Samuel Young stood tall on the landing pad, his crimson cape fluttering gently in the breeze. His golden eyes, which contained the scenes of the birth and death of the sea of stars, calmly looked down at the newly born subjects kneeling on the ground in extreme agitation ahead.
Over a hundred thousand gazes filled with ultimate gratitude, piety, and absolute worship converged on him like invisible pillars of light...
?
At this very instant, he clearly felt an unprecedented, surging power rushing out from the depths of these newborn souls. Like a warm flood, it continuously merged into his already vast and boundless psionic essence.
The power of faith.
Pure, scorching, and incredibly intense.
This was a power generated by reverence that completely entrusted one's own will, hope, and even the meaning of existence without reservation.
It perfectly blended with his psionic energy, like injecting higher-quality fuel into a burning flame, causing Samuel Young's already majestic realm of power to show a clearly discernible upward trend at this moment.
At the same time, a clear fact surfaced in Samuel Young's mind—
This seemed to be his first time exercising the power of bringing the dead back to life on such a massive scale and with such clear significance.
The souls of these compatriots kneeling before him had long escaped the restraints of the physical universe and gone to the Heavenly Domain controlled by his will.
From the perspective of the physical laws of the physical universe, they were already dead.
And he had re-anchored the souls of these dead into the meticulously prepared clone shells, granting them a second chance to live in the physical universe...
No matter from which angle this was examined, it was an unquestionable miracle, a mighty power that completely overturned the boundaries of life and death.
Samuel Young did not deny, nor did he even correct the thoughts in the minds of these subjects who regarded him as a god.
On the one hand, this power of faith was a tangible benefit to him;
On the other hand, in this situation, any explanation about this being a scientific creation would appear pale and powerless.
He had exercised something that only gods in mythology could do, so being revered as a god was also inevitable to some extent.
In fact, it was not that he lacked more direct methods.
With his unfathomable psionic power, he could have completely molded perfect flesh and blood shells out of thin air in the physical universe, and then directly stuffed the souls from the Heavenly or Hell domains into them.
That might have been more efficient and would have further highlighted his personal mighty power.
But he ultimately chose the Bio-Division led by Alexia to cultivate physical bodies through rigorous cloning technology.
This certainly had the rational consideration of ensuring the perfect compatibility of the shells and avoiding the unknown rejection that psionic molding might produce, but as for the deeper reason, even Samuel Young himself was pondering whether this was a sliver of buffer he subconsciously reserved for this heaven-defying act?
Manufacturing shells through biological technology and then placing souls into them sounded as if it had somewhat less of a sense of directly blaspheming the laws of life in appearance than directly creating life with psionic power.
Even though its essence still thoroughly violated one of the most basic laws of the universe, that the dead cannot come back to life.
This was an iron law branded deep in the cognition of the vast majority of civilizations, and one of the cornerstones maintaining the reverence for life, social order, and even philosophical foundations.
However, with him, Samuel Young, this iron law had completely failed.
His gaze deepened, and his thoughts began to cast toward a further direction.
The laws of the Empire, the ethics of society, the cognition of the public, and so on...
Why were warriors brave and fearless?
Part of the reason lay in the reverence for death and the glory of sacrifice, and the desire to go to the Heavenly Domain.
Why did the public cherish life?
Because time could not flow backward, life could not start over, and they wanted to avoid committing serious mistakes and being relegated to Hell.
But he possessed the ability to resurrect, capable of bringing innocent compatriots who died tragically and loyal warriors who sacrificed their lives for the Empire back to the human world...
Especially since he was preparing to grant a new life to hundreds of billions, or even trillions, of 22nd Universe compatriots at once. Without absolutely strict control, the news would inevitably spread to the entire society in a short period of time.
What kind of impact would this have on the Empire?
Samuel Young could almost instantly foresee—
The morale of the Empire's public and warriors would absolutely not decline because of this; instead, it would soar madly at an unimaginable speed and reach an extreme high.
The fear of death, this most important shackle restricting mortals, would be greatly weakened.
More and more people would become even more fearless of death on the battlefield and in dangerous missions.
Because they would harbor an unprecedented thought in their hearts—"It doesn't matter, even if I die in battle, the great Emperor might be able to resurrect me!"
Could this be considered a bad thing?
From the perspective of enhancing the Empire's overall combat effectiveness and cohesion, it seemed not to be the case.
With such a trump card, the Empire's army would become an invincible force in the truest sense.
But what would follow would be countless intricate trivial matters and potential chaos.
The allocation of resources—resurrection priority? The fairness of society—why could he be resurrected but I could not?
The subversion of the concept of the value of life, and it might even spawn extreme behaviors of using the resurrection mechanism to commit crimes or exploit loopholes...
More sound laws are needed...
Samuel Young spoke silently in his heart.
Strict boundaries and review mechanisms must be established.
Resurrection must absolutely not become a gift that could be abused at will.
