Chapter 471: The Motion of the Dao in Reversal! Civilizational Breeding! Atlantis!
Staring at the Emperor before him—who looked no different from his own younger self—the God-Emperor maintained an eerie silence. Yet his gaze was anything but calm or composed.
On the contrary, his eyes were sharp and terrifying, his expression constantly shifting, flickering between sorrow and joy, rage and composure, violence and serenity, as if all these emotions were colliding within him.
For ten thousand years, the God-Emperor had struggled against this chaotic torrent of feelings. The torment and agony gnawing at his very soul had long since robbed him of the ability to express himself in any normal way.
The Warp was a lonely place. There was no one to speak with, no one to confide in. All he could do was listen from afar to the faint prayers that drifted from Terra, the whispered supplications of humanity across the material universe.
"I now understand your condition well enough. It's time I revealed my plan to you—what lies ahead for you, for humanity, and the fate that has been arranged."
The Emperor did not flinch at the God-Emperor's ghastly appearance. Calmly, he continued:
"The Chaos Eight-Pointed Star of this universe has already begun tilting toward collapse."
"I know you have been struggling, desperately resisting the corruption of the fifth major divine seat. You are trying to keep it from falling into evil. But I have come here for precisely this—to wrench that fifth seat back to the side of righteousness."
The God-Emperor made no response, as though he hadn't heard a word. He neither moved nor spoke, simply watching as the Emperor spoke on.
The Emperor knew he was listening. So he continued, laying out the entirety of his design:
"As you can see, I come from a parallel universe. I am the sole variable in this universe that teeters on the brink of collapse."
"I have already sent Guilliman into the Warp to seek his true essence. My aim is to elevate him to the divine seat, to replace you as the God of Erosion and Destruction."
Ordinarily, the birth of a new god required the annihilation of an entire civilization as sacrifice. That civilization could not be weak—it had to be at least on the scale of humanity or the Eldar.
If Guilliman were to ascend to godhood, and humanity in this Warhammer 40K universe were to survive, then only one option remained.
The Universal Megacorp would have to arrange for other civilizations to die in humanity's place. Guilliman would first become their god, ushering them into a golden age.
Then, the tide would turn. Destruction and war would sweep in, eradicating them utterly.
It was the same pattern as humanity's own history.
The motion of the Dao lies in reversal: from prosperity to ruin, decline is inevitable.
Hearing this mad plan, the God-Emperor's expression finally shifted. It was clear he resisted the idea.
If humanity's extinction was already inevitable, why drag down other civilizations as well? If the plan failed, then two civilizations would be lost instead of one.
But the Emperor had not proposed this without meticulous preparation.
In fact, half a century earlier, the Universal Megacorp had already been using the World Seed technology acquired from the Halo universe to implement a "Civilization Breeding Project."
By selecting habitable star systems, seeding them with fledgling life, and nurturing intelligence, they had by now developed over one hundred billion distinct intelligent civilizations.
These civilizations were penned into their respective star systems, many already developing spacefaring technologies, poised on the threshold of interstellar colonization.
According to the next stage of the plan, Guilliman would descend among them, perform miracles, and lead these beings swiftly into the interstellar era—showing them a glimpse of what higher civilizations looked like.
Then they would be destroyed.
The deaths of tens of billions of intelligent beings, the annihilation of entire species, would propel Guilliman to godhood as the God of Erosion and Destruction.
Unfair? Certainly. But worthwhile.
If every step of the god-making plan unfolded smoothly, then the Megacorp could, through civilizational breeding, Infinityly sacrifice and elevate new divine proxies of its own!
Jesus, the Buddha, the Three Pure Ones, Allah… all employees of the Megacorp, managing the masses under its dominion.
Once the industrial chain was established, all that remained was cost reduction and efficiency gains.
"When Guilliman completes the ascension rite, I need you to stay behind to strip away the negative currents of faith—to ensure his mind is not corrupted by excess emotional pollution."
"The only assurance I can give you is this: your burden will be lighter than it is now. One day, you will be completely freed."
