He saw the Creation Forge from a distance. He had intended to go over and retrieve the soul fragments, but a massive amount of Arcane power had coalesced there. With every meter he drew closer, he felt the energy within his body being drained away.
With his last breath, he channeled the arts of Fel energy, summoning the power of the Void Seas. It formed a swirling current of lightning and thunder, concentrating above the Creation Forge. Then, with a wave of his hand, he unleashed an explosion of energy sufficient to obliterate an asteroid!
A thunderous crash of shattering metal rang out! The forge was blown to pieces, and the metal shards smashed into the surrounding buildings. Plumes of dust and debris choked the water, suffocating many marine creatures.
However, the seven condensed soul fragments remained where the forge had once stood. They had transformed into golden spheres, rotating slowly, still gathering a massive amount of Arcane power.
Due to the severe depletion of his mental strength and the overexertion of his mind, Su Shiye’s body swayed unsteadily. Pressing one hand to his chest and bracing himself against a wall with his other arm, he held on for a moment longer before he could truly take no more. He turned and swam back beneath the Well of Storms.
Once his Fel energy was replenished, he returned to Saint Yegana, attempting once more to break apart the soul fragments, but he failed again.
In this manner, he tried repeatedly for two days, searching for other clues or solutions in the surrounding area. But no matter how hard he worked, it was like trying to extinguish a burning house with a cup of water.
During those two days, the gold of the Emerald Mountains grew paler and more brilliant, concentrating more than seven times the Arcane energy of the entire Saint Yegana sea region. Finally, like a celestial body akin to the sun, its radiance became so piercing that it was impossible to look upon directly.
By the time Fanli’s vessel arrived at Saint Yegana, the World of the Light Sea had fallen into total chaos. The colored stone pavements had shattered into a flurry of colorful snow, drifting through the golden, shimmering seawater. Blue whales swam around the soul fragments as if they had lost their minds, their massive bodies moving with a slow grace, like giant forest birds of the ocean tending to the golden cradle of the Lord of the Endless Ocean. This City of Glory, with its four-hundred-million-year history, was collapsing, blending the despair of a doomsday twilight with the hope of universal rebirth.
Fanli saw Su Shiye outside the Temple of the Light Sea. Amidst the swirling, intense light, his snow-white hair and tall silhouette were dyed gold. Sensing her approach, he turned his head. His armguards reflected the dazzling light, and his eyes were filled with profound shock.
"Lili, you’re still out here..."
Fanli swam over swiftly and threw her arms around him. Su Shiye pulled her into his embrace, burying his head in the crook of her shoulder. Having found her again after losing her, he held her with a restrictive grip that bordered on greed.
"It’s both a good thing and a bad thing—it seems the Sea Lord doesn't want my soul fragment," she joked.
"What about Lili and Fanxing? Are they inside?"
"Yes, they’re inside. But there must be a way." She patted his back, and before he could comfort her, she spoke first. "We will definitely find a way to save our daughter and son."
"Mm."
Fanli rushed into the Temple of the Light Sea, took out the Eyes of Flame, and personally put them on Su Shiye. These two earrings had accompanied him for over a hundred years. As he wore them once more, standing in the center of Saint Yegana, she touched his cheek and smiled. "It’s like seeing the Dictator of the Burning Era all over again."
Su Shiye did not speak. He simply closed his eyes and turned his head to kiss the back of her hand.
"Alright, enough sentimentality," Fanli said, withdrawing her hand. "Let’s try attacking the soul fragments together."
"Alright, I’ll follow your lead."
Fanli clasped her hands in front of her chest and began to store energy, preparing to release the ultimate destructive Arcane spell, "Endless Destiny Storm." Beneath the spheres of the soul fragments, a dark purple rotating formation appeared. Then, a pair of large hands reached around from behind her, grasping her own. The energy instantly doubled, and six pillars of ice-blue light, a hundred and fifty meters high, erupted from the formation.
Feeling Su Shiye holding her, it was more than just physical intimacy; it was the complete fusion of their spirits and power. Fanli’s confidence surged. Once their reserves of Arcane power reached their limit, she suddenly snapped her eyes open. Her long, seaweed-like hair danced in the currents as she unleashed the storm!
The intensified light forced her to shield her eyes.
