pfft!*

Caroline couldn’t help but laugh out loud again. “What kind of unit of measurement is that now? Such a strange ancient civilization; I’m even a little excited.” She put down her cup. This scene was somewhat peculiar: two Ultra-Ancient Gods, two gravediggers of ancient civilizations, drinking milk tea in ruins, not wine and talking, which felt a bit bizarre and childish.

She looked at the handsome young man in the wizard’s robe before her and smiled wryly. “It’s truly admirable; I can’t be that composed. Thank you for enlightening me…” As a gravedigger of a civilization, facing eternal solitude, it was not easy to appear so relaxed and calm. Loneliness is the greatest fear of any living being.

Xu Zhi thought for a moment, then just smiled and said, “Actually, your first half of life was dedicated to civilization and science, so your current sense of loss is natural. But often, life isn’t about a single pursuit; there are more interesting things to live for… Your first half of life has ended, but there’s still the second half. You can set sail again, pursue higher dreams. There’s a saying… ‘May you leave for half your life, and return still a youth.’”

When Caroline heard this sentence, her eyes instantly lit up, exceptionally bright, staring fixedly at the god sitting opposite her.

Xu Zhi felt a little stiff under her fervent gaze. “That’s from another civilization.” It had to be said that some phrases from Earth were still very elegant and evocative. The Ishtarians had lost too much in the realm of literature; they developed too quickly and focused on the romance of machinery, resulting in a lack of deep cultural heritage.

“Another civilization?” Caroline thought for a moment, finding it very interesting. She suddenly stood up, bent down, and performed an Ishtarian gesture of invitation. “Do you dance?”

Xu Zhi paused.

“I don’t either, but didn’t you say we should try new things? Our civilization has been destroyed, and I am alone. Perhaps trying to be an ordinary girl would be quite good, a very novel experience… This dance skill can be written into my mind; I’ll transmit the data to you.” She put down her crimson umbrella.

Soothing music filled the air, transforming the surroundings into a dance floor. Pairs of men and women embraced and danced, and in the distance, a phantom gentleman in a black suit played the piano.

“Mr. God, may I have this dance?” She extended her slender hand.

Xu Zhi did not refuse. He stood up, took her hand, and entered the dance floor. Over the years, as she grew stronger, the Sakura Empress’s appearance had quietly begun to resemble Caroline’s back then: dazzling light golden hair, charming curves, and deep dark red pupils, exuding a heroic aura.

Mind transmission technology was indeed astonishing. Coupled with their extremely high cultivation levels, even though neither had danced before, they instantly moved with incredibly elegant steps, walking back and forth. The occasional unintentional physical contact made the atmosphere somewhat ambiguous.

“Can you tell me now, who was that giant in the vacuum that touched us back then?” Caroline smiled, continuing to chat while dancing.

*Swish!*

Red leaves drifted down. In the distance, the blurry pianist and couples danced. The two danced in the entire flower-strewn ruins, with towering, majestic monster beasts occasionally passing by on either side. Their dance seemed unusually elegant and romantic. “Ultra-Ancient God, I have one biggest question: We are gravediggers of two civilizations, and they are our dreams, a segment of life in our memories… Are we also someone else’s dream?”

“Perhaps.”

Xu Zhi didn’t answer, gracefully stepping on the withered leaves beneath his feet. “Perhaps that giant is the Creator God, and we are all in his dream. His opening and closing of eyes signify the birth and destruction of an epoch. Who knows?”

“Life is a dream, but one must still continue.” She paused, then smiled again, seemingly completely out of the shadow. “Thank you for coming, but I still need to fall into a long sleep. This era doesn’t belong to us anymore. My path is in my dream… a brand-new dream world, constantly growing stronger and expanding. Perhaps then, I will truly understand the truth of the world. I hope that in the future, you will take me to see the vacuum again.”

Xu Zhi smiled without answering, and they talked about other things.

Caroline gradually drew very close, almost pressing against him as she spoke. She could feel his soft breath. Accompanied by their elegant dance steps, she exuded a pleasant, natural fragrance. Perhaps at this moment, she was hoping something might happen; her beautiful face even showed a hint of nervousness, and her cheeks and neck were tinged with a rose-like blush.

Xu Zhi said, “I should go.”

The Sakura Empress showed a hint of disappointment, hesitated for a moment, her eyes swirling and misty. While dancing, she suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Don’t you think I’m very weak and vulnerable right now? Just like those heartbroken ordinary girls, needing only sweet words and comfort to lead to an interesting encounter.”

“I did,” Xu Zhi answered seriously.

“Then is my charm not great enough?” She seemed a little disheartened.

Xu Zhi shook his head. “All the men in Ishtar once dreamt of you as their goddess. You are very beautiful, but it is the Empress’s heroic spirit and courage, her decisiveness and resolve, that truly move their hearts.”

The Sakura Empress paused. “You should know that someone like me rarely allows herself to be vulnerable. Willing to enjoy a moment as an ordinary girl—in the future, you will never find this moment again. I will set sail once more, continuing to pursue my dream. You might regret it.”

Xu Zhi looked at the distant ruins. “But you don’t love me; you just want to sleep with me.”

She was instantly stunned, her wine-red eyes widening.

*Pfft!!!*

Caroline instantly burst into laughter, unable to straighten up, full of charm. Her previous depression completely vanished. She gracefully took two steps back, picked up her red umbrella, and stood at the entrance of the dilapidated shop, laughing heartily. “You truly aren’t like an ancient god. I hope I can be as free-spirited as you. In the future, no matter what I experience, I will still maintain my brave original intention… leaving for half my life, and returning still a youth.”

“Go,” Xu Zhi said, looking at her.

Xu Zhi was a smart person, and Caroline was a smart person. Caroline knew that all of the Ultra-Ancient God’s words were meant to help her relax, to emerge from the shadow of civilization’s destruction, and to move towards the future. Xu Zhi also clearly understood Caroline’s current confusion, the desire for a night of indulgence, to experience ordinary love, to have a day like an ordinary girl, and that… perhaps this would never happen again in the future.

Even if beautiful memories were born, her steps would not halt for anyone. Even as the gravedigger of the previous era, she had to continue moving forward for the entire civilization, even if only in memory.

“Ultra-Ancient God, you truly are a good person who doesn’t take advantage of others. You remain mysterious and unfathomable. Thank you for your guidance.” Caroline suddenly looked into the distance of the ruins, walking away with long strides, her steps once again firm, and smiled:

“I’m going back to my long sleep. You can wake me if something happens. Perhaps… this was a truly interesting day. Precisely because it was merely an elegant dance, and not a more passionate memory, it’s even more worth… savoring.”