It wasn't only Zhao Cheng who was grieving. Belvia—and even Li Qingmeng, usually the liveliest of them all—had fallen silent.
The thing they had feared most all along had finally happened.
The King of Light had secretly told them that Zhao Xiaoxiang might disappear ahead of time. She simply hadn't told Zhao Cheng, fearing that he might go astray because of it.
Of course, the most crucial point was that it was not absolute. There was still a chance that Zhao Xiaoxiang could hold on until the Star of Time was born.
Yet the reality was far better than they had imagined. Zhao Cheng did not break down hysterically. He merely remained silent. Clearly, his heart was firmer than anyone had expected.
At the same time, though, Zhao Cheng—or rather, Zhao Cheng in this state—felt even more frightening.
Belvia and Li Huang'er both could not help but think of the special state Zhao Cheng had entered last time through the King of Light's sacrifice.
"I'm fine. If I were weak, then naturally I could only submit to reality and fate. But now, I only want to see—between Heaven and me, which one stands higher..."
Feeling the worried gazes around him, Zhao Cheng offered reassurance, though his voice was somewhat hoarse.
Yet as he spoke, bursts of excited cheers rose all around them. Apart from one corner of the world, nearly everyone throughout the wider world wore smiles, their hearts soaring with joy.
How little human sorrow and joy truly connected was displayed to the fullest at this moment.
"Flower Goddess! Flower Goddess! Flower Goddess..."
At first, only scattered cries sounded from the crowd. But gradually, they grew louder and louder, until they became an overwhelming roar.
At the same time, at the edge of the great river, an enormous painted