Chapter 564: The Truth of the Black Sky; Chunyu

Chapter 564: The Truth of the Black Heaven; Chunyu

The blood-red colossal beast, adorned with seven rings of various colors, devoured everything in the world.

Even a being as mighty as a Yang God, upon touching this terrifying monster, instantly shattered into fragments.

Only Realm Lords could hold on for a moment or two.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

"Devour, devour, devour!"

At this moment, all of Qi Yuan's consciousness had melted away, leaving only a single spark of true spirit.

He was no longer human in form, resembling a blood-red gluttonous serpent, swallowing everything in the world.

The three Thrones sat high in the heavens, watching indifferently as Yang Gods were devoured one by one, unmoved.

Countless cosmic laws were swallowed and refined; the first-rank laws Qi Yuan had mastered now numbered in the hundreds.

Even the law of time, the hardest for him to grasp, was now under his control.

Laws of flame, dark light, true speech, metal, and others had all become part of the seven rings.

The seven lights were now in chaotic disarray.

Qi Yuan himself was a terrifying behemoth, devouring all.

"Finally... has 'doing as one pleases' also been comprehended in this game?"

Before, though Qi Yuan was strong and could slay Yang Gods recklessly within the Black Heaven, he still had to avoid Realm Lords.

Now, he seemed truly able to do as he pleased.

This supreme truth had only just been grasped.

Yet it had not transformed into a cosmic law.

It seemed that "doing as one pleases" refused to be bound by the laws of the universe.

Countless Black Earths, countless Yang Gods were devoured.

Qi Yuan continuously circulated the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra, preserving that single thread of true spirit.

All laws were also merging at this moment.

A flash of inspiration struck.

A glimmer of light flickered deep in Qi Yuan's eyes.

"Is this the Heaven-Opening Realm?"

"My path of the Yin God?"

He looked at the remaining hundreds of thousands of Yang Gods in the Black Heaven.

Qi Yuan was hungry.

To open a heaven, how could it be done without sufficient matter?

So Qi Yuan opened his bloody maw.

All the Yang Gods were suddenly devoured, turning into Qi Yuan's experience.

Laws and matter shattered into fragments, all swallowed into Qi Yuan's belly.

His consciousness grew more turbid, chaotic beyond measure.

Only that wisp of true spirit struggled to endure.

At this moment, Qi Yuan had a premonition.

If the true spirit could not hold, he might become a terrifying, unique monster, instinctively devouring everything in the world.

He seemed to understand something.

After all the Yang Gods and Realm Lords were devoured, he raised his terrifying head and looked at the three Thrones.

"Now... can you tell me what the Black Heaven is?"

The three Thrones were all at the Heaven-Opening Realm, a state beyond comprehension.

Even if the universe perished, a Heaven-Opening expert could open a new world in the void and create new life.

"You... don't you already know?" one Throne spoke, its voice strange.

Another Throne wore a mechanical smile: "You could also be the Black Heaven?"

"The devouring of the Black Heaven is irreversible... Do you wish to stop it?" the last Throne demanded.

"Or what... let it devour my game?" At this moment, Qi Yuan's eyes no longer held the clear brightness of a college student; they were turbid instead.

"The Black Heaven devours all things in the world—it is an established fact, irreversible... How can you stop it?" the Throne's voice was mechanical.

"If I don't try... how will I know?" Qi Yuan's voice was calm.

Even though he was now immensely powerful, feeling he could swallow the Divine Wood Universe with a single open mouth, facing the huge black bubble of the Black Heaven, his right eye still twitched wildly.

This meant there was no chance of victory.

A strange smile appeared in the Throne's eyes.

"The Black Heaven exists in the past, or in the future, but not in the present."

"What you see before you—where is the Black Heaven? It is but an illusion."

"This realm was already devoured by the Black Heaven at some point in time."

Qi Yuan fell silent.

At that moment, he understood why, when he looked at the Black Heaven, his eyes saw no information.

Because he did not see the Black Heaven; he saw a void.

The Black Heaven now devouring the Divine Wood Universe—

It was not happening in the present, but in the past.

This was profoundly mysterious.

And also seemed hollow and grandiose.

Somewhat like an eighteen-year-old on Blue Earth kissing the air, only for all men and women worldwide to become pregnant ten years later.

How could Qi Yuan, ten years later, stop it?

He stared at the black bubble, his eyes calm to the point of terror.

"In the past... or in the future?"

"If... I go back to the past, or forward to the future... can I stop it?"

A strange smile appeared in the Throne's eyes: "Except for the Black Heaven, no existence can share the same timeline with it... unless you abandon your true spirit and become part of the Black Heaven."

If Qi Yuan lost his true spirit now, he would be quite similar to the state of the Black Heaven.

Not standing in the present time and space, endlessly devouring everything.

What was now shown to all living beings was but an apparition, yet it was truly happening.

Unless he reached the same realm as Black Heaven.

But if he reached the same realm as Black Heaven, Qi Yuan would become part of Black Heaven, or rather become Black Heaven itself.

