Chapter 150: Mother Goddess

"Yu Nian...?"

"You still have Yu Nian, don't you?" Tong Yi asked with a smile. "How can you obtain 'Hui Xiang' like that?"

"I... why should I eliminate my 'Yu Nian'?" Qi Xia's eyes instantly turned cold. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Young man, come to my class," Tong Yi said with a smile. "I'll answer everyone's questions one by one."

With that, Tong Yi pressed her palms together with one hand and drew a cross over her chest with the other, then bid farewell to the group and left.

Yun Yao shook her head helplessly and said to Qi Xia, "I suggest you don't go."

"How come?"

"Tong Yi's theories are completely out there; her class will drive you crazy."

Qi Xia was already an atheist, so he naturally didn't want to go.

But the four words "eliminate Yu Nian" hit him like a thunderbolt.

"Do we still need to participate in the game this afternoon?" Qi Xia asked.

"Not really," Yun Yao replied. "I've fully acknowledged your abilities, so the rest is free time. You can explore the game, plan strategies, or earn some 'Dao' if you have time. After all, food and water in the later stages of 'Tian Tang Kou' need to be exchanged with 'Dao'."

"Got it," Qi Xia nodded. "Since there's nothing else planned, I'll go see this auntie in the afternoon."

After saying goodbye to Yun Yao, Qiao Jia Jin and Qi Xia returned to the classroom and had a simple meal of canned food.

Xiao Ran and Zhao Yi Sheng were no longer there, leaving only Lin Geng and Han Yi Mo, who were chatting.

The four exchanged brief greetings.

"Qi Xia, how did things go for you today?" Lin Geng asked.

"Extremely bad," Qi Xia shook his head. "Tian Tian, Li Jing Guan, and Zhang Lü Shi all died in the game."

"Ah?" Han Yi Mo was stunned. "Li Jing Guan and Zhang Lü Shi are dead too...? No, that can't be..."

Qi Xia sensed something was off. "Han Yi Mo, don't worry too much; they'll come back..."

Han Yi Mo nodded heavily. "You're right... but I still feel sad..."

Qi Xia thought for a moment and said, "This afternoon, why don't you all come with me to a place?"

...

Around one in the afternoon, Qi Xia, Qiao Jia Jin, Lin Geng, and Han Yi Mo arrived at the northern classroom.

To Qi Xia's surprise, there were already more than ten people seated there.

He spotted Lao Lv and Zhang Shan in the crowd.

The group exchanged slight nods but didn't talk much.

The four found a corner to sit in and waited quietly.

Qi Xia noticed that everyone had paper and pens on their desks. Were they expected to take notes during the class?

Before long, Tong Yi entered through the door.

"There are quite a few people here..." She smiled kindly, placed a teacup on the podium, and turned to erase the blackboard.

Her every gesture really made her seem like a teacher.

Qi Xia and Qiao Jia Jin exchanged glances, feeling that this seemed like a very formal lesson.

"First, let me introduce myself. I'm Tong Shan, and you can call me 'Tong Yi' or 'Tong Laoshi'," Tong Yi said, kindly scanning the room. "Many of you here are actually bound to me by life and death, but you've all forgotten. Today's class will help you understand everything about this world."

"Good!" Lao Lv stood up and clapped. "Let's give Tong Laoshi some encouragement, everyone!"

The others looked at Lao Lv in confusion and gave a few half-hearted claps.

"Lao Lv, don't cause a ruckus; sit down," Tong Yi waved her hand and said.

She scanned the room again and continued, "This morning, we lost five companions. First, let's all join me in mourning them."

With that, she clasped her hands together in front of her chin and recited slowly, "O merciful Mother Goddess, we gather here not to grieve for the five departed souls, but to rejoice for the five who will enter Your kingdom."

After finishing, she looked up at everyone and said, "Please recite it with me."

Only one or two people in the group of more than ten recited it feebly along with her.

"Though our hearts are filled with immense sorrow, it is only due to longing and reluctance. O merciful Mother Goddess, may they be with You."

"They are all Your spiritual children, watched over by You throughout their lives. We thank You here and ask that You forgive their five sins."

"May their souls find rest in Your kingdom."

"O merciful Mother Goddess, bless them through faith. Bless their descendants through devotion. May the faith they pursued be passed down by their descendants until Your kingdom arrives."

Qi Xia's face grew increasingly stern. "I can't take this anymore."

"What's wrong?" Qiao Jia Jin turned and asked. "This auntie is saying some really nice things, like she's performing."

"Does this auntie think some entity is protecting us, which is why we're having these bizarre experiences?" Qi Xia scoffed. "If the thing protecting us is really this 'Mother Goddess' she's talking about, I'm glad I've never believed in gods."

Lin Geng listened nearby and furrowed her brows. "There's something odd about this too..."

Qi Xia and Qiao Jia Jin both turned to her.

"If I remember correctly, this passage sounds like a Christian eulogy," Lin Geng pondered. "But if it's really Christian, they should be praying to the 'Heavenly Father,' not the 'merciful Mother.'"

"So she can't even tell Mary from Jehovah?" Qi Xia said. "This is on me; I wasted your time. Let's go."

Before they could stand up, Tong Yi suddenly became impassioned.

"Great 'Creation Mother Goddess'! Please accept my most sincere prayer!"

The room fell silent.

"'Creation Mother Goddess'?" Qi Xia was slightly taken aback; he had never heard of this deity.

Pangu opened the heavens, and Nü Wa created humans.

Could the "Creation Mother Goddess" refer to Nü Wa?

Qi Xia thought for a moment and turned to Han Yi Mo. "You write novels; have you ever heard of Nü Wa being called the 'Creation Mother Goddess'?"

"No..." Han Yi Mo shook his head. "That doesn't sound like a traditional title. Even 'Divine Mother' would be more standard than 'Mother Goddess.'"

Everyone in the room felt uneasy, and it seemed Qi Xia wasn't the only one wanting to leave.

A middle-aged man in a suit from the crowd spoke up. "Auntie, let's skip the praying for now. Can you tell us what this place is all about?"

Tong Yi smiled meaningfully, turned to the blackboard, and wrote a large character: "Shen."

"Shen?"

The group read it aloud.

"That's right," Tong Yi nodded. "The one who built the Land of the End must be a god, and She is the 'Mother Goddess.'"

Everyone fell silent for a while upon hearing this explanation.

"Auntie," the middle-aged man shook his head, "is this your 'class'? Are you trying to say this place is all just mythology?"

"I'm just a guide," Tong Yi maintained her elegant smile. "The revelations of the Mother Goddess aren't something ordinary people can comprehend, so it's normal for you to have questions."

"Why do you think it's this 'god' that brought us here?" a handsome young man nearby asked. "Have you ever seen Her?"

"Of course not," Tong Yi shook her head. "The Mother Goddess is invisible and intangible, but She is everywhere. I can feel Her."