It must be solemn, restricted, and only executable under specific circumstances, for specific groups of people, and after the strictest review.
At the same time, guiding public opinion and the cognition of the public was also crucial.
He needed Lorgar and the Imperial Cult led by him to play a role in conveying the correct concepts to the public.
"The Emperor's mighty power of salvation is real, but the dignity of life and its precious one-time essence have not changed.
Resurrection is a miracle and a manifestation of the Emperor's boundless love, but it is by no means a capital to be arrogant because of favor.
Fighting bravely is to protect the Empire and compatriots, not to experience resurrection.
This fanaticism brought about by the possibility of resurrection must be guided toward a firmer, more pious faith, and more selfless dedication to the Empire."
Just as Samuel Young's thoughts were shuttling between future legal frameworks and social ethics, Alexia's voice sounded from the side, interrupting his deep thoughts: "Your Majesty, the first batch of compatriots has successfully completed soul anchoring, their physiological indicators are stable, and they are adapting to their new bodies.
Next, should we proceed with the placement of the next batch according to plan?"
Samuel Young withdrew his distant gaze, looked at Alexia, and his eyes had restored the decisiveness and majesty unique to the Emperor.
"No."
He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a decisive power. "Notify the Bio-Division and order all branches, including this planet and the Bio-Divisions on all star systems and planets controlled by the Empire in the 22nd Universe, to enter the highest state of readiness immediately.
Initiate the final awakening sequence for all physical bodies that have completed cloning and passed the final quality inspection."
He raised his head, his gaze seeming to penetrate the atmosphere and cast into the boundless starry sky.
"I will no longer proceed in batches. I will guide back from the Heavenly Domain the souls of all compatriots whose physical bodies are ready and who have chosen to return to the physical universe, and anchor them into the shells prepared for them."
Just as Lion, Mortarion, Perturabo, and Curze were leading the Empire's expeditionary legions to execute a bloody revenge for the dead compatriots and purge the remnants of the Qu civilization in the Triangulum Galaxy, he, Samuel Young, was also executing a life salvation of unprecedented scale in this Milky Way galaxy of the 22nd Universe that was once shrouded in darkness.
All compatriots who had been modified by the Qu, whose souls had been saved by him and placed in the Heavenly Domain, would be based on their respective choices—
Whether to reincarnate, to reside forever in Heaven, or to retain all memories and consciousness and return to the physical universe to reach their ultimate destination.
And the souls of those who chose to return would at this moment cross the boundary between life and death and return to the healthy clone bodies the Bio-Division had long prepared for them.
As soon as the words fell, Samuel Young no longer suppressed the psionic energy within his body that was surging ever more violently due to the power of faith.
His stalwart body was once again enveloped by incredibly dazzling and incredibly pure golden light.
This time, the light was no longer confined to the camp, no longer confined to this planet.
It contained pure psionic energy surpassing mortal comprehension, as well as the majestic power of faith he had just absorbed, and began its superluminal propagation in a way that completely violated the conventional physical rules of the physical universe.
There was no attenuation of energy, no delay of distance.
This golden light seemed to be a higher-dimensional information or law in itself. Driven by Samuel Young's will, it instantly crossed the chasm of astronomical units, washing over the star system where the planet Grum IV was located like a rising tide, and then rapidly expanding toward the farther deep space...
Six thousand light-years!
Almost at the instant his thought reached it, this golden psionic light containing the command for soul deliverance had already enveloped the vast star sector within six thousand light-years centered on Samuel Young.
Within this star sector, in all the bases, outposts, and even mobile clone factories of the Empire's Bio-Division, tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions of clone shells that had long been ready received the final activation command in their internal life support systems at the same moment.
And more importantly, the corresponding souls coming invisibly from the Heavenly Domain were precisely captured and guided by this vast psionic power of the Emperor, crossing the immaterial realm and beginning their final fusion with their respective new shells...
A grand salvation sweeping across thousands of light-years and concerning the destinations of billions of souls unfolded majestically in silence under the Emperor's will.
Subsequently, the dazzling golden light enveloping the six-thousand-light-year star sector began to slowly dissipate and retract as abruptly as it had appeared, ultimately returning completely to formlessness, as if that miracle of reversing life and death had never happened.
Only the billions of destinies that had already changed silently recounted everything that had just occurred.
However, on the planet Grum IV, and within the countless facilities of the Empire's Bio-Division across the six-thousand-light-year range brushed by the golden light, the scenes had already undergone earth-shaking changes.
The originally silent forest of housing pods was now filled with the clamor and throbbing of life.
Hundreds of billions of the reborn were successively awakening from the life support fluid, bearing confusion, shock, and ecstasy similar to the first batch of compatriots, feeling their lost-and-found bodies of flesh and blood.
