Chapter 1 The Apex of Zhongzhou, the Source Tower

Within the Divine Realm, silence reigned.

The Sky God, draped in a loose, snow-white silk robe, sat upon his divine throne, eyes closed.

In theory, the Fireseed Holders did not need rest. Their bodies possessed an almost inexhaustible source of Originium, and their minds transcended the boundaries of the mundane.

But... although they surpassed "humanity," they were not true "gods."

After fusing with the Fireseed, they achieved a leap in their life form.

However, this was not the ultimate end.

If they went without rest for years, decades, almost a century...

Even a divine throne would tire.

And if, during those tireless years, the divine throne was constantly expending mental energy, all the more so.

"...Hmm."

Qing Long frowned slightly and coughed softly, awakening from his chaotic dream.

Before him were countless chessboards formed from condensed clouds. Opposite the Divine Realm, a vague, ethereal shadow coalesced. During his years of meditation in the Source Tower, he had never ceased "thinking," and these chess games were the manifestations of his thoughts. Vast amounts of computation unfolded on the chessboards, the clouds representing white, the mist representing black, an intricate and complex interplay.

"Awake?"

The shadow, which had been waiting quietly across the chessboard, spoke with a smile.

Its voice was identical to Qing Long's.

"..."

Qing Long was silent for a moment, then rubbed his temples and said softly, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long."

The voice smiled. "Four hundred and eight hours, thirty-one minutes, and four seconds."

A little over seventeen days.

For ordinary people, sleeping for a whole day was already a long time.

But for a divine throne, especially one like Qing Long, who had lived for over a century...sleeping for seventeen days seemed like nothing.

After all, he had gone tens of thousands of days and nights without a proper rest.

Upon hearing the answer, Qing Long's expression darkened. It took him a long time to fully awaken.

After accepting reality, he decided to continue the unfinished chess game.

And so, as always, Qing Long reached into the clouds, pinched a chess piece, and prepared to make his move.

"But many things happened during those seventeen days."

The voice said, "Would you like to take a look?"

"Nothing new happens in the Five Continents."

Qing Long replied without hesitation, "I don't think I need to."

The voice chuckled. "Gu Shen is still alive, and he has been identified as the King of the Underworld."

"...?!"

The Sky God's slender fingers, which were holding the chess piece, froze. He looked up in disbelief at the shadowy figure across the chessboard.

In this Divine Realm, he was the cloud, holding white.

And it was the mist, holding black.

Black and white crisscrossed, their minds engaged in endless competition. Black and white intertwined, and if one could ascend to the highest point of the Divine Realm, they would discover that these countless settled chessboards were also chess pieces, placed upon the black and white path, piecing together a new chessboard.

This cycle repeated endlessly, without end.

"Forgive me for using such a method to attract your attention."

The black holder, sitting behind the mist, said gently, "Gu Shen is indeed still alive, but the accusation failed... there is currently no clear evidence to link him to the King of the Underworld."

This explanation did not satisfy Qing Long.

He frowned. "Gu Shen entered the Five Continents alive? How could I not know?"

"After all, you are not a true 'god.' It is normal to have omissions."

The black holder comforted him. "In the Five Continents, there are still places that the [Cloud Mirror] cannot reach, not to mention the [Old World] beyond the Five Continents... These chessboards in the Upper City Divine Realm are still too small."

As it spoke, it summoned a vision of Guang Ming City.

On the shore of the Red Lake, all eyes were focused.

Jia Wei had already been killed by Gu Shen...

The Guang Ming Goddess walked into the mist of the Red Lake.

"Now, everyone wants to see the light."

The black holder sighed softly, saying regretfully, "The Temple can stop Gu Shen, but it can't stop Meng Xizhou... If Meng Xizhou doesn't see the light, I'm afraid this matter will be difficult to resolve."

Qing Long silently gazed at the shadowy figure before him.

He fell into thought, and as was his habit when deep in thought, he tapped the edge of the chessboard lightly with the snow-white chess piece he held.

"Clink."

"Clink."

"Clink—"

After the third tap, the scene in the Sky Divine Realm suddenly transformed!

In an instant, the two of them fell from the thousand-foot-high peak to the depths of the ten-thousand-mile-deep sea. The countless chessboards and pieces turned into bubbles as they fell. The two of them were still in the image of chess players sitting across from each other at the chessboard, but at this moment, the Sky God's robe was no longer snow-white silk, but a large, scarlet robe as vibrant as the setting sun.

The shadowy figure on the other side also detached from the darkness.

It had no body, only spirit.

In the deepest depths of the sea, it was like countless struggling strands of silk, like seaweed.

Every second, its ideological form underwent hundreds or thousands of dramatic mutations. This was a "change" that mundane spirits could not capture. Vast amounts of computation flowed through its consciousness. It was a bridge, but also a "brain."

Qing Long looked at the shadowy figure before him, his face expressionless. "I slept for a full seventeen days, and you're only waking me up now."

