“Chapter 188: Genius Kindergarten (Part 1)”

"Chapter 188: Genius Kindergarten (Part 1)"

"If the relationship between Jie Fangcheng and the orthodox faction in the Underworld is akin to that between a celebrity and their anti-fans—where the orthodox folks find fault in everything Jie does, and he just ignores them—then both parties simply can't stand each other."

"But the relationship between Jie Fangcheng and the Heavenly Realm is truly terrible, to the extent of a deep-seated vendetta."

"The main reason Jie Fangcheng became a fierce ghost in the first place was due to conflicts instigated by the Heavenly Realm."

"Later, when the Ru Kingdom was destroyed, Jie Fangcheng and his eight hundred ghost generals had initially intended to follow the Ru Kingdom into oblivion. But to everyone's surprise, a haughty deity from the Heavenly Realm arrived to judge him and the Ru Kingdom, even intending to interfere with the reincarnation cycle of the Ru Kingdom's ordinary citizens."

"So they fought."

"Under the influence of his ferocious spirit, Jie Fangcheng launched an assault on the Heavenly Realm. A fair number of deities died at his hands."

"Back then, the Underworld had a real hell of a joke: Jie Fangcheng was truly a god of death."

"Yet many have forgotten that he himself had a genuine chance of becoming a god."

"In those days, the atmosphere for the cultivation of immortality in the Ru Kingdom was strong. Although Jie Fangcheng wasn't particularly religious, being the only prince, he had no choice but to study the arts of immortality, whether he wanted to or not."

"Even then, Jie Fangcheng's natural talent for cultivation was apparent."

"Techniques for manipulating Qi, which others took ten or twenty years to learn, he grasped instantly. Not only did he master them himself, but he also made the esoteric process of cultivation as straightforward as a math problem, laying out formulas for everyone to study."

"Furthermore, being the sole prince of Ru Kingdom, he would naturally ascend to godhood with the country's destiny as a propellant if he assumed the throne."

"But fate is unpredictable."

"Instead of cultivating to immortality, Jie Fangcheng killed his way into the Heavenly Realm."

"Going back to the Heavenly Realm now wouldn't be particularly difficult for him."

"Everyone in the Underworld is busy these days, and Jie Fangcheng didn't bother with formalities. He entered the human world directly from the Temple of Dongyue and took a high-speed train to the Celestial Island."

"To enter the Heavenly Realm, one must ascend a heavenly staircase. After climbing ninety thousand steps, one can see the gateway to immortality and attain divinity after passing through."

"Jie Fangcheng had climbed these heavenly stairs in the past. As he stepped onto them now, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the surrounding landscape had drastically changed."

"It felt as though he was back at Shengxia Mountain, where he'd studied the path of immortality. Beneath his feet were no longer heavenly stairs but the mountain paths of Shengxia."

"Shadowy figures appeared around him, trying to take his hand."

"'Your Highness, why are you still here? Class is about to begin. The teacher will be angry if we're late again.'"

"The heavenly stairs are another form of inner demons, probing into the happiest and most joyful moments in a person's heart."

"Those with weak willpower, lured by the illusions of fleeting happiness and following the shadowy figures, would instantly fall from the stairs, smashing to pieces."

"Without uttering a word, Jie Fangcheng strides forward, covering vast distances with each step."

"The surrounding scene shifts several times."

"Classmates from his study days, subordinates from later years, and the stern yet knowledgeable master all appear in turn."

"All along the way, the joyful illusions are both fleeting and vivid, featuring people who have truly appeared in his memories."

"At the end of the seemingly endless heavenly stairs, Jie Fangcheng sees a familiar silhouette."

"Wearing a suit and gold-rimmed glasses, Zhang Daoan smiles at him."

"'Manager Jie, you've had a tough time. Shall I help you with the report?'"

"Jie Fangcheng halts, feeling a surreal sensation swell within him."

