The world bloomed with infinite vitality under the sweet dew that nourished all.
Yet, the one who brought about this miracle began to weaken. The protrusions on Luan Yu's small house finally receded naturally, instead of being shaken off by her. The giant white bird slowly dissolved back into the void.
Zhu Zhu felt her consciousness drift, everything like a dream. She felt like she was in nothingness. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and indeed, there was no one in front of her.
Luan Yu, Chong Yan.
Neither of them were there.
She slowly got up, only to find that her body had returned to its human form. Faint stars could be seen in the void, their light very weak, as if from a great distance.
Where was this place?
"You're finally here."
A voice, ancient and powerful, resounded. Zhu Zhu immediately perked up, looking around. Still, there was nothing.
"You can't find me. I am these three thousand worlds."
Zhu Zhu attempted to communicate with the voice: "What are you? Where is this place? Why did you bring me here?"
"Have you forgotten who I am?"
The voice seemed to carry a hint of confusion, then continued, "Yes, you should have forgotten me. You chose this path back then, and now everything has reached this end according to the predetermined trajectory. You are meant to forget me."
"What are you talking about?"
The voice in the void fell silent for a moment. Just as Zhu Zhu was about to ask another question, a white light surged into her mind, and she felt a wave of dizziness.
The next instant, she found herself back in the temple she had occupied for so long.
Yao Zhu led a young man in.
"Divine Venerable, this is Cang Lan Yizhu. He is the only one left in the entire Cang Lan Prefecture."
Zhu Zhu looked over. The person's appearance was eerily familiar to her, though he looked much younger. The moment she saw his face, she also saw the secrets hidden deep within his heart.
Abandoned by his parents as a child, he was confined in the imperial tomb of Cang Lan Prefecture, his vitality extracted by the priests to sustain the prosperity of Cang Lan Prefecture.
As the child grew, he gradually understood the meaning of his existence and the source of his suffering. He began to secretly learn the priests' methods. He was exceptionally intelligent, not only mastering them but also extrapolating from them.
He orchestrated events, making the priests believe the disaster would arrive earlier. He incited them to capture the golden dragon cub, drain its blood, pull out its sinews, and skin it. The entire royal family tasted the flesh of the golden dragon.
He watched from the sidelines, observing the golden dragon clan's massive invasion, witnessing the golden dragons slaughtering the people of Cang Lan Prefecture. He hid in the imperial tomb until Yao Zhu discovered him.
Yao Zhu had intended to kill him then, but failed.
He was brought before her.
At that time, she...
Zhu Zhu examined him meticulously. She appeared stern and surveyed the man with a cold gaze, thinking of her own predicament and forming a plan.
She was being corrupted by demonic energy. If she didn't quickly purge that wisp of divine soul, she risked falling into demonic ways. She was a god, the object of everyone's faith, how could she become a demon?
Thus, she allowed herself to indulge, to fall in love with the human boy.
She could tell he was doing his utmost to please her, perhaps seeking her favor and pity, perhaps for longevity, or for other reasons.
She accepted it all.
She used her primordial power to create a heart for him, an immortal heart, solely to prolong their time together, giving herself enough time to purge her divine soul.
Perhaps the boy deeply loved her.
And her?
Had she fallen in love?
Zhu Zhu felt a completely alien version of herself. She reveled in the passionate lovemaking with the boy, yet her heart remained as cold and still as a dead pool, incapable of rippling no matter what was cast into it.
When Rong Jin was in trouble, she wanted to save her. But the boy, thinking she would die without a heart, confined her in the temple and gave his heart to Rong Jin.
She was somewhat surprised.
She went against her principles and turned the boy into a demon god.
The demons of Dong Yuan and the Divine Realm clashed again. She led the charge, and everyone believed she was the undisputed Divine Venerable. In reality, everything was proceeding according to her plan.
She was heavily injured and successfully purged the contaminated divine soul.
When she awoke again, she had forgotten everything she had done, until the demon god came looking for her, claiming they had once been lovers.
She couldn't resist the temptation and got back together with him.
That heart was created by her own hands. She wanted the man to love her enough for him to do those things for her. She never expected that heart to end up in Rong Jin's body.
Rong Jin had deceived her, and Jin Li had killed Chong Yan.
She forgot everything once more, but this time, she was left with regret and sorrow.
