Chapter 205
A gust of wind blew past.
The Annihilation Platform, which had just been so full of commotion, suddenly became empty and silent. Jian Yunlan and Taotie had disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed at all.
Only the humanoid light form of the Heavenly Dao remained, standing motionless.
As if it had lost all words.
Moments later, the light figure also dissipated, dissolving into countless specks of starlight scattered across heaven and earth.
This entire scene was broadcast live through the cameras of the Myriad Realms livestream, sent in real time to every major realm and countless minor planes.
The livestream, usually filled with layer upon layer of enthusiastic scrolling comments, suddenly fell silent.
That brief blankness on the screen—and the sudden, overwhelming quiet—felt like an ill omen, making hearts feel a hollow, anxious chill.
Many viewers stared blankly at their screens, rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
[……]
[W-What does this mean?]
[Boss Jian and Lord Taotie… are GONE????]
[No. I don’t believe it. This must be a dream. This is what I get for binge-watching Boss Jian’s livestream too long without sleep… I’ll take a nap and wake up—it’ll all be fine… right?]
[This can’t be. No way. No no no no no. This is Boss Jian, the guy who SAVED THE WORLD. And Lord Taotie—the rule-breaking beast! How could they just disappear like that? That’s a joke, right?! Come on! Someone laugh!!]
It had happened too suddenly.
More than grief, sorrow, or even rage, what most people felt was disbelief. Emptiness.
It just didn’t feel real.
After all, this was Boss Jian.
In plane after plane, in crisis after crisis, no matter how dangerous the situation, he always managed to turn the tide, always broke through in ways no one expected—and then brought everyone more drool-worthy snacks. Fried chicken. Century egg porridge. Braised pig trotters…
His food stall was always lit up and bustling with life, like how ordinary days quietly passed in warmth and peace.
Everyone had simply assumed—this time would be no different.
So what if it was the perilous Shanhai Plane? So what if it was the Heavenly Dao’s execution? He’d already survived eighty-one trials. Boss Jian had always come out on top.
People believed—no, expected—him to come back any minute now, wearing his floral apron, riding that three-wheeler cart, smiling wide as he called out to customers.
Lord Taotie would definitely return too, as the silver guard dog, or the dashing Moonlight Superhero, always by his side, setting up the food stall again…
It had to be like that.
Everyone waited, seriously and sincerely, for the miracle they believed in.
They didn’t know how much time had passed…
Then, on the livestream’s screen—the empty Annihilation Platform stirred once more.
Was it Boss Jian and Lord Taotie returning?
…The audience held their breath and stared with wide eyes.
Then they saw—
From the spot where Jian Yunlan and Taotie had vanished, a rift suddenly tore open in the sky, and from that crack, things began to spill out endlessly.
All sorts of scattered items tumbled out chaotically.
Black soil. A pear tree. A small wooden cabin. Some hoes. Straw hats. Pumpkins. A few free-range chickens…
[These things look kinda familiar]
[Wait, aren’t these from Boss Jian’s portable spiritual field? I’m a long-time customer from the Apocalypse Plane—back during the end times, Boss Jian brought us into his spiritual field to shelter us. I’ve seen all this stuff before (facepalm)]
[??? Hold on—why is Boss Jian’s spiritual field stuff showing up here?]
[I heard from a friend in the Mountain and Sea Plane that when a soul is completely annihilated—body and spirit both—the soul’s portable spiritual field, storage space, mustard seed pouches, etc., all instantly become void. Everything inside gets ejected.]
[Don’t tell me…]
After that last comment scrolled by, the audience went quiet again.
A deep, ominous feeling grew heavier and heavier, but no one wanted to say the words aloud. It was as if—if they didn’t say it, it wouldn’t come true.
…Under the weight of that silent, watching crowd, Jian Yunlan’s spiritual field continued to spill out its contents.
And then finally—the last item appeared:
A small, white, plush puppy doll.
Around the plush dog’s neck was a golden collar inscribed with the name “Mao Mao.” It was a keepsake Taotie’s residual soul had left for Jian Yunlan not long ago. Jian Yunlan hadn’t chosen to burn it or forget him—but instead had kept the plushie carefully stored.
Now, the plush puppy joined the rest of the belongings from his spiritual field… ejected.
This was the very last item.
The moment the plush dog landed on the ground, the sky’s rift closed—and the world fell silent once more.
