According to the various physical laws and logical phenomena of this universe, Seraphine should not and could not have seen an absolutely certain future.
Note: this does not mean the future cannot be seen, but rather that a 100% certain future is beyond reach. The gap between these two concepts is nearly infinite.
Normally, any act of predicting the future would only and could only see many ambiguous and blurred fragments of future space-time.
Throughout history, the prophets of various civilizations have usually selected one or more sets of fragments they deemed most probable, meticulously piecing them together into a tableau they believed to be the most reliable, then using it to foretell what was to come.
In reality, those countless fragments from the endless future are merely afterimages of infinite possibilities naturally split off as the river of time flows. Each afterimage represents a parallel universe; thus, many afterimages represent the existence of infinite parallel universes.
The future is uncertain; one can never see its end. The number of parallel universes is infinite and can never be fully counted.
Therefore, that so-called reliable future tableau is only truly reliable for the counterpart of the predictor within the specific parallel universe corresponding to that scene.
Simultaneously, prediction is a form of observation.
Once there is observation, interaction is inevitable.
The purpose of an observer's existence is to record. Recording transforms quantum events from a state of [ Potential ] existence into a state of [ Actual ] existence.
It is similar just like the wave function collapse of a microscopic particle upon being observed.
Consequently, Seraphine's absolute future observation, driven by Transcendental Perception, exerts an absolute influence on the infinite future. It forces that messy, complex future of endless possibilities to collapse into one, obliterating countless other paths and forging a single, deterministic timeline.
This was something that should never have happened.
But Transcendental Perception, the idealistic ability Seraphine leisurely awakened after ascending to the Divinity level, clashed head-on with the rigid locks of various space-time, causal, and physical laws of the vast universe, forcibly achieving this feat.
One can only say that idealistic abilities are truly terrifying.
In other words, Seraphine suddenly caused that terrifying predestination to descend upon and thoroughly rule this lonely, new Milky Way.
From the moment she began her observation, every future fluctuation of this galaxy, along with every thought and action of its infinite living beings and the experiences they were to endure, was "fixed" onto a singular, continuous track of destiny.
The supposed free will of those countless beings in the new Milky Way's future became an utterly worthless joke. They would all unknowingly stand upon a pre-arranged grand stage, vaguely "performing" scenes that had been written long ago, laughable "stories" that were alternately tragic, heroic, or sorrowful.
Furthermore, during this "performance," Seraphine, standing comfortably in the past space-time, could use the wondrous idealistic power of Transcendental Perception like a behind-the-scenes screenwriter.
With casual ease, she could subtly guide, modify, and influence the lives of infinite intelligent beings, as well as the fluctuations and evolution of endless stars and matter.
As for exactly how long this track of destiny "kidnapping" the entire new Milky Way would be, that was entirely dependent on how far into the future Seraphine chose to observe.
If she observed up to a million years into the future, then the infinite beings of this new Milky Way would be blanketed by destiny for a million years. If she observed a billion years into the future, then they would be blanketed for a billion years.
Even if Seraphine were to feel playful and chose to observe until the moment of the universe's Big Rip or Big Crunch, then the infinite beings of the new Milky Way would inevitably be "imprisoned" by this terrifying destiny until the very end of the universe, with no hope of escape.
More tragic still is that those infinite beings racing along the track of destiny toward the distant future would never realize how pathetic they were. Whether they were carbon-based mortals, Transcendent life forms, Milky Way Overlords, or even Universal Sages, not a single one would ever consider escaping, and not a single one would ever resist.
Because in their eyes, the sky was still the sky, the earth was still the earth, and the boundless space remained boundless. Everything was unchanged; everything felt the same as always.
They would never realize that they, their entire race, and even the entire galaxy they inhabited had already been completely "pinned down" by a hopeless destiny countless years ago.
For all that terror originating from Seraphine had been entirely obscured by the heavy layers of time and by the narrow perceptions of the beings themselves.
