# 1576
Chapter 1576: Night Watch's Path of Starlight
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"The power of the Gate of Truth is not something you can resist." The Queen Mother of the West immediately shook her head. "Lin Qiye, you cannot vouch for him."
"Then add me to that."
A voice came from behind the crowd. Zhou Ping, carrying the black case on his back, walked over to stand beside Lin Qiye and An Qingyu.
"They are my students. I will be responsible for them." Zhou Ping spoke with utmost seriousness.
"And me." A figure leaped down from the top of a nearby palace, carrying a gilded red rod, and landed steadily beside Lin Qiye. "Old Jade Emperor, others may fear you, but I don't... Lin Qiye, this kid, I'm determined to protect!"
Sun Wukong tilted his head back to gaze at the Jade Emperor in the sky, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Don't forget, there's also me." Gilgamesh's voice drifted languidly from behind Lin Qiye.
At the same time, a wisp of smoke rose from Lin Qiye's shadow, and the hooded figure emerged silently to stand at his side...
After a brief moment of silence, the aged figure wrapped in a gray cloak also walked slowly to Lin Qiye's side.
"If anything goes wrong, I can fix it." Wang Mian met Lin Qiye's gaze. "I understand your feelings... If I were in your position, I would make the same choice."
A bolt of lightning tore across the sky, and in an instant, those several silhouettes wrapped in black cloaks also arrived beside Lin Qiye.
Wang Mian, Wu "Old Dog," Lin Qiye—they were all captains of special squads, and they were the ones on this field who truly understood what Lin Qiye was feeling.
Zhou Ping, Sun Wukong, Gilgamesh, Number 27, Wang Mian, [Medium]... At this moment, behind those three figures in deep crimson cloaks, it was no longer empty.
This was Lin Qiye, this was [Night Watch]. This was the foundation they had accumulated over the past few years.
Seeing this scene, Zuo Qing could only sigh helplessly... To be completely honest, if these people truly made a move, even Heavenly Court would struggle to stop them.
An Qingyu and Jiang Er stared at the scene before them, their hearts stirring with warmth. Just then, Lin Qiye, standing at the very front, suddenly spoke:
"Deputy Captain An."
An Qingyu froze. "Yes?"
"Time to go home."
Lin Qiye took a step forward, walking straight toward the South Heavenly Gate. Cao Yuan followed closely behind him. After a moment of hesitation, An Qingyu gritted his teeth and followed their footsteps.
As they gradually drew closer, the Gods of Great Xia and other Human Apex blocking the South Heavenly Gate found themselves at a loss, glancing at each other in uncertainty. The Jade Emperor watched the scene in silence, lost in thought.
As Lin Qiye walked toward Zuo Qing at the front, he reached into his chest and retrieved a black box.
His fingertip flicked open the lid, and rows of faintly glowing medals were exposed to the air.
Three individual "Star Sea" medals, three collective "Star Sea" medals, four individual "Star" medals, seven collective "Star" medals, and several "Starlight" medals—each one seemed to contain boundless glory, sparkling like diamonds in Lin Qiye's hands.
From the earliest days with Han Shaoyun in the blizzard, to the Cangnan catastrophe, to the Battle of Fengdu, to reinforcements in Gusu, the Moryith Feast, the distant journey to Anta County, the fall of the Human Enclosure, protecting the new recruits, slaying Susanoo, the Shangjing crisis, defending the National Guardian Stele, searching for the Ark, the destruction of Asgard, the Battle of Chennan Pass...
Countless memories and honors tumbled out as Lin Qiye's wrist turned, clinking against the rain-soaked stone pavement, forming a brilliant path paved with stars.
At the very front of this path of merit, the figure in the deep crimson cloak slowly spoke:
"Great Xia's Fifth Special Squad, [Night Watch]... Please, everyone, make way!"
This was the path that [Night Watch] had carved out over several years, through countless narrow escapes from death, in blood and fire—a road of starlight and glory—and it was the path home that Lin Qiye was opening for Jiang Er.
The low voice echoed across the silent South Heavenly Gate. The crowd watched those eyes burning with iron determination and felt their hearts stirred.
As the last "Star Sea" medal fell, Zuo Qing, standing at the very front, sighed helplessly, stepped aside, and retreated two steps.
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He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Night Watch. He knew better than anyone what this path meant to [Night Watch]... Lin Qiye had already done this much. If he still stood in their way, his conscience would never be at peace.
Zuo Qing's retreat was a signal to the others. As Lin Qiye and his companions approached, the Human Apex and Great Xia deities all made way, opening a passage—clear to the South Heavenly Gate.
Throughout this entire process, neither the Jade Emperor nor the Queen Mother of the West uttered a word. They simply watched in silence as their opponents departed.
Just then, An Qingyu, walking at the rear, stopped just outside the South Heavenly Gate.
He turned his head, gazing back at the gods of Heavenly Court, and spoke calmly:
"I know what you're worried about. The moment I actively touched the Gate of Truth, I understood that the original seal would no longer work on me... I assume Heavenly Court has a way to destroy both my body and soul completely?
Once I've sent her on her final journey, I will return to Heavenly Court to face death.
I, An Qingyu, am no traitor."
With those final words, An Qingyu stepped onto Lin Qiye's Somersault Cloud and vanished into the distant sky with a whoosh.
Outside the South Heavenly Gate, the gathered figures fell into silence.
Who knows how long passed before Zuo Qing苦涩ly shook his head. While sighing helplessly, he bent down to pick up the medals that had fallen to the ground. He wiped the water stains clean with his cloak and tucked them back into his pocket.
Faintly, one could hear his muttering voice drifting through the rain:
"These kids... they left in such dramatic fashion, but in the end, I still have to clean up their mess. Really..."
...
On the Somersault Cloud.
"Have you really thought this through?" Lin Qiye piloted the Somersault Cloud while frowning at An Qingyu.
"Mm." Ever since leaving Heavenly Court, An Qingyu had felt much lighter. He nodded. "I am the Gate of Truth, and I am the key to awakening the [Key to the Gate]. Only if I die will Great Xia truly be safe.
Besides, you've seen what I've become, haven't you?"
An Qingyu touched his gray eyeball. "I... can no longer be considered human. That seal naturally couldn't completely contain me. If that's the case, why not make everything simpler?"
"Maybe there's another way?" Lin Qiye pressed.
"I don't know... but I'm running out of time." An Qingyu met Lin Qiye's gaze. "Qiye, you'll respect my choice, won't you?"
Lin Qiye opened his mouth, hesitated for a long moment, then spoke with a complicated expression:
"I understand. I won't stop you."
An Qingyu hadn't said it explicitly, but Lin Qiye knew in his heart that this reason was indeed a significant factor in his decision—but it wasn't everything... Another part of it was Jiang Er.
If not for Jiang Er, An Qingyu might not have chosen the seal in the first place. He did this to honor the promise between them—a promise about a very, very long time from now.
But now, none of it mattered anymore.
"Oh right, what did you actually see at the end of the Gate of Truth?"