Chapter 97: Awakening from a Dream

As dawn dispersed the darkness, Duan Wenxuan slowly opened his eyes after sitting vigil throughout the night. His gaze immediately turned towards the old black dog. The canine was still breathing and even managed to open its eyes, revealing a slight gleam in their dark pupils.

“Remarkably resilient,” Duan Wenxuan murmured, gently stroking the old black dog’s rough fur before rising to leave.

Upon returning, he brought some fresh water held in leaves, carefully pouring it into the old black dog’s mouth. As if on the brink of gaining sentience, the dog strained to extend its tongue, drinking all the water, and even proceeded to crunch and devour the leaves as well. It was evident that the dog was extremely hungry.

With no other food available, Duan Wenxuan went to the offering table and retrieved the wild fruits he had placed there yesterday, which the old black dog eagerly consumed once again.

After about an hour, Ban Meng arrived. They had agreed that today, Duan Wenxuan would visit Ban Meng’s home to bestow a meaningful name upon his newborn son. Upon arrival, Ban Meng brought with him a corn flatbread and the leftover rabbit leg from the previous night, intending them as gifts of gratitude for Duan Wenxuan.

The sight of the old black dog startled Ban Meng.

“What’s wrong?”

Ban Meng hastily set down his items and instinctively gripped the kitchen knife at his waist. “This old black dog is vicious; you shouldn’t have saved it, Wenxuan.”

He then briefly recounted the history of the old black dog.

Originally, the dog belonged to the village, known for its keen senses but fiercely independent nature. Even its owner couldn’t touch it without resistance. Eventually, frustrated by its unapproachable behavior and craving meat after a long time, the owner decided to slaughter the dog.

However, the clever dog sensed its owner’s intentions. In a frenzied reaction, it bit its owner before fleeing into the mountains. Surprisingly, despite years passing, the dog never died. Occasionally, it would return to the village, attacking chickens and ducks, showing no hesitation when encountering humans either, always ready to bite aggressively. It was clear that the dog harbored deep resentment towards Ban Family Village.

Attempts had been made to capture it, but the dog was remarkably cunning. Traps laid out never deceived it, allowing it to remain free all these years. Ban Meng hadn’t anticipated finding this dog at the Land Temple, especially looking so close to death.

“Let’s beat it to death,” Ban Jian suggested.

The dog appeared old and emaciated, likely struggling to find food for quite some time.

“No, its entry into the Land Temple might be fate.”

Ban Meng initially wanted to persuade further but then reconsidered and remained silent. The land god had once saved Ban Family Village, being a benevolent deity with kind intentions. Killing within the Land Temple could displease the land god.

Ban Meng placed the offerings on the altar table. “Let’s go; I’ll come back later to eat after the land god has enjoyed them first.” In this remote wilderness, aside from villagers from Ban Family Village, no one else usually visited, so there was little concern about the offerings disappearing.

Accompanying Ban Meng back to the village, Duan Wenxuan bestowed a name upon the sturdy-looking child: Ban Ze. His intention wasn’t grandiose, merely hoping that the boy would have abundant blessings and a peaceful life.

After hearing Duan Wenxuan’s explanation, Ban Meng expressed his satisfaction profusely, thanking him repeatedly. When Duan Wenxuan returned to the temple, he found the black dog surprisingly attempting to stand, albeit unsteadily, swaying slightly.

Duan Wenxuan shook his head, picked up the now cold flatbread and rabbit leg from the table, and placed them in front of the black dog. Surprisingly, the dog glanced at Duan Wenxuan first, ensuring he wasn’t teasing or intending to eat these himself, before lowering its head and devouring the food hungrily.

Compared to wild fruits and leaves, this meal truly filled its stomach. After finishing everything down to the last morsel, the black dog contentedly lay on the ground, carefully licking its wounded hind leg.

“Looks like you’ll live for a few more years yet,” Duan Wenxuan patted the dog’s head with a smile.

Days passed one after another. For Duan Wenxuan, who had already lived over four centuries as a deity, these days felt akin to mere seconds.

