Chapter 1054, The Primary Hope Saintess’ Survival Strategy; If He Returns, There Will Surely Be Chaos

Translator: Fate

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

<The simulation is over. You may capture any of these experiences and recreate the situation.>

 

“Recreate my death.”

 

The woman was none other than the Primary Hope Holy Church’s Saintess. She stared at the words appearing on the surface of the mirror and chose to capture the simulated death without any hesitation.

 

The mirror surface immediately flashed with light, and a layer of dense mist appeared. Then, she saw herself and another vague figure in the mirror. It was just that the figure was very blurry, as though shrouded in endless fog.

 

The other party was saying something to her and seemed to be chuckling lightly at the same time. His actions appeared very careless and unconcerned. On the other hand, she seemed furious about something and angrily countered his words.

 

A moment later, the other party seemed to become rather annoyed and impatient. He lifted a finger and pointed at her, and then a scarlet hole immediately penetrated her forehead.

 

“What!?”

 

When the Primary Hope Saintess saw the scene, she froze in astonishment for the second time. A terrifying sense of pure malice and a chill of apprehension suddenly enveloped her. For a moment, it felt as though an ice-cold hole had penetrated her forehead from front to back.

 

The scene quickly dissipated. Mist gathered over the surface of the Mirror of Reincarnation and concealed everything from sight once more.

 

“Was I killed, just like that?”

 

Snapping back to her senses, she muttered to herself under her breath. However, the look in her eyes remained slightly dazed. Thirty-eight years of life might sound like a long time, but in the eyes of beings like herself, thirty-eight years was not very different from a blink of an eye.

 

She had used the Mirror of Reincarnation to deduce many things before, but this was the first time she encountered such a situation.

 

[Am I really going to die!?] The Primary Hope Saintess frowned and pondered seriously. A long while later, she finally gave a soft sigh. [If that is my destiny, I will definitely find a way to change the future, no matter how difficult it may be…]

 

The Mirror of Reincarnation was the Civilisation Supreme Treasure that had been passed down through the Primary Hope Holy Church to this day. It had long since recognised her as its Master. Moreover, it had various mysterious functions to deduce and simulate one’s destiny.

 

It could even capture a specific scene in the simulated destiny and recreate the scene.

 

Although these functions were limited to a certain number of times and could only be used again after a long period. Still, these functions were incomparably valuable to a being like the Primary Hope Saintess. They were definitely far more useful than spying on the Heavenly Secrets or divining one’s fate.

 

Be that as it may, the truth reflected during the current simulation turned out to be so cruel. It was completely beyond her expectations.

 

“But, what if I choose not to help Chu Gucheng in the thirty-seventh year? What will the results be?”

 

Keeping that idea in mind, she once again spent an enormous amount of energy activating the Mirror of Reincarnation and simulating the future. Even with her strength, deducing and simulating her own destiny was still extremely difficult. If not for the special circumstances, she would not have performed the second simulation.

 

It did not take long for words to appear on the surface of the Mirror of Reincarnation again. The first thirty-six years passed without much change. It was only in the thirty-seventh year that a fork appeared in the future.

 

<In the thirty-seventh year, you receive enlightenment regarding the future and gain insight to the future crisis in advance. Hence, you choose not to help and ignore Chu Gucheng’s plea for help. The vast Land of Celestial Suffering was reduced to ruins as a result…>

 

<In the thirty-eighth year, you were captured for unknown reasons…>

 

“Huh? I was captured again? But, for what reason?”

 

Looking at the result shown on the Mirror of Reincarnation that was different from the previous outcome, she could not help feeling slightly astonished. Nevertheless, she did not wish to give up so easily. She had merely performed the second simulation for the sake of trying, so she was surprised to find that the future depicted by the Mirror of Reincarnation had actually changed.

 

It would seem that the ending where she was killed in the thirty-eighth year could be avoided, and the current simulation revealed by the Mirror of Reincarnation was simply one of the endless possibilities.

 

Unfortunately, the Mirror of Reincarnation did not reveal anything regarding the reason for her capture.

 

“The future is ever-changing. As soon as I saw the future, the future had already changed. But, such a thing has never happened to the Mirror of Reincarnation before…”

 

After pondering in silence for some time, the Primary Hope Saintess finally realised that the issue might arise from helping Chu Gucheng.

 

Chu Gucheng was a figure who only emerged in the recent epoch. In fact, he could be considered an up-and-coming rising star.

 

Having single-handedly established the Land of Celestial Suffering, he was an extremely famous and influential figure in the Primary Hope Civilisation. His reputation was indeed very inspiring.

 

The rumours about him were numerous. It was said that he came from an insignificant background. When he was young, he was betrayed by his fiancee and mocked by his Clansmen.

