Chapter 2094: Chapter 50: Yes, I Love You Too!
"You canât really say it isnât." At this moment, Ian looked in the direction of Harrison Port. "When a civilization unites as one, wholeheartedly determined to open up frontiers beyond its own cognitive domain, that will to âgo beyond the horizonââthat is the âSky Ladder.â"
"Just like when the pre-Era civilization forged creations such as the âOrbital Space Elevatorâ and the âEquatorial Orbital Acceleratorââback then, that pre-Era civilization already possessed such a âSky Ladder.â"
If they could hold fast to such a Sky Ladder, advancing step by step in Exploration, piercing straight into the Cosmic Starry Sky, then surely, the entire Human raceâold and young, strong and weakâwould each have such a âSky Ladderâ in their hearts.
Adalbert also fell silent for a while.
"Just like monkeys coming down from the trees and becoming Humans..." he muttered to himself. "Just like Elves leaving the forests and heading for the plains."
"Just like Dwarves leaving the depths of the earth and heading for the high mountains."
"So...the Sky Ladder was in our hearts from the very beginning?"
"Yes." Ian swept his gaze over everyone, and said earnestly, "This unwavering belief that leads the race toward the unknown, âbeyond the horizon,â a conviction that will not stop even in the face of death...that is the [Sky Ladder of Godhood]."
As he spoke, Ian thought of Sigh Cliff, and the words carved upon it.
As a part of the Orbital Space Elevator in those years, it was, without a doubt, the pre-Era Humansâ [Civilizationâs Sky Ladder].
Then, he thought of his own âSky Ladder.â
That âSky Ladderâ built from Infinite Ian corpses was precisely the key for him to transcend his inner world, transcend his own âhorizon,â and reach beyond the âhorizon.â
Or rather, the Body, the soul, techniques and energy are in fact not that importantâthere are technical means to make up for any of them. Just like how a photon furnace can replace the Immortality Perpetual Motion Machineâif you want to cheat, there are always crib notes. The Star Gods donât mind mortals making use of such âlittle tricksâ; they just donât allow you to use the same one twiceâyouâll have to find a new trick.
Only this kind of unwavering, never-wearing faith can, in the final trial of the Great Aether Circulation, transcend the Infinite inner world and, by way of the Sky Ladder, reach reality.
If one cannot transcend...Ian was very clear: if he could not surpass the âInfinite inner world,â he would become a star flowing within the Great Aether Circulation, becoming part of that Great Aether Circulation, waiting across Infinite Space-Time to see whether someone would one day call him out.
In this sense, even failure cannot really be said to be ânot-immortal.â Because the Star Gods are beings that Transcend Time and Space; They have more than enough time to wait for a âfailureâ to awaken, and then become a true Star God.
Itâs just that, for the failed one themselves, this might be a bit too long.
"Ian? Are you alright?!"
Not long after, a silver Gate of light flickered into existence at the foot of Silver Peak.
A flash of emerald shadow, a spread of Dragon WingsâAnfa rushed toward the mountaintop at the fastest speed she could muster.
Ever since learning that Ian had left Silverpeak Domain, Anfa knew something big was coming. Knowing that Ian had obtained the Power of the Light Realm, she also knew the other Fifth Energy Level beings bearing âInaga IIâs Legacyâ would never sit by and watch Ian continue to grow stronger like this. Since they had been able to intervene and prevent Yinaiga and Hiliard from taking the next step, they would also move to stop Ian from advancing further.
You couldnât exactly call them villains, but every one of them was an egocentric madman. They would never allow others to succeed, yet if they lost, they wouldnât regret it eitherâthis was just a gamble to them. You accept the outcome of the stakes, and thatâs that.
But in the process where the âbetâ is placed and not yet âlost,â they will use every means at their disposal.
As the strongest among Ianâs circle of family and friends, Anfa had now begun to construct her own Aether True Body. Because she possessed almost all the memory Inheritance of her Bloodline father, the âBlazing Suspended Star Dragon,â her process of condensing an Aether True Body was going very smoothly.
Coupled with her motherâs guidance, she even had spare energy to optimize her Physical Structure, attempting to completely fuse the Elf and True Dragon Bloodlines, laying solid groundwork for the genetic Ascension that is âDragon Elf.â
But even so, this level of power was still far from enough for her to take sides in a Fifth Energy Level alignment. Therefore, when Star God Ian joined hands with the Dragon Island Seal to suppress that Fragment of Demise, Anfaâwho understood the risks here far better than anyone elseâcould be said to have her heart hanging in the sky, terrified that in the next moment it would be Ianâs defeat, the sealâs failure, and the worldâs destruction.
Fortunately, Ian won.
But at the same time, Star God Ian also dissipated.
Worried sick about Ianâs condition, Anfa did not even pay attention to Golanâs teasing at her side. She immediately pushed her uncle Yafada Silvergate to open a teleportation gate and send her to Silverpeak Domain, and then, just like now, she flew up the mountain without even letting her Dragon Wings rest.
And then, she saw a scene that made her pupils quake, her body tremble, her wings shiver, and her whole being nearly faint dead away.
âIan and Sio were hugging each other tightly, and Ian was also saying, with twelve-tenths sincerity...
"I love you, Sio."
Wow.
Anfa staggered. After landing, she took a step forward, but as soon as she lifted her leg she felt her body sway and almost pitched face-first to the groundâfortunately, at the very instant before she truly collapsed and passed out, Anfa caught in the corner of her eye Ian very naturally releasing Sio from his embrace, then, with extreme smoothness, stretching his arms wide toward Adalbert and repeating the hug: "I love you, Adalbert."