Millions of Bio-Division technicians had long been waiting in strict formation. Suppressing their inner excitement and awe for the Emperor's mighty power, they threw themselves into the heavy and sacred assistance work with the highest professional quality and efficiency.
They opened the pod doors, guided these newborn bodies to adapt to gravity, conducted rapid basic physiological examinations, distributed clothing and nutrient solutions, and used the gentlest tones possible to comfort these compatriots whose souls and bodies were still adapting to each other.
The entire process was like a massive yet orderly precision ritual, playing out synchronously in every corner of the Empire.
Meanwhile.
Samuel Young still stood tall on the camp landing pad of Grum IV. His gaze seemed able to penetrate space and see the scenes of billions of people gaining new lives happening in distant star systems.
He saw that under the guidance of technicians, batches of reborn compatriots, wearing uniform simple clothing, though their steps were still faltering, had eyes full of desire for a new life and expectation for the future. They began to migrate systematically toward those towns and villages with sound infrastructure that had long been prepared for them.
These towns and villages would no longer be empty steel models.
Soon, cooking smoke would rise there, the playful noises of children and the conversations of adults would sound, busy figures would appear on the streets, and the clear sound of reading aloud would come from the schools.
They could continue their interrupted lives—
Working, studying, creating, entertaining, and falling in love.
To experience all the emotions and life they should have originally had as humans.
It was especially noteworthy that among these reborn compatriots, there was a considerable number of teenagers and even children.
Their physical bodies had once been twisted into inhuman forms by the Qu, but their souls had been perfectly preserved by Samuel Young in the Heavenly Domain, still maintaining the innocence and vitality they had when they met their demise.
Now, they had gained healthy bodies and possessed the opportunity to grow, learn, and let their youth bloom once again.
The Empire's educational system would open its doors for them, heal the wounds deep in their souls, and guide them to become the future pillars of the Empire.
Witnessing this hopeful scene and feeling the sense of mission and faint comfort filling his heart brought by billions of souls gaining new lives because of him, the corners of Samuel Young's mouth seemed to curl into an imperceptible smile.
This was exactly one of his original intentions in establishing the Empire and conquering the sea of stars: to allow all human compatriots to enjoy dignity, happiness, and a future.
However, in the very next second—!!!
Samuel Young's face, originally calm as an ancient well and deep as the abyss, suddenly froze.
It was as if an invisible, overwhelmingly mighty flood had ruthlessly smashed against his soul without any warning!
The peaceful golden glow in his eyes abruptly became unstable. Like a lamp with a faulty connection, it uncontrollably flickered violently, flashing on and off.
An unprecedented, bizarre, and dangerous sensation darted through his entire body instantly like a cold electric current!
Shedding the shell...
A word that did not come from his active thoughts abruptly surfaced in his consciousness.
This was an indescribable feeling, as if this peerlessly powerful physical shell he currently relied on to exist had suddenly become like an ill-fitting, fragile outer garment.
As long as his willpower relaxed slightly, as long as his cognition of self wavered in the slightest, the next moment, his core consciousness and his psionic essence might break free from this material restraint and directly ascend in dimension...
Or rather, become a god?!
And it was not the illusory divine status in a religious sense, but an irreversible, essential leap in his life form and power level, thoroughly transcending the scope of all current biological creatures and stepping into a vaster and more non-human domain that even he himself had not fully comprehended.
The reason was also very simple: that was the power of faith.
It was the flood of faith formed by the ultimate worship and gratitude toward him bursting forth from the depths of the souls of those billions of compatriots he had resurrected, as well as the countless subjects who had previously witnessed his miracles.
This power was too massive, too pure, too scorching!
Like a bursting galaxy, they madly poured into his psionic essence, their total amount even surpassing the sum of what he had accumulated over his past long years.
Samuel Young's psionic volume was growing madly at an exponential rate.
This suddenly skyrocketing power almost burst his current life form vessel, pushing him to forcibly transform toward a higher level of existence.
Hold it back...
Must hold it back...
Samuel Young's heavily tempered will, like the sturdiest dam, desperately resisted this surge of faith that almost washed away his human part entirely.
He could not become a god at this moment.
Once he took that step, he would no longer be the Emperor of Humanity; he would become some more distant concept or law that might lose the ability to empathize with his subjects.
His grand blueprint and his guidance for humanity's future all required him to accomplish them in the identity of an Emperor, rather than an aloof deity.
The golden light flickered violently in his eyes like a lighthouse swaying in a storm.
His body trembled slightly, and the surrounding air emitted a low hum due to the terrifying psionic pressure he unconsciously dissipated, with space even beginning to show signs of subtle distortion.
Standing at the threshold of becoming a god and being the Emperor, he forcibly suppressed the temptation leading to the supreme divine throne with his supreme will—a temptation sufficient to instantly cause any mortal, or even a demigod, to lose themselves.
The peril of this silent war happening deep within his soul was no less than any decisive battle in the sea of stars facing armies of millions...
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