Wang Ku felt as if he had become so engrossed in the book that he was hallucinating.
How could his own name appear in a book? Even events from his dreams were recorded in its pages.
It was a bit terrifying and bizarre.
He furrowed his brow, filled with an ominous foreboding.
He continued reading.
“Beneath the shroud of Heitian, none can resist save those of the fourth tier of the Yang God realm.”
“Though Qi Yuan had entered the realm of the ‘pseudo-fourth tier of the Yang God,’ he was not of the true fourth tier after all.”
“In the first hundred million years, he lost his eyes and could no longer behold any matter in the world.”
“Over the intervening hundreds of millions of years, he lost his ears, eyebrows, and nose; he could no longer hear the sound of the wind or smell the fragrance of flowers and grass.”
“In the final hundred million years, he lost his mouth. The things he lost continued to mount.”
“A day would eventually come when he would lose everything—his physical body, his consciousness, his true spirit—stepping into the fourth tier of the Yang God realm and becoming another Heitian.”
Wang Ku stared at this with an inscrutable expression.
“So you have to go see the female lead!” he desperately wanted to say to the male protagonist.
Yet the protagonist now lacked even hearing. What good would shouting do?
Night fell, and Wang Ku once again drifted into dreams. Once more, he saw that battered, blood-soaked figure.
The figure was slender, its facial features shattered, standing upright in the firmament, lonely as it battled the terrifying black bubble.
Scenes like this had gone on for who knew how many hundreds of millions of years.
“Hey, go see the female lead!” Wang Ku roared with all his might.
Yet the figure stood motionless, as if having heard nothing.
“It’s over. He has no hearing, no sight... How can I tell him... to go see the female lead?” Wang Ku felt tense, worried for the book's protagonist.
...
Amid endless spacetime, Qi Yuan’s body was shattered, his facial features melted away. Now, his physical body was all but gone, with only a wisp of his true spirit retaining consciousness.
“Heitian... cannot be resisted.”
“Unless one is of the fourth tier of the Yang God, it cannot be stopped.”
“Am I finally going to lose?”
Across so many games, this was the first time Qi Yuan had ever felt a sense of powerlessness.
The Great Oblivion Heart Scripture, Do As One Pleases, Absolute Adaptation, and the rest were already powerful enough.
Yet they still could not bridge the chasm between the third and fourth tiers of the Yang God realm.
Presently, he could barely count as a “pseudo-fourth tier,” which was why he could struggle against Heitian with such difficulty.
Yet beneath Heitian, his consciousness, his body... were steadily melting away.
“Step into the fourth tier of the Yang God?”
Qi Yuan fell silent.
Upon stepping into the fourth tier of the Yang God, he could truly resist Heitian—even devour Heitian.
Yet with his terrifying might, once he reached the fourth tier, he would become a monster even more horrifying than Heitian.
By now, he understood that the so-called fourth tier of the Yang God meant forsaking everything simply to pursue raw power, preserving only the most primordial essence.
That forsaking included one's true spirit.
This meant that the moment he stepped into the fourth tier of the Yang God, he would truly perish, and there would no longer be a Qi Yuan in this world.
He was unwilling to accept such an outcome.
“Is there really no way to break this impasse?”
“Where... is the ray of life?”
Qi Yuan’s consciousness grew muddled.
Facing the terrifying Heitian, he did not know how much longer he could hold out.
If this went on, his true spirit would inevitably be worn away; it was only a matter of time.
Right at this moment, Qi Yuan suddenly paused. He seemed to see countless drops of essence blood descending from the heavens.
“This is... my blood?”
He remembered that before the game had even finished loading, when it was on the verge of collapsing, he had saved it with his own blood.
“What time am I in... My blood descends... Will I descend once more?”
“No. Across any timeline, only the true self exists in this world.”
Through endless, boundless years, Qi Yuan’s consciousness remained muddled, with only a wisp of his true spirit keeping him lucid.
In what he saw, there was no longer light.
