Shou Heng stepped backward."Don't chase me."Hei Long's eyes filled with panic. "Father!"Shou Heng looked at him."Grow stronger."His voice became softer."Live your own life."The silver light brightened."And when you finally understand the truth..."He smiled."Choose your own path."Then Shou Heng disappeared into the Threads.Hei Long stood frozen,his hand still stretched toward the empty space."..."Qing Li quietly stepped beside him,but didn't say anything. Hei Long lowered his hand and wiped his face."He left again."Qing Li looked at him. "But this time,you know why."Hei Long nodded slowly."Yeah."He looked toward the empty sky."That's what makes it hurt more."
Hei Long lowered his hand,his fingers still trembling.Qing Li stood beside him,quietly watching his face.Xu Yang stepped forward. His expression was a mixture of confusion and frustration."Qing Li."Qing Li looked up. "Xu Yang..."Xu Yang stopped in front of him and stared at him for several seconds. "Where were you all this time?"Qing Li's lips parted,but no answer came.Xu Yang's expression tightened."And why did Hei Long call Shou Heng Dad?"Qing Li glanced toward Hei Long,then lowered his eyes."It's a long story."
Xu Yang's eyebrows immediately rose."A long story?"He pointed toward the destroyed village."I don't care how long it is.Just tell me what happened to you when we weren't together."Qing Li remained silent.Xu Yang stepped closer."First we entered that house."His voice became increasingly emotional."Then we met Hei Long..."He shook his head."No...Not Hei Long but his shadow."His fingers slowly curled. "He died saving me.And Zhao Ming..."His voice faltered for a moment. "Everything happened so quickly,and now you and Hei Long suddenly appear again. Not only came back,but carrying secrets about Shou Heng, Zhao Ming,and Heaven that none of us knew!"He spread his hands helplessly. "What is happening,Qing Li?"His eyes became wet with frustration."I can't understand any of this."
Qing Li looked at Xu Yang for a long moment before quietly saying,"We didn't choose to disappear."Xu Yang's expression changed. "Then what happened?"Qing Li took a slow breath."We were dragged into the past."Xu Yang froze."The past?"Qing Li nodded."Not a vision.Not a memory but an actual place that existed before any of us were born."Lin Chen immediately stepped closer."You went into the past?"Qing Li looked at him."Yes." Chen Yu's expression became serious. "How?"Qing Li looked toward the ruined shrine." We were dragged away!"
Qing Li nodded."When we opened our eyes, We were somewhere completely unfamiliar. "ChenYu asked,"And then?" Qing Li looked down at his hands."We found a letter."Xu Yang's expression changed slightly."A letter?"QingLi nodded."It was lying there,as if someone had left it specifically for us." Xu Yang looked back at Qing Li."Whose letter was it?"Qing Li answered quietly,"Ling Yuan's."Lin Chen immediately frowned. "LingYuan?"He looked at QingLi."Who is Ling Yuan?"
Qing Li's expression softened with sadness. "He was our friend from childhood."Lin Chen stared at him."Friend?"Qing Li nodded. "Yes."Lin Chen immediately asked,"Then where is he?"The question made Xu Yang and Yan Luo both lower their eyes.Xu Yang's eyes became slightly wet.Yan Luo's jaw tightened.QingLi remained silent for several seconds before answering."He disappeared."LinChen's expression changed."What does that mean?"Qing Li looked away."It means...we don't know where he is."
Lin Chen stepped closer."How can you not know?"QingLi's fingers curled tightly. "Because he disappeared because of my mistake."Lin Chen froze."Your mistake?" Qing Li nodded slowly."And because of the Threads."Xu Yang looked away,his chest tightening as the memory of his dream returned again. Qing Li continued quietly, "The letter was the last thing he left behind." Chen Yu asked, "Where is letter now?"Qing Li shook his head."We couldn't keep it." Lin Chen frowned."What happened to it?"
QingLi answered,"It was burned."LinChen's eyes widened."Then how did you know where to go?"QingLi looked at him."We remembered what Ling Yuan had written before the letter was destroyed."He paused. "One place was mentioned clearly."LinChen already knew the answer."Moonlight Village." QingLi nodded."Yes."Xu Yang looked toward the distant mountains."So you went there."QingLi nodded."We entered Moonlight Village because we believed Ling Yuan had left that clue for a reason."
