The void domain began to tremble. The Eye of Annihilation's will emitted a soundless shriek—not anger, but some deeper, nearly "confused" emotion. For the first time, it encountered such an opponent—not confronting it with stronger power, but debating with it using the essence of existence.
"So, leave." Tang Wulin finally said, "Return to your Abyss, continue your annihilation. But please remember—as long as one life remembers, as long as one emotion flows, as long as one choice is made, 'existence' will never yield."
Light erupted.
Not Tang Wulin's power, but the condensation of those memories, emotions, and bonds—the counterattack of "existence" itself. The Eye of Annihilation's will rapidly faded within this light, not destroyed, but "negated"—its foundation was shaken, its purpose questioned. For the first time, it began to doubt whether "nothing" was truly superior to "something."
The real world, before the Abyss Gate.
The black tendrils suddenly stiffened, then retreated like a tide back into the crack. The cracks on the barrier rapidly healed, the Tree of Life's light flourishing greatly, thoroughly purifying the last trace of annihilation aura.
And Tang Wulin slowly opened his eyes.
"Wulin!" Qian Renxue's voice trembled. Her face was covered with tear tracks, her sacred power nearly exhausted, yet she still held her husband tightly.
"I'm fine." Tang Wulin said softly, raising his hand to wipe away his wife's tears. On his forehead, that dark red mark was fading, finally disappearing completely, as if it had never existed.
The gods gathered around. Tang San immediately checked his son's condition, then revealed an expression of disbelief: "The mark... disappeared? Not suppressed, but completely disappeared? How?"
Supported by Qian Renxue, Tang Wulin straightened his body. Though still weak, his gaze was clear and firm. He looked toward the now calm Abyss Gate and slowly spoke.
"I had a chat with it—about existence and nothingness, about meaning and futility, about the fact that rain fell and time that cannot be reversed."
The God of Destruction was stunned. The Goddess of Life was stunned. Tang San and Xiao Wu were stunned. Even Qian Renxue stared at her husband blankly, as if seeing him for the first time.
"Then what?" Tang Xuanyu couldn't help asking, the young Sea God inheritor's eyes full of curiosity.
Tang Wulin smiled slightly, that smile carrying the transparency of having experienced life's vicissitudes: "Then it discovered it couldn't refute me. Because to refute that 'existence has meaning,' it would first have to 'exist' to refute. And once it chose to 'exist,' it betrayed its own foundation."
He paused, gazing toward the distant sky: "So it temporarily retreated. Not defeated, but persuaded—or rather, trapped by the paradox in its own logic. Before it figures things out, it probably won't bother us again."
Silence. Deathly silence.
Then, the God of Destruction suddenly burst into loud laughter, his voice resounding, full of relief and liberation: "Good! What a way to persuade nothingness with existence! What a way to trap annihilation with logic! Boy, I underestimated you, we all underestimated you!"
The Goddess of Life also revealed a gentle smile. She stepped forward and lightly embraced Tang Wulin: "Child, you've found your own path. Not the path of power, not the path of laws, but the path of 'existence.' Walk on, and you will see scenery we've never seen."
Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged glances, both seeing pride and comfort in each other's eyes. Their son had once again created a miracle—in a way no one could have imagined.
Qian Renxue tightly held Tang Wulin's hand, saying nothing, only pressing her forehead against his shoulder. Enough—as long as he was still here, as long as they were still here, it was enough.
Tang Wulin returned his wife's grip, his gaze sweeping across every family member, every god present. His body was still weak, his soul power still meager, but deep within, something had fundamentally changed.
He was no longer anxious to restore his power, no longer worried about the difficult road ahead. Because he understood—power would decline, divine positions would change hands, even the universe had its end, but the fact that something "existed" was an eternal that nothing could erase.
And he had existed, loved, been loved, chosen, persisted. That was enough.
"Let's go home." he said softly, to Qian Renxue, and to everyone, "I'm a bit tired. I want to drink Mom's porridge."
Xiao Wu laughed with a puff, tears glistening in her eyes: "Alright, home. Mom will cook porridge for you, a big pot."
The gods also laughed, the tense atmosphere swept away. They left one by one, leaving this space to the Tree of Life and the Abyss Gate. Perhaps the crisis wasn't completely resolved, perhaps the Eye of Annihilation would return someday, but at least for this moment, they were at peace.
Tang Wulin slowly walked back, supported by Qian Renxue. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and looked back at the Tree of Life.
The massive ancient tree swayed gently in the wind, every leaf shimmering with the radiance of life. And beneath the tree, the Abyss Gate's rift lay quietly—pitch-black, profound, yet no longer frightening.
"What is it?" Qian Renxue asked.
"Nothing." Tang Wulin shook his head, turning back to continue forward, "Just thinking that existence and nothingness, perhaps, were never opposing poles to begin with. Like light and shadow, life and death, being and non-being—defining each other, fulfilling each other."
He tightened his grip on his wife's hand, feeling that real temperature and touch: "Without nothingness, existence loses its meaning; without existence, nothingness would have no concept. We fear annihilation, fear returning to nothingness, but perhaps, it is precisely this fear that makes existence so precious, so worth cherishing."
Qian Renxue listened quietly. After a long while, she asked softly: "So you're no longer afraid?"
"Afraid, but no longer retreating because of fear." Tang Wulin smiled, sunlight falling on his pale face, gilding it with a faint golden edge, "Because I know, no matter what the future holds, at this moment I am holding your hand—that is real. This reality is enough to let me face any nothingness."
The two smiled at each other and continued walking toward home.
Behind them, the Tree of Life rustled softly, as if telling an ancient story—about existence, about nothingness, about how a soul used its most fragile posture to confront the most fundamental abyss, then return safely.
And further away, the Divine Realm's sky was azure and clear as if washed, clouds gathering and dispersing—another peaceful and beautiful day.
In the Garden of Tranquility, the fragrance of porridge permeated the air.
Xiao Wu had truly cooked a big pot of porridge, using the Divine Realm's special spirit rice paired with various warming and nourishing immortal herbs, steaming hot, fragrance assailing the nostrils. The family sat around the stone table, even the God of Destruction and Goddess of Life staying behind, saying they wanted to absorb some "human vitality."
Tang Yilin held a small bowl, blowing at the steam, her little face flushed red from the heat. Tang Nianxue nestled in her father's embrace, insisting that Tang Wulin feed her. Tang Xuanyu, meanwhile, was earnestly consulting the God of Destruction about questions regarding divine position inheritance, listening attentively.
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