Lin Qingyue's words left Qingxuan completely frozen in place.
He stood there, stunned.
Behind those heavy black-rimmed glasses, his cyan eyes widened bit by bit, the whites nearly swallowing his entire sockets.
His lips trembled slightly, yet no sound came out. The muscles on his face lost all control, twitching and collapsing in turns.
Horror, bewilderment, shame, absurdity...
Thousands of emotions washed over his divine soul, finally solidifying into a somewhat foolishly cute stone statue.
Writer's block... hiatuses... the anxiety of a failed novel...
These were the most normal creative pains for an author.
How did they somehow link to a world-ending disaster?
His shut-in routine of avoiding social interaction and immersing himself in writing was actually acting as an inside agent for that Ancient God trying to devour the world?
That chaotic monster was just waiting for him to get writer's block, then seize the opportunity to strike?
This chain of logic was so clear.
So clear it was absurd!
A chill surged from Qingxuan's tailbone to the back of his head, and even his translucent Azure Jade Dragon Horns were coated in a visible layer of frost.
"So..."
His voice was hoarse, each word struggling to crawl out of his throat.
"I... because I couldn't write the novel, almost caused the world to be destroyed?"
"Not almost."
Lin Qingyue showed no mercy, her words shattering all his lingering hopes.
"If we hadn't happened to barge in and provide you with a fresh creative spark, you would have been completely devoured by 'Pride' and 'Emptiness' by now, becoming the complete form of the 'Spirit of Pride'."
"At that point, the Sealing Node in the east would have opened a direct window to destruction."
The consequences would have been unimaginable.
Qingxuan's body swayed violently.
All his strength was instantly drained, and he collapsed backward into the lounge chair piled with discarded drafts.
He clutched his head, curling into a small ball, and began to mutter neurotically.
"It's over... it's over... this time it's really over..."
"An author who causes the apocalypse by abandoning their story... I'll be nailed to the pillar of shame in history, won't I..."
"What will the readers say about me... no, there won't even be any readers left..."
The breakdown of this ancient deity who held life in his hands did not stem from the fear of the world collapsing.
Instead, it came from the most fundamental and simple professional anxiety of a web novel author: the immense psychological pressure brought on by a rushed ending and an abandoned story.
Lin Xiyue couldn't hold it in any longer seeing him like this, and burst out laughing.
She leaned in close to Lin Qingyue, nudging her older sister with her elbow, and lowered her voice.
"Sis, I think you should stop being a Priest and just switch classes to a psychiatrist."
"Specializing in treating all kinds of difficult ailments for deities. Look at this cure, it's instantaneous."
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, gesturing with a mischievous grin.
"Will the history books write it like this in the future: Beneath the Creator God, above the Four Celestial Gods, there is also a 'Deity Mentor', Exalted One Lin Qingyue?"
"You're completely unserious."
Lin Qingyue shot her a sidelong glance, then turned her gaze toward Qingxuan, who had been muttering herself into a shut-in, her tone softening slightly.
"Thinking about this now is useless; anyway, things aren't so bad yet."
These words were like a lifeline thrown to a drowning person.
Qingxuan's head snapped up, and a scorching light instantly erupted in her dull eyes.
"Right! It's not over yet!"
As if her Ren and Du Meridians had been cleared, she sprang up from the lounge chair in one motion.
"As long as I resume the updates... no, as long as I patch up the seal, there's still hope!"
At this moment, this Celestial God finally succeeded in equating "writing a novel" and "sealing an Ancient God," two matters she perceived as having roughly equal weight.
With the knot in her heart untied, the deity's sense of responsibility mixed with a surge of creative passion, instantly fueling her to the brim.
Qingxuan's entire aura changed.
The decadent air of pulling all-nighters vanished without a trace. In its place was a near-frenzied excitement, the kind found after discovering the direction for a massive update spree.
"I get it now!"
She swung her hand forcefully, and her Divine Power whipped up a gale that sent the discarded drafts scattered all over the ground flying into the air.
"I'm going into seclusion immediately! I'll keep writing and use my Divine Power to reinforce the Sealing Nodes in the East at the same time! My side will be absolutely impregnable!"
Her eyes shone with brilliance, as if she could already see the beautiful picture of her new novel becoming a hit and world peace being achieved.
Next, her gaze fell upon Lin Qingyue and the other three, her expression becoming solemn and respectful.