Chen Yu asked,"And the archive?"Qing Li's expression became serious.For a moment, the shrine disappeared from Qing Li's thoughts,and an old memory returned to him.It was the day He,Hei Long,and Wang Xio had entered the Moonlight Village's Moonfall Archive.The doors had opened with a deep metallic sound,and countless shelves had stretched into the darkness beyond them.Records were stacked from the floor to the ceiling,covered in layers of dust and seals.Some floated in the air while others were locked behind translucent barriers of spiritual energy.
They continued deeper into the archive.The farther they went,the older the records became.The light from the spiritual lamps grew weaker.Qing Li eventually stopped in front of a damaged shelf.A faint golden symbol had caught his attention.He reached toward it and slowly pulled out record sealed with several layers of faded spiritual script. "What is that?"Hei Long asked.Qing Li brushed the dust away and looked at the title.His expression immediately changed. "It's a historical record."
Wang Xio stepped closer."About what?" Qing Li opened it and first few pages described events from centuries ago, including the relationship between a human named Yue Ning and a demon named Shou Heng.Qing Li's eyes moved across the lines slowly.His expression became more complicated with every page."Yue Ning..." he whispered."And Shou Heng..."Hei Long frowned."Shou Heng?"Qing Li didn't answer immediately.He continued reading.The record described how they had met,how they had grown close despite belonging to different worlds,and how Heaven had eventually intervened.Their love had been treated as something forbidden.A few pages had been deliberately torn away,but enough remained to understand the tragedy.
Qing Li's fingers trembled slightly as he turned another page then he stopped.
There was another name under the final surviving record.Qing Li stared at it for several seconds.His eyes widened."Hei Long..."Hei Long looked over."What happened?"Qing Li slowly turned the record toward him."Come here."Hei Long walked closer."What is it?"Qing Li pointed toward the lower section of the page.His finger trembled slightly."Read this."Hei Long leaned over the record.His eyes moved across the writing.Then they stopped.His expression slowly changed."What?"Qing Li looked at him."Read it again."
Hei Long's lips parted,but no sound came out.He looked at the name once more.Then he read the surrounding lines in silence.His face gradually lost its color."This..."His voice trembled."This is about Shou Heng's life." Qing Li nodded slowly."Yes."Hei Long looked toward him."And Yue Ning..."He swallowed."She was his wife."Qing Li nodded again."Yes."Hei Long's eyes moved downward."No..."He took a step backward. "That can't be..."Qing Li reached toward him."Hei Long!"Hei Long pushed the record slightly away,his hands shaking."Why is my name here?"
Qing Li's voice softened. "Because the record says Shou Heng and Yue Ning had a child...And that child is You!" Hei Long froze."You're saying I'm thier son?!"Qing Li nodded."It was written clearly."He pointed toward the ancient line beneath Shou Heng and Yue Ning's names."Your name is here, Hei Long.""Qing Li..."His voice cracked. "This record says I'm their son."Qing Li slowly nodded."Yes."Hei Long swallowed hard."But Shou Heng is dead."Qing Li's expression became heavy."Yes."Hei Long looked toward the threads beyond the archive doors."He's the one inside those threads.One tear fell from his eyes."Why did no one ever tell me?"
Qing Li didn't answer right away.His silence made Hei Long's expression crumble. "I spent all these years knowing that Shou Heng was gone,but I never knew he was my father."His fingers tightened around the record."I mourned someone I thought I only knew through his story."A tear slipped down his cheek."But he was my father."Qing Li stepped closer."Hei Long..."Hei Long shook his head."I keep thinking about everything we learned about him."His voice became softer."How he suffered.How Heaven punished him.How he lost Yue Ning.How he became trapped within the Threads."He looked toward the dark sky beyond the archive."And all this time..."He placed his hand against his chest."...that was my father."
Qing Li's eyes became wet."Yes."Hei Long's breathing became unsteady."Did he know about me?"Qing Li looked at the damaged record."There isn't enough information to know."Hei Long closed his eyes tightly. "Then maybe he never even knew he had a son."Qing Li immediately shook his head. "Don't blame yourself for that."Hei Long opened his eyes."I'm not blaming myself." His voice trembled with pain."I'm wondering if he ever wanted to meet me."Qing Li looked at him sadly."From everything we've learned about Shou Heng..."He paused."...I don't believe he would have abandoned his child willingly."