*BOOM!!!*
The sound of the explosion was deafening. Among the few onlookers on the street, a cheer of excitement broke out. Su Shiye moved in front of her, shielding her behind him. In the Forge World within her closed eyes, massive waves rose, and the eight jellyfish began to sway violently.
*BOOM!!!*
An even louder explosion echoed through Saint Yegana. The golden spheres of the soul fragments were blasted apart by the Arcane energy.
"Wonderful!!" Fanli shouted excitedly. "Quick, let's go—"
She tried to rush forward to intercept the fragments, but Su Shiye caught her.
"Wait." Su Shiye looked at the scattered fragments with a grim expression. "If you go near them now, you'll be swallowed. Their color is still gold. Why are they still gold..."
Before he could finish, his lips gradually lost their color. Fanli did not dare look directly at the golden light, but in the reflection of his pupils, she saw the seven soul fragments recombining once more.
"It’s useless..." Fanli’s tail went limp, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. "No matter how much destructive power we use, there’s no way to stop it..."
"...It’s all my fault." Su Shiye furrowed his brows in agony. "If I hadn't built this forge back then, today wouldn't have happened. I should have consulted you before making a decision. I was too arbitrary and overbearing."
"Brother, don't blame yourself. You might have been wrong back then, but someone else made this choice now—it has nothing to do with you. Let’s wait a bit longer; there’s always a way." Fanli gripped his hand and said firmly, "Even if you don't believe in others, you have to believe in me. I’m the Lili who always turns misfortune into a blessing, aren't I?"
"Mm." Su Shiye embraced her. "Lili, I’m sorry."
"It’s okay, it’s okay. Lili can protect her brother," she said with a smile, just as she had when they were children.
"Promise me, no matter what happens, protect yourself. We will do our best to save the two children; if we truly can't save them, we can have more. But I really cannot lose you. You must not do anything foolish."
"I won't do anything foolish."
Despite her words, Fanli’s promises seemed to remain only as speech. Next, they contacted the clergy and government departments of Saint Yegana, trying every method they could think of. They even tried to accumulate energy to shatter the soul fragments again, but the result was always the same.
Furthermore, the situation was growing worse. Deep Blue’s power of revival did not remain confined to Saint Yegana. As time passed, it spread toward the seven sea regions at a staggering speed.
In Luo'ya, an earthquake shook the Stalker Hotel. In an empty guest room, the artistic portrait of a deceased pop star wobbled and crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces.
On the Fluorescent Sea near Amaterasu, the firefly squid were either leaping about frantically or swimming toward Saint Yegana as if possessed, heedless of their lives.
In Suddhodana, the gold and silver leaves on the undersea Bodhi trees shook and drifted away, causing passing pedestrians to stare in wide-eyed wonder.
In the city center of Giametti, the Palace of the Resurrected Sect God, built of basalt, remained unmoved, but the nearby slums had already collapsed like houses made of paper.
In Elgonlinge, phalanxes of the white army, tridents in hand, swam around the city center, shouting slogans of "Stay calm."
In the deep waters of Antioch, icebergs cracked, and a large number of periwinkles fell from the ice walls. Beluga whales writhed in the icy sea, letting out piercing screams.
Veda was the least affected because its buildings were all constructed on mountain rock, but the undersea mountains shook continuously. The city was deathly silent, creating an illusion of the eve of death...
In the end, no one could stop the power of a god.
At the head of the Emerald Mountains, the Goddess’s closed eyes opened, revealing a pair of sea-blue eyes the size of buildings.
These eyes held no spirit, only a cold indifference that looked down upon all things, and a divinity that possessed supreme power. It seemed no light could enter these eyes; they only cast back a mirror image of absolute defense.
In the Forge World that Fanli entered after closing her eyes, all the descendants of the Sea God were surrounded by golden light like statues, motionless. And within the inner ring surrounded by the eight jellyfish, a mass of silver light rose and fell—or rather, it pulsed like a heart.
Fanli floated before her friends, but they were all frozen. Feng Jin was peaceful, Xi Tian was furious, Yu Jin looked as if he had something left unsaid, and in Ye Jia’s eyes, there was only a sorrow like that of a sacrificial offering.
Thus, she floated before the mass of silver light. Just as she was about to speak, she realized she could communicate with it through consciousness.
