Heavenly Patriarch

Night fell, and all was silent.

The bright moon quietly leaped over the rolling mountains, casting its silver light across the land.

Mian collapsed onto the bed, exhausted in both body and mind.

"You look really tired, Mian. Need a massage?" Musen asked softly, his voice gentle.

Though he was covered in muscles, the genuine concern on the bald priest's face warmed Mian's heart.

But Mian smiled and declined Musen's offer, and Musen retreated back into his book.

Everything seemed as usual—Liyana was still causing mischief, livening up the atmosphere, playfully bickering with Mo Lini... Yet, beneath it all, the heavy air of today's mood made Mian feel a pang of distress.

Mian felt that... perhaps Xia Lun was already considering that matter.

He didn't blame Xia Lun for it. If he was still alive, it was entirely because of Xia Lun's efforts. He was just an ordinary student from a humble background who had been lucky enough to enter Olymphan. No matter who made the choice, they would unhesitatingly sacrifice him.

Mian knew, of course, that none of this was his fault. He was just an innocent victim... but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about all sorts of things.

If he were dead, would things have already been resolved?

Mian buried his face in the pillow.

It was a luxurious velvet pillow, as soft as sinking into clouds—a luxury only available in the manor. The old Mian could never have enjoyed such things.

He wanted to live.

The room was filled only with Mian's heavy breathing and muffled sobs.

In a groggy haze, his consciousness gradually faded, and Mian fell into a dream.

...

Mian was astonished.

Around him was a sacred expanse of white, filling every corner of his sight, as if he were standing in a plain covered by the first snow of winter.

This scene was not unfamiliar to him—the last time the goddess had met him, the scenery had been similar.

But this time, it was different. He was standing inside a magnificent palace, its walls as smooth as a mirror, with no trace of seams, as if carved from a single block of jade.

There seemed to be no furniture inside the palace, only rows of plain white screens standing scattered about. The screens bore no carvings or decorations, looking like a series of low walls that divided the space into countless sections.

But was this... still Aise's memory? Mian suddenly grew uncertain.

"Why are you here again?"

Aise's impatient voice sounded from behind Mian.

Mian turned around and couldn't help but gasp, instinctively covering his mouth.

Aise looked utterly miserable at that moment. Her entire body bore the marks of scorching flames, with various parts of her body charred black, like embers that had burned out.

The most severe wounds were two crossed sword marks on her chest. Through the blackened, cracked skin, faint sparks could still be seen glowing within.

"Are... are you alright?" Mian asked with concern, looking at the terrible injuries. If this were real life, with wounds like these, one would surely be dead—but Aise now was a soul.

Even though Aise was an enemy, even though her goal was to seize his body, Mian knew this clearly—still, he couldn't help but express his concern.

It wasn't fake sympathy; it was just his basic decency as a human being.

Aise cast a cold glance at Mian and ignored him.

Hmph. Being pitied by this guy—just terrible.

If it were a normal situation, she might have been in the mood to play along with Mian's act. But now, the searing pain of her soul was far from easy to endure, making it difficult for her to maintain even a normal demeanor.

An ordinary person would have been writhing on the ground from the pain.

As expected of her beloved father... even when she made a mistake, he remained as strict and harsh as ever.

"Where is this? Your dream?" Aise asked Mian.

Aise scanned the surroundings, certain she had never been to a place like this.

The two of them stood in this pure white space, looking out of place like defilements trespassing into a holy sanctuary.

Mian was startled too. Aise didn't even know this place?

Then whose memory was this?

"Have you lost your mind, Chieftain? What are you saying?"

A somewhat familiar argument echoed from behind the screens.

Aise and Mian exchanged a glance and, in tacit understanding, quietly crept toward the source of the sound.

When they saw the two people arguing, they simultaneously held their breath, their pupils contracting.

One of them was the goddess they knew well—and the other—

That was a strikingly handsome man with golden hair. His soft, short hair fell perfectly to his brows. He wore a simple white robe draped casually over his body. The robe covered his lower body at the vital area, while above, it hung across one side of his chest, leaving the other half of his perfect form exposed.

Behind the man, there was also a pair of pure white wings, even larger than the goddess's, emitting a soft, gentle glow.

But what shocked Mian and Aise wasn't this man's attire or his wings... It was his face, which was identical to Xia Lun's!

"Priestess, this is what I must do," the man addressed by the goddess as "Chieftain" said, shaking his head, his gaze both sorrowful and resolute. "This is the only way to allow this fragile world to continue..."

"No! Chieftain... If you leave, what will I do?"

The goddess threw herself into the Chieftain's arms, burying her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. "If I lose you... how can I go on living?"

"All of this is for the world... My love, my Priestess, you will carry out my last wish and let this world endure," the Chieftain said, lifting the goddess's face, wiping away her tears. "You are strong and powerful... Guard this world for me, and guide the living beings of the new era."

"I will... If that is your will, I will do as you say..."

Despite her promise, tears continued to stream down the goddess's face uncontrollably.

"Don't cry anymore. Death is not a bad thing," the Chieftain said, shaking his head. "It is precisely because death exists that life becomes precious."

"But death will separate us..." the goddess held the Chieftain's chest.

"Death is not an end, but a new beginning."

The Chieftain's profound gaze pierced through the layers of screens, as if gazing into a distant future. His voice was ethereal and far-reaching, each word carrying a sacred resonance.

"My flesh will become countless races, my bones will pave the vast earth, my heart will grow into a towering tree that supports the heavens and the earth... and my soul will become the new rules and order. I am willing to dedicate everything to this newborn world. Priestess, I hope you will love this new world as deeply as you have loved me..."