78: Chapter 78 Late-Night Private Talk, System Anomaly

The fourth day of Luck blessing, deep in the night.

On the Star Gazing Platform at the highest point of the Heavenly Court stronghold, Lin Ye stood alone, leaning against the railing.

The night sky was clear as if washed, and stars were scattered across the black canopy like diamonds. The big dipper shone brilliantly in the northern sky, and the starlight cascaded down like a waterfall, guided by the gathering spirit Formation on the Star Gazing Platform, turning into pure Star Power that permeated the air. This was a cultivation place Lin Ye had specially designed, which was of great benefit to him as he cultivated the Big Dipper True Scripture.

But tonight, he had no heart for cultivation.

The two pieces of news Qin Ruoxue sent were like two giant stones pressing on his heart.

A second black stone slab had appeared in the hands of an ancient corpse sealed at the Nightfall stronghold. What did this mean? There was more than one stone slab? What was the connection between them? And why was the Nightfall organization collecting these stone slabs?

And the more pressing threat was the "Shadow Envoy," one of the Seven Envoys of Nightfall, at the Dao Palace Fifth Layer, who was already on the way with a hunting squad and would arrive in three days.

Dao Palace Fifth Layer.

Lin Ye was currently only at the Peak of the Dao Palace Second Layer, and although he had the ability of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body to fight across ranks, his odds of winning against a core member of Nightfall by spanning three minor Realms were less than thirty percent. Moreover, the hunting squad the other party was bringing would definitely not be at the level of the peripheral members from Black Wind Canyon.

There were only four days left of Luck blessing. The Nightfall hunting squad would arrive in three days.

The time was suffocatingly tight.

"You are here." A soft voice came from behind him.

Lin Ye turned around and saw Su Qingyue ascending the stairs, arriving at the Star Gazing Platform. She wore a moon-white long dress with a light blue cloak draped over it, and the moonlight naturally drawn by her Vast Cold Spirit Body flowed around her, looking like a Fairy from the Moon Palace descending into the mortal world. Her wind and thunder wings were folded behind her back, revealing only the purple-gold metallic edges.

"Can't sleep?" Lin Ye asked.

Su Qingyue walked to his side, stood shoulder to shoulder with him, and looked at the starry sky: "Aren't you the same?"

The two were silent for a moment.

The night wind blew past, bringing the lights and faint human voices from the distant Divine City. This main city with a population of millions never fully slept, even in the dead of night. But the Star Gazing Platform at this moment was quiet enough to hear each other's breathing.

"Lin Ye." Su Qingyue suddenly spoke, her voice very light, "Are you... hiding something from us?"

Lin Ye's heart stirred, and he turned to look at her: "Why do you ask that?"

"Intuition." Su Qingyue also turned her head, her ice-blue eyes clear as a lake under the starlight, "Since the first time we met on Yinghuo Ancient Star, you have acted... differently. You seem to know where there will be danger, where there will be an Opportunity, who can be trusted, and who needs to be guarded against."

She paused: "The Bronze Ancient Palace, the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land, the Yaoguang Holy Land trial, the Chenxing Mountain Range mine, and even this ambush at Black Wind Canyon... every step you take is terrifyingly precise. This is not Luck, nor can it be explained by mere wisdom."

Lin Ye was silent.

Rebirth was his biggest secret, and he had never mentioned it to anyone. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, but that this secret was too shocking and too dangerous. Once leaked, he would become the target of public criticism in the entire covering the heavens era world, and even the real world.

But now, Su Qingyue had noticed.

This woman, who had always stood silently by his side, trusting him and supporting him unconditionally, had finally asked this question.

"Qingyue." Lin Ye slowly spoke, "If I said that I know some... things about the future, would you believe it?"

Su Qingyue was not surprised, just looked at him quietly: "For example?"

"For example..." Lin Ye looked at the starry sky, "Three months from now, the seven major cities in the Eastern Wasteland will simultaneously erupt with a 'Yao Beast tide,' with the Divine City bearing the brunt, and more than one hundred thousand players will die."

"For example, half a year from now, the 'Ancient Battlefield' will open deep within the 'Five Elements Secret Realm,' and it hides a Legacy of the Xiantai Realm."

