Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 549 The Fallen One's Salvation

Those who fall will not perish, but if the heart falls, the soul will sink.

I only wish that the light of a single lamp could illuminate the endless desolation.

—From *Zi Bu Yu* (The Master Did Not Discuss), Chapter on Crossing the River

The fog is receding.

It was as if it had been gently parted by some unseen hand.

They were rolled into threads and slowly receded from both sides of the street.

The God of Fate's palms were still trembling.

That "ghost bird" was a small, black creature with tattered feathers.

He was holding it tightly.

Its eyes were bloodshot, and it emitted a piercing, high-pitched screech from its throat.

It looks just like a vengeful spirit trapped in a cage.

Three female ghosts stopped in front of him.
No more moving forward, no more laughing.

Their bodies stiffened inch by inch.

It was as if the little bird had captivated my soul.

The wind has stopped.

Si Ming slowly raised his hand.

The ghostly sparrow struggled and flapped its wings in the light.
Its feathers fell off one by one.

It turned into wisps of grayish-white dust.
It drifted away from his palm.

The dust particles did not fall, but instead coalesced in mid-air.
They formed an ancient and mysterious card.

Black and gold patterns intertwine on the card surface.

In the middle, a line of seal script characters appeared on its own:
[Fate System - Mid-Tier Mystic]

"The birds return to their nests, and those who have fallen are saved."

The light flowed along the line of text.
The handwriting seemed to breathe, emitting a very faint murmur.

Selene held her breath.

"This is... a protective charm for the altar?"

The God of Fate did not answer.

He just stared at the card.

The peacock's image on the card began to tremble slightly.
The light and shadow reflected a golden ray of scripture within it.

The sound was like both the wind and chanting.

Si Ming softly read aloud the first sentence that appeared below the card title:
"A single thought can cause ten thousand souls to tremble."

The surroundings changed immediately.

That sentence served as a starting point.
Fine lines appeared on the street surface.

The light spread from the feet of the God of Fate.
Flowing like living water into the distance,
Everywhere it touched,
The fog was then dispelled.
The shadows were stripped away.

The figures of the three female ghosts began to tremble under the golden light.

Their bodies faded layer by layer.

The red-clad figures, originally entangled,

Burned to a translucent shine by the light

Like paper slowly becoming transparent in fire.

The God of Fate lowered his eyes.

In a low voice, almost to himself:

“Xuanweizi’s scriptures… still remain in this world.”

Roland swallowed hard. "Scripture? What's that?"

That was originally used for 'crossing'.
"Not the character for 'town'," the Master of Fate replied.
“Once it can be rewritten, it can both deliver the soul and suppress it.”

He raised his hand,

The more intense the golden light on the card,
The entire passage was revealed.

"Savior of Suffering, Deliverance from Calamities in the Ten Directions"
He often uses his divine power to rescue lost souls.
Those who fall will find peace, those who plummet will rise again.

With each word of the scripture uttered...
Golden light exploded in the air.

Forming a halo
It covers the entire block.

The fog has completely dissipated.

Streets, buildings, and broken windows are all reshaped under the light.

The ground reflected a blurry image.

No longer ruins, but a magnificent old city.

The lights were dim on the rooftop.
It appears that some people are still embracing.

Selene murmured softly, "The illusion has changed..."

Si Ming nodded, his eyes calm.

"This is her memory."

He put the card away.

The light in my palm is still dancing.

The golden light was like an invisible bird.

It flew from his fingertips.

It hovered above the female ghost's head.

It let out a clear chirp.
The sound was so bright it was heart-stopping.

Then, the whole world,
It began to slowly twist.

Light and shadow reverse, time flows backward.
Everything is being pulled into a dream of falling into a trance.

Si Ming whispered:
"The dream of the fallen has begun."

Golden light swirled, and the sound of the wind vanished.

The world began to fade beneath their feet.
The streets, ruins, and collapsed walls resembled paper soaked in water.

It dissolves little by little, transforming into a blurry stream of light.

The outline of the city began to emerge all around.

High-rise buildings, neon lights, vehicles, and flashing advertising screens.

Everything was swaying in the light.
Like a dream forgotten by memory.

