The Final Codex

Head of Witches, Twilight's First Gift, Perfect Amber...

Each of those titles was more imposing than the last, making Li Wen's head ache.

Witches were practitioners of the Eternal Path, the path of the Twilight Lineage. The Head of Witches was naturally an existence that stood at the very end of that path...

Gift was another name for consecration. It was said that once a believer advanced to sainthood, they had to undergo the Consecration Ceremony. Twilight's First Gift was naturally Twilight's first saint.

As for Perfect Amber... according to the Strategy Group's intelligence, all of Amber City had been built around the Amber Temple. The Amber Temple was the Twilight Witch's only residence in the world. Since the Golden Age came to an end, there had always been rumors that one of the Twilight Witch's incarnations still remained within the temple. One of that incarnation's honorific titles was "Supreme Perfect Amber."

Li Wen reminded herself that the Twilight Pillar had long since collapsed, and the Twilight Witch and her incarnations had naturally ceased to exist. That was an established fact. Yet when she truly faced an existence suspected to be a Pillar Deity's incarnation from legend, her heart still pounded violently.

"I heard that Perfect Amber... is that Pillar Deity's incarnation."

"So I can't possibly be Perfect Amber, can I?" the other party countered.

Li Wen fell silent. No matter how she answered that question, it felt like a dead end.

"You needn't be afraid. Who I am is fundamentally unimportant to you, isn't it?" the being behind the curtain continued. "You need The Final Codex because outside, there is about to be... that fated destruction."

"You know about the Twilight of the Apocalypse?"

It was a pointless question, but Li Wen asked it anyway.

"Yes. Every saint will be told that the world is not eternal and unchanging. In the distant future, the twilight that symbolizes the end will inevitably arrive. When that time comes, all things will offer themselves to the apocalypse, and no existence will be spared. This is the prophecy made by the Three Goddesses, and so it will surely come to pass."

This was not the first time Li Wen had heard that prophecy. Hearing it again, she seemed to return to the past, as that unforgettable sense of oppression and solemnity crept back into her heart.

"Not even Pillar Deities can escape it?"

Li Wen questioned.

"I don't know."

That was the being's answer from behind the curtain. After all, it was neither a Pillar Deity nor had it experienced the Twilight of the Apocalypse, so it naturally could not answer that question.

Li Wen recalled memories of her previous life, recalling the facts that Strategy Group members had proven with their lives—the Twilight of the Apocalypse was by no means invincible. Even with mortal bodies, they could still halt it. Even if only for a brief moment, that was enough to prove it.

So...

Li Wen's gaze became incomparably firm. "As long as one becomes a Pillar Deity, one will possess the strength to contend with the Twilight of the Apocalypse."

The other party fell into a long silence, as though mocking this fantastical notion.

"I don't know... I have witnessed mortals receive their crowns and become saints, saints ascend to godhood and create paths, but becoming a Pillar Deity..." It did not continue. "Perhaps such a possibility exists."

"Then what must I do for you to give me The Final Codex?"

Li Wen asked this crucial question. In the Strategy Group's guide, The Final Codex had been placed upon an altar, unguarded. But now, the curtain had replaced the altar's location, so The Final Codex was naturally in the other party's possession.

"I will not ask you to do anything. I can give you The Final Codex as well. But..." It suddenly stopped, seeming to hesitate before finally saying, "Do you truly intend to become a Pillar Deity by walking a road others have already walked?"

"Isn't that precisely the purpose of a path?" Li Wen retorted. "A road created by another is naturally meant to benefit those who come after. I have never heard that only those who refuse to walk another's path and create a road alone can become saints or deities."

"But Pillar Deities are different." The other party spoke faintly. "Since the End of Prehistory, across countless eras, the number of Pillar Deities has always remained at twelve or fewer. That is because there are only twelve pillars that construct and sustain the world itself. Only when one Pillar Deity falls can a new Pillar Deity be born, and only then can the domain it symbolizes become a lineage. But never has any Pillar Deity become one through the Original Text of Lineage of the previous Pillar Deity."

"Never having happened doesn't mean it's impossible." Rather than becoming discouraged by its words, Li Wen's conviction only grew firmer.

It was not that she was unwilling to try other methods, such as creating her own path as it had said, then using her own path to claim an unclaimed pillar and establish a new lineage. But there simply was not enough time.

If Li Wen had been given ten thousand years—no, even a thousand years—she might have attempted such a thing. But the current situation was that the Great Transmigration would erupt in a year. All players would lose their advantage, followed by the arrival of the Tide, with the Twilight of the Apocalypse close behind. The world's remaining lifespan was less than a century. Li Wen simply had no time to ponder a path of her own.

Only another's path could be her proper path.

Of the Twelve Pillars, eight were currently intact and four stood vacant. It had taken the entire Strategy Group decades of effort to obtain information about the Original Text of Lineage for the Twilight Pillar. This was the only hope currently available to Li Wen—and to everyone in both worlds.

Seemingly persuaded by Li Wen, the being behind the curtain let out a sigh.

"You may be brave, but bravery alone is not enough to resist the Twilight of the Apocalypse."

A corner of the heavy curtain was drawn aside, and a deathly pale girl's arm reached out. It was white as a corpse, yet possessed a uniquely eerie beauty, like the most perfect thing created by a god. In its hand was an ancient book, sealed within translucent amber. Its outward appearance was utterly ordinary, without any sign of the divine.

Li Wen stepped forward and accepted The Final Codex with both hands. The old book within the amber was unbelievably light, yet in her hands, it seemed to weigh a thousand tons.

The Final Codex

Supreme Artifact - ???

The Original Text of Lineage that recorded the Twilight Pillar, depicting the Twilight Witch's Path to Godhood. It was said that whoever obtained the codex would have a chance to glimpse the position of a Pillar Deity.

Cannot be used!

Li Wen did not linger on the Supreme Artifact's description. She gave the being within the curtain a deep bow.

"I cannot thank you on behalf of everyone, but please allow me to offer you my most sincere gratitude on my own behalf."

The other party remained silent. Only after a long while did it slowly say, "You need not thank me... Twilight is a lineage that symbolizes eternity and the end. I hope you understand that. As for how to use this codex, you should know better than I do, so I will not elaborate. One more thing... after you become a witch, come see me—preferably before I enter my Long Slumber."