With their barren, mortal imaginations, they could never conceive that the lives of their ancestors ten thousand years ago, their own lives, and the lives of their descendants were all shaped as they were simply because a cosmic god, standing in the distant void untold ages ago, had cast a cold gaze upon them.
Their wishes, ambitions, dreams, and all the efforts they made to achieve them to Seraphine, the observer from countless eons past, were merely ordinary stories that could be modified and manipulated at will.
Yet Seraphine had little interest in interfering with the fates of mere mortals. She merely watched quietly, gazing upon these various civilizations in the future space-time of the new Milky Way.
"Contender number one, Tiyan, has withdrawn. Who will be the next to achieve Sagehood and claim the rewards?"
Driven by this mild curiosity, in the fifth instant of her future observation, Seraphine saw that a leisurely 200,000 years later, the overall landscape of the new Milky Way had undergone massive changes.
More than half of the former Twelve Giants of the Milky Way had been replaced.
During those 200,000 years, nine giant-class interstellar civilizations had perished.
Some had fallen and faded due to internal decline, some had been conquered by new civilizations, and others had splintered into smaller nations and vanished.
Among them, three of the four Lead Simian nations had disappeared.
Only the original civilization founded by Tiyan remained, but its sphere of influence had shrunk by more than half. The soaring interstellar influence the Lead Simian race once possessed had been thoroughly diminished.
Simultaneously, the royal family of the Lead Simian Empire had tragically fallen from power during this vast span of time due to fierce political struggles. Their throne, inherited for hundreds of thousands of years, was ruthlessly usurped by another high-ranking faction of the Lead Simian race.
"It seems Tiyan's bloodline is also nearing its end," Seraphine laughed heartily. "Truly incompetent. To hold such a massive advantage and still end up like this."
Ceasing her laughter, she continued to observe the future of the new Milky Way.
In the sixth instant of her observation, she saw that 150,000 years later, Tiyan's absolute last descendant, now utterly destitute, died in a filthy corner of a remote, small interstellar city-state.
The cause of his death was simple: after being squeezed dry of everything by a group of debt collectors from an illegal casino, he was skinned, broken, and tortured to death.
Through those long 150,000 years, the so-called Twelve Giants of the Milky Way had also become like passing clouds. Their influence and ruling status had gradually waned with time, finally vanishing into the river of history.
In their place was a new list called the Hundred Races of the Milky Way. Among these hundred races, the Lead Simian Empire, now ruled by a new royal lineage, was ranked at the lower end.
Despite the Lead Simian race's period of extreme glory in the past, their strength had gradually declined over time, and their interstellar status was far from what it used to be.
Many factors contributed to this decline, including excessive internal corruption and strife, as well as fierce competition and pressure from the external environment.
Furthermore, their rulers lacked vision and management capability, leading the entire empire into long-term stagnation and hardship.
Simultaneously, apart from the Lead Simian race, other races across various sectors of the new Milky Way were constantly expanding their influence and clashing both openly and secretly.
In this fierce mutual competition, their technology, military preparedness, and evolutionary systems were steadily improving.
In comparison, the future destiny of the Lead Simian Empire appeared even more bleak.
After observing this, Seraphine shook her head slightly, her heart largely unmoved. She had no intention of modifying their destiny, despite having the power to do so.
In Seraphine's view, past glory is never eternal; any civilization can march toward decline and extinction. Only through continuous progress and adapting to the shifting times can one maintain their status and prosperity in a messy, complex world.
The Lead Simian race visibly lacked any drive or ambition.
Thus, decline or extinction was only a matter of time.
Continuing her observation, in the seventh instant, she saw that a leisurely 200,000 years later, more than half of the Hundred Races of the Milky Way had changed.
The Lead Simian Empire, plagued by persistent internal power struggles and external invasions, finally shattered and perished. All its former glory and honor came to an abrupt end, becoming merely a page in history.
However, even after the empire's collapse, a large number of Lead Simian people survived, becoming tragic interstellar refugees.
