Chapter 239.1: Hell and Origin Part 1

On that afternoon long ago, the craftsman leaning on his cane sighed softly. “Have you made your decision, Mr. Tao? Once you take this step, there will be no turning back.”

“Turning back?” The old Celestial Being sighed, flashing a mocking smile aimed at himself. “I haven’t felt anything like that in a very long time.”

The craftsman fell silent as Tao Cheng stared at the sunlight beyond the window. After a long while, the old man asked, “Tell me, if Spring City can still be saved, will that truly make up for the mistakes I made?”

“To a craftsman, questions of right and wrong don’t matter.”

Tao Cheng turned to look at him. “But they matter to me. I cannot keep making mistakes. I will do everything I can.”

The craftsman nodded and stepped aside to clear the way. “You must understand that, whether you succeed or fail, you will likely serve as Origin’s vessel from this day forward. You will endure endless torment and live in hell.”

“Hell?” Tao Cheng turned back as realization dawned on him. He gazed at the flames rising from the furnace. The fire burned without end, its flames dancing as they lit up his eyes. When he came back to himself, he had already forced his gaunt body upright. Unable to contain himself any longer, he broke into a delighted smile. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better!”

And so, with his head held high, he strode into the raging flames and the hell beyond, never to be seen again.

***

The firelight in his memories faded. As the wind rushed around him, the world seemed to spin. Everything flew past him.

The breeze felt so pleasant. He had never imagined that the view while falling could be so enjoyable.

Through the haze, he seemed to see neon lights flickering to life beneath the night sky. The wind howled past him while the streets appeared as lively as ever, with distant voices and shouts carried through the air. Traffic streamed endlessly below, just as it had so many years before.

“After going around in circles my entire life, I still ended up here,” he murmured softly, a smile spreading across his wrinkled face. “Everyone... have you all been well?”

No one answered. Spring City lay deathly still, like a corpse enduring the pitch-black rain. None of its former warmth or gentle lights remained. It felt utterly cold.

How had this place come to mean so much to him? Even he couldn’t understand it. He had merely grown tired of dealing with those people in Central City and, on a whim, he set out on a long journey. He had no destination and no direction, simply wandering wherever the road took him.

He liked the climate by the sea but couldn’t tolerate the dampness, so he had settled in Spring City, only intending to stay for a few days. No friends or family greeted him here, nor did he make any unforgettable memories. Truthfully, he could hardly even say he had loved the place or felt reluctant to leave it. Everything had been perfectly unremarkable, but the life he had believed would continue forever was destroyed without warning.

Should he have left? He should have. He should have hardened his heart and walked away without hesitation, yet he’d wavered. And by the time the indecision had torn his heart apart, it was already too late.

He’d hesitated for one minute. Just one minute. And in that single minute, everything that could have been saved slipped forever beyond his reach because of his hesitation.

They all died. The banyan trees basking beneath the sun, the quiet, secluded alleys, the blare of horns from the roads, the school announcements, the bustling crowds in the streets, the shop assistants secretly dozing behind their counters, and even the anglers squatting by the river at midnight, waiting fruitlessly for a bite—all of them had vanished along with the city itself.

Everything so peaceful and ordinary that it had once seemed tiresome was gone. Those dull, uneventful lives—lives that had nevertheless been more precious to each person than any treasure—had come to an end. All that remained were their cries and screams, echoing in his ears forevermore. Those voices, accompanied by tears no one had reacted to, lay buried in the darkness. “Save me. Please, save me.”

“I’m sorry.”

Even apologies and pleas for forgiveness had long since lost all meaning. From that day onward, he had lived in a hell called shame. All the sacrifices and heroic deeds, all the endurance and mercy had amounted to nothing beside that agony.

Since he awakened, he had never dared return here, despite all the years that had passed. He’d been afraid that, among those countless weathered bones, he would recognize the person he had become, someone he could no longer bear to face.

But now, as the lofty Celestial Being fell from the sky, he felt an astonishing sense of peace. The pull of the earth seemed to call him home, and everything he had once failed to save appeared to have returned once more.

The torment and shame were gone. There was only peace.

As his body gradually broke apart during the fall, he let the wind wash over him and spread his arms one final time.

For one fleeting moment, everything seemed different. The cicadas of a summer afternoon appeared to sing once more. The streets bustled with surging crowds, while a warm, humid breeze blew toward him, carrying the scent of greenery and the sea. Within the crowd stood a traveler who had been away for many years, a bag slung over his shoulder. He looked around in confusion, then raised his head and took in the scene before him.

Finally, he understood.

“Ah... Those were the days...”

Tao Cheng smiled and closed his eyes. He let the sound of the tide rise around him, carrying away the bygone years.

***

A soft, distinct drip broke the silence.

A dazzling tide burst from the disintegrating Celestial Being, scattering and drifting downward in endless shimmering strands. It illuminated everything that had been buried in darkness for so long.

Once more, the world seemed to regain its color, including the green bricks, the gray ruins of collapsed shopping centers, yellow signboards coated in dust, blackened wreckage veiled in cobwebs, pale bones, and the rain of evil winding through it all like blood.

At last, when the magnificent radiance faded, all that remained fell toward the earth. It fell gently, like a drop of clear morning dew.

A brilliant streak tore across the night and plunged into the earth. Within the pure darkness, it unleashed wave after wave of wild surges, as powerful as a tsunami.

