Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  Even while facing a terrible impact that was equivalent to heaven falling and earth crumbling, Tung Wang Kung did not panic at all. Instead, he was able to counter it effectively and accurately. He raised his arms and supported the vault of heaven. Instead of resisting it with brute force and aether, that was a concentration of the entire Aurora, he used most of the power on himself as part of nature interference.

  In an instant, the earth changed tens of thousands of times according to his own nature and form. He had taken on the appearance of pitch-black flames that were rising. Those were the aether residues that had been produced as a result of tens of thousands of nature interferences, and they flew in the air like ashes.

  He had become a variable. As every being had been reduced to zero, he had become an incompatible number that could never be erased, an obstacle that was stuck in the logic machine.

  Although Bai Xi’s attack had forced him into a more reactive role, his counters were still very skillful. It was as if this was something that he was very familiar with. In fact, he was so adept that he was able to reveal its nature with a single phrase.

  “Rise from the ground, fall from the sky?” Tung Wang Kung repeated the key phrase of alchemy. His voice was calm. “I can’t believe Hermes actually taught you so much. Too bad, you learned too little…”

  The look on Bai Xi’s face was cold. “To defeat you, this is more than enough!”

  “Is that so? Don’t you forget, when it comes to what you are trying to do, I’m much more familiar than you!” With that, the merging of heaven and earth froze suddenly. Tens of thousands of music theories extended out of the endless alchemy formation. A terrifying scale that was beyond human comprehension turned into a quantitative change and in an instant, a massive transformation began to spread within Bai Xi’s alchemy formation. Bit by bit, her suppression was crumbled.

  This was computing power at the level of Three Wise Men. It was capable of calculating the intelligence and logic of the trails of countless stars. To Tung Wang Kung, who was currently running at full speed, billions of logic valves were reduced to just a simple multiple-choice question.

  To Tung Wang Kung, who was currently in control of the central core, Paganini’s Moto Perpetuo was a technique that he could attain very easily. He had an endless amount of time to compute its secret.

  “Hey, Tung Wang Kung,” a deep voice said. It was Ye Qingxuan. He was sitting on the ground. He raised his finger and casually wiped away the blood stain on his nose, “Shall we have a rational negotiation?”

  Tung Wang Kung wanted to laugh but it came across as cold sarcasm. “Is this what mankind always loved to do? Communication and interaction? Are you hoping that under your persuasion, I will become more conscious of the restraint and as a result, be so ashamed that I decide to destroy myself?”

  Ye Qingxuan’s eyes lit up. “Oh? Is there such a possibility?”

  “Hehe.” He replied Ye Qingxuan’s question in a “human” manner.

  “Now that we are past the opening jokes, shall we come back to reality, Tung Wang Kung?” Ye Qingxuan continued calmly, “With regards to your current situation, I’m just going to say this bluntly. From the moment I walked in here, you have already lost. So why bother clinging on?”

  “Is that so?” Tung Wang Kung countered, “In that case, why are you still here?”

  “You have blocked our way, that is true. But what will you gain in return? The time that the Originator will be present is about to end. Perhaps you may not lose, but you will definitely not be able to gain anything. The longer this drags on, the more it is to our advantage. If this drags on till the very end, your plan will fail completely…”

  “This is not the end.” Tung Wang Kung was indifferent. “I can still afford to wait.”

  “Even if there can be another time, or yet another time, the outcome will still be the same!” Ye Qingxuan raised his voice. “As long as I’m around, Bai Xi will never become your tool.”

  “And so?” Tung Wang Kung laughed. “Are you hoping that I will tell you that I give up?”

  “Is there such a possibility?” Ye Qingxuan drummed his fingers on his knees with a sincere look on his face. “As long as you are willing, the price can be discussed.”

