Chapter 379: The World is Fake, but Love is Real

"Since everyone is here, this internal meeting of the Seven Deadly Sins will now begin," Pride's detached voice rang out.

His voice quickly dissipated into the magnificent palace and the drifting white mist, but it echoed for a long time in the hearts of Lin Canyang and the others, stirring ripple after ripple.

The entire hall instantly fell dead silent. Everyone's gaze locked onto Pride, who sat at the head of the table. Over the past few days, since learning of their Leader's world-destroying actions, they had felt genuinely conflicted, with some even wavering in their loyalty to the organization.

Lin Canyang, the only one without a seat, stood as straight as a javelin.

He harbored no resentment about lacking a seat; instead, he felt a trace of gladness.

This setting, which resembled the Summit Immortal Palace, and the Leader's unfathomable method of pulling people directly inside—it all felt as though a door to a new world had been opened for him.

Everyone seated was a full member, his seniors in the organization, yet he was allowed to attend this meeting alongside them. What did that mean? It meant the Leader valued him!

"There is only one topic for today's meeting: the truth of the world."

Su Mu slowly leaned back into his high-backed chair. His white-gloved fingers tapped lightly against the dark gold table as he unhurriedly revealed the truth of the world.

"The world... is fake."

The world... was fake!?

Just a few short words. They understood each one individually, but strung together, the sentence left the entire crowd utterly baffled. If anyone else had said it, they would have dismissed it as a joke or pure nonsense. But these words had come from the Head of the Seven Deadly Sins, Pride—a publicly acknowledged God of this era. They had to take it seriously.

"Fake... what does that mean?" asked Envy, who sat to Su Mu's left. It was Nangong Mengli.

Her cold voice was deliberately blurred by the dream, making it sound distorted and ethereal.

"You all should know about Nightmare Apostles. Every so often, a Nightmare Apostle will enter a nightmare. Our reality is just like one of those nightmares."

"In other words, reality is also a giant dream?" Gluttony, Yan Wu, spoke slowly under Su Mu's control.

"Exactly," Su Mu nodded.

Everyone furrowed their brows. Being suddenly told that the world was a massive dream filled them with a sense of absurdity and disbelief, accompanied by an instinctual wave of doubt.

This was a basic instinct of self-preservation. No one wanted to admit they were a fake existence; it was tantamount to completely denying their own self.

At that moment, Su Mu slowly raised his hand and gave a gentle wave, like a conductor leading an orchestra.

Above the sea of clouds, the winds surged and the clouds boiled.

The crowd looked toward the commotion, standing there stunned.

A large hole had opened in the sea of clouds, revealing the Seven Kings Barrier.

Endless hordes of nightmare monsters crawled across the Seven Kings Barrier, madly trying to shatter it and enter reality.

Their gazes pierced through the Seven Kings Barrier to see the reality within, leaving them so shocked they were speechless for a long time.

"This... this is..." Lust, Jun Wushang, stammered in horror.

"This is the truth of the world, and the truth of the Nightmare Invasion," Su Mu's voice chimed in at the right moment.

"So the goal of the Seven Deadly Sins is to destroy this fake world?" Nangong Mengli suddenly turned to look at Su Mu.

The others snapped back to their senses, wondering if the Leader's true purpose for releasing the nightmares was exactly as Envy had said.

Su Mu smiled faintly. Clasping his hands under his chin, he looked at them and said, "The world is fake, but... love is real.

"Your life experiences, your emotions, your memories—everything is real. They just happen to exist within this fake world.

"Everything in the world is but flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water, but when a person anchors their emotions to it, true and fake no longer matter.

"What I have always wanted to do isn't to destroy the world, but to... save the world!"

Save... the world?

Everyone frowned. Pride's actions had absolutely nothing to do with saving the world, and right now, the entire world considered him a world-destroying demon.

"To perform deeds of salvation in the name of destruction—that is the ultimate goal of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"I don't understand," Wrath, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up.

It was a cold, male voice.

He had voiced what everyone was thinking.

"The white barrier you see blocking the Nightmare Invasion is the Seven Kings Barrier. It is the world barrier established by the first-generation Seven Kings. Although the Seven Kings Barrier blocks the nightmares, it cannot hold out much longer. The Nightmare Creatures are increasing day by day. In less than a year, the Seven Kings Barrier will shatter under the pressure.

"When that time comes, the world will be completely destroyed.

"What I have done is tear an opening in the Seven Kings Barrier to let Nightmare Creatures enter the Present World, thereby reducing the pressure on the barrier. Yes, a massive influx of Nightmare Creatures will plunge the world into chaos, but it will also provide a massive opportunity, allowing more Transcendents to emerge and enhancing humanity's overall strength."

Su Mu's words plunged everyone into silence. Their Silver-White Masks hid their horrified expressions as they did their best to digest the unbelievable truth Pride had just spoken.

"Leader," Greed suddenly spoke up. "Since your goal is to save the world, why play the role of a world destroyer? Why not make the truth public and join forces with the Seven Great Empires..."

"Do you think the world would believe it?" Su Mu smiled slightly. "Even you, members of the Seven Deadly Sins, are half-skeptical right now, let alone the rest of them."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.' Why should the Seven Deadly Sins explain our actions to others?"

"I believe it!" Nangong Mengli stared at Su Mu, her gaze firm.

"I believe in the Leader, and I support his methods. Everyone, if the people of the world knew that reality was fake, that it was nothing but a dream, how do you think they would react?"

"There would be utter chaos," Sloth, Duanmu Qing, said gravely.

"I also believe in the Leader. He saved my life." Her words were brief, but her stance was exceptionally clear.

"I believe it too. The Leader has no reason to lie to us," Jun Wushang stated his position. To him, if Su Mu truly was the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity, there was absolutely no need to lie, because people like them simply did not matter to a God.

Gradually, more and more members of the Seven Deadly Sins chose to believe Su Mu. Seeing all the senior figures in the organization speak up, Lin Canyang, who had been standing to the side, hurriedly raised his hand to show his stance.

"Me too!"

Seeing that he had won them over, Su Mu smiled. He then explained the secrets of the Nightmare World and the Divine Dream World in detail, allowing the members of the Seven Deadly Sins to gain a deeper understanding of this realm.

He also informed them that once the Divine Dream World was destroyed, everyone inside it would die, and even escaping to the Real World would be useless.

Once his explanation was finished, he began to assign tasks, preparing to deal with the nobles who were comfortably hiding in the rear.