In fact, it was precisely this endless expanse of time that led many deities to succumb to madness. Once becoming a deity, one might be confined to a specific area and experience slow growth in divine power, but they undoubtedly possessed infinite stretches of time.

Deities never contemplated their own demise, believing they had endless time to watch it slip by indifferently and without concern, as time was always theirs.

However, with the decline of the world, reality suddenly struck them - death was imminent. Imagine the profound impact this revelation had on those deities. The ones who still resisted succumbing to madness displayed remarkable steadfastness in their beliefs.

Two months later.

A large scab covered a significant portion of the old black dog’s hindquarters, looking quite unsightly. Nevertheless, the dog could now run and jump freely. Perhaps due to Duan Wenxuan rescuing it during its most desperate state, the old black dog showed greater affection towards him than even its original owner.

The old black dog seemed inherently smarter than other dogs, possessing its own vague understanding.

In this world, many people favored youth over age. Its previous owner kept it for its strength and usefulness when it was young, which even included potentially using it for a meal someday. In contrast, Duan Wenxuan saved the aging, near-death dog purely out of compassion, not because of any perceived utility.

The old black dog didn’t resist Duan Wenxuan’s occasional head pats and, over time, spent more nights curled up inside the Land Temple to sleep.

This once ferocious old black dog seemed to have found its true owner only near the end of its life.

“Be a bit calmer, considering your age - you could die any day now… wait, I mean any ‘dog’ shouldn’t be so irritable.” Duan Wenxuan clung tightly to the old black dog’s neck, casting a somewhat helpless glance at Ban Meng.

Whenever villagers came to pay their respects to the land god or someone brought offerings for Duan Wenxuan, the old black dog would revert to its vicious demeanor, just as before.

It held a deep-seated animosity towards the people of Ban Family Village, seizing every opportunity to snap at them. Conversely, the villagers also seized chances to try and kill it.

However, due to its advanced age, Duan Wenxuan’s soothing finally managed to calm it down slightly. The old black dog bared its teeth, emitting threatening growls, but ultimately showed no intention of lunging to bite.

“I never thought this old dog would manage to control its temper. Still, it’s very aged now, probably has only one or two years left,” Ban Meng remarked with some sentimentality.

Surviving as a dog in the wilderness was no easy feat, constantly needing to be vigilant against attacks from Ban Family Village residents. Everyone had their own struggles, and after exchanging a few words, Ban Meng left.

Two days later…

Duan Wenxuan, once again lost in thought, noticed the old black dog enter with its tail low and covered in mud. This canine, resembling a wolf, instinctively never wagged its tail. In its mouth, it carried a stained jade pendant.

With a jingle, the old black dog dropped the jade pendant at Duan Wenxuan’s feet before moving aside to groom itself.

Shaking his head, Duan Wenxuan picked up the pendant. It appeared of good quality, but since he could not partake in earthly delights like food or fine clothing, such valuable items held little use for him. Just as he was about to casually set it aside, he sensed a wave of divine energy emanating from within the pendant.

“Could this be an artifact left behind by another deity?”

Curious, Duan Wenxuan gathered a thread of divine power finer than a hair strand and carefully probed the jade pendant. Instantly, he encountered a recorded message.

It turned out that this was an item left behind by a Day Walker deity. At the onset of the world’s decline, the Day Walker was caught during its daytime patrol and ultimately suffered bodily destruction, with its divine power dispersing. Realizing its time was short, the Day Walker chose not to succumb to demonic influence but instead infused what remained of its divine power into a Divine Decree. This decree was then placed within a cave, awaiting someone fated to inherit its divine position. As for the Day Walker itself, it had already dissipated from the world over a hundred years ago.

How times have changed, yet some things remain the same.

Since being sealed away, the Divine Decree had gone undiscovered until the old black dog somehow unearthed it. With an understanding akin to human intuition, the dog likely sensed its value and specifically brought it back to Duan Wenxuan.

Slightly moved, Duan Wenxuan suddenly felt inspired.