How then could he stop it?

"The so-called Black Heaven is the fourth layer of Yang Spirit!

To stop Black Heaven, you must break through to the fourth layer of Yang Spirit!

But... are you willing?" A Throne smiled eerily.

"The third layer of Yang Spirit—above it, there are only two paths. Break through to the fourth layer, and you cannot reach the fifth.

If you skip the fourth and break through to the fifth, becoming a Dao Lord... sorry, but you still cannot stop Black Heaven." Another Throne's mechanical voice seemed tinged with bitterness.

Qi Yuan was silent.

The fourth layer of Yang Spirit.

Indeed.

Black Heaven was the fourth layer of Yang Spirit.

A terrifying existence that does not dwell in the present, only in the past and future.

Like Root Demon, it became the Root Demon tribulation in the hearts of countless Yang Spirits.

But Black Heaven was different—chaotic, disordered; devouring was its everything, its ultimate goal.

For the first time, Qi Yuan felt immense pressure, and also a sense of invincibility.

Without entering the fourth layer of Yang Spirit, he could not see Black Heaven, nor stop it.

If he stepped into the fourth layer of Yang Spirit, he would become the chaotic Black Heaven.

Consciousness would dissolve, true spirit vanish...

"So... go back. With your strength, you might be able to protect the beings of the sixteen realms." A Throne's voice was calm.

They had no wisdom, no consciousness—merely a program, a projection.

Yet even this program, this projection, possessed the power of Creation.

This was especially terrifying—the gap between each layer of Yang Spirit was like a heavenly chasm.

Those at the third layer of Yang Spirit could never see the fourth layer in this life.

But the third layer would be unconsciously devoured by the fourth.

This game was too perilous?

Return?

Impossible to return!

Not only was this his own game, but if he returned, he would also let Black Heaven spread to the Immortal Realm.

The next to be devoured would be the Immortal Realm.

So, unlike other games, this time Qi Yuan had no retreat—he could not even return to reality or end the game.

"I will see... whether I can stop it!"

At that moment, a profound look flashed in Qi Yuan's eyes.

The Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra!

This time, he once again performed the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra, and what he wanted to forget was his self-identity.

"I am not Qi Yuan."

"I am not at the Creation Realm!"

"I am not at the fifth layer of Yang Spirit!"

"I am at the fourth layer of Yang Spirit!"

The Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra activated continuously.

Qi Yuan seemed to forget himself.

A blood-red terrifying giant, its true spirit dimmed to the extreme, as if it could vanish at any moment. At this moment, he forgot that he was a cultivator, only remembering that he was at the fourth layer of Yang Spirit.

"Like this... can I stop Black Heaven?"

The last whisper faded, and Qi Yuan's figure vanished at that moment.

...

In the Divine Wood Universe, the Void Realm Lord looked at Black Heaven within the Void Sea, his expression unreadable: "Qi Yuan's true spirit... has vanished."

The irritable bearded man's expression stiffened: "Gone?"

"Lord Qi Yuan... is gone." Sheng Nu's face was full of grief.

Whether grieving for Qi Yuan's death in battle, or for the fate of the Divine Wood Universe to come.

"It's over, all over!"

"I am a waste! Why can't I forge the eighth Human Enlightenment Light!" The usually refined Qi Yu Ancestral God roared in fury.

Everyone was in despair.

Qi Yuan had died in battle, the seven Human Enlightenment Lights shattered—even if they could forge the eighth, what use would it be?

With Qi Yuan fallen, the Divine Wood Universe was finished.

But at that moment, a strange look flashed in the Void Realm Lord's eyes: "Black Heaven's devouring... has slowed."

"What?" Some Ancestral God was stunned.

Qi Yuan had fallen in battle, and there was no one left to stop Black Heaven—how could its devouring slow down?

"It must be that Realm Lord Qi Yuan used his own fall to block Black Heaven!"

"Lord Qi Yuan..." All the Ancestral Gods sighed, their hearts stirred, some filled with grief.

Then Yuan asked: "May I ask, Realm Lord, now that Black Heaven's devouring has slowed, how many years does the Divine Wood Universe have?"

The others also looked at the Void Realm Lord, hope in their eyes.

The Void Realm Lord shook his head: "I do not know either."

Everyone fell silent, not expecting such an answer, somewhat taken aback.

This meant that Black Heaven could devour at any moment.

That 'any moment' could be the next second, or a hundred years later.

Yuan took a deep breath: "I beg the Void Realm Lord to act and take away the beings of the Three Realms."

"Agreed."

...

Springs passed, autumns came.

In the mortal world, ten thousand years drifted by.

The steam car roared incessantly, as Wang Ku hugged a book and read with relish.

"This old man sure can spin a tale—the characters are all simplified, the cover's brand new, and he insists it was dug up from an ancient tomb. Bullshit!"

"But... the content of this book... it's so bizarre, yet it seems pretty interesting."

Wang Ku read the book with great seriousness.

This book was titled *Chunyu*.