"For example, one year from now..."

He paused and did not continue.

One year from now, the game would merge with reality, Laws would manifest, and the world would enter an extraordinary era. The Dark Turmoil would begin, the Supreme Being of the Forbidden Zone would awaken, ten thousand races would compete for hegemony, and the Blue Star civilization would face an existential crisis.

These, he could not say yet.

But even the information he had already spoken was enough to shock Su Qingyue.

Her pupils shrank slightly, and her breathing quickened a bit: "How could you know these things? Do you have the ability to predict the future? Or..."

"I am not predicting." Lin Ye shook his head, "I have... experienced them."

He selectively revealed part of the truth: "Qingyue, do you believe that time can flow backwards?"

Su Qingyue was stunned.

Time flowing backwards? This was a Realm that only the legendary Immortal King could touch, and even an Immortal King might not be able to do it. How could Lin Ye...

But thinking of his various incredible performances, Su Qingyue had to believe it.

"You..." she spoke with difficulty, "You came back from the future?"

"You can understand it that way." Lin Ye nodded, "But the specific reasons and details, I cannot say yet. It is not that I don't trust you, but... once this secret is completely revealed, it will bring about a disaster we cannot imagine."

He looked at Su Qingyue with a serious expression: "Qingyue, you only need to know that every thing I do has a reason it must be done. The rise of the Heavenly Court, the improvement of strength, the accumulation of resources... all of this is to cope with the upcoming... catastrophe."

Catastrophe.

This word made Su Qingyue's heart sink.

What kind of terrifying disaster could it be that Lin Ye would so solemnly call a "catastrophe"?

"So," she said softly, "you are trying your best to become stronger and desperately developing the Heavenly Court to protect us during the catastrophe?"

"To protect everyone I care about." Lin Ye's voice carried a hint of heaviness, "Qingyue, this world is far more complex than we see. The covering the heavens era is not just a game, it..."

He suddenly stopped. Because what Su Qingyue said next made his whole body tremble.

"Lin Ye." Su Qingyue's voice carried a hint of confusion and unease, "I have recently... discovered some strange things."

"What?"

"About NPCs." Su Qingyue frowned, "Do you remember the guardian Elder of the Scripture Pavilion at the Yaoguang Holy Land? The old man who is always dozing off and speaks slowly."

Lin Ye nodded. That was one of the NPCs he had the most contact with at the Yaoguang Holy Land, responsible for guarding the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion, with unfathomable cultivation, but usually appearing drowsy.

"Three days ago, I went to the Scripture Pavilion to return a book." Su Qingyue recalled, "There was only him in the pavilion at that time. I followed the rules and put the Jade Slip back on the bookshelf, and when I was about to leave, he suddenly called out to me."

She paused, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes: "He said... 'Little girl, your cold illness is not an illness, it is a blessing.'"

Lin Ye frowned. Su Qingyue's Vast Cold Spirit Body would indeed show symptoms of cold intolerance in the Early Stages of Awakening, but only a very small number of people knew this, and it was usually mistaken for a weak constitution.

"I asked him what he meant." Su Qingyue continued, "He didn't answer, just pointed to my chest—that is the core location of my Vast Cold Spirit Body. Then he said something very strange..."

"What did he say?"

"'You visitors from beyond the heavens are always in a rush to become stronger, but you forget to ask yourselves why you need to become stronger.'" Su Qingyue repeated word by word, "After saying this, he laid back down to sleep, and no matter how I asked, he wouldn't pay attention to me anymore."

Visitors from beyond the heavens. This term caused a stormy sea to rise in Lin Ye's heart!

In the setting of the covering the heavens era, players in the eyes of NPCs should be "Cultivators from other Star Domains" or "visitors from outside the Realm." But the term "visitors from beyond the heavens" clearly carried a higher level of cognitive awareness—the NPC knew that players were not from this world!

More importantly, the guardian Elder pointed out Su Qingyue's Vast Cold Spirit Body and said "it is not an illness, it is a blessing," which clearly exceeded the conversation logic of ordinary NPCs!

