# Chapter 2009: The Last Evil God Seed
"But, young human, you are missing the most important thing." Lin Shen's tone suddenly shifted: "Caution!"
"As one from an outside world, you should know that once you are exposed in this world, you will inevitably draw attention. And you carry the inheritance of a Creation God—if this becomes known to others, you will be coveted by countless beings. At that time, your path will be far more than just difficult."
"And you have exposed all of this before my eyes. Are you not afraid that I will make everything about you known to the world?"
Yun Che said frankly, "Afraid, very afraid."
"If it were any other living being, I would be extremely cautious. My origins, the mission I have come with—all of these would be the greatest secrets I would strive to conceal."
"Only with you, Senior, would I dare to be sincere. And only by being sincere could I be worthy of receiving sincerity from you in return."
"Because," Yun Che smiled slightly, "I trust even more that you, as the last Qilin of the Abyss, would never allow the final Lin light shining upon you to be stained in the slightest."
In plain words, it meant that betraying others—especially betraying the inheritor of one's benefactor and one who sought to "sacrifice himself to save the world"—would tarnish the glory of the Qilin clan, and might even be criticized and ridiculed by later generations.
He was the last Qilin, and he was surely bound to protect the final glory and nobility of the Qilin clan.
Exactly the same exhortation, implied threat, and suggestion could yield completely different results for different people, or even different races.
If faced with a figure like Cang Shitian, telling him to remember kindness, to sacrifice himself to protect the final glory of Canglan... the only response would be having his head smashed to pieces by Cang Shitian's palm.
But before him stood Lin Shen!
"Hehehehe, what a sharp tongue."
Lin Shen was not an ordinary existence—how could he fail to detect the veiled "implication" in his words? "But it seems you have forgotten that this place is called the 'Lin Shen Realm,' specially created for me by Yuan Huang. Yuan Huang's kindness to me is known to all the world. When it comes to such a major matter concerning the future of the Abyss, I may conceal it from others, but I have no reason to hide it from Yuan Huang. You... are you not afraid?"
The smile on Yun Che's face did not diminish. "Senior Lin Shen need not test and tease me any further. I know that the relationship between you and Yuan Huang is not what the world has spread it to be. On the contrary, I dare to guess... that there is a rather significant rift between you and Yuan Huang on certain matters—or perhaps on multiple matters."
"..." The divine light in Lin Shen's eyes suddenly stopped flowing.
He did not refute. Instead, he was astonished at how Yun Che had learned this.
Yun Che continued, "To be honest with you, Senior, I have only arrived in the Abyss for a mere month. I know very little of this world, and I have certainly never had any contact with Yuan Huang, who sits at the highest position. The reason I think this way is actually quite simple." He swept his gaze around him; everywhere he looked was yellow sand. "The legends I have heard about the Lin Shen Realm say that Yuan Huang and Senior Lin Shen are old friends from a distant era. To protect you, Yuan Huang specially created this realm."
"Everyone in the Linyuan Realm admires and praises Yuan Huang for this act. Everyone firmly believes that the dense earth force in this secret realm was bestowed by Yuan Huang—a supreme gift from him that cost him immense effort. It is this gift that has preserved the last Qilin bloodline to this day."
"But! When I realized that the Element Seed I was seeking was likely with you, I understood that what has kept Senior Lin Shen alive all these years is the Element Seed of the Element Creation God, not 'Yuan Huang's gift.'"
"Therefore, when the 'most superficial understanding' shows such a huge deviation, the things I consider will naturally differ at the root from what others think." He gazed into Lin Shen's eyes, sensing every change in the gleam of his pupils. "So, if we set aside 'Yuan Huang's gift' and think about it a little, it becomes clear: If Senior Lin Shen and Yuan Huang truly had such a deep friendship, if Yuan Huang truly wanted to preserve the last Qilin, why would he not have placed you in the Pure Land, where there is no Abyss Dust?"
Lin Shen: "..."
"If it is said that the Pure Land, as a supreme existence, cannot make exceptions to accommodate others, then why did Yuan Huang not place you in one of the six great Divine Kingdoms, which can largely block out Abyss Dust?"
"Senior Lin Shen is not only extremely powerful but also known throughout the world as a benevolent and auspicious beast—moreover, the last Qilin. Any divine kingdom that obtained you would only take pride in it; there would be no reason to reject you."
"Yet the result is that Senior Lin Shen is not in the Pure Land, not in any divine kingdom, and not even close to any divine kingdom. Instead, you are in this remote place far from all divine kingdoms. Upon careful reflection, this seems more like... an exile."
"If it is exile, then the existence of the Lin Shen Realm is not protection, but rather 'imprisonment.'"