As a land god for over four centuries, he could not stray too far from his divine realm. His jurisdiction only extended to the nearby Ban Family Village; venturing beyond that distance was impractical.

Fortunately, the might of deities has greatly diminished, and the old rules are no longer strictly enforced. Otherwise, his unauthorized nighttime excursion into the city god’s domain would surely have led to formal complaints from other deities.

Despite this, His divine duty was as a land god, making it impractical to leave his domain for extended periods. However, becoming a Day Roaming God would allow Him to travel freely during daylight hours.

After much contemplation, Duan Wenxuan made a decision. In the current world, deities were on the verge of extinction, and after residing here for over four hundred years, he had yet to truly witness the state of the world despite being a deity.

Having resolved, Duan Wenxuan claimed the divine decree of the Day Roaming God that very night. With the state of affairs now, no other deity would intervene or care about him changing his divine role without notifying the city god.

The position of Day Roaming God surpassed that of land god, and with the previous Day Roaming God leaving behind considerable divine power, Duan Wenxuan felt a significant restoration of his damaged body. However, as his divine rank increased, he also discovered greater resistance against him within this world.

Certain ‘rules’ governing heaven and earth were being disrupted, and those with higher divine ranks would be the first to suffer. Lower-ranked deities inherently possess less divine power, so any further reduction is less noticeable compared to their counterparts. For Duan Wenxuan, although the suppression grew stronger, it allowed him to endure longer than before.

The next day when Ban Meng arrived, he found the land god’s idol completely shattered. “What should we do? How did this happen?”

Ban Meng genuinely felt anxious. If not for Ban Family Village being so impoverished, they would have considered traveling to the county town to hire a craftsman to recreate the land god’s idol.

Duan Wenxuan gazed at his broken statue, reflecting on the four hundred years he had spent here.

“There’s no need for that,” Duan Wenxuan interrupted Ban Meng’s thoughts of raising funds to find a craftsman. “The land god’s time has come; he left last night. Without the true deity, this idol is merely ordinary clay, long weathered by wind and sun, destined to crack.”

After a moment, Ban Meng sighed deeply, said nothing further, placed the offerings as usual on the altar table, paid his respects, and slowly departed.

The following day, when Ban Meng returned with other villagers to the Land Temple, they discovered it had entirely collapsed. Additionally, the young scholar who had taken refuge there since its sudden appearance was nowhere to be found.

Presumably, with the temple’s collapse, having lost his dwelling place, he had departed early.

Duan Wenxuan departed with the old black dog, first directing it to return to the spot where the jade pendant was unearthed. There, they gathered some wild fruits and performed a brief offering to honor the Day Roaming God.

Following this, Duan Wenxuan traversed the mountain ranges near Ban Family Village along their natural veins. Accompanied by the old black dog, they walked from summer through autumn, then winter, and finally into spring, witnessing the landscapes of all four seasons.

During this time, Duan Wenxuan’s divine power continuously dissipated, indicating that the decline of the world was accelerating.

One day, while exploring another temple, Duan Wenxuan discovered a Holy Nightguard’s divine decree, accompanied by a divine fruit. Divine fruits were collectively named as such when certain deities, blessed with abundant incense offerings and divine power, cultivated fields within their divine realms. By irrigating these plots with their divine energy, seeds planted there would flourish, yielding fruits known as divine fruits. Each type of divine fruit had unique properties; the one found here bestowed longevity. Duan Wenxuan divided it in half, sharing it with the old black dog.

As he stored away the divine decree, Duan Wenxuan couldn’t help but sigh.

Over the course of several years traveling, he had collected around four or five additional divine decrees. Many deities had silently perished—some succumbing to inner demons, dispersing their souls, while others met their end due to fatal accidents. It seemed clear that deities truly could no longer endure in this world.

Thirty years later.

Duan Wenxuan, once appearing youthful, now sat in a courtyard with a visibly aged demeanor. He had lost all his divine power, and even the soul bound to the Day Roaming God’s decree was riddled with cracks.

The old black dog, its fur thin and patchy, squatted at Duan Wenxuan’s feet with closed eyes. Without that divine fruit, the dog would have perished long ago; however, it was now nearing the limit of its lifespan as well.