She had become the very person she had desperately tried not to be.
007 found her, and she saw his fragmented soul across the three thousand worlds.
Zhu Zhu finally understood that none of it had been a "coincidence."
From the moment she first saw the boy, she knew what would happen. She had chosen this path resolutely, even as they endured immense hardship.
"Have you remembered?"
She was back in the void, and the voice asked leisurely.
"I told you I would succeed."
She succeeded in preventing all disaster, in preventing the annihilation and demise of the three thousand worlds.
The other party spoke with confusion: "I thought you would say you regretted it. After all, you weren't this kind of person before."
She was supposed to be a flawless deity.
Even remembering who she used to be, Zhu Zhu did not resent her current transformation: "Perhaps this is who I was always meant to be, just needing to undergo a metamorphosis. I actually feel now that everything is just right."
"...Your mindset has changed considerably. You've learned to go with the flow. As expected of the first deity in this world, I've lost. This position is yours from now on."
"I'm not interested," Zhu Zhu refused without hesitation. "You can still live for a long time. Find a successor for yourself during this time. I have no interest in a long and tedious job."
"This was something you once desired most."
"Thank you, but I don't want it anymore."
Silence fell in the void. Zhu Zhu waited patiently. After a while, she felt something push her, and an infinite primordial power surged into her body.
Opening her eyes again, she saw Chong Yan's worried face.
"A'Zhu!" he exclaimed, embracing her tightly.
Zhu Zhu patted his back. "I'm fine."
Luan Yu stood nearby, arms crossed, watching with amusement. When the two finally separated, she met Zhu Zhu's gaze.
"You knew all along?"
"Not that long ago," Luan Yu said modestly. "When I was looking at your future, I accidentally saw it. Well... it seems to be something that will happen soon. Congratulations, everything has come to fruition."
"Thank you."
Luan Yu genuinely admired her from the bottom of her heart.
She couldn't imagine someone, knowing their entire destiny and even having witnessed everything, still having the courage to change it. She had followed the will of heaven while simultaneously fighting against it, even making a gamble and winning in the end.
Moreover, besides Chong Yan, she had not involved any innocent individuals from beginning to end.
Chong Yan's fate had been intertwined with hers for tens of thousands of years; perhaps it was all predestined. Besides, Chong Yan was not entirely innocent.
"Now that everything is settled, what are your plans? Where are you going to play? Ah, this place has finally been restored. I can finally relax for a while."
"The three thousand worlds are in ruins and need rebuilding. There are many interesting things here. You can go and see."
"I'd like to, but he probably won't be able to accompany me for much longer."
Dong Ling was merely mortal. Even with her constant time adjustments, he wouldn't live much longer.
Zhu Zhu extended her hand, and a crystal formed from spiritual energy lay in her palm. "This can help him ascend, but the deities of the Divine Peaks are born from faith. They exist only if people believe in them. For him to live, he needs countless faith points."
Luan Yu took it. "Your kindness is beyond words. If your significant other ever has problems, I will definitely go through fire and water for you."
"Don't jinx it. And also, bring a Void Excursion Beast in exchange."
"Aren't you gods? Why do you still need a Void Excursion Beast?"
Zhu Zhu smiled. "It's comfortable to pet."
A stress-relief artifact.
For the sake of her beloved, Luan Yu reluctantly handed over Little Tangyuan to Zhu Zhu. The little beast chirped a few times before finally calming down when Chong Yan took it.
Bad woman!
Two bad women!
Luan Yu and Dong Ling departed first. Zhu Zhu, however, still had some formalities to attend to.
[Name: Zhu Zhu]
[Gender: Female]
[Race: God]
[Merit Points: 638885600000]
[Faith Points: 8962343000000]
[Task Department: Time and Space Restoration Department]
[Companion System: 007]
007's eyes sparkled as he busied himself counting the zeros. Zhu Zhu spoke, "Bind him as well."
He didn't even look up from the panel. "Okay!"
[Name: Chong Yan]
[Gender: Male]
[Race: God]
[Merit Points: 364589]
[Faith Points: 653289]
[Task Department: Time and Space Restoration Department]
[Companion System: 007]
Zhu Zhu glanced at it, a smile on her face. "Let's go."
007 exclaimed excitedly, "Depart!"