—*Who are you? Are you Deep Blue?*
—*Yes.*
—*Are you returning?*
—*Yes.*
—*430 million years ago, since you chose to split yourself, why do you choose to be resurrected now?*
—*The one who chose to split was not me. It was you.*
—*What do you mean... I am only a part of you. How could I make a decision for you?*
—*You, who were born of an error, made an erroneous decision. Now, I must provide redemption in your stead.*
—*No, your return now is not redemption. It is a massacre—a massacre of the countless descendants you created when you split.*
—*I am not killing them. They are simply merging with me again, attaining eternal life in a new way.*
—*Then why won't you let me merge as well? I am also a part of you.*
—*I do not need you.*
—*But I need you. Let me merge into you.*
—*No, I do not need you! You are my most useless part, the part that should be discarded most! Wisdom and desire cannot exist simultaneously; otherwise, selfishness is born, lowering the dimension of a god. Go.*
—*I won't go. I will stay here and wait to merge with you.*
—*Go!*
The conscious exchange was severed. Fanli was forcibly "kicked" out of the Forge World and returned to the real world.
She felt a bit happy, yet also a bit lost. Happy because she knew that Deep Blue’s resistance toward her meant there was still a chance to change the situation; lost because the day she least wanted to face was fast approaching.
On the seventh day of the soul fragments' condensation, at the head of the Emerald Mountains, the "Goddess" closed her eyes. Then, the range of the Arcane light rapidly shrank, concentrating at the very center of the mountain range.
Then, amidst a mass of silver light, a woman appeared in the waters above the mountain peak. She held the Sea God Scepter and wore a white toga. Her tail and eyes were a pure sea-blue, and her large curls were a cascading waterfall of snow-white, falling over her shoulders and reaching all the way to the base of her tail.
She looked down upon the world with cold eyes.
All the people of the sea recognized her. Except for the color of her hair, the Great Envoy Sui looked exactly like her.
However, in Sui’s eyes, there was the sea and the blue sky, and sometimes a kingdom of stars. But in this woman’s eyes, there was only the vastness of the sea, the immensity of the universe, and the loneliness of four billion years. Even the moonlight did not dare to probe their depths.
"My children, who is calling me?" the woman spoke. Her voice was like Fanli’s—slightly raspy and intoxicating—but significantly deeper.
"You... are you... the Lord of the Endless Ocean...?" The Dictator swam to the foot of the mountain before her, speaking in an uncertain voice.
"I am your mother."
"Are you Deep Blue? Then why do you look the same as Great Envoy Sui..."
He received no answer. However, her reaction perfectly illustrated the truth: it wasn't that she looked like Sui; it was that Sui looked like her.
The Dictator felt a heartfelt fear and did not dare speak again. Su Shiye swam to a spot neither too close nor too far from her, furrowing his brows as he said lowly, "Who are you?"
They were far apart, but his words reached Deep Blue’s ears without missing a single syllable.
Deep Blue turned her gaze toward him. Using that beautiful face he knew so well, she looked at him with eyes that were utterly foreign. "You recognize me."
"I don't recognize you." Su Shiye shook his head in disbelief. "Even through divine consciousness, I don't recognize you. Who are you, really?"
"I am Deep Blue."
"You aren't. Deep Blue shouldn't be like you. She loves to smile, she is gentle, and she is filled with compassion for the ocean. You are not her."
He was completely baffled. What Deep Blue was currently missing was "wisdom" and "selfishness," not "gentleness" and "kindness." How could she become so cold and mechanical just because she lacked Sui’s soul fragment?
Deep Blue spoke no more. She simply curled the corner of her mouth, like a perfect deity mocking a flawed soul. "Selfishness led me to create the Hunter Tribe and the Ocean Tribe, causing the world to become what it is now. Therefore... Sui, what are you doing?"
At that moment, Fanli was behind Su Shiye, her eyes closed, concentrating her energy in an attempt to merge with Deep Blue’s consciousness once more.
Deep Blue waved her hand. A powerful surge of water rushed toward Fanli. Su Shiye flashed in front of Fanli, blocking the blow. The Arcane ripple brushed past his body, and with a roar like a tornado, it pulverized a vast area of buildings. Within a semi-circle with a radius of five kilometers behind him, all traces of civilization were wiped out.
Deep Blue coldly raised her scepter and swung a mass of silver-blue light toward Su Shiye and Fanli again.