Scattered particles of light gathered, coalescing into the avatar of the Heavenly Dao.
The audience stirred to life:
[It’s the Heavenly Dao! It’s here!]
[What happened to Boss Jian and Lord Taotie?! Say something, Heavenly Dao!!!]
[They didn’t really die, right? No way, right? You’re the freakin’ Heavenly Dao! DO SOMETHING!! (grabs and shakes)]
The Heavenly Dao ignored all the chaos from the livestream chat. It just stared straight at the camera. The humanoid figure made of light had no visible facial expression—but somehow, many people could feel a kind of… helplessness.
Its voice was soft—but each word felt heavy as a mountain, a sentence of finality:
“The execution at the Annihilation Platform is complete.”
“Jian Yunlan and Taotie have been completely annihilated—body and soul. They have utterly vanished. All ties between them and this world are gone.”
“In this world, they no longer exist.”
“……”
Dong. Dong.
Somewhere, a heavy bell tolled. Like a death knell.
Birds in the distant sky scattered in panic at the sudden sound, flapping wildly as they fled.
All the snack stall workers… all the former customers… everyone who had ever received Jian Yunlan and Taotie’s kindness, everyone who had ever cared about them—
They all went pale at once. A buzzing filled their ears.
…Until the very next second, the Heavenly Dao suddenly let out a breath, coughed twice, and then added—
“Unless—”
Everyone:
“???”
Dude?! Don’t pause like that!!!
[I KNEW Boss Jian and Lord Taotie weren’t done for!!!]
[The most beautiful two syllables I’ve ever heard: “unless.” So melodic. So uplifting.]
[WTF WTF WTF I WAS ALREADY CRYING—THOUGHT THEY WERE GONE—AND NOW?? ARE YOU SAYING THERE’S HOPE? QAQ]
[Unless WHAT?!! WHAT?! Heavenly Dao please SAY IT!!]
“Unless…”
Everyone held their breath, leaning in, desperate not to miss even a syllable.
—And the Heavenly Dao slowly spoke.
“……”
The Heavenly Dao is the embodiment of the world’s will—so is the Annihilation Platform.
They were born together at the world’s creation. One represents life. One represents death. Both are absolute, unquestionable forces.
Normally, their power should be final. There should be no exceptions.
…But today, for the first time, the Heavenly Dao realized something:
Across the infinite worlds, the infinite planes… when human emotions and desires grow strong enough, they can converge into a force powerful enough to change the laws of reality.
That wish-force could make even the immortal Heavenly Dao feel hunger.
So naturally—it could also resurrect beings who had perished on the Annihilation Platform.
—On one condition: that the soul in question still had even the tiniest link to this world.
Jian Yunlan and Taotie’s souls and bodies had already been devoured by the Platform. They were fully erased. There should have been no second chances.
But…
The Heavenly Dao gently waved a hand—
And the small, fluffy plush puppy doll that had been expelled from Jian Yunlan’s spiritual field floated into its palm.
“This plushie contains a wisp of Taotie’s remnant soul.”
Taotie and Jian Yunlan’s fates were intertwined, so this fragment of Taotie’s soul also became the last thread connecting Jian Yunlan to this world.
Jian Yunlan hadn’t wanted to forget Taotie, so he never burned the plushie.
Who would have thought that this very act would, by sheer coincidence, preserve a sliver of Taotie’s soul—becoming their final lifeline.
“But as for whether Jian Yunlan and Taotie can truly awaken from the darkness…”
The Heavenly Dao lowered its gaze, watching the light screen unfolding before it.
The glow of the barrage cast a soft blue light across its featureless face.
The Heavenly Dao’s voice and vision spread through the lens, reaching every corner of every world:
“It’s up to all of you to decide.”
*
“Paranoid Obsession” Universe – South Gate of Beijing University
Night had already fallen, but people still gathered from all directions, crowding the spot where Jian Yunlan had once set up his stall. Each held a sky lantern in their hands.
Among them were university students fresh from evening classes, office workers sneaking out during breaks, two bickering professors, even a household-name celebrity and a CEO.
But no matter their age or status, at this moment, they all shared one identity—
“Of course, we’re members of Boss Jian’s fan club!”
Gu Ruogui, clutching the wonton plushie, took off her sunglasses and pulled on the fan club T-shirt Gu Xingzhou handed her, joining the crowd in their prayers.
“Boss Jian, Maomao, come back soon!!!”
