Otherworldly Desert Dust

He stepped onto the Eternal Life Bridge.

Gao Chang glanced at the Longevity Taoist, Meng Zhang.

Meng Zhang smiled faintly, not forgetting to say to Gao Chang, "You have made a very wise decision."

Gao Chang knew this young Taoist; he knew he was the nephew of Longevity Right Monarch, Meng Ting, so he purposely took off his white hat, expressing sincerely what an honor it was for him to join the Longevity Sect.

Reaching the middle of the bridge, Gao Chang still couldn't help but look back at his niece.

Young and full of vitality, but the next time they met might really be as Yu Yan had said: only an aged black-and-white photo remaining in the cemetery.

"Send my regards to the Right Monarch," Gao Chang said to the Taoist.

Meng Zhang nodded, not saying anything more.

Gao Chang then didn't hesitate any longer and took a step forward.

People are sheeple; as Gao Chang walked resolutely onto the Eternal Life Bridge, some hesitating men and women at the bridge also one by one walked onto it. In their eyes, if a high-ranking human like Gao Chang chose the Longevity Sect, what doubts should they have? Besides, nearly a billion people had gone before them. What a staggeringly divine number. Could they all be foolish?

Even if it was foolishness, with so many people being foolish together, one couldn't blame oneself for choosing wrong. Surely, the fault must lie with those leading!

The last wave of people had almost passed.

The Longevity Taoist, Meng Zhang, gazed one more time into the human Pure Land, confirming no more would accept their guidance before he too stepped onto the Eternal Life Bridge.

The Eternal Life Bridge finally vanished, this splendid rainbow-like bridge leading to heaven had taken away forty percent of the global population, as if it were a cosmic migration, only without grandiose spaceships...

On Longevity Island, Longevity Flowers dotted the verdant earth like stars, with vibrant Longevity Vines standing tall like forests, some reaching sky high, brushing against the gray-blue Sky Dome.

Beyond the island was a dazzlingly bright ocean, pure like an infinite expanse of blue amber, its gentleness and vastness easily enchanting.

On the island's hillside, among the brilliant clusters of starburst flowers were beautifully crafted houses, each villa resembling a luxury hotel designed for the wealthy, scattered artfully, both transcending human craftsmanship and perfectly hitting every fanciful dream of beauty!

"This island isn't very large; we are ten billion people, will it fit us?" someone asked then.

"You are spread across different islands, each isolated from the others, depending on the era and customs you lived in. Each island corresponds roughly to a large-scale town you're familiar with, though some islands are akin to your large cities or small towns… You can choose for yourself," explained the disciple of the Longevity Sect.

"If we want to meet and interact with people from other islands, how do we reach their islands?" someone inquired.

At this, the guide of the Longevity Sect smiled and shook his head, saying, "The rules have been stated before. If you have family or friends, try to choose the same day or the same period to cross the Eternal Life Bridge, as you'll definitely be placed on the same island. In fact, after studying your habits, a sufficiently large human community can satisfy all your needs, there's hardly a need for excessive social interaction with irrelevant people, that only increases troubles and anxiety."

"Understood, that's actually pretty good. So, do we need to work for you? I heard that you Longevity Sect are actually arranging for us to work on an island mining Yuan You Mine... Whether it's physical labor, machinery operation, or learning some kind of spell, just please no 996," a white-collar worker jokingly said.

"Not for now, just live the way you like for now. However, it's necessary to follow our Longevity Technique meditation practice every day, this will ensure you stay healthy and live long," the disciple of the Longevity Sect advised.

"No work, no pitfalls, no disasters, and longevity... It feels like we've really arrived in Utopia!" someone excitedly said soon after.

"Indeed!"

"Enjoy it!"

"Oh, I must tell you something. Based on our observations, there are remnants of the Old Faction among you. You know we need unshakable faith in the practice of longevity. If anyone disrupts this devotion, we can only strip the entire island of its right to longevity, which means you won't live long but will only maintain your original lifespans..." the disciple of the Longevity Sect declared.

"Those from the Old Faction really deserve to die! We must not allow them to stop our perpetual longevity!"

"Yes, I'm the most devout believer in longevity."

"Rest assured, honorable disciple, we will definitely root out any remnants of the Old Faction. When the time comes, you won't need to deal with them; we will execute them right there and then!"

The disciple of the Longevity Sect gave a slight smile, saying nothing more.

The ultimate outcome of this island was already foreseeable.

All it needed was to plant a seed of doubt, and then the simplest contradictions would be magnified infinitely in this utopia. His only task, while everyone was indulging in this comfort, would be to announce that the people of this island were no longer entitled to longevity, that they could only maintain their original lifespans. Their previous trivial disputes would ignite into "factional opposition" and "life-and-death face-offs."

Mutual slaughter would also be a fittingly fearful death.

The master would probably commend his scheme.

...

In the giant Rest Island, the Changsheng Handmaid, Chu Zhi, came to inspect.

