Thousands of threads gathered, finally retreating smoothly back into Han Nü's sleeve. She looked at Tan Yin’s pale face with satisfaction, knowing that all the torment and pain Tan Yin had endured was about to vanish. The hatred, the suffering, and the heavy shackles Han Nü had carried for over five thousand years were slowly being stripped away.
She had never felt so free. Human emotions like fragile happiness and sorrow now seemed so insignificant and trivial. A demonic heart was strong enough to devour and embrace everything. She would become an indomitable force, impossible to obliterate—just like the little princess by the lake.
"Wu Shuang, I know what you plan to do," she said calmly. "You’re trying to find a way out to save your mortal immortal. Do you think I’ll let you succeed?"
An endless sea of flames, as red as blood, surrounded them. Tan Yin, lost in thought, gazed up at the sky swallowed by flames. She said nothing, knowing that any words would be futile now. Han Nü relished the cat-and-mouse game, taking pleasure in the despair and struggle of others.
Tan Yin glanced down at her own body. Her limbs had already dissolved completely, and her empty sleeves swayed in the wind. The flames, fueled by demonic power, were consuming what little godly strength she had left. It wouldn’t be long before her entire body disintegrated, and she would vanish from the world forever.
Taking a deep breath, she sat down in meditation one last time, her gaze fixed in the direction of Yuan Zhong’s small cave. Han Nü continued to murmur and laugh, but Tan Yin no longer paid attention. The moonlight was faint, and the distant mountains blurred into the hazy horizon. The mountain of flames and seas of smoke stretched endlessly. Tan Yin felt as if her heart and soul had left her body, traversing mountains and rivers in search of her fox.
The world suddenly became quiet. After a long pause, Han Nü’s low voice broke the silence. "Wu Shuang, what are you thinking?"
"...What are you thinking about?" Tan Yin replied, her voice calm.
Han Nü smiled. "I’m thinking about how your soul will taste. Tai He’s soul was filled with sorrow and regret. What about yours? Will it be full of despair and helplessness? Look at you now, consumed by flames. Can you understand how I felt all those years ago when I was placed on the pyre?"
Tan Yin’s lips curved slightly. "Don’t compare me to you."
Han Nü sneered. "You’re just pretending. Inside, you’re terrified. That immortal, Yuan Zhong—he won’t forgive you once he learns the truth. In the end, you’ll perish alone, consumed by despair."
"I only regret one thing," Tan Yin said, her gaze steady. "That I won’t die beside him."
“Hypocrite!” Han Nü spat, her voice dripping with disdain. “Why don’t you just admit that you hate me? Deep down, you hate me to your core, but even now you pretend to act righteous!”
Tan Yin silently watched her. Han Nü had been utterly destroyed by A-Chu. To her, every heart in the world was full of treachery, waiting for the moment to strike her down.
Suddenly, Tan Yin asked, “Do you still remember why you became a god? What was your obsession?”
Han Nü scoffed at the foolish question. She had been the greatest embroiderer in the world. Naturally, she became a god because of her unparalleled love for embroidery.
“We became gods because of our obsessions,” Tan Yin continued softly. “But one day, when another obsession surpasses the one that made us gods, we encounter our tribulation.”
“Tai He went through it, I’m going through it, and so are you,” she said, her eyes unflinching as they locked onto Han Nü’s. “Your tribulation isn’t me. It’s your hatred for A-Chu.”
“For me, the world has always been too complex to understand. I’ve spent my life devoted to craftsmanship, and now, my heart holds only Yuan Zhong. I don’t hate you. You’ve never held a place in my heart strong enough to evoke such feelings. The one who truly hated you was A-Chu, not me.”
Han Nü stood frozen for a long time before forcing a bitter smile. She snarled, “So what?! You’re still going to die by my hand!”
Tan Yin closed her eyes, no longer speaking.
Han Nü stared at her, unblinking. Before her eyes, Tan Yin shifted from a disheveled goddess in white to a furious A-Chu, filled with resentment. The answers she sought were never given. The release she longed for was never granted. Her tribulation was a knot that could never be untied. The dead had entered the cycle of reincarnation, and her hatred had nowhere to go.
This world had done nothing but suffocate her with agony. No one else harbored such hatred, such deep loathing of all things. Perhaps, in the end, the person she hated the most was herself. Unlike Tai He and Wu Shuang, who faced their tribulations with eventual acceptance, Han Nü’s torment was relentless. She could never be at peace.
For a brief moment, the words of the princess by the lake echoed in her ears like a distant cloud: "What you seek now, I will give you. But first, understand if this is truly what you want. Demons are a double-edged sword. They can make you stronger or destroy you. The choice is yours."
The flames around them erupted, soaring to the sky. Shades of dark red, blood red, and the dried brown of old blood twisted within the fire. Hidden within were countless faces of A-Chu, some smiling, some pouting, some with their eyebrows furrowed in anger, and others glaring at her with contempt and hatred.
Han Nü felt a deep, infinite pain spreading from her soul to every part of her body. She looked down at herself and saw her body engulfed in the blood-red flames, just as it had been five thousand years ago when she was burned at the stake. Her clothes, skin, and hair were dissolving into golden foam.
