The Whole Truth

The surrounding scenery fast-forwarded at an incredible speed.

During this time, Gu Yan once again immersed himself in the memories playing out before him.

He discovered that once people entered the safe zone and survived the Day of Divine Punishment, they would be trapped by a watery-blue barrier.

The entire safe zone would vanish from the map.

This would last until the next Day of Divine Punishment arrived.

Their task for the first seven days was simple—praise the Water God every day.

Gu Yan understood—this was to provide the Water God with faith energy.

Leng Qingqiu, as the Holy Maiden, had a peculiar role. She didn’t need to do anything except remain beneath the Water God’s statue.

During this time, Gu Yan met many people, all of whom devoutly believed that the Water God would lead them away from the mortal world and into the divine realm.

Speaking of which, Li Han had disappeared after being chosen as a Divine Emissary.

When someone asked Sally about it, she merely smiled and said Li Han had ascended to the divine realm.

The memory fast-forwarded to the sixth night.

Leng Qingqiu took the initiative to visit Gu Yan’s residence.

Her expression was cold, but her voice carried urgency: "On the eighth day, the Day of Divine Punishment, I’ll help you escape. The next divine punishment will be the Famine God’s Day of Starvation. I’ll prepare supplies for you in advance."

"Find another safe zone. This place... isn’t safe."

In the memory, Gu Yan was baffled, only thinking that Leng Qingqiu was beautiful.

The Evil Codex grumbled in his mind: "Don’t leave. How am I supposed to devour divine power if you run away?"

Helpless, Leng Qingqiu clenched her fists and coldly snapped, "Then prepare to die here!"

The scene fast-forwarded again.

On the seventh day, the Evil Codex declared the time was right and urged Gu Yan to uncover the so-called truth.

With the Evil Codex’s power masking his presence, Gu Yan easily followed its guidance into a hidden chamber.

A hidden chamber?

In the memory, Gu Yan whispered in his mind, "Evil Codex, since when did this safe zone have a place like this?"

"Stop wasting time. Just follow and see for yourself!"

Gu Yan gulped nervously and crept forward.

Then, peering from behind a wall, he witnessed a sight that left him frozen in shock.

Squelch!

Squelch!

The place resembled a slaughterhouse.

Chunks of meat were piled on tables, floors, and even corners.

The stench of blood filled the air.

But that wasn’t what stunned Gu Yan the most.

What he never expected was...

Leng Qingqiu... was using a carving knife to slowly scrape flesh from her own arm!

With each cut, she bit down hard to stifle any cries of pain.

As the flesh was removed, her arm regenerated at a visible speed.

And the discarded meat on the ground swelled and expanded as if alive.

What... What is this?

Gu Yan stood rooted in place.

The Evil Codex sounded equally surprised. "I always found it strange, but now I sense it... this girl... she’s actually from the Celestial Clan!"

"The Celestial Clan was a race established by the earliest humans blessed by the Heavenly Dao."

"Their strongest, the Celestial King, angered the Heavenly Dao by attempting to glimpse its laws. As punishment, the entire race was cursed—no longer blessed, doomed to tragic ends."

"Their loved ones, friends, and kin would all perish one by one."

"Worse, the curse accumulates. Each time a Celestial dies, their curse disperses among the remaining members until the entire race is wiped out."

"But where there is loss, there is gain. The Celestial King was powerful enough to steal a fragment of the Heavenly Dao’s laws. So long as a Celestial clings to even a sliver of will to live... they become immortal. Regenerating flesh is child’s play. Even if they perish in one lifetime, so long as they hold hope, they will eventually resurrect across countless cycles of reincarnation!"

"Yet, the Celestial Clan should have long gone extinct, their will to live crushed by the curse. But now, one remains... and that’s terrible."

The Evil Codex clicked its tongue. "Because of this, the entire curse now falls on this girl alone. She must endure unimaginable suffering."

"But her will to survive is strong. Even while carving her own flesh, she refuses to scream. Gu Yan, seen enough? Let’s go."

"Tomorrow is the Day of Divine Punishment. This is the ‘food’ the Water God prepared for the villagers!"

Yet, no matter what the Evil Codex said, Gu Yan remained motionless.

His eyes were fixed on that frail figure, no older than him.

That day, he had refused the meat stew—and Leng Qingqiu had spoken up to protect him.

