Chapter 933: Chapter 930: "This is the most perfect face in the world.
The sixth time, it’s this time—Chao Yan from "Louyue Nation" truly and genuinely appeared in reality. This is also the first time Su Ming’an has seen an NPC from the game appearing in reality.
Su Ming’an’s back was tightly pressed against the stone pillar. He held his breath, watching Chao Yan approach Xiao Jingsan.
Chao Yan spoke: "Xiao Ying. Has it begun this time?"
Xiao Jingsan said: "It has begun. I have brought her by my side."
Chao Yan shook his head: "You used the wrong pronoun, Su Wensheng is male."
Xiao Jingsan nodded: "It is my fault, I have been somewhat disrespectful to Su Wensheng. I will correct my pronoun use in the future, using ’he’ to refer to Su Wensheng."
Su Ming’an was taken aback. Xiao Jingsan’s expression was serious, and his tone was solemn, as if he were an elder from ancient times. He was completely different from the playful Xiao Jingsan during the day, like two different people.
Could it be that Xiao Jingsan has a split personality? Different personas for day and night?
Moreover, what riddles are these two even talking about?
Chao Yan said: "The most ancient Angel once left a prophecy long ago, telling us what we should do. Now that a thousand years have passed, I hope your initial intention has not changed, and you do not forget your responsibility."
But Xiao Jingsan only said: "I am about to awaken. By then, human emotion is merely my strength, human memory merely my life, and human faith merely my divinity. Since that is the case, why should I fulfill the most ancient Angel?"
Chao Yan’s eyes changed, speaking coldly: "Indeed, you have been corrupted by long time, what has distorted your initial intention?"
Xiao Jingsan laughed: "Old Gods have already fallen, Supreme God like the sun at noon. If humans all have faith in me, I will gather the three great elements—Sword of Destiny, Eye of the Old Days, and Immortal’s Talisman, to achieve new godhood. At that time, with the identity of a new god, I will contend against the Supreme God, and with the players’ strength, what is impossible?"
Chao Yan shook his head: "Foolish! If humans wish to become gods, they must gather the three great elements. Meanwhile, their positional rank must surpass others who have also gathered the elements. I believe Su Wensheng will gather the three elements before you. In this battle for godhood, you will surely lose to him."
Xiao Jingsan furrowed his brows: "Why speak so?"
Chao Yan said: "Su Wensheng has a seal upon him, once the seal on him is completely unsealed, you won’t be able to catch up even if you chase. Since the First Relic has already been discovered by humans, the seal on Su Wensheng has been partially unlocked, and he can already use the white tendrils on him. If more layers of his seal are unlocked, you will not stand a chance."
Xiao Jingsan said: "Even if he defeats me, there will still be many people competing with him. Stop advising me, I will not pass on the opportunity for becoming a god to others."
After this conversation, the two were silent for a while. They stood by the marble statue, seemingly in a standoff.
Listening to this, Su Ming’an felt almost numb.
No more riddles, no more riddles! Can’t you just speak plainly?
However, after thinking back over the conversation between the two, their dialogue was actually quite clear and easy to understand.
——For example, Xiao Jingsan seems to have always regarded Su Ming’an as female, only changing when Chao Yan spoke.
——For example, Xiao Jingsan wants to become a god. And many others want to become gods. It’s natural, everyone wants to be an omnipotent god.
——For example, the standards for becoming a god are gathering the three great elements: Sword of Destiny, Eye of the Old Days, and Immortal’s Talisman. This reminded Su Ming’an of the three elements for godhood in the Eighth World Dome: Energy, Faith, Authority. It’s unknown what corresponds to Sword of Destiny, Eye of the Old Days, and Immortal’s Talisman here. Also, there’s a condition added here of "positional rank surpassing others," which probably has to do with the Tenth World’s background.
What Su Ming’an was most concerned about—was there a seal on himself?
Because people discovered the [First Relic], a seal on him would automatically unlock a layer, allowing him to grow white tendrils. Then, over time, as all the [Relics] are discovered, all seals on him will be removed. Wouldn’t he become a big white blob of tendrils?
Little Love pondered for a moment and then spoke: "Su Ming’an, I understand your situation!"
Su Ming’an immediately looked at Little Love.
