Above The Sky

Chapter 2094 - 50: Yes, I Love You Too!

"You can’t really say it isn’t." 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 ’go beyond the horizon’—that is the ’Sky Ladder.’"

"Just like when the pre-Era civilization forged creations such as the ’Orbital Space Elevator’ and the ’Equatorial Orbital Accelerator’—back then, that pre-Era civilization already possessed such a ’Sky Ladder.’"

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 race—old and young, strong and weak—would each have such a ’Sky Ladder’ 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, ’beyond the horizon,’ 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 Humans’ [Civilization’s Sky Ladder].

Then, he thought of his own ’Sky Ladder.’

That ’Sky Ladder’ built from Infinite Ian corpses was precisely the key for him to transcend his inner world, transcend his own ’horizon,’ and reach beyond the ’horizon.’

Or rather, the Body, the soul, techniques and energy are in fact not that important—there are technical means to make up for any of them. Just like how a photon furnace can replace the Immortality Perpetual Motion Machine—if you want to cheat, there are always crib notes. The Star Gods don’t mind mortals making use of such ’little tricks’; they just don’t allow you to use the same one twice—you’ll 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 ’Infinite inner world,’ 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 ’not-immortal.’ Because the Star Gods are beings that Transcend Time and Space; They have more than enough time to wait for a ’failure’ to awaken, and then become a true Star God.

It’s 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 Wings—Anfa 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 ’Inaga II’s Legacy’ 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 couldn’t 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 wouldn’t regret it either—this was just a gamble to them. You accept the outcome of the stakes, and that’s that.

But in the process where the ’bet’ is placed and not yet ’lost,’ they will use every means at their disposal.

As the strongest among Ian’s 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 ’Blazing Suspended Star Dragon,’ her process of condensing an Aether True Body was going very smoothly.

Coupled with her mother’s 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 ’Dragon Elf.’

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, Anfa—who understood the risks here far better than anyone else—could be said to have her heart hanging in the sky, terrified that in the next moment it would be Ian’s defeat, the seal’s failure, and the world’s destruction.

Fortunately, Ian won.

But at the same time, Star God Ian also dissipated.

Worried sick about Ian’s condition, Anfa did not even pay attention to Golan’s 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.

—Ian 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 ground—fortunately, 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."