"This is not even the strangest part." Su Qingyue took out a recording crystal from her Storage Pouch, "Yesterday, when I was buying medicine at a medicinal herb shop in the West Market of the Divine City, I met an old NPC woman selling flowers."

She activated the crystal, and an image appeared.

In the image, it was a small alley in the West Market of the Divine City. An old woman with gray hair and ragged clothes was crouching in a corner, with several baskets of wild flowers in front of her. When Su Qingyue passed by, the old woman suddenly looked up, her cloudy eyes staring straight at her.

"Girl." The old woman's voice was hoarse, "You have... the aura of the moon on you."

Su Qingyue stopped and asked curiously: "Grandma, what are you saying?"

"The moon." The old woman repeated, "The cold, lonely, but gentle moon. It is calling you, can you hear it?"

In the image, Su Qingyue was clearly stunned. She cultivated the Vast Cold Spirit Body and indeed had a natural connection with the moon, but how could an old NPC woman selling flowers know?

"Grandma, you..." Su Qingyue wanted to ask clearly.

But the old woman suddenly lowered her head and continued to fiddle with her flower baskets, muttering to herself: "It's soon... it's almost here... back then the moon returned, and the stars will return too... the Chaos is about to begin..."

The image ended here.

Lin Ye stared at the already dim crystal, his heart shocked beyond words.

"Back then the moon returned, and the stars will return too"—this sentence reminded him of a legend that circulated among players after the game merged with reality in his previous life:

In ancient times, there were two supreme existences, the "Moon" and the "Stars," who left this world. And when they returned, the world would undergo a drastic change.

This legend was considered part of the game's background story in his previous life. But now, it was spoken from the mouth of an NPC selling flowers, and it was clearly directed at Su Qingyue...

"It's not just these." Su Qingyue took out a few more recording crystals, "These past few days, I asked the sisters of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion to keep an eye out. They found that at least seven NPCs in the Divine City have shown similar anomalies. Some suddenly said things that exceeded their settings, some changed their behavioral patterns, and some even... seem to be 'observing' players."

She activated another crystal.

In the image, it was a city guard at the South Gate of the Divine City. This guard was supposed to repeat fixed lines every day like "Please show your pass for entry and exit" and "Fighting is prohibited in the city." But in a video secretly recorded by Qin Ruoxue, this guard said to his companion when changing shifts: "There are thirty-seven more visitors from beyond the heavens today than yesterday. They are becoming more and more numerous."

Then, that companion—another guard NPC—actually responded, "Yes, the world is about to get lively."

The two NPCs exchanged a smile, and that smile... carried an indescribable eeriness.

Lin Ye finished watching all the footage and remained silent for a full incense stick's time.

In his past life, the NPC Awakening phenomenon only appeared after the Fusion of the game and reality began. Initially, only a few high-level NPCs displayed abnormal intelligence, but it gradually spread later on. By the Late Stage of the Fusion, almost all NPCs possessed complete self-awareness, and like players, they became residents of the New World.

But now, with one year left until the Fusion, has the NPC Awakening already begun?

And it's not those top-tier NPCs in the Xiantai Realm or Saint Realm that are Awakening, but bottom-tier characters like the Scripture Pavilion Elder, the flower-selling granny, and city guards?

This isn't right.

"Lin Ye." Su Qingyue's voice pulled his thoughts back. "These NPCs... are they... alive?"

Alive. The word was used accurately and chillingly.

NPCs were originally just a piece of code, a set of data, but now, they seem to be developing self-awareness and are "coming to life."

"Qingyue." Lin Ye took a deep breath. "What you've discovered is extremely important. It's more important than the Night Curtain's hunting squad, more than the black stone slab, and even more than the Five Elements Secret Realm."

He walked to the edge of the Star Gazing Platform and gazed at the sleeping Divine City below.

In this city, there are over a million NPC residents. They work at sunrise and rest at sunset, operate shops, guard the city, and Cultivate techniques... They form the foundation of this world.

But if these NPCs are all Awakening, all "coming to life"...

Then what exactly is this world of the covering the heavens era? Is it really just a game?