Hei Long lowered his head."But he's gone." Qing Li nodded."Yes."Hei Long wiped away his tears."Then I can't even ask him."His voice broke."I can't ask him why he left.I can't ask him what he thought when he looked at me.I can't even hear him call me his son."Qing Li gently placed a hand on his shoulder."You may not be able to ask him anymore."He looked toward the threads. "But that doesn't mean his story ends there."Hei Long's eyes followed his gaze. "He's still inside them."Qing Li nodded."A part of him is."Hei Long clenched his fist. "Then I want to save that part."
Qing Li looked at him in surprise."Even after everything?"Hei Long's tears continued falling,"He's my father."He looked toward the corrupted Threads."I don't care what he became.I don't care how much the Threads changed him."His voice became firmer."If there is even a small part of Shou Heng still inside there..."He pressed his hand against his heart."...then I don't want him to disappear alone."
Qing Li's eyes softened."Hei Long..."Hei Long looked down at the record one final time."I lost the chance to meet him as a son."He carefully closed the archive."But maybe I can still reach him as one."Qing Li slowly nodded."Then we'll find a way."Hei Long took a shaky breath and looked once more toward the distant Threads. "Father..." he whispered so quietly that only Qing Li could hear."If you can still hear me..."His eyes filled with determination."...please don't disappear yet."
The memory slowly faded.Qing Li blinked and returned to the present.Lin Chen noticed his distant expression and called his name."Qing Li?"Qing Li looked up slowly. "What?"Lin Chen stepped closer."You stopped talking."Qing Li took a slow breath. "Sorry."He glanced toward Hei Long."I was remembering the archive."Chen Yu asked, "And what exactly did you find there?"Qing Li's eyes became serious again."There was an archive in the center."
Lin Chen stepped closer."What did you find inside?"Qing Li looked toward HeiLong. "Records."Hei Long remained silent,but his expression darkened.Qing Li continued. "There were thousands of records.Some were damaged and some sections had removed.But among them,we found records connected to Heaven."Xu Yang asked,"And Shou Heng?" Qing Li nodded."His name appeared in one of the oldest records."He looked toward Hei Long again."And his story was connected to something Heaven tried very hard to erase."
Hei Long slowly raised his eyes."My birth." Everyone fell silent.Qing Li nodded."Yes." Chen Yu's expression changed."So Heaven knew Hei Long existed?"Qing Li answered quietly,"Not only did they know."His eyes hardened."They recorded him."Xu Yang looked toward Hei Long,then toward the ancient shrine beneath them."Then if Heaven erased those records..."His expression became thoughtful."Maybe they weren't hiding Shou Heng's story because they were afraid of him."Qing Li looked at him."Then what were they afraid of?"
Xu Yang's eyes moved toward the enormous threads covering the sky."They were afraid someone would discover why his son was important."The Heart Blossom in Xu Yang's hand suddenly pulsed with light.At the same moment,the formation beneath the shrine gave another deep beat.*Thump.*Everyone froze.Hei Long slowly looked toward the ground."What was that?"Qing Li's expression changed."The archive didn't contain the whole truth."He stared toward the sealed chamber beneath the shrine."It only contained the part Heaven wanted us to find."
Lin Chen's eyes widened as the truth settled over him."That's when you learned..."QingLi nodded."That Hei Long was Shou Heng's son."Hei Long remained completely still.The memory of that moment seemed to pass through his eyes.Qing Li continued,"Neither of us knew before that."Xu Yang looked at HeiLong."You really didn't know?"HeiLong slowly shook his head."No."His voice was quiet."I had heard his name.But I never knew..."He stopped.His eyes lowered."...that he was my father."
Qing Li looked at him with sadness."The archive was the first place where we saw the truth."Lin Chen looked at Qing Li."And Ling Yuan's letter led you there."Qing Li nodded. "Yes."Xu Yang stepped closer."What else did you find?"His voice was serious."Was there anything in that archive that could help us calm the Threads?"Qing Li's expression changed.He turned toward the enormous darkness above them.The countless Threads twisted through the sky like an endless storm,but beneath their terrifying appearance there was something strangely sorrowful in their movements.
