What evil intentions could an evil god possibly have?

"A hundred years is too short; it is a dream that ordinary people can pursue."

"Three hundred years is not enough; it's merely the lifespan of a dynasty."

"Even if we borrow another five hundred years from heaven, what difference would it make? We would still be just a ripple in human history, and in the grand scheme of the universe, we would still be smaller than a speck of dust."

Shen Muchan's smile grew increasingly self-deprecating as she earnestly said, "I know all of this, but I firmly believe that I am different from others."

Gu Yuqiu asked, "Why?"

"why?"

Shen Muchan pointed to the setting sun and said seriously, "Because I don't allow it, the sun can't set."

Gu Yuqiu asked with a smile, "So how long do you want to live?"

Shen Muchan had thought about this and said, "Until the moment when I could no longer endure the long years and finally decided to commit suicide."

"That's interesting."

Gu Yuqiu's smile faded, and she said, "I will only say what I'm about to say once, so don't forget."

Chapter 165: Chapter Twelve - Human Affairs

"Here is a very basic question."

Gu Yuqiu picked up a noodle and said, "That's why fifth-order and peak fifth-order are treated separately, instead of as a whole."

Such conversations are unusual, at least for them.

In the past, they always ate in silence, never speaking.

However, today, when discussing such an important matter, things have become casual and less solemn, which inevitably seems absurd.

Shen Muchan thought so, saying, "Those at the fifth rank are still human, but those at the peak of the fifth rank have already stepped into the realm of gods and are called near-gods. That's the difference."

Gu Yuqiu was very dissatisfied with the answer, but she still slowly finished her bite of noodles, took a sip of tea, and then looked up at the other person.

“Then we could simply add another level, like a sixth rank, instead of forcibly creating a peak level,” she said.

Shen Muchan was quiet for a moment, then nodded and said, "It seems so, but this is the common opinion."

Gu Yuqiu said with a slight sneer, "If having more people is right and something is great, then I would have been killed long ago. How would I have survived to this day?"

Before Shen Muchan could speak, she continued.

"The difference between the fifth rank and the peak of the fifth rank is not in the so-called divine realm. In fact, from the moment you step into the fifth rank, you have already stepped into that realm."

She said softly, "They are both in the same category, but the biggest difference between them is... they have become a banner."

Shen Muchan was slightly taken aback and asked, "Flag?"

"It is also a road sign."

Gu Yuqiu casually said, "Anyway, it's something that people see and keep chasing."

Shen Muchan thought for a moment and said, "The direction to go."

"Yes, but our explanations are incomplete. It's something that can't be specifically summarized; it involves far too many complex definitions..."

Seeing that she was thinking again, Gu Yuqiu didn't say anything more, but instead lowered her head and continued eating her noodles, carefully savoring the restaurant's well-regarded signature dish.

Shen Muchan awoke from her reverie at some point and looked at Gu Yuqiu.

It was a bowl of noodles with dipping sauce, which was rather complicated to eat and not at all straightforward.

However, Gu Yuqiu's way of eating had a delicate beauty to it, making everything seem just right, without any sense of being cumbersome...

And surprisingly, they were quite fast; in just a few moments, they had finished most of the noodles.

The only thing that bothered her was that the soft-boiled egg on the plate remained untouched, making her itch with desire.

Thinking this, she lowered her head, wanting to eat her noodles, wondering if she could eat them elegantly and gracefully like a lady from a respectable family.

Just then, Gu Yuqiu's voice reached her ears.

"This is the most direct role that the peak of the fifth rank plays as a guiding light, a direction that people yearn for and want to get closer to deep in their hearts."

Gu Yuqiu put down his chopsticks, looked at her and said, "Different ways of eating noodles are like different ways to reach the end of the long stairway to godhood. The difference in paths can be explained in this way, although it is biased and not accurate."

Shen Muchan sighed and said, "This is the first time I've heard such a... vulgar explanation."

She frowned slightly, looking at the chopsticks she was gripping tightly, and then at the ramen that was almost out of steam. She knew that if she didn't eat it soon, it wouldn't taste as good, and she couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

"Then why become a beacon?"

She put down her chopsticks with some frustration, as if lightly tapping the table, and said with slight annoyance, "Is this the only way to move forward?"

Gu Yuqiu remained silent.

"If that's really the only way, then what's wrong with you?"

Shen Muchan stared into her eyes and said, "There's no one behind you, only corpses. Even if you become a beacon, whose path will you illuminate?"

Gu Yuqiu looked at her like she was an idiot and said mercilessly, "When did you become such a good person like Lin Mushi?"

Shen Muchan was stunned, wondering what this meant.

"God loves the world because God truly loves the world, not because God needs to love the world."

