Truth 01

The dining area was located in a spacious hall.

At the front of the hall stood a statue of a goddess.

The goddess's posture was both solemn and gentle, as if silently watching over every soul in this place.

Though merely a statue, her serene face and compassionate gaze exuded a sense of peace and strength that soothed the heart of anyone who looked upon her.

In front of the goddess statue was a long table.

Leng Qingqiu sat there.

The others were seated at long tables arranged throughout the hall below.

Food had already been laid out on the tables.

Gu Yan glanced at it and immediately frowned.

The meal was simple—just a bowl of plain meat soup and a bowl of rice.

A choice cut of meat floated in the soup.

Even in his memories, he could feel himself swallowing hard, barely able to contain his eagerness.

On the other side,

Sally and the man from the village entrance stood before the goddess statue, their expressions reverent as they spoke: "Let us give thanks for the blessings of the Water God."

"May the Water God grant us safe passage through the Day of Divine Punishment."

As their voices faded,

all those dressed in the Water God Sect's uniforms rose to their feet, chanting with devout expressions: "Praise the Water God!"

In his memories, Gu Yan mimicked their actions, standing and joining in.

Throughout it all, however, his gaze remained fixed on a certain little girl seated beneath the Water God statue—

Leng Qingqiu.

Though she stood with the others, her expression was utterly calm.

She didn’t even move her lips.

Once the ritual ended, lunch began.

Gu Yan realized he could now control his body again.

It seemed the memory’s influence would no longer interfere with his actions.

He sat down.

A boy around his age leaned over with a grin and said, "Hey, I’m Li Han. I noticed you couldn’t stop staring at our Holy Maiden, huh?"

"Holy Maiden?"

Gu Yan glanced at him and replied flatly, "You mean Leng Qingqiu?"

"Yeah! Holy Maiden Leng!"

Li Han’s eyes shone with admiration. "She’s the only one the Water God personally brought here."

"She’s the only one who can communicate directly with the Water God."

"And thanks to her, we can stay here safely, with meat to eat and water to drink!"

As if suddenly remembering his hunger, Li Han picked up his spoon and started eating.

Gu Yan withdrew his gaze and looked down at the meat soup in front of him.

He scooped up a piece with his spoon and examined it closely.

Instantly, his expression darkened.

With his god-tier culinary skills, he recognized the meat at first glance.

This was... human flesh!!

No way he was eating this.

Just as he was about to set the spoon down,

a chilling laugh came from behind him.

"What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?"

"......"

Gu Yan turned slightly and saw

Sally and the man standing right behind him, their faces fixed in what he found to be an eerie, unnatural smile.

They stared at him, and though he couldn’t be sure, their grins seemed to be fading.

Gu Yan looked at the meat on his spoon, then assessed his own body.

Strangely, he was still free to move.

No interference from the memory’s plot?

So refusing to eat wouldn’t trigger anything?

He met the gazes of the man and woman before him.

Their smiles slowly vanished, and Sally reached out toward him.

"Bad child..."

But before she could finish,

a cool, detached voice cut in.

"If he doesn’t want to eat, let it be."

"The Water God says it’s time to begin the next Divine Envoy selection."

"Don’t waste time."

At these words,

Sally’s arm froze mid-air before she withdrew it.

Both she and the man resumed their initial smiling expressions.

They turned toward Leng Qingqiu beneath the Water God statue.

"If that’s the case, then let us begin."

They ignored Gu Yan and took their positions on either side of Leng Qingqiu.

Divine Envoy?

Gu Yan looked at Leng Qingqiu, but she didn’t return his gaze.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just protected him.

Beside him, Li Han finished his meal and cheerfully explained,

"Hey, new guy, let me tell you—the Divine Envoy selection happens randomly. Anyone chosen gets to go to the Water God’s side and receive divine blessings, becoming a lesser god!"

"Only our merciful Water God would grant ordinary people like us the chance to ascend!"

"Look at Sister Sally and Brother Li Chuan—they’re lesser gods, the Divine Envoys who manage this safe haven!"

Gu Yan turned to Li Han, noting the envy in his eyes.

"Li Chuan? That man is your brother?"

"Yeah! This place used to be called Li Family Village. When the Day of Divine Punishment came, the Water God sheltered us, and it became Water God Village."

"My brother and Sister Sally are married, so the Water God appointed them as Divine Envoys to oversee us."

"And Holy Maiden Leng? She’s been with the Water God from the start, assigned to our safe haven."

"You’re really lucky to have found this place."

Li Han chattered on excitedly.

But Gu Yan fell silent.