Within it, many little stories were told.

"Isn't this male lead such a simp? He gave his eyes to the female lead and still hasn't beaten the big villain?"

"Yeah, the male lead's so pitiful—how many times has he died now?"

"This time, he lost his ears, his hearing gone."

"See, I'm a prophet—this time the male lead lost his mouth!"

"Next time, it'll probably be his ears, right?"

"Geez, is the author of this book toxic? Why can't the male and female leads ever meet? Is it on purpose?"

"It must be on purpose—the male lead only had to wait there for a year to meet the female lead."

"Sigh... this big villain doesn't seem that strong. I wonder if I could run him over with my train."

Wang Ku thought to himself.

Night fell, and Wang Ku, holding the book, slowly drifted into sleep.

Perhaps he was too absorbed in reading, for in his dreams he even saw the book's content.

"This male lead... is much more handsome than I imagined."

In the dream, Wang Ku saw a tall figure clad in a blood-red robe.

That figure held a longsword, standing atop a black vortex.

At that moment, he was battered and bruised, covered in wounds, missing an eye, the socket filled with blood.

The blood-red robe, sword in hand, seemed to be confronting a swelling bubble in the dark void.

When he saw that swelling bubble, Wang Ku's young heart trembled, as if he had glimpsed the most terrifying thing in the world.

"The train definitely can't kill it!" Wang Ku muttered inwardly, then murmured, "According to the book, they've been at a standoff for a billion years. What a load of crap—how long have humans even existed?"

Wang Ku stared at the blood-robed figure and couldn't help shouting, "Hey, go find the female lead! You can't beat the big villain alone!"

At the same time, the tall figure confronting the black bubble stiffened slightly, and a chilling gaze fell upon Wang Ku.

Wang Ku felt as if he were being watched by a terrifying beast, sensing he could die at any moment.

"Damn it, why am I so scared in my own dream?"

"Aren't I the master of this dream?"

Wang Ku woke from the dream, only to find himself drenched in cold sweat.

He looked at the ancient book on his bedside and began flipping through it seriously.

"Well, the male lead's dead again. This time... his grave didn't even have a name, buried in the Shenmu Abyss.

What's the Shenmu Abyss? Why does it sound familiar?"

"I'm so hungry—I need to go eat a bun," Wang Ku murmured.

He opened his leather bag, pulled out two buns, and ignoring their coldness, stuffed them into his mouth, eating messily.

In the room, the radio played various news.

"Breaking news: Our country has discovered an extraterrestrial being!"

"The Shenluo Society declares that in three days, the world will end."

"The Black Heaven Sect says: The black sky approaches, and all things wither."

"Why is everyone so superstitious? Isn't there any useful news? This book is better than that."

Wang Ku turned off the radio.

He didn't believe in any apocalypse or end of the world.

And whether he believed or not, it wouldn't change reality.

Rather than worrying about whether the world would end, he was more concerned about whether the villain in this book was dead.

"Damn it, does this author even know how to write a novel? Still not dead?"

These days, Wang Ku had been reading *Chunyu* obsessively, forgetting to eat and sleep.

"Clichés, all clichés!"

"How many times has the male lead died now?"

"A hundred thousand times, at least!"

"And he still hasn't killed the villain!"

"He hasn't even met the female lead!"

"Can't he just meet the female lead and team up with her to fight the villain?"

"Trash book—I'm done with it!"

In the middle of the night, Wang Ku dreamed of the book again.

He didn't know how many times he'd had such dreams.

This time, as usual, he couldn't help shouting, "Hey, go meet the female lead!"

The next morning, waking up and seeing the heavy dark circles under his eyes in the mirror, Wang Ku felt like crying.

"I can't read this book anymore—it's ruining my mind."

He pushed open the door and took a deep breath of the fresh air outside.

"See, reality is better."

Just then, the neighbor next door opened her door, revealing a delicate face and youthful, fair legs full of vitality.

Next door to Wang Ku lived a female college student. When she saw Wang Ku, a shy look appeared in her eyes, but then, as if remembering something, she blinked and asked, "Brother Wang Ku, I heard they recently dug up an ancient tomb in the southern district with lots of cultivation manuals inside. A lot of people are going to check it out—want to come?"

"Hey, you're a college student—why are you still so superstitious? What cultivation manuals?" Wang Ku said dismissively.

The female college student looked a bit disappointed.

This neighbor was really clueless.

"Brother Wang Ku, you haven't had breakfast, have I? I made some porridge..."

"What's porridge compared to buns?"

After refusing, Wang Ku slammed the door shut with a bang.

"The book is better—people outside are too annoying, always babbling on and on."

Wang Ku opened the book again and began reading intently.

But when he saw the words above, his gaze froze.

"In the battle against the Dark Heaven, Qi Yuan vaguely heard an urgent voice by his ear, 'Go quickly to see the heroine.'

He did not know that the voice came from the young Wang Ku."

"Damn it, who's playing a joke on me?" Wang Ku was stunned.

(End of chapter)