The Century of Divine Punishment, the Memory of... Little Cold

Like a fish emerging from the water to see the first ray of sunlight, Gu Yan was awakened by a blinding white light.

He slowly opened his eyes and immediately surveyed his surroundings.

He found himself lying on a barren, cracked expanse of land, with nothing but desolation in every direction. The air was dry, and the scorching sun blazed down mercilessly, as if intent on turning the entire land into a wasteland.

"Ah..."

Gu Yan tried to speak, but his throat burned with pain, his voice hoarse and strained.

Struggling to sit up, he realized he was wearing a thin, tattered linen robe, his body beneath it frail and small—no older than eleven or twelve.

Was this a memory? Even earlier than the last fragment of the Great World he recalled?

He reached for a walking stick beside him, gripping it tightly as he used it to push himself up.

Since this was a memory, he had none of his cultivation.

Just then—

The sound of footsteps approached from behind.

But before Gu Yan could turn around—

Thud!

A figure suddenly collapsed at his feet.

?

Gu Yan looked down, his expression shifting instantly.

There, lying beside him, was a man—his face dried and cracked as if baked to a husk.

A cloth pouch hung at his waist.

After a moment of thought, Gu Yan picked it up and rummaged inside, finding a half-empty water flask.

He uncorked it and took a few sips.

As the water touched his lips, a flood of memories about this world surged into his mind.

After a brief moment of absorption—

Gu Yan... froze.

This world was still the same Great World from his last memory.

Only... the era was pushed back by hundreds of thousands of epochs.

This age was known as... the Era of Divine Punishment.

Unlike before, humans in this era were incapable of cultivation.

His previous memory had mentioned that the Great World's cultivation system extended beyond the Grandmaster realm, with five higher tiers: Post-Grade, Earth-Grade, Heaven-Grade, Immortal-Grade, and Divine-Grade.

But in this Era of Divine Punishment—

Every living being born into this world was blessed by the [Heavenly Dao], granted divine power, and ascended directly to the Divine-Grade!

Moreover, they could break through their limits by amassing faith points, advancing to Divine Tier 1, Divine Tier 2, Divine Tier 3... and so on.

That was how it should have been.

Yet... at some point, the human race was stripped of the [Heavenly Dao]'s blessing.

In other words, while every other creature in the Era of Divine Punishment was born a Divine-Grade being...

Humans... became the world's outcasts, the weakest and most defenseless of all, unable to cultivate and left at the mercy of the gods.

With their vast numbers, most deities chose to herd humans like livestock, keeping them as devout followers to harvest their faith points.

The gods had no distinction of good or evil—they acted solely on whim.

But because the number of human followers was finite, and battles between deities could destabilize the world's foundation...

The gods collectively drafted a covenant.

Known as the [Pact of Divine Punishment].

This world had an eight-day week.

For the first seven days, humans lived normal lives.

But on the eighth day...

The gods would unleash divine punishment, its nature varying depending on which deity presided over it.

When calamity struck, unsuspecting humans would mistake it for a natural disaster—only for the gods to descend and "save" them.

Thus, they reaped faith points.

Every eight days, the cycle repeated, with different gods inflicting punishment before playing the savior.

And now...

Gu Yan was experiencing the eighth day—the Inferno Judgment, unleashed by the [God of Burning], which had plunged the world into a living hell.

Returning to the present—

Gu Yan glanced at the flask in his hand, only to find it now completely empty.

Not only that—

Crack!

The flask split apart, crumbling into sand in his palm before scattering to the ground.

Today, 90% of the world's moisture had evaporated.

It seemed intentional—humans withered far slower than everything else.

In the realm of gods, humans were nothing but livestock, bred for amusement.

Yet, the Gu Yan of this memory remained unaware of the cruel, inhumane pact behind the Day of Divine Punishment.

He believed it was simply misfortune—a natural disaster.

The memory began to dictate his actions.

He trudged forward, each step feeling like it might be his last.

But according to his memory...

If he kept walking, he would reach the [Sanctuary]—a haven erected by the gods for humans.

During the Day of Divine Punishment, the Sanctuary offered safety, warmth, clothing, and ample food and water.

Humans were endlessly grateful for it.

Yet, Gu Yan couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the Sanctuary than met the eye.

......

......

After walking for nearly half an hour,

Gu Yan finally caught sight of the safe point in its entirety.

It was... a small village.

As he stepped into the village, Gu Yan immediately felt all his exhaustion vanish, his wounds gently healed by a soothing ripple of energy.

Soon after,

two villagers dressed in long, water-blue robes approached him, their faces adorned with smiles that struck Gu Yan as eerily unnatural.

A man clasped his hands together, gazing at Gu Yan with pity—his frail frame and pale complexion drawing sympathy. "Poor child, what horrors have you endured in the outside world? Come, you're safe now. The divine will provide you with warm food and water."

With that, he turned to the woman beside him and smiled. "Sally, take this child to freshen up and dress him in the attire of our [Water God Sect]."

"Understood."

Sally stepped forward, her expression gentle as she took Gu Yan's hand and led him away. "This is the safe haven built by the Water God—[Water God Village]. We are all devotees of His Grace."

"You can rest easy now, child. Under the Water God's protection, you are safe."

Arriving at the bathhouse,

Gu Yan's memories no longer interfered with his actions.

Sally smiled at him. "The bathhouse is just ahead. Once you've washed up, pick a set of clothes that fits you from the basket."

Gu Yan nodded.

A short while later,

having bathed and changed into the water-blue robes of the sect,

Gu Yan couldn't help but dwell on the name—Water God Sect.

After learning that this world was nothing but a grand deception woven by the gods,

he no longer believed any deity could be benevolent.

The safe point reeked of strangeness. Gu Yan doubted the Water God harbored any goodwill.

Yet, the version of himself in his memories wore an expression of hopeful anticipation.

Stepping outside,

Sally stood with a little girl, greeting Gu Yan warmly. "All done?"

"Since the two of you are close in age, why not get acquainted?"

"It's almost noon—we can head for lunch now."

Gu Yan shifted his gaze to the girl beside Sally.

And then—

he froze.

The girl wore the same water-blue sect robes, her expression calm, her eyes carrying a maturity far beyond her years.

Noticing Gu Yan's stare,

she spoke in a cool, detached tone. "Hello. My name is... Xiao Leng."

Gu Yan was stunned.

Xiao... Leng?!

Meanwhile, the version of him in his memories was forcibly molded into a dazed, lovestruck fool. "You... you're so cute."

Xiao Leng: "......"

Her expression remained unchanged, though Gu Yan could swear he saw the faintest furrow in her brow.