Chapter 390: New World |
With the existence of the Hell Set, he could survive in this chaotic High-Dimensional Universe.
Next—
He only needed to place the final tile of The Palace. The impact from the collision of the three states would shatter the barriers of the chaotic High-Dimensional Universe, allowing him a brief window to escape this universe.
"..."
Chen Mang looked silently behind him.
Biao Zi, Lao Zhu, and the rest were all here.
He knew this journey was full of unknowns and had no idea if they could ever return. His original intention was to leave Lao Zhu and the others behind, but they insisted on braving the dangers with him, declaring that even if they couldn't offer much help, they would share in his hardships.
Thus.
Inside the Stellar Train at this moment, not a single one of his trusted confidants was missing, while the planets of the Human Civilization remained behind in the universe.
To his surprise, Yan Yao, Ji Chuchu, and Xiao Fang had also followed along, whereas the fairy maidens gifted by the Xuanwu Civilization had chosen to stay behind with the Human Civilization.
With the resources he had left behind.
As long as these people stayed, they might not rule the world, but their lives would certainly be immensely comfortable.
The fact that these women possessed the resolve to follow him to a potential death truly caught him off guard.
Perhaps...
He had underestimated them.
"Phew..."
After a long time.
Chen Mang let out a soft breath. He gazed at the chaotic scene ahead, a trace of bewilderment flashing through his eyes. He had no idea what lay beyond the universe, but he had to go out and see. He had to find out exactly which civilization had stolen his child.
The next moment—
Inside the Stellar Train, the final tile of the Present State of The Palace was successfully set into its rightful place.
Immediately after.
The Present State of The Palace, the Future State of The Palace, and the Past State of The Palace suddenly flew out of the train uncontrollably. They began to entwine and spin rapidly around each other. The rotation grew faster and faster until his naked eye could no longer track their speed, and then, a world-shattering explosion abruptly erupted!
It was an explosion of extreme magnitude!
Flames almost instantly engulfed the Stellar Train.
In his daze.
He seemed to see a rift tear open in the space ahead. The surrounding, ever-shifting, gilded light vaguely transformed into flowing, milky-white liquid. A powerful suction force surged from the front, dragging the Stellar Train out uncontrollably.
A flash of white light blinded them.
When the scenery before his eyes shifted once more.
Chen Mang sat in the train's control room, staring ahead in absolute shock. After escaping the universe through the rift, he had appeared in the sky above a coastal area. Below, pedestrians were walking and cycling. No one noticed his invisible train hovering in the air.
Outside the universe...
Was actually another world?
He was not in some laboratory. He turned to look behind him and saw a shattered coconut falling to the ground. During the instantaneous transit of escaping the universe, he had vaguely caught a glimpse of the universe's entirety.
The universe was actually a coconut.
And the coconut had shattered.
They had escaped from the coconut and arrived in this... new world.
"..."
Chen Mang stared blankly at the coconut on the ground behind him. He had pondered countless possibilities of what their universe might truly be, with the most likely scenario in his mind being that he was just a lab rat in an experiment.
But he had never imagined.
That the universe he resided in was actually a coconut.
And right now, the coconut was shattered. Would the universe they had just left undergo a Big Bang as a result?
Everyone inside the train stood frozen in dumbfounded silence.
They were somewhat at a loss for how to process the events unfolding before their eyes.
It had to be said.
Because humans possessed emotions, they were never as calm as an AI when handling monumental events. At this moment, only the AI in the train maintained its composure, speaking up with a slightly urgent tone, "Captain, I have detected an incredibly powerful force approaching at extreme speed..."
Before it could finish speaking.
A wormhole-like Space Portal suddenly materialized in front of the train. As the portal opened, a young man wearing a Daoist robe and leaning on a walking cane stepped out. He stood in the void before the control room, peering through the glass at Chen Mang inside, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.
"Fourth Brother, welcome home."
"Was the journey pleasant?"
"F-Fourth Brother?"
Chen Mang's lips trembled, momentarily plunging into confusion. Looking at the unfamiliar young man before him, he had no idea what to say. "Who are you?"
"My name is Chen Qiu."
The man in the Daoist robe standing in the void outside the train smiled. "I am your third brother. Don't look at me with that expression. It's a very complicated story, and I had the exact same reaction back then. Father is on his way. He got delayed putting together a last-minute gift for you, but he will be here shortly."
