Hearing this, Cao Yuan's emotions gradually stabilized. He took a deep breath and released his hands on the table.

Zuo Qing closed his eyes helplessly and continued, "Everyone knows the relationship between you and An Qingyu... It is precisely because of this that I proposed to the gods of Daxia to let the [Nightfall] team avoid suspicion in this matter.

After all, if you really do something that leads to the failure of dealing with An Qingyu and the [Key to the Gate] returns, not only Da Xia but the entire earth will be devastated... At that time, [Night] will become the sinner of the entire world.

But you guys are supposed to be heroes, aren't you?"

Lin Qiye met Zuo Qing's gaze and his heart trembled slightly.

There were many complex emotions hidden in Zuo Qing's eyes as he looked at them: expectation, relief, helplessness, guilt... Lin Qiye had also seen this kind of look in Ye Fan's eyes before.

The difference is that Ye Fan only saw part of the rise of Nightfall back then, while Zuo Qing watched them go from nothing to where they are today.

No one knows better than Zuo Qing how much contribution [Night] has made for Da Xia and how many miracles it has created... He is like [Night]'s father, witnessing their growth. Because of this, he does not want to see this team eventually usher in the worst ending.

"So, don't go to the Heavenly Court, and don't do anything stupid... This is an order." Zuo Qing's tone was extremely firm.

He took out a thick document from the drawer and placed it in front of Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan. His voice became a little gentler.

"An Qingyu has left the team, so there are only two of you in the Nightfall team for now. But it won't be long before Jia Lan will be able to revive and return. By then, there will be three of you, and Nightfall will not be forced to disband due to the small number of people.

This is the list of all active Night's Watchmen. You can take a look at it first and select some elites to join you to make up for the lack of numbers."

Lin Qiye looked at the list of night watchmen in front of him in silence without extending his hand.

After an unknown amount of time, he took a deep breath and slowly pushed the list back in front of Zuo Qing.

"I'm sorry, Commander Zuo... I don't have any plans to add new members yet."

After he finished speaking, Lin Qiye said no more and turned directly to walk towards the door of the commander-in-chief's office. Cao Yuan did not even glance at the roster and followed him calmly.

Bang--!

As the two crimson figures walked away, the office door closed with a muffled sound.

In the empty room, Zuo Qing closed his eyes helplessly, leaned back on the chair, and sighed...

…

Heaven.

"The Gate of Truth... huh..."

After An Qingyu heard Lingbao Tianzun's answer, bitterness appeared in his eyes, "So, as long as I am alive, I will speed up the revival of the Gate of Truth and eventually turn it into the [Key to the Gate]?"

Lingbao Tianzun nodded silently.

"But there is one thing I'm still not clear about." An Qingyu paused for a moment, "If the Gate of Truth is revived because of me, will it be me who becomes the [Key to the Gate], or will the [Key to the Gate] be reborn through my body?"

“Neither.” Lingbao Tianzun shook his head. “The [Key to the Gate] is the incarnation of truth. It is a part of the truth and the guardian of the Gate of Truth… You may not understand what I mean. Do you know about instrument spirits?”

"Is it the spirituality fostered by the divine weapon?"

"That's right. In a sense, [Key to the Gate] is the spirit of the Gate of Truth, so it itself will not die, because the truth will never be erased. The only way to eliminate it is to destroy the Gate of Truth itself, so that the spirit of [Key to the Gate] will fall into a slumber that is infinitely close to death. This is what the ancestor gods did back then.

However, your existence allows the Gate of Truth to constantly repair itself. When it is fully restored, the [Key to the Gate] will naturally wake up... Strictly speaking, you are different individuals, but your destinies are closely linked, just like a divine weapon and its spirit.

So, can you understand that?"

An Qingyu nodded, "I understand."

"So...what are you going to do?" Jiang Er pursed his lips.

Lingbao Tianzun looked at An Qingyu with a complicated expression. After a long silence, he slowly spoke: "The simplest and most direct method is to kill you and destroy your soul. In this way, the Gate of Truth will never be able to revive..."

Hearing this, Jiang Er's eyes fixed and his face suddenly turned pale.

An Qingyu just nodded calmly, "This is indeed the safest and most cost-effective way. As long as you kill me, you can prevent the revival of one of the three pillar gods of the Ke system."

His expression did not change at all, as if what he was talking about was not his own death, but a rigorous scientific argument.

"But I don't want to do that." Lingbao Tianzun said slowly, "To stop the Gate of Truth from reviving, the key is to stop it from deconstructing the world. You are like the eyes of the Gate of Truth. As long as you are completely separated from this world, it will naturally not be able to continue to recover."

"Stripping off this world... how do I do this?"

"Seal you."

A faint halo appeared around Lingbao Tianzun, interweaving into countless complex Dao patterns, which were displayed in front of An Qingyu. "Gather the power of all the gods of Daxia, and place 99,999 seals on you, sealing every inch of your skin and soul, and then sinking you into the spiritual abyss of the heaven, you can be completely isolated from this world...

This way, you can save your life and prevent the revival of the [Gate Key]. "

An Qingyu was stunned for a while, then smiled helplessly, "It sounds like some kind of punishment... Are you going to make me endure eternal loneliness?"

"No, the seal will seal your thoughts and perceptions. You won't feel the passage of time. No matter how long you are submerged in the Spirit Abyss, it will only be a nap for you. You will not feel any emotions, including loneliness."

Lingbao Tianzun paused, "An Qingyu, don't worry. As long as I am alive, I will continue to find a way to completely exterminate the [Key to the Gate]. One day, you will see the light of day again... But this time may take a long time, perhaps a hundred years, a thousand years, or even... ten thousand years."

An Qingyu stared at Lingbao Tianzun for a moment and smiled slightly, "I believe you, no matter you are Baili Pangpang or Lingbao Tianzun, I believe you... But, I have another question."

An Qingyu stretched out his hand and pointed at Jiang Er beside him.

"If I am sealed, what should I do with her?"