Him and their stars.

Chapter 2232 Long Live the Emperor, Once Again

Yani smiled gently, her left hand tracing the hourglass icon on the book's page. At that moment, the two once again shifted from tangible entities to ethereal spirits. Yu Lian felt as if he were being pulled away from his current space by invisible threads; his senses and spiritual awareness began to merge, but his existence and dimensions began to shift.

The garden scene began to blur, transforming into a dazzling, shimmering spectacle.

This is certainly not a superficial operation like spatial jumping, but rather a channel formed by "possibility" and "cause and effect".

I am gliding briefly along the timeline towards the other side of cause and effect.

Yu Lian wanted to look at Ya Ni beside him, but all he could see was a chaotic and dazzling display. Apart from the colorful and ever-changing miniature colors, he could not feel anything else.

The next moment, he finally felt solid ground beneath his feet. He heard the biting wind, felt the thin air, and was overwhelmed by the loneliness of being high up.

It is a rather arrogant loneliness and desolation.

As for Princess Rainbow Rose, she has long since disappeared.

...Heh, I knew it.

Yu Lian rolled his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

Yu Lian found himself standing on a vast grassland, with towering peaks piercing the sea of ​​clouds in front of him. To the left and right stretched undulating mountain ranges that extended to the horizon, as if forming a natural barrier for the entire world.

The snow-covered Shangmai, bathed in the interplay of thin air and dazzling sunlight, presents a breathtaking and magnificent beauty.

However, the mountain peak in front of me looked all too familiar.

Yu Lian remained silent for half a minute before finally digging out a definite piece of information from a certain groove in his cerebral cortex—wasn't this Mount Everest?

However, unlike what he remembered, right in front of him, at the end of the grassland, at the foot of the majestic first peak on Earth, where there should have been a desolate place with few people, stood a magnificent palace complex.

The buildings rising from the foot of the mountain are arranged in a staggered manner, forming a stepped layout along the undulating foothills and grasslands, with the tallest main hall tower even reaching the mountainside.

However, they do not belong to any architectural style, whether modern or ancient, on Earth.

The pavilions and towering columns of Earth, the most magnificent star palace of the Galactic Empire, the most exquisite leyline tower of the Alliance, and architectural aesthetics from all over the universe, all possess a cold, sublime, even inhuman geometric beauty. They were forcibly fused together and cast using Earth's mountains and rivers as a base to create such a breathtaking spectacle.

The palace complex shimmers with a metallic sheen of silver and dark gold. Countless floating platforms, corridors, and energy flows surround the magnificent main building complex like star rings, forming a sacred picture comparable to a heavenly palace against the backdrop of the blue sky and snow-capped peaks.

In the mythology of this place, this is a sacred peak, the holy realm of the gods. And the palace before us can completely fulfill everyone's fantasies about the heavenly palace where the gods reside.

Even an ordinary person would tremble and feel weak in the knees just by looking at this magnificent sight.

"Excellent, wonderful!" Yu Lian couldn't help but clap his hands, wanting to laugh. So this is the palace built at the foot of Mount Everest, is it?

He patted his forehead, wanting to get a closer look. However, the moment the thought crossed his mind, the scene before him zoomed in and out for a moment.

He stood amidst the sea of ​​clouds, very close to the magnificent palace complex. Thus, he could now see directly the enormous terrace standing atop the main hall.

It was a magnificent terrace that seemed to be entirely carved and pieced together from white jade, backed by mountains and facing the sea of ​​clouds and grasslands.

Yu Lian also clearly saw a figure standing on the edge of the terrace.

His figure was tall and imposing, clad in gold armor with red patterns, its style ornate and elaborate. The cloak behind him billowed in the wind, like a sacred halo.

This god-like man seemed oblivious to Yu Lian's prying eyes, simply gazing down at the open sea of ​​clouds and mountains. He stood there, as if he were born to rule over everything in the world.

What kind of naturally yellow-skinned, big guy, toilet-man holy body?

Yu Lian thought of King Velent. During the Battle of the Serpent's Lair, the man who appeared clad in golden armor and wielding a sword was the best human emperor cosplayer he had ever seen, but compared to the one standing on the terrace, he was at best at the level of a high school cosplay club.

He slapped his forehead again, then quickly looked around. Seeing that there was probably no one else around, he finally felt a little relieved.

My current movements are incredibly slick, but that's no longer the point.

The point is, the closer he got to the terrace, the more awkward he felt. The clearer the figure standing on the terrace became, the more he wanted to disappear into the ground.

Yes, the moment the golden-armored deity slowly raised his head, Yu Lian saw his own face.

That must be him; his eyebrows, eyes, facial features, and hair—every detail perfectly matched his appearance. He saw this face in the mirror every day when he washed his face; it was all too familiar.

But that shouldn't be him, right?
Aside from their identical outlines, the Dark Tent was shrouded in an icy majesty, its deep eyes seemingly bearing the weight of the entire galaxy, devoid of warmth, only exuding an aloof indifference and solemnity.

Alright. Looking down on all living beings, huh? Fishing alone for eternity, huh?

Is this some kind of childish, cringeworthy behavior?!