So... this was the truth?

This... was the true face of the gods?

A seed was planted in Gu Yan’s heart. His reverence and hope for the gods withered completely.

Ignoring the Evil Codex’s protests, he stepped forward.

And Leng Qingqiu, in the midst of her gruesome task, saw him—the witness to her torment.

Thus, their bond was forged.

The scene fast-forwarded once more. Gu Yan had the Evil Codex conjure food for the Day of Divine Punishment.

The cost? A day of his life.

On the eighth day, the Day of Divine Punishment arrived.

The food supply was replaced. Leng Qingqiu no longer had to carve her flesh to maintain this false peace.

After safely enduring the eighth day, she fully aligned herself with Gu Yan.

The truth was revealed—she was the last of the Celestial Clan.

The Water God, a sadistic being, had made her a living food supply to torment her and indulge in her own cruelty.

Watching humans feast on Celestial flesh while basking in their worship brought her immense satisfaction.

Gu Yan made a decision—he would help Leng Qingqiu escape, free her from the Water God’s grasp.

But divine power could pinpoint a person’s location effortlessly.

Alone, the two stood no chance.

Then, the Evil Codex spoke up—if it regained a fraction of its power, it could summon a dagger for Gu Yan.

With it, he could fight the gods.

Day after day, they bided their time in the Water God’s safe zone.

Every seventh day, Gu Yan sacrificed another day of his life to provide food.

Finally, after half a year—

Thanks to the traces of divine power lingering in the safe zone (small but safe), the Evil Codex had consumed enough.

It summoned a dagger named [Night].

A blade capable of slaying gods.

Time passed. The scene shifted.

When the next Day of Divine Punishment arrived—

Gu Yan shattered the Water God’s statue, absorbing her divine power.

He then slew the Divine Emissaries, Sally and Li Chuan, claiming fragments of their power.

The Water God sensed an anomaly and dispatched the [Divine Slave Puppets] it had once controlled and modified.

These were... the victims sacrificed in the divine envoys' deceit.

Gu Yan cut them down one by one.

Until the Water God's avatar attacked. With the power of his dagger and Leng Qingqiu's divine energy, they slew an avatar nearing the second tier of godhood.

Thus began... their path of godslaying.

Day after day, year after year.

The forbidden tome concealed their auras, shielding them from the gods' notice.

Using this advantage, they rallied humans who saw through the gods' true nature, building their forces.

They called themselves... the Godslayers!!

As one god after another fell to Gu Yan and Leng Qingqiu's coordinated assaults,

everyone realized that humans could indeed kill gods—and grow stronger from it!

Like leveling up in battle, each slain god infused their bodies with a peculiar energy that catalyzed their evolution.

According to the forbidden tome, this was the world's... [Spiritual Energy], selfishly sealed away by the gods.

Upon ascension to godhood, spiritual energy transformed into divine power.

When gods perished, their divine cores shattered, their power degrading back into spiritual energy that dispersed across the world, nourishing humanity.

During this time,

affection blossomed between Gu Yan and Leng Qingqiu.

Yet neither voiced it.

For... human survival was precarious, the gods overwhelming—this was no time for romance.

Time passed.

Another century slipped by.

Humanity's combat strength reached unprecedented heights,

now capable of clashing head-on with the gods.

Gu Yan, bearing the Power of Night, and Leng Qingqiu, with her divine lineage, remained untouched by age.

But Gu Yan... gradually lost his emotions under the dagger's influence.

Leng Qingqiu's divine powers resurged, even awakening another force within her—

a pink-hued energy... she didn't understand.

Yet from its emergence, the forbidden tome fell silent.

The ensuing battle was of unimaginable scale.

Countless gods perished; innumerable human warriors fell.

The collision of powers shattered the cosmos—stars fractured, the earth quaked ceaselessly.

Humanity's hope seemed within grasp!

But...

That night,

a golden eye tore open the sky.

Gu Yan had long known: the forbidden tome and another entity called [Love],

if merged, could threaten the Heavenly Dao and rewrite creation's rules!!

The tome and Love were once one, rent apart by the Dao's will.

The Night King was the sole key to reclaiming the tome's original power—

devouring the Heavenly Dao's energy to restore itself, then merging with Love to oppose the Dao!

Yet...

