Chapter 2116: Shadow of Ni Jie
The image faded, the fragments scattered, and Yun Che's soul sea fell into a deathly stillness.
A stillness like never before.
Yun Che and Li Suo both sank into a long silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Suo spoke softly, her voice ethereal: "If Mo E had informed the world of the truth about the Ancestral Sword and the Myriad Calamity Wheel's existence earlier, would the outcome have been different?"
Yun Che responded, his tone distant: "Impossible."
"Why?"
"Many reasons..." Yun Che's voice came slowly: "The essence of the Ancestral Sword and the Myriad Calamity Wheel was completely unknown to the Four Creation Gods and the Four Demon Emperors. As a 'correction' that existed, it was indeed a secret of the Ancestral God that could not be known to the world."
"Mo E's knowledge came from being told by the Ancestral Sword Spirit — an act of confiding, and also an entrustment. And with Mo E's extremely upright nature, how could he easily reveal the secret of the Ancestral God to others?"
"Moreover, this truth is too heavy. Once known, the two supreme weapons in perception would become a judgment blade forever hanging overhead. The higher one's position, the more they would bear an eternal, inescapable suppression of the soul. I think if Mo E could choose again, he would rather never know."
"I am even more convinced that until the moment he personally buried Mo Su in the Abyss of Nothingness, he never thought of telling him all the reasons."
"Why...?" Li Suo asked the same two words.
Yun Che's soul sea contracted violently. It seemed he took a while to recover before speaking softly: "Mo E, after all, loved his son. He chose to personally bury and extinguish him, but he also must have wished for him to die with no regrets, steadfast heart, and tragic valor — not with confusion and regret... Just like Qingyue, until she fell into the abyss, she only wished for me to have pure hatred for her."
He remembered the ancient records of the Dragon God, the last words about the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor Mo E:
「At the peak of the Divine Palace, the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor gazed at the sky and closed his eyes, passing away at the end of his life. His last divine words were the name 'Mo Su.'」
Back then, when he and Qianye Ying'er read this record, aside from shock, they felt more mockery and doubt. As a father himself, he couldn't imagine what situation would make a person cruel enough to kill his own child... Since he had already cut off all ties and killed him, why would he still mournfully miss him at the end?
Yun Che muttered absently: "Ever since I received the Evil God's inheritance, some remote 'truths' have been pieced together bit by bit in my understanding."
"Initially, the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor in my perception was a Creation God who was rigid to the point of foolishness. Many fragments of information and various records pointed to him as the origin of all calamities. It was his autocracy, his cold-blooded ruthlessness, that ultimately led to the extinction of the Era of Gods and Demons, and also led to the 'Crimson Disaster' that nearly destroyed the current era."
"As for the Evil God, in my perception, he was always a savior figure. He single-handedly cleaned up the mess left by the end of the Era of Gods and Demons, quelled all aftereffects, sealed the Slay Moon Demon Lord and the Evil Infant Myriad Calamity Wheel, and left behind his inheritance and will. Through his successor... that is, me, he stopped the Calamity Demon Emperor and saved the present era."
"The Calamity Demon Emperor's anger and hatred towards Mo E deepened my negative view of the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor."
"But..." Yun Che's voice carried a hint of sorrow: "The shadow of the Evil God I saw was so desolate and dejected. When I asked him then if he hated Mo E, he answered 'I have no right to hate,' leaving me confused for a very long time..."
All sins lie with me, not with him...
The former title of Element Creation God was not abandoned; rather, I am no longer worthy... The subsequent seclusion was not out of utter despair, but because I have no face to face the world...
This world was built upon my sins...
Back then, the words he couldn't understand finally had a clear enough answer at this moment.
"The Evil God does not hate Mo E; he hates himself. He thinks that if not for his union with the Calamity Demon Emperor, if not for him leading Mo Su step by step to break free from the shackles of convention, and even encouraging him to break through the barrier between gods and demons to fall in love with Pan Ming's daughter... none of what followed would have happened. He believes he harmed the Calamity Demon Emperor, harmed their daughter, harmed Mo Su, harmed Mo E... and ultimately led to the end of the Era of Gods and Demons."
"And the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor Mo E also hates himself. The Heaven-Slaying Ancestral Sword was swung three times in history. And these three unprecedented supreme strikes..."
"The first strike was swung at his own son, severing familial bonds."
"The second strike was swung at the Calamity Demon Emperor, severing a friendship."
