Chapter 1 The Heavenly Devourer

"Tian Shi…"

Fang Yue retracted his gaze.

He arrived at Qiu Dugu's office and knocked on the door.

"The door's unlocked, come in."

He pushed the door open and entered. Qiu Dugu was leaning back in his office chair, a thick stack of documents on the desk.

Qiu Dugu rubbed his brow, complaining dejectedly, "You're here… Sign Head really ran off too quickly, leaving so much for me to handle."

Fang Yue shrugged. In the original United Guild's Qingshui District, Qiu Dugu was second-in-command, so it was natural for Sign Head to leave things for him to handle.

Qiu Dugu then stood up from his chair, took out a bottle of red wine from the cabinet next to him, opened it, poured two glasses, and handed one to Fang Yue. Then he walked to the huge French window and looked down. The night scene of Jianghai City was spread out below.

The glittering lights, the endless stream of traffic.

This was the most prosperous city in Hua country. If comparing it to Qing country in the game, then this place would be the capital, Qingdu!

"Take a good look, you won't see it tomorrow, maybe you won't see it ever again."

Qiu Dugu said meaningfully.

Fang Yue frowned slightly: "So pessimistic? After the *Tian Shi* (Heavenly Devourer), what exactly will happen? Did the United Guild already know everything?"

Qiu Dugu glanced at Fang Yue, hesitated, and then said, "Do you really want to know?"

"I do!"

Fang Yue looked earnestly into Qiu Dugu's eyes.

The latter was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"This matter was originally going to be announced at the very last moment. Even within the United Guild, personnel of low rank like you would only know the truth on that day.

"But… you are different after all…"

Qiu Dugu took a deep breath, his profound gaze looking toward the Yin-Yang moon in the sky.

"Now, telling you is fine too… The moment the *Tian Shi* (Heavenly Devourer) is completely formed, Blue Sea will descend upon our world!"

What?!

Fang Yue's eyes widened instantly, his mind buzzing, turning blank.

It, it actually was…

"De, descend?!"

"No… saying descend isn't accurate, to be precise, it's fusion, synchronization! The Cheater left a prophecy before slumbering, that when that day arrives, the two worlds will merge into one, and the passageway will be completely opened!

"At that time, the bizarre will descend, the apocalypse will arrive!

"All of us will be hanging by a thread, only by desperately accumulating strength will we be qualified to survive!"

So that's how it is?

So that's how it is!

In Fang Yue's mind, those days suddenly flashed by: the bizarre appearing in reality, and the things happening in the game that resulted in death in reality.

Everything seemed to suddenly have an answer.

That world… was gradually merging with their real world, gradually synchronizing!

Passageway… Qiu Dugu just mentioned passageway, the parchment also mentioned it…

"If, if the passageway is betrothed? If the passageway is betrothed, wouldn't this kind of thing not happen?"

"Betroth the passageway?"

Qiu Dugu gave a bitter smile, looked up at the sky, didn't say much, but pointed to the Yin-Yang moon in the night sky.

"Do you know what happened up there?"

"I don't."

"The moon… truly, actually split in two!"

Fang Yue was first stunned, and then suddenly understood what Qiu Dugu meant.

"You, you mean, the moon split? In a physical sense?"

"That's right, split in two in a physical sense! We can still observe the normal half-moon, representing Yang, with satellites, but the other half, the blood moon, can only be seen, but cannot be touched. We've tried all current means, even kneeling objects, but we can't interact with the blood moon in the slightest! Seemingly unreal and real at the same time, like the countdown to the apocalypse."

Fang Yue's expression darkened: "What does this mean?"

"It means, the apocalypse is near! The Cheater's prophesied day is almost here!"

The Cheater… the prophesied day… the *Tian Shi* (Heavenly Devourer)…

Fang Yue clenched his fist.

Just dying in the game and then dying in reality was already despairing enough.

If those bizarre things in the game also descended into the real world… Fang Yue couldn't imagine what kind of apocalyptic scene that would be!

Apart from them, those who possessed bizarre objects and had the power to protect themselves, everyone else would face a crisis of life and death!

You have to know, how many people are there in their United Guild?

The majority of people in the world are just ordinary people!

Once the bizarre descends, the two worlds merge… the consequences are unimaginable!

Apocalypse… this will be a true apocalypse!

"Then does the United Guild have any solutions? You must have made preparations!"

"For the future of humanity, the United Guild has naturally made preparations, but even I don't know the specifics of what has been done. Sign Head probably doesn't know everything completely either. But one thing is certain, and that is… the Cheater is our last trump card!

"And three days ago… the moment the *Tian Shi* (Heavenly Devourer) Moon suddenly accelerated and split in two, someone woke up on the Cheater's side."

The Cheater… woke up?

Fang Yue opened his mouth wide, staring blankly at Qiu Dugu.

How could that be? Wasn't it said that the Cheater would only wake up on the day the prophecy arrived?

Why did they wake up early?

"Who, who woke up? What are they going to do? Will the Cheater save us?"

"I don't know. Information about the Cheater is top-level confidential information. All I can tell you is that someone from the Cheater has awakened. The specific situation requires the United Guild above to be willing to pass down the information, then Sign Head to tell me, and then allow me to reveal it to you, before I can know some of the information."

Qiu Dugu felt that Fang Yue's reaction was somewhat strange.

Logically speaking, Fang Yue shouldn't have had contact with the Cheater, but judging from his reaction, he seemed to know something about the Cheater?

But this was just a feeling, fleeting, and Qiu Dugu didn't take it to heart.

While Fang Yue frowned, as if thinking about something extremely important, Qiu Dugu sighed and said, "Don't spread the news I told you, otherwise the entire United Guild will be your enemy.

"In addition, if this matter is known to the public, it will only cause great panic and chaos. By then, even without the *Tian Shi* (Heavenly Devourer) moment arriving, the world will destroy itself."

"...I know what I'm doing."

Fang Yue responded, his thoughts still digesting the blockbuster news Qiu Dugu revealed.

The *Tian Shi* (Heavenly Devourer) is not something he alone can handle; it's a problem that the whole world needs to consider!

It's the Cheater though…

Could the one who woke up be Mei Yu?

Fang Yue had seen Fairy Mei Yu's avatar. He didn't know if the current Mei Yu would recognize him, and whether the Cheaters really retained their strength from the closed beta.

Wouldn't that mean… the awakened Cheater is equivalent to a god on earth?