Chapter 999: The Mysterious Person Inside Suixu's Body

In the Outer Sea, there is a fish called Sui Xu. It dwells in nothingness, its traces only occasionally sighted.

Whenever it appears, its upper jaw transforms into a crimson sky, while its lower jaw holds the light of countless oceans, capable of devouring the sun and moon. It consumes all beings, even time and space itself. Few living beings know its exact form; all that is known is that when Sui Xu emerges, the world empties.

Just like this moment. As the crimson sky descended, everything ceased to exist; even the ocean sank, as if a section of it had been removed. Moreover, a whirlpool appeared on the sea surface, rotating with a thunderous rumble and emitting a deafening roar. This sound echoed in the Outer Sea, causing countless tremors, and will transform into a storm that will not dissipate for months.

Xu Qing and Er Niu were nowhere to be seen.

After a long time, the storm swept across the sea, and lightning streaked across the turbulent sky, darting around and whistling into the distance.

Ripples.

In the Outer Sea, rain began to fall, landing on the water surface and hanging suspended in the air. Amidst the rain, Yu Liuchen stood dazed. In that moment of crisis, with his abilities, he could only save himself from being devoured, but he was unable to rescue Xu Qing and Er Niu. This was because Sui Xu's consumption is not a physical act of swallowing, but a severance from destiny, time, and all planes, tearing them away to serve as its own sustenance. Therefore, he could only watch helplessly as Xu Qing and Er Niu vanished before him.

"Even Sui Xu has emerged," he thought, "how can this be merely a coincidence!"

Yu Liuchen fell silent, feeling like cursing, but soon his eyes narrowed, and his entire body glowed with blood-red light. "Something's wrong..."

"After arriving in the Outer Sea, my emotional state feels wrong." Yu Liuchen was keenly aware that stories must contain emotion; only a story that can genuinely move him can move others. Therefore, he often seems unlike other deities in his indifference, a trait dictated by his divine authority. But the very nature of a deity is indifference. This is something no one can change. So, while he appears to have rich emotions, it is intentionally cultivated. However, this voyage feels very different.

"I am being influenced."

"Some entity has manipulated our emotions."

Yu Liuchen's mind was shaken. He gazed at the sea with a complicated expression. After a long moment, he suddenly began to speak.

"There was a day when Xu Qing and Chen Er Niu, at the behest of the deity Yu Liuchen, set out to sea together..."

"The Outer Sea was not unfamiliar to Yu Liuchen, but for Xu Qing and Chen Er Niu, it was filled with the unknown!"

"Thus, under the influence of some unknown and ineffable external force, they first encountered an ominous statue, then the Sun of Divine Dreams, and then the patrolling sea demons."

"Until they met Sui Xu!"

"Sui Xu was not hungry; it was merely an ordinary sky-devouring event that would occur five hours later..."

As Yu Liuchen uttered these words, his divine power spread, merging with the heavens and imprinting the ocean, forming true words as he narrated through his true name. Immediately, heaven and earth changed color, a booming sound reverberated, and his true words showed signs of fragmentation. This was an indication that the story could not become reality.

Seeing this, Yu Liuchen immediately amended his narrative. "It will occur in one day..."

His true words rumbled, forming an imprint once more, but the moment the imprint appeared, it continued to crack, seemingly about to shatter.

"It will occur in seven days..." Yu Liuchen again amended. Although the cracking eased slightly, the fissures still spread.

"It will occur in one month." Yu Liuchen's divine power vibrated, and he continued to amend.

Although no resurrection occurred, the aura that emanated still inevitably made Xu Qing and Er Niu feel a sense of oppression.

"A-Qing, this approach won't work," Er Niu mumbled, rushing onward.

Xu Qing remained silent. His gaze fixed on the distance. The feeling of being watched, which he had experienced before, was even more intense here. He had a vague premonition that the entity watching him was right ahead. "Could the encounters along this path possibly be a deliberate arrangement?" Xu Qing pondered.

Seeing Xu Qing ignored him, Er Niu sighed. "There's no other way," he declared, "I'll have to use my ultimate move! After all, if we keep going, there's no way out!"

Xu Qing looked at Er Niu, knowing what he was about to do. Er Niu took a deep breath, gazing at the surrounding emptiness, and spoke loudly. "How come there's not even a single breathing creature here?" he exclaimed. "It seems we should be safe here."

Having said that, Er Niu immediately became wary, watching for any unexpected developments. However, after waiting for a moment, no anomalies appeared. Er Niu blinked, somewhat perplexed, when Xu Qing suddenly spoke. "Senior Brother," he said, "there seems to be an entity ahead that is watching us!"

Hearing this, Er Niu cast his gaze forward. After a moment, he exchanged glances with Xu Qing. Then, determination gleamed in both their eyes. Since they had arrived here and could find no way out, then even if something truly existed ahead, they still had to go there.

The two instantly sped forward.

Several days later, a patch of firelight, exceptionally clear beneath the hazy starlight, caught their eyes. Xu Qing halted. His vigilance had reached its peak. However, the scene he saw profoundly shook both him and the captain.

The firelight in front originated from a bonfire. Beside the bonfire sat an old man who resembled a human. He was unremarkable in appearance. One foot wore a straw sandal, while the other was bare. In his hand, he held an iron skewer, skewering several pieces of unknown meat. He was roasting them over the fire.

Noticing Xu Qing and Er Niu, the old man raised his head. His triangular eyes rolled, sweeping his gaze over Xu Qing. "I wasn't mistaken earlier," he remarked. "Indeed, you are like a deity yet not one, like a cultivator yet not one. But you actually possess human destiny. It seems you were once human. Though your physical body isn't anymore, you can still be grudgingly considered human!"

Having said that, he then looked at Er Niu. "And you," he asked, "what kind of furry monster are you?"