Xingtie: Starting with an in-depth analysis of the Yellow Springs

"To be honest, this is my first time climbing to the summit of Dawn Cloud Cliff..."

Sersis was also awestruck. "What a magnificent sight... Now you must admit that the Titans are truly spectacular, right?"

"Hmph, I think it's no different from the temple in the city, all show and no substance... Even now, I still doubt whether it can give me any valuable clues."

"Ha... I was being presumptuous to expect you to say something agreeable."

"You've been in my mind for a while now. What, still not used to the body's owner's attitude? Alright, we're only a few steps away from Kefal, don't waste time..."

"Uh...!" He was about to take a step when a wave of heartache surged in his chest, and his soul swayed.

Serhis shook his head helplessly. "It seems that the debate just now was really a waste of brainpower and anxiety... If Onphalos has an afterlife, remember to strengthen your body and stop avoiding social obligations."

After a while, Xia straightened up again and said stubbornly, "Don't bother."

"We're only a few steps away from Titan. Can you hold on?"

He snorted coldly, "Even if I can't hold on, can you carry me up? I'm confident in my abilities, so just shut up and follow along."

"Alright, alright. Then I won't waste any more words. I'll just wait for your soul to completely dissipate before I take control of your body."

[Qingque: These two are really funny bickering. Following Bai'e and Wan Di, Cesis and Na Kexia are also finding some joy in this tragic world.]

[Su Chang: Wow, that's so high! Won't Teacher Xia get altitude sickness? He seems to be in poor physical condition.]

[Star: This is a strange angle. Shouldn't we be marveling at the grandeur of the Cephalographa at this moment?]

[Magic trick: Asking Kefaller a question? That's something to look forward to.]

[Paimon: It feels like when Lady Black Tower asked Dr. Zun a question, only it was replaced by Cephalus.]

Chapter 380 Are Titans the Golden Descendants?

Who is that... Serhith?

In that moment, Xia saw a pale blue phantom that looked exactly like Cesis floating in front of the ascending stairs.

"Hey, look at that..."

Ceres followed the gaze and asked, "Hmm? What do you want me to see?"

What's going on? A hallucination...? Xia fell into deep thought at that moment, or rather, it's like when a person is on the verge of death, even their soul can be seen...

Forget it, instead of guessing, let's climb to the top of the mountain and ask Kefal.

On the second platform, the phantoms of Serhis and Gneus faced each other.

"Eh? Lord Gnaeus, where is your beloved lance that you always carry with you on this trip?"

Xia frowned slightly at that moment. Gnaeus? A familiar name…

"Ah, it's a pity... my Kalis was completely destroyed by the Black Tide not long ago."

"How could this be... Even the treasures of the Georia [Earth] and the creations of molten metal... cannot escape the fate of destruction?"

At that moment, Xia turned around and asked, "Hey, Sersis... I'm asking you, do you know anyone named Gnaeus?"

“Gnaeus?” She shook her head. “Never heard of him. Why does such a strange name suddenly come to mind?”

[Bai'er: What's going on? Sersis and Gnaeus actually came to Dawn Cloud Cliff? Although I'm not good at history, I know there's no record of it at all.]

[Tinin: There is indeed no record of this; I have searched through numerous books and found no recollection of this event.]

[Magic trick: Intriguing. Could it really be a spectacle only the dying can see? The humanized incarnations of two Titans? If confirmed, then our history has been covered up, hidden, or even altered.]

[Aglaia: And there's only one person capable of doing that... Lygus. Did he see it, or did you deliberately let him see it?]

[Lagushi: Why keep chasing me? Isn't there a time traveler in Onpharos known as the Fire Thief?]

[Star: Could it be that the remnant soul of Kefaller sensed that moment in Xia and created those afterimages to give him a hint?]

[Danheng: Xing, this doesn't seem like you.]

[Star: I'm not March, you don't think I'm stupid too, do you? I'm terrifyingly clear-headed right now!]

[Xia Die: Logically speaking, given the timeline in the video, only those involved in the conflict would know the name Gnaeus. At that moment, Teacher Xia didn't know it.]

