I Contracted All Ancient Divine Artifacts

The endless rain of the Water Planet, which hadn’t stopped for millions of years, finally ceased.

The sky was as blue as a polished gemstone, the air crisp and refreshing, and the breeze gentle.

"It truly is a beautiful day."

The massive body of the Turtle emerged from the ocean, spitting out a complete piece of land from its mouth.

Jian Beifang lay on the grass of Turtle Continent, leisurely crossing his legs.

He had a piece of wild grass in his mouth, his right arm under his head as a pillow, feeling relaxed.

"Indeed, it is a beautiful day."

The young boy Ji Mu, with a wide-brimmed black hat, appeared not far behind Jian Beifang.

"Didn’t you perish along with the East King? Why are you not dead?"

"When the Turtle arrived there, it only found your ’corpse’ sunk to the seabed and swallowed you whole."

Hearing Ji Mu’s words, Jian Beifang revealed a gentle smile.

"The answer, haven’t you already guessed it?" He replied with a smile.

Because, he had already died once.

A person who has died once, within the rules of the virtual game, will not die a second time.

After a brief silence, the young boy Ji Mu continued to ask, "Then does the promise you made to me still count?"

"Of course." Jian Beifang raised his left hand, "Give me a hand."

Ji Mu followed his words, grabbed his left hand, and pulled him up from the grass.

The two of them walked hand in hand towards the distant gaming room.

"Jian Beifang, what was your past like? What kind of person were you?"

"It’s not important, I’m not the protagonist."

"Jian Beifang, why are you so good at playing video games?"

"Because I’ve been playing video games with my dad since I was little."

"Jian Beifang, do you miss home?"

"I used to, but after traveling for so long, it gradually faded."

"Jian Beifang, if you could go back, when would you most want to return to?"

"...My childhood."

"Jian Beifang, how long can you play with me this time?"

"As long as you want to play, I’ll play with you, until the end of the world, the destruction of the planet."

"Then it’s a promise?"

"It’s a promise!"

A breeze blew through.

Jian Beifang’s figure gradually shrank, then shrank again, finally turning into a boy about the same age as Ji Mu.

The backs of the two boys hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder,

seemed to be the final scene they left for this world.

...

"It’s over."

On the "Garuda," as the long-lost Talent Power returned to their bodies, a sense of unfamiliarity surged, and Shang Siteng understood.

The virtual game world known as the Water Planet had been completely cleared by them.

"Ah Zhan has won."

"Yes, he won."

"Should we hurry to prepare a nano battleship to rescue the people of the Water Planet?"

"No need." Han Zhan, descending from the sky, stopped Shang Siteng.

His complexion was somewhat pale.

The cost of trying to deliver a single killing blow, wielding a full-force strike, was not small.

"Why not? So many people live on the Water Planet, are we really not going to save them?" Shang Siteng asked, puzzled.

"Because they have long been dead."

Han Zhan paused at this, then lifted his head to look into the distance.

There, the massive body of the Turtle was gradually dissolving like virtual particles.

"From the moment they became NPCs, they were actually already dead."

Not everyone is Shang Jianyue.

Shang Jianyue could freely switch between virtual and reality because he had experienced death and painstakingly researched Mechanical Ascension.

Various serendipitous events and profound insights allowed him to walk his own path on the Virtual Dao.

The young boy Ji Mu was different.

Although he possessed the ability to wield the Virtual Dao, it was clear he didn’t have the ability to switch from virtual to reality.

And those adventurers were the same.

"Only adventurers who complete the final ’main quest’ according to game rules can return to reality."

"As for everyone else..."

Whether adventurers, NPCs, or various monsters of the Water Planet, even the whole planet itself, including the young boy Ji Mu, would vanish as virtual particles after the game ended.

This is the end.

As if confirming Han Zhan’s words.

The first to begin dissipating was the sea fortress "Garuda," meticulously built by Shang Siteng.

Then the entire Central Sea Area.

Including the seawater, rocks, surviving sea monsters swimming below, shattered warship remnants, and skeletons...

Everything belonging to Water Planet turned into virtual particles, disappearing completely.

Watching this unfold, everyone remained silent.

They knew, they understood, but in the face of true finality, they were powerless.

Countless virtual particles rose from every corner of the Water Planet.

Pale blue virtual particles drifted into the sky, some seemingly drawn together, forming different images in the sky.

It appeared to be a boy’s memory:

"Ji Mu, your mother and I are going out to sea, you need to listen at home, okay?"

In the image, a middle-aged man with a peaceful face gently stroked the head of the young boy Ji Mu.

"I will, don’t worry, Dad!"

"This sea hunt will take a bit longer. I’ve bought you the latest game console, so you won’t be bored at home alone."

"See those game cards? When you clear all those game cards, your mom and I should be back."

"Hmm!" The young boy Ji Mu nodded vigorously.

...

"Ji Mu, something bad has happened."

"Monsters appeared in the sea, and they destroyed many of the hunting ships. Lots of people died! Those who didn’t die were infected with a terrifying Evil Curse, becoming hideous and frightening Fishman!"

"Your mother also perished in this maritime disaster, your father mutated into a Fishman and was expelled from the Water Planet!"

"Ji Mu, Ji Mu!"

A companion shouted as they rushed toward the young boy who had fainted from grief.

...

"Ji Mu, I’ve heard that those Mutated Fishman expelled from the Water Planet did not die."

"Your father also didn’t die. He’s now living on a planet named ’Yongsha Star.’"

"As long as you can survive this Evil Curse disaster, you will be able to wait for your father’s return."

"Believe in yourself, you can do it!"

...

The virtual particles in the sky gathered and then dispersed.

Those memory images and sounds also gradually faded away.

Watching this series of scenes, Li Lingzhen pursed her lips forcefully.

"I think I understand why, knowing that turning the entire planet into a virtual game means never returning, Ji Mu still insisted on making such a decision."

The other Contracted Spirit girls also nodded with complex expressions.

It was an obsession.

An obsession of a young boy waiting for his father’s return.

Land of the End Water Planet,

ultimately returned to nothingness.