The world doesn't need succubi to save it.

It's insane.

Blindly believing that the gods will return, and going to any lengths to achieve this goal, has reached a pathological level.

Such fanatics will not hesitate to sacrifice others or themselves.

It was this morbid madness that led to the sacrifices in the First Blood War Zone.

Extraordinary beings are insane.

Third, [the madness of the gods]

In this volume, the gods finally take center stage.

The gods who have passed away, those souls known as "the spirits of the past".

Mourner, Uchi, Goat Spirit, Shaman Goddess.

They are dead, but not completely dead. They resist their own death, trying to climb out of the state of death and return to the world of the living.

It's not hard to imagine what decisions they would make once they awoke from the moment of death, with their remaining rationality.

They are crazy too.

Fourth, [Ning Feng's Madness]

He was never a normal person; his spirit was too strong, his capacity to accept things far exceeded that of ordinary people, and his way of thinking was too cold.

This point is not only described in this volume, but is gradually revealed in the details of each volume.

Ning Feng is rational. Except for matters concerning a few people, he can think with an extremely rational mindset, including when it comes to himself.

He always viewed his injuries objectively, considering how to stop the bleeding, how to repair them, and how to maximize his value before his body was beyond repair...

This rationality, which treats everything, including oneself, equally, is the essence of Ning Feng's ruthlessness, and it is also a kind of madness.

Absolute rationality is absolute madness.

In this twisted and morbid world, Ning Feng had long been twisted as well, but he had only maintained a facade of normalcy.

But he didn't go crazy. He maintained his normalcy by using Xilin and Jiang Wan as anchors.

Fifth, [The Madness of the World]

The previous points represent the madness of individuals and groups; the last point represents the madness of the world.

Humans and supernatural beings have never laid down their weapons against each other in their struggle for control of the world.

This world is a treasure they fight over, but also a distorted battlefield.

They were born here, grew up here, and fought here until they died.

This volume reveals the true nature of the apparent peace, showing that war has never truly gone away and continues to occur in unknown corners of the world.

Everyone involved is subject to this fate and cannot escape it; they must face it.

To put it more bluntly:

In this cruel world, everyone has actually gone mad long ago, just to varying degrees.

It's not that I can mock you just because you're obviously crazy and I'm less crazy.

We're all in the same ward, so no one should laugh at anyone else.

Everyone went crazy, but no one completely collapsed; they were all struggling to stay afloat.

And then... the gods are about to return!

……

……

Some people may feel that the ending of this volume is a bit abrupt, but I still have to say that it is actually not much different from my original plan.

Volume 5, "The Coming of the Stars," is set from the very beginning as a pivotal volume that connects the previous and subsequent volumes.

This is a transitional chapter from knowing the threat of the gods to confronting them directly, laying the groundwork for a future full-scale confrontation and war with the gods.

The gods stepped out from behind the scenes and prepared to descend in full force.

The third volume tells the world that "human beings can rebel against the gods."

In Volume Five, Ning Feng not only rebelled against the gods in words, but also in real actions.

Become a god-slayer and bury the fallen gods forever.

I must admit that the few days I was too busy to update during my vacation back home resulted in some plot points in this volume being revised repeatedly.

Once you stop to think, your ideas will differ from what you had before, and if you make any changes, you might go astray.

I wrote the outline for this volume by hand three times, and I don't know how many times I revised the electronic version.

Another issue that troubled me was whether or not to speed up the ending, or to end it quickly (a bad ending).

I must admit, I did consider giving up.

I had a mental breakdown once when I found out there were only 15 readers, or even earlier, only 30.

I want to cut out a large part of the later plot and rush straight to the ending, no matter what kind of ending it is.

But... I found I couldn't do it.

Whether it's my inner aversion to unfinished projects and poorly executed endings, or my actual ability to do it, I simply can't do it.

The current plot is in an awkward position, stuck in a very delicate state, with nothing in sight.

It's not really in the early stages.

In the later stages, you can't take too big a step, or you'll mess things up.

In the end, I gave up and continued writing according to the original plan, but tried to speed it up and delete useless parts.

At the very least, I need to live up to the expectations of those of you who have come this far.

And my own heart.

Since we've persevered from the very beginning, why give up?

"He who travels a hundred li is only halfway there at ninety."

Ninety is over, let's keep going for the last ten.

Maybe, just maybe things will get better.

Of course, I know that this is really just a possibility.

……

……

I subscribed to all chapters of "The Sword of Dawn" a long time ago, but I haven't read it since I started working and writing. I caught up on it these past two days when I was sick, and I've read about 700 chapters so far.

Having seen all this, all I want to say is...

"Uncle Tong is awesome—" (voice cracks)

That's truly amazing, an unparalleled level of awesomeness.

Putting aside the mechanical and meticulous details in those science fiction stories, the character portrayals alone are enough to make me bow down in awe.

Regarding the character development, the indirect descriptions, and the vivid personalities of the main characters...

So lovely!

My biggest urge right now is to write a character with a comedic personality. (laughs)

This is not a wild idea; it is the result of my careful consideration.

The book gets quite heavy towards the end, offering no chance to catch your breath. I think the biggest reason is the lack of some lighthearted, humorous moments. (Serious face)

Too much rigidity leads to breakage, and being too taut can be tiring to watch.

I have once again clearly realized the gap between my abilities and my ideas.

There's so much I want to say, but so little I can actually express.

In conclusion, I'm going to try writing something that will make me happy.

(Hmm...did I say that before?)

Try to adjust your mindset as much as possible and avoid affecting the plot development in the book.

The title of the sixth volume is "Darkness," taken from Byron's poem of the same name.

The volume summary is a small excerpt:

[The land is covered in weeds, and only one thought remains... death, swift and devoid of dignity;]

The famine ravaged the stomachs... people died and their bodies lay exposed in the wilderness, their bones and flesh unburied.

The barren land was swept away.

And, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this is the penultimate volume.

If something unexpected happens, it means I really mess up and can't stop, then it will become the last volume, but I think that's highly unlikely.

This is a volume for an unprepared riddler, ready to unravel a multitude of secrets.

At the same time, this will be a story that may be simple, but may also be a little complicated.

I hope I can present it in its entirety, and I hope you can witness it with me.

……

……

In addition, Byron's poem "Darkness" is also quoted in George R.R. Martin's "A Dream of Hot Night".

And speaking of this old geezer, I'm reminded of the painful experience I had reading the physical copy of "A Song of Ice and Fire" when I was in junior high school.

I really didn't like that book because... way too many characters died in it!

Even in so-called serious fantasy novels aimed at adults, too many people die.

Too many!

I can still clearly remember one scene from it, which left a very deep and negative impression on me:

"She wasn't a prostitute, I didn't buy her. It was all a lie my father made me tell. Tessa... Tessa is Tessa, the farmer's daughter, whom you met on the road."