Han Nü opened her mouth and screamed in despair.
She had become a demon. Her heart should have been impenetrable, immune to all confusion or harm. Why? Why was her tribulation still upon her? Why wouldn’t it let her go? Her chest felt hollow as if the part of her godly essence that Tan Yin had shattered had once again broken free. She felt as though something deep within her soul had left her.
The memories of those mortal years—the times of poverty and hunger, the moments of happiness shared with A-Chu—were all gone, leaving only her pain and hatred. She had been abandoned by the world.
Han Nü writhed in agony on the ground, battling her tribulation. In her vision, all she could see were A-Chu’s hateful, scornful eyes. Like a trapped beast, she thrashed about wildly. Then, suddenly, she saw Tan Yin standing in the distance, watching her with calm, emotionless eyes. Desperate, Han Nü reached out toward her.
“Stay...!” she cried out, her voice filled with anguish.
"Stay! Don’t let her be consumed by her tribulation, don’t let her soul disperse!"
Tan Yin turned away, floating off without hesitation. Yuan Zhong was still waiting for her.
“No…” Han Nü collapsed to the ground, the lower half of her body rapidly dissolving into foam and carried away by the wind. She tried to grasp something—anything, anyone—desperately not wanting to die alone. But there was no one left. Everyone had either been killed by her or would soon die.
She was left with nothing but her hatred, entangled with it for all eternity, unable to escape.
Even her heart began to dissolve into foam. Han Nü felt a strange numbness as she lay on the scorching ground, her gaze fixed on the vast expanse of fire that once again threatened to consume her. This would be the last time. She didn’t want to see those flames ever again.
With a gentle wave of her sleeve, the towering inferno instantly extinguished, leaving behind nothing but scorched devastation. She stared blankly at the blackened sky, watching as countless souls she had devoured slowly surged back out, one by one. In her dazed state, she thought she saw Tai He among them, gazing at her with an indifferent, emotionless expression.
Is this where it all ends?
Han Nü closed her eyes, and in that instant, her entire body transformed into a massive cloud of golden foam. With a soft sound, it scattered into the wind, carried away until nothing remained.
Tan Yin stopped in her tracks and turned back. She saw two small golden particles slowly rise from where Han Nü had fallen. They were as bright as sunlight, and even from a distance, she could sense the pure and vast divine energy contained within them—this was the essence of a god’s obsession.
Suddenly, from all directions, countless remnants of divine obsessions came rushing forth, spiraling together. Tan Yin watched in astonishment as they began to merge, some filled with fervor, others with persistence, each filling the gaps left by the others’ weaknesses. Were these the lingering essences of gods who had fallen during their tribulations? What was happening?
The golden light grew brighter and brighter, eventually surpassing the brilliance of the sun. It became so intense that it was impossible to look directly at it. Tan Yin shielded her eyes from the overwhelming divine power, and just then, she felt a gentle hand softly stroking her head. A familiar warmth surrounded her—Tai He’s presence.
“I’m leaving,” his voice whispered, faint and distant.
Tan Yin forced her eyes open. Tai He’s figure, as delicate as smoke, floated in midair. Behind him were the translucent forms of countless gods and goddesses, including Han Nü.
“Tai He!” Tan Yin shouted, rushing forward in an attempt to hold onto him. He wasn’t dead? He hadn’t vanished completely?
Tai He looked down at her, offering a soft, faint smile. His figure, as light as ink in water, began to dissipate. The warmth that had enveloped her also quickly faded, replaced by the icy chill of the mountain wind. One by one, the gods and goddesses behind him also dissolved into smoke. Their final traces of mortal hearts vanished completely, leaving behind only their divine obsessions, which continued to merge and swirl together, eventually forming a gentle, radiant white light.
Tan Yin stood there in shock. Was this… a Primal God? A being formed from the combined divine essences of gods and goddesses who had perished in their tribulations? After the great war between gods and demons, all the Primal Gods had disappeared. This was the first Primal God to appear in five thousand years. It was vast and serene, omniscient and omnipotent, unimaginably powerful yet utterly humble.
The Princess of the Lake had once said that only gods who survived their tribulations could become Primal Gods. But she hadn’t mentioned that even those who failed their tribulations would leave behind their divine essence, waiting for the day they could merge into a Primal God.
So this was the way of the heavens? Abandoning one’s mortal heart, leaving only pure obsession behind—only then could one become a true Primal God.
Tan Yin watched in awe as the Primal God faded from view, likely returning to the divine realm. The remaining gods in the heavens would surely feel a great relief, no longer fearing a third war between gods and demons.
It was over. Han Nü, Tai He… all the once-vivid and painful hearts had turned to ashes before her eyes. The wild, passionate emotions had drifted away like smoke, leaving only her behind.
Now, where should she go to complete her tribulation?
Slowly, Tan Yin turned and left the desolate mountain.
Yuan Zhong was waiting for her. Where he was—that was where her mortal heart belonged.
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