Qing Li's lips parted,but no words came out.Xu Yang noticed his hesitation."Qing Li?" Qing Li finally looked at him."Xu Yang..." His voice was unusually quiet."That isn't just the Threads."Xu Yang frowned."Then what is it?"Qing Li looked back toward the sky.His eyes reflected the moving black strands. "That..."He swallowed."is the First Weaver."
Xu Yang stared at him in confusion."The First Weaver?"Qing Li nodded slowly."The beginning of the Threads."He tightened his fingers around his sleeve."The first being who created them."
Xu Yang's eyes narrowed as he studied the countless strands moving above them like an endless living network."Then Shou Heng isn't the First Weaver?""No."Qing Li shook his head immediately."Shou Heng became part of the threads."His gaze became distant."But he didn't create them."Chen Yu looked at the sky,then back at Qing Li,his brows slowly drawing together."So you're saying someone created all of this?"Qing Li answered quietly,"Long before Shou Heng... long before Yue Ning...long before Heaven began controlling the Threads..."He paused as another violent gust swept through the ruined shrine."...there was the First Weaver."
Lin Chen looked upward as one of the threads passed over the mountains."If it existed that long ago..."he murmured,"then why have we never heard about it?"Qing Li's fingers tightened slightly."Because its name was erased."Yan Luo's expression sharpened."Erased by whom?"Qing Li didn't answer immediately.His eyes moved toward the distant Heavenly cultivators standing beyond the broken shrine.Some of them lowered their gazes as soon as they noticed him looking at them.
Chen Yu noticed the reaction as well."You know something."One of the Heavenly cultivators shifted uneasily."We..."He stopped himself.Qing Li turned away from him."They know more than they're willing to say."Xu Yang glanced between them."Then tell us."His voice became firmer."If this First Weaver created the Threads,then we need to know why."Chen Yu's brows furrowed as he looked at the threads crawling across the ruined sky."Then the First Weaver created these?"Qing Li nodded.
Chen Yu gripped his staff tighter,and anger slowly entered his voice."So he created this evil?"He pointed toward the enormous thread network."The threads destroyed villages."His grip tightened further."They changed people's memories."He took another step forward. "They took people's emotions."His eyes flashed with frustration. "They turned Shou Heng into this."He pointed toward the massive darkness covering the sky."Why would anyone create something like that?"
Qing Li's expression changed.He slowly shook his head."He didn't."Chen Yu stared at him."What?"Qing Li looked toward the threads.A single black strand drifted downward from the sky,slowly twisting through the air before stopping in front of him."The First Weaver never created the Threads to destroy people."Chen Yu's anger faltered."Then...What were they created for?"Qing Li stepped forward and silver glow appeared around his fingers as he raised his hand.The Thread floating before him moved cautiously toward his palm.Instead of attacking him,it gently circled his fingers like a ribbon responding to a familiar presence.
Qing Li watched it with sadness."He created them to connect people."Lin Chen's eyes widened."Connect?"Qing Li nodded."A Thread was meant to carry feelings."His fingers moved slightly as the Thread wrapped around them."Memories."The strand shimmered softly."Promises." Another strand descended beside it."The bond between one person and another."Hei Long looked at the thread curiously.His expression softened as he reached out,but stopped before touching it."So they were supposed to help people understand each other?"Qing Li gave a faint smile."Yes."He looked toward the sky."The First Weaver believed that if people could truly feel another person's sorrow..."His smile slowly disappeared."...they wouldn't hurt each other so easily."
Hei Long lowered his gaze."Then threads weren't meant to control people.""No."Qing Li shook his head."They were meant to remind people that no one existed alone." Lin Chen looked at the enormous network with a troubled expression."Then why does it feel like they're suffering now?"Qing Li's eyes followed one of the dark strands as it twisted violently around another."Because they are."Chen Yu looked sharply at him. "The Threads can suffer?"Qing Li nodded slowly."They were created from connection." "Connection means feeling.""If the connection is damaged..."His voice became quieter."...the threads feel the damage as well."