"A humorous thought."

"Feeling."

"He can't help but smile briefly, before quickly regaining his composure."

"Even after he has passed through the illusory form of Zhang Daoan, Jie Fangcheng can't help but look back."

"Behind him stretches the heavenly staircase he has climbed, where all past joys and happiness were but ephemeral bubbles that burst as he moved on."

"Only the sealed celestial gate ahead of him represents the final reality."

"The celestial gate, seemingly forged from white jade, stands tightly shut. Its surface is intricately carved with lifelike flora and fauna, surrounded by ethereal mist. Exotic plants native to the Heavenly Realm blossom around it. Even if mortals could reach this stairway but couldn't pass through the gate, merely plucking some celestial herbs to brew tea could extend their lifespan."

"Jie Fangcheng is still nursing injuries. He has no real desire to pick another fight with the Heavenly Realm; he's here mainly to unravel some mysteries."

"For once, Manager Jie politely knocks on the celestial gate."

"He waits for several minutes, but there's no response."

"Thinking that perhaps his knock was too polite, too soft, he resorts to smashing his sword against the gate."

"Boom—"

"To his slight surprise, the gate, which he thought he'd tapped lightly, falls over, revealing a desolate, ruined Heavenly Realm."

"Jie Fangcheng stands at the threshold for a long moment before stepping inside."

"Entering the Heavenly Realm, which is always brimming with divine energy, is a feat of strength in itself for a malevolent spirit like Jie Fangcheng."

"Years ago, when he and his eight hundred ghostly generals stormed the Heavenly Realm, their attention was divided between fighting and resisting the corrosive divine energy."

"Now, re-entering the Heavenly Realm after a long absence, he barely senses any divine energy on his spectral form."

"Before him, the once bustling Heavenly Realm is devoid of life, leaving only small paths overgrown with celestial herbs."

"In the distance, the grand temples that used to pulsate with divine power are clearly visible. The surrounding celestial mist has dissipated, and the whole realm is eerily silent."

"As Jie Fangcheng walks through, he can't shake the feeling that something is incredibly off."

"It's unrealistic to think that all these gods perished because they never recovered from the ancient war."

"The Heavenly Realm is stronger than the Underworld. If it weren't for Jie Fangcheng's assistance, the Underworld would have long ceased to exist."

"The gods are generally quite powerful, and even if severely injured, their divine bodies would naturally heal over time with the endless faith-based power flowing from the mortal realm."

"If they didn't die in the great war with the Underworld, then why is the place empty?"

"Knowing that the world he inhabits might be a sub-realm of some game, Jie Fangcheng's first thought is that these gods might have been killed by the so-called 'players.'"

"However, as he moves along, Jie Fangcheng sees no signs of combat."

After entering the temple, the surroundings were neatly arranged, many artifacts casually placed on shelves.

If one had to say, it was as if these gods knew their end was near and had tidied up, quietly sitting in meditation as they became nutrients for the divine force between Heaven and Earth.

Jie Fangcheng quickly found a notebook in the main hall, apparently left for future generations to read.

[Year 1 of the Apocalypse: Divine power is no longer growing. After deliberation, we've closed the gates of immortality to prevent the rapid depletion of divine power. But cracks have appeared at the edge of the heavens, and the decline of divine power is a reality. How long can we hold on?]

[Year 120: Jin Wu is dead. Under the laws of the Heavenly Dao, a new sun emerged. Do humans no longer need gods? Has faith disappeared entirely?]

[It's been 300 years, hasn't it? The Divine Pool has dried up. All of our immortal bodies are deteriorating to various degrees.]

[I've lost track of time since the Divine Pool dried up. We've all lost our sense of time. We can no longer use any immortal arts. Can we still call ourselves gods?]

……

[Many have died.]

[Catastrophe has struck! A hole has suddenly appeared at the edge of the heavens! What is that thing? A creature as massive as a winged ship is peering at us through the breach! Its eyes are serpentine...]

