Condensing Divinity

One week later.

The three great families and all other clans involved in the Demon Weapon experiments were purged by the Sword Holding Department.

Their crimes were also exposed on a massive scale by concerned citizens and spread across the internet.

People around the world were outraged.

"The three great families are utterly inhumane!"

"The Demon Weapon experiments are sheer madness!"

"Leader Leng is righteous—finally, these global tumors have been eradicated!"

...

...

Alliance Headquarters.

After finishing her work for the day, Leng Qingqiu returned to her office.

Over the past week, she had employed ruthless measures to eliminate everyone connected to the Demon Weapon experiments and those involved in the extermination of the Leng Family.

With this,

her vengeance had come to an end.

Yet, the thought left Leng Qingqiu with an inexplicable sense of emptiness.

It was as if the sudden fulfillment of her long-held goal had left her adrift.

Originally, her plan had been to complete her revenge, conceal her identity, and spend the rest of her life with Gu Yan.

But reality had turned out differently—most of her vengeance had relied on Gu Yan...

And now, Gu Yan was no longer by her side.

During their last meeting, she had sensed an overwhelming aura emanating from him, one so powerful that even she felt uneasy.

She couldn’t understand what Gu Yan had done to achieve such rapid breakthroughs in his cultivation.

Moreover, he had mentioned that the world would soon face a great calamity caused by the Night King.

What exactly was this disaster?

And why did it have to be instigated by the Night King?

Leng Qingqiu rested her head on the desk, her thoughts in turmoil. Was Gu Yan trying to make her the enemy of the entire world?

And then... was his ultimate goal to have her kill him and become a hero?

This was another point Leng Qingqiu couldn’t comprehend.

Why...

Why would Gu Yan do this?

Haven’t we already eliminated all our enemies?

At that moment—

[No enemies? My other self, if there were no enemies, Gu Yan wouldn’t go to such lengths for nothing.]

"Xiao Leng?"

Leng Qingqiu froze. What did that mean?

She couldn’t help but ask, "Are there still enemies in this world?"

Even if there were, couldn’t they handle them together?

[Not in this world... but beyond the heavens, there are.]

[My other self, I’m keeping this from you for your own good. Just trust Gu Yan, and... when the time comes... kill him!]

[He has already planned everything.]

[If you don’t want to kill him... then you can try to break through to the Divine Rank yourself. But I must warn you—even the Divine Rank might not be enough.]

[You must surpass the Divine Rank and reach the highest realm this world can offer.]

"......"

"Xiao Leng... you’ve known everything all along, haven’t you?"

Leng Qingqiu had suspected as much for a long time.

But it wasn’t until yesterday, when she discovered that the Evil Codex—which should have been hers—was in Gu Yan’s possession, that she finally confirmed it.

Xiao Leng and Gu Yan had long since struck some secret agreement.

[You were meant to know, but... keeping you in the dark is for your own good.]

Xiao Leng left some things unsaid.

Because of her identity, she was destined to be the one to carry out that task in this lifetime.

Leng Qingqiu understood now that no matter how much she pressed, Xiao Leng wouldn’t answer her questions.

But at the very least, she knew one thing—

If she could surpass the Divine Rank, she might be able to change everything!

Yes!

Leng Qingqiu’s resolve solidified.

As long as she broke through beyond the Divine Rank, she could... bring Gu Yan back!!

Sensing Leng Qingqiu’s thoughts, Xiao Leng sighed inwardly.

The path Leng Qingqiu envisioned was also a dead end...

Because there simply wasn’t enough time for her to reach a level beyond the Divine Rank.

According to the prophetic visions she had seen in the Evil Codex, shortly after the Night King brought about the great calamity—

An even greater disaster... would follow.

Knock, knock—!

At that moment, a knock came at the door.

"Leader, there’s a woman outside who claims to be your sister."

?

Leng Qingqiu snapped out of her thoughts, confusion flashing across her face.

Sister?

Since when did she have a sister?

Frowning, Leng Qingqiu said, "Let her in."

......

......

Deep within the Forbidden Zone of Monsters.

A black-robed figure hovered high in the sky—Gu Yan.

His cloak billowed violently in the raging winds, the Power of Night swirling around him like dark vortices, as if ready to devour everything in its path.

Thunderclouds churned, and lightning crackled around him, the very sky responding to his power.

For an entire week, Gu Yan had remained suspended in this position, unmoving.