  “Ye Qingxuan, there’s something that you don’t understand.” Tung Wang Kung raised his arms and supported the merging vault of heaven. His voice was like the roar of thunder as he finally revealed disdain of the deepest sort. “Perhaps, there is someone in this world who is able to convince me to give up, but that person is not here, and that person will never be you!”

  Ye Qingxuan shook his head in disappointment. “In other words, you insist on heading down this path?”

  “… I will not have it any other way!” Tung Wang Kung’s answer was decisive and firm. It seemed that both parties were never willing to change their stands from the very beginning.

  “In that case, very well, Tung Wang Kung, we are now enemies for life.” Ye Qingxuan pushed against his knee and got up slowly before boastfully declaring, “Before the projection of the Originator comes to an end, I will destroy you completely!” With that, he raised his hand and opened up his palm to show to his enemy. In his palm was a thin chain with a small metal tablet.

  The words on the metal tablet were already mottled and blurred as if they had been through centuries of hardship. It was something that Ye Xuan had thrown to Ye Qingxuan while they were in “Neanderthal” and before they had entered the central core. Centuries ago, when Xiao Huan had decided to destroy his enemies and had started the war of the colony ships, he had passed the exact same thing to Ye Xuan.

  It was proof of the central core of the colony ship. It represented the highest authority of the captain and was also the password that could take over control of all systems in an emergency. And it was now in the hands of Ye Qingxuan.

  “With this, the central core shall follow my command!” Ye Qingxuan raised his voice and gave an order to whatever remained of the system, “Open up all the internal partitions. All authorities shall now be transferred over to Neanderthal!”

  In that instant, a huge roar burst forth from the world beyond the Originator. In the endless data layer and amidst the ocean of logic of the central core, it was as if mountains were rising from the deep sea and massive repercussions were crashing towards all directions.

  After being sealed for centuries, the black box, which was named “Neanderthal,” was slowly being opened up. The data shell, which had been obstructed by a screen, was being forcefully bridged once again. It was completely ignoring the order and will of Tung Wang Kung, and the silent supreme authority was forcefully pushing the central core. As a result, the servers beneath the temple, which were concentrated together like a forest, were extinguished instantly.

  Shortly after, shiny green signal lights began to light up, one by one, like stars. Eventually, they became a light and graceful ocean. The way they blinked was as if they were breathing. A pair of eyes, that was filled with nothingness, slowly opened within and looked in the direction of the mortal world.

  795 Mistake

  At that moment, the interface into the black box was opened up from the central core. With this bridge connecting to the Originator, someone was able to get out of the cage.

  They appeared in the Originator, the thing that countless musician’s had dreamed of.

  The figure was still alone.

  It seemed like he had been waiting for thousands of years.

  But Tung Wang Kung was stunned.

  Contrary to everyone’s expectations, when he saw—no, when it observed that the person had appeared there—His expression revealed never before seen anger and hotheadedness.

  He roared with fury.

  “You dare appear before me…Ye Xuan!!!”

  Ye Xuan seemed to not hear. He was silent, staring blankly all around. After a while, he sighed softly.

  “A planetary-level chaos computing model? Those guys chose this path after all…�
� Upon saying this he turned his head. He flicked away some ash and looked at his “old friend.” He couldn’t help but smile. “Long time no see, Tung Wang Kung. Have you been well?”

  The answer was full of fury, a roar that was nearly burning with anger.

  A terrible attack lashed out.

  Nearly unwise, completely reckless, difficult to understand… Tung Wang Kung no longer adhered to the method of slow erosion as he attacked the seal that Bai Xi had made without any regard for the consequences or the damage.

  He wanted to break out of the cage of heaven and earth!

  “Seems like you haven’t been well, just like me.” Ye Xuan sighed. “We’re old friends after all. No, I should say old colleagues. It’s unpleasant to meet in such unhappy circumstances. Let’s dispense with the formalities and get this over with, then.”

  On saying this he looked up at the sky.

  “In the name of the committee, I order Tung Wang Kung to be formatted!”

