Online Game: Evil Dragon Against The Heaven - 249
This is a virtual game world called 『Destiny』. Its primary developer was an extraterrestrial named Alpha, with a co-developer named Pross, a citizen of America.
On the very day the 『Destiny』world was launched, Alpha returned to his homeland… Yet, despite spending over a decade on Earth, no one ever discovered which star system he came from. His arrival and departure remained a mystery. Meanwhile, Pross committed suicide that very day, leaving behind yet another unsolvable enigma…
These eerie events did nothing to quell humanity’s fervor for the world of 『Destiny』. In less than a week, its astonishingly high online population numbers made one thing clear—Destiny would rapidly evolve into humanity’s second world, equal to reality. Its currency was interchangeable with real-world money, and it allowed people to achieve things that were impossible in reality. Moreover, many aspects of this virtual world were far more appealing than real life…
And so, it became reality. The time people spent in 『Destiny』 gradually surpassed the time they spent in the real world.
This was an unstoppable trend. If Destiny were to suddenly vanish, the consequences would be catastrophic… What would ensue would be global chaos, as if half of people’s lives had been abruptly severed.
From the very first day Ye Tian Xie entered Destiny, he realized it was no ordinary virtual game world…
Destiny was not merely a game. It had inexplicable ties to reality.
The first such connection he discovered was the Hour of Destiny.
The second was Guo Guo.
The third, and the one that shook him to his core the most, was Xiao Xi.
And now…
He had just heard the name Li Xian’er from an NPC—one that had profoundly shaken him.
When those three familiar, soul-stirring words reached his ears, it was as if three deafening thunderclaps had exploded in his mind.
He turned around at an agonizingly slow pace, his unfocused, trembling gaze locking onto the blue-haired man’s calm eyes. His voice quivered as he enunciated each word: “How… do you know… her name!?”
“Defeat me, and you will learn everything you wish to know. The weak are not qualified to receive answers.” The blue-haired man’s voice was as cold as ice.
An overwhelming, murderous aura spread across Ye Tian Xie’s face. He took several steps forward and snarled, “Why can’t you just tell me now!? You are not my enemy, so why keep me in the dark… What is it that you really want… Do you have any idea how much this is tormenting me!? If you truly want to help me… then tell me everything!”
Faced with the raging storm of emotions in Ye Tian Xie’s eyes, the blue-haired man’s gaze wavered slightly… For a moment, he saw himself in Ye Tian Xie.
“There are things that, even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe.”
“If you say it, I will believe you!” Ye Tian Xie insisted fiercely.
“You won’t…”
“What makes you so sure!?”
“Because when I first heard the truth… I would rather have died than believe it! You cannot possibly understand that feeling!!” The blue-haired man closed his eyes slightly and spoke in an eerily calm voice. “And even if you did believe, knowing too soon would only do you harm. It wouldn’t help you—it would only disrupt your mind and make it harder for you to progress.”
“I don’t need a reason.” Ye Tian Xie slowly shook his head, his gaze unwavering. “I just want to know… everything! How do you know Xian’er? Who exactly are you? Why are you here…? Where is Xian’er now? What is she doing?”
The blue-haired man could hear it clearly in Ye Tian Xie’s voice—he was desperately suppressing his emotions… But he was already nearing the breaking point. His loss of control only proved one thing—just how much those two words, 『Xian’er』meant to him.
The blue-haired man remained silent for a moment. Then, lifting his gaze, he sighed lightly and said, “Since you insist… I will tell you…”
Ye Tian Xie said nothing, his eyes fixed intently on the blue-haired man.
“But I must warn you,” the blue-haired man continued, his voice emotionless, “If you choose to learn the truth today…the only consequence will be that you will never see Li Xian’er again. Worse yet, it may lead to her complete demise. Do you still insist?”
Never see Li Xian’er again… possibly even her death…
Ye Tian Xie’s lips twitched slightly, then, out of nowhere, he smiled. “Forget it. I don’t want to know anymore.”
The blue-haired man gazed at him, then nodded slightly and spoke in a soft voice. “Tian Xie, you don’t need to grieve. Li Xian’er loves you more than anything. The reason she left you was entirely for your sake and your future… She once told me that the greatest mistake of her life was that ten years ago, she couldn’t resist seeking you out and spending those seven years by your side. If she hadn’t done so, you wouldn’t have been dragged into this storm. She wished she could have borne it all alone. But… I understand. Her love for you is far deeper than you can imagine. She simply couldn’t control her longing to find you and be with you…”
“I understand… Even if you can understand, how could I, who spent seven years with her day and night, not understand? I’ve always known that she must have had an unimaginably painful reason for leaving me. She would feel heartbroken just seeing me choke on water—how could she ever bear to see me in pain?” A blend of nostalgia, a faint smile, longing, and melancholy flickered across Ye Tian Xie’s face. In that moment, his expression became unusually calm, tinged with a serene smile.