[Su Chang: There must be a lot of fangirls in here.]

[Mimi: Mimi?]

[Gui Naifen: Oh my god, my darling... that's a secret, and isn't this obviously telling us that there's something wrong with the phantom in front of us?]

“I just saw it: Gnaeus, who appears to be a warrior, was talking to you right here…”

Serhis was completely puzzled. "Oh dear... I don't remember having such a memory. Perhaps it's just my imagination?"

Was it an illusion…? Xia didn't think so at that moment. He probed with his consciousness… A cold, deathly aura instantly spread throughout his body. This was… a spirit…

The third platform still features the illusory figures of those two.

Gnaeus spoke first, "Let's not talk about me. Did Chaos respond to you before?"

"Oh dear, what a pity..."

"...The price of becoming a demigod is far heavier than we imagine," Gnaeus said gravely.

[Star: Demigod? Chaos?]

[Mimi: Ka...Er...S?]

[Bai'er: What's wrong, buddy? Isn't that Chephale's name before he became a god? Wait, they were once the Golden Blood, so that's how the Titans came to be.]

Kiana: I thought you were calling me by my last name. Kiana Kaslana is here.

Walter: This must be a coincidence.

[Magic Technique: Ah, I see. Onpharos has been experiencing a cycle, a cycle called Rebirth. Each incarnation of a Titan is a descendant of the previous Golden Blood, gradually losing their humanity as they become demigods. These are all evidence.]

[Little Candle: I see. It seems even gods aren't born this way. I, Caesar, King of Ohm, will surely extend my reign to the Milky Way, to secure a glimmer of hope for Onphalus.]

[Danheng: In this way, the hidden information behind many of the miracles of Onphalus becomes clear.]

Chaos? A demigod?

At that moment, Xia felt as if he had entered a false history. He had never heard of this person before, and he didn't even know which spark he had inherited.

The phantom of Sersis spoke again, "Be optimistic, Gnaeus. Now that we've come knocking, surely he won't let his old friend lose face?"

“Ah… I hope we are as important to him as the whole world,” Gnaeus sighed.

In reality, Ceres saw him looking at the open space again. "Son of man, have you seen that illusion again?"

"Yes... it was you and Gnaeus who were discussing a man named Caius, probably one of your companions."

“Caus?” She shook her head. “That name is completely unfamiliar to me…”

Asking was pointless, so Xia continued on her journey. "I think I have a clue. If I'm not mistaken, they're not hallucinating, but rather..."

"The appearance of someone's soul."

"Ah... if that really is a dead soul, then what am I?" Cecis couldn't help but wonder.

Xia sneered, "Hmph, I don't know... maybe you're just a figment of my imagination before I died. Let's go now, as long as we can see and hear more stories..."

Serhith kindly advised, "Be careful—if you wander too far among the dead, even I will be helpless."

Cough cough… After a few heavy coughs, Xia couldn’t help but laugh wildly, her body trembling with excitement at the sudden inspiration, “Hehe, it’s alright…”

"If it's really as I think...that would be really interesting."

The fourth pilgrimage platform, and as expected, it was them again. Xia was secretly delighted, "We meet again... You shouldn't mind having another listener, right?"

What scholars fear is not failure, but knowing the clues yet being unable to find any trace of them.

"Heh...heh..." Cecily breathed softly. She had been climbing the mountain for too long and was not yet a demigod.

Gnaeus wiped the sweat from his brow. "Can you hold on?"

“Of course… I just… oh dear… if I had known I was going to climb this mountain, I would have refused your invitation…”

Even as a warrior, Gnaeus was exhausted. Looking up, he saw countless steps ahead. "This is another example of the burdens of the world," he thought. "If Onphalus truly has an afterlife, remember to train more."

[Magic trick: This sounds familiar.]

[Bai'er: Teacher, are you confused? That's what Ceres said to you when you and Ceres climbed Dawn Cloud Cliff.]

[Fou: Haha, wouldn't you call this a boomerang? Sersis used to be a weak scholar.]

[Aglaia: I never imagined Titans could have a human side. Meneta's judgment isn't bad; she managed to win over a rational Titan.]