They were too late.

A single beam descended.

The entire human army... dissolved into dust.

Nor were the gods spared—annihilated alike.

Screams, lamentations.

Divine powers were reclaimed.

As if purging this flawed world, the Heavenly Dao erased all from the battlefield...

save Gu Yan and Leng Qingqiu.

Merely to deliver its verdict.

An icy, merciless voice resonated across the crumbling world—

skies torn asunder, lands disintegrating:

[The Heavenly Clan's curse shall haunt your bloodline for eternity.]

[Leng Qingqiu, everyone around you shall die.]

[Be it a century, millennia, eons, or countless cycles—this curse... will cling to you.]

[Your existence dooms all you cherish to gruesome ends... and you shall know no peace.]

[This is your fate, punishment for your clan's audacity to spy upon the Heavenly Dao.]

[As for the mortal who dared defy cosmic law... you too shall perish utterly.]

[The cosmos... needs but one Heavenly Dao.]

The words echoed in Leng Qingqiu's ears and Gu Yan's fading consciousness as his body crumbled.

The golden eye vanished, its arrogance absolute—the universe its plaything.

It seemed to savor Gu Yan's slow demise before Leng Qingqiu's eyes,

deepening her despair, branding her unworthy of life.

Light vanished from the world.

Gods and humans alike—erased without distinction.

To the Heavenly Dao, this world was its private garden, its inhabitants... ants to be crushed.

None mattered.

"Gu Yan..."

"We've lost. This era... will reset."

Leng Qingqiu clutched his disintegrating hand, grief-stricken—his lower half already gone.

But...

"We foresaw this."

"Victory... isn't for us in this lifetime."

Gu Yan managed a bitter smile: "Only... reality outdoes prophecy in cruelty."

With effort, he raised his hand—whoosh!

The forbidden tome materialized.

"Make a wish... Qingqiu."

His voice faltered as he pressed the tome into her grasp: "Fate... can be rewritten..."

"One life, two, or a hundred..."

"Trust... our future selves..."

"They... will succeed..."

"Wish... Qingqiu..."

"Our... only hope."

As his words faded,

Gu Yan's form dissolved into motes of dust... vanishing from her embrace.

Clutching the tome, Leng Qingqiu stood, her own body fracturing.

Alone in the void of a dying world,

she whispered:

"So you knew this ending all along."

"Our future selves, then..."

Her grip tightened. Despair could have claimed her—

but no longer.

For now...

She glared skyward, eyes blazing with defiance, and screamed:

"I WISH!"

"Let Gu Yan and I... have an ordinary happiness!!"

The tome's cosmic power stirred.

The wish ignited—its price, the pink energy within her.

Thus, destiny's wheel turned.

Gu Yan and Leng Qingqiu had wielded the Heavenly Dao's own force against it,

forging a sliver of hope.

That pink energy was... [Love].

Love and the forbidden tome's power were one—torn asunder by the Heavenly Dao,

for united, they threatened its reign.

The Heavenly Clan's progenitor had glimpsed this truth:

Love births miracles.

And Love... had found its way to Leng Qingqiu.

The cost of the wish...

To be with someone cursed by the Heavenly Dao and attain true happiness requires an unimaginably steep price.

And the [Love] within Leng Qingqiu, which shares its origin with the Heretical Codex... is precisely what can pay that price.

As Xiao Leng's body crumbled, the world dissolved into nothingness and reset.

Due to the [Heavenly Dao's Rules] of the Heretical Codex, Leng Qingqiu and Gu Yan entered a closed loop.

Their souls were preserved by the Heretical Codex, which also wielded the power of the Heavenly Dao, and they were reborn in an endless cycle of reincarnation.

The two sought even the faintest chance... to grasp happiness.

One lifetime, two lifetimes, three lifetimes... countless cycles, countless worlds.

Finally, at a critical juncture...

The [Universal Pure Love System] emerged.

This system, infused with the power of the Heavenly Dao... was born.

Its appearance had already been planned by Gu Yan in his first life.

Because he had witnessed all possible endings between himself and Leng Qingqiu through the Heretical Codex.

And it was precisely after seeing those endings that he laid down safeguards for his future selves.

To attain happiness with Leng Qingqiu, to defy the Heavenly Dao...

This was the only way... the only path forward...

