# Chapter 7: The Path Not Walked Alone
A grand and spectacular "Doctrine Declaration" that lasted for several weeks of Mycroft Standard Time and swept across the entire Multiverse Star River came to an end as its initiator, "Joshua van Radcliffe," defeated all challengers.
After this battle, the name of the four-armed God of Steel spread throughout all heavens and myriad realms. Even at the most remote ends of the star rivers, people sang his praises. Intimidated by his martial might, almost all civilizations expressed their willingness to follow the direction of order he led, cease "all wars" still ongoing in the Multiverse Star River, and begin full preparations to confront the approaching Chaos Army.
Although there were quite a few civilizations that believed Joshua was merely an individual—that the Multiverse Star River contained endless worlds, endless civilizations and races, and he couldn't possibly manage them all, so as long as they acted discreetly, it wouldn't matter—these wishful thinkers all fell silent after obtaining a record of Joshua joining forces with the Triple Veil and the Steel Serpent in the Starry World to fight against the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate. Because they saw the silver light spreading across numerous star rivers, and they saw his vast thinking network.
Some civilizations that had joined the Doctrine Declaration but were relatively weak, lacking sufficient strength and courage to challenge Joshua, after watching him expound the roots of transcendent power, create true worlds and primordial gods, and defeat all challengers far stronger than ordinary deities, directly removed their original divine statues and began to propagate the prestige of this "True God."
After all, Joshua's power had long surpassed the imagination of what many races considered "god"... Even if he wasn't omniscient and omnipotent, to low-end civilizations, he was close enough.
Furthermore, the endless life throughout the entire Multiverse Star River was truly, forcibly made to "open their eyes," to gaze upon and understand the name "Mycroft." Some younger civilizations knew nothing about it, but civilizations that had endured for tens of thousands of years suddenly recalled many ancient events. They hurriedly searched their ancestral texts, confirmed repeatedly, and could finally be one hundred percent certain that this was indeed that glorious name from the past.
And Joshua at this moment, just like the Sage of that era, exerted pressure over this age, causing countless powerhouses to think of his name and instinctively want to follow his order... But unlike the Sage of that era, Joshua was not a good person.
To those who disobeyed, the Sage in the texts would patiently educate them, while Joshua would "educate" them in a simpler, more brutal manner.
But one thing was the same: there wasn't a single existence that wanted to be "educated."
Of course, aside from Joshua's Doctrine Declaration, many powerhouses gained other benefits.
"Only today did I realize how vast and expansive this multiverse is, and how rich and diverse life can be."
"I thought I had already reached the end, with no road ahead, but now I realize there might still be a path—it's just that I was walking alone, moving too slowly."
"'Near-Saint' and 'Sage'... Such realms actually exist!"
"To the great existences who created the powers we now use, we swear by our civilization and faith: we will spread your names, let your love and legacy continue to the eternal end!"
If Joshua hadn't forcibly conducted this Multiverse Star River-level live broadcast together with the Dominant Will of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, many civilizations and powerhouses in remote areas probably wouldn't have understood or known that there were so many other powerhouses in this multiverse, realms of such levels, and the origins of all transcendence.
And the generous example of the "God of Steel."
Most intelligent life forms are neutral—there is no "good without reason" nor "evil without reason." As long as communication is smooth, mutual understanding of cultural customs, taboos, and boundaries exists, if someone treats them well, most life forms will treat that person well in return. The same applies in reverse: if someone does evil, evil will naturally be returned. Only a very few violate this principle—and among that tiny minority, half are those who "do good without reason." As for true, eternally unchanging evildoers devoted to evil, they probably would have been drowned in a cesspool as children, let alone grown up.
Certainly, many say that the relationship between civilizations is one of cold, ruthless interest. But that is merely a rule between "equals." When a strong party actively shows goodwill, so-called cold ruthlessness and interest-related concerns are all masks that can be torn off with a single pull. To put it crudely: they'd be too busy groveling to have spare thoughts for suspicion and vigilance... Even if someone had such thoughts, they'd probably feel ashamed and ask themselves: Am I worthy?
If a superhero kindly gives someone a ride, saving them over a dozen hours of flying across the ocean, would that person suspect the superhero of trying to steal their wallet containing less than five hundred in cash?
The multiverse doesn't have such ridiculous situations.
Joshua now was exactly the kind of powerhouse who would make even those who suspected ulterior motives behind all his actions feel ashamed and sigh: "I am not worthy."
Therefore, aside from the gain of verifying transcendent power itself, his greatest gain was successfully imprinting his strength into the hearts of other civilizations through the challenges and being challenged during the Doctrine Declaration.
Vaguely, he had become the "alliance leader" of a pan-Multiverse Star River order collective—though formless, powerless in title, and nameless, he truly existed.
He had become the "deterrent force" of this order collective, a Sword of Damocles hanging over all who would do evil or harbor malicious intent.
