This was a relatively spacious cave. The rock walls were covered in a layer of slippery moss, and water dripped pa ta, pa ta from the spikes overhead.

In the very center of the cave, an enormous heart hung suspended from the ceiling, pulsating slowly and faintly.

Gu Rong, dressed in blue ancient-style clothing but still wearing the small helmet on his head, looked strangely odd, yet bizarrely harmonious.

He saw the large heart, his eyes widening in amazement, and he even pointed his small finger.

“I knew it. If I waited here, you would obediently return yourself.” A voice came from the darkness.

Hearing the voice, Gu Rong looked over and saw Xiaoshan’s slender figure emerge from behind the rugged rocks. He walked about two meters away from him and stopped, then looked up at the heart before him.

Although it was still the same Xiaoshan as before, his aura was completely different. Xiaoshan, at this moment, exuded an unfamiliar distance, making him difficult to approach.

Xiaoshan looked at the heart. After a moment, he shifted his gaze back, landing on the little dumpling before him. Seeing Gu Rong had changed clothes in such a short time, he couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

Seeing Xiaoshan, Gu Rong subconsciously turned his head back to look at Lu Li. Lu Li stood with his hands tucked in his sleeves. Though only slightly older and taller than Gu Rong, his entire being radiated a kingly, domineering aura, his small face exceptionally arrogant.

Xiaoshan’s voice came from behind: “Who are you looking at?”

Gu Rong turned back, seeing Xiaoshan’s confused face, seemingly unable to see Lu Li’s existence.

Sure enough, the next moment Lu Li said, “He cannot see me.”

Gu Rong “Oh”, frowning his little eyebrows: “Then why can Rongrong see?”

Lu Li: “Only you can see.”

Gu Rong blinked his eyes, his small face thoughtful, seemingly unable to understand why only he could see.

Xiaoshan narrowed his eyes: “Who are you talking to?”

Gu Rong tilted his head up, met Xiaoshan’s gaze, spread his fair little hands: “No one! Zaizai wasn’t talking!” Lying through his teeth without changing expression.

Xiaoshan: “…”

Xiaoshan, who had previously been hunched, straightened his body now, looking much taller. He looked at Gu Rong for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

The cave, which originally held only Gu Rong, Lu Li, and Xiaoshan, suddenly changed. Rocks in different locations began to move, and many passage openings appeared out of thin air. From each opening, a person fell out, rolling onto the ground.

Zhuang Yu, Shen Hanxiao, and Lin-dalao were among them. Besides them, there were four or five others – the surviving players and tourists who had entered the cave together. Including Gu Rong and Xiaoshan, there were originally sixteen people who entered the cave, but now, including these two, only ten remained.

Jones was not among them. It seemed likely he had met a grim fate after being pinned to the ground by the spikes.

Seeing Xiaoshan, everyone was slightly surprised, then their gazes quickly fell upon Gu Rong. Seeing Gu Rong in blue, wide-sleeved ancient children’s clothing, everyone paused, inappropriately thinking: The cave is fraught with danger, chased by monsters, yet this cub still managed to change outfits? Into such formal ancient wear?

Everyone: “…”

The livestream chat, seeing everyone’s reaction, couldn’t help but burst out laughing. It had to be said, in this environment, suddenly changing into ancient attire was indeed quite unusual, hahaha.

Gu Rong saw Zhuang Yu’s trio and wanted to immediately run dadada towards them, but thinking of Lord Devil, he glanced back. Lu Li still stood behind him, arms crossed, displaying an impatient, aloof posture.

Gu Rong patted his ancient clothes with his small hand, thought for a moment, then halted his little feet, not going over.

Lord Devil not only didn’t eat Zaizai, but also gave Zaizai new clothes! Lord Devil is good!

Lu Li raised an eyebrow slightly.

Everyone quickly refocused their attention, looking up at the giant heart hanging in mid-air, unable to help but widen their eyes. Needless to say, this must be the God’s Heart they were searching for. The heart was still beating, albeit faintly, but it was still a living heart. This proved the legend was true: obtaining a drop of the heart’s blood could lift the curse.

Finally, everyone’s gaze collectively fell upon Xiaoshan. At this moment, anyone could see the difference in Xiaoshan from before.

Xiaoshan scanned the crowd, his expression indifferent. He stood beneath the heart, becoming the focus of everyone. The heart emitted a faint glow, casting a halo upon his handsome face. The atmosphere was oppressive and stagnant.

