VAP - Chapter 189
Chapter 189: Finale
At that very instant, the seal shattered, and countless memories flooded into Yue Du’s mind.
How she became a System, her time with Ah Jiu, her experiences in the first five worlds, and at the very end of her memories, Ah Jiu’s voice, gentle yet laced with apprehension, saying, “Let’s play a game.”
Why go through all this trouble?
The memory-less Yue Du had a vague guess but couldn’t be certain. Now, however, Yue Du understood for the most part.
Just like in the previous worlds, Ah Jiu was still worried that she would fear her nature as Destruction.
Perhaps because Greed was the most prominent of all the fragments, Ah Jiu decided to seal her memories, let her meet Greed, and then await the final outcome.
It was a crazy thing to do, but it was definitely something Ah Jiu was capable of.
What if… what if she hadn’t accepted Greed? What would Ah Jiu have done?
The thought inevitably surfaced.
At the same time, in the Deep Black Hall outside the world, Ah Jiu rose from the jet-black divine throne, stepped into the void, and in an instant, appeared outside the world barrier of the evil god’s realm.
Through the transparent barrier, She met Yue Du’s gaze and smiled faintly.
The Deep Darkness Ruler hugged Yue Du tightly, her tone unfriendly. “Thinking of merging now?”
Ah Jiu said lightly, “Don’t you want to?”
Of course, she did. As one of the seven aspects, returning to the main body was as natural a development for Greed as the destructive nature She commanded.
She was happy to make herself whole and looked forward to being with Yue Du in her complete form, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to sass her main body a bit first.
Once she’d had her fill of sass, the Deep Darkness Ruler huffed, “Come on, then.”
She turned, her expression changing in a flash, and winked at Yue Du. “See you in a bit.”
She led Yue Du across the invisible barrier, placed her carefully in Ah Jiu’s arms, and only then did she dissolve into black mist and merge into Ah Jiu’s body. In that moment, the essence of Destruction was made completely whole.
Yue Du looked up at Her seriously but couldn’t see any change.
Ah Jiu beamed. “This is the first time I’ve met you in my complete form. It’s wonderful.” As she spoke, she pressed her forehead against Yue Du’s, nuzzling her tenderly, full of affection.
Yue Du said helplessly, “Are you reassured now?”
“Yes!” Ah Jiu replied, then immediately caught herself and played dumb. “Reassured about what? Do I need to be reassured about something?”
Yue Du said, “I’ve figured it out. The reason you chose for Greed and me to meet and interact this way.”
In truth, Yue Du didn’t understand why her host was so insecure in this regard, always thinking that she would fear, distrust, or distance herself for some reason.
Was it because her own displays of affection were too reserved?
“Was it something I did in the past that made you misunderstand, or is there some old wound in your heart?” Yue Du asked softly. “Tell me, please.”
Ah Jiu was silent for a moment before taking off the pendant from her neck. The round stone faintly glowed with five colors, exuding a strange allure that made it impossible for Yue Du to look away.
“This is yours. I’m returning it to you now.”
Yue Du asked, “Does this contain my past life memories or something?”
Ah Jiu shook her head. “This is the World Core of the Five Elements Continent, the condensed energy of a small world. It’s pure energy, containing no memories, but it can help you remember the past.”
A World Consciousness was a special kind of soul. Even if it died and was reincarnated along with its world’s destruction, its former memories remained dormant within its spirit. The energy of a World Core was the only thing that could stimulate them to awaken.
Yue Du took the pendant and examined it closely. A familiar, intimate feeling emanated from the round stone, as if it were resonating with the depths of her soul.
“Alright.” Yue Du closed her hand around it.
A stream of light flickered across the stone’s surface. The next moment, a vast amount of energy belonging to an entire world surged forth, pouring into Yue Du’s body like a weary bird returning to its nest.
An intense wave of drowsiness washed over her. Yue Du murmured Ah Jiu’s name, and her eyelids fluttered shut against her will.
Ah Jiu placed a kiss on her eyes and carried her lover back to the Deep Black Hall.
Yue Du felt like she was dreaming.
To say it was a dream wasn’t entirely accurate, as dreams were rarely this clear. She was walking through an uninhabited wilderness, unable to control her body but with all five senses intact.
After a brief moment of confusion, Yue Du realized what was happening.
This was a memory, from her former self.
Remembering what had happened before she lost consciousness, Yue Du calmed down and observed the movements of her “self.”
The scenes jumped frequently. One moment she was striding through the wilderness, the next she was floating in the clouds, gazing down at mountains, rivers, and lakes. Her view would remain fixed for several seconds before changing again to a temple with a pristine white dome. This was the same complex that had remained unchanged in Ah Jiu’s mental space—the temple of the Unique God of the Five Elements Continent.
Fragmented memories flashed by one by one. After an unknown amount of time, Yue Du finally saw Ah Jiu.
At this time, Ah Jiu looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in black with a placid expression, as if she cared for nothing in the world. She didn’t seem to have any cultivation.
