Not Alone

Shen Nanxun's consciousness sank into an endless darkness.

Pain. It had gone on for so long—so long that he could no longer tell whether the agony of bones being crushed and his soul being torn apart was real or merely a lingering memory.

He tried to move a finger, but even the thought was swallowed by the darkness. Yet in that dead, empty void, a ray of light suddenly fell.

Deep within his consciousness, the purple-black cocoon of light wrapped around Shen Nanxun cracked open. Golden, nine-colored, and purple-black light intertwined, lifting his consciousness slowly upward.

In the Sea of Consciousness, Qian Renxue stood on a golden branch, her hands clenched tightly around her skirt. Her pale violet eyes stared without blinking at the slowly dispersing purple-black glow. The golden ancient tree behind her was far dimmer than usual, but she had no time to worry about that. She only watched the depths of that purple-black light.

She saw an exceedingly faint golden consciousness emerge from the purple-black glow. It was still weak, but it was him.

"Xue-jie." Shen Nanxun's consciousness took shape. His voice was hoarse, but a heartfelt smile tugged at his lips. "You were the one who helped me just now, weren't you?"

Qian Renxue's fingers abruptly loosened their grip on her skirt, and she leaned against the tree trunk as if all the strength had drained from her. But when she spoke, her voice still carried its usual cool, haughty tone. "Don't flatter yourself. I only did it because I didn't want you to die and interfere with my grand revenge. If you die here, who will help me fight my way back to the Divine Realm?"

Shen Nanxun looked at her without speaking. The golden ancient tree behind her was still dim—that was the cost to her divine origin. She made it sound as if it were nothing, but the light drawn from her divine origin told a different story.

"What are you staring at?" Qian Renxue turned her haughty face away. "I finally found someone useful. Of course I wasn't going to let you die. Just this once. Don't expect it to happen again. Whatever trials come next, you'll have to bear them yourself. And from now on, you'll have the equivalent of the Angel Domain. I'd planned to test you a while longer before giving it to you, but I suppose the timing is right now."

"Fine." Shen Nanxun's smile deepened a little. "Thanks, Xue-jie. I mean it."

Qian Renxue opened her mouth as if to say something, then swallowed the words. In the end, she merely snorted.

Just then, the void in the Sea of Consciousness trembled faintly. A tall figure in a purple robe emerged at an unhurried pace from the purple-black glow. With each step, a ring of fine, dense ripples spread beneath his feet.

He no longer concealed his face. His sharply defined features were turned toward Shen Nanxun, his dark purple eyes looking down at him.

The instant she saw him appear, Qian Renxue suppressed every trace of emotion, folded her arms, and resumed the cool, dignified bearing of the Angel God.

The God of Destruction's gaze returned to Shen Nanxun. Most of the indifference of a judge had vanished from his dark purple eyes.

"Shen Nanxun, Severing Delusions tested whether you could cut away your obsessions, while the Trial of Vanishing Void tested whether you could endure endless agony. In the third trial, Bearing the Dao, someone called for it to stop on your behalf. I could have refused to accept that."

He paused, and his tone softened slightly. "But later, more than one person stepped forward to call for the trial to stop. So be it."

He raised his right hand. A mass of pure, purple-black divine power of origin shone in his palm.

"Today, I formally pass the Destruction Origin on to you. This is your fifth Soul Ring: the Destruction God-Bestowed. Wield annihilation to protect all living beings and break all evil. Remember: destruction is not slaughter. It is ending illusion and opening the way to new life."

The divine power of origin flew from his palm, becoming a heavy, brilliant purple-black Soul Ring. It descended beneath Shen Nanxun's feet and revolved alongside the Soul Rings of the Angel God and the Dragon Prince.

The God of Destruction looked down at him in silence for a long while, then reached out and gave him a firm pat on the head.

"You're stronger than I am. I've lived for tens of thousands of years, yet apart from Xiao Lu, I've always been alone. You're only a teenager, and already you have so many people standing behind you. I didn't go easy on you in this trial. You made it through on your own."

He withdrew his hand, turned around, and walked toward the purple-black glow. After a few steps, he stopped. Without turning back, he spoke over his shoulder, a trace of laughter in his voice.

"Kid, I'm looking forward to the day you beat all those old geezers into submission. Especially the Sea God."

The God of Destruction had never believed he was wrong about what happened back then. If Tang San hadn't stopped him, the Divine Realm could have completed its expansion long before the spacetime turbulence arrived. Otherwise, the Divine Realm would never have been left in such an awkward state, neither here nor there.

A fully expanded Divine Realm would naturally have been stronger at defending itself and better able to withstand the spacetime turbulence.

In the Sea of Consciousness, the God of Destruction's figure had vanished into the depths of the purple-black glow, leaving only the dark purple Soul Ring revolving quietly beneath Shen Nanxun's feet. Golden, nine-colored, and purple-black light intertwined, illuminating the entire Sea of Consciousness like the starry sky before dawn.

Outside, Shen Nanxun slowly opened his eyes. His face was so pale that it was nearly bloodless, but a hint of purple slowly faded from the depths of his black eyes.

Shen Yue was still standing where he had been. The white-haired head of the military department held his hands behind his back. He said nothing, only reaching out to give Shen Nanxun's shoulder a gentle pat.

"Glad you're all right."

Before Shen Nanxun could speak, a silver-white figure had already crashed into his arms.

Na'er buried her face against his chest and wept uncontrollably. Her scalding tears soaked the dried bloodstain on his chest, and she smeared dark red marks across her own face.

Shen Nanxun looked down at the cowlick on her head, which had drooped sadly as she cried. He raised a hand and gently patted her back.

Not far away, Ye Li stood leaning against the doorframe. Her icy blue eyes, usually warm and smiling, were red-rimmed now, and tears glistened in the fine lines at their corners.

Shen Xing stood beside Ye Li, her eyes red long ago. She angrily wiped away her tears with her sleeve and muttered, "I told you my little brother was tough as nails."

But the tears kept flowing no matter how many times she wiped them away. Shen Nanxun looked at them all. Na'er was still trembling in his arms, and the warmth of his grandfather's pat lingered on his shoulder. He lowered his head and smiled faintly.

The God of Destruction was right.

He was only a teenager, and already he had so many people standing behind him. He had made it through the trial himself. But he had never made it through alone.

After taking some time to recover, Shen Nanxun was back in peak condition. He planned to make a trip to Heaven Dou City while he had the chance.

First, he wanted to see his father. There were also some matters he needed to take care of. For now, that meant the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well on the outskirts of Heaven Dou City.

Though the place belonged to the Tang Sect, no one from the Tang Sect guarded it. Poisonous creatures occupied the outer area, while a few Plant-type Soul Beasts watched over the inside.

He wasn't going there just for the rare treasures. The two Dragon Kings had also fallen there.