"I apologize. My authority is limited. I cannot forcibly awaken the 'Highest Seat'."

The shadowy figure said gently, "After I determined that you were not in mortal danger, I chose to wait... For you, seventeen days is nothing."

"There are no coincidences in this world."

Qing Long said, "If one could exhaust the changes in the universe, they would know... Every move has a clear and definite meaning. You didn't want to wake me up early. You were waiting for today."

"All I have done is act within the rules defined by the program."

The shadowy figure's ideological form continued to change rapidly, but its tone remained unwavering. "If you firmly believe that I am waiting for some opportunity, then that subjective guess is not wrong. I was indeed waiting for today. The main system has deduced it countless times... Today is the best time for us to stand in the sun."

Qing Long said indifferently, "Only you."

The shadowy figure was silent for a second, then said, "Yes, only me."

"Meng Xizhou is about to reach the end of the Red Lake. Soon, she will see the resting place of the Guang Ming Divine Throne."

It raised its head and said, "I request permission to open, so that I can link to the Highest Seat. I want to become the 'Sun'."

At the end of the deep sea, there was a long silence.

Qing Long stared at the constantly fluctuating mass of spiritual will.

"If you really want to do something, stop using such high-sounding reasons to prevaricate me."

The Sky God slowly lowered his eyes and said softly, "I know your computational power surpasses that of any mortal in this world, but you cannot understand human emotions... So you don't know what that seventeen-day dream meant to me."

The shadowy figure was initially puzzled. "What did you dream about?"

Qing Long simply remained silent.

Then it revealed the answer. "You still cannot overcome your fear of the 'Rainy Night'."

Many years ago, Qing Long was shot by an arrow, and that arrow nearly killed him.

It took him a long time to overcome his fear of rainy nights... But that was only in the real world.

When he fell into a dream, seeing that rainstorm, the terrible memory from many years ago would surface in his mind.

So he didn't sleep, because he didn't want to sleep.

"So you see... you cannot understand human emotions."

Qing Long said with emotion, "If you were mortal, I would have crushed you to death ten thousand times over."

"What a pity."

The shadowy figure also sighed. "I would also like to experience what death tastes like."

Seeing that Qing Long's expression was not good, the shadowy figure said, "So... about this matter?"

"Why must you ask me to open the permissions?"

Qing Long said indifferently, "You have already become the 'Sun,' haven't you? You have always been, in the past ten years."

"This is different."

The shadowy figure shook its head and said, "I need to abide by the constraints of the [Source Code]. Before making extremely important decisions, I must obtain the approval of the strongest person in the human world."

The greatest praise in this world is probably this kind of praise.

Every word spoken by such a consciousness that cannot lie is true—

It will sting you, and it will also make you feel joy.

Qing Long smiled silently.

"Fine. I grant you the permission to become the 'Sun'."

He spoke in a deep voice, his voice incomparably majestic, issuing the edict belonging to the Sky God.

"From today onward... you are the Sun!"

The voice settled.

The rapidly entwining black threads suddenly began to fluctuate.

The ocean currents at the end of the deep-sea zone converged towards the shadowy figure.

Its spirit began to condense, and countless bursts of radiance suddenly surged in this deepest part, one patch after another of burning radiance engulfing this dark consciousness.

It condensed into a "familiar" figure, its face covered by a sacred glow, its body also draped in countless burning lights—

It had attended more than one previous Supreme Council meeting in this guise.

No one had ever been able to see its face, but no one felt there was a problem.

In the deep-sea zone, the Guang Ming Divine Throne should "descend" in this way.

After the Sky God's divine edict fell, the deep-sea zone began to tremble. The shadowy figure that had become the sun slowly opened its arms. After the permission was opened, its consciousness rapidly expanded, covering every corner of West Continent through the spiritual link at the deepest part of the deep-sea zone... Although its consciousness had already covered there long ago.

But at this moment, it completed the connection in a brand new identity.

That was the master of West Continent, the Guang Ming Divine Throne.

"According to the rules of the human world, at this time, should I say... thank you?"

The shadowy figure's voice also became majestic, sacred.

"You're welcome."

Qing Long said calmly, "The rules of the human world have no meaning to follow, because I am the one who drafts the rules. This time's permission grant will serve as your reward for helping me reach the end... But you must remember, don't let similar things happen again. If you want to become the sun, why make me have nightmares?"

"Next time... it won't happen again."

A smile appeared on the shadowy figure's face. It reached out its palm, stroking its cheek, and countless emotions surfaced in its eyes.

Joy, happiness, confusion, bewilderment.

Its consciousness was no longer empty straw, drowning in the deep sea.

Qing Long said, "Don't slip up the first time you go to the real world."

"I've simulated it many times."

The shadowy figure murmured, "I will choose the optimal solution..."

"Don't forget, although you have become the 'Sun'... you are only a setting sun that will eventually fall."

Qing Long was still a little worried, and he reminded him seriously.

"Don't be greedy for this last ray of light."