His purpose?

To condense a Divine Core and ascend to the Divine Rank!!

However, the conditions for forging a Divine Core were harsh.

One could either seize another’s Divine Core and refine it... or forge one through sheer conviction.

Whoosh!

The Evil Codex flew out from within Gu Yan’s body.

It opened its pages and spat out a dull, grayish crystal, grumbling, "Gu Yan, I’m begging you."

"Just use the Death God’s Divine Core, won’t you?"

"It’s been so long, and you haven’t succeeded in forging your own. Besides, isn’t this still a Divine Core? What’s the difference which one you use to ascend?"

"I’ve already purged the Heavenly Dao’s influence from this core—just refine it already!"

Yet,

Gu Yan remained silent and unmoving.

"Ugh! You’re impossible!"

"Fine! Do whatever you want! Try forging your own, then!!"

Frustrated, the Evil Codex flew back into Gu Yan’s body.

But moments later, it emerged again, pleading, "Gu Yan, I’m serious—just listen to me."

"Forging a Divine Core on your own is nearly impossible!"

"Especially since the Power of Night has stripped you of all emotion. To forge a core, you need unshakable conviction—something only your first incarnation’s human comrades ever possessed!"

"How can you possibly achieve that now?"

"We have a perfectly good core right here—just use it, alright?"

"If you keep this up, those gods are going to come for us..."

The Evil Codex circled Gu Yan anxiously.

But Gu Yan remained indifferent.

His eyes stayed shut. The Death God’s Divine Core was usable, but... no.

For some reason, he didn’t want to ascend through the path of death.

Even though he had lost all emotion, an inexplicable sensation lingered in his heart.

A feeling that grew stronger whenever he thought of Leng Qingqiu.

Gu Yan’s mind raced, countless scenes flashing before him—each one a tapestry of blood, fire, victory, and defeat.

These were the memories of a million cycles of reincarnation.

Failure. Failure. And more failure.

He had known despair. He had known collapse. He had even considered giving up.

But...

But then he realized something.

Amidst all these memories, all these emotions,

there was one constant.

A force purer and more powerful than anything else—one that could transcend life and death itself.

What was it?

Why... had he done all this?

Suddenly.

A scene flashed through Gu Yan's mind.

In every memory, he had always protected those he wished to guard...

Leng Qingqiu.

That's right.

This was it.

The one unwavering conviction he had upheld from beginning to end.

And that was... to be with Leng Qingqiu!!

The divine essence he sought to condense was none other than...

【Love】!!

Only with love as its foundation could he manifest his true divine essence.

Gu Yan took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

His heart began pounding violently, a surge of warmth swelling in his chest.

"With love as the source, condense the divine essence."

Gu Yan murmured, slowly pressing his palms together. The Power of Night swirled around him, gradually coalescing into a faintly glowing divine core.

Xie Dian: "!!!"

The Xie Dian beside him shuddered in shock.

This power was... the force of pure love?!

Xiao Ai's power?

No... This was Gu Yan's own power of love, merely materialized through Xiao Ai's influence.

As long as love resided in one's heart... could even a divine essence be condensed from it?!

But... hadn't he lost his emotions? How could love still dwell within him?

Xie Dian shut his mouth, not daring to interrupt.

Time passed.

The pink divine essence in Gu Yan's hands grew brighter, radiating a warm glow that pierced through the darkness, as if illuminating the entire Forbidden Zone of Monsters.

Even the storm clouds above seemed to waver at this moment—the thunderous roars softened, and the tempest gradually stilled.

The sky over the Forbidden Zone transformed into a vast, pink ocean.

Countless heart-shaped bubbles of peach-colored love continuously surged from the divine essence, drifting in all directions, carrying boundless affection and warmth.

Below.

Old Gao reached out and touched one of the bubbles.

Instantly...

A wave of love flooded his heart, and he recalled every cherished moment with his beloved from his youth.

Gazing at the pink sky and Gu Yan's figure, he sighed inwardly.

Truly worthy of the young master who never stopped preaching about love.

Though he had never witnessed a god's ascension, his young master's spectacle was undoubtedly one of a kind.

Boom!

Suddenly, a dazzling pillar of light shot into the heavens, the pink divine essence shimmering brilliantly within it, bursting with radiant splendor.

At that moment, the entire Forbidden Zone seemed purified—all darkness washed away and cleansed by this pure force of love.

The divine essence... was complete!