The next moment—
Another wormhole-like Space Portal emerged nearby.
This time, what came out was...
A group of people.
Every single one of them peered through the control room glass at him with excited eyes, as if they all knew him.
"Chen Mang, welcome home."
One of the men who stepped out of this Space Portal looked elegant and carried an aura that made it hard to look directly at him. He chuckled softly, "My name is Chen Yi, and I am your biological father. That 'Mang' birthmark on the back of your hand is what I left for you."
"It is a bit troublesome to explain, but this is the destiny of the Chen family."
"I will explain it to you slowly once we are home."
"Let's head home first."
"I have already scanned the universe you were in and learned of all your exploits. You didn't disappoint me. Out of all your brothers, you built the largest faction. I have already backed up the Human Civilization you established, ensuring they weren't destroyed in the universe's Big Bang. They can be relocated to another universe at any time."
"It's still different," Chen Qiu shook his head from the side. "Although my Chao Tian Sect has few people, they are all elites. When it comes to factions, more people doesn't necessarily mean better. Even though Fourth Brother is amazing, what I mean is, my Chao Tian Sect is also very strong."
Immediately after.
Still in a daze, Chen Mang followed this large group of sudden family members into the Space Portal. Although he didn't know these people, he could feel a warm and familiar connection from them—a bond forged by blood.
These people were indeed his family.
He had always believed himself to be an orphan, never expecting to have such a large family.
It left him feeling somewhat surreal for a moment.
"So, that is the gist of it."
Inside Chen Yi's manor, after Chen Yi had explained the entire sequence of events to Chen Mang, he finally let out a sigh. "This is also the first time I am meeting you. You transmigrated while you were still in your mother's womb."
"This is the destiny of the Chen family."
"I don't know why, but members of the Chen family always have a tendency to transmigrate and run off while still in the womb."
"It resulted in me not even having the chance to see you once."
Chen Mang looked at a woman beside him, her face bathed in tears. He had learned from his father that this woman's name was Jiaye, and she was his mother. Perhaps sensing that familial love deep within his blood, he couldn't help but open his mouth and call out a wildly unfamiliar word, "Mom..."
He had said this word many times in his life.
But it had always been used in vulgar curses.
He had never said the word on its own before.
For a moment, it felt extremely unfamiliar, yet it also brought a strange, heartwarming sensation.
"Mang..."
Jiaye gently stroked the back of Chen Mang's head, her eyes rimmed with red. "You have suffered so much all these years. You won't have to struggle so hard anymore." "Right!"
Chen Mang took a deep breath, his expression suddenly turning grim. "Father, is there some sort of high-dimensional civilization out there, or an enemy of the family? My child was snatched away while still in the womb. My entire reason for leaving the universe this time was precisely for this matter!"
"..."
Chen Yi remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"No."
"The Chen family has no enemies. The Chen family is the master of countless universes. We have no rivals. No one is a match for the Chen family, not to mention that over the years, with my sons continuously returning, the Chen family's strength has grown exponentially, leaving us even further beyond challenge."
"Did you just say your woman was pregnant?"
"Yes."
"Meaning, my grandson, is it?" Chen Yi scanned the crowd and locked his gaze on Xiao Fang standing to the side. He spoke with a hint of melancholy, "There is no need to look for him. This grandson of mine has also embarked on the path that all Chen family members must walk. He will begin his own journey in an unfamiliar universe."
"But..." Chen Mang said, growing a bit anxious. "But he is only a child."
"Weren't you also a child back then?" Chen Yi looked at Chen Mang. "Your third brother, Chen Qiu, was also a child when he transmigrated. You have to believe in the Chen family. Even as a child, he can carve out a name for himself."
"Have you named the child?"
"I have. Chen Jiang."
"A good name."
"Can't you find him?"
"I cannot. If I could find him, I would have brought you back back then."
Inside the manor.
It was an entirely ordinary-looking estate nestled within the core of a planet. It hardly looked like the residence befitting the master of the universe, yet it was this very ordinary manor that controlled countless universes.
Even now.
Biao Zi and Lao Zhu were both in a daze. They had always assumed that Boss Mang was an orphan, never imagining that his background was actually so monumental. His father was actually the master of countless universes!
And they now knew what lay outside the universe.
Outside the universe were countless other universes, collectively known as the Myriad Universes. There was only one Main Universe, which was the universe where Chen Mang's father resided. And Chen Mang's father was the most powerful existence within this Main Universe.