[It's gone now, but we must seal that hole. What if it comes back?]

[Is this retribution? Initially, we were concerned that the primordial gods would look down on us, mortals who attained divinity through cultivation. So we deliberately engineered their exit from the Divine Realm into the]

primordial

chaos. Now, only we, cultivators who achieved divinity, remain. Will the Divine Realm vanish without gods? Is this then retribution?]

[Only seven of us remain.]

[Only three left.]

[The hole at the edge of the heavens is sealed.]

[My wife says she feels the presence of some entity watching us, though she doesn't know what it is. We've searched every temple and found nothing. Can gods go mad? Or is this all a dream, and I'm just an ordinary person?]

[I'm the only one left now. I've cleaned all the temples and arranged everything neatly. Will the gods be pleased when they return? I can't be the only one left!]

[I sense it; my time of death has finally arrived. I'll be free!]

[The fissure at the edge of the heavens has widened, but it doesn't matter now. I'm going to die! Hahahaha]

[What is that?]

Jie Fangcheng hastily flipped to the next page, but it was blank. The record ended there.

What did the person who wrote this note see last?

Jie Fangcheng tucked the notebook into his pocket and began searching the area, hoping to find other clues.

"But he was destined to be disappointed."

"Within the entire temple, aside from this perplexing notebook, there was nothing else."

"Had there never been anything, or had it been taken away?"

"If it had been taken, why leave the notebook behind?"

"Jie Fangcheng was confounded."

"Yet the notebook did mention the 'Edge of Heaven,' a renowned location in the Divine Realm."

"Legend has it that during the primordial era, an ancient Supreme Deity created the world and the Divine Realm. To protect the nascent Divine Realm from the chaotic currents in the primordial abyss, this deity covered the Realm with one of his palms, which became known as the 'Edge of Heaven.'"

"His other hand held up the Underworld, turning it into the 'Bottom of Hell.'"

"Over time, the Edge of Heaven evolved into a protective barrier enveloping the Divine Realm, much like the shell of an egg."

"When Jie Fangcheng arrived at the Edge of Heaven, although he didn't understand how the hole had appeared in the first place, he instantly grasped how it had been sealed."

"Countless divine corpses were piled high in an almost mountainous heap, too numerous to count at a glance."

"Upon closer inspection, Jie Fangcheng could even recognize a few 'old friends.'"

"Clearly, the assembling of this mountain of corpses was not done willingly. Many of the deities bore signs of battle, and many had died with their eyes wide open."

"Even though Jie Fangcheng had deep enmities with these gods, standing before this mountain of corpses, he still felt a sense of melancholy."

"Behind the mound of corpses, the hole in the Edge of Heaven had been sealed, but fine cracks remained and seemed to be spreading."

"Meaning, at some point after the Great Underworld War—Jie Fangcheng estimated it couldn't have been more than a decade since news from the Divine Realm had ceased."

"Based on his past interactions, Jie Fangcheng knew these gods were not the type to suffer losses."

"Having faced such a significant setback after the Great Underworld War, once they'd recovered even slightly, they'd likely have sent emissaries to negotiate, aiming to gain some advantages."

"Yet they vanished without a trace."

"It seemed the appearance of cracks in the Edge of Heaven, and the subsequent dissipation of divine power, had forced them to close the celestial gate in the hopes of slowing the loss."

"What did 'divine power ceasing to grow' mean? What had caused it to stop?"

"The primordial gods had been falling, and the known reason was that they weren't as diligent as the ascended immortals, thus failing various tribulations. But it turned out they were designed to fail."

"Primordial chaos is something that exists only beyond the Edge of Heaven; these ascended immortals were audacious. The Edge wasn't like a flip-top lid; it couldn't be opened and closed at will."

"Had too much tampering led to the formation of cracks?"

"What was that ship-like entity?"