... Right, Little Love is a Jiu Shen from Qiongdi, she’s a deity herself and must be very knowledgeable about this kind of thing, surely able to offer valuable advice.
"Based on the previous information, the answer is already clear," Little Love said.
Su Ming’an focused intently, listening attentively.
Little Love analyzed: "You’re the protagonist of a female strong web novel, skilled in both magic and martial arts. Your father is a demon, your mother is an angel, and you have both demon and angel bloodlines. To enable you to accommodate this powerful bloodline, your parents placed numerous seals on you. As certain times arrive, the seals on you will unlock layer by layer, and once all are unlocked, you will definitely be able to defeat the deities... Hmm hmm hmm."
Su Ming’an turned Little Love into a pancake.
... What utter nonsense.
Little Love pancake said: "I thought it made a lot of sense. Think about it, Xiao Jingsan kept referring to you as ’she,’ maybe Su Wensheng is actually a girl, disguised as a man to explore Jianghu, and your true self is a lady from some noble family..."
Su Ming’an turned Little Love pancake into an even flatter pancake.
... This Jiu Shen of unparalleled strength in the Eighth World. Yet, influenced by novels from the world forum, she’s become something strange.
Apart from the outlandish theory, Little Love’s analysis actually had a tiny bit of reason. If this were a fun drama, it might really go on like this—but this is the World Game.
Seeing Su Ming’an’s speechless expression, Little Love pancake read his mind, and it seemed like Su Ming’an was saying: "Little Love, how did you, as a Jiu Shen, turn into a comedian?"
Little Love pancake shook her head, her voice entering Su Ming’an’s mind: "Because my heart was always like this! As a Jiu Shen, I must be dignified, have presence, never be sad or panic. All human emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure are inappropriate for a deity. Human ugliness and greed must not appear in a deity. So, as the kind side of the Jiu Shen, I must suppress my true nature and all emotions. Now, having finally freed myself from the identity of a god, I’ve finally found my true self again."
Listening to these words, Su Ming’an suddenly thought of Su Rin.
When Su Ming’an first saw Su Rin, the impression he had was that of a statue devoid of emotion or desire, with divinity far surpassing humanity. He would easily sacrifice himself for the renewal of souls, indifferent to his own life, death, and desires.
But after Su Ming’an pulled Su Rin down from the divinity, Su Rin’s image gradually became clearer. Su Rin was no longer a cold statue standing atop Yun Shang City but a living being named "Su Rin." He gradually remembered brewing Te Ni Tea, wearing Pulaya festival clothes, recalling past daisies and rice wine, rekindling his feelings as a young captain—only then did Su Rin finally appear as a complete Su Rin, combining both divinity and humanity.
Becoming a god means gaining everything, also means losing everything.
The difference between gain and loss was fully reflected in the Cloud City God and Jiu Shen Little Love, as if warning Su Ming’an.
Just then, after a long silence, Xiao Jingsan and Chao Yan began to speak again.
Xiao Jingsan caressed the mask in his hand, eyes tinged with sorrow, continued speaking in riddles: "If you encounter that person, can you say ’I’m sorry’ for me? It’s all because I picked up the Eye of the Old Days back then."
Chao Yan said: "It’s not your fault."
Xiao Jingsan said softly: "I once thought about whether to stop this path, but I could never let go."
Chao Yan said, "Hey, let’s set aside the important topic for now, Xiao Ying, could you stop using Su Ming’an’s face? What’s the point of taking someone else’s face as your own?"
Xiao Jingsan shook his head, "How could you understand? This is the most perfect face in this world."
It seemed they finished talking and started walking out of the chapel. Su Ming’an pressed himself tightly against a pillar, using it as cover to avoid being discovered by them.
Finally, the door of the chapel closed as Xiao Jingsan and Chao Yan both left.
Su Ming’an dashed towards the Prophecy Stone Wall; his main quest was to contact the Prophecy Stone Wall, so now was the perfect opportunity to complete the task.
He touched the Prophecy Stone Wall and received a system notification:
[The Prophecy Stone Wall only opens once daily, and it has already opened today. Please return tomorrow.]
...
Su Ming’an withdrew his hand. In any case, he already knew the position of the Prophecy Stone Wall, so he could just come back tomorrow.
He turned his head and looked at the most prominent marble statue in the chapel. The statue’s face was blurry, making its features indistinguishable.
