On the newborn plains, ecstatic cheers converged into a tidal wave that echoed endlessly.
People ran, wept, and embraced, venting the fear and despair they had accumulated over half a lifetime in the most primal way possible.
"Alright, the basic infrastructure is complete." Ian looked around, fairly satisfied with his handiwork.
He watched the overwhelmingly excited crowd, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.
"Don't rush, there are still some 'old friends' returning."
He snapped his fingers.
*Snap.*
In the sky, the "World Divine Tree" that was rooted in the planet's core and pierced through the entire world trembled slightly at its canopy's core, an energy source resembling the sun.
Billions of gentle golden light particles drifted down from the canopy.
It was a warm, golden meteor shower brimming with the memories of living souls, silently blanketing every corner of the earth.
Marc and Ran Bing stood side by side, experiencing this miraculous sight.
A few golden light particles slowly gathered in front of them, growing brighter and brighter until they gradually outlined two human silhouettes.
A gentle and familiar female voice, carrying a hint of a gratified smile, softly rang out.
"Is that Marc? You've grown up."
Marc's body suddenly stiffened, looking as if he had been struck by lightning.
This voice... the voice he thought he would never hear again for all eternity...
The light faded, revealing the two figures clearly.
A valiant woman wearing a Hunter uniform stood before him with a smile.
Beside her stood a tall man, looking at him with eyes full of apology and gratitude.
"Sis... Sister?" Marc's lips trembled, his voice incredibly hoarse.
Hong Kou, his sister who had been burned at the stake.
And her lover beside her, Po Xiao.
"Sis..."
A hoarse sound escaped Marc's throat. He reached out his hand but didn't dare to touch her, terrified that everything before him was merely an illusion.
Hong Kou's phantom smiled and took a step forward, her palm gently passing through Marc's chest.
"We have always been here, just watching over you in a different way."
Ran Bing's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She bowed deeply toward the two figures.
"Commander."
On the other side.
Bai Yuekui was quietly watching Bai Yuetian not far away, who was surrounded by children and clumsily showing off his new body.
Sensing something, she slowly turned around.
The same light particles gathered in front of her.
What emerged were the surface Dragon Bone Village members she had once fought alongside, who had fallen one by one before her eyes.
They smiled and saluted her, their eyes devoid of resentment and filled only with the joy of reunion.
Behind those figures, the slightly ethereal silhouette of a middle-aged man with a strong scholarly aura also slowly materialized.
He wore a white lab coat and gold-rimmed glasses. His refined features bore some resemblance to Bai Yuekui.
Bai Jingyu.
His soul phantom looked at his weather-beaten daughter standing before him, who had finally shed all her burdens, and then at his son playing with the children in the distance.
He didn't speak, only offering an incredibly gratified smile that spoke louder than a thousand words.
Bai Yuekui's eyes, which were always cold and resolute, were instantly blurred by warm tears.
A single tear silently slid down her smooth cheek.
Xia Dou and Meiduo were also stunned.
They saw their comrades from Dragon Bone Village who had died in previous battles, seeing those once-familiar faces.
Even further away, the souls of some people who had once belonged to the Lighthouse and died due to various injustices regained their forms in this golden rain of light.
At this moment, the entire world seemed to transform into a tranquil kingdom where the living and the dead coexisted in harmony.
However, not all souls were benevolent.
*Buzz—*
Several streams of foul black mist, exuding an aura of extreme hatred and madness, suddenly converged on the outskirts of the crowd.
Charles's face, twisted by jealousy and ambition, faintly appeared within the black mist.
Beside him were the maddened obsessions of countless Light and Shadow cultists he had bewitched and mutated.
They transformed into black phantoms radiating hatred and malice, letting out silent roars.
Instinctively, they lunged toward the most vibrant living beings!
"Look out!"
The survivors' cheers abruptly ceased as fear once again crept onto their faces.
"The new world does not welcome trash."
Ian merely cast a faint glance at the black phantoms, his tone brimming with impatience.
Before his voice even faded.
The "World Divine Tree" in the sky seemed to sense his will, suddenly bringing down several pillars of pure golden light.
The pillars of light accurately enveloped the black phantoms.
*Sizzle—*
Like boiling oil poured over snow, those twisted resentments were instantly evaporated in the holy light, leaving not a single trace behind.
It was as if they had never existed.
Ian's voice rang out in everyone's minds, explaining the brand-new rules of this world to them.
"Under this entirely new ecological cycle, Soul Source Essence can achieve eternal existence."
"However, all negative, hateful, and maddened emotions will be treated as viruses by the 'World' itself and automatically purged."
"Death is no longer the end. The souls of the good will find peace here."
"But the fallen will be completely erased, leaving not even a trace of their existence behind."
Marc looked at his sister holding hands with Ran Bing, while Bai Yuekui looked at her father reuniting with her brother.
They understood.
An unprecedented era had arrived.
One month later.
A brand-new city rose from the ground, centered around the "World Divine Tree." It was named "Dragon Bone City."
Fusing the biotechnology of the Mana Ecology, the spiritual power of Soul Source Essence, and the technology of the Old Era, a brand-new civilization far surpassing the pre-apocalypse era was developing at an explosive rate.
People learned to communicate with plants using spiritual power, manipulate vines to build houses, and utilize the memories of souls to pass down knowledge. Their technological level advanced by leaps and bounds.
Atop the canopy of the "World Tree," the highest point in the new "Dragon Bone City."
Bai Yuekui, Xia Dou, and Meiduo sat side by side, overlooking the brightly lit, prosperous, and peaceful city below.
Countless docile, glowing creatures shuttled through the city's aerial pathways like a flowing river of stars.
"Wow! Look over there! They actually built an amusement park out of vines! That's so cool!"
Meiduo sat quietly to the side, a serene and peaceful smile on her face as she enjoyed this hard-won peace.
As for Bai Yuekui, alongside her satisfaction, there was a trace of bewilderment on her face that even she hadn't noticed.
The fighting was over.
The mission that had spanned half her life was complete.
But what now? What was she supposed to do?
"How does it feel? Does it feel a bit boring?"
He simply raised his hand, his fingertip lightly swiping through the void.
A vast, boundless cosmic star map suddenly unfolded before them.
Countless universes were burning, countless civilizations were wailing, and countless monsters—billions of times more terrifying than Pola Beasts or Mana Giants—were rampaging through the sea of stars.
"Not used to peaceful days?"
"Do you want to... go see a broader world? To save more humans who are entirely at the mercy of fate?"