This time, to protect Fanli, Su Shiye was knocked back over three hundred meters. Every building within a ten-kilometer radius was reduced to dust within seconds. Su Shiye clutched his chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the seawater red. To Deep Blue, this was no more effort than swatting a mosquito.
"The body created by the Lord of Aether is strong, but in the end, you only have a sliver of his divine consciousness. You are no match for me," Deep Blue said indifferently. "Sui, you are even less of a match. If you merge with my consciousness, you will be swallowed instantly, with not even a corpse remaining. Do not seek your own destruction."
"Merge with your consciousness?" Su Shiye turned back, looking at Fanli in disbelief. "Lili, why would you—"
Before he could finish, Fanli had already disappeared into a mass of golden light.
"Sui, I told you to go—"
Deep Blue didn't finish her sentence. Her entire being seemed to have been hit by a pause button, freezing for several seconds.
"Lili...?" Su Shiye looked at Deep Blue. His voice was calm, but his heart was filled with terror.
In this moment, completely merged with Deep Blue, Fanli saw the billions of years of the Sea Lord’s past and understood everything in an instant. Simultaneously, Deep Blue’s physical form revealed a lively smile. "It’s me. I think I succeeded."
She was so happy, but Su Shiye felt as if his head had been struck by a thousand-pound boulder. His mind buzzed, and he could no longer think.
"It’s terrifying. Deep Blue didn't finish her sentence just now. Do you know what she wanted to do?" Fanli couldn't help but shiver.
"What did she want to do?" the Dictator asked.
"She has no feelings for this world whatsoever. Her thinking is still stuck in ancient times—she feels this world is no longer good, so she wants to reclaim the Arcane power and reshape a new, evolved world consisting only of the Sea God Tribe. In doing so, the Ocean Tribe and the Hunter Tribe would lose their Arcane power and revert into ordinary marine life. One could say that compared to my brother during his time as the Dictator, a Sea Lord lacking wisdom and desire isn't much gentler. Is this the thought process of all you god-like figures?"
"Fanli, what are you doing?" Su Shiye’s eyes widened. He saw the world beginning to shake again, spinning wildly. "You promised me you wouldn't sacrifice yourself."
"I have no choice. Unless Deep Blue accepts the union of myself and the other soul fragments, I could return to her and govern her thoughts. But she has long been on guard against me; 430 million years ago, she did her best to suppress me and isolate me. So now, I can only control her for a brief moment."
"I know all that!!" Su Shiye raised his voice. "But do you know that you will die if you do this?!"
"I wasn't going to live past seven hundred anyway." Fanli shook her head. "Just as Deep Blue said in the scroll, I am the part that shouldn't exist in this world. I’ve known this for a long time; now it’s just a few years early. This result is actually quite good. Because I don't have to die; I’m just returning to our mother’s embrace in everyone’s stead."
"Liar. I don't believe a single word."
"It’s true. Otherwise, think about it—with my personality, how could I have endured your polygamy?" At this point, Fanli smiled at him. "I want to leave my final moments to you, in whatever form they may take."
"Lili, don't say things like that. Really." Su Shiye suppressed all his emotions, though he was already on the brink of collapse.
"...You always surprise me so much." Fanli insisted on continuing. "You didn't just give me companionship; you gave me a family and children. Although our time together wasn't long, knowing that you love me has already far exceeded my expectations."
The seawater murmured, swaying the colorful soft corals and the drunken-looking seaweed. The seagrass billowed in layers, like a golden wedding dress that had never been worn. The ocean, the sky, and time itself lost their boundaries. Su Shiye’s young face overlapped with her past love. However, his posture was one of extreme sorrow and humility.
"Don't disappear. Just live on as Deep Blue. Don't worry about anyone else, I beg you."
Having grown up with Su Shiye since childhood, this was the first time Fanli had seen him cast aside his pride and beg her like this.
How could she not want to make a selfish choice just once? But no matter what she did, she would surely disappear at the age of seven hundred. And now, Deep Blue’s original power was simply too strong; without the support of the other seven soul fragments, she couldn't even control it for a minute. If she chose to keep her soul fragment, she would be trading the lives of all the Sea God descendants for a few more years of her own life—including her two children.
"You see, I’m not really a woman worth pining for." Her smiling lips held a trace of self-mockery. "No matter what I do, I never consider your feelings. So, once I’m gone, just miss me for a few years, or a few decades. Then, look forward."
