Chapter 387: Become a CEO
Countless human figures brushed past her, yet not one of them stopped for a single moment as they continued to walk without a goal. Zhu Yao could not help but feel a chill in her heart. Though she had already mentally prepared herself when she destroyed the Light of Guidance, telling herself that the Realm of Gods was not a good place, it was still an astonishing sight when actually seeing it first-hand. This place was even worse than the Netherworld. Though the Netherworld was filled with ghastly air, at the very least, it wouldn’t be as barren and cold as this place. Furthermore, though there were many human figures around, it was terrifyingly quiet. It was like a soundless movie, and one without any subtitles at that.
A familiar human figure walked past her. Zhu Yao’s heart sank as she instinctively pulled onto him. “Nangong Cheng.”
He turned around, but his two eyes were hollow. He seemed like he was looking at her, but there clearly wasn’t any reflection in his pupils. And, Zhonggu Lu wasn’t next to him.
Even though he cared about his homosexual buddy so much, he basically wasn’t by his side right now.
Zhu Yao’s hand shook for a moment, and she unconsciously released him. Nangong Cheng however simply changed a direction and continued walking forward. He did not reply, neither did he get angry, nor was there the slightest display of emotions. He was like a precise instrument walking on a predefined path, with neither sadness nor joy in him.
She suddenly recalled his final smile when he walked into the Light of Guidance. It was clearly filled with hope and expectations, as if he was obtaining a new lease of life. But now…
“What happened to him?” Zhu Yao fiercely turned around.
“He has lost all awareness of himself.” Realmspirit materialized into a look similar to hers, and then took a step forward to stand next to her. “The light above the Lightning Divine Tower is the first strand of light that scattered throughout the Three Realms at the very beginning of the creation of this world. It is also the purest light in this world… the Light of Purification.”
“Purification!” Zhu Yao was stunned. “Purify what?”
Realmspirit turned around and looked at her seriously. With a gentle voice, he said. “Resentment, obsession, love, joy, sadness, desire, fear, and everything else…”
She suddenly widened her eyes. “Their… seven emotions and six desires were purified!?”
Realmspirit nodded.
Zhu Yao took a step back and then looked at the human figures before her once more. No wonder… It’s no wonder these people looked as if they’re puppets.
“Why create a Realm of Gods such as this?” Zhu Yao’s chest felt heavy, as if something was pressing against it, preventing her from breathing properly. “Is there a need for this? Could this really be cultivation’s final stop? Is this the truth behind the Heavenly Dao?”
“Yaoyao…” He sighed. The scenery before her eyes instantly changed, and she arrived at place filled with flowers, a place that was as beautiful as the realm of fairies. “This is their own choice. Becoming Deities or Gods, they had chosen this path on their own.”
“But aren’t you the one guiding them onto this path?” Zhu Yao solemnly said. “Realmspirit, you’re the spirit of the Three Realms. The Three Realms are you, and you are this entire world. Aren’t all of the living beings in this world your children? Is it your wish to see their final resting place to be a barren land like that Realm of Gods?”
“It’s naturally isn’t my wish to see that!” Realmspirit turned to look at her, as he pulled up the corners of his lips and smiled. “That’s why… I found you. My friend.”
“……”
“…”
“Yaoyao… I’m the spirit of the Three Realms, so naturally, I cherish this world.” He frowned. “However, all of the living beings in this world are the same. No matter if they’re humans, plants or demons, as long as they are able to gain sentience, they will be harassed by their seven emotions and six desires. As long as they have desires, they will never be satisfied. After becoming Deities, they will want to become Gods, and after becoming Gods, they will most likely wish to cultivate even further to become something else…” He sighed. “Though I am the spirit of the Three Realms, what I can do is however very limited. Luck, spiritual energy, and even the Heavenly Dao can all be changed according to my will. I’ve always wanted to change and save this world, but no matter what I changed, there will always be new problems surfacing.”
“New problems?”
He sighed. “Do you still remember those bugs?”
Zhu Yao was startled for a moment, and then she nodded, puzzled. Why did you suddenly bring that up?
“Actually, from the very start, they were not actually loopholes that could destroy the world. Rather, they were patches I made to save this world.”
“What!?” You’re motherf**king kidding me? Those Mary Sues and Gary Stus are patches!?
“I know you won’t believe me, but that’s the truth.” He waved his hand, and in an instant, two screens appeared in mid-air. What were being displayed were the bugs that she had fixed, though the two screens had different words labelled above them. On the left it was written ‘Predicted Outcome’, while on the right was ‘Actual Outcome’.
“Take Xiao Yi for example.” Realmspirit pointed, and the screens immediately displayed the scenes of the first bug she fixed. “He was born poor and frail, and he grew up from the very bottom. He understood the pain of practitioners of the lowest level the most, that was why I bestowed him immense luck. I hoped that, with this level of understanding, he could stop slaughters and prevent the birth of resentment. That way, it would reduce the burden of the Netherworld. However, I never expected that…” What were shown in the two screens were completely different. On the left, Xiao Yi was a great saviour, saving the injured and aiding the poor everywhere he went. Upholding justice, he walked on the path of a saint. On the other “Actual Outcome” side, it was the scenario that she received back then. He gathered the five spirits and ascended to the Higher Realm, resulting in the collapse of the world. “He directly destroyed a world, and the resentment that would have been accumulated was estimated to be several million times more.”