He firmly believed that Xian’er’s love for him would never change… never. Wherever she was, she was surely fighting for their future with everything she had. And what about himself? If Xian’er was working so hard, what right did he have to be pessimistic, to complain, to waver, to fall into despair? Shouldn’t he, just like her, strive to walk the path she had painstakingly laid out for him?
She had left him the Hour of Destiny. Then he would do everything in his power to gather all the Cores of Destiny.
She had left him Guo Guo and Xiao Xi. Then they were the most precious family he had, and he would care for them and never let them be harmed… even if Guo Guo could be overly mischievous and willful at times.
With these thoughts, the resentment and violent emotions that had surged in his heart vanished completely. The blue-haired man’s casual words had struck the softest part of his heart. Memories of her—her face, her gentleness, her every smile—washed over him like a warm, gentle light, soothing his soul. Every moment he had spent with her was a treasure beyond measure.
So, to be with her again forever, he would give his all.
“Tell me…Why must I undergo the baptism of the Seven Deadly Sins to grow stronger? I want to know the reason.” Ye Tian Xie exhaled lightly and asked. He had never heard of a method where power was gained through sin. Even if it was real, he would never willingly take that path… But for Xian’er, he would. Even if it meant damning himself.
The blue-haired man did not answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Ye Tian Xie and, with a voice carrying a trace of mystery, asked, “Do you know why Li Xian’er gave you the name ‘Tian Xie’?”
“Why?” Ye Tian Xie’s heart trembled.
『From now on, your name will be ‘Ye Tian Xie,’ okay…?』
At ten years old, on a snow-covered land, they met for the first time. Her voice still echoed in his ears. On the very first day they met, she had made a rare request… And so, from that day on, the boy who was once named 『Ye Tian』 became 『Ye Tian Xie』.
Over the years, he had occasionally asked her why she had chosen that name for him. She would always smile and say, 『Because I really, really love this name…』
Could it be… that there was a deeper meaning behind it?
“Because she has always known that one day, you would have to undergo the baptism of the Seven Deadly Sins. This is a trial you must endure for your growth.”
“What does that have to do with my name?” Ye Tian Xie asked.
The blue-haired man nodded slightly and said calmly, “Your dragon soul is the Evil Dragon Soul. Do you know what 『Evil』 (邪, Xié) truly means?”
Ye Tian Xie: “…”
“The word ‘Evil’ is neither good nor bad. If you must assign it a position, then it is both good and evil—or rather, it exists between good and evil. However, in truth, 『Evil』 is entirely different from both. The benevolent act with kindness and the wicked act with malice. Most beings possess both good and evil inclinations, but that does not make them 『Evil』. The essence of 『Evil』 is a mindset that connects to both good and evil, yet transcends them. Unlike good and evil, which can be cultivated through experience, 『Evil』 is innate—it cannot be nurtured or developed later in life.”
Ye Tian Xie felt his mind growing hazy with the complexity of the explanation and interjected, “Just tell me directly—why must I undergo the Seven Deadly Sins to awaken my dragon soul further?”
The blue-haired man nodded and said, “A dragon soul of light must be guided by a benevolent heart, or its power will remain dormant forever. A dragon soul of darkness requires a more malevolent nature to awaken. But your dragon soul embodies both light and darkness—it requires the guidance of an ‘Evil’ heart. However… throughout your life, whether it was your past family or Li Xian’er, those around you have always nurtured the 『Good』 in you. Your innate 『Evil』 nature has only manifested in minor ways, shaping some of your unique habits rather than defining your essence. True 『Evil』 disregards good and evil alike, acting solely upon one’s own will—doing what one believes is right, living for oneself and those they choose to protect, trampling anything in their way, bound by neither so-called 『virtue』nor 『wickedness』… But right now, you lack that true 『Evil』 nature. Because of the life you have led, you have never truly touched upon those depths of darkness. That is why you require the baptism—a trial that will strip away unnecessary hesitations. Only then will your dragon soul awaken at full strength, drawn forth by the emergence of your true 『Evil』nature. Now… do you understand?”