They succeeded, gaining near-eternal life and abilities beyond biological limits.
But the cost was...
"Assessment Result: Creative thinking ability decreased by 98.7%, emotional fluctuation coefficient close to zero, reproductive desire completely vanished..."
"Judgment: This civilization has lost its evolutionary potential, posing a risk of spreading mechanized viruses to the universe..."
The screen flickered, and Ron saw the final moments of this civilization.
It was not war, nor disaster, but a peculiar "systemic error."
All mechanical beings simultaneously experienced computational failures, standing in place for thousands of years until their energy was exhausted, becoming statues of metal.
"Executing corrective plan: Internal logical conflict implantation...
Correction complete: The civilization has self-terminated, threat eliminated..."
Behind this "accidental" failure, some unspeakable interference was hidden.
The subsequent scenes were even more unsettling.
"Civilization Number: 5621-B, Race: Dream Weaver, Development Stage: Full coverage of virtual reality..."
Ron saw a civilization addicted to the virtual world.
They created perfect virtual reality technology, constructing an ideal world without pain, death, or any limitations within it.
Initially, the virtual world was merely a tool for entertainment.
But gradually, more and more individuals found the imperfections of the real world unbearable.
Why endure sickness, aging, death, when a perfect alternative is at hand?
Eventually, the entire civilization collectively migrated into virtual space.
Trillions of consciousnesses abandoned their physical bodies, immersed in a man-made paradise.
"Assessment Result: The maintenance system of the real world is unmanned, and the physical infrastructure that the virtual world depends on begins to decay..."
Ron saw a heartbreaking scene:
On countless planets, the massive server groups supporting the virtual world were failing one by one due to a lack of maintenance.
Yet the minds immersed in virtual paradise were unaware, still enjoying their perfect dream realm.
"Judgment: This civilization has detached from reality, posing a risk of spreading escapism viruses to other civilizations..."
"Executing corrective plan: Accelerate infrastructure decay...
Correction complete: The virtual world has completely collapsed, with trillions of consciousnesses simultaneously dissipating..."
The scenes switched faster and faster, each showcasing the destruction of different civilizations:
The Soul Church attempted to merge with higher-dimensional beings, resulting in chain pollution, turning all life in the galaxy into unspeakable twisted creations...
The Flesh Empire pursued ultimate evolution of life, eventually merging all individuals into an out-of-control super organism, continuously devouring everything encountered...
The Void Devotees tried to achieve transcendence through destruction, successfully turning their home galaxy into absolute void, and they vanished within it...
The destruction of each civilization followed a similar pattern:
In pursuing a "higher form," they crossed some invisible boundary.
Then, those known as "Anomaly Catchers" would intervene, leading these civilizations toward self-destruction in seemingly natural ways.
What terrified Ron even more was the ingenious nature of these interventions:
Key technologies developed "unexpected" flaws at the last moment;
Important figures made "wrong" decisions at critical times;
Low-probability catastrophic events began to "coincidentally" occur frequently...
"They are like the cosmic immune system." Ron trembled internally as he concluded:
"Any development mode deemed a ’virus’ will be cleared in seemingly natural ways."
But what truly stopped his heartbeat was the subsequent scene.
"Civilization Number: 8847-C, Race: Wizard - Fusion Variant..."
He saw a familiar yet unfamiliar Ring Abyss Continent Group.
In that version of the world, the Central Lands had turned into a massive tower of flesh and bone, numerous twisted tendrils spreading skyward from its top.
The cracks in the Abyss were no longer wounds, but components of some evil rune, with the entire continent becoming the vessel for this rune.
The oceans had turned dark red, thick like coagulated blood.
In the sky hovered countless gigantic eyeballs, each as large as a city, intensely watching everything below.
Most terrifyingly, all the Wizards had lost their independent will.
They became neurons of some vast consciousness, operating in a unified thought pattern.
Individual differences disappeared, creativity vanished, and even humanity itself was lost.
Yet from a certain perspective, this was indeed "evolution."
...An evolution that transcends individual limitations, realizing the fusion of collective consciousness.
"Assessment Result: This civilization has completed Abyss assimilation, possessing the capability to spread pollution across dimensions..."
"Threat Level: Extremely high... Execute the highest-level cleansing protocol immediately..."
In the scene, an indescribable "light" descended from the depths of the void.
It was not light or radiation in the physical sense, but some more fundamental "corrective force."
The polluted Ring Abyss Continent Group melted away under this light like a candle.
All twisted creations vanished into nothingness in an instant.
But this was not yet the end.
The river of time forked.
Where the original timeline had broken, a brand new timeline began to grow.
It was as if some will beyond understanding was re-"sowing" the same seeds of civilization.
The King of Illusions’ words echoed in his mind:
"When a timeline reaches its end, the great beings will restart it."
Perhaps this is not the first timeline he inhabits.