“Uh…” This patch was indeed a little upsetting.
“Then there’s Mu Meiyan.” Realmspirit continued. “Her rebirth was initially to suppress the resurrection of the Devil. As long as her soul is undying, then the Devil will never be able to completely resurrect. The world will thus avoid a tribulation.”
“Yi Ling as well. Her existence was initially to have the Devil, that taken over Lin Qi’s soul, develop feelings. As long as Lin Qi develops feelings for her, then he would be able to suppress the Devil’s nature within his body.”
“Let alone Yi Ling, whose existence is a patch itself.”
“And then…”
“Stop!” Zhu Yao did a stop gesture, and then scratched her head a little irritatedly. “In other words, these bugs were actually all made by you?”
“Mn.” He nodded innocently.
“…” The hell! So she wasn’t here to save the world, but to help cover up his ass.
“Yaoyao, you must believe me. I really had no other choice but to call you here.” He said with an expression that looked as if he was about to cry. “I’ve looked for many people, but no matter if they’re humans or beasts, or even a living being that had awakened its sentience, they would all become the bugs of their respective worlds. The more powerful they were, the more they were possess, and the more severe the consequences would become. There had never been a person like you who stood fast to your beliefs.”
“Enough. There’s no need to let me wear a tophat. Just tell me your ultimate goal.” Zhu Yao waved her hands.
Realmspirit paused for a moment. Clenching his fists, he looked at her seriously in the eyes, and finally said with a heavy tone. “I want you to redraft the procedures of the Three Realms, rewrite the Heavenly Dao, and change everything in its entirety. I want you to become the manager of this Three Realms.”
“……”
“…”
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. With widened eyes, she sized him up from top to bottom, and then reached out to touch his forehead. “You’re not having a fever, right?” Though she’s a main game planner and could be considered as a small supervisor, she had never been a CEO.
“Yaoyao…” He immediately pulled down her hand, and he had a stern expression which she had never seen before. “You’re the only one who can stop the Three Realms from walking to its destruction.”
“Don’t make it sound so certain, hey.” Zhu Yao grew a little anxious. “I’m someone who only knows how to make games, and I really haven’t done anything like this before.” What’s going to happen if I make a mistake?
“I believe you!”
“I don’t even have confidence myself, just where is your confidence coming from?”
“You can do it.” He revealed a brilliant smile. “Actually, ever since you came, this world has been changing in a good direction. You’ve already been to all of the Three Realms, so you should already have sufficient knowledge of this world. It’s fine as long as you speak out your thoughts.”
This is… He’s making me handover my post-experience reflection on my tour around the Three Realms?
Zhu Yao was silent for a moment, and then she slowly started. “Actually, I’ve already said the things that’s needed to be said. You’ve already understood the problems of this world, right?” She raised her head and looked at him. “When you closed all the Ascension Heavenly Doors of the various worlds, wasn’t that recognition for what I said about people who conducted countless slaughters basically not being worthy of becoming Deities?”
“……”
“…”
“Realmspirit, you mentioned that you once dispatched many people to fix bugs, but all of them would turn into new loopholes in the end. Because they lost their beliefs on their journey, they then began to walk on the most extreme route. Then why didn’t you request everyone to hold fast to their beliefs right from the beginning?” She patted on his shoulders. “Actually, I just don’t get this practice of the strong eating the weak of this world. Because if we look at it from another perspective, slaughters enlarge people’s greed and desires. The hearts of people do not amount to just that. As they say, ‘man at birth is fundamentally good in nature’, kindness actually exists in the depths of everyone’s hearts. However, after they lost their beliefs, they abandoned this kindness. Yet, the Heavenly Dao has never cared about this point. That’s why those who can ascend, ascends, and those who can become Deities, become Deities.”
She took a step forward and looked straight into Realmspirit’s eyes. “Realmspirit, have you ever thought that maybe, they didn’t lose their beliefs on their journeys? Rather, right from the beginning, the Heavenly Dao that you designed, has never requested them to maintain their beliefs?”
“…” He was stunned.
“Realmspirit, actually, all of the living beings in this world are the same. They are all born the same way, and there’s nothing different about them at all. It’s merely there experiences that influence their choices. If the world tells them that there’s no need to stick true to their beliefs, then they will throw them away without a shred of hesitation. If the world tells them that it’s the most important thing, then they will hold onto them forever.” Zhu Yao smiled. “You said that I’m the only person in this world who can save them, but that’s not right. I’m actually the same with everyone else. The only difference is that I lived in another plane, and my world tells me that slaughter, stealing, and scheming are all wrong. Such acts will be met with prosecution. My conscience tells me that they’re acts of utmost evil and cannot be forgiven. That’s why even if I die, I will never do such things.”
“Realmspirit, what this world lacks isn’t someone who can hold fast to their beliefs, but a power that can guide everyone to holding fast to their beliefs.”
“…”
“Or should I put it this way? There hasn’t been anything in the world that clearly tells everyone that they have to hold fast to their beliefs.”
“…”
Realmspirit was silent for a long while, before he slowly began to reveal a smile. Even though they had the same face right now, his smile looked as if the sun had finally come out of the clouds, brilliantly… blinding.
Uh… Why do I feel like I’ve lost? Can you change to another face?
“I understand what you mean now.”
T/N: Realmspirit is currently borrowing Zhu Yao’s appearance, but I will be referring Realmspirit as ‘he’.