  At that moment something huge started up. Countless stars lit up in the depths of the sky, and they were separated by layers of light. As the grand will ran through the central core it cast off a light that outshone the stars.

  The sound of collapsing rang out.

  As the stars appeared and winked out, the power that was supporting Tung Wang Kung quickly left. His various privileges were stripped of him one by one by the terrible computing power of the central core. It was like his organs and limbs were being torn from him, cruelly and brutally.

  All of this happened at Ye Xuan’s will.

  In this way, he cruelly took away all of Tung Wang Kung’s powers in the system one by one, not leaving a single one, and at the same time used the physical circumstances to cut off the coordination ports from Taiqing Heavy Industries from the outside.

  Finally, Tung Wang Kung was forcibly deleted.

  Not even one line of data was left, not to mention pieces of him.

  “Keep dreaming!!!” At that moment, countless pop-up windows flashed out from the wavering figure of Tung Wang Kung like heavy rain.

  Red! Red! Red! Red! The red pop-up windows were full of override messages.

  Even facing the one who held the highest privileges, Captain Ye Xuan, Tung Wang Kung still showed miraculous, or nightmarish, willpower.

  He forced all the commands from the central core to cancel!

  He refused to accept Ye Xuan’s commands.

  He refused to die.

  Or at least he refused to die at Ye Xuan’s hands!

  In a flash, he was shut down countless times, restarted countless times, rejected the irresistible deletion, and vainly fought against the constant formatting attempts.

  Thousands of override messages gathered together in a sea of red.

  The chaotic turbulence in the central core even spread to the projection of the Originator. Countless pieces of broken data and infinite dead loops gathered together one by one to form a curved surface.

  In a flash, it seemed as if countless huge worlds had appeared.

  The giant’s body was falling apart, and the catastrophe’s nature was slowly collapsing.

  But under the inhuman body, what was revealed was human skin texture.

  When that face emerged from the endless darkness, everyone held their breath involuntarily. It was a handsome face, so perfect as to have nearly no blemishes. It was different from Hermes’s tender, feminine face, as it had uncompromising masculinity, but it did not seem violent or frightening.

  The eyes were full of pity and compassion.

  They seemed to be pained by the suffering of the world.

  They were thinking about a plan to save everything.

  They pitied everything.

  That was the appearance that Tung Wang Kung had had when he had descended upon India.

  At that time, he had been called the Awakened Victor by those who longed for a savior. He had brought stability and peace to the chaotic India and had been a symbol of liberation from the suffering of all beings.

  But now, in the reflection from the endless red warning pop-up windows, there was no more compassion in those eyes, but instead indescribable darkness.

  A madness and intent to kill that was irreconcilable with its mournful face.

  Those countless red warnings burned like flames and condensed into a red lotus that rippled like a sea of blood. To describe it in human terms, it was like a scene in which a god degenerated into an evil spirit.

  The Awakened was gone.

  What descended here was a demon intent on destroying everything!

  Facing the suppression and deletion of the central core, he finally abandoned his inhuman side and was forced to return to the world with that shameful face.

  Even so, he was not willing to give up his hostility to Ye Xuan.

  In other words, after seeing Ye Xuan, he began to reveal his own insanity!

  This went far beyond Ye Qingxuan’s expectations. He had originally anticipated that when he activated the privileges that Ye Xuan gave him, and after the “Neanderthal” Ye Xuan took control of the central core, the procedure would be instantly completed and Tung Wang Kung would be wiped away.

  But now, although Tung Wang Kung had been forced to take off his inhuman mask and reveal his essence, this made Ye Xuan feel as if things would be even more difficult.

  That kind of crazy hatred would even be revealed when facing Hermes.

  He looked back at Ye Xuan in shock.

  What did you do all those years ago?

  How did you make Tung Wang Kung hate you so much?

  “This makes you seem a little more human.” Ye Xuan stood before the red lotus and nodded with satisfaction. “Congratulations, you’ve grown up, Tung Wang Kung.”