The Emperor asked the God-Emperor to serve as Guilliman's purifier, filtering out negative faith and preserving his sanity, until the Megacorp's research into better purifiers bore fruit.
Until then, the God-Emperor would have to endure a little longer.
After all, the faith and emotions of any civilization carried both positive and negative aspects. For ten millennia, the God-Emperor had drawn power from faith even as he constantly purified its poison—enduring all the agony himself.
This was why he suffered so terribly. But if he could be freed from his current half-living torment, it would indeed be a relief.
The Emperor paused, watching for a reaction. Seeing that the God-Emperor had not vanished, he went on:
"If this succeeds, Guilliman will be just the beginning. The Chaos Eight-Pointed Star of this universe will stabilize in a balance of good and evil. Gods of other universes, too, can be influenced and controlled."
"This is the closest humanity has ever come to becoming a god-tier civilization. Once we cross this threshold, we will be gods ourselves!"
What the Emperor laid out was essentially the full scope of Li Ang's god-making plan. An unprecedented scheme: sacrificing bred civilizations in exchange for apotheosis.
When the Emperor first grasped Li Ang's idea, visions of humanity's history flashed before his mind.
The blood-soaked Shang dynasty, appeasing the gods with human sacrifice in exchange for the ferocity to carve out an empire.
The Maya of the rainforests, binding their entire culture in centuries of self-mutilation and pain to placate their gods, their civilization trapped in an Infinity nightmare.
And now: a species less than fifty years old, rising on planets billions of years old, leaping from savagery to the stars in a heartbeat, only to vanish swiftly without a trace.
Each of these civilizations had their moment of brilliance—but only as fodder for the god-making plan, existing solely to be sacrificed.
From their perspective, the scheme was terrifying beyond comprehension: to learn that one's entire history was a hollow illusion.
But from humanity's perspective? It was the greatest plan in all history.
For along this path, anyone could one day become a god, each reigning over their own private cosmos as its sole sovereign!
The Megacorp attains the Dao, the entire race ascends.
"If you do not answer me—if you do not depart—I will take your silence as consent."
With that, the Emperor fell silent, locking eyes with his counterpart.
They were, in essence, the same man. But their different experiences meant their perspectives diverged. Agreement would not be easy.
The Emperor could only gamble—that in the God-Emperor's heart, humanity outweighed all other civilizations, and he would risk annihilation itself for this cause.
For the God-Emperor, the future branched into only two paths.
Reject this perilous plan, and humanity could wither away slowly. Perhaps he could hold on for another few thousand years, or even ten thousand.
When the time came, everything would move toward destruction and the final end. Humanity could at least spend these last ten thousand years in peace, watching their God-Emperor ascend to divinity.
As for accepting the plan, then human civilization would either collectively benefit and ascend, or—if the plan failed—Guilliman would die, or else become a god of pure destruction, and humanity in this universe would be instantly finished.
Hope always exists within the cracks, never wholly impossible.
Not long after, the God-Emperor made his choice: "Fine."
No lengthy speech, no angry rebuttal—only that single, flat word, without a trace of emotion. Perhaps the God-Emperor had long since been exhausted, awaiting only the instant of release when death finally arrived.
Now that the Emperor had taken this burden from him, he could not have wished for more.
The Emperor gave a small nod, letting out a silent sigh of relief.
If one had to select a god of Corruption and Destruction, the figure before him—the God-Emperor—would have been the best choice. But at this moment, the God-Emperor had already absorbed too many impurities of emotion. If he ascended as a true god, he would most likely become a powerful Chaos god.
That was why the Emperor placed Guilliman as the one to ascend as a true god, while having the God-Emperor assist at his side to help purify. In effect, this meant that the god would be a complete form made of two people together.
Perhaps there would be better ways in the future, but for now, this was already the optimal solution.
Soon, the God-Emperor's projection vanished from the Warp, as if it had never existed, and the Emperor immediately returned to his battleship in realspace.
His warship did not even need to activate its counter-Warp Geller Field, for even the Four Gods of Chaos would not dare rashly provoke such ill fortune.
