Sky Curtain: An Initial Overview of the Immortal Lord of the Myriad Laws of the Mortal World

The scene in the sky froze for a few seconds on the primordial spirit light spot of Duan Xinglian, which was about to be swallowed by darkness.

That faint light touched the hearts of countless viewers around the world.

Just when everyone thought the light was about to go out, a grand and solemn voice rang out, and brand-new golden text, like the prologue to an epic, slowly unfolded.

No matter how powerful your destiny may be, spanning six lifetimes and five reincarnations, how can it compare to the vast multitude of ordinary people like us?

This single title caused a huge uproar throughout the myriad realms.

The world of "Under One Person".

Zhang Chulan was sitting cross-legged on the ground when he saw this line of text, and his jaw almost dropped.

"Holy crap, Bao'er, look! What's with this canopy? Are they giving a public design lesson?"

He rubbed his eyes hard, his face filled with disbelief.

"All living beings? That's too grand a term. Baili Yuan has accumulated experience over six lifetimes and five transformations. What does that even mean? It's like a demon cultivating for thousands of years, with unfathomable power. And here they are, directly using 'all living beings' to counter? How can they even compare? With their heads?"

Feng Baobao, expressionless, munched on an apple, glanced at the sky, and said slowly.

"Oh, there are a lot of people."

"Nonsense! Of course I know it's because there are more people!"

Zhang Chulan was both amused and exasperated.

"The key question is, how could ordinary people possibly interfere with that level of primordial spirit battle? That doesn't make sense. Could it be... that among these ordinary people, there are a bunch of peerless masters like you?"

Feng Baobao thought for a moment, then shook her head honestly.

"I can't say for sure, and I'm not some kind of unparalleled master."

"Yes, yes, you're right."

Zhang Chulan waved his hand, his gaze returning to the sky, but his expression became extremely solemn.

"I want to see what this so-called 'common people' really is. The fact that Tianmu has singled out a 'encyclopedia' for it means this thing is probably not simple."

The words on the sky continued to flow, as if expounding an irrefutable truth.

Despite possessing immense supernatural powers and status accumulated over six lifetimes, Baili Yuan was defeated by the will of all living beings behind Xing Lian.

The world of "The King's Avatar".

The training room at Happy Internet Cafe was filled with smoke.

Ye Xiu, a cigarette dangling from his lips, squinted at the conclusion on the screen, a familiar smile curving his lips.

"Heh, this is interesting."

He gently exhaled a smoke ring.

"This is like a max-level, fully-equipped, top-tier boss with six version-defining buffs, being soloed by a newbie player. What kind of luck is this?"

Chen Guo, standing next to him, looked excited.

"What do you mean 'newbie village player'! Duan Xinglian is also very powerful, okay? And didn't it already say that he was defeated by the 'Will of All Living Beings'!"

"Yes, that's the problem."

Ye Xiu tapped his fingertips lightly on the keyboard, producing a crisp sound.

"In online games, ordinary people are just NPCs, background characters. Now you're telling me that these NPCs, working together, can defeat the server's strongest hidden boss? What does that prove?"

He paused, his eyes sharpening.

"This means that 'the will of all living beings' is not an abstract concept. It is likely a passive skill or a special effect of an equipment. A super divine piece of equipment that can convert the 'will' of countless ordinary players into true damage. If this were made into a silver weapon, it would truly be... heaven-defying."

The sky seemed to hear his analysis, and the images shifted, beginning to reveal deeper reasons.

Furthermore, the power of all living beings has played a crucial role in the development of the supernatural world. Even though the world has been stolen for over a thousand years, significant figures and events such as Kepler, Alexander the Great, the Wuchang Uprising, and Euclid's Elements have still propelled the world to where it is today.

The world of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Edward Elric clenched his fist, made of mechanical armor, instinctively as he saw the familiar yet unfamiliar names and events appearing on the screen.

"See that, Alphonse!"

He turned and shouted at the massive suit of armor beside him.

"This is the power of 'humanity'! Even if there are scoundrels like 'Wanye' who stole over a thousand years, even if there is a lofty being like 'Truth,' history is ultimately paved by us humans step by step!"

He pointed to the words "Kepler" and "Euclid's Elements" on the screen, his voice trembling slightly.

"Science, thought, revolution... these are the true gears that drive the world forward! Not some nonsense about supernatural powers or alchemy! That Baili Yuan may be strong, but he doesn't understand this principle. He's just an individual, while Duan Xinglian is backed by the torrent of all human civilization! This is a battle on a completely different level!"

Alphonse said in a muffled voice.

"Brother is right. One person's strength is ultimately limited, but the combined will of millions of people can create miracles."

The world of Code Geass.