Yu Lian promised the spirit of the universe that if he ever truly fell to such a state, he would definitely gouge out his own eyes.

If someone intends to use such a "Yu Lian" to disgust themselves, then they must admit that they are indeed very successful.

Even more striking was the crown that floated faintly above the man's forehead, composed of illusory starlight and dark energy—a void crown, yet more solid and perfectly integrated than anything seen before. It had become part of "himself."

So this is what Yani meant by being extravagant?
Just then, "Yu Lian" seemed to sense something and turned his gaze in his direction. However, the look in those dark eyes was strangely empty, as if piercing through them and looking towards a more distant future or past.

He raised one hand, making a slight clenching motion, as if he were holding the entire planet, and even the vast starry sky, in his palm.

"I have mastered the universe! I have mastered it with my bare hands, not through a glove!"

So what? Yu Lian stammered, unsure of what expression to make.

At that moment, Yu Lian, who stood atop the terrace, slowly raised his hand in a loose clenching motion.

He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the atmosphere, staring directly into the vast depths of space. He opened his mouth slightly, and a grand, majestic voice, seemingly imbued with boundless solemnity and domineering power, resounded throughout heaven and earth like a divine pronouncement.

Of course, it also directly entered Yu Lian's consciousness.

"The stardust of the universe has all settled. The waves of the Milky Way have ceased here. As far as my gaze can see is the territory; as far as my will can direct is the law."

He paused slightly, then his voice suddenly rose, as if announcing a new world law:
"From the burning core of a star to the cold undercurrents of the void; from the joys and sorrows of flesh and soul to the logical pulse of steel machinery, all differences are unified in my palm! All conflicts are quelled beneath my feet!"

"I have conquered the galaxy and will soon return! We will return to the ultimate desire of life to pursue order and evolution! Under my guidance, we will return to the inevitable destination that civilization's struggles and climbs have led us to!"

"I am the balance! I am the endgame! I am the only answer you have waited for through countless eras!"

How domineering, powerful, and vigorous it is! Even though Yu Lian already wanted to die.

No, this is too embarrassing. It's just too shameful. Can you really do this kind of silly thing with my face on?!
Despite saying that, Yu Lian clearly felt various changes the moment the declaration resounded.

He looked down in astonishment at the vast plaza in front of the palace complex, where a million people had already gathered. Earthlings, Tyrero, Gai, and of course, Luminas, Sandmen, Tirek, Cherk, and other intelligent races from all over the universe.

They gazed up at the person in the clouds with longing, as if they had seen the one true god.

When the voice of the true God reached their ears, they either raised their arms in celebration or wept on the spot. Despite being a group of well-dressed high-ranking officials, they all unhesitatingly fell into a state of collective fanaticism.

If longing is the emotion furthest from understanding, then fervor can hardly be considered an emotion at all, right?
Looking at the crowd bowing and worshipping "himself," Yu Lian felt no pride whatsoever. Instead, he felt a sense of shame, as if he were being publicly executed on live television.

He felt that the fact that he didn't experience social anxiety on the spot was already a testament to his unwavering resolve.

However, it is not only the same.

He saw the guards at the edge of the force field square and on both sides of the road. Each of them was dressed in a majestic coat of arms and draped in a magnificent sash, like towering statues.

Each of them was a psionicist of the third ring or higher, each stood calmly, and each radiated a steadfast loyalty and reverence for "themselves".

Or rather, it is precisely because they are psionicists that these emotions are more pronounced.

The Knights of the Stars? Or some other psionic guard unit?

But they're all human! They seem even more reactionary and racist than the Knights of Favonius.

This is definitely not me! Yu Lian pinched his face, then realized something and immediately looked up at the sky.

His gaze passed through the atmosphere and fell upon the massive, steel fleet that blotted out the sky, hovering in near-Earth orbit.

Countless towering warships, resembling mountain ranges, simultaneously turned their cannons and roared into the deep space! Magnificent light spears and scorching barrages ripped through the sky, creating a cosmic salute that spanned the entire astronomical unit, dazzling and dreamlike!
The energy shockwaves rippled silently in the vacuum, reflecting the uniform insignia on the ship's hull.

It was a military emblem composed of stars, dragon patterns, and peony patterns.

Very good. Those statues that were just placed in the square and on the imperial road also bear the same military insignia.

So why is it a peony pattern? And why is it designed with glass?

This is actually the first time I've ever disliked that peony pattern!
Yu Lian could also sense that there were endless "sounds" from all corners of the galaxy, surging into his senses like a tide.

It was the cheers and hymns of billions of races and countless beings, each speaking their own language. They listened to the one voice, obeyed the one command, worshipped the one god, prostrated themselves before the one ruler, and marched toward the one future.

Even if they cannot prove that there is truly a future ahead, they will certainly do their utmost to move towards that other side.

"Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Eternal Lord!"

"Long live our one and only cosmic incarnation!"

Excellent! Their chanting created a fervent wave of sound, igniting a boiling soul. That wave even transcended physical boundaries, as if it were about to merge into a unified spiritual resonance.

Even a swarm of insects is nothing more than that.