These displaced Lead Simians wandered through various civilizations and planets, forced to live arduous lives in exile. To survive, some Lead Simians even threw themselves into the brutal trade of space piracy.
Even as space pirates, their lives remained hard and dangerous. They faced constant pursuit and attacks from other interstellar forces, with their lives in peril at every moment.
As the first intelligent beings to set foot in interstellar space within this new Milky Way, seeing them reduced to rootless refugees and vile pirates led Seraphine to sigh:
"Success or failure, fame or fortune, all vanish in a turn of the head.
All glory, all hardship, all rapid shifts of fortune, everything, upon turning back, has turned to nothingness. The changes in the world are just that unpredictable.
So-called power and splendor are so fragile before the passage of time. Only evolution, continuous, ceaseless evolution beyond time and beyond everything, is the true path."
Reflecting thus, she looked once more into the future of the new Milky Way.
Unsurprisingly, 350,000 years later... the Lead Simian race, which had been part of the interstellar community for over a million years, was entirely extinct, vanished completely from the vast universe.
In the subsequent tens of thousands of years, their history gradually became a series of unclear, blurred legends. Many in the new Milky Way even believed the race was a fabricated myth that had never existed.
Others felt that whether true or false, it didn't matter, races perished in the Milky Way every moment, and one more or less made no difference.
In short, apart from a handful of scholars specializing in ancient galactic history and various religious groups that believed the Milky Way was a divine creation, almost no one knew that the Lead Simian race was truly the earliest civilization to set foot in space.
In the ninth instant, Seraphine observed until 500,000 years after the extinction of the Lead Simian race before she finally "saw" the birth of the first Universal Sage in the new Milky Way.
In the years that followed, that Sage slaughtered his way through tens of thousands of civilizations. Having killed until no one in the world dared claim supremacy, he discovered the forbidden zone at the edge of the galactic core. Possessing immense ambition and fearing nothing between heaven and earth, he entered without hesitation.
After an arduous journey that nearly cost him his life, he arrived battered and bruised at the galactic core super-structure.
"What is this hellish place? How is the firepower so intense? I almost got killed."
While he lay crashed on the ground, nearly dying and filled with bitterness, a message Seraphine had left over 1.5 million years prior suddenly appeared deep within his Soul:
"Tiyan, I wonder if you have successfully led the Lead Simian race to this continent.
Perhaps you have, or perhaps you haven't.
Or perhaps you aren't Tiyan at all, but some other life form.
Haha, it doesn't matter.
Listen: I am the creator of this galaxy. As the first being in this galaxy to become a Sage, you have successfully passed my test. You are qualified to receive a reward—the qualification to continue evolving."
The message ended, abruptly transforming into an infinite flow of information. Within the Sage's mind, it gradually coalesced into a book, "Hyper-Archon".
"Tiyan... who is that? The Lead Simian race... isn't that just a legend? And..." The Sage's pupils dilated, and his entire body trembled as he nearly groaned, "Galaxy... Creator?!! How is this possible?!!"
"Such a vast, boundless Milky Way... was actually artificially created?! How is this possible? Can it be... that there truly are gods in the universe?! If so... then how powerful must they be?"
In his indescribable shock, the Sage unconsciously opened the illusory book in his mind, wanting to see what secrets it held. Instantly, the concept of a Sage and the entire hierarchy of Sage levels appeared before his "eyes."
"Low-tier Sage... Mid-tier Sage... High-tier Sage... Peak Sage. A thousand-fold difference between each level." He realized, "So... I am a Sage, and at the lowest level, Low-tier. I thought... I had reached the end of the evolutionary path."
Muttering to himself, he read through the cultivation section. His expression immediately shifted from bewilderment to shock, and then to wild joy.
"A Sage method! Hahaha! Excellent! There is hope... for my evolutionary path!!" The Sage laughed maniacally, gesticulating wildly, then knelt on the ground and howled toward the sky: "Thank you, deity, for the gift! Thank you for the gift!!"
