Spreading Gospel as the God of Bishoujo

One Hundred Sixty-Sixth Page Contact

I don’t know how long had passed, nor how many kilometers I had walked.

The “white sun” in the darkness remained the same size, still that seemingly close yet completely unreachable distance.

Being in nothingness for a long time, with no other scenery to see, it felt as if even my inner self was drying up…

But thinking optimistically, perhaps because I’ve been staring at it continuously, I haven’t noticed any changes. Actually, it might be getting closer?

From the spatial jewel hanging around my neck, my old lady’s voice came through.

“Xiao Kai, if you’re tired, come in and rest a bit? There’s still such a long way to the core. You need to balance work and rest!”

Thank goodness for having an old lady like her by my side, or I would have gone crazy.

“There’s only mental fatigue; my body doesn’t feel tired. Walking has almost become second nature to me. I even want to try running there, just missing the background music for humans when they run…”

In this “core room,” our existence seemed fixed. We didn’t need food or water, nor did we need to excrete. Our bodies didn’t tire, nor did we sweat and stink. Any wounds would heal instantly, and suicide might not even be possible.

This feeling was strange, as if time in my body had stopped, while only my consciousness continued moving forward.

Mentally, I still felt tired. If I could never reach the Heaven’s Path Core, and couldn’t die either, even if my body could live forever, my soul and will would still be worn down by time.

Thinking about it was quite terrifying, but thankfully, I was still far from that state.

“…If you really understand me, shouldn’t you come out and take over? Take two steps forward yourself?”

“No, no, walking so much would kill me!”

Though her situation was the same as mine, she wouldn’t get tired doing anything, right?

It all boiled down to laziness!

But with my two legs, I could never walk to the Heaven’s Path Core in my lifetime. Realizing this, I felt disheartened and decided to go back first to regain some spirit.

“Sigh, let me go back first.”

“Alright!”

The spatial jewel sucked me in.

Every time I returned, my old lady was always working on her ultimate life-saving technique at the workbench—this complex, nearly impossible large spell.

“Mom, what exactly is this spell?”

I stood behind her and stared for a while, but since even Sakura couldn’t understand it, I naturally just glanced around aimlessly, like navigating a maze within the spell array.

“I can’t tell you now.”

She was still teasing me.

“You said before that you’d tell me everything.”

“After the right time comes, I’ll tell you. Go lie down and rest first.”

I sat back on the bed.

Since my body didn’t tire, there was no sense of relaxation. Gains come with losses, and losses bring gains, which was also a kind of loss.

Maintaining this constant physical state would inevitably have negative effects on my mind.

There was no way to force her to speak if she didn’t want to, but since I wasn’t sleepy, I decided not to sleep. Instead, I changed the topic.

“Mom, the part of you that belongs to the Heaven’s Path, did it enter Brother Zhu’s body along with the Heavenly Punishment?”

This was something she had told me before, and I assumed she wouldn’t avoid it this time either.

“Mm-hmm, that’s correct.”

As expected, she turned around.

“To be precise, the part of me belonging to the Heaven’s Path is the very Heavenly Punishment directed at Zhu Beihai. It’s close to a quarter of my soul, but to the Heaven’s Path, it’s merely insignificant. Don’t you remember that I avoided the first wave of Heavenly Punishment in the underground research institute?”

It was a distant memory, so I took a moment to recall before answering, “Wasn’t it because the Heaven’s Path missiles lost their targets?”

“What do you think I did?”

I thought for a moment and replied, “You made the Heavenly Punishment target you as the Heaven’s Path itself.”

She clapped her hands together.

“That’s right! But not entirely. Xiao Kai, do you know why the Heaven’s Path is so fixated on me?”

My mother’s method of guiding me to conclusions with questions was just like Sakura’s. I answered, “You didn’t disappear after completing the punishment on Brother Zhu… No! Because you didn’t return?”

Even though she was insignificant, she was still part of the Heaven’s Path.

After completing a task, one must return, otherwise, the Heaven’s Path would be like a spacecraft with a missing screw—it might seem harmless now, but could become a fatal flaw someday.

“Exactly, it’s targeting me to make me return to its body.”

After revealing herself, the Heaven’s Path came to reclaim its fragments, and the method it used was understood as Heavenly Punishment. After her first refusal to comply, it adopted more aggressive measures.

The Heaven’s Path took the entire spatial jewel away.

“Mom, what will happen to you when we go back?”

I already knew the answer in my heart.

But I still hoped to hear a glimmer of hope from her.

“A drop of ink cannot change the color of the sea, and my small consciousness is no different. Once diluted into the vast core of the Heaven’s Path, it won’t have any impact.”

Although the process differed from what I imagined, she would ultimately vanish.