Everything was now moving according to the established plan. If nothing unexpected occurred, the Chaos Gods' ten-millennia conspiracy was on the verge of collapse.
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Main Universe, Ideal City, Multiverse Base!
Li Ang had already received the plan sent by the Emperor, and now fully understood the exact approach and intentions for executing it.
It must be said: the truly clever can always see the essence of things at a glance. This plan did not even require Li Ang to point out its core idea— the Emperor had comprehended the key himself.
At this moment, Guilliman had already entered the Warp in search of his own essence, while the civilization being raised by the Megacorp—"Atlantis"—had begun to manifest divine miracles. Ancient ruins appeared, gradually revealing the "true aspect" of a god.
Of course, all of these were pre-arranged "ingredients."
The development speed of the Atlantean civilization had been specially accelerated by the Megacorp. The species' average lifespan was only one month; from leaving Eden to developing a modern civilization had taken them only half a century.
And the ones orchestrating all of this were the Megacorp's Science Hub Division.
In the next ten years, this civilization would advance into high-speed development. With the opening of the space age, they would gradually take possession of their entire star system.
Afterward, under the leadership of the god Guilliman, they would defeat the Mayan civilization in the neighboring feeding grounds, reach their peak, and then swiftly perish…
From the very beginning, their purpose was to allow the Science Hub Division to observe the paths of civilizational growth. By studying the development patterns of a species, the Megacorp could optimize its own future course.
Even a wholly new model of governance might provide inspiration for the Megacorp.
In fact, there were more than a hundred such "civilization-breeding pens" like Atlantis, scattered across multiple star systems and managed entirely by AI.
Now, this particular civilization had been selected as the sacrificial offering to fuel Guilliman's ascension ritual.
For this plan, the one who felt the deepest sorrow was naturally Dr. Halsey, who had overseen the project. Among all the cultivated civilizations, Atlantis's trajectory most resembled that of humanity!
From slash-and-burn farming to the Bronze and Iron Ages, then through agriculture and trade to escape famine and hardship—gradually gaining enlightenment, climbing the technological tree, and finally gazing toward the stars.
Out of so many experimental civilizations, only Atlantis had the greatest potential to join the Megacorp's trade network as equals, as companions to gods.
Yet now, their creators were preparing to kill their most outstanding child.
"Boss, everything is ready."
At this moment, Dr. Halsey came forward to report to Li Ang. The corners of her eyes were visibly red, as though she had just wept bitterly.
Thanks to perfected genetic technology, even though Dr. Halsey was past seventy, she still looked no older than twenty. Yet that pitiful appearance did not make Li Ang soften.
He could understand her feelings. Compared to raising mere animals, cultivating a civilization invited far deeper devotion—one might even invest genuine emotional bonds.
But in essence, all of this was for the advancement of human civilization. Both Li Ang and Halsey knew this clearly.
Ending Atlantis was no different from choosing a chicken in the slaughterhouse to kill for soup.
"I know making this decision is hard. But both of us must overcome it."
Li Ang saw her reddened eyes, but he still stood like iron, even speaking more sternly than usual.
The Emperor's plan was meticulous and required strict execution, allowing no deviation.
"I understand!"
Dr. Halsey nodded deeply, taking a long breath to force down her sorrow.
"I won't interfere with this plan's execution—I promise." She bit down hard on her lip, fearing that Li Ang might replace her because of her weakness.
Since Atlantis had been raised by her own hands, then it had to be she who carried out the final act. If someone else did it, it would be wrong.
"To complete this plan, many lives may be lost. But if it fails, even more will die. You know my position. I'll say no more—take V with you."
Li Ang locked his gaze on her. Seeing that she had sworn a military-like oath, he said nothing further.
He worried she might, in a moment of compassion, release this cultivated civilization. If Atlantis broke out of its pen and joined forces with another civilization, the situation would be disastrous.
To a farmer, a mad cow could only be put down with a musket.
That was why Li Ang had to send the ruthless V along to keep watch, ensuring Dr. Halsey would not jeopardize the greater cause.
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