Above The Sky

Chapter 2200: Chapter 6: Sky, Pioneer, and Pioneer Space

Even within the Federation, there is fierce infighting between the Pioneering Faction and the Conservative Faction, as well as ongoing disputes between the Virtual Realm Uploading Faction and the Reality Construction Faction.

Artificial intelligence assistance, pure human souls, independent growth and societal support, mechanical modification, arcane cultivation, biological metamorphosis, spirit energy ascension... each side has its own stance, its own arguments, its own beliefs.

As long as independent minds exist, all ’others’ are cages.

—Humans living on the earth, Dao Imitation Cultivators dwelling in the Space City.

—Natural people living around Terra, Artificial Humans residing on the Moon.

—The ’affluent’ living around the orbit of Terra and the Moon, and The Forgotten residing near Jupiter.

Everyone on earth has their own dreams and distant goals.

In the first century after the Sage’s ascent, in an era where the Federation seems to be at its peak, conflicts are on the verge of exploding.

Thus, war is forever inevitable, thus, contention is always justified.

Aldo Silverpeak. Under the protection of the Holy Spirit, he saw the future.

He saw that as the factional struggles within the Federation intensified, it reached the point of mutual assassination, brainwashing through Phantom Network technology, cyber-replacement, and alteration.

He saw that with the de facto civil war in the Federation, both the Space City Alliance and the Lunar City Union became independent in reality, even starting to frantically plunder the resources on earth to strengthen themselves.

He saw that war was rekindling, and even the Fifth Energy Level could not suppress humanity’s civil war, because in an era where Aether was confiscated, sufficiently powerful Aether Armaments and robust Fourth Energy Levels were enough to guard one’s own base.

The war between transformed Magical Beasts and Humans; the war between Artificial Humans and natural people; the war between Mechanical Modifiers and Flesh Sublimation Cultivators; the war between artificial intelligence and their supporters against oppressors; the war between Virtual Realm slumberers and the living of the current world; the war between Spirit Energy cultivators and flesh-eternal Supreme Spirit Ascension Sect members...

Aldo saw that even after humanity lost the Fifth Energy Level, they continued to slaughter each other, to destroy each other.

In that era, so bright it scorched the earth, countless Armor Suits obscured the sky like clouds, while starships shuttled across the skies, with battles impacting the firmament and the stars and moon.

Aldo saw that the universe’s residents and Artificial Humans, driven to desperation, frantically propelled fragments of the New Moon to collide with Terra. They intended to force all Terra People, ’curled up in the cradle like children,’ to leave this planet, to join them in the universe, in this deep space that believes in neither tears nor retreat.

They saw that in the dust of lunar fragments falling upon Terra, the children of the earth induced the magnetic fields and gravitational waves of the planet, causing numerous Space Cities to fall like rain—they lost their homes, so others shall never have homes again.

Aldo saw that the war continued for three hundred years without cessation until Terra suddenly raised clouds and barriers, isolating itself from all external exchanges.

And the initial conflicts had long become irrelevant; in the three hundred years of continuous warfare, no one cared whether you were a pure natural person or an Artificial Human, no one cared if you were artificial intelligence or a Mechanical Modifier, no one cared if you were a ’Deceased’ rushing out of the Virtual Domain or a cultivator of Spirit Energy of the Supreme Spirit Ascension Sect... the only thing that mattered was hatred.

Aldo saw that the internal war in the universe, the closure of planets, and Migrant Starships wandered to the cradle’s various sides, while major planets became ’humans’’ new homes, and Terra became a Forbidden Zone, the cradle within turned into the warring states of the universe, with continuous conflicts.

But...

"Humans went out."

"Humans left Terra, left this original cradle."

"Humans broke free from inherent morals and ethics, transcended their original humanity, becoming new humanity, stronger, more durable, more enduring."

What makes humans great is that they are ever crossing, ever experiencing, rather than reaching a single answer or the end of a journey.

Humans are lovable precisely because they are not the fruits of suffering, not an emergence from Nihility, but a process of pursuit and proof.

Aldo trembled, his soul unable to accept the infusions of the Holy Spirit. Though he had the aptitude and potential, he was not a true ’Sage,’ and what he could discern from the Aether as ’possible futures’ was not so extensive.

So, it was enough.

In the end, led by the Holy Spirit, a black-haired youth lifted his head.

He saw that after a thousand years, the cradle shattered.

The entire Aether Universe, most of the cradles shattered collectively, transforming into countless ’Super Space-Energy Webways’ that spanned across space-time—this caused the Infinite Space-Time to tremble without cease, disappear at The End, while countless stars were restored.

And by that time, humans were still in discord, still in civil war, weak and unable to explore the distant stars, yet mysterious adversaries crossed space-time to arrive.

What exactly happened?

Aldo didn’t know; he merely vaguely saw familiar figures beside the Sage with the water-green eyes who observed him, figures of the early founders of the Federation who had quietly disappeared without notice, those friends of the Sage seemed to have long left this land, having come to the Sage’s side.

So... is that how it is?

"I want that too!"

He couldn’t help but call out, stepping forward eagerly: "Sage, I also wish to go to the faraway places, to explore and adventure with you!"