"Teacher Qingyue, and the three... ladies."
"I'm spread too thin on my end. The situations of the White Tiger in the West and the Black Tortoise in the North are probably not optimistic either."
"So, for the next steps... I can only entrust you with this!"
Lin Qingyue and her companions exchanged an "of course" glance.
"The White Tiger and the Black Tortoise?"
Lin Qingyue nodded.
"We were planning to investigate them anyway. After all, solving all the problems in this Dungeon is the purpose of our journey."
"That's wonderful!"
Qingxuan visibly breathed a huge sigh of relief. Her restless creative urge made her wish she could pack these guests up and send them away immediately so she could focus on her writing in peace.
"As a thank-you gift, and to aid you in your journey ahead..."
Qingxuan raised her hand.
This time, she pressed her fingers together like a sword, and a complex, profound azure Divine Rune appeared in her palm.
The moment the Divine Rune lit up, a soft, life-filled azure pillar of light descended vertically from the Temple's dome, completely enveloping Lin Qingyue and her three companions.
A warm current of air poured down from the top of their heads, making their entire bodies feel as if they had just finished a hot bath and every pore had opened up.
Every cell in their bodies cheered and danced. Even the string in the depths of their souls, which had been stretched tight by the "Seven Sins" rule, quietly loosened.
At the same time, crisp System Notifications echoed one after another in the minds of the four.
[Ding!]
[You have obtained the Blessing of the Celestial God Azure Dragon!]
[Effect: Your resistance to the negative effects of Dungeon Rule Two: Punishment of the Seven Sins is permanently increased by 30%!]
[Description: A socially anxious Celestial God, who was saved by web novels, expresses her heartfelt gratitude to you. Now, you will have stronger resistance when facing those infuriating negative emotions. After all, what could be more annoying than being pressured to update a story?]
The golden notification box shone brightly on their class panels.
"Another negative resistance Blessing!"
Xia Lian exclaimed softly in delight, her face brimming with uncontainable joy.
Lin Xiyue rolled her shoulders, feeling the refreshing clarity in her mind, and counted on her fingers:
"The Vermilion Bird gave us 20%, and the Azure Dragon gave us 30%. Added together, our resistance to the Seven Sins is over half. If we run into 'Envy' or 'Sloth' again, we'll probably just feel a bit sleepy and yawn at most."
Su Wan closed her eyes for a moment, sensing her state, before opening them and drawing a deeper conclusion: "It's not just resistance. Our perception and control over our own emotions have also been strengthened. If we encounter an Illusion again, we should be able to detect the anomaly much faster."
Lin Qingyue nodded in satisfaction.
The trip to the Azure Dragon Temple had yielded far more than expected.
Not only had they uncovered the ultimate truth of the Dungeon and advanced the main quest, but they had also casually scored a piece of Mythical Equipment and a powerful team-wide buff.
This Celestial God was truly a generous treasure of a girl.
"Alright, I should get you on your way now."
Qingxuan rubbed her hands together, already somewhat impatient to usher them out.
"I need to hurry up and polish the opening again. The Golden Three Chapters must give the protagonist his Golden Finger within three chapters. The pacing absolutely cannot drag!"
Muttering about the web novel Bible, He quickly walked to the center of the Great Hall.
Forming an ancient mudra with His hands, He began chanting.
On the Azure Jade floor beneath His feet, countless runes lit up in sequence, and the ground silently split open.
"Rumble!"
A muffled roar echoed from deep underground.
Countless ancient roots, thicker than buckets, surged from the fissures, intertwining and coiling around each other.
They were no lifeless wood; Their surfaces flowed with the visible radiance of Divinity, brimming with the vitality of life.
These giant roots swiftly wove and coiled in midair, constructing a slowly rotating green vortex portal composed of root systems.
Deep within the portal, countless specks of light streaked past like stars, radiating the unique aura of spatial teleportation.
"This is the root network of the Divine Tree, Jianmu."
Qingxuan pointed at the magnificent portal, her tone carrying the smugness of a shut-in showing off a limited-edition figure.
"It spans every corner of this continent. Wherever you want to go, you'll arrive in an instant, much faster than running on your own two legs."
"So, I wish you... a pleasant journey."
He waved His hand, issuing an order for them to leave.
His gaze clearly read:
Hurry up and go, don't disturb my writing!