The Origin of the Matter, the Truth

From that moment on, the Black Sphere never actively approached the White Sphere again.

The White Sphere tried to seek him out, but every time she drew near, the dark spots on her body multiplied.

She didn’t understand why, but she knew one thing—the Black Sphere was avoiding her.

"Why…?"

The White Sphere’s glow grew dimmer, the dark stains now covering more than half of her form.

Staring at her no-longer-pure body, she felt fear for the first time.

—She was being corrupted.

And the source of her corruption… was the very power the Black Sphere carried.

……

One day, the White Sphere finally made up her mind.

Without hesitation, she chased after the direction where the Black Sphere had vanished.

"I will find you, no matter what!"

She traversed the void, her dark spots increasing, her light fading further.

But she didn’t stop.

—Because she knew that if even she gave up, the Black Sphere would truly be left alone.

……

At last, at the edge of the void, she saw the familiar Black Sphere.

He hovered there silently, as if he had been waiting all along.

"You came."

The Black Sphere’s voice was soft, tinged with resignation.

The White Sphere’s glow was nearly extinguished, yet she stubbornly floated closer: "…Mm."

After a long silence, the Black Sphere finally murmured, "…I’m sorry."

The White Sphere: "?"

The Black Sphere: "If not for me, you wouldn’t have ended up like this."

The White Sphere swayed slightly, as if shaking her head: "But if not for you, I would have been devoured by the void long ago."

The Black Sphere froze.

The White Sphere gently leaned against him, even though it worsened her corruption: "So… don’t leave me behind."

The Black Sphere remained quiet for a long time before replying, "…Alright."

However.

The moment the two spheres drew close again—

Crack!

A fissure suddenly spread across the Black Sphere’s form!

The White Sphere panicked: "What’s happening?!"

The Black Sphere’s light began to scatter, yet his voice was eerily calm: "…I dispersed most of my malice… My body can’t hold on anymore…"

The White Sphere grew frantic: "What do you mean?!"

Instead of answering, the Black Sphere gently brushed against her: "Remember, no matter what happens… I will always find you again."

"Wait! Don’t you dare—"

Before she could finish—Boom!

The Black Sphere shattered violently, dissolving into countless motes of darkness, vanishing into the void.

The White Sphere hovered motionless, her light completely snuffed out.

……

……

Gasp!

Qin Luo’s eyes snapped open, his heart pounding violently.

—That was his earliest memory with Su Muwan.

—He was the incarnation of malice, the Black Sphere.

—And Su Muwan… was the incarnation of the Heavenly Mandate, the White Sphere.

They were meant to devour each other, to be enemies.

But ever since he had saved Su Muwan that first time, everything changed.

She kept reaching for him, even as she was tainted.

So, Qin Luo chose to purge his own malice, first by dispersing it—but that only made his body grow increasingly fragile.

By the time Su Muwan found him again, he could no longer maintain his form.

So he changed his approach.

He willingly diminished his divine power and entered the cycle of reincarnation. Each cycle allowed him to cleanse a fraction of his malice.

This malice manifested as malevolent entities he had to destroy in every life.

To find Qin Luo, Su Muwan joined him in the cycle.

With both the Heavenly Mandate and the incarnation of malice gone,

a new Heavenly Mandate emerged from the void.

This was the Old Heavenly Master before them now.

But if the myriad realms were likened to a balloon,

each cycle caused it to expand further, its walls thinning.

This should never have happened.

Yet the new Heavenly Mandate lacked the strength to sustain the endless cycles of the Black and White Spheres.

Thus, the myriad realms edged closer to collapse.

The reason the new Heavenly Mandate created the Heavenly Domain, scattered avatars, and sought "Scavengers"

was to alleviate the strain—the faster Qin Luo could eradicate the malevolent entities, the more stable the world would be.

But over time, the Heavenly Mandate itself became tainted by malice.

Or rather, the endless cycles birthed its own malevolence, allowing the corruption to take root.

In short, the new Heavenly Mandate was impure.

Now, with the malevolent entities multiplying and this being the final cycle,

a decision had to be made.

One of them had to replace the new Heavenly Mandate and become the Heavenly Mandate itself.

But the choice was already clear.

The Old Heavenly Master looked at Qin Luo and spoke gravely: "From the beginning, my choice has always been you."

"As the incarnation of malice, devouring my Heavenly Mandate’s power will allow you to eradicate all malevolence and restore balance to the myriad realms."

"The only cost… is your erasure from the timeline."

"That is why, after returning via the Fate Dream Cauldron, no one remembers you."

"This cycle is the last chance… My body won’t hold much longer…"

"This was my bargain with the Bone Shepherd. Afterward, I will merge with it."

"But I deceived it. It believes that by merging with me and defeating you, it can restore you as the King of Malevolence."

"But it is wrong."

"If you fail, the myriad realms will be destroyed."

"If you succeed, they will endure."

The Bone Shepherd’s fury stems from this—

it realized the new Heavenly Mandate wanted its king to become the Heavenly Mandate and protect the world.

Qin Luo clenched his fists.

Now he finally understood why no one remembered him after each return.

To become the Heavenly Mandate, one must be erased from existence entirely.

Now, Qin Luo’s task was simple.

Use this final cycle to defeat the malevolent entities, sever the past, and ascend as the Heavenly Mandate.

And now…

"It’s time to end this."

Qin Luo took a deep breath, his resolve unwavering.

"What is your choice?"

The Heavenly Mandate’s voice echoed in his ears.

Qin Luo raised his head, his gaze piercing the darkness as if seeing a familiar figure—

Su Muwan.

"I choose…"

He slowly clenched his fists, the chains around him shattering: "To take her with me and end this cycle."

The Heavenly Mandate smiled faintly at his answer: "Your choice is the correct one…"

"But!"

Qin Luo smirked, staring confidently at the Heavenly Mandate: "I won’t become the Heavenly Mandate!"

"Because! I still have to be with my lady!"

"If this is truly the last chance, then I’m staying with Su Muwan!"

The Heavenly Mandate: "…That’s impossible. To end the cycle, the only outcome is…"

"No, it’s not."

Qin Luo cut him off, his gaze unshakable: "When the time comes, my lady will save me."

The Heavenly Mandate fell silent. After a long pause, he asked, "What makes you so certain?"

"No reason."

"Because I believe in her!"

"No matter what, my lady will find a way to save me!"

The Heavenly Mandate said nothing more, his form gradually dissipating.

Only his voice lingered in Qin Luo’s mind.

As the voice faded, the void reclaimed the silence.

Qin Luo clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

He spoke.

"Little pup."

[I'm here.]

"Initiate the leap."

[Understood, Master!]

....

....

Author's Note: Dear readers, just a heads-up—I'll be taking a break tomorrow, April 30th, to freshen up and reorganize my thoughts~~~ This ox-headed writer needs some tidying up~~~