In what he smelled, there was no longer any sweet scent.
In what he heard, there was no longer thunder.
If this continued, his true spirit would ultimately be obliterated.
Either perish, or step into the fourth tier of the Yang God.
He already knew that one could skip the fourth tier and step directly into the fifth tier of the Yang God, so he was unwilling to enter the fourth tier.
“Fortunately, I can use my blood to observe this world, which allows me to preserve a spark of vitality in my true spirit.”
Qi Yuan felt it was profoundly mystical.
The past affected the present.
The future affected the past.
Still, he could not overthink it; thinking too much would make his brain grow again, and it was exhausting.
In different spacetimes, he continually resisted Heitian, his facial features melting away. Fortunately, the mortals formed from his blood touched this world in his stead, feeling the sound of the wind, enjoying the falling rain.
“Only... this is a cycle.”
Qi Yuan sighed softly.
He knew such days would not last long.
When the future arrived and all his blood returned to his true self, his blood would no longer be able to perceive the world for him.
His true spirit... would truly perish as well.
“I’m so tired. I hope some rich sugar mommy sees my stubbornness and resilience,” Qi Yuan lamented.
He had already sensed that Shenlin had fallen after being besieged and framed.
He had also sensed that mortal-transformed Qi Yuan had failed to break through to the Ancestral God realm and sat alone, withering away in the Kuijin Realm.
“So... did I lose?”
That solitary wisp of his true spirit continued to dissolve.
As mighty as Qi Yuan was, neither the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture nor Do As One Pleases could halt the dissolution of his true spirit.
At this moment, Qi Yuan thought of many people.
He thought of Jin Li, of Canary, of Ning Tao, of his busty junior sister Jiang Lingsu, and of his wife in this life, Shen Lingxuan.
“Sure enough, I am a mere mortal after all. In the final moments of my life, I'm even resorting to the supreme art of reminiscing.”
His true spirit flickered like a candle flame, on the verge of snuffing out at any second.
“The New Shenlin is born.”
“Mortal-transformed Qi Yuan... succeeded in transforming into a mortal.”
“Is it all over?”
“No, why haven't I dissolved yet?”
Qi Yuan had thought that once all his blood returned to his true self and could no longer perceive the world for him, his true spirit would be completely extinguished.
Yet... he hadn’t died.
He was still alive.
“It’s... New Shenlin. It is still perceiving this world... in my place,” Qi Yuan realized.
Right then, a voice rang out in Qi Yuan’s mind.
“The Great Dao numbers fifty, whereof the Heavenly Operations derive forty-nine; all that is imperfect is the one that escaped.
I shall give it... a branch of spring.”
“Spring?”
“Chun—the toon tree!”
“So the missing character on the stone tablet before Sunset Cliff was 'spring'!”
“She gave spring to me!”
“The correct lines are...”
“In bygone years stood the toon tree, standing quiet in the dark primordium. Today I pine for my lord, as wood yearns for spring. Faint, so faint—my lord, do not seek me.”
“The Ancient Qi Toon Tree!”
“So... it's Master!”
Qi Yuan seemed to understand.
“She knew this ending, which was why she kept telling me to leave.”
“When I obtained the Divine Wood Token, I heard the word ‘flee’.”
“The stone tablet before Sunset Cliff was also telling me... not to descend into this world.”
“Master is the Soundless Sound?”
“Moon Goddess Yuanjun exists in the past or the future, never in the present.”
“So... Master is also of the fourth tier of the Yang God.”
“No, she is the consciousness born within the fourth tier of the Yang God from communicating with me... or a revived consciousness.”
At this moment, Qi Yuan sorted out the entire sequence of events.
The fourth tier of the Yang God possessed no consciousness.
Master Ruan Yixi had originally been the toon tree of the fourth tier of the Yang God.
And Qi Yuan’s awakened superpower related to his mouth was that speaking casually allowed him to be heard by the unknown, triggering bizarre and wondrous changes.