Amid the soft patter of falling droplets, a radiant golden torrent burst from the earth and spread in every direction. The vast, majestic tide gushed forth, engulfing everything!

At that moment, the final weight fell upon the scales. Lu Changsheng tried to stop it, but it was already too late. Even the Mortal World Abomination had no power to undo a Celestial Being’s final sacrifice.

Boom!

Lu Changsheng jolted violently as a teeth-grating crack reverberated across the heavens. It felt as if an immense burden had materialized out of thin air. The Mortal World Abomination, towering between heaven and earth, was forced to bow beneath its weight, barely able to hold on. Radiance surged and scoured over it like a tide.

Boom!

A fissure appeared across one of the eyeless faces among its four heads, growing rapidly. It opened its mouth and roared, furious. It couldn’t escape the terrifying pressure that had appeared from nowhere, and it couldn’t afford to let go either.

This had been merely the death of one man, a paltry weight purchased with a soul burned to its very last ember, yet that death instantly tipped the balance and turned the entire situation around. It was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

The last remnants of Tao Cheng’s soul burned away completely. Everything he had left behind lodged itself like a wedge within the corrupted Spring City, merging into the city itself. Then, the assimilation originating from Origin, which was set in motion when Tao Cheng had hastily ascended to become a Celestial Being, spread in every direction through the Ember Creation that had been prepared for many, many years.

A single drop of poison falling into the purest medicine would be enough to ruin it entirely. And now, the moment the medicine of Supreme Benevolence emerged within that churning sea of poison, its purity could no longer be preserved.

This was Mr. Tao’s final plan. ℴ

He had been prepared from the very beginning. Even if he were the only one left, even if he had to sacrifice everything, even if he ceased to exist in this world forever, he would still see his unfinished task through to the end. To accomplish that, he had even used Origin’s assimilation to transform himself further, turning his own body into a vessel for Supreme Benevolence.

Now, after days of relentless probing and all-out struggle, the flame of humanity within Tao Cheng had finally burned itself out. His soul, his matrix, and everything he possessed had become part of Supreme Benevolence through Origin’s assimilation. And along with him, the entire corrupted Spring City was absorbed into Supreme Benevolence.

Following Tao Cheng’s death, the Laws of Origin showed no sign of fracturing or weakening. Instead, accompanied by a magnificent blaze of light, they grew even more stable and immense. Their full power poured into Spring City, sweeping away all corruption and suppressing every mutation.

Lu Changsheng, who had anchored Spring City to the vortex, no longer had any attention to spare for anything else. The only thing he could do was exert every ounce of his strength to withstand the terrifying pressure that had descended without warning. It was the same crushing burden Tao Cheng had once endured when Spring City fell. This was the weight of the world!

It sounded as though the laughter of the dead echoed through the howling gale.

With the remains of my broken body, I offer tribute to Origin! I’ll leave everything that comes after this to you. Just how difficult is it to bear the paltry weight of all the evils in this world, Lu Changsheng? Now it’s your turn to experience the burden of holding up the heavens!

Lu Changsheng braced himself beneath the descending blaze with all his might. He screamed, questioning the old man who had already passed away. “As expected of you, Mr. Tao. Even in death, you still refused to take a heretic like me seriously. But do you think a mere burden like this can stop me?!”

The dead gave no answer.

The Abomination that remained in this world roared. Arms emerged from the rainbow light that kept dispersing after gathering, forcibly shackling the surging blaze and sealing it entirely above the dark clouds. Through sheer force, it held back Origin’s assimilating light.

A distant explosion thundered through the air, causing the Great Abomination Incarnation to tremble fiercely. His spine bent by another fraction.

Lu Changsheng looked back, his fury gradually giving way to realization.

Just moments ago, one of the pillars formed by the many reinforced and reintegrated Upper Abominations throughout Spring City had collapsed. Another one soon followed.

***

As streams of light fell across the sky like tears, Lü Yingyue withdrew her expressionless gaze from the heavens and raised her radio. “By Mr. Tao’s final command, we will reclaim Spring City today! All divisions, advance! Slay every abomination you encounter! Those who retreat will be executed! Those who hesitate will be executed! Those who hold back will be executed!”

Her cold, commanding voice carried waves of spirit matter and echoed in the ears of every Chosen One, delivering both a bloodstained obituary and an order.

“After my death, Tong Ting of Cliff City will take command. After Tong Ting, Jiang Fei of Ship City will succeed him. Every division is to advance. There will be no retreat! We will offer the blood of these vile abominations as an offering at Mr. Tao’s funeral!”

No one replied. What resounded throughout Spring City instead were countless roars and battle cries.

The blazing light engulfed everything, illuminating bloodstained faces. From their grief and fury rose nothing but murderous intent and savage resolve. The Sword of Origin was drawn from blood once more, and the lingering radiance of a Celestial Being shone upon them all.

Inside the temporary command tent, silence reigned. Even after Lü Yingyue switched off the radio, no one made a sound. Amid the distant explosions and tremors, faint, shuddering breaths could be heard from a corner.

Several times, the special envoy from Central City opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

First came Tao Cheng’s death, then Lü Yingyue produced Mr. Tao’s final orders and assumed command of the situation. Everything had happened far too quickly and smoothly, as though it had all been arranged long ago.

The authority of the Governor of Haizhou had just been passed from one person to another in private. Even if it cost him his life, he couldn’t simply pretend he had seen nothing.