"Lin Ye." Su Qingyue walked to his side and said softly, "I always feel... that this world seems to have its own life. It is breathing, growing, and... watching us."

Lin Ye's heart jolted. He looked at Su Qingyue, this ice-cold and intelligent woman who had already touched the core secret of this world.

"Qingyue." He spoke slowly. "What I am about to say, you must keep in your heart, but do not tell anyone, including Chen Hao and Shi Potian."

Su Qingyue nodded solemnly.

"First, the covering the heavens era is not just a game. In one year, it will merge with the real world."

Su Qingyue's pupils shrank, but she forced herself not to exclaim.

"Second, after the Fusion, the powers, Cultivation Techniques, and equipment from the game will manifest in reality. Everything we are cultivating now will become real."

"Third, the Fusion will bring disaster. Yao Beasts, anomalies, and Supreme Being of the Forbidden Zone... these existences from the game will descend into reality. Human civilization will face an unprecedented test."

"Fourth..." Lin Ye looked at Su Qingyue. "The Awakening of NPCs is a precursor to the Fusion. When all NPCs possess self-awareness, the boundaries between the two worlds will completely disappear."

Su Qingyue's face turned pale, and her fingers trembled slightly.

This information was too shocking, far exceeding her imagination. Game manifesting in reality? NPC Awakening? World Fusion? This is simply the creation and destruction of the world as described in myths and legends!

"So," she said with difficulty, "that's why you are working so hard... Are you trying to preserve a spark of hope for humanity before the catastrophe descends?"

"Not just that." Lin Ye shook his head. "I want to change fate."

Determination flashed in his eyes: "In my past life, humanity lost two-thirds of its population in the Early Stages of the Fusion, and civilization almost collapsed. In this life, I want more people to survive, and I want human civilization to rise in the new era, rather than just lingering on."

Su Qingyue looked at him, at this man standing under the starlight.

He carried such a heavy secret and such a grand mission, yet he had never told anyone. He bore the pressure alone, planned for the future alone, all just to protect those he cared about during the catastrophe.

"Lin Ye." She said softly, "I will be with you."

These simple six words were firmer than any vow.

A warm current surged in Lin Ye's heart. He reached out and held Su Qingyue's hand.

Her hand was very cold, a characteristic of the Vast Cold Spirit Body, but at this moment, Lin Ye felt it was incredibly warm.

"Qingyue, regarding the NPC Awakening, we need more information." Lin Ye regained his composure. "You just said that the Heavenly Secret Pavilion discovered seven abnormal NPCs?"

"Yes." Su Qingyue nodded. "Besides the Pavilion-guarding Elder and the flower-selling granny, there are five others. They are: the storyteller at the teahouse by the East Gate of the Divine City, whose stories have recently started to include the concept of a 'world beyond the world'; the old blacksmith at the West Market blacksmith shop, whose crafted weapons occasionally carry strange attributes, such as 'increased damage against visitors from beyond the sky'; the teacher at the private school in the South District, who points at the sky while teaching children to read and says, 'there is another sky there'; and the shopkeeper of the medicine shop in the North District, who has recently started collecting some obscure medicinal herbs. According to the game's settings, those herbs should be used to refine an 'Awakening Divine Pill'—and the role of the Awakening Divine Pill is to awaken dormant consciousness."

She paused and said the last one: "And there is one more... it is the Holy Master of the Yaoguang Holy Land."

Lin Ye's pupils contracted: "The Yaoguang Holy Master?"

"Yes." Su Qingyue's expression was grave. "This is intelligence provided by Lu Ming. He said that three days ago, the Holy Master said something very strange at the morning assembly: 'The trajectories of the stars are beginning to become chaotic, and the threads of fate are intertwining. Disciples of Yaoguang, prepare yourselves, a great change is coming.'"

The Yaoguang Holy Master, that is a mighty figure in the Xiantai Realm, the master of a Holy Land. Even an NPC of this level has started to show abnormalities...

"The level of Awakening is rising." Lin Ye said in a deep voice. "From bottom-tier NPCs to high-level NPCs, the speed of Awakening is accelerating."