Their voices rose as they released their lanterns into the sky.
Countless lanterns floated upward like warm stars, merging into a sea of light that seemed to echo across time and space.
In the crowd, Ning Sheng’s eyes were red-rimmed as he shouted the loudest.
*
“Dark River, Bright Light” Universe – Outside Lotus Pond Community
Where Boss Jian’s spicy hotpot stall once stood, a wall had been erected. People clutched pens, leaving messages and drawings—some elegant, some scrawled—covering its surface.
Aunties from the square-dancing group wielded brushes, boldly writing “Xiao Jian and Maomao”;
Elementary schoolers clutching Moon Superman toys scribbled with crayons, drawing Boss Jian and a silver dog standing side by side;
High schoolers who had rushed over from summer camp stood on tiptoe, carefully copying blessings in neat strokes.
Under the warm yellow lights of the community, the wall was packed—every word, whether messy or precise, carried the same four characters:
“Return safely.”
Yu Ming and Fu Changfeng stood among the crowd, pens in hand. They carefully drew a blue sky, white clouds, a silver dog, and…
A simple little sun.
*
“Genius Baby: Three and a Half Years Old” Universe – Opposite Zhuyuan Restaurant
The once-prosperous Zhuyuan Restaurant had long since shut down, and the stream connecting to the long river had been opened to the public as a scenic spot. Now, a breeze rippled across the water, and candlelight flickered to life—one, two, three…
Dozens of lotus leaf and paper boat lanterns drifted along the stream, each bearing a name.
Mu Mingqiu, Wu Weiguo, Xu Shishi, Huo Ye…
Ye Qingquan bent down, gently placing one of his own.
“Lanlan, Lord Taotie, may you be safe,” he murmured.
Beside him, the little boy blinked his big eyes. “I want to see big brother again soon!”
“You will,” Ye Qingquan smiled, ruffling his hair. “You definitely will.”
The lanterns swayed on the water, never extinguishing, as if carrying their wishes to someone far away.
*
“Era of Anomalies” Universe – Center of the Death Desert
The once-cold, desolate wasteland now sprouted mushroom-like tents, radiating outward from where Simple Porridge Shop had once stood.
Soon, these tents would become houses, then towns, then cities—a survivor’s haven for humans and anomalies alike, enduring for generations.
But for now, everything was just beginning.
A bonfire blazed at the center, surrounded by people holding hands, facing the wind as they shouted their wishes:
“I hope Boss Jian and Lord Taotie come back soon!” Murong Miao yelled with all her might.
“I hope they’re happy and safe!” The Wang Tao and Wang Rong siblings cried hoarsely.
“We want Boss Jian and Maomao to be safe, healthy, unharmed, and happy!” the mercenaries shouted at the top of their lungs.
“I want to drink another bowl of Boss Jian’s century egg and pork porridge!” Yicun Qing sneaked in his wish amid the crowd.
Mu Dongsheng and Yun Wen sat nearby, holding hand drums, their eyelids lowered as they tapped out a steady rhythm with quiet focus.
“Boss Jian and Lord Taotie aren’t the kind of people who break their promises,” Mu Dongsheng murmured, lips pressed together. “If they said ‘see you again,’ then they will meet us again. No matter how long it takes, we’ll wait.”
—Just like how, in the dark and silent Death Desert, Boss Jian had once lit a lantern, waiting for them to come and buy porridge.
Yun Wen nodded in agreement.
The crisp beats of the drums pulsed like the heartbeat of the earth, amplifying the voices of the crowd, echoing across the endless wasteland, etching every sincere wish into eternity.
“…”
And there were more—so many more.
More words, more hopes, more tear-filled eyes, more hoarse voices, more lanterns rising into the sky, more shouts carried by the wind…
More wishes.
These wishes weren’t grand. They weren’t about world peace or cosmic truths. Instead, they were small, almost mundane:
—About a spatula, a tricycle, warm yellow lights, and a smiling street food vendor.
—About a majestic silver-white dog standing guard.
—About a bowl of hot porridge, a roujiamo, two glasses of beer.
—About an ordinary, peaceful night under countless glowing windows.
These wishes came from countless worlds, from the Jian family villa, from so many different times and spaces.
Tiny, fragmented voices in the endless universe—swallowed by the night, then gathered one by one by the wind, until finally, they converged into a torrent in the darkness, carrying the hopes of countless people…
Rushing toward them.