"The third strike seemed to be swung at the Evil God, but in truth, it was swung at himself, severing the rest of his own life."
Yun Che let out a long sigh: "Mo E gave up his son and himself to maintain the foundation of balance in the world of gods and demons; Ni Xuan, until his death, was concerned about the safety of future generations... But why did their lives end in such a way..."
"What is right, what is wrong... what is true, what is false..."
"Why is it that the more I know, the less clearly I can see right and wrong, truth and falsehood..."
"Then... everything I have done now... the right and wrong I have always believed in... are they truly what I think they are? Is the reality I perceive merely a blurry reflection of illusion?"
"Even the Evil God and the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor are like this... Then my so-called unshakable persistence... is it really pointing in the direction I think it is..."
"Yun Che...?"
"Yun Che!"
"YUN CHE!!"
A divine radiance, too blinding for the soul, suddenly burst forth in the sea of souls, finally calming his too-chaotic spiritual turmoil.
Li Suo's hazy figure materialized in Yun Che's soul sea with a holy white glow, radiating a warmth that could soothe all souls in the world.
Her gentle voice, from the very center of his soul sea, softly penetrated every string of his soul: "You once said that in this world, perhaps there has never been true right and wrong, good and evil. What is more important than adhering to right and wrong, good and evil, is adhering to one's stand."
Yun Che: "..."
"At first, I couldn't understand those words of yours. Because the boundary between right and wrong, good and evil, was very clear in my perception."
"Until I watched you commit evil deeds again and again, and again and again sensed the pain in your soul."
"If there were no good thoughts, why would your soul ache because of evil deeds?"
"If your heart were good, why would you never stop stepping into the abyss of evil?"
Her voice became even softer, like a gentle breeze brushing clouds, like morning dew condensing: "My cognition is incomplete, and my thoughts have always been as slow as you said. But over the years, watching everything you've done and sensing every fluctuation of your soul, I have slowly come to understand your words back then."
"Your stand, your persistence, everything you must protect, has surpassed the concepts of right and wrong, good and evil in your eyes, and even surpassed your own existence. So, even if every step is on thorns that pierce your soul, you never hesitate, never stop."
When she first entered the abyss, she constantly questioned, constantly sighed, time and again confused and helpless... Later, she would always watch silently, give reminders, give comfort, and occasionally give advice that was never adopted.
"Even I have gradually come to recognize and accept it. So why should you doubt the persistence you have always held?"
The soul sea was silent. After a long time, Yun Che's voice, somewhat strange, sounded: "I didn't know before that you were quite good at comforting people."
"..." Li Suo said uncertainly: "Is that... a compliment?"
Yun Che laughed, his tone very natural: "Don't worry. I've been through all kinds of messy things. My will isn't as fragile as you think. I was just a little confused a moment ago."
In truth, it was far from "a little."
"A Creation God symbolizing holiness and ultimate good actually acknowledges that stand transcends good and evil? If your believers from back then knew, their faith would probably collapse." Yun Che's tone was strange. "I'm a bit curious. What would your stand be?"
Unexpectedly, Li Suo answered him directly: "Of course, my stand is you."
"..." Yun Che was slightly stunned.
"If the end of the path beneath your feet is a great evil fruit, I will bear it together with you. After all, I am the one you called 'an accomplice to evil,' and also an incomplete Creation God."
"So, there is no need to be anxious or confused anymore. You are not Ni Xuan, nor Mo E. You are the unique Yun Che. I hope, and I believe, that the fate you walk towards will be different from theirs."
"Mm..." Yun Che pretended to think: "Your words suddenly have a bit of the divine nature of a Creation God... They actually moved me a little."
Li Suo: "...?"
A faint glimmer of white light shimmered deep within the soul sea.
It was the last memory fragment left by the Evil God.
But when this memory fragment appeared, it released a soul aura completely different from before.
"This soul aura..." Li Suo expressed deep confusion: "Belongs to... me?"
"Strange!" Yun Che was also startled. "How could the Evil God have a memory fragment belonging to you? Unless you gave it to him."
"..." Li Suo could not recall.
The soul aura released by this memory fragment was extremely weak, with a heavy sense of incompleteness. Either faded by time or damaged by external force.
The white light on the fragment scattered, spreading a pure white world in Yun Che's consciousness.
When the world gradually became clear, Yun Che once again saw the outline of the Life Temple.
Only, the image was exceptionally blurry, with signs of collapse and ruin everywhere.
