The Final Codex

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

Each title sounded more impressive than the last, making Li Wen's head spin.

The term "Witch" referred to a practitioner of the Twilight Lineage's Path—the Eternal Path. The Head of Witches, naturally, was the one at the very end of this Path...

"Gift" was another term for consecration. It was said that after a believer ascended to Saint, they would undergo a Consecration Ceremony. Twilight's First Gift, therefore, was naturally the first Saint of Twilight.

As for Perfect Amber... according to the Strategy Group's intel, Amber City was built entirely around the Amber Temple. The Amber Temple was the Twilight Witch's sole residence in the mortal world. Since the end of the Golden Age, legends had it that one of the Twilight Witch's incarnations still resided within the Temple. One of that incarnation's titles was "Supreme Perfect Amber."

Li Wen told herself that the Twilight Pillars had long since crumbled, and the Twilight Witch and her incarnations were naturally long gone. This was a settled fact. Yet, facing someone who was possibly an incarnation of a Pillar God from legend, Li Wen's heart couldn't help but pound violently.

"I heard that Perfect Amber... is an incarnation of that Pillar God."

"So I absolutely cannot be Perfect Amber, right?" the other party retorted.

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

"You don't need to be alarmed. Who I am is of no importance to you, is it?" the presence behind the curtain continued. "You need The Final Codex because what is about to happen outside... that fated destruction."

"You know about the Twilight of the Apocalypse?"

It was a foolish question, but Li Wen still asked it.

"Yes. All Saints will be informed that the world is not eternal. In the distant future, the twilight symbolizing the end will inevitably arrive. At that time, all will be sacrificed to the apocalypse, and no one will be spared. This is a prophecy made by the Three Goddesses, and therefore, it will come to pass."

This wasn't the first time Li Wen had heard this prophecy. Hearing it again, she seemed to be transported back to the past, the unforgettable sense of oppression and solemnity resurfacing in her heart.

"Even the Pillar Gods cannot be spared?"

Li Wen questioned.

"I don't know."

The presence behind the curtain replied. After all, it was neither a Pillar God nor had it experienced the Twilight of the Apocalypse, so it naturally couldn't answer this question.

Li Wen recalled memories from her past life, recalling the facts that the members of the Strategy Group had proven with their lives—the Twilight of the Apocalypse was by no means invincible. Even with just a mortal body, one could still halt the Twilight of the Apocalypse, even if only for a moment, which was enough to prove this fact.

So...

Li Wen's gaze was incredibly firm as she declared, "As long as one becomes a Pillar Deity, they will possess the power to contend with the Twilight of the Apocalypse."

The other party fell into a long silence, as if mocking this outlandish idea.

"I don't know... I have witnessed mortals crowned as Saints, Saints ascending to godhood and establishing Paths, but becoming a Pillar Deity..." It didn't finish the sentence. "Perhaps there is such a possibility."

"Then, what must I do for you to hand over The Final Codex to me?"

Li Wen asked this crucial question. In the strategy guides, The Final Codex was placed on an altar, unguarded. But now, the altar's position was replaced by a curtain, so The Final Codex was naturally in the other party's possession.

"I won't ask you to do anything. The Final Codex can be given to you. But..." It suddenly stopped, as if hesitating for a moment before saying, "Are you truly planning to become a Pillar God by walking a path others have already tread?"

"Isn't that the very meaning of a Path's existence?" Li Wen retorted. "A path created by others is naturally meant to benefit those who come after. I've never heard that only those who forge their own path, rather than following others', can become Saints or deities."

"But Pillar Deities are different," the other party said softly. "At the End of Prehistory, through countless Epochs, the number of Pillar Gods has always remained within twelve. This is because the pillars that construct and maintain the world itself are only twelve. Only when one Pillar God falls will a new Pillar God be born, and the domain it symbolizes will become a Lineage. But there has never been a Pillar God who became one through the original text of a previous Pillar God's Lineage."

"The absence of something does not mean it's impossible," Li Wen said, not discouraged by its words. Instead, her conviction grew stronger.

She wasn't unwilling to try other methods. For instance, as the other party suggested, forging her own Path, then using her own Path to cover an unoccupied pillar and establish a new Lineage. But there simply wasn't enough time.

If Li Wen were given ten thousand years, no, even one thousand years, she might attempt such a feat. But the current situation was that the Great Transmigration would occur in a year, rendering all players disadvantaged. Then would come the Surges, followed closely by the Twilight of the Apocalypse. The world would have less than a hundred years left. Li Wen simply wouldn't have the time to ponder her own Path.

Only the Path of others was her true Path.

Currently, eight of the twelve pillars were intact, and four were vacant. The entire Strategy Group had spent decades of effort just to obtain information about the Twilight Pillar's original text. This was Li Wen's, and indeed everyone's, only hope in both worlds.

Seemingly convinced by Li Wen, the presence behind the curtain sighed.

"You may be a brave person, but confronting the Twilight of the Apocalypse is not something that can be achieved by courage alone."

A corner of the heavy curtain was pulled back, and a pale, slender arm emerged. The arm was as white as a corpse, yet possessed a unique, eerie beauty, like the most perfect creation of a god. In its hand, it held an ancient book, sealed within a semi-transparent amber. The exterior was unremarkable, lacking any divine aura.

Li Wen stepped forward and took The Final Codex with both hands. This old book within amber was impossibly light, yet in her hands, it felt as heavy as a mountain.

[The Final Codex]
[Supreme Artifact - ???]
[Records the original text of the Twilight Pillar's Lineage, depicting the Twilight Witch's Path to Godhood. It is said that by obtaining the original text, one has the chance to glimpse the position of a Pillar God.]
[Cannot be used!]

Li Wen didn't just focus on the description of the Supreme Artifact. She bowed deeply to the presence within the curtain.

"I cannot represent everyone in thanking you, but please allow me to offer my most sincere personal gratitude."

The other party remained silent for a long moment before slowly speaking, "You don't need to thank me... Twilight is a Lineage symbolizing eternity and the end. I hope you understand this. How to use this original text, you should know better than I, so I won't elaborate further. And also... after you become a Witch, come and see me—preferably before I enter my Long Slumber."