 

He also experienced innumerable disasters and hardships, many of which he barely survived and nearly died. Be that as it may, the fact that he managed to grow and reach his current position meant that he could not be underestimated.

 

He was a genuine Fated One.

 

[Unfortunately, the Mirror of Reincarnation did not reveal the reason why Chu Gucheng came to me for help. If I refused to help Chu Gucheng, then I would not have encountered that unprecedented terrifying enemy. But, who is that unprecedented terrifying enemy? Is it an enemy provoked by Chu Gucheng?]

 

“For someone at Chu Gucheng’s level, I won’t be able to deduce anything. In fact, he might even notice my actions. What about the thirty-ninth year…”

 

Gathering her thoughts, she did not hesitate and resumed looking at the Mirror of Reincarnation. She wanted to know what would happen in the following simulation.

 

Soon, words appeared on the hazy mirror once more.

 

<In the thirty-ninth year, you died for unknown reasons…>

 

Looking at those words, the Primary Hope Saintess was taken aback again. It took her a long time before she could recover from her shock.

 

[I died again? And the reason is still unknown?]

 

She initially thought that the outcome would change after she changed her actions and was captured instead, but it now seemed that her actions did not make much of a difference. In other words, it did not matter whether she helped Chu Gucheng or not. Ultimately, she would not escape the fate of being captured and killed.

 

[Was this an established inescapable loop? Or, is this the endpoint of everything? Would I eventually reach the same point, regardless of the choices I make?]

 

She stood in silence for a long time. Various thoughts flashed through her mind as she attempted to change the trajectory of the future. The words on the Mirror of Reincarnation constantly changed according to the alterations she made to her deductions. Finally, she saw a different result once more.

 

<In the thirty-seventh year, you comprehended many opportunities in the future and noticed a trace of danger within the Heavenly Dao. The future seemed to be obscured in mist, so you pushed away the mist and chose to attack Chu Gucheng, believing that he brought disaster upon the Primary Hope Civilisation.>

 

“Huh?”

 

Seeing the completely different result reflected on the surface of the Mirror of Reincarnation, the Primary Hope Saintess heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she continued reading.

 

<In the thirty-eighth year, you were captured for unknown reasons.>

 

<In the thirty-ninth year, you understood that resistance is hopeless. Unwilling to accept death, you changed your mind and pretended to submit. Although the enemy saw through your pretence, he did not kill you for some reason.>

 

…

 

<In the forty-third year, you died for unknown reasons.>

 

“I survived for forty-three years this time and submitted, so why did I die again?”

 

The future reflected by the Mirror of Reincarnation was just a simulation which did not actually happen. Nevertheless, watching herself repeatedly being captured and slaughtered gradually caused a sense of discomfort to blossom in her heart.

 

As the Primary Hope Holy Church’s Saintess, she had attained enlightenment a long time ago. Her cultivation had reached an incredible level that was rarely seen in the world.

 

At this point, there was no existence or object in the world that could cause a fluctuation in her emotions.

 

She did not even know the appearance or the name of her enemy, much less his origins. Yet, she was captured and killed by the enemy over and over again. The situation inevitably aroused a sense of defiance and dissatisfaction toward the results in her heart.

 

Fortunately, the Mirror of Reincarnation was no longer like before where the trajectory of the future was set in stone and could not be changed. She could avoid the occurrence of a tragic ending by changing the trajectory of previous events. At this rate, it seemed more like she was searching for a chance of survival and looking for the correct choice to remain alive.

 

Afterwards, she experimented again and again without end.

 

<In the fifty-seventh year, you gained a strong sense of curiosity toward the enemy. All of a sudden, you want to know about his past and his origins.>

 

…

 

<In the eightieth year, you died because you used your right hand while serving tea.>

(Silavin WTF. Damn. This shit is hilarious.)

 

[I finally survived until the eightieth year!] The Primary Hope Saintess breathed a sigh of relief. Before she could celebrate, she read the next sentence on the Mirror of Reincarnation and nearly passed out from rage.

 

“What a hateful reason…”

 

She had always seemed detached and indifferent, seemingly unaffected by external affairs. However, she was so furious at that moment that her delicate body trembled from the rage. She gritted her teeth angrily, wishing she could destroy the Stars in the Outer Territory with one move.

 

[It was so hard for me to obtain a reason for being killed, but it turned out to be for such a reason!?]

 

If possible, she would have slaughtered the enemy she had yet to meet with a thousand little cuts at that moment.

 

…

 

In the end, the Primary Hope Saintess finally managed to live for a hundred years. Unfortunately, she died again in the one-hundred-and-first year.

 

Making these trial-and-error choices was very painful for her. In fact, the experience was torture to her. However, her repeated attempts allowed her to slowly discover the reason why she was allowed to continue living.