Inside the bridge of the Black Knights' flagship, the "Ikaruga," Lelouch vi Britannia rested his chin on his hand, his purple eyes gleaming with calculating light.

"I see. The power system of this world is not purely idealistic or materialistic."

He muttered to himself, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"The power of all living beings sounds grand, but it is essentially a manifestation of the collective unconscious. Kepler, Alexander... these are all historical singularities. Their very existence represents a concentrated outburst of human will in a certain direction. The Corpse Immortal of Myriad Affairs can steal time, but it cannot steal the historical trend anchored by these singularities."

He stared at the screen as if he were watching a brilliant game of chess.

"This setting is very interesting. It means that in this world, popular will, history, and righteousness are all real variables that can be transformed into 'power.' Baili Yuan's failure lies in the fact that he placed himself on the opposite side of history. And Duan Xinglian unintentionally became the vessel of the 'will of all people.' This is not his personal victory, but a... victory of the people. Ha, how ironic."

The imagery in the sky finally focused this ethereal power onto a concrete entity.

This power of the masses has a real-world embodiment: the mask hanging behind Xing Lian.

The mask originated in 530 AD, carved by a carpenter near a human sacrifice in the depths of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, based on a virtual image from the Manyo Mirage.

As the carving was completed, a chivalrous hero rescued the boy who was about to be sacrificed alive, but the hero himself was killed by an arrow.

The young man picked up the mask, becoming the inheritor of this chivalrous spirit.

The world of Gintama.

Inside the Yorozuya, Sakata Gintoki picked his nose and listlessly stared at the sky.

"Ugh... this feels so troublesome. What kind of chivalrous inheritance is this? Just hearing about it is exhausting."

He yawned and lazily spoke to Shinpachi and Kagura beside him.

"Look, isn't this just that old-fashioned shonen manga formula? A dying guy forces all his dreams and hopes, along with a tattered mask, onto a passing kid. And then that kid has to live a miserable life of fighting and killing because of that promise."

Shinpachi adjusted his glasses and retorted with fervor.

"Ah Yin! How can you say that! It's a noble thing! Look at that chivalrous man, he sacrificed himself to save a child he didn't even know! And that young man mustered the courage to inherit that will! That's the spirit of a samurai!"

Kagura's mouth was stuffed with vinegared kelp, and she spoke indistinctly.

"Yeah, Gin-chan! This mask must be worth a lot now, aru! You could buy tons of pickled kelp with it!"

"Hey! Kagura, you're focusing on the wrong thing!"

Gintoki scratched his ear, but his gaze unconsciously became a little more serious.

"Well, it's troublesome, but... I really can't just leave that kid like that. Inheriting someone else's will is too heavy a burden. It's more practical to inherit some legacy. But the way that boy picked up the mask wasn't too bad."

The scene continues, narrating the changing of the masks.

Spring passed and autumn came, several years went by, and the boy grew into a young man. While gathering firewood, he saw a boy being chased by a hungry wolf. The boy drew his knife to help, bleeding on the spot, sacrificing himself, but saving the boy.

From that moment on, the boy wore the mask, inheriting this courage and great love. Later, the boy grew up, died saving others, and the mask was passed down once again.

[Thus, the owners of the masks kept changing, but their courage and sense of justice never faded; instead, they grew stronger and more genuine.]

The world of One Piece.

On the deck of the Thousand Sunny, Luffy sat cross-legged, his eyes wide open and sparkling.

Wow! That's amazing!

He slapped his thigh excitedly.

"This mask is just like my straw hat!!"

Usopp explained from the side.

"No, Luffy, this is even more... tragic than the legacy of your straw hat. Look, every generation of its owner dies saving others."

"Um!"

Luffy nodded vigorously, his expression extremely serious.

"Shanks gave me the straw hat, it was a promise! This mask, too, is a promise! Even though they're all dead, their hearts remain in this mask! Generation after generation! Wow, this feels amazing! This guy named Duan Xinglian, wearing this mask now, is fighting alongside so many powerful people!"

Zoro leaned against the ship's side, holding three swords, his eyes closed, but the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

"The inheritance of will, huh... That's interesting. That's no longer an ordinary mask. It's the 'Dao' formed from the beliefs of countless people over a thousand years. To fight carrying the will of so many people is no easy task. That kid named Xing Lian would better straighten his back."

The centuries-old tradition of masks has been imbued with color and power by the masses.

The story moves to the modern era, where an unexpected turn of events occurs.

Around 1976, this mask came into the possession of a beggar who had begged for food from Zhengping's grandfather's family. In those days, the family had no surplus food, and not only did they refuse to give him any, they also wouldn't let him take shelter from the rain.

[But this beggar, considered a parasite, single-handedly saved Zhengping's grandfather's family during the Tangshan earthquake that night, losing his own life in the process. Before dying, he gave the mask to Zhengping's grandfather, thus changing the grandfather's life forever.]