And this was precisely the goal of Joshua and the Mycroft Civilization powerhouse group that had planned this "Doctrine Declaration" together.
"Indeed, everything is as I thought. Even transcendent power is not eternal and unchanging but gradually progresses."
Having sealed the Void Great Maelstrom, which had become a "life forbidden zone," into a dungeon that future generations could explore—also as compensation for using others' territory as a battlefield—Joshua stood in the void of the Amos Royal Court. His thinking circuits turned over countless pieces of information about power and cultivation.
After this unprecedented series of major challenges by powerhouses, the warrior could fully claim to be a master of all transcendent domains, an individual who had nearly reached the extreme in all paths of power. As someone infinitely close to the Near-Saint realm, he could even vaguely glimpse the development and future of all transcendent powers.
Psionic energy, arcane power, life energy... These various transcendent powers were forces that could self-evolve and extend infinitely. They were not eternal, unchanging infinite oceans, but would cycle, evolve, expand, and extend—even transforming from oceans into sky and universe. In fact, during this battle, Joshua witnessed many strange changes in various transcendent powers, containing subtle and profound depths that were wonderful directions he had never considered.
Every civilization could walk a different path. The Sages, as founders, had only created a beginning. They established a foundation of power, but countless lives and powerhouses could bloom different, yet brilliantly beautiful, flowers on this foundation. Among them were inevitably things that even the original creators couldn't have predicted.
Using a game from his previous life as an analogy: a game company makes a game, sets the rules and general framework, and officially endorses some playstyles. But how people actually play depends on the players. Players naturally use existing resources to create various schools, combinations, constructions—even bugs and cheats—that the officials never thought of.
And the warrior completely absorbed all these new "schools and techniques" created by later generations, making them his own power... In fact, Joshua believed that if another "Sage" were to appear within a transcendent power, it would inevitably bring about a completely new revolution in that power.
Of course, this was just speculation, not necessarily certain to happen, but it was indeed possible. The Sage-level existences, so far, had all chosen to create their own unique powers that changed the multiverse. But if later generations chose to continue deepening and improving upon existing paths, that wasn't impossible either. These didn't conflict and were equally powerful, equally great, with no difference.
[The meaning of a path itself is to have countless people walk it. If it can only accommodate one person traveling alone, then it is not a 'Dao.' In fact, the more people who can walk side by side, the more it proves the path's solidity and perfection, and the more it validates its meaning.]
[The path of transcendence is not a solitary journey of eternal silence, but a long road traveled by countless people together. On this long road, countless people support and aid each other. Only in this way can they pierce the thick gloom covering the multiverse and shatter all shackles.]
"Joshua."
In the communication array came the voice of one of the Seven Gods. The familiar voice of the God of Might rang out: "Time to come back. We still have many things to do... And, well done!"
"You've really become very, very strong..."
He could vaguely hear the voices of other gods and powerhouses. They had naturally watched Joshua's Doctrine Declaration, and many had even sent avatars to challenge Joshua or communicate with powerhouses from other civilizations on the periphery. Everyone had gained a lot and also understood the enormous gap between themselves and Joshua.
No one found this strange. In terms of the number and intensity of battles, none of them had more or stronger battles than Joshua. They might have lived decades or even centuries longer than Joshua, but what use was that? Time spent without progress, merely drifting by, was nothing but wasted ripples on the river of time, creating meaningless patterns. But the struggle of the accomplished was like a falling meteor—even if brief and urgent, it would inevitably stir up great waves.
To this, Joshua didn't reply. He just smiled, purely smiled, expressing his joy and confidence. At this moment, he no longer needed words to prove himself. No one would doubt that he could become the next Sage. In fact, no one even thought he would become a "Sage."
Because Joshua would inevitably become his own Sage. He would stand on the shoulders of giants and gaze at higher places.
"Yes."
Thinking this, Joshua turned around and walked toward the star domain where Ke Lei Le and Ai Er Ma were located. As he crossed the void, the warrior raised his hand and swept it across the surrounding star domains. Invisible power spread, pulling the worlds that had been sent flying by his battles with numerous powerhouses back to their original positions.
Because of him, the stars scattered. Because of him, the stars returned. Holding worlds in his palm, making civilizations and stars dance under his control.
"Now, the only thing separating me from the Near-Saint realm is probably the accumulation of pure power and some 'minor issues' in certain aspects. I'm afraid the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate's knowledge reserve, having devoured countless civilizations, is probably on par with mine—maybe even slightly inferior."
After all, setting aside how much of the knowledge plundered by the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate could match the level of the many Legendary Limit powerhouses in this Doctrine Declaration, the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate itself was now part of Joshua's power.
In this regard, beasts were far inferior to civilization.
[I will defeat you, devour you, possess you, replicate you. I will learn your strengths, discard your weaknesses, take what you pride yourself on as my own, and seize what you boast of for my use.]
[And this is the nature of civilization!]
The greatest plague of the multiverse was not the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate, but the existence called "civilization" itself!