Lao Zhu sat on a stone bench in a daze, staring at the book in his hands. This book had been handed to him by a guy named Lao Tu after their return to the Chen family.
The title was...
"A Guide to Understanding the Chen Family's History".
The book detailed the life experiences of the Chen family's key figures and their trusted aides, describing the massive family established under the leadership of the patriarch Chen Yi, the matriarch Jiaye, and others. Lao Tu was none other than Patriarch Chen Yi's trusted subordinate.
Since a very, very long time ago, he had been following Chen Yi and handling matters for him.
"Ridiculous."
After a long time, Biao Zi finally couldn't help but utter a word. Even now, he hadn't fully recovered from the shock. It all felt a bit hard to swallow, but the truth was right in front of them, leaving him no choice but to accept it.
Similarly—
Inside a room in the manor.
Chen Mang was sitting alone in a study, flipping through his own copy of "A Guide to Understanding the Chen Family's History". After a long while, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.
His eyes were full of complex emotions.
With the truth laid bare before him, he had no choice but to believe it.
He just couldn't help but think back on everything he had experienced in his life. He had always believed that Blue Star was his homeland and that transmigrating to Water Blue Star was his first transmigration. Now, it seemed that transmigrating to Water Blue Star had actually been his second transmigration.
He just hadn't known it.
His first transmigration had happened while he was still in his mother's womb.
And the birthmark on the back of his hand was a cheat his father had prepared in advance, anticipating that he would inevitably transmigrate from the womb. It ensured that no matter which universe he ended up in, he would have the power to protect himself.
His father had been incredibly thoughtful.
But clearly.
As a father himself, he hadn't been quite as thoughtful. He hadn't prepared a single thing for his own child. His son was heading into a new world completely bare-handed, and there was no telling what kind of new world it was.
Perhaps it was a world of magic, perhaps a world of cultivation, or maybe even a world of eldritch horrors.
But regardless.
One thing was certain.
That was...
The protagonist of the upcoming story would no longer be him, but rather his son, Chen Jiang.
"..."
Chen Mang stood up and lit a cigarette. Standing in the study, he looked out the window at the peach blossoms, exhaling smoke with a faint smile on his face. After a moment, he finally turned to look at Xiao Fang, who had been standing silently behind him.
Ever since the child disappeared.
Xiao Fang had been trapped in a state of grief and guilt.
Even though she was not to blame for the incident in the slightest, she still blamed herself immensely.
"Alright."
Chen Mang waved his hand, beckoning Xiao Fang over. He chuckled softly, "Children have their own fortunes. This has nothing to do with you. We'll be able to see him again in some time, and by then, he will have grown up."
"He'll have experienced many things."
"He'll slowly tell you all about the adventures he's had."
"That'll be quite interesting too, won't it?"
He pulled Xiao Fang into his embrace and gently patted her back to comfort her. Naturally, these were purely words of consolation. If given the choice, what parent wouldn't want to personally accompany their child as they grew up?
In a daze.
He recalled when he had first transmigrated, serving as a slave on Kun Ye's train.
With no food and no water.
Rising up in rebellion, he had become the new train captain, marking the beginning of his rise in the apocalypse.
After a long silence.
Chen Mang stood up, lit three cigarettes, and planted them in the flowerpot on the desk as a send-off for Kun Ye. He had always owed Kun Ye three sticks of incense, so he might as well make up for it now. If not for the initial batch of resources Kun Ye had gifted him, he would have had to take many more detours to grow to this point.
In a sense.
Kun Ye could be considered his angel investor.
He was worthy of three sticks of incense.
After lighting these three makeshift incense sticks, for some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of profound peace. It was as if a weight he had been carrying in his heart had suddenly been lifted. He shook his head and couldn't help but laugh.
Picking up a glass of wine from the table, he downed it in one gulp.
He then lit another cigarette for himself.
Holding Xiao Fang in his arms, he glanced at Lao Zhu and the others chatting outside the window, then looked up at the sky, his expression gradually growing somewhat distant.
He knew.
The story belonging to him, Chen Mang, had come to a close here.
The one taking the stage next.
Would be Chen Jiang.
This tale of his could be considered quite magnificent, couldn't it? He would leave it to future generations to judge. As for what he needed to do next, it was simply to enjoy life.