Precisely because of this, the Soundless Sound... had finally given birth to its own consciousness, evolving into the Divine Wood Universe from the fourth tier of the Yang God.
Yet being of the fourth tier of the Yang God, she knew the past, present, and future, which was why she had continually tried to stop Qi Yuan from coming.
“So, she... is the female lead that person spoke of?”
“Master... will I be able to see you?” The smile on Qi Yuan’s face turned somewhat sorrowful.
The fourth tier of the Yang God did not exist in the present world.
That meant unless he also stepped into the fourth tier of the Yang God, he would never be able to see her.
Seeing Heitian had already exhausted his entire true spirit.
Going to see Master... could he?
Suddenly, Qi Yuan thought of something, and a joyful smile appeared in his eyes.
Master had also been trying her hardest all along... to see him.
In the Divine Wood Deep Abyss, that long-ago hazy dream was no illusion; it was Master.
In the Divine Light Sect... that graceful silhouette had also been her.
And... so much more.
“Master... I have seen you.”
The smile in Qi Yuan’s eyes shone bright as the stars.
Meanwhile, within the boundless river of time.
The Canglan Realm.
A handsome young man breathed in the otherworldly air, finding it quite sweet.
He looked at the hazy, enchanting silhouette ahead, his eyes filled with curiosity.
[Her name is Ruan Yixi. On the surface, she is your beautiful master, but in reality, she might be your wife.]
“They hand out a wife right after transmigrating?” The handsome young man was in high spirits.
“Master wife?” he called out.
The woman wore a curved-hem gown with broad sleeves that brushed the floor, looking like a celestial maiden.
Qi Yuan could not see her face, only her back.
Yet going by her back alone, she was already peerlessly stunning.
“Why aren’t you speaking? Are you mute?”
“Oh, maybe you’re just shy. Master, wait for me!”
“You’re not chasing me away, which means you’ve accepted me as your disciple!”
“From now on, Qi Yuan is Ruan Yixi’s disciple!”
In the Divine Light Sect.
The handsome young man stretched lazily and casually tossed a small dried wooden fish into the mouth of the wooden cat puppet.
He lay in bed, sleeping comfortably.
After waking and freshening up, he walked out into the courtyard and looked toward the palace above the clouds.
“Another day of missing Master.”
At the peak of the mountain, the clouds rippled and dispersed in an instant.
A strange glint flashed in Qi Yuan’s eyes: “So... back then, Master was saying she missed me too?”
Another day, Qi Yuan held up a first-grade Foundation Establishment spiritual item, the Yellow Flower Fruit: “Master, your disciple Qi Yuan has brought the betrothal gifts!”
Clouds gathered in the sky, forming a spectacular sight.
“Looks like Master is very happy, eh?” Qi Yuan said.
The fourth tier of the Yang God had no consciousness. Even if Master had awakened or revived a consciousness because of him, she likely remained muddled most of the time, with only occasional moments of clarity.
Upon Gongxing.
The robot Zero-One looked at Qi Yuan. “Master, the three of us have never taken a photo together. Should we take one?”
“Oh, a photo? Sure, no problem,” the blood-robed man said.
The sky was dark, the starlight dim. He stood on the lawn while Zero-One held Xie Xinsu, all three wearing iconic smiles for the photo.
Just then, a beam of gentle, cool moonlight spilled down, resting upon Qi Yuan’s blood robe.
The photo was frozen in time.
Qi Yuan held the photograph, deep in thought: “The moon resting upon my shoulder counts as a photo together, too.”
Countless scenes appeared, only to shatter at this moment.
“Xiao Jia,” Qi Yuan called softly.
Instantly, an exquisite bridal gown appeared.
She stood beside Qi Yuan, timid and shy. Though devoid of a face, tender body, or jade feet, she seemed the most beautiful woman in the world.
He took Xiao Jia’s cold little hand, a smile gracing his face. “Turns out you were here all along.”