Xu Yang stared at the sky.His expression became complicated as he remembered the countless threads he had encountered before."Then all this hatred..."he murmured. "All this anger..."He looked at Qing Li."It isn't their original nature.""No."Qing Li answered quietly."Something changed them."Chen Yu's anger slowly faded.He looked down at his staff for a moment before lifting his eyes again."Then how did something created to connect people become something that destroys them?"Qing Li doesn't answer immediately.
Mu Chen finally spoke but voice was hesitant as though he regretted saying anything at all."Because Heaven changed them."Everyone immediately turned toward him.Yan Luo's eyes narrowed."What does that mean?"Mu Chen swallowed nervously and glanced at threads twisting above the ruined shrine."The original threads could connect memories and emotions."He lowered his gaze."Heaven discovered that."
Chen Yu's expression hardened."And?"The cultivator's fingers trembled around the edge of his sleeve."We began using them." Lin Chen stepped forward angrily."For what?"Mu Chen hesitated before answering."To observe people."His voice became quieter."To predict their choices." He took a shaky breath."To influence their emotions."His eyes lifted toward the corrupted threads."And eventually..."His voice almost disappeared."...to control them."A heavy silence descended over the shrine,and the black threads above them continued twisting like countless living serpents.
Chen Yu's face darkened with disbelief."You used them to control people?"Mu Chen lowered his head."At first,it was only meant to prevent disasters."Yan Luo's eyes became colder."That's what Heaven always says."Mu Chen looked at him."We saw conflicts before they happened."He clenched his fists."We saw people whose choices would lead to wars."Lin Chen scoffed bitterly."So you decided they shouldn't be allowed to choose at all?"Mu Chen answered"We believed..."He struggled to find the words."...that if we could remove certain emotions,change certain memories,or guide certain decisions, we could prevent countless deaths."
Chen Yu slammed the bottom of his staff against floor."And how many people did you destroy while trying to save them?"The sound echoed through the shrine and Mu Chen flinched."We didn't understand what the Threads would become."Qing Li's expression became cold."You didn't want to understand."Mu Chen looked toward him. Qing Li stepped forward,his eyes filled with restrained anger."The Threads were created to connect hearts."He pointed toward the dark sky."They were supposed to let people understand one another."His voice trembled slightly."But you turned that connection into surveillance."He took another step."Then into manipulation."His fingers curled tightly. "And finally into control."
Mu Chen lowered his eyes."We believed we were preventing disasters."Qing replied,"By controlling everyone?"Mu Chen remained silent.Qing Li's eyes became wet with anger, but he refused to look away."You didn't prevent suffering."His voice cracked slightly. "You simply decided who was allowed to choose." Mu Chen's shoulders lowered. Qing Li looked toward the Threads again. "And every time you forced a memory to disappear..."He swallowed."...every time you changed someone's feelings..."His gaze became distant."...you created another wound inside the Threads themselves."
Lin Chen looked upward as several Threads suddenly shivered."So all those distorted memories..."he whispered."They weren't random."Qing Li shook his head."No."He slowly closed his hand."They were the result of thousands of years of interference."Chen Yu's eyes widened."Thousands of years?" "Yes."Qing Li looked toward the deepest part of the shrine."Every command Heaven gave them left something behind.""Every altered memory.""Every forced choice." "Every emotion that was suppressed."His voice became quieter."The Threads remembered all of it."
Hei Long looked at the black strands with sadness."They remembered the pain humans forgot."Qing Li glanced at him and nodded."Exactly."Xu Yang remained silent throughout the exchange.His eyes stayed fixed on big network above them.He could see faint flashes moving inside the darkness fragments of memories,faces,places,and emotions that appeared for only a moment before disappearing again.His fingers slowly tightened around the Heart Blossom. "So..." he murmured.
Everyone turned toward him.Xu Yang's expression gradually changed as the pieces began connecting in his mind."The Threads themselves aren't evil."Chen Yu looked at him.Qing Li nodded."Exactly."Xu Yang looked toward one of the threads drifting near the shrine."Something happened to them."His voice became softer."Someone changed what they were supposed to be."
Qing Li's expression softened slightly."Yes." Xu Yang lowered his gaze to the Heart Blossom in his hands ascrystal flower gave off a faint pulse of light against his palm. "Then the question isn't how to destroy them."His fingers tightened around the flower."It's how to return them to what they were."