In the subsequent years, while studying the Sage manual "Hyper-Archon", he also discovered the existence of the super-structure's intelligent system.
After spending over a hundred years understanding and taking over the megastructure's system, the Sage left and returned to his race's sector. He then led his entire race across hundreds of thousands of light-years to occupy the Galactic Continent.
For the next several tens of thousands of years, he never personally raised a hand again. Relying solely on the numerous super-weapons of the galactic core super-structure and the destruction of over a million interstellar civilizations, he became the true king of the new Milky Way.
No civilization dared to disobey any of his commands; he achieved a true, absolute hegemony using the gifts bestowed by Seraphine.
Furthermore, out of fear and reverence, this Sage established a religion centered on the worship of Seraphine.
Under Seraphine's observation, the Sage's glorious and tyrannical rule lasted for a full 400,000 years, and the religious sect he founded dominated the spiritual world of infinite living beings for just as long.
During those 400,000 years, with a single command, the countless civilizations of the entire Milky Way dared not refuse. No existing civilization dared to harbor thoughts of resistance; all succumbed to his might.
However, near the end of this long period, six other Sages suddenly appeared one after another within the Milky Way.
"It seems a war is about to break out," Seraphine remarked with a chuckle upon observing this.
As she expected, the emergence of those six Sages plunged the new Milky Way's power structure back into a state of treacherous intrigue.
One side was the old Sage, who had remained in the Low-tier realm for an eternity and was on the verge of ascending to Mid-tier; he fought to maintain the existing civilizational status quo.
The other side was an alliance of six ambitious new Sages, determined to overturn the old world and establish a new era.
Each had their own convictions, and each had their own interests to pursue.
Thus, it was visible to the naked eye that the entire space began to suffer from overt and covert strife and chaos.
This was a new era for the new Milky Way, a time filled with struggle and transformation.
Who would eventually master this Milky Way, and who would become the true king? Everything could only be left to time to answer.
However, Seraphine was no longer focused on this; during her continuous observation, she discovered something far more interesting.
Nearly 2,000,000 years into the future, at the frontier 4,000,000 light-years away from the bustling central region of the new Milky Way, there existed a small-to-medium star system dominated by a single yellow dwarf star.
The number of planets in this star system was not large, totaling only six.
But among them, a deep blue rocky planet located 150 million kilometers from that yellow dwarf star made Seraphine feel as if she were looking at something strikingly familiar.
Approximately 29% of its surface consisted of a single continent and numerous islands, while 71% was ocean.
This planet's atmosphere was primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen; it had a mass of 6 sextillion tons and an equatorial diameter of over 12,700 km.
It also possessed a gray, rocky natural satellite approximately thirty-eight kilometers away, with a diameter of about 3,500 km and a mass of roughly 73 quintillion tons.
Furthermore, on this Earth lived a large number of dinosaur-like giant creatures, as well as a significant population of apes.
"Another Earth has appeared, along with the precursors to humanity... is this a coincidence?"
Seraphine solemnly "gazed" at this "Earth" appearing at the edge of the new Milky Way 2,000,000 years later, whispering to herself, "Or is it an inevitability?"
Even without calculating whether this Earth's appearance was a natural occurrence or a deliberate artificial creation.
She simply understood that it was highly likely the birth of this Earth... was entirely natural.
"Just like a natural phenomenon, an Earth will always appear, and humanity will ultimately emerge. Is there an entity... that created all of this?"
With her emotions swelling, Seraphine continued to "look" at that "Earth."
She looked toward the surface of the barbaric continent, at the apes who were ignorantly foraging, seeking mates, playing, fighting, or hibernating.
Suddenly, shifting her "gaze," she looked toward a range of mountains currently being invaded by violent thunder.
CRACK! CRACK! ——
Thick black clouds churned and surged there, the thunder rumbling, scaring the mountain animals into fleeing in all directions.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a jagged, brilliant white bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, fiercely striking an ancient tree, as thick as a man's waist, within the deep mountain forest.