Su Ming’an, like Xiao Jingsan, reached out to touch it.
...
"Ding-dong!"
[You have touched the item left by Su Wensheng, initiating a teleportation for you now.]
...
In an instant, he felt the surroundings change, suddenly pulling him into another space.
... What’s going on!
Su Ming’an looked around. This was a space completely isolated from the outside, somewhat resembling the Ninth World’s Nine Thrones Night Meeting, a vast enclosed space with no doors or windows.
"You’ve arrived." A voice came from behind.
Su Ming’an turned to see a black-haired young girl. The girl had a pair of pitch-black almond eyes, like a serene lake, and her facial lines were soft.
At the moment he saw the girl, Su Ming’an experienced an incredibly strong sense of déjà vu. It was as if he wasn’t seeing a black-haired girl, but rather looking at himself in a mirror. The girl’s features were very much like his own, causing him both surprise and suspicion.
Moreover, they had similar temperaments. When the girl looked at him, he felt as if he was being watched by himself.
"Who are you?" Su Ming’an asked.
"If you were the old you, you wouldn’t waste time burying Yi Hengchuan’s body, nor would you feel happy about Alice’s birthday party," the girl said. "You’ve grown weak, and this is the start of your downfall."
Su Ming’an shook his head and said, "I buried Yi Hengchuan’s body because it was an easy task. I was happy for Alice’s birthday party because I secrete dopamine. That’s not weakness, but normal emotional fluctuation. Without these, I would be no different from a machine, and once my empathy disappears, it would be very disadvantageous for me in clearing the instance. I have an inkling of what you are. Are you a psychological monitoring mechanism left by Su Wensheng to provide me with clues?"
The girl smiled, "No, I am ’you’."
She circled around Su Ming’an, "Do you think you’re more correct than your past self? But is this truly your progress, or is it a diminishment and distortion of your beliefs? Have you begun to be sentimental about humanity? This is undoubtedly your weakness. When facing a choice of great significance, can you still easily abandon them?"
Su Ming’an said, "You want to incite me to become a god."
He used a declarative sentence.
As soon as he learned about becoming a god, this girl appeared. Clearly, she was there to solidify his desire to become a god.
"You must become a god." The girl didn’t deny it. "In this world, your ultimate task is to become a god. If you don’t, this world’s outcome will surely be tragic."
... So that’s it.
Su Ming’an finally saw the main line of this world clearly—turns out, it’s a contest to become a god.
—The first to become a god wins everything.
Or, loses everything.
"Do you know the location of the three elements?" Su Ming’an asked.
"It seems you don’t reject becoming a god." The girl said in surprise.
"I have no choice." Su Ming’an’s expression was calm.
"You already have the Eye of the Old Days. As for the remaining two elements, you can find them at the [Relics]. As long as you win in the [Relics], the path to godhood will have no issues," the girl said.
"Do I have a seal on me?" Su Ming’an asked.
"Yes, just as you heard before, your seal will be unlocked layer by layer. So try to clear the dream circuit game as soon as possible. The excavation speed of the [Relics] corresponds with your game progress," the girl said.
"Then..." Su Ming’an wanted to ask more.
"I can’t answer your remaining questions at this stage," the girl interrupted. "There are many Angel statues scattered throughout the world. Next time you see an Angel statue, touch it, and you’ll see me again. I can also answer more of your questions. Please note—Angel statues that you’ve already touched cannot be touched again."
"I understand." Su Ming’an nodded. It seems the Angel statues function as a kind of anchor point. As long as Su Ming’an finds similar Angel statues, he can obtain new information.
Su Ming’an remembered seeing a Holy White Angel statue in Li Mingyue’s chapel, but he hadn’t paid attention at the time, leading to a missed opportunity.
If he pays more attention in the future, he should be able to continuously obtain the information left by Su Wensheng, like picking up shells from a sand sea. But it’s hard to say—whether this is truly friendly assistance or a guiding fate.
As long as an Angel statue is placed in the places Su Ming’an is bound to visit, along with specific answers, it could guide his actions and, ultimately, his entire destiny line.
Su Ming’an furrowed his brow slightly, recalling how the cunning Su Rin had lured him into Yun Shang City using memory fragments. Now, Su Wensheng might be doing something similar.
There might be trickery involved here. He knows his original too well—would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.