This island had a population of nearly one million, who had resided here for several months. Everyone was extremely satisfied with everything about this place. Almost everything people desired—clothing, food, shelter, and travel, as well as mountain and sea views—could be created here, making many who first arrived feel somewhat surreal.

"Zhuang Yi, long time no see." In order to make her image closer to humans, the Changsheng handmaid Chu Zhi wore a cheongsam embellished with Longevity Flowers, with her black hair twisted up, revealing her pure neck.

"Long time no see, Handmaid Your Excellency," a clean-faced, scholarly man said politely, dressed in a black suit.

"You're too polite, just call me Chu Zhi. Are you still satisfied with everything here?" Chu Zhi asked.

"Of course, I'm so content that I almost forget to return," Zhuang Yi said with a humble and gentle smile.

"You're not using that phrase correctly. This place is your 'Shu,' why would you think of another?" Chu Zhi said.

"You understand our culture well; it's clear you truly want to embrace everything about us. It's a pity I can't return to our homeland; otherwise, I would report every detail of perfection here to Li Feng and the others, to clarify that it's not as they imagine," Zhuang Yi said.

"Well, we have our rules after all," Chu Zhi nodded, lifting her hand to shield the sides, seemingly wanting to speak privately with Zhuang Yi.

Zhuang Yi said nothing but clasped his hands together, maintaining a straight-backed sitting posture.

"Based on my observations these past days, several humans are quite special, which made me curious. Under the same genetic models, why are there some extraordinarily gifted humans, for instance, in terms of intelligence, martial power, evolutionary paths..." the Changsheng Handmaid, Chu Zhi, asked.

"In fact, we too cannot answer your question. For instance, in our scientific community, there's a very famous person, Einstein, whose theories guide us forward. Such individuals can lead an era, even guiding us into the next era. It's said that when human scale reaches a certain magnitude, such individuals will emerge," Zhuang Yi explained.

"When the scale reaches a certain magnitude?" the Changsheng Handmaid, Chu Zhi, found this concept puzzling.

"Do you know about the AI we developed?" Zhuang Yi asked.

"I've heard of it."

"It's said that initially AI was without spiritual wisdom; developers simply treated it as a program. However, as developers fed a sufficiently massive amount of data to the AI, once it absorbed enough information, it gained spiritual wisdom," Zhuang Yi said.

"So you mean, once the scale reaches a certain degree, exceptions naturally occur. Then among you, like Li Feng, you, Wu Hen, Mingyi, Shen Wenhai, He Ze, Tang Zhuo, Guan Quming, Liu Qing… all belong to this category?" Chu Zhi asked.

"You know so much about us. The people you've mentioned, they each supported our entire homeland at some point in this era. Moreover, I am among them, which I consider a great honor," Zhuang Yi said.

Chu Zhi smiled, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

She picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and after a while continued, "In fact, our initial plan was only to guide this particular group of exceptional humans. After all, the path to Longevity is long and distant, and not everyone can comprehend its true essence. If these exceptional humans among you are willing to join us, we'll be even more pleased, but alas, most of these human exceptions have their own unwavering beliefs and faith..."

"Yes, Li Feng's belief lies in eternity, an eternity that represents the independence and strength of humanity."

"Wu Hen's belief is that he firmly believes in the superiority of soulful emotions over everything else."

"These two are your immovable human mountains."

Zhuang Yi nodded, and although he had never interacted with Wu Hen, he was clear about his beliefs, which, along with Li Feng's, largely represented the lofty beliefs of most who would not abandon their homeland, regardless of the uncertain and bleak future, the fearless in them would always shine brightly.

"What about you then? As a leader representing forty percent of the global human population, you also hold admirable beliefs, don't you?" Chu Zhi inquired.

Upon hearing these words, a slow smile spread across Zhuang Yi's face.

Chu Zhi found Zhuang Yi's smile somewhat strange.

Zhuang Yi kept smiling, staring at Chu Zhi with an odd look in his eyes, his smile growing even stranger.

"You know, I was a student of teacher Li Feng," Zhuang Yi finally spoke.

"But in our view, you are even more outstanding, which is why we hope you become one of us, you must understand that what I mean is not as a member of the Longevity Sect, but on a much higher dimension..." Chu Zhi said.

With that strange smile, Zhuang Yi's gaze stayed fixed on Chu Zhi, as if looking at a laughable prey!

"Aren't you interested in my beliefs?" Zhuang Yi asked.

"You've chosen us, no matter what your past beliefs were, your current belief is that of the Longevity Sect," Chu Zhi stated.

"Regrettably, my belief is also something you can never sway; there is one person in this world who in my heart is like a god. I firmly believe only he can find a way forward for all of humanity," Zhuang Yi slowly stood up.

"What did you say?"

"My faith, is in my teacher!" Standing in front of Chu Zhi, Zhuang Yi pointed at Chu Zhi's beautiful cheek, speaking in a tone of disdain and mockery, "Even if you changed my cognition with biological signals to make me see you as a knowledgeable, kind woman, I still smelled the foul stench of insects emanating from you!!"