Gu Yuqiu's voice was somewhat indifferent: "Using oneself as a guiding light, igniting oneself in endless darkness, emitting unparalleled light... all of this has nothing to do with others."

Shen Muchan was even more puzzled, and asked with a slightly bewildered expression, "Didn't you tell me before... that the purpose of a beacon is to provide a direction for moving forward?"

Gu Yuqiu sighed, "Did I say for sure whose direction of progress that was?"

Shen Muchan understood, staring blankly at her, remaining silent for a long time.

"It's that simple."

Gu Yuqiu said, "The difference between the fifth rank and the peak of the fifth rank lies in the Dao Beacon. The true use of the Dao Beacon is to make oneself a point, causing those similar forces scattered in the darkness to move towards you, constantly making yourself and cutting off the possibility of the next Dao Beacon appearing."

Shen Muchan looked at her and said, "Is this the real reason why there is only one peak fifth-tier cultivator on each path?"

Gu Yuqiu hummed in agreement.

Upon hearing that "hmm," Shen Muchan felt a mix of emotions.

This was something she had never imagined before. Perhaps it was because the superhumans had only been around for a short time, and it was normal for there to be only one peak fifth-tier individual on each path. It wasn't something to be suspicious about.

She asked in a tone tinged with bitterness and self-mockery, "Then what is divinity?"

"Your view is correct, but Su Yan's view is also correct."

Gu Yuqiu calmly said, "Divinity can make power last, but divinity is not sacred. As long as you are a god, you have divinity."

The second half of the sentence is Shen Muchan's understanding in the first half, and Su Yan's explanation from last night in the second half.

"This is one solution."

She looked at Shen Muchan and explained, "The existence of the Dao Beacon will attract countless similar forces, and those forces are not pure. They are mixed with too many emotions and wills. This is a link that we must fight against. The divinity you mentioned is a means of fighting against those external forces."

Shen Muchan asked, "Using absolute rationality as the standard and trying to abandon emotions as much as possible... is it actually a last resort?"

"if not?"

Gu Yuqiu raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "No one in this world lasts forever. The years we experience aren't really that long. Familiar people and things are still there. No matter how beautiful the scenery ahead is, is it worth losing everything behind us?"

Shen Muchan sighed and said, "So this was just a compromise we had no other choice to make."

Gu Yuqiu thought that this was about right.

She ignored Shen Muchan's sighs and lowered her head to eat the remaining half of the noodles and the last soft-boiled egg.

Most foods don't taste as good when they're cold, and sashimi isn't an exception, but it's still okay, not too bad.

It's a shame that the soft-boiled egg was wasted.

Thinking of Su Yan, she decided to go back and ask her to cook something for her.

Shen Muchan was also eating noodles, but she was eating much better than Gu Yuqiu.

She touched the bowl with her fingertips, and the ramen, which had already cooled down, suddenly steamed up as if it had just been served.

Looking at this scene, Gu Yuqiu suddenly said, "I've always thought your luck is no worse than mine."

Shen Muchan didn't want to look at her and said, "What's the point? I can't beat you anyway."

"But you are alive."

Gu Yuqiu said, "I didn't owe you a barbecue back then, and I was willing to let you go without killing you because your path was one I liked."

Shen Muchan thought for a moment, but still didn't know what to say.

After a moment, she thanked her softly and then said, "Don't be fooled by the fact that this bowl of noodles looks like it was just served, as if time has been reversed. That's not the case."

Gu Yuqiu found this somewhat amusing and asked, "You think I don't know?"

Shen Muchan lowered her head and ate her noodles, her voice becoming somewhat unclear.

"I'm just afraid you'll forget, and I don't want to die because of this. That would be too unjust, and I simply can't accept it."

This statement makes a lot of sense.

Judging from Gu Yuqiu's past behavior, there is obviously no problem. Even if she seems different now, who can really be sure of her thoughts?

"There's one more question."

Shen Muchan picked up a spoon, tasted the ramen soup, and found the flavor too strong. Looking at the meat that had already been eaten and only half of the noodles left, she stopped eating.

She pursed her lips, turned to face Gu Yuqiu, and said, "How can one become a beacon of the Way?"

……

……

"Does it mean me to be with you?"

Su Yan looked at the scenery outside the window, her eyes calm and indifferent, just like the tone of those words.

Hearing this, Songtang felt a pang of anxiety, and gave an innocent meow, as if to say, "What are you thinking? It's not nice to be so formal."

Su Yan withdrew her gaze and looked at the white cat crouching to the side, sighing, "A fifth-tier cat as timid as you truly makes one admire the wonder of the Creator."

Songtang thought to herself, "Are you just jealous?"

By its standards, most people in the world are inferior to it. Even disregarding its power, the fact that it can sleep in whomever it wants and step on whose breasts it wants is already quite remarkable.