Chapter 432: The Vanishing Faith
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“When the gods collapse, all things perish.”
A voice of the Heavenly Dao echoed suddenly in Lu Chao Chao’s mind.
The supreme deities, who once shielded the people, had now turned their blades upon mere mortals.
Before her stood a god.
A god!
A deity worshipped within temples, receiving the prayers and incense of countless believers!
The Sovereign Immortal Han Chuan presided over judgment, the Celestial Sovereign Bai Heng ruled over punishment, and the High God Zong Bai governed divine justice.
And before her now stood the High God of Justice—Li Guang.
Lu Chao Chao could not even muster resistance; she only stared blankly at his face, as though struck by lightning.
“You are… a god?”
The young girl’s voice was hoarse, each word trembling as she spoke.
The man in black robes regarded her with cold indifference, showing no emotion.
“You are the deity enshrined in temples, receiving the people’s incense and trust!”
“You are Li Guang, the god of justice and fairness!”
“Li Guang, you are the light of dawn! You are supposed to let the brilliance of fairness shine upon every common soul!”
Her eyes turned bloodshot, every hair on her body standing on end.
What was happening in the Divine Realm?! Even Li Guang had fallen to demonic corruption!
Han Chuan, what in the heavens are you doing?!
Li Guang’s eyes flickered with a trace of surprise. “For someone so young, your insight is quite keen.”
“Unfortunately, you were born with a Sacred Heart. If there is a next life, I shall personally lead you into enlightenment.”
His five fingers spread open, pointing straight at Lu Chao Chao’s chest.
The instant his fingers parted, a tremendous force pierced through her torso, as though grasping for something.
But in the next moment—
Li Guang’s expression shifted, and he abruptly withdrew his hand. Lu Chao Chao collapsed onto a lotus leaf with a thud.
His sharp gaze snapped to the mountain demon.
“When you brought her here, did you check for a heartbeat?”
The mountain demon hesitated on the shore. “A heartbeat?”
“Why would I check that? How could anyone live without a heart? If one has no heart, one is dead…”
Li Guang’s lips pressed into a tight line, his eyes glinting with a piercing chill. He gritted his teeth. “She has no heart!”
The mountain demon jumped up in shock.
“Impossible!”
“No human can live without a heart! She runs, she jumps, she’s alive and well—how could she be heartless?! You must be trying to deceive me for your own gain, hoping to claim the credit before our master by making up lies about her heartlessness!” The mountain demon, furious, leaped before Lu Chao Chao and placed a hand over her chest.
He listened closely…
His expression turned grim, ears pressing against her chest in disbelief.
“How can this be?! A human without a heart should be dead—how is she alive?!”
“I clearly sensed the aura of the Sacred Heart within her body!”
“Even Han Chuan cannot allow someone to live without a heart!” Otherwise, the Seven Sins would have been revived long ago!
Li Guang’s gaze darkened, and he slowly stepped back.
“Why are you retreating? No heart is no heart—why do you look so guilty?” The mountain demon narrowed his eyes at him.
But Li Guang avoided his gaze, unable to meet Lu Chao Chao’s eyes.
He turned to flee, but the space around them was already sealed by Lu Chao Chao.
“Li Guang, long time no see.” Lu Chao Chao took a single step, landing right in front of him.
“Li Guang, do you know her?” The mountain demon pointed at Lu Chao Chao.
A child he had kidnapped at random turned out to be acquainted with a High God?
The mountain demon clapped his hands together. “Oh, what a coincidence! I actually brought a familiar face for the High God…”
But as he laughed, he noticed Li Guang was sweating profusely, unable to even lift his head.
His laughter faded.
The mountain demon stepped back cautiously, eyeing Lu Chao Chao warily.
“She… she is?”
Li Guang took a deep breath.
“In all the world, only one person can live without a heart.”
“The Sword Sovereign, Sunshine!”
“The Heartless Fiend!”
Hearing that name, Li Guang’s voice trembled.
“Didn’t the Heartless Fiend perish under ninety-nine heavenly thunders?” The mountain demon’s face turned pale with fright, wanting to hide behind Li Guang, only to be kicked away by the High God.
“Li Guang, why won’t you look at me?!” Though Lu Chao Chao was small, her presence was overwhelming, forcing Li Guang to retreat step by step.
“In the past, the gods were consumed by desire, birthing the Seven Sins.”
“You despised the gods’ corruption, wept for the innocent who died in vain, and swore to bring justice to the world. But now?”
“Li Guang, what are you doing?!”
“How are you any different from those gods who gave in to their base desires?!”
“Li Guang, why won’t you look at me?!”
“I am the Heartless Fiend? Ha, so now I am the villain? How laughable…”
“I never wanted to take your place!”
Han Chuan feared her, refused to allow her revival, afraid that she would surpass the Nine Heavens!
But Lu Chao Chao had never sought to ascend to the divine realm.
She did not understand.
In her past life, she had devoted herself to the sword, never concerning herself with the convoluted politics of the gods.
In this life, she had embraced the innocence of a three-and-a-half-year-old child.
Though she had been revived for a long time, this was the first time she felt sorrow.
“Li Guang, why? Three thousand lives—what have you done?”
Tears welled in her eyes, ready to fall.
Li Guang dared not meet her gaze. Perhaps out of guilt, perhaps out of shame—he turned to tear open the void.
But Lu Chao Chao already gripped the Sunshine Sword.
From the moment Li Guang stained his hands with three thousand lives, there was no turning back.
With a single slash, the void he sought to escape through shattered.
“Li Guang, answer me!!”
Three thousand lives—how could you dare?!
You were their god, the god they trusted!
She swung her sword at Li Guang, but he could not evade. How could he match Lu Chao Chao?
“The Seven Sins were born from the vilest desires of the world, feeding on the wickedness of the Three Realms. How could you dare to revive them?!”
“You deserve to die!”
With one stroke, Lu Chao Chao sent Li Guang crashing into a wall, vomiting blood as the divine light around him faded.
He lay on the ground, gasping, his godhood crumbling.
“I’m sorry…”
“I promised you when you sacrificed yourself—I swore to guard the Three Realms… to remain true to myself…”
“But…”
“When faith vanishes and the dawn falls into darkness, I had no choice. Perhaps, when the Three Realms collapsed, that was the best ending.”
“Chao Chao, this world is already rotten.”
“No one can remain untainted.”
“I have sinned, my hands are stained with blood—my only fate now is to perish.”
“It cannot be stopped… it cannot be stopped…”
“Even without a heart, as long as the people fall into their own corruption, the Seven Sins will return.”
“The Five Kingdoms… the Five Kingdoms… the emperors… ruling over a land bathed in blood…”
Before Lu Chao Chao’s eyes, he dissolved into stardust, vanishing.
The mountain demon, once full of bravado, trembled in terror. The mighty High God Li Guang had been slain in one strike.
He tried to sneak away.
But without even turning her head, Lu Chao Chao threw her sword, piercing him through the heart.