Selene's breathing became lighter.
She instinctively grabbed Si Ming's arm.

"This is?"

The voice of the God of Fate was deep and calm:
"During her lifetime."

Light and shadow recombine.

They saw a young girl,

Sitting under the light in my rented room,

Wearing a white shirt,
She was holding a lipstick in her hand.

Her face was beautiful, but pale.

On the table sat a half-cold bowl of instant noodles and an unopened letter.

The rain outside the window is pouring down.

She unscrewed the lipstick and gently applied it in front of the mirror.

They moved very carefully, as if afraid of disturbing someone.

Her gaze kept drifting to the phone on the table.

The screen was black; there were no incoming calls.

"He looks like an ordinary person."

Roland looked at the figure and whispered,

There was a hint of pity in his voice.

"She's a girl tormented by love."

Si Ming did not respond, but only stared at that scene.

Camera transitions,

The girl's smile became somewhat stiff.

She answered a phone call.
It seemed to be a man's voice coming from the other end.
But the content was unclear.

Next second,
Her face suddenly turned pale.

"You want to get married?"

"…What about me?"

Her hands were trembling.

The phone slammed to the ground.

Thunder rumbled outside the window.

Lights flicker.

She knelt on the ground.
Supporting her stomach with her hand,

Tears fell.

The screen turned,
Let's go back a few days.

She sat at the same table.
Hollow eyes

There was a dagger lying beside him.

Blood flowed down his wrist.
Her voice was tinged with laughter.
But it's chilling:
"Didn't you say you would take responsibility?"

Didn't you say you'd be with me until we grow old?

A man's figure was standing at the doorway.

His face turned pale.
His hands waved helplessly.

He kept repeating the same sentence.

"Stop doing this, stop fooling around!"

He turned and ran away.

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor.

The moment the door closed,
The girl raised her head.
All that remained in his eyes was emptiness.

A slight smile played on her lips.

The light turned grayish-white.

It was the rooftop of a building.

The wind is blowing.
She was wearing a red dress, and her hair was blown around.

What was she holding in her arms?
It was a small rag doll.

She stood on the railing.

Stand with your feet together.

A serene smile graced her face.

I want to see,
"If I fall, will the pain stop?"

She gently closed her eyes.

The wind suddenly picked up.

At that moment,

The city's neon lights, lights, and glass
Everything shattered in her reflection. She fell.

The mirror shattered.

Blood blossoms bloomed in the light.

Like a red flower,
Blooming in the void of the wind.

The wind in the illusion stopped.

The three female ghosts reappeared.
No longer ferocious.

They stood on those ruins,

Her clothes fluttered in the wind, but there was no smile on her face.

Only silent tears.

Selene's eyes were slightly red.

She whispered, "She... has been waiting for an answer."

Si Ming slowly closed his eyes.

“Not an evil spirit,” he whispered.

"It is a vengeful spirit."

Roland sighed, his voice hoarse.

She didn't fall from a building.
It is the heart.

Siming looked up at the red figure still swaying in the wind.

"Those who fall... can cross over."

He gently clenched his fist.
The light of the Destiny Card shone again.

Golden light spread through the air.
The first sentence of the scripture,
It echoed again from the void.

"May the Heavenly Venerable Savior from Suffering pervade the ten directions..."

The light flowed like a tide.

They surged toward the three female ghosts.

The wind rises again.

The illusion began to tremble.

A dream of losing one's soul

We've finally reached the end.

Golden light overflowed like a tide.

The Destiny Card hovered above the palm of the Fate Master.

Light shone through, and the scriptures unfolded line by line.

It transformed into golden talismans in the air.

The figures of three female ghosts are surrounding them.

Si Ming closed his eyes and exhaled.

He spoke in a low voice.

"May the Heavenly Venerable Savior from Suffering deliver all beings from calamity in the ten directions."

With each recitation, the air vibrates once.

The sound of wind came from underground.
It was as if countless souls of the dead were resonating.

The bodies of the three female ghosts began to emit light.

They looked at each other.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

His expression changed from fear to relief.

Their bodies floated slowly.
The hem of her skirt scattered like smoke.