[Xia Die: I suddenly have a creative inspiration. I really hope that in the future I can become a writer, and instead of bringing death to people, I can create one protagonist after another with unique stories.]

[Star: Then you absolutely have to make me look as handsome as possible, and don't forget the title of Galaxy Baseball Man.]

[Rin: At that moment, Teacher Xia's eyes were like a tiger eyeing its prey; no wonder she's called a mad scholar of the soul.]

Chapter 381 What exactly are we?

Xia was extremely dissatisfied at that moment. It was just a normal exchange, and she couldn't glean any useful information from it.

The phantom of Serhis on the other side declared, "I... even if I jump off from here and fall to the bottom of the valley... I will not gain the slightest bit of training..."

“Otherwise… what difference is there between me, the renowned one of the Seven Sages, Calypso… and that barbarian of the Stone-Dragging School…?”

Calypso? She's one of the Seven Sages…from the Tree Garden? At that moment, Xia recalled the sages of the Tree Garden…Impossible, if she really was one of the Seven Sages, I should remember…

Could Shuting's record be incorrect?

“Hey, Sersis!” He turned around and asked quickly, “Do you recall the name Calypso?”

"...Hmm? Sersis?"

Damn it, they were nowhere to be found when it mattered most. Hmph, whatever… I'm fine on my own.

After a long while, Nashia climbed the elevator to the mountaintop, and Serhis's voice reappeared in her ears, "Where is the beautiful new world now?"

"The legendary Golden Age, return to the human world!"

"The glorious gods once walked the path we have walked..."

"Alas, all that warmth has left only a fleeting illusion," the Sersis within him murmured.

The majestic Cephalograph is nearby, its dawn-bearing machine illuminating a peaceful region.

His shattered soul left him weak and breathless. Xia paused briefly, then slowly stepped forward, slightly raising his head. "It's finally over. Unable to question the Titan, I've gained this unexpected delight..."

"Very well, let me find out for myself..." He clutched his chest, his eyes filled with nothing but a thirst for the truth.

Everything went black before his eyes, and with his last breath he exhaled, "Is it...too late...?"

When Xia opened her eyes again, she was back at the edge of the River Styx, the place she had gone to when she died last time. The travelers in black robes were still moving towards the end of the river.

"This..." He forced a smile, "I heard you."

“I heard it. Deep within the tides, beyond the gates of the realm of nothingness, a voice is about to speak to me—”

This time, the sound was clearer than ever before—

[Fufu: Hurry, I'm so anxious! What did he hear?]

[Aglaia: See, this is the result of a lack of training. Anaxagoras, don't repeat the same mistake in your next life; even with the truth right before your eyes, you couldn't grasp it.]

[Magic trick: Hmph, do I need you to remind me?]

[Bai'er: Where is Serhith? Teacher Xia can't fall here anymore, damn it... Why didn't I follow? The truth about Onpharos, the meaning of our existence.]

[Xia Die: Your Excellency Bai E, please calm down. Serhith said that if the prophecy is true, death will not take him away from this world when his teacher still has fifteen doors left.]

[Walter: I remember Calypso was the alias Ceres used when Star and Butterfly encountered the Titans in Treehouse. She wasn't lying; the Rational Titans were the Seven Sages of Treehouse in the previous life.]

[Tibo: Because we walk the same path, each Golden Child's trajectory resembles that of a corresponding Titan. Fluttershy, the traces of death are about to be revealed.]

[Xia Die: Lady Ti Bao, are you saying that the place of death in the previous life is the place of death in this life?]

[Bell: The appearance of the Ompharos celestial body is a symbol representing infinity and reincarnation. Looking at it now, it's true that everything is inseparable from the shadow of reincarnation.]

The scene shifts to the summit of Cloud Cliff at dawn, where Ceres rests on the steps while Gnaeus leans against the wall, bathed in the warm orange sunlight, a scene of peace and beauty.

"Sigh..." Gnaeus sounded slightly annoyed.

Calypso: "Since we've come this far, let's calm down for a while."

After some time, a girl who looked remarkably like Xia Die sat down on the steps beside them, quietly watching the two of them with a sweet smile.