In the image, a white immortal silhouette slowly walked towards the Eternal Pivot... Even blurry as mist, her peerless divine posture was still recognizable as the Life Creation God Li Suo.
She reached out her hand, and a white light covered the slumbering girl within the Eternal Pivot. She murmured softly: "There is actually such a special soul base and soul source in the world. Neither human, nor god, nor demon."
"Is this... the union of god and demon?"
At that moment, the white light covering the girl suddenly dissipated.
The space twisted slightly, and above the girl, a faint, illusory yet real shadow slowly emerged.
Yun Che could not see the full appearance of this shadow, but he could vaguely make out a girl's silhouette with long hair as dark as night and skin as white as snow... but not the hair color of Hong'er, nor Hong'er's figure.
Facing this suddenly appearing girl's shadow, Li Suo's hand froze in mid-air, remaining motionless for a long time.
Even she, the Life Creation God, was lost in a prolonged trance.
The girl spoke, her voice ethereal like an illusion: "Greetings, Senior Li Suo. This is our first meeting. My name is Ni Jie, the daughter of my father Ni Xuan and my mother Jie Yuan."
Only then did Li Suo gently lower her snowy hand, her eyes still fixed on the girl's shadow: "There exists... such a beautiful thing in the world..."
She was the Life Creation God, who gathered all the elegance and grace of the remote era, yet she let out a soul-losing exclamation that only mortals would make when facing her.
The girl continued, her voice carrying a hint of urgency: "Before my father separated my demon soul, I secretly hid a wisp of my soul. Fortunately, his mind was too troubled to notice. But my existence now only lasts for these final few dozens of breaths."
"I beg the kindest and most beautiful Senior Li Suo: when you solidify the soul of my new body, please do not completely seal my soul base and soul source. Instead, leave a gap."
Li Suo looked at her: "Why?"
"Because my father could not bear to annihilate my demon soul. He hid it away. So, as long as my soul base is not sealed and my soul source is not extinguished, if one day I can touch my demon soul again, there might still be a chance to return to wholeness."
After a brief silence, Li Suo slowly shook her head: "No."
"Although I do not know the details, Ni Xuan was able to endure the pain and do this. It is very likely related to a promise with Mo E. He is not one to break a promise, and Mo E is even less tolerant of broken promises."
"Senior Li Suo is very clever." The girl praised, seemingly with a smile, as if she had no fear of the eternal dissolution about to come: "But I am just a woman who understands nothing. I don't care about the promises of you adults. No matter how many promises, they are not as important as my father's safety."
"My father's... safety?"
"Hasn't Senior Li Suo noticed? My father's divine soul has already shattered."
"..." Li Suo did not deny.
"He is too pained, too guilty, too self-blaming. The Creation God's soul has cracked in so many places. He now only wants to hide and sleep... And if his soul continues to shatter like this, his slumber will grow longer and longer. Perhaps he won't even have a hundred years of wakefulness in a million years."
"I... am powerless." Li Suo's voice was filled with deep helplessness and guilt. She could save all living beings, but she could not save a Creation God with a shattered soul.
"But I have a way to repair my father's divine soul."
The girl's figure visibly faded a bit, and her voice became more urgent: "Also, I heard Senior Mo E say with his own mouth that his promise to the Ancestral Sword Spirit, his intolerance of the fusion of gods and demons, would continue until the end of his life. That is to say, after his death, all grievances, persistence, and promises will naturally dissolve."
"So, I will not make things difficult for my father and Senior Li Suo. Even if I want to return to wholeness, it will definitely be after Senior Mo E's death. Senior Li Suo, please, I beg you. Otherwise, my father will truly... slowly fall into an eternal slumber."
"But," Li Suo said, "if we do not seal the soul base and soul source, your new body and mind will never grow, forever remaining in the state of a young girl. And the possibility of returning to wholeness is infinitely slim. Even so, do you still insist?"
"Mm!" The girl responded without any hesitation: "I cannot let my father remain so bitter forever. Even if there is only the slightest hope, I must save him. This is something I must do as a daughter. Otherwise, when Mother comes back, she will surely be very sad and upset..."
Mother... come back?
Li Suo did not correct the girl's "fantasy" about her mother's return.
The girl's figure weakened further, leaving only a faint mist.
"Senior Li Suo, please promise me. As repayment, I can tell Senior Li Suo a very big secret. When Father fought with Senior Mo E, I discovered that I could... sense... the Ance..."
The girl's illusory figure suddenly dissipated completely along with her voice.
Leaving Li Suo frozen in place for a long time.