  “Grown up?” Tung Wang Kung’s voice was hoarse. “Is this face not a gift you bestowed upon me? Were all these evils not your fault?” He swallowed what seemed like hatred made manifest and whispered hoarsely, “Ye Xuan, if it wasn’t for you…”

  “Mhm, if it wasn’t for me, everything might be different.” Ye Xuan nodded, apologizing solemnly, but there was no sincerity in it. “I rashly pulled you into the world without your consent. As the chief culprit, I truly apologize.”

  “Apologize? Can an apology make up for the crime you’ve committed?” The eyes went wide, and they were full of resentment. “Do you have no repentance for the sins you’ve committed?”

  “None,” Ye Xuan answered calmly.

  As he said this, a red window suddenly popped out of him.

  Ye Qingxuan was at a loss.

  Then there was the second, the third, the fourth…

  That looked like… the Tung Wang Kung that he had just wiped out.

  Like a heavenly punishment, destruction and cleansing fell upon him at that moment.

  Ye Qingxuan could not have imagined that after Ye Xuan became Captain, Tung Wang Kung would still have a way to delete him!

  “What are you doing?” he asked dumbfoundedly.

  “What am I doing?” Tung Wang Kung smiled coldly. “Why don’t you ask your ancestor that? Did you have no doubts? Why did Ye Xuan have the authority to make the final decision, yet he still holed up in his shell like a turtle in that little box? Why didn’t he use it himself, and instead handed it over to you?”

  Ye Qingxuan was shocked. He finally understood the logical fallacies in this.

  Since Ye Xuan had had the power to stop this from the beginning, why had he sat and watched it all happen? Why was he only coming out now?

  Did he even need him to help open the door?

  Tung Wang Kung laughed mockingly at his expression, as if he was looking at an idiot who knew nothing.

  “It seems like you didn’t tell him anything, Ye Xuan!” He smiled maliciously and roared wildly, “You hid the mistakes you made when you were telling him. In order to conceal your ugliness and dress up in this calm demeanor, you didn’t tell him that once you step out of that black box and are observed by the central core you will be
the first one to be obliterated! How much have you hidden from him, Ye Xuan?”

  Tung Wang Kung paused and smiled coldly. “Particularly, how you murdered Captain Xiao Huan and ruined humanity’s future!”

  There was a long silence.

  As the red warnings popped up continuously, Ye Xuan put out his cigarette. His expression was still calm.

  So calm that it was frightening.

  “That is the only thing in this life that I don’t regret.”

  Just like that, he confessed his sin.

  Hundreds of years ago, East Asian colony ships had seized the advantage and had been on the way to victory. But when they were just about to completely annihilate the enemy, they made the crime of rebellion. They turned a great victory into a situation where no one gained anything. One hand directed the prelude to the fall of the Devas and caused all the evils of today.

  He calmly revealed his hidden mistake, without any regret or hesitation.

  Only calmness.

  Even if there had been infinite anger, in those eyes like the sea, it would have been impossible to see any waves.

  In the end, there was only an indescribable disappointment.

  “That’s how humans are, Ye Xuan?”

  “Mhm.” Ye Xuan nodded. “That’s how they are.”

  In the silence, Tung Wang Kung closed his eyes. His expression was distorted a bit and became ugly. “I finally understand why I hate you so much,” he whispered softly. He raised his hand and covered his nearly unblemished face as if he was ashamed and was unwilling to let it appear under the sun.

  From between his fingers came an almost desperate roar, “So, I am the only one who doesn’t want to become human!!!”

  He roared like a wild beast.

  He groaned and reached up to tear off his face. His perfect visage fell apart. Blood dripped down from his fingers. He was as ugly as a ghost.

  “I can finally be sure, Ye Xuan!” he hoarsely declared. “All things can be redeemed and fulfilled… except for you! Only you are not worth saving.”