"The Lin Shen Realm opens once every hundred jiazi. Each time, an Abyss Knight is specially dispatched to open it and supervise the entire process. Everyone who enters must strictly abide by the rules set by Yuan Huang back then."
"For a remote place, why expend so much effort? Why periodically dispatch an Abyss Knight all the way from the Pure Land? Unless it is..."
"Surveillance!"
Yun Che paused, but for a long while, he did not receive any denial or refutation from Lin Shen. He continued, "I tried to put myself in Yuan Huang's position and deduce forward the reason for his actions. The conclusion I reached is that the friendship between you and Yuan Huang was broken by a sufficiently great disagreement. And the most likely cause of that disagreement..."
"Is that you learned of some secret concerning Yuan Huang."
As his voice fell, he clearly saw countless fine cracks explode in Lin Shen's pupils.
Originally, he had less than forty percent confidence in this guess. But the reaction of Lin Shen's eyes told him he was correct. It was not difficult for him to reach this conclusion. Yuan Huang had exiled Lin Shen to this remote place, effectively imprisoning him, periodically surveilling him, and personally establishing various rules for entering the Lin Shen Realm... All of these pointed to one purpose: Yuan Huang did not want Lin Shen to have contact with the six Divine Kingdoms, or even with any living being of a slightly higher plane.
Thus, the most likely possibility was that Lin Shen knew some forbidden secret of Yuan Huang. And Yuan Huang, unwilling—or unable—to kill Lin Shen, and not wanting to arouse the world's suspicion, had no choice but to resort to this, cloaking it in the guise of a gift.
Perhaps it was precisely because he was a Qilin, with that universally known nature, that Yuan Huang chose this approach. If it had been another race... when it came to the forbidden secrets of an emperor, no matter how deep the former friendship, they would be utterly annihilated.
"Remarkable."
Lin Shen's voice carried deep surprise and admiration. "Such a youthful life aura, yet you can see through it so... accurately. No wonder you are his inheritor, no wonder you are a human worthy of inheriting the power of a Creation God."
The same praise, but now filled with many times more admiration than before.
Yun Che said, "Senior Lin Shen flatters me too much. If anyone else knew that the Eternal Earth Divine Power of this place did not come from Yuan Huang's gift, they would easily reach this conclusion."
"Hehe, no need to be modest. Over the years, how many humans at the Divine Lord extreme level have come here, yet none dared to approach even half a step. But you, with a Divine Sovereign body, stand proudly before me without any inferiority. By that alone, you are already far above your kin."
Yun Che: "..."
"So now, Senior Lin Shen, will you allow me to take back the Element Seed?"
Yun Che restrained all his expressions and calmly looked into Lin Shen's eyes.
Lin Shen said, "Why do you not first ask what Yuan Huang's secret is?"
"Of course, I very much want to know." Yun Che slowly shook his head. "But if I ask that question, it would undoubtedly be an insult to you, Senior."
"Hahahaha!" Lin Shen burst into loud laughter. As his aura was no longer heavy and condensed, the surrounding world was stirred by his laughter into chaotic gusts of sand and wind. "Well answered, well answered indeed..."
The words "well answered" made Yun Che slightly furrow his brow.
The cause, the reasoning, the temperament, the purpose... even the response to every sentence—it was all "too perfect," with no mistakes or flaws.
As if it had been rehearsed countless times in his mind.
But having no flaws was itself a kind of flaw.
Yet Lin Shen seemed not to notice this "flaw." After his laughter, his voice was completely gentle. "Young human, do you know which of your words I liked the most?"
Yun Che thought for a moment and said, "Could it be... 'It is no accident that this Element Seed that fell into the Abyss ended up in the hands of Senior Lin Shen. Only a Qilin is worthy of receiving this protection from a Creation God'?"
"No." Lin Shen gave him a negative answer. "'My arrival is the greatest surprise of your long years.' That sentence has pierced the soul of me for these hundreds of thousands of years."
"..." Yun Che's heart and soul trembled violently.
Just as he was about to speak, a yellow light fell before his eyes... and a tremendous, intense tremor suddenly erupted from his Evil God's Mysterious Vein.
Yun Che looked up instinctively. A yellow lightstar was descending from the sky, slowly falling toward Yun Che.
Each moment it drew closer to Yun Che, its light grew deeper, and the tremor in Yun Che's profound veins grew more violent. Yun Che had no mind left for words. He extended his palm, eagerly and carefully catching this yellow lightstar in his hand. In an instant, all the Evil God Seeds in his profound veins released their divine radiance. A deep sense of satisfaction and elation surged within him, spreading to every corner of his body.
His palm closed, tightly gathering this final Evil God Seed.
"Hehe." Sensing Yun Che's barely restrained excitement, Lin Shen let out an especially calm laugh. "Actually, the first reason was more than enough. My life has been preserved to this day all because of the grace given by the Element Creation God. I thought it would be hard to repay. Yet you have appeared before me."