SNAP!!
In an instant, the old tree erupted into raging flames, its branches snapping and falling. Simultaneously, the thick layer of dry branches and withered leaves on the ground was ignited by the lightning-fire, forming a ring of flame that aggressively expanded outward from the old tree.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE! ——
After burning for only ten-odd minutes, this ring of fire officially developed into a terrifying forest fire, covering an area of several hundred meters.
Just then, the rain clouds that had long lingered in the hazy sky above, as if triggered by the lightning strike, suddenly unleashed a torrential downpour. In an instant, heavy rain mixed with violent winds assaulted the forest.
Suddenly, the dim sky and earth were churned into one by the infinite lines of rain.
RUMBLE!
Faced with this overwhelming storm, the previously imposing forest fire could not resist; it helplessly grew smaller and smaller, gradually being extinguished. Finally, only that single old tree remained, stubbornly burning on its own.
SWOOSH!
Strangely, this heavy rain vanished as quickly as it had arrived. After falling for about ten minutes, the downpour dwindled until it ceased entirely. At the moment the rain ended, another roll of thunder flickered.
CRACK! CRACK! ——
The dark forest was instantly lit as bright as day.
In the light, a small, thin black ape, hiding within the lush canopy of a large tree, was intently staring at the raging fire on the broken tree several hundred meters away.
In those pitch-black eyes, there was both wonder and fear.
Had it not been for that sudden heavy rain, it might have been burned alive into charcoal.
CRACK ——
The thin ape dropped easily to the ground.
Stepping on the wet, grayish-black soil, it skipped and hopped toward the burning old tree. The skipping ape did not notice a pair of cruel, golden pupils in the grass behind it, watching coldly.
"Hoo Ga ——"
Upon reaching the old tree, the ape slightly hunched its waist and cautiously picked up a sturdy branch wreathed in flame. Then, this small ape, of indistinguishable gender, held the burning torch above its head.
It looked up, squinting as it compared the "torch" in its hand to the crimson Great Sun revealed as the clouds parted after the rain.
For a moment, it could not distinguish the difference between the two.
The ape's eyes were filled with wonder; scratching its head with a furry paw, it couldn't help but pout its rounded mouth and call out softly: "Hoo Ga Ga, Hoo Ga Ka Ka ——"
Just then, the ape suddenly felt a foul wind behind it. It shrieked and dodged to the side.
"Nya Nya Nya Nya!"
While dodging, the ape also unconsciously swung the "torch" with all its might, striking the attacker.
"AWOOO!"
With a desolate howl, the beast that had attacked the ape was knocked back. It was a gray wolf covered in thick fur.
"Awoo, awoo, awoo ——"
Unlike its usual majestic self, the gray wolf was now rolling around on the ground, screaming in agony. Its neck had erupted into raging flames. The ape's torch strike had ignited the fur on its body.
"AWOOO! AWOOO!!"
While rolling, the gray wolf used its forepaws to frantically scratch at its neck, trying to extinguish the fire. But the blaze only grew larger; the speed at which the wolf's fur was consumed by the flames accelerated, even setting its two forepaws on fire.
"AWOOO!"
The gray wolf rolled more agonizingly on the ground, continuously letting out desolate cries. Beside it, the ape's eyes were wide with fright; it stood frozen and dazed, having no idea what to do.
Time slowly passed.
The sky grew brighter and brighter.
The gray wolf's desolate howls grew lower as the fire consumed it, finally fading into silence. It had been burned to death.
"Hoo Ga Ga?!"
The ape, who had been standing there holding the "torch" for a long time, felt a surge of wonder at the sight. It skipped and ran to the wolf's carcass, looking at the charred and mangled body... and suddenly sat down.
It reached out a paw toward the blackened skin of the wolf, prying it open. It pulled off a small piece of hot, cooked meat. After looking at it curiously, the ape stuffed it into its mouth.
