Rest in Peace

Yin Chen watched the direction Chen Guan was leaving, lowering his voice.

"That path is opened specifically for him."

He paused for a moment, looking around at the surging black mist.

"We cannot cross, nor do we have the right to interfere. That is a trial that belongs to him."

These words plunged everyone present into a long silence.

The road ahead was an unknown territory belonging exclusively to Chen Guan. For the first time, his companions could only stay where they were as bystanders, and even his pet Baobao could only remain stranded here.

"Chen Guan."

An Changqing called out again. He took half a step forward but abruptly stopped himself, ultimately just speaking solemnly across the surging undercurrent.

"We will wait for you here."

"When you come back, I still have something to give you."

This brief sentence contained the most resolute promise.

No matter what abyss you are about to face, no matter what kind of existence you eventually become, we will guard this place and wait for your return.

Chen Guan withdrew his gaze from the shore. He didn't speak, because An Changqing's words were honestly a bit ominous.

It felt as if death flags had been planted all over his head.

He tossed aside the distracting thoughts in his mind and continued forward.

The black river built from endless lingering resentment surged silently beneath his feet. Stepping on it felt very strange; it didn't feel like river water, but rather like mud.

The specks of light on the river's surface, representing soul fragments, were now docilely circling around him, welcoming their master's inspection with a gentle rhythm.

That ancient voice, carrying a heavy sense of desolation, continuously invaded his consciousness. This time, the words carried more concrete enticements.

"Do you feel it? Your lost power is returning."

"This river is the tears you have shed over countless years; this darkness is your kingdom forgotten by the world."

The ancient voice paused for a moment before continuing to echo with anticipation.

"Come back, return to your divine throne."

"You will regain everything you once lost, and those betrayers and their descendants will turn into flying ash scattered by the wind under your judgment."

Accompanied by these bewitching words, scenes of shattered images replayed alternately before his eyes.

It was the grand spectacle of being devoutly worshipped by thousands of subjects, the fanaticism of believers offering everything.

Then the scene sharply turned, becoming that battered and ruined mural, becoming the resolute coldness of knives and axes chiseling away at the divine statue.

In the very end, there was only the loneliness settled over endless years after being abandoned by the whole world.

A massive flood of emotions continuously washed over his will. That power named lingering resentment stirred within him, resonating strongly with the path paved by malice beneath his feet.

It was as if, with just a slight thought, the negative energy accumulated over millions of years in this entire ruin would immediately submit at his feet.

Chen Guan walked quietly in the darkness, listening to the calls echoing in his ears, feeling the surging power around him. His face still maintained its initial indifference.

The end of the path connected to a much vaster underground cavity.

A dilapidated giant altar hovered right in the center of the darkness.

The base of the altar was covered with crisscrossing cracks, and the ancient runes once carved on its surface had long been eroded by time until they were blurred.

And on the platform at the highest point of the altar, a chair sat squarely.

That chair had no physical support; it was formed entirely by intertwining malice, floating in mid-air.

It looked like a throne, with a towering back and ferocious outlines carved into its armrests.

Its entire body emitted a faint, heart-palpitating glow. It didn't look conspicuous, yet it exuded majesty.

That was the divine throne.

It was the ultimate source of this massive lingering resentment.

Chen Guan felt something. On the surface, it seemed the owner of this divine throne was even more like a demon than Baal.

"Sit upon it."

That voice carried an unparalleled bewitching power, directly penetrating bone and blood, echoing in the depths of his soul.

"Sit upon it, and completely merge into one with me."

The calls from the void became increasingly urgent.

"You will break free from your incomplete soul state, and I will shed this shell of nameless resentment. We will combine into one, becoming the true god of this world."

At the edge of the altar, Chen Guan looked up and gazed at the divine throne radiating infinite attraction.

He could clearly sense that as long as he walked over and sat down, all the cognition he possessed now would be completely overturned.

He would gain a mighty power beyond the reach of ordinary people, become the true master of this ancient ruin, and become a god born solely for revenge.

At that time, even a rare powerhouse like White Tiger probably wouldn't amount to much in front of him. To say it was ascending to the heavens in a single step wouldn't be an exaggeration.

The vision of punching White Tiger and kicking Baal was right before his eyes.

But the image that surfaced in his mind at this moment was the waiting gazes of An Changqing and the others standing on the shore.

It was the sight of Hong Yuan carrying her axe and complaining noisily, his main body falling into a deep sleep, and every little detail he had experienced along the way under the identity of Chen Guan.

He suddenly lowered his eyes and chuckled softly. This light laughter sounded exceptionally clear in the empty environment.

"A god?"

He parted his lips and spat out a word, both responding to that ancient voice and questioning his own heart.

"It indeed sounds like a very good proposal."

The joy in that voice was so intense it was about to overflow the boundaries of the darkness.

"Yes, come back. This is everything that belongs to you!"

Chen Guan, however, slowly shook his head facing that faint light.

"But I have long since broken away from the realm of gods."

"I am Chen Guan."

At the same time his voice fell, he raised his right arm and gripped hard at the empty space in front of him.

A massive scythe materialized out of thin air, securely grasped in his palm.

That was the weapon that had accompanied him through all his battles, the best proof of his step-by-step fight up to now as the human Chen Guan.

The brilliant radiance formed an extremely sharp contrast with the gloomy light emitted by the divine throne.

One side represented the rebirth and resilience of breaking free from shackles, while the other represented the sinking and resentment of endless years.

He stopped his steps approaching the divine throne, turning around to completely leave that bizarre throne behind him.

He raised the heavy scythe in his hand, pointing the sharp blade at the sorrowful souls flying around him.

"I have received all the pain you have accumulated."

His voice pierced through the darkness, clearly transmitting to every desperately struggling soul fragment.

"But endless hatred cannot bring true peace."

He looked at those dancing spots of light and continued speaking.

"Once I sit in that position, it will only allow this profound pain to continue into the next long ten thousand years."

"Therefore, I can only ask you to rest in peace."

He exerted force in his arm and swung the scythe down.

Layers of dark golden light bloomed from the broad scythe blade, yet devoid of their usual fierceness, transforming into a soft rain of light that sprinkled gently in all directions.

The moment those flying specks of light touched the rain of light, it was as if they had received comfort.

They were no longer restless, no longer wailing. The resentment that had endured for eons finally began to slowly dissipate in this very moment.

Sighs of liberation gradually drowned out the chaotic, venomous whispers from before.

The black river slowly ceased its violent churning.

The viscous water faded from thick to clear, ultimately transforming into wisps of ethereal mist that drifted away into the air.