"Jie Fangcheng stared at the cracks in the Edge of Heaven."

"It seems the answers to all the mysteries lie beyond the Three Realms."

"The game, the decline of the Divine Realm, the death of Dongyue God King, and the players... all the answers can only be found beyond the confines of the Three Realms."

"Upon his return from the Divine Realm, Jie Fangcheng remained silent."

"He didn't share the notebook with Gu Shanshan. For a ghost, knowing the secrets of the Underworld was one thing; with Jie Fangcheng around, reincarnation wouldn't be impacted."

"However, the secrets of the Divine Realm were a different matter. Even if it was unclear whether the Divine Realm or its inhabitants still existed, Jie Fangcheng feared that he might be unable to protect them in the future."

"Gu Shanshan, ever so perceptive, could guess that Jie Fangcheng probably discovered some clues in the Divine Realm."

"And those clues could not be disclosed to them, possibly as a protective measure from Jie."

"So... was Jie Fangcheng planning to leave?"

"Jie Fangcheng just waited quietly, appearing no different than usual."

"Gu Shanshan and the others were still searching for clues in the office, but it seemed that there was nothing left to find."

"In the meantime, the Underworld's resolution concerning the players was also released."

"Surprisingly, the decision was unexpectedly humane."

"The Underworld considered the players' in-game actions based on precedents from famine years, distinguishing between actions in the real world and in the game. Each life was judged individually for its own merits and demerits."

"Due to the sudden influx of people and the suspension of various Underworld apps involved in the development of the 'Have You Reincarnated Yet' app, manual operations had slowed significantly. These players might have to wait a century or two before facing judgment."

"Many expressed their desire to join the Underworld as soul reapers. Jie Fangcheng shared his own examination materials, and members of Ronghua Group expressed their intention to join the Finance Department."

"Jie Fangcheng only smiled, saying nothing."

"On the seventeenth day after Dongyue God King's death, the funeral was held."

"The final individual to be called 'God King' in the management of the Underworld was ceremoniously buried at the starting point of the Road to the Yellow Springs."

"Xue Li, a close friend, couldn't help but cry at that moment."

"The Underworld's Soul Guiding Banner fluttered without wind. When Xue Li returned to his office after the funeral, he found a letter of resignation on his desk."

"Meanwhile, at the Bottom of Hell."

"As a direct subordinate of Dongyue God King, Jie Fangcheng knew the ambiguous way to open the Bottom of Hell."

"After Dongyue God King's death, his divine seal had been confiscated, awaiting the appointment of the next 'Dongyue God King.'"

"But at that moment, Jie Fangcheng held the seal in his hand, with the white Reminiscence Fish swimming around him."

"After awkwardly forming a hand seal, the gate to the Bottom of Hell opened."

"He glanced downward at the turbulent flow of space below him, casually tossing the divine seal to the anxious Reminiscence Fish beside him."

"'Take this back for me.'"

"Without another word, Jie Fangcheng jumped in."

"The Reminiscence Fish staggered as it was struck by the divine seal, then shook its head."

"It seemed to contemplate for a moment, and just as the gate to the Bottom of Hell was about to close, the Reminiscence Fish flicked its tail and followed him in."

"The divine seal circled beside the closing gate to the Bottom of Hell a couple of times before falling silent."

……

"[Beep... Detecting... Player... Unauthorized entry...]"

"[Beep... Purging...]"

"[Purge Failed.]"

"[Reason for Failure: Relevant information found in the database, unable to purge.]"

"[Information Source: Zone A1 (S-class confidential information, further queries not allowed)]"

"[Preparing to re-enter the game.]"

"[Log-in Successful.]"

"[Player Jie Fangcheng, welcome to the game 'Three Thousand Worlds.' Your registered status is: F-level player (?)]"

"[The system is matching you to an instance.]"

"[Beep— Instance matched.]"

"[Welcome to the instance: Genius Kindergarten.]"