This was all too bizarre. No matter how he looked at it, there had to be some twisted scheme behind the Water God’s so-called benevolence.

Meanwhile,

the Divine Envoy selection ceremony began.

A beam of light shone down upon the Water God statue.

With a low rumble,

the statue slowly extended a finger—

pointing directly at Li Han, who was still talking to Gu Yan.

For a moment, Li Han stood frozen.

Then, his face lit up with ecstasy.

"I’ve been chosen! I’ve been chosen!"

He turned excitedly toward Li Chuan on the platform.

"Brother! I’m going to be a Divine Envoy too!"

Li Chuan smiled and nodded but said nothing.

The others applauded, sharing in Li Han’s joy.

Gu Yan, however, kept his eyes on Leng Qingqiu.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but she seemed... sad.

......

Later, in his memories, the sleeping quarters were a remodeled thatched hut in Li Family Village.

Gu Yan lay on the bedding—originally Li Han’s, now his.

Divine Envoys... gods... safe havens... weak humans...

This era of Divine Punishment was fraught with danger.

And Leng Qingqiu—what was her true role in this time?

It couldn’t be as simple as just being the Water God’s envoy.

Gu Yan pushed the thoughts aside. The memory’s influence returned, and he closed his eyes.

But the moment he did,

a surge of dark energy dragged him into another world.

This seemed to be something his past self had experienced.

"Keh keh keh~~ Listen, Gu Yan~~ This place is brimming with divine energy, especially that statue—it’s got a trace of that Water God hag’s power. If I can devour it, my strength will recover a bit, and then I can grant your wish!!"

Gu Yan looked around.

He stood on what seemed like a black ocean, surrounded by a hazy gray void.

Before him hovered a floating book.

On both sides of the book, a gaping maw lined with sharp fangs suddenly appeared.

Gu Yan recognized it instantly—this was the very same cursed tome that Leng Qingqiu possessed, the one that could speak and grant human wishes!!!

In his memories, his past self had been terrified and resistant upon seeing it: "N-no... please, it sounds horrifying. The Water God is such a kind being—why would you want to devour Their divine power?"

The moment those words left his mouth, the cursed tome transformed back into a book and smacked Gu Yan on the head in frustration, snarling, "Idiot!! How many times do I have to tell you?! Not a single god is good!! In this world, the only one you can trust is me!"

"Once I regain my strength and devour all those so-called gods, I can give you anything you want!! Look! You said you wanted to find a safe place to survive—didn’t I guide you perfectly?!"

The Gu Yan from his memories hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "We did find it... but... the Water God built shelters to save us and provided food and water..."

"Fool! That’s not food at all!! I recognized it immediately—it’s human flesh mixed with traces of divine power!!"

"You’re lucky you didn’t eat it. If you had, you’d slowly be brainwashed into becoming one of the Water God’s devotees!"

"Though even if you did eat it, I could still purge that influence from you!"

Seeing Gu Yan’s stunned expression, the cursed tome flew around in furious circles, ranting, "Idiot, idiot, idiot! Out of all possible successors, why did I end up with you?!"

"Later, I’ll have to give you a dagger and make you the Night King so you can slaughter all those gods—can’t you at least try to live up to my expectations?!"

"I still want to survive long enough to see my dear little Ai Ai again!!"

In his memories, Gu Yan had already crouched down, hugging his head in distress. "S-sorry, Lord Cursed Tome... but I really can’t do it. Killing all the gods... that’s just..."

"Hey! Drop the 'Lord' when you’re talking about those gods!"

The tome sighed and floated in front of Gu Yan. "Fine. Since you’re so stubborn, I’ll show you the truth."

"There are eight days left until the Day of Divine Retribution. I’ll let you see exactly where the 'food' and 'water' you’ve been consuming come from!"

"During this time, follow my instructions. I’ll take you to witness the reality of these so-called gods!"

As soon as the words fell—

Whoosh!

The surroundings began to warp and accelerate.

Fast-forward... begins.

Meanwhile, Gu Yan started processing everything the cursed tome had said.

From what he could piece together, he had originally been the tome’s chosen successor. Its goal was to devour all the gods, and it had mentioned giving him a dagger later to become the Night King and slaughter them.

Gu Yan sorted through the logic.

In essence: the cursed tome would regain its power, summon the dagger to make him the Night King, the Night King would slay the gods, and the tome would then consume their divine energy to grow stronger—before sharing that power with Gu Yan.

A perfect cycle.

And finally...

The "dear little Ai Ai" the tome had mentioned...

Gu Yan fell silent, because it reminded him of his own Pure Love System.

That system also had the word "Love" in its name.

But... surely that couldn’t be a coincidence... right?