GA: Chapter 164 – The Sun Forged by an Era; Bringing Endless Light
What humanity needed now was a guardian deity—one whose mere appearance would put people at ease, instinctively making them braver and more confident.
When he appeared on the battlefield, the outcome of the battle was already decided.
Humanity would win.
Any ability user could be shaped into a guardian deity—but those shaped from effort and sacrifice were ones people preferred to call heroes.
They were great. They feared no sacrifice. They were worthy of everyone's trust. But their power couldn't give ordinary people true peace of mind.
Qin Tian, Huoyou, and Chen Bing had possessed that potential before—but this time they hadn't displayed it. Even if their strategy was the fastest way to eliminate the mutant sea creatures and prevent harm to the city, disappointment was still disappointment. It diverged from what people wanted a guardian deity to be.
No matter how powerful the mutant creature—crushing it effortlessly, reducing it to nothing—that was what people needed from a guardian. An existence that let them breathe again.
With the most magnificent bearing and the most overwhelming strength—shattering every shadow the spiritual qi revival had brought!
Making people feel hope. Making people feel safe.
Everyone else could look disheveled. Not him.
Everyone else could be wounded. Not him.
Everyone else could fail. Not him.
Because he was China's guardian deity—trusted and revered by everyone.
The image he had to embody was one standing at the very apex, looking down upon all things, where even the greatest danger was resolved with a flick of the fingers.
He was the brightest sun this era could forge—illuminating everyone, bringing the dawn, lighting the path of humanity.
This kind of image—Qin Tian couldn't achieve it. Huoyou couldn't. Chen Bing couldn't.
Only one person could—Bai Xuan.
To everyone watching, it seemed like something out of fantasy. And yet it was Bai Xuan's genuine reality.
He possessed strength that surpassed everyone.
He had been granted by the planetary consciousness the authority to govern all of nature.
The only regret, perhaps, was that what Bai Xuan's vision encompassed wasn't human civilization alone—it was the entirety of Earth's civilization.
In his eyes, every action existed to push Earth's civilization toward a more powerful tier.
He would not be troubled by any sacrifice—whether other creatures or humans.
China was Bai Xuan's country. He was born here, grew up here—and so even as he continued to grow, he would provide China with tremendous support.
But that support would never be unconditional. Civilization needed to grow. China's future had to be steered by China's own people.
That was already enough.
Online, video after video poured in relating to Haicheng—but the most-watched by far were the ones featuring the angel's descent and Bai Xuan's appearance.
One was a sacred being from Western mythological fantasy. The other was currently China's greatest combat power. And most captivating of all was the reaction of the two mutant sea creatures when they appeared—the sight that had everyone talking.
"Maybe it's because I've watched too much One Piece, and Devil Fruits have actually shown up in reality—but the instant I saw that angel, my first thought was whether she'd eaten a Mythical Zoan Angel-form Devil Fruit."
"Though I noticed she emerged from some kind of black void, and those two mutant sea creatures went rigid the moment she appeared—clearly terrified of her. If it were a Devil Fruit, that wouldn't happen."
"It's not like I don't know people who've eaten Mythical Zoan fruits. Their strength has improved, sure, but they're nowhere near the level that would make those two sea creatures react like that."
"Hey, you actually know someone who ate a Mythical Zoan? But what I focused on was comparing the reactions of those two sea creatures when the angel appeared versus when the White Emperor appeared—clearly more fear when the White Emperor showed up."
"And from the way the White Emperor and the angel were interacting, it was obviously between equals. Which means the White Emperor's strength is something even she takes seriously."
"Is anyone else just noticing how beautiful that angel is? I could feel her sacred presence through the screen. Normally I'd have a completely different reaction—but right now I feel absolutely nothing. Like even having that thought feels like a transgression."
"I thought I was the only one who felt that way."
"Could just be me, but I swear the angel's expression when she looks at the White Emperor seems a little… shy?"
"I got that impression too. And the White Emperor's appearance—no notes. Can cultivation actually make someone look that good?"
"Devastatingly handsome."
"…"
The conversation drifted further from there. Eventually even foreigners chimed in, insisting the angel was sent by God to save them.
Netizens immediately fired back: if she was there to save you, why did she appear in the East and not the West?
The topic kept shifting—but the view counts kept climbing. Bai Xuan hadn't demonstrated any concrete ability on camera compared to Qin Tian and the others—and yet that entrance alone, the exchange with the angel, and the terror in the sea creatures below, had instantly carved into people's minds the image of the absolute strongest.
Some informed netizens also let slip that the Devil Fruits, Imperial Arms, and Armor Hero transformation devices appearing in the world had all been created by the White Emperor—and that the anime and tokusatsu series were also his work.
Most people brushed this off, assuming it was a joke.
No matter how powerful the White Emperor was, things from anime couldn't actually be created in reality.
But a small number of people grew serious. The works on that mysterious website had appeared first—and then items like Devil Fruits and Imperial Arms followed. The spiritual qi revival couldn't have spontaneously generated things like these from thin air.
They were clearly man-made.
The White Emperor was currently China's strongest. If someone made them—it could only be him.
But if that was true, just how powerful was the White Emperor?
Those who had formed that suspicion mostly kept it to themselves. Whether it was true or not had no particular meaning for them.
And if it had no meaning, what was the point of thinking about it further? They'd find out when they were meant to.
"Would you call this a successful image-building campaign?"
In the Imperial Capital's main Spiritual Qi Bureau office, a man said it with an odd tone.
"He hardly needs us to build his image. It's just a shame about Qin Tian and the others."
The middle-aged man beside him gave a rueful smile.
Their feelings toward Bai Xuan were complicated. A person so favored by heaven and earth—yet one who could never truly belong to China.
Not that they needed Bai Xuan to do anything. It was just a small regret.
In truth, this arrangement was fine for them too.
Entrusting China's future to a single person—that wasn't right. It should be the result of everyone's collective effort.
Besides, Bai Xuan wasn't without contribution to China. His efforts simply didn't show in the crises China faced directly—instead, he contributed in his own way, helping China cultivate more and stronger ability users.
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