 

It would seem that the reason was closely related to the mysterious enemy. How long she could live was completely dependent on the enemy’s likes and dislikes or the enemy’s mood.

 

Afterwards, she experienced another series of deaths and gradually built an accurate train of thought.

 

The mysterious enemy of unknown origins might be extremely powerful, but it was not impossible to deal with him.

 

The realisation seemed like a great revelation to her. It could even be called a strategy.

 

The Primary Hope Saintess had not expected to accidentally uncover her encounter with such a formidable enemy in the future when she only wanted to investigate the deep malice detected by the Rising Dawn Civilisation.

 

In any case, she had consumed enormous amounts of energy to deduce and simulate the future through the Mirror of Reincarnation. She needed some time to recover her strength once more.

 

As for her survival strategy after the one-hundred-and-first year, she planned to resume her research once she recovered her strength. The longer she lived, the higher her chances of finding a method to overcome the enemy.

 

“Speaking of which… Could this incident be related to Master’s disappearance and the person she mentioned before? All the signs seem to indicate and confirm that he… is coming back…”

 

“The arrival of the black mist stipulates that the remnants of the Black Disaster have reappeared in the world. I fear the Dark Empire that once made people tremble with fear and live in terror may have made a comeback…”

 

Afterwards, the Primary Hope Saintess recalled something even more important. A strong sense of unease grew in her heart.

 

The terrifying Black Disaster that nearly swept across the eternal sky had shaken the foundation of the world, the root of all living creatures, and the source of Dao.

 

Although countless years had passed since then, there remained fragments of records of that time in some of the Supreme Civilisations.

 

Her Master, who was the Founder of the Primary Hope Holy Church, was one of the beings who personally sealed the source of the Black Disaster.

 

She once heard her Master mention the incident when she was younger, but her subsequent memories had become blurry. All she remembered was that they could not kill that being with their strength alone.

 

During the most prosperous period of the Supreme Civilisations, there were many truly powerful figures who stood at the peak of the Dao Realm. Even so, it had taken great effort to seal the being in that place. That place was now considered by many cultivators to be the source of great terror in the world.

 

Most of those Last Stage existence (They basically cannot proceed further with their cultivation) who sealed the being in that place later went on to establish various Immortal and Everlasting Civilisations and Forces.

 

According to her understanding, those Last Stage existences had sensed the Heaven’s Will and obtained a guide from the Heaven’s Will.

 

It was thanks to the existence of this guide that they were able to successfully forge Civilisation Supreme Treasures. The power of the Civilisation had been condensed and eternalised within the Civilisation Supreme Treasure.

 

Some of the Civilisation Supreme Treasures that were forged later were basically the evolved versions based on the first Civilisation Supreme Treasure. Unfortunately, too much time had passed since then. Many of the Supreme Civilisations had gradually collapsed and disintegrated to become buried in the long river of time.

 

Likewise, the Civilisation Supreme Treasures forged by these Civilisations were lost in the collapse of the Civilisations. They disappeared completely from the world, and it became unknown who was in possession of them.

 

Only some of the existing Supreme Civilisations still remembered the old covenant and would regularly send their men to that place to gain insight into the situation of the seal.

 

Fortunately, that place had always been dead silent throughout the years. Nothing unusual had been found.

 

It was just that many great wars had erupted between the Supreme Civilisations over the years as they competed for resources and territory.

 

The Primary Hope Saintess had not forgotten the beginning of everything, which started when the Ancient Shroud Civilisation nearly fell into chaos.

 

She did not know the reason why chaos broke out in the Ancient Shroud Civilisation. The only thing she understood was that some of the Supreme Civilisations in the Expanse Domain began to harbour friction and conflict between each other after the chaos of the Ancient Shroud Civilisation.

 

Some of the Civilisation Supreme Treasures originally sealed together with that land were later taken away by their respective Civilisations.

 

Ever since then, black fog began to permeate the land. That place was eventually shrouded in darkness and bleakness all year round. Even Dao Realm experts did not dare to step foot into that place, lest they were corroded by the black fog and perished as a result.

 

“If the seal has loosened or broken, then the only method might be to find the Civilisation Supreme Treasures of the first generation and seal the Dark Empire again.”

 

“Compared with the so-called Great Purge, the Eternal Great Sacrifice is much crueller and more terrifying. According to Master, that person nearly unified the entire Expanse Domain. On the pretext of destroying the Land of Truth and re-establishing the authority of the Heavenly Dao, he deceived and sacrificed all the living creatures in the world. Even after he was sealed, the remnants of the Black Disaster are still causing great turmoil in many of the Civilisations…”

 

“If he returns, he will definitely bring chaos to the world.”

 

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Silavin: Ancient Shroud Civilisation – Chapter 1012, related to the Epoch Cicadas Clan.