The God of Fate continues.

"Vaguely ascending to the immortal mountains, boundless and naturally pure."

Clouds open the gate of life, smoke fills the door of death.
The primordial energy begins in a single breath, governing the spirit of the soul.

Now we use the Way as our boat to ferry those who have fallen into darkness.

The fog completely dissipated.

The original ruins of the neighborhood have disappeared.
The world beneath their feet began to turn upside down—

The sky is below and the earth is above.

They stood on the ruins of a suspended city.

Broken rubble floated in the air.
The direction of gravity has changed to "falling".

Against the current.

In that swirling sky,

The figures of the three female ghosts converged.

Their bodies merged into one.
She transformed into a woman dressed in red.

She knelt before the God of Fate.
His eyes were filled with pain and regret.

Was I... wrong?

Si Ming's eyes were calm.
The sound is like a kind of judgment:

Your mistake was clinging to your convictions before you fell.

He also fell and never woke up.

But all you're asking for is 'someone to turn back.'

He raised his hand again.

Purple light covered the abyss, yellow mist turned into blood-red dust.
With the Qi of the Three Treasures, one can subdue the soul of the Nine Heavens.

The gluttonous heart does not devour the soul, nor does the demonic breath consume the spirit.
Returning to yin is purity, falling back to yin is peace.

Culture is like countless golden threads.

It fell from his fingertips.

It wrapped around the woman's body.

She wept bitterly.
The body gradually turned into dust and light.

Tears fell to the ground and transformed into the shape of lotus flowers.
It scattered into light fragments.

Roland asked in a low voice, "Is the ritual for the deceased complete?"

The God of Fate did not answer.

This was just the last time the scripture was recited.

"The wondrous spirits who save from suffering, who are wise in seeing all times of suffering."

Heavenly soul and earthly spirit are inseparable; the primordial energy returns to the heart.

May those who fall be swept away by the wind, and may those who harbor resentment be dispersed by the lamplight.

When the birds return to their nests, the departed souls find peace.

The woman looked up.

For the first time, a smile appeared on her lips.

"Thanks……"

Her body completely melted into light.

It rises with the wind.

The illusion shattered in the next instant.

With a deafening roar, the world plunged back down.

The ruins flipped upside down and fell back into the original neighborhood.

When the dust settles,

An altar emerged from the ground.

It was a bird hanging upside down.

Composed of countless broken bricks and tiles,

It hovered in mid-air, its wings drooping, its beak pointing towards the ground.

It seemed to be humming softly.

The center of the bird's body
A soft light flickered and condensed into a mysterious object.

[World-type Mid-tier Mystic]

"Saving the Fallen from Suffering: The Sparrow's Shade Altar"

Si Ming stepped forward and lightly touched the card with his fingertips.

The halo contracted.

The card was automatically embedded into his book of secrets.

"The purification of the altar is complete."

he whispered.

Selene searched along the edge of the altar.

She crouched down and pulled a tattered brown paper bag from the pile of rubble.

"Hey, Siming, look at this."

The paper bag contained a folded scrap of paper.

The handwriting is messy, but the strokes are gentle.

I don't want to forget this.

"Having been born as a human being,"

A corner of the paper was torn off.
The ink marks extended to the edges.

Only the last word,

Still faintly discernible:
“...Xi”.

Roland leaned closer.

"Xi? Is that the female ghost's name?"

Siming's gaze froze.
For a moment, his breathing became slightly erratic.

"No, it's not."

He answered in a low voice.

"That was the name of someone who was once the 'Supreme One'."

The wind blew again.
Sunlight pierced through the gray mist and shone on the upside-down altar.

The sparrow's shadow folded its wings in the light.

Quietly dwelling in the void.

Si Ming looked up at the faint light.

A faint, enigmatic smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Those who fell have crossed the river; their souls have returned to their nests—"

He said softly,

"...but the sky was still not clear."

The sparrow falls and becomes its spirit; its soul ascends and becomes its light.

When light is born, darkness has no master; when darkness dies, the Way becomes constant.

—From *The Mysterious Daoist Canon: Chapter on Rebirth*

(End of this chapter)