"Lili, no. Truly, no..."
"Look at how much you’ve done for me, yet I can give you so very little... So, I hope that one day, you will meet a woman who loves you more than I do. That way, my brother won't have to work so hard."
"Stop saying that! I don't want any other woman!"
Su Shiye rushed forward to embrace her, but he passed right through her body.
Because she hadn't fully revived, Deep Blue’s body existed between two dimensions; she could be seen but not touched. He stood with his back to Fanli, looking at his own hands. Even at this moment, he could not accept reality.
"To have lived once like this, as Fanli... it was truly wonderful..."
Hearing her soft, warm voice, Su Shiye turned back. She was also looking back at him, smiling slightly. Behind her, the dome of the Temple of the Light Sea was exceptionally striking, the Well of Storms sang its song in the distance, and the Creation Gate of the Holy Capital stood ready to welcome a rebirth after the great change. Saint Yegana seemed to have returned to prehistory overnight—noble and silent, a masterpiece brewing under the pens of countless poets.
Only in this moment was she not Deep Blue, but the white-haired Sui Fanli.
A longing spanning over four hundred million years was drowned by the tide of war songs and soaked in seawater made of tears, all for this moment—a few seconds of silent gaze with him.
A few short seconds were already eternity.
Fanli raised the scepter, and a golden light shot from its head.
Immediately, she vanished into the seawater. A streak of golden light appeared directly above the Emerald Mountains and fell with resolute finality.
Su Shiye wanted to chase after her, but there was no longer such a place to go.
Thousands of golden lights shot out from the Emerald Mountains one after another, like a meteor shower falling in reverse. Each "starlight" crashed into every corner of the Light Sea, transforming into the Sect God descendants who had nearly vanished.
"What’s happening..."
"Lord of the Endless Ocean... are we... are we saved?"
"I’m out?! Honey, we’re out!!"
"Mama, mama, *waaaaah*, I was so scared..."
...
Amidst the noisy voices, Yu Jin was the first to recover his energy. With a pleasant surprise, he searched everywhere for Fanli, swimming throughout Saint Yegana, but he could not find her.
Ye Jia rubbed his temples and slowly stood up from the ground. He looked at the Emerald Mountains, the place where the Creation Forge had vanished, and the expressionless Su Shiye in the distance.
His emotional perception had always been strong. Even without asking, he could tell what had happened from Su Shiye’s expression. But he was still unwilling to believe it. He simply swam to Su Shiye and said in a low voice, "Where is Sui?"
Su Shiye did not speak.
After a long silence, Ye Jia gradually gritted his teeth, and large tears flowed into the seawater. "Kill me."
Su Shiye remained motionless and silent.
"I’m the one who killed her," Ye Jia said, his eyes rimmed with red. "Kill me."
Su Shiye remained silent.
"Su Shiye, give me a quick end!!" Ye Jia shook his shoulder violently.
Su Shiye still gave no reaction. He simply brushed Ye Jia’s hand aside and silently swam away. Ye Jia’s cries of heartfelt remorse did not move him to sympathy or hatred. He swam in a direction without a destination, never looking back.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 无尽天命风暴 | Endless Destiny Storm | An ultimate destructive Arcane spell. |
| 以太之主 | Lord of Aether | A powerful entity mentioned as the creator of Su Shiye's body. |
| 落亚 | Luo'ya | One of the seven sea regions. |
| 天照阐幽 | Amaterasu | One of the seven sea regions. |
| 须陀洹 | Suddhodana | One of the seven sea regions. |
| 给亚麦提 | Giametti | One of the seven sea regions. |
| 尔国临格 | Elgonlinge | One of the seven sea regions. |
| 安条克 | Antioch | One of the seven sea regions. |
| 吠陀 | Veda | One of the seven sea regions. |
| 潜行者酒店 | Stalker Hotel | A hotel in Luo'ya. |
| 萤乌贼 | Firefly squid | A type of marine creature. |
| 海中菩提树 | Undersea Bodhi tree | A sacred tree in Suddhodana. |
| 复活宗神宫 | Palace of the Resurrected Sect God | A landmark in Giametti. |
| 滨螺 | Periwinkle | A type of sea snail. |
| 托加 | Toga | A type of garment worn by Deep Blue. |
| 圣都创世门 | Creation Gate of the Holy Capital | A landmark in Saint Yegana. |