The world of Time Agent.

Inside the photo studio, Cheng Xiaoshi's eyes instantly welled up with tears as she watched this scene.

"How could this be... how could this happen..."

His voice was choked with emotion.

"That grandpa's family even chased him away before... but in the most dangerous moment, he... he went back to save them... why...?"

He couldn't understand it; this almost selfless kindness made his heart clench painfully.

Lu Guang stood behind him, arms crossed, his eyes behind his glasses revealing a complex emotion.

"Because he is also the inheritor of the mask, Cheng Xiaoshi."

His voice was as calm as ever, yet it carried a subtle, almost imperceptible, emotion.

"'Chivalry,' 'courage,' and 'great love.' These things will not change because of the other person's attitude. For that beggar, rescuing people from the ruins is essentially the same thing as his countless predecessors rescuing people from the jaws of hungry wolves and from the hands of bullies. It is an instinct etched into this heritage."

He paused, then continued his analysis.

"Moreover, this is the most crucial step. This action has drawn 'Grandpa Zheng Ping,' who was originally unrelated to the mask, into the chain of cause and effect. This inheritance is no longer a random transmission, but has a clear direction. The entire closed loop begins from this moment."

[For many years afterward, Zheng Ping's grandfather continued to meddle in other people's business under the guise of upholding justice. He once discovered a large human trafficking ring, and after reporting it to the police, he couldn't tolerate the traffickers' cruelty and fought with them before the police arrived. As a result, he developed health problems and died soon after. The mask then passed to Zheng Ping.]

From this point on, cause becomes effect, and the infinite cycle of cause and effect is completed.

The world of Attack on Titan.

In the Survey Corps camp, Captain Levi meticulously cleaned his blade.

He raised his head, looked at the sky with his lifeless, expressionless eyes, and spoke softly.

"Tch, a bunch of idiots."

He said this, but his eyes were incredibly deep.

"One after another, they're throwing their lives away for the sake of strangers and so-called justice. From that chivalrous man to that beggar, and then to this grandfather named Zheng Ping... It's infuriating how stupid they are."

He stopped what he was doing, the firelight from the camp flickering in his eyes.

"But... it's because of these fools who keep going that we have that hothead Zheng Ping, and ultimately that brat Duan Xinglian had a chance to survive. Just like our Survey Corps, every expedition leaves behind a field of corpses. But those guys' deaths weren't meaningless."

His voice was soft, yet sharp as a knife.

"Their will, their hope, were inherited by the survivors. This mask is the heart they offered. It's heavy, and also... powerful."

The scene on the screen finally returned to Duan Xinglian.

The legacy passed down for thousands of years, the will of countless mortals, all manifested their true power in him at this moment.

[From then on, the unyielding inheritance of will over thousands of years enabled Xinglian to inherit the most extraordinary cause and effect never seen before, dense, continuous, and powerful, firmly transforming the remnants of Wanye into his innate divine power.]

[At this moment, no one could steal this divine power from Starlink, not even the True God of Myriad Realms.]

[Bai Liyuan naturally couldn't do that either, and from then on, the King of Horror Stories began to exert his power.]

The world of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Inside the classroom of the vocational college, Gojo Satoru removed his blindfold, revealing his six pale blue eyes.

He watched the screen with great interest, as if admiring a perfect work of art.

"Oh, I see."

He let out a soft chuckle, appearing relaxed and content.

"This is interesting. That guy named Baili Yuan, his technique... no, his 'supernatural power' is similar to a kind of mental invasion and ability stripping. It's at a very high level, almost unbeatable. But this time, he's bitten off more than he can chew."

He stretched out his finger and drew a name in the air.

"That mask, through thousands of years of inheritance, has formed a massive collection of 'bindings.' The death of each successor is like a sacrifice, strengthening this 'binding': 'The holder must fight to protect others.' In return, this mask has also accumulated a massive amount of 'cursed power'... or rather, 'the will of all living beings.'"

He curled the corners of his mouth and smiled like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.

"What Duan Xinglian inherited was not just the mask, but also this massive 'binding' that lasted for over a thousand years. This power directly bound his innate divine ability to this 'Karma of All Beings.' Baili Yuan's attempt to seize his divine ability was tantamount to trying to steal the sum of the wills of all the victims over those thousand years. How could he, even with six lifetimes and five reincarnations, possibly contend against a 'history' itself?"

Gojo Satoru leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head, his tone incredibly confident.

"The outcome is decided. That Baili Yuan, from the moment he tried to seize a 'concept' that carried history, was already doomed. Now, it's time to see how this 'storyteller' named Duan Xinglian will tell a story that will... astound everyone. It's something to look forward to."