He suddenly thought of something: "Qingyue, you just said that the flower-selling granny mentioned 'the moon has returned, and the stars are also about to return'?"

"Yes."

"The moon... the stars..." Lin Ye muttered to himself. "The Vast Cold Spirit Body is related to the moon, so what about the stars? Could it be referring to..."

He thought of the Big Dipper True Scripture he was cultivating, and thought of the connection between the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body and the stars.

Could it be that he and Su Qingyue have some connection to the "moon" and "stars" that the NPCs spoke of?

This thought made him shudder.

"Lin Ye." Su Qingyue suddenly said, "I have one more discovery."

"What?"

"About that flower-selling granny." Su Qingyue took a withered wildflower from her Storage Pouch. "After I left yesterday, I felt uneasy, so I went back. But the old woman was gone; the stall was still there, the flower basket was still there, but the person had disappeared. I found this at the spot where she sat."

She handed the wildflower to Lin Ye.

The wildflower was very ordinary, a "Blue Star Grass" commonly found in the outskirts of the Divine City, usually used to refine low-level antidotes. But the moment Lin Ye took the flower, his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body suddenly produced a strong resonance!

It was not a resonance of the same origin but different streams like the stone slab, but... a more intimate, more familiar resonance!

It was as if this flower had some kind of Bloodline connection to him!

"This flower..." Lin Ye carefully sensed it.

Under the investigation of his Chaos Divine Power, he discovered an abnormality.

Inside the flower, an extremely faint mark was hidden. The patterns of that mark were seventy percent similar to the Dao patterns naturally formed when cultivating the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body!

"A mark of the Chaos Dao patterns..." Lin Ye gasped.

A flower left behind by an NPC flower-selling granny actually contained a mark of the Chaos Dao patterns?

How is this possible! Unless...

"Unless that old woman is related to the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body." Su Qingyue voiced the guess in Lin Ye's heart. "Or rather, related to the existence that created the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body."

The existence that created the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body.

Lin Ye remembered the System prompt when he obtained this unique talent: [Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, unique talent, Soul-bound, cannot be stripped, cannot be copied.]

This talent was bestowed by the System, but who created the System?

And who designed this game, the covering the heavens era?

Those awakened NPCs, the "visitors from beyond the sky," "moon," "stars," "Chaos is coming" that they spoke of... what do these actually mean?

The mysteries are increasing. But time is decreasing.

"Qingyue." Lin Ye put away the wildflower. "Keep these discoveries secret for now. We will observe the NPC Awakening in secret, but do not actively intervene. The most important thing now is to deal with the Night Curtain's hunting squad."

"Hmm." Su Qingyue nodded. "Then what should we do now? The Shadow Envoy is at the Dao Palace Fifth Layer, we..."

"We have the blessing of Luck." Cold light flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. "There are four days left. Within these four days, we must improve our strength again."

He looked toward the Chenxing Mountain Range. "How many Five Elements token fragments have you collected?"

"Three." Su Qingyue said. "We are still missing two."

"Speed it up." Lin Ye said. "If we can collect them all before the Night Curtain arrives and open the Five Elements Secret Realm, we might be able to obtain the Opportunity for a Breakthrough within the Secret Realm."

"But..." Su Qingyue said worriedly, "The Five Elements Secret Realm is very dangerous, and it requires at least the Dao Palace Third Layer to explore safely. If we go in now, will we..."

"Seek victory in danger." Lin Ye said resolutely. "Waiting for death is certain doom. Taking the initiative to attack still offers a glimmer of survival."

He looked at Su Qingyue: "Qingyue, trust me."

Su Qingyue looked at his firm gaze, and the worry in her heart gradually dissipated.

"I have always trusted you." She said softly.

The night wind blew, and the stars twinkled.

On the Star Gazing Platform, the two stood side by side, looking toward the darkness in the distance.

And in the Divine City beneath their feet, those awakened NPCs were also looking at the night sky, looking at the stars, looking at those "visitors from beyond the sky."

The world is quietly changing.

And the center of the change is exactly this city named Divine City, and the rapidly rising power within the city—the Heavenly Court.

The night grew deeper. But the true darkness, perhaps, has only just begun.