Chapter 2118: The Shadow of the Reverse Calamity

The scene faded, fragments dissipating, and Yun Che’s soul sea returned to a state of profound stillness.

A stillness he had never experienced before.

Yun Che and Lishuo both fell into a long silence.

After an unknown period, Lishuo softly spoke, “If Mo E had revealed the truth about the Ancestral Sword and the Wheel of Myriad Tribulations to the world sooner, would the outcome have been different?”

Yun Che responded, his voice distant, “Impossible.”

“Why?”

“There are many reasons…” Yun Che’s voice was slow. “The true nature of the Ancestral Sword and the Wheel of Myriad Tribulations was unknown to all four Creation Gods and four Devil Emperors. Existing as ‘corrections,’ they were indeed primal secrets that could not be known by the world.”

“Mo E’s knowledge came from the Ancestral Sword Spirit’s revelation, a heart-to-heart and a trust. Given Mo E’s utterly righteous and unbending character, how could he easily divulge such a primal secret to others?”

“Furthermore, this truth was too heavy. Once known, the two ultimate divine tools would transform into instruments of judgment perpetually hanging overhead. The higher one’s position, the more eternal and inescapable soul pressure they would bear. I believe if Mo E could have chosen again, he would likely have chosen to never know.”

“I’m even more certain that even when he personally buried Mo Su in the Abyssal Void, he never considered telling him all the reasons.”

“W-Why…?” Lishuo asked the same two words.

Yun Che’s soul sea constricted violently. He seemed to compose himself for a while before softly saying, “Mo E ultimately loved his son. He chose to personally bury him, but he must have wished for him to die without regret, with resolve, and with tragic fierceness, rather than with confusion and remorse… Just like Qingyue; even as she fell into the abyss, all she wanted was for me to harbor only pure hatred for her.”

He recalled the ancient dragon texts, the final passage concerning the Punishing Heaven God Emperor Mo E:

“Atop the Divine Palace, the Punishing Heaven God Emperor closed his eyes, gazing at the sky, and passed away at the end of his lifespan. His final divine words were the name ‘Mo Su’.”

Back then, when he and Qianye Ying’er read this record, alongside the shock, his heart was filled more with ridicule and doubt. As a father himself, he couldn’t imagine what circumstances could make someone cruelly kill their own children… If he had already mercilessly slain them, why would he mourn them before his end?

Yun Che muttered distractedly, “Ever since I received the Heretic God’s inheritance, some ancient ‘truths’ have gradually pieced themselves together in my understanding.”

“Initially, the Punishing Heaven God Emperor, in my perception, was a rigid, almost foolish Creation God. In countless fragmented messages and various records, he was pointed to as the origin of all calamities. His arbitrary actions and cold-blooded ruthlessness ultimately led to the demise of the God and Devil Eras, and nearly caused the ‘Crimson Cataclysm’ that threatened the current era.”

“The Heretic God, on the other hand, had always been a savior figure in my understanding. He single-handedly cleaned up the mess left by the end of the God and Devil Eras, quelled all remaining disasters, sealed the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign and the Heretic Infant’s Wheel of Myriad Tribulations. He also left behind his inheritance and will, through his inheritor… which is me, to stop the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor and save the current world.”

“The Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor’s rage and hatred towards Mo E also deepened my negative view of the Punishing Heaven God Emperor.”

“But…” Yun Che’s voice held a hint of sorrow, “The shadow of the Heretic God I saw was so disheveled and desolate. When I asked him if he hated Mo E, he replied, ‘I have no right to hate,’ which left me bewildered for a very long time…”

All sin is mine, not his…

The name of the former Elemental Creation God was not discarded; rather, I was no longer worthy… My subsequent reclusion was not born of utter despair, but because I had no face to meet the world…

What constructed this world was my sin…

At that time, the words he couldn’t understand finally had a sufficiently clear answer now.

“The Heretic God didn’t hate Mo E; he hated himself. He felt that if it weren’t for his union with the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, if he hadn’t led Mo Su step by step to break free from the shackles of convention, and even encouraged him to cross the divide between gods and devils to fall in love with Panming’s daughter… none of what followed would have happened. He believed he had harmed the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, harmed their daughter, and harmed Mo Su, harmed Mo E… and ultimately led to the end of the God and Devil Eras.”

“And the Punishing Heaven God Emperor Mo E also hated himself. The Punishing Heaven Ancestral Sword was wielded three times in history. And these three ultimate, peerless strikes…”

“His first strike was against his own son, severing family ties.”

“The second strike was against the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, severing friendship.”

“The third strike seemingly aimed at the Heretic God, but in reality, it was aimed at himself, cutting off the remainder of his life.”