I asked unwillingly, “Then why did you send me to the core? To avoid being reclaimed, we should stay far away from it.”

“Stupid boy, ever since you came back to this space with me, I’ve had no choice but to be invincible. To send you back, I must return to the core. Even if it’s just for a moment, I can send you back.”

“Still because of me. If I hadn’t been sent here, you could have stayed in peace… Mom, if returning means your disappearance, I’d rather stay here with you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Who would want to stay in such a place forever?”

She interrupted me and reached out to tap my head.

“I don’t even want to go to the Divine Court. How could I possibly want to waste myself in such a place? Even alone, I will climb to the core! Xiao Kai, I seek a life as brilliant as fireworks, even if short-lived, better than living in mediocrity…”

Mother suddenly paused.

“Oh dear… Oh dear? Oh dear! So there is another way!”

A look of surprise flashed in her eyes, as if she had thought of a good idea.

“Xiao Kai, do you have anything you want to tell Lin Hua and the others?”

“Huh? Yeah, now?”

“Yes, someone will help us relay the message.”

“Who?”

“Zhu Beihai.”

I stared into her eyes, trying to read something from her deep brown irises, but saw only my own reflection.

“You mean Brother Zhu knows our situation?”

Mother nodded.

“I don’t know what methods they used, but somehow, the restraint broke through the barrier between the mortal world and here. Not only did they borrow my senses, they are currently watching and listening. So, say anything you want to say quickly. I also have something to ask him to relay.”

Perhaps because of the strong connection between souls of the same origin, the restraint between Mother and Brother Zhu had crossed the mortal world barrier.

I wondered if Sakura could do the same thing.

“Brother Zhu is really watching? Not just comforting me?”

Mother replied, “Don’t overthink it. Do I need to bring that guy out to comfort you? I’m sure he’s watching. So, say what you need to say quickly!”

I took a deep breath.

“Brother Zhu, if you can really hear me, please tell everyone I’m sorry! We were supposed to go back, but ended up here, and we don’t know if we can return…”

“Really, saying things like this, wouldn’t the one who caused you to fall into this predicament also need to apologize?”

Mother gave me a hard slap, though it didn’t hurt once I realized it.

After all, my current body condition was frozen, so even if a dump truck crushed me, I would revive in the next second.

Mother rubbed her hand and continued, “Sigh, I don’t know how long this empathy state will last. Let me speak first.”

Like a magician, she pulled out a hand mirror from somewhere.

Then she put on a serious face and instructed herself in the mirror, “Zhu Beihai, listen up! What I’m about to say concerns whether Xiao Kai can return to the mortal world. You must relay this to our father word for word. This is the best we can do now!”

Despite being twin souls of the same origin, Mother detested Brother Zhu for his neglect towards her and Father over the years. Thus, her tone was not friendly.

Of course, she also disliked her master for the same reason.

She said, “The key to Xiao Kai’s return is the restraint! One restraint can’t break through the barriers between worlds, but if enough people join together, if we twist all our restraints into one, we can open a path home for him!”

“Twist all the restraints together… How exactly do we do that?”

I thought Brother Zhu would ask the same.

But Mother shrugged and threw the mirror onto the bed.

Irresponsibly, she said, “How should I know? It’s a new idea. I can only provide a direction. The rest is up to your grandfather to solve. The restraint that can’t be broken even across worlds has this possibility. Compared to reaching the core and then throwing you out, this route is more feasible.”

The invisible and intangible light bands between me, Lin Hua, Xiao Lei, Sister Zi, and others truly had the power to take me out?

I lacked confidence, but I still asked, “Mom, if we can open a passage, can you leave with me?”

“Being affected, you don’t belong here, so the Heaven’s Path won’t stop you from leaving. But I can’t… If I leave, it will burden you again.”

She was the anchor thrown into the water by the Heaven’s Path, and I was the person hooked into the water by the anchor. Even if someone threw a life rope, I couldn’t take her with me.

“Are you going to stay in a place where there’s nothing?”

“I will return to the Heaven’s Path Core.”

“I’ll accompany you. Until I send you to the core, I will stay with you.”

“We can’t use teleportation spells here. That requires a lot of time. If you can walk, leave sooner.”

I kept thinking about what I could do, but only thought, without taking action.

“Is Brother Zhu still there?”

My expression was so serious that Mother nodded.

“Oh, he’s still there?”

“Brother Zhu, please convey this to Master, convey it to Grandfather and the others! Even if there’s a way to return, please wait a little longer for me!”

Mother frowned in dissatisfaction.

“Don’t say that! Go back as soon as you can!”

“We will go back, after I personally see you off…”

“How long will that take?”

“In fact, I might have a way to reach the core faster!”

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