But as the World Consciousness, Yue Du could sense the almost terrifying power within the girl. Out of curiosity, she materialized before her and asked, “Who are you?”
Ah Jiu said, “I don’t know.”
The Five Elements Continent was too young.
Compared to other small worlds, this one was still growing. Thus, Yue Du was unaware of the secrets that circulated among the many World Consciousnesses, including information about “Destruction.”
If Yue Du had known, would she still have appeared before Ah Jiu?
But the fact was, she didn’t know. And so, she asked Destruction for a name.
“A name,” Ah Jiu recalled the meaning of the word and said flatly, “is a symbol used to distinguish individuals within a group. I have no need for it.”
A poor child whose clan was wiped out?
Yue Du thought for a moment and decided to take her in.
It wasn’t the first time Yue Du had taken someone in, but the ones she’d found before were truly pitiful souls. Ah Jiu, on the other hand, was a being who could break her power seals and destroy the world if she got even slightly upset. For reasons unknown, she actually went along with Yue Du.
They traveled to many places and saw many people and things. One day, Yue Du said, “How about I give you a name?”
Ah Jiu said, “I am a unique existence. A name is meaningless to me.”
“How could it be meaningless?” Yue Du smiled gently. “Perhaps you were alone before, but you aren’t anymore. A name isn’t just for distinguishing individuals; it’s also a connection.”
Ah Jiu lowered her eyes. After a long pause, she said, “If you give me a name, you can’t give one to anyone else.”
“What a childish request. Don’t worry, you’re the only one I’ve met who’s grown so old without a name. Let me think… how about Jiu? Jiu (Nine) is the ultimate number, and it also implies nobility and longevity. Calling you Ah Jiu is quite natural, too.”
“Mm.”
A name did indeed possess a special power.
A name acknowledged by the essence of Destruction would henceforth be inextricably linked to Her, never to disappear even after leaving this small world.
After that, Ah Jiu’s emotions gradually grew richer. It seemed she had finally learned how to use human lips to express joy, and from time to time, she would smile at Yue Du.
Mortal storybooks always told of mortals pulling gods down into the secular world. But between them, it was the continent’s Unique God who taught the essence of Destruction from beyond the world what feelings were, what sorrow and joy, anger and happiness—and perhaps jealousy—were.
Destruction had been conscious since birth, but only from this point on did She truly begin to live.
Later, as a matter of course, they fell in love and spent a thousand years together.
Finally, one day, Ah Jiu asked, “Do you want to see what’s outside this world?”
Yue Du said, “You mean the void? But I can’t leave the Five Elements Continent. This place is my very being.”
“You’ll be fine by my side. Trust me.”
Despite having no memory of her true self, Destruction still had this confidence. That is, until they truly entered the void. The moment they left the small world’s domain, the memory seal broke on its own.
“You should go back first,” Ah Jiu said without warning. “I’ll come find you later. I will definitely come back for you.”
At that time, Yue Du was both bewildered and worried, but she was sent back to the small world nonetheless.
The Unique God didn’t know what was happening, but the current Yue Du did.
To be in a loving relationship with a World Consciousness, only to suddenly remember that your job is to destroy worlds—that kind of shock certainly required some time to process.
If nothing had gone wrong, Ah Jiu would have sorted herself out, returned to the Five Elements Continent, and confessed everything. Yue Du wasn’t the type to be bothered by such things.
However, during the time Ah Jiu had sequestered herself in the Deep Black Hall, the Five Elements Continent was destroyed.
The continent collapsed, and the World Consciousness dissipated along with it. This was the last image in Yue Du’s memory.
Then, she opened her eyes.
Yue Du was resting her head on Ah Jiu’s lap, lying upon the divine throne in the Deep Black Hall.
“I never thought that would happen,” Ah Jiu said in a low voice. “After the Five Elements Continent was destroyed, I went to find The One and demanded to know if She did it.”
How would the Creator God dare? Although the Five Elements Continent was initially on Her list of worlds to be purged, this world had Destruction behind it. Listing the world of someone’s beloved in that way was no different from hiring an assassin to kill your wife.
The Creator God was a scoundrel, but not that stupid.
“I searched for you for a long time. But you were nowhere… nowhere to be found.”
Ah Jiu’s voice was hoarse.
Yue Du said, “Mm, I know.”
She raised her arms to wrap them around Ah Jiu’s shoulders and said, “But didn’t I come back?”
“It’s a good thing you came back. If I had never found you, I would have eventually destroyed the world.”
Not just some small world, but the entire plane of existence, reducing it to nothingness. Destruction had that power.
She paused, suddenly realizing what she had just said, and quickly tried to amend it. “I have absolutely no such thoughts now.”
Yue Du said, “Actually, it’s okay to have those thoughts.”
Ah Jiu thought she was being sarcastic and was about to explain further.
Yue Du shook her head and smiled. “Destruction is your nature. I love you, so I will accept that part of your nature. But I will be like an anchor, to fix you, to watch over you, and to keep you from doing anything truly bad.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.”
Then please, watch over me always.
The term is forever, until the end of time.
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