Yun Che let out a long sigh, “Mo E sacrificed his son and himself to maintain the cornerstone of balance in the God and Devil Worlds; Nixuan was concerned about the safety of future generations until his dying breath… But why did their lives end this way…?”

“What is truly right, what is truly wrong…? What is true, what is false…?”

“Why is it that the more I learn, the less I can discern right from wrong, truth from falsehood…?”

“Then… everything I’m doing now… the right and wrong I’ve always believed in… are they truly the right and wrong I perceive? Is what I consider real merely a fleeting mirage obscured by illusion…?”

“Even the Heretic God and the Punishing Heaven God Emperor are like this… Then my so-called unwavering conviction… is it truly leading in the direction I believe?”

“Yun Che…?”

“Yun Che!”

“Yun Che!!”

A holy radiance, too brilliant for the soul, suddenly erupted in his soul sea, finally calming his exceedingly turbulent spiritual unrest.

Lishuo’s blurred form, emanating a sacred white glow, materialized in Yun Che’s soul sea, releasing a warmth capable of soothing all souls in the world.

Her gentle voice, emanating from the very center of his soul sea, softly entered every strand of his soul: “You once said that perhaps there is no true right or wrong, good or evil in this world, and what is more important than upholding right and wrong, good and evil, is to maintain one’s stance.”

Yun Che: “…”

“Initially, I couldn’t understand your words. Because the boundaries of right and wrong, good and evil, were originally crystal clear in my perception.”

“Until, time and again, I watched you commit wicked acts, and time and again, I felt the piercing pain in your soul.”

“If there were no good intentions, why would your soul be wounded by evil deeds?”

“If your heart is good, why do you never cease treading the abyss of evil?”

Her voice grew softer, like a gentle breeze stroking clouds, or dew gathering at dawn: “My understanding is incomplete, and my thoughts have always been as slow as you said. But over these years, watching everything you’ve done and sensing every fluctuation of your soul, I have slowly come to understand what you said back then.”

“Your stance, your persistence, everything you must protect, have already transcended the concepts of right and wrong, good and evil in your eyes, and even transcended your own existence. Therefore, even if every step you take is on thorns that pierce your soul, you never hesitate, never stop.”

When first entering the abyss, she continuously questioned, continuously sighed, experiencing bewilderment and helplessness again and again… Later, she always watched silently, offering reminders, offering comfort, and occasionally, offering advice that would never be adopted.

“Even I have gradually come to understand and accept, so why do you doubt your own long-held conviction?”

The soul sea was silent. After a long time, Yun Che’s somewhat peculiar voice echoed: “I never knew you were quite good at comforting people.”

“…” Lishuo said with some uncertainty, “Is that… a compliment?”

Yun Che chuckled, his tone very natural: “Don’t worry, having been through all sorts of messes, my will isn’t as fragile as you think. I was just a little lost a moment ago.”

In truth, it was far from “a little.”

“A Creation God, symbolizing holiness and ultimate goodness, actually agreeing that one’s stance transcends good and evil? If your former believers knew this, their faith would probably crumble.” Yun Che’s tone was strange, “I’m curious, what would your stance be?”

Unexpectedly, Lishuo gave him a direct answer: “My stance, naturally, is you.”

“…” Yun Che was slightly stunned.

“If the end of your path leads to a great ill consequence, I will bear it with you. After all, I am the one you call ‘an accomplice to evil,’ and also an incomplete Creation God.”

“So, there’s no need for further apprehension or confusion. You are not Nixuan, nor Mo E, but the unique Yun Che. I hope, and believe, that the path you walk will be different from theirs.”

“Hmm…” Yun Che mused, “Your words suddenly have a touch of the divine nature of a Creation God… They actually moved me a little.”

Lishuo: “…?”

A speck of white light shimmered in the depths of the soul sea.

It was the Heretic God’s last remaining memory fragment.

However, when this memory fragment appeared, the soul aura it emitted was entirely different from before.

“This soul aura…” Lishuo expressed deep confusion, “It belongs to… me?”

“Strange!” Yun Che was also startled, “How could the Heretic God have a memory fragment of yours? Unless you gave it to him.”

“…” Lishuo couldn’t recall.

The soul aura released by this memory fragment was extremely weak, and carried a strong sense of incompleteness. Perhaps it was faded by time, or damaged by external forces.

The white light from the fragment spread out, unfolding a pure white world in Yun Che’s consciousness.

As the world gradually became clear, Yun Che once again saw the outline of the Life God Palace.

However, the scene was exceptionally blurry, with broken fragments everywhere.