"Near-Saint, and Sage."
The former was only one step away for Joshua, and the latter was completely within sight of dawn... Because of the Triple Veil's reminder in the past, Joshua hadn't mentioned his conception of his own path to anyone, but he had gradually perfected it. He firmly believed it would be the path most suited to his thoughts and desires.
At this moment, he had already returned to the star domain where Ke Lei Le and Ai Er Ma were located. Although they were merely an excuse to launch the subsequent plan, Joshua had to say that the two of them had done very well. If not for the information they sent back as a warning, the Mycroft Civilization would have suffered even greater, more unacceptable losses.
Standing among the stars, Joshua prepared to dispel his enormous four-armed celestial deity form and take the two people away in a world form... But just as the warrior was about to do this, he felt something and looked up at the void of the multiverse—though filled with endless stars, it was still dark and silent.
In its depths, the deepest shadows flickered and vanished, the deepest mists surged.
[Throughout the heavens and stars, darkness spreads.]
So the warrior slowly raised his fist. The thinking array spanning numerous star rivers began to rotate, emitting silver radiance.
[Throughout the heavens and stars, light radiates.]
There was nothing to fear. Since Chaos was coming, then go fight.
If the unchangeable "inevitability" was called "fate," then there would always be those who chose to lower their heads and gaze at the dirt, willing to be slaves of fate. But there would also always be those who raised their heads and swung their fists, speaking not a word but never changing their resolve.
If one didn't even have the courage to swing a fist at "inevitability," how could they have the right to go and gaze upon the "future" of tomorrow?
This was something even those "little ones" he was about to take away understood.
"I hope that while I'm away, Ying and Lin and the others are doing well."
Thinking this, Joshua didn't say much more. He directly placed the entire void settlement into the world within his body, then began to wait for the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground from the other side of spacetime to contact him and initiate the teleportation.
At the same time, he observed the conditions of Ai Er Ma and Ke Lei Le within his body.
For Ke Lei Le, it was simply a slight disharmony between body and soul. But now his soul had grown considerably—even by leaps and bounds—so this small discord had instead become a stimulus for his growth.
But Ai Er Ma's situation was somewhat special.
"So the 'Newborn Death' has already begun?"
Noticing the flesh within the shadow space created by the Shadow Gold Armor that was constantly transforming and mutating, Joshua nodded thoughtfully: "Ke Lei Le used shadow power to forcibly halt this process, so although the Newborn Death has already begun, it's currently very stable."
Restoring normalcy wasn't difficult—at least for Joshua, who could easily reverse life and death, this task that seemed impossible to Ke Lei Le and Ai Er Ma was merely a simple favor.
But how to put it... Some suffering wasn't necessarily best avoided.
Just as Ai Er Ma had said, the essence of the Extreme Virus was merely the inheritance of the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate—a collection of thoughts and knowledge. If one was eroded and changed by it, it was equivalent to being brainwashed, rewritten with a completely new program and software. Even the hardware of brain and body would be replaced. Though one could still be considered the same person, they also couldn't be considered the same person.
But if one could accept these thoughts and knowledge while remaining unchanged, controlling this sublimation with one's own will, then this was instead a golden opportunity to leap to the heavens, becoming a super lifeform and achieving the Legendary realm.
"But this path is too arduous."
Out of hundreds or thousands of billions, only one might perfectly adapt to the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate's inheritance and become an Ultimate Being. But who knew how many Ultimate Beings it would take to produce one existence that could turn the tables and become the master?
However, speaking of which, as long as one reached the Ultimate-rank, they wouldn't be infected by the Extreme Virus. So there might actually be quite a few existences that could turn the tables—it's just that such existences were already strong enough not to be infected. Those who were infected essentially didn't have very good original qualifications. The Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate was just casting a fine net to catch fish, seeking individuals with potential who hadn't had the chance to grow strong.
Someone like Ai Er Ma—a genius of Amos who was already at the Ultimate Limit, not far from Legendary—voluntarily infecting herself with the Extreme Virus to break through was far more difficult and dangerous than breaking through through serious cultivation. Of course, this was also a choice. If she could truly survive this trial, her future growth rate would likely far exceed many people's expectations.
"Let's take them back first." Joshua transmitted a bit of power, suppressing Ai Er Ma's Newborn Death. He sensed that the beacon guiding him from the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground on the other side of spacetime had appeared. The warrior prepared to set off, leaving the Bloody Star River and returning to Mycroft.
This Doctrine Declaration had yielded too much. Joshua had to begin preparing to advance to the Near-Saint realm and cross that threshold.
Although advancing wouldn't involve heavenly thunder, earthly fire, divine annihilation tribulations, or anything like that—it was a natural progression, a standard for powerhouses to classify their own strength once their power reached a certain level—it still required preparation.
Gazing at the azure-blue spacetime gate gradually opening before him, Joshua thought seriously.
"I should go to the Genesis Maelstrom one more time."