“In the past, you were always the one turning into blood armor to protect and shelter me. Now... it’s my turn to protect...”
He looked at Xiao Jia, his eyeless gaze nonetheless brimming with boundless tenderness and deep affection.
“This time... it’s my turn to bury myself beneath the earth.”
...
“My name is Ruan Yixi.”
“Who I am, I do not know.”
“I only know that I cannot see light, cannot hear thunder, cannot smell the fragrance of flowers. The world is void, barren, and unchanging.”
“One day, an awfully noisy person kept talking.”
“He was so very noisy, I wished he would just shut up.”
“Well... actually, talking a lot is quite nice too.”
“I liked listening to those stories.”
“Opening the seven apertures of Hundun?”
“If I opened the seven apertures, would I be able to...?”
“I failed. Blood fell from the sky.”
...
“My name is Ruan Yixi. Who I am, I do not know.”
“I grew up in the Divine Wood Deep Abyss, always alone.”
“Hey, I only snuck out once and secretly slept in the dirt. Why did a blood robe dig me up?”
“Worst of all, he tied me up and forced me to marry him with a five-bearer sedan chair!”
“I have a husband now, so I have kin, right? Well, it’s just that this husband... is a robe.”
“He couldn't speak, so I made eight wooden plaques for him.”
“One stands for cuddles, one stands for happiness.”
“It’s wonderful having a husband by my side.”
“Husband... is gone.”
...
“My name is Ruan Yixi. Who I am, I remember now.”
“I was blind, deaf, mute...”
“My eyes were given to me by my husband.”
“My ears were given to me by my husband.”
“I didn’t want... him to give me these!”
...
“My name is Ruan Yixi, a failure who failed countless times.”
“I finally became a real person.”
“Yet Husband became a real blood robe.”
“This time, I will listen to my husband.”
...
Within the Divine Wood Deep Abyss.
The blood-red robe was being refined by countless people.
Pain and reluctance showed in Shen Lingxuan’s eyes.
“Qi Yuan is water, the eighth primordial rule of the Divine Wood Universe.”
“He is the eighth Mankind-Kindled Light!”
“Only by forging eight pieces of Mankind-Kindled Light will the primordial consciousness of the Divine Wood Universe revive for a single breath.”
“She will bear the eight pieces of Mankind-Kindled Light, donning the eighth and mightiest piece... to slay Heitian!” Sheng Nü said calmly.
“What will happen to him?”
“He is already dead!”
Three years later.
Within the Divine Wood Universe.
A majestic aura suddenly manifested.
A peerless, holy, and breathtaking goddess appeared, clad in blood-red battle armor, her entire body radiating blazing, brilliant light.
The moment the blazing light appeared, the black bubble melted away instantly.
The goddess’s figure and the black bubble vanished in the blink of an eye.
Heitian... dissolved.
The entire universe rejoiced.
The *Divine Wood Book* recorded: The Goddess awoke, bearing eight pieces of Mankind-Kindled Light to dispel Heitian, and the world beheld the light once more.
...
Within the Divine Wood Deep Abyss.
A spectral shadow lingered.
“My name is Ruan Yixi.”
“This is my past.”
A distant nursery rhyme echoed through the empty Divine Wood Deep Abyss:
“On the mountain grows the toon tree; in the clouds falls the steady rain.
Quiet falls the steady rain, granting me no sound.
Now that I have heard my lord, my heart knows no bewilderment.
On the mountain grows the toon tree; in the wilds grows the golden skullcap.
Lonely stands the golden skullcap, granting me no joy.
Now that I have known my lord, my heart knows no trembling fear.
On the mountain grows the toon tree; in the skies rumbles the rolling thunder.
Silent rolls the thunder’s crash, granting me no word.
Now that I have spoken to my lord, my heart knows no discontent.
On the mountain grows the toon tree; in the lowlands grows the lush wormwood.
Hidden grows the luxuriant wormwood, granting me no sight.
Could I but behold my lord, my heart would soar in joy.”
Chapter 563