Within the scene, a white ethereal figure slowly approached the Hub of Eternity… Though blurry like mist, her peerless divine bearing was still recognizable as Lishuo, the Life Creation God.

She extended her palm, and white light covered the sleeping girl within the Hub of Eternity, murmuring softly, “To think such a unique soul foundation and soul source exist in the world—neither human, nor god, nor devil.”

“Is this… the union of a god and a devil?”

At this moment, the white light covering the girl’s body suddenly dissipated.

Space subtly warped, and above the girl, a seemingly illusory yet tangible shadow slowly emerged.

Yun Che couldn’t discern the full form of this ethereal shadow, but he could vaguely make out the shadow of a maiden with hair like night and skin as white as snow… yet it wasn’t Hong’er’s hair color or Hong’er’s build.

Facing this suddenly appearing maiden’s shadow, Lishuo’s hand froze mid-air, remaining motionless for a long time.

As the Life Creation God, she was surprisingly lost in thought for an extended period.

The maiden spoke, her voice ethereal and dreamlike: “Greetings, Senior Lishuo. It’s our first meeting. My name is Nijie, daughter of my father Nixuan and my mother Jie Yuan.”

Only then did Lishuo gently lower her snow-white hand, her eyes still fixed on the maiden’s shadow: “In this world… such beauty actually exists…”

She was the Life Creation God, embodying all the grace and splendor of the ancient era, yet she uttered an exclamation of awe that people only expressed when facing her.

The maiden continued, her voice holding a hint of urgency: “Before Father separated my devil soul, I secretly hid a wisp of my soul. Fortunately, his mind was too distraught to notice. However, my existence will only last for these last few dozen breaths.”

“I beg you, Senior Lishuo, the kindest and most beautiful in the world, when you solidify the soul for my new body, please do not completely cover my soul foundation and source, but leave a slight opening.”

Lishuo looked at her: “Why?”

“Because Father couldn’t bear to obliterate my devil soul; instead, he concealed it. So, as long as my soul foundation isn’t sealed and my soul source isn’t extinguished, if one day I can touch my devil soul again, there might be a chance to become whole once more.”

A brief silence. Lishuo slowly shook her head: “I cannot.”

“Although I don’t know the full details, for Nixuan to endure such pain and take this action, it likely involves a promise with Mo E. He is not one to break promises, and Mo E is even less one to tolerate a broken promise.”

“Senior Lishuo is so clever.” The maiden praised, seemingly with a smile, as if completely devoid of fear regarding her impending eternal dissipation: “But I’m just a girl who doesn’t understand anything, so I don’t care about your adult promises. No matter how many promises there are, none are more important than Father’s safety.”

“Father’s… safety?”

“Didn’t Senior Lishuo notice? Father’s divine soul has already shattered.”

“…” Lishuo did not deny it.

“He’s in too much pain, too remorseful, too self-reproachful. His Creation God soul has cracked into so many fissures. Now he just wants to retreat from the world and sleep… And if his divine soul continues to crack like this, his periods of slumber will become longer and longer; perhaps he won’t even have a century of lucidity in a million years.”

“I… am powerless.” Lishuo’s voice carried deep helplessness and regret. She could save all living beings, but not a Creation God with a shattered soul.

“But I have a way to repair Father’s divine soul.”

The maiden’s figure visibly faded a little, and her voice became even more urgent: “Also, I personally heard Senior Mo E say that his promise to the Ancestral Sword Spirit, his intolerance of god-devil fusion, would last until the end of his lifespan… That means after his passing, all grievances, convictions, and promises will naturally resolve.”

“So, I won’t put Father or Senior Lishuo in a difficult position. Even if I am to become whole again, it will definitely be after Senior Mo E’s demise. Senior Lishuo, please, I beg you, otherwise, Father will truly… slowly fall into eternal slumber.”

“But…” Lishuo said, “If I don’t completely cover your soul foundation and soul source, your new body and disposition will never be able to grow, forever remaining in the state of a young girl. And the possibility of becoming whole again is infinitely slim. Even so, do you still insist?”

“Yes!” The maiden responded without any hesitation, “I cannot let Father continue to suffer so much. Even if there’s only a sliver of hope, I must save him. This is what I, as a daughter, must do. Otherwise, when Mother returns, she will be very heartbroken and sad…”

Mother… returns?

Lishuo did not correct the maiden’s “fantasy” as a daughter about her mother’s return.

The maiden’s figure faded further, leaving only a faint layer of mist.

“Senior Lishuo, please, you must agree. In return, I can tell you a great secret. When Father and Senior Mo E were fighting, I discovered that I could… perceive… the Punish…”

The maiden’s ethereal shadow suddenly vanished as her voice faded completely.

Leaving Lishuo in a long daze.