It was truly unfortunate. Had the old black dog not lived during this era of decline, it might have become a formidable demonic entity. Despite its keen spiritual awareness, it fell just short of achieving sentience.

“The end is near,” Duan Wenxuan murmured. Outside the window, heavy snow swirled relentlessly, accumulating waist-deep by morning. Many within the city succumbed to the freezing cold. Already, some were tasked with clearing the snow, a difficult job requiring them to venture out despite the harsh weather.

Tragically, the city god had fallen the previous night. Before His demise, enraged, the city god made a desperate charge towards the ominous skies, only to be overwhelmed by endless demonic qi invading His body. On the brink of being corrupted, He chose to disperse His own form instead.

Duan Wenxuan witnessed the entire grim process of the city god’s fall.

Why persist when it’s futile? Yet… someone had to take action.

Duan Wenxuan looked down at the old black dog lying with its eyes closed. After long intervals, its chest would rise slightly, indicating it was still breathing, still alive.

“Old dog… Old dog… Old dog…”

The old black dog’s hearing was poor; only after several calls did it abruptly turn its head and affectionately nudge Duan Wenxuan’s pant leg. After more than thirty years together, the old black dog unequivocally considered Duan Wenxuan its master.

“I’m about to die… If you have time left, go visit Ban Family Village.”

A sorrowful expression crossed the old black dog’s face, as if comprehending these were Duan Wenxuan’s parting words.

Duan Wenxuan gently bent down, stroked the old black dog’s head, then swiftly stood up. Drawing upon his divine body for one final burst of divine power, he charged towards the void above him.

He needed to understand why the ‘rules’ were breaking, what exactly this relentless demonic qi invading their world was, and why the world was declining.

Undeterred by insurmountable odds, he forged ahead.

As his divine body continuously dissolved, Duan Wenxuan swiftly gathered all the divine decrees he had acquired over the years and absorbed them into himself without hesitation. The influx of multiple divine decrees briefly reconstituted his divine form, only for it to rapidly disintegrate once more.

Demonic qi surged into the world unchecked. With a grim expression, Duan Wenxuan mustered every ounce of his remaining divine power, striking fiercely against the demonic qi, causing a significant portion of it to dissipate. However, this final effort completely consumed Duan Wenxuan’s divine form, leaving him utterly depleted.

In various corners of the world, remnants of other deities raised their heads, sensing yet another deity depart unwillingly. Beyond expressing sorrow, they were powerless to intervene. They gradually understood that when the last deity vanished, the entire world would be utterly destroyed, with no survivors.

The old black dog whimpered mournfully before sprinting out of the city through the deep snow. However, just beyond the city limits, it collapsed, its age catching up to it. At that moment, an elderly Holy Nightguard, displaying a hint of grief, infused the last vestige of his divine power into the old black dog, enabling it to rise again.

“Go forth.”

With a pitiful howl, the old black dog raced across the vast expanse of snowy terrain.

Death is a return to darkness, yet also the beginning of everything anew, akin to waking from a fleeting dream.

In the extreme darkness where both space and time had ceased, suddenly, a warm yellow glow emerged. It grew stronger, gradually taking on a human form.

“I am a deity… no… I’m just Duan Wenxuan.”

The moment this voice sounded, everything in the space returned to normal. The darkness swiftly receded, and time resumed its journey into the unknown.

Duan Wen opened his eyes, remnants of wisdom, depth, compassion, and sorrow still lingering within them. After a while, he composed himself, looking around. He found himself still standing within the channel he had created for the license holder. A brief sharp pain shot through his arm before quickly fading away; now, his count of door symbols reached three.

Half of them were already in his possession.

Nearby, the impulsive young man was nowhere to be seen. Did that mean he remained trapped in that world? Not ideal at all—should he not escape before its complete destruction, he would truly perish there.

Duan Wenxuan tapped his head, deciding to temporarily ignore the young man’s fate. Having fused two halves of the door symbols, another flood of information surged into his mind, causing a throbbing headache.