Finally, a tourist NPC couldn’t resist speaking. Although already sensing something was wrong, he still tried to cover it up: “You, aren’t you Gu Family Village’s Xiaoshan? You’re completely fine! A fool’s luck! Truly lucky haha.”

As soon as he spoke, dead silence fell again, no one responding or agreeing. The tourist NPC awkwardly rubbed his nose and spoke no more.

After a long while, Xiaoshan let out a scoff, looked towards the tourist NPC who had spoken earlier, and parted his lips: “Lucky?” His tone was filled with mockery, ridicule, and chilling hatred.

Not only did the tourist NPC not dare to reply, but everyone else also felt a jolt of fear.

Xiaoshan withdrew his gaze, looking back up at the heart that only beat once every long while, mocking without reservation: “The god isn’t dead, consciousness still lingers. Do you know what that means?”

“…”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s heart froze for half a second, but no one replied. The god isn’t dead, yet consciousness lingers. What could that mean? It means he can only watch helplessly as his own body decays and rots.

Xiaoshan said: “Anyone who enters the cave will be cursed, parasitized by bugs. Have you never thought about where the monsters and bugs in the cave come from?”

“The god isn’t dead. His body serves as fertile ground, nourishing countless monsters and bugs. Just like fresh fruits rotting breed maggots, so does a god. And throughout this process, he remains conscious, clearly perceiving everything.”

“…” Everyone’s breath hitched.

Xiaoshan smiled sadly, seemingly not needing a response, and proceeded to tell everyone the truth about Shenzhong Mountain.

Gods exist, but humans cannot perceive their existence. Just as ants cannot perceive human existence, humans cannot perceive the existence of gods. Humans are to gods as ants are to humans. Humans don’t care about ants, just as gods don’t care about humans.

But later, the god was killed by humans.

“A god killed by insignificant humans, like a human attacked and vilified by a swarm of ants.” Xiaoshan analogized the relationship between gods and humans to that of humans and ants. Everyone now occupied the position of ants. Although feeling their dignity insulted, they couldn’t refute it.

The reason the god was harmed by humans was because one day, on a whim, he revealed a divine sign before humans. Simple and laughable, even somewhat absurd. The god was killed by humans simply because he appeared before them.

But he was a god; he couldn’t die easily, only feel this agony endlessly.

Xiaoshan was a soul fragment split off from the god because the pain was too great. Because the god suffered too much, he split off a soul fragment that only wanted to feel happiness. Humans cannot achieve constant happiness and worry-free existence unless they are fools. Thus, the soul fragment split off by the god became a fool. Which was Xiaoshan.

After entering the cave, Xiaoshan slowly awakened his consciousness.

Only those with pure hearts would not be cursed, which was why, in Gu Family Village, only Gu Rong and Xiaoshan were unaffected by the curse.

“My death was due to my arrogance,” Xiaoshan said. “And human death is due to their ignorance.”

–

A long silence followed. Everyone felt a mixture of complex emotions.

But there were still inconsistencies. Shen Hanxiao braced himself and asked: “Since god is to humans as humans are to ants, if god were so powerful, how could he be killed merely by appearing before humans?”

Others were also puzzled. Yes, if god were so powerful, how could he be killed by tiny humans?

Xiaoshan glanced at Shen Hanxiao, remained silent for a long while, then finally said: “Because when a god appears before humans, he becomes like a human – weak, ordinary, no longer powerful, just like I am now…”

Before he could finish speaking, a figure rushed horizontally across, knocking him flying. Xiaoshan hit a rock, then fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The one who rushed over was a male player. He looked at Xiaoshan, who couldn’t get up for a moment, a strange excitement flashing in his eyes: “Indeed! No different from an ordinary human!”

Xiaoshan could only control the rocks; his body itself was as fragile as an ordinary human’s.

Xiaoshan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled: “See? This is the consequence of a god appearing before humans.”

The others were stunned by the male player’s foolish action. What was he doing?

The male player wanted to advance further. If he subdued Xiaoshan, he could get the God’s Heart! Perhaps he could take the top spot in this instance! But just as he moved, a rock swiftly moved over, crushing him against the cave wall.

The male player’s eyes widened. He only had time to let out a short, sharp cry before falling silent, his entire body crushed into a meat patty.

Hissing gasps filled the scene, quickly followed by dead silence again. Utter silence followed.

Stupid, too stupid.

Xiaoshan slowly climbed up from the ground. Having been hit hard, he looked unwell, but calmly offered a two-word evaluation: “Ignorant.”