The moment the cooked meat entered its mouth, the ape's eyes widened in shock. Instinctively, it began to chew rapidly. As it chewed, the light in its dark eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Gulp.
After swallowing the wolf meat, the ape suddenly stood up, staring blankly at the "torch" in its hand. Lacking language, it had no idea how to vent the boiling emotions surging within its heart. Thus, it opened its mouth and used every ounce of its strength to roar toward the sky:
"HOO GA AAAAAA!!!"
This desolate cry, part human, part beast, soared higher and farther, seemingly piercing through the thick atmosphere to reach the boundless void, traversing the River of Time to reach Seraphine's ears over two million years in the past.
"It... no, he. He has actually... spontaneously given birth to Spirituality."
Seraphine murmured in astonishment, "This ape... has become human!"
In her wonder, she exerted her influence over that new Milky Way for the first time.
Across the vast distance of over 77 million light-years, deep within the mountains on the surface of a barbaric planet at the edge of the new Milky Way, the ground vibrated slightly.
Under Seraphine's observation, the soil beneath the feet of that primitive ape-man eons in the future vibrated in sync.
As the frightened ape-man retreated three large steps, a colossal black monolithic stone slab, with a length, width, and height ratio of 1:4:9, suddenly emerged from the damp earth.
Staring blankly at the black monolith before him, the ape-man cautiously approached. With a trembling, furry paw, he reached out and touched it.
BUZZ ——
In an instant, the Black Monolith vibrated, transmitting a majestic flow of information into the ape-man's primitive brain.
As the information continued to transmit, sparks of intelligent insight erupted within the ape-man's eyes.
This flow of information was divided into three parts. The first part contained six types of Spirituality cultivation methods: " Consciousness Wonders ", " Breaking Self-Limits ", " Memory and Wisdom ", " Transcending the Self ", " Ideological Arts ", and " Science of the Mind ".
Although these methods were far from comparable to the " Cosmic Dawn Decree " and were light-years away from touching the semi-materialized state, practicing any one of them to completion would fully unearth one's own wisdom and talent, sublimating them to an unparalleled, terrifying level.
Thereafter, regardless of which evolutionary path the practitioner chose, they could evolve without bottleneck or obstruction all the way to the peak of a Milky Way Overlord or even the Half-Sage realm.
Furthermore, while any one of these Spirituality methods had almost no barrier to entry, even the most foolish intelligent life form could begin practicing, attempting to master a second one would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
However, if someone truly mastered all six of these Spirituality methods, they would inevitably reach the second stage of the Dawn Path.
There would even be a minuscule probability of stepping into the third stage.
Once within this realm, the practitioner's mind, temperament, and conviction undergo a massive metamorphosis, transforming them into a peerless genius above all others.
For such a talent, breaking through the Sage threshold is as effortless as breathing.
Furthermore, the second part of this information flow contained a method Seraphine created long ago for ascending through the cosmic electromagnetic path: " Archetype Ascension ". By mastering a Spirituality method before practicing this, reaching the Sage level is a certainty.
The final part of the information flow was a powerful Sage method Seraphine optimized based on " Hyper-Archon ": " Nine Transformations of the Dragon Gate ". This method embodies the carp's transformation into a soaring True Dragon, specifically refining physical strength, soul intensity, and most importantly... the foundation.
The process is as simple as it is brutal: using other Sages as fuel to "burn" and sublimate one's own physical body and soul. Throughout this "burning," the practitioner exponentially increases their power while purifying their essence.
Over nine transformations, the number of Sages required for each "burn" grows geometrically. The final ninth turn, the leap over the Dragon Gate, allows one to break through with an unsurpassed foundation to attain the Sage King level.
This Sage method, saturated with Seraphine's world-devouring style, is a bloody, authentic, and top-tier demonic path.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE! ——
A series of crisp snaps woke the stunned ape-man. Before him, the Black Monolith that had ignited his intellect suddenly collapsed, crumbling into ash.