Chapter 743
Ren Xue
The realm of nothingness began to tremble. The will of the Eye of Annihilation emitted a silent shriek, not of anger, but of a deeper, almost bewildering emotion. For the first time, it had encountered such an opponent—not one confronted with greater power, but one that debated with the very essence of existence.
"So, leave," Tang Wulin said finally. "Return to your abyss and continue your annihilation. But remember, as long as there is one life that remembers, as long as there is one emotion that flows, as long as one choice is made, 'existence' will never yield."
Light erupted.
It wasn't Tang Wulin's power, but rather the condensation of those memories, emotions, and bonds—a counterattack from "existence" itself. The will of the Eye of Annihilation rapidly faded within this light, not destroyed, but "negated"—its foundation was shaken, its purpose was questioned, and for the first time, it began to doubt whether "nothingness" was truly superior to "existence."
In the real world, at the gates of the abyss.
The black tentacles suddenly froze, then retreated into the cracks like a tide. The cracks in the barrier healed rapidly, and the light of the Tree of Life shone brightly, completely purifying the last trace of annihilation.
Tang Wulin slowly opened his eyes.
"Wu Lin!" Qian Renxue's voice trembled, her face was covered in tears, her divine power was almost exhausted, but she still held her husband tightly.
"I'm fine," Tang Wulin said softly, raising his hand to wipe away his wife's tears. The dark red mark on his forehead was fading, eventually disappearing completely, as if it had never existed.
The gods surrounded him, and Tang San immediately checked on his son's condition, then his face showed disbelief: "The mark... is gone? Not just suppressed, but completely gone? What happened?"
With Qian Renxue's support, Tang Wulin straightened up. Though still weak, his eyes were clear and resolute. He gazed at the now-calm Abyss Gate and slowly said:
“I talked to it about existence and nothingness, about meaning and futility, about the fact that the rain has fallen and the irreversible passage of time.”
The God of Destruction was stunned. The Goddess of Life was stunned. Tang San and Xiao Wu were stunned. Even Qian Renxue stared blankly at her husband, as if she were seeing him for the first time.
"And then?" Tang Xuan Yu couldn't help but ask, the young heir of the Sea God's eyes filled with curiosity.
Tang Wulin smiled slightly, a smile that carried the wisdom gained from experiencing the vicissitudes of life: "Then it discovered that it could not refute me. Because to refute 'existence has meaning,' it must first 'exist' to refute it. And once it chooses to 'exist,' it betrays its own foundation."
He paused, gazing at the distant sky: "So it has retreated for now. Not defeated, but persuaded—or rather, trapped by the paradoxes in its own logic. It shouldn't bother us again until it figures it out."
Silence, a deathly silence.
Then, the God of Destruction suddenly burst into laughter, a loud and clear laugh filled with joy and relief: "Good! What a brilliant way to persuade nothingness with existence! What a brilliant way to trap annihilation with logic! Kid, I underestimated you, we all underestimated you!"
The Goddess of Life smiled gently as she stepped forward and embraced Tang Wulin softly: "Child, you have found your path. Not the path of power, not the path of laws, but the path of 'existence.' Keep walking, and you will see scenery we have never seen before."
Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance, both seeing pride and relief in each other's eyes. Their son had once again created a miracle, in a way no one could have imagined.
Qian Renxue held Tang Wulin's hand tightly, saying nothing, only resting her forehead on his shoulder. That was enough. As long as he was still here, as long as they were still here, that was enough. Tang Wulin returned the grip of his wife's hand, his gaze sweeping over every family member and every deity present. His body was still weak, his soul power still low, but deep within his heart, something had completely changed.
He was no longer in a hurry to regain his power, nor anxious about the difficult road ahead. Because he understood that power would decline, divine positions would be passed on, and even the universe would have an end, but the fact that he "had existed" was an eternal thing that nothing could erase.
He existed, loved, was loved, made choices, and persevered. That's enough.
"Let's go home," he said softly, to Qian Renxue and to everyone else. "I'm a little tired and want to drink my mother's porridge."
Xiao Wu chuckled, tears welling in her eyes: "Okay, let's go home. Mom will cook you porridge, a big pot of it."
The gods smiled, their tension dissipating. They departed one by one, leaving this space to the Tree of Life and the Gate of the Abyss. Perhaps the crisis was not yet completely over, perhaps the Eye of Annihilation would eventually return, but at least for this moment, they were at peace.
With Qian Renxue's support, Tang Wulin slowly walked back. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and looked back at the Tree of Life.
The colossal ancient tree swayed gently in the wind, each leaf shimmering with the radiance of life. And beneath the tree, the rift to the abyss lay silently, dark and deep, yet no longer frightening.
"What's wrong?" Qian Renxue asked.
"It's nothing." Tang Wulin shook his head, turned around, and continued walking. "I was just thinking that existence and nothingness may not be opposing poles. Just like light and shadow, life and death, existence and non-existence, they define each other and fulfill each other."
He held his wife's hand tightly, feeling its real warmth and touch: "Without nothingness, existence loses its meaning; without existence, nothingness has no concept. We fear annihilation, we fear returning to nothingness, but perhaps it is this very fear that makes existence so precious, so worthy of cherishing."
Qian Renxue listened quietly for a long time, then asked softly, "So you're not afraid anymore?"
"I'm afraid, but I won't back down because of fear." Tang Wulin smiled, sunlight falling on his pale face, gilding it with a faint golden edge. "Because I know that no matter what the future holds, the moment I'm holding your hand, it's real. This realness is enough for me to face any illusion."
The two smiled at each other and continued walking towards home.
Behind me, the Tree of Life rustled, as if telling an ancient story—about existence, about nothingness, about how a soul, in its most vulnerable state, confronts the deepest abyss and then returns safely.
Further away, the sky above the divine realm was a clear, deep blue, with clouds drifting lazily by—another peaceful and beautiful day.
The aroma of porridge filled the Jingxin Garden.
Xiao Wu really cooked a huge pot of porridge, using spirit rice unique to the divine realm, along with various nourishing herbs. It was steaming hot and had a wonderfully fragrant aroma. The whole family sat around the stone table, and even the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life stayed behind, saying they wanted to soak up some of the "human energy."
Tang Yilin held a small bowl, blowing on it to warm it, his little face flushed red from the steam. Tang Nianxue nestled in her father's arms, insisting that Tang Wulin feed her. Tang Xuanyu, meanwhile, earnestly inquired about the inheritance of divine positions from the God of Destruction, listening intently. (End of Chapter)