"Your arrival is a gift from the heavens. Because I can finally repay the great kindness of the Element Creation God... and finally pass on in peace."
"As for saving the Abyss... the collapse of the Abyss is irreversible. You cannot save the Abyss. No one can save the Abyss."
"...!?" Yun Che's head shot up. "Senior Lin Shen, what do you mean by that?"
"I cannot say." Lin Shen replied. "Inheritor of the Element Creation God, whether your words about wanting to save the Abyss are true or false, I hope you can leave the Abyss as soon as possible and return to the world where you were born."
Yun Che was about to speak and ask, when his heart suddenly moved intensely.
Cannot say?
Could it be... related to the secret of Yuan Huang that he had to guard with his life?
The Abyss is bound to collapse? Yuan Huang's secret?!
"Do not press further." Lin Shen's voice overrode Yun Che's impending words. "You need only remember: the Abyss is fated to collapse. His obsession is the most terrifying thing in this world, and no one can defy it. I have lingered on until now only in unwillingness and helplessness, waiting for that day to come."
The Abyss is fated to collapse...
His obsession?
He... refers to Yuan Huang?
Yuan Huang... obsession... collapse of the Abyss...
No, no, no!
The Abyss was built by Yuan Huang. The relative stability of the Abyss today is also the work of Yuan Huang's life's efforts. The Abyss Knights under his command exist to maintain the order of the Abyss.
Lin Shen's words surely should not be understood in that way.
Then what is it...
Now was clearly not the time for excessive speculation. Yun Che wisely did not press further. He exhaled softly, bowed solemnly, and said, "Very well. Thank you for your advice, Senior. Thank you for your generosity."
"The power of the Element Creation God was always meant to belong to you. What is there to thank or to grant?"
In just a few words, the divine light flowing from Lin Shen's eyes had dimmed noticeably.
"This Element Seed has been within my body for many years. While it preserved my life, it also became connected to my life source. What covers it is my own Origin Divine Power. Do not be hasty in merging with the Element Seed. Instead, as you fuse with it, slowly refine my Origin Divine Power. It will surely greatly aid your progress."
The moment Yun Che touched the Evil God Earth Seed, he had already sensed the extremely dense Qilin Origin.
Lin Shen could have simply separated the Evil God Seed from his life source. Without the Evil God Seed, his remaining life source would have allowed him to continue living for many more years.
But by doing this, he would undoubtedly cause his remaining life aura to rapidly dissipate.
All for the sake of fulfilling Yun Che, all for repaying the Evil God's grace.
"Very well..."
Without any pretentious words, Yun Che nodded heavily. "I will begin refining immediately. I will not waste a single bit of your painstaking effort."
"No, this is not the place for refining."
Not only the light in his eyes, but even his voice had weakened too noticeably by several degrees. "Because this realm is connected to my life aura. After I pass away, this Lin Shen Realm will collapse within three hours."
"And the time I have left is no more than a hundred breaths."
"...!?" Yun Che's gaze sharpened.
He wanted to say that with the Qilin's great power, even if he abandoned his Origin Power, he should not fade so quickly.
But before his words left his mouth, two brilliant yellow lightstars slowly descended before him, shining with a yellow Lin light so dense it filled his entire field of vision.
"My body has long been more than half eroded by Abyss Dust. If not for that Element Seed, I would have long become an Abyss Beast like my ancestor, the former Lin Shen... And these are the last pure source blood and pure source marrow I have left. The strongest protection of our Qilin race, the 'Qilin Sacred Hall,' is also engraved within them."
"This is my only repayment to the Element Creation God... May they become a help to you in your life hereafter."
"..." Yun Che's mouth opened. He could not reach out, could not speak.
"Leave this realm quickly, find a stable place... The reborn Element Creation God, the reborn Evil God—hehehehe, how anticipated he is."
His laughter was already exceptionally weak, like the fading evening wind. But there was no resentment or indignation—only peace and satisfaction.
Yun Che's eyes lowered slightly, and he said softly, "Senior's kindness... this junior has no way to repay."
His words to Lin Shen were half true and half false. His only purpose was to retrieve the Earth Seed without bloodshed.
And Lin Shen... though he clearly saw through that his words were half-truth and half-falsehood, he did not expose him. Not only did he return the seed, but he gave his all in return.
This was... the Qilin God.
"My Lin light was meant to vanish forever with me. But now, to shine once again upon the inheritor of the Element Creation God... I have no regret, only content."
"..." All words of gratitude were but pale. Yun Che slowly extended his hand and solemnly received these two heavy gifts from Lin Shen into his palm.
[Thanks to all the big bosses for their tips and rewards. Bosses are truly oblivious~~~]