Across a million cycles of reincarnation.

He witnessed every possible outcome, and only in the final world's ending was there the slightest glimmer of hope!!

Yet, though he could see it, he could not interfere. The path to seizing that hope depended entirely on what the Gu Yan of the one-millionth life would do.

The process would be agonizing, complex—this future Gu Yan would endure every trial and tribulation faced by his million predecessors.

Because only then... could Gu Yan truly see the path he must walk.

The one-millionth Gu Yan, wielding the Universal Pure Love System and the power of the Heretical Codex.

Two Heavenly Dao forces converging upon him—this was... their sole chance across a million lifetimes... to defy the Heavenly Dao!

......

.......

An immeasurable amount of time passed.

Whoosh—!!

A streak of white light flashed.

The surrounding scenery vanished, replaced by a pristine white void, silent in all directions.

Gu Yan opened his eyes. Before him stood a frail figure clad in rough hemp robes.

It was... his first-life self from memory!

The figure smiled and explained, "Hello, me of the one-millionth life. What you see is a pre-recorded message. If you're seeing this, it means your affection level with Leng Qingqiu has reached 100%. My purpose here is to clarify some things for you."

"First, your enemy is not the Nether Clan, nor the gods, but... the Heavenly Dao itself!"

"The only weapons capable of opposing the Heavenly Dao are the Heretical Codex and Xiao Ai, both of which wield Heavenly Dao power. Only the power of the Heavenly Dao can replace the Heavenly Dao."

"Second, the Universal Pure Love System was also part of my preparations. As your affection with Leng Qingqiu grows, so too will the memories you regain."

"To ensure you never forget love, I made you experience everything immersively. I trust you won't hold it against me."

Hearing this, Gu Yan understood. No wonder every time, he had to endure decades or even centuries of immersive experiences.

So it was all your doing.

Well... technically, his first-life self's doing.

The figure continued, now reaching the final point: "This lifetime has a unique aspect—you may encounter two Leng Qingqius with different personalities."

"Do not be confused. These two are, in truth, one and the same."

"However... one of them is special. She is actually............ zzzzzz......"

The words trailed off into static. Gu Yan froze.

Before he could make out what the pre-recorded message was saying—

"So, it's all up to you now, me of the one-millionth life."

"This is your... final chance."

Click.

The recording ended. His first-life self vanished with a wave and a smile.

Gu Yan: ?

Wait, what were you about to say?!

Whoosh!

The scene shifted.

Gu Yan slowly opened his eyes.

He surveyed his surroundings in the real world.

His expression grew solemn.

So the enemy truly was the Heavenly Dao...

Leng Qingqiu was of the Celestial Clan, burdened with her people's curse, which is why every life had been filled with suffering.

So that's how it is... The root of it all was the Heavenly Dao...

And his million-life scheme... had finally secured a sliver of hope for this lifetime.

That hope... lay in wielding two Heavenly Dao forces!!

Gu Yan took a deep breath.

He understood everything now.

The truth, his enemy, the path he must walk...

Now, there was one last thing to confirm.

He called softly, "Xiao Ai."

["I'm here, Host (〃'▽'〃)"]

Gu Yan looked at the system, which had clearly become more human-like, and sighed.

Honestly, I hate you cryptic types... Couldn't you just tell me directly?

I get it—you were afraid this-life me might not love Leng Qingqiu, ruining the plan. So you had to take it step by step.

Well, let me tell you, you severely underestimated the bond between me and Leng Qingqiu!!

Speaking of bonds...

Gu Yan opened his status panel, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes.

Because...

His affection level with his pure love target was... only at 99%.

Yet the recording had said he'd only see it at 100%.

Whatever.

Gu Yan shook his head. He was already prepared to exhaust every means to build a happy life with Leng Qingqiu.

Now, this only strengthened his resolve.

Of course, the most crucial thing was...

Gu Yan raised his right hand. A dagger rested quietly in his palm.

The dagger... was the ultimate weapon against the Heavenly Dao.

He hadn't wanted to use it, but now, he had no choice.

He needed to master the dagger's full power as soon as possible!

Fortunately... there were still four forbidden realms' powers left to absorb—that should help him better harness the Power of Night.

Break time was over.

It was time... to move again!

This final chance, this sliver of hope—he absolutely had to seize it!!