Chapter 391: Proposal of Shared Death

Chapter 391: Proposal of Shared Death

The radiance that illuminated the entire Godforsaken Land faded away.

From the distant and ancient chasms of history, a massive eight-legged wolf emerged, covered in dark fur, standing four to five meters tall.

The Velvet Curtain slowly retracted, enveloping the wolf's body. Its pupils were a pure, unadulterated black.

The Shadowwolf, the God of Wishes.

But now, it would be more appropriate to call it the Mystic Lord or the Celestial Sovereign of Auspiciousness.

The Shadowwolf was one of the few wolves to escape alive from the clutches of the Goddess of the Night. This demigod of the wolf race had hidden in the Godforsaken Land, a place where deities found it difficult to interfere, surviving through the cautious nature of the Seer pathway.

Until the Celestial Sovereign’s revival plan was enacted, and the third Traveller, Zhou Mingrui, was released from the Sourcehold.

The Velvet Curtain, which should have accompanied Zhou Mingrui, contained the complete set of Extraordinary Traits from Sequence 9 to Sequence 1 of the Seer pathway. These traits were pristine, or rather, the greatest source of contamination, carrying the purest consciousness of the Celestial Sovereign. Zhou Mingrui was supposed to land and immediately become a Sequence 1 Mystic Servant, serving as the vessel for the Celestial Sovereign’s complete revival.

However, the Goddess of the Night, Amunisis, who was also released from the Sourcehold, sensed something amiss. Using Antigonus, whom she had imprisoned in the Land of Night, and the uniqueness of the Fool within him, she managed to isolate the Velvet Curtain in the Godforsaken Land.

Then, the angel of the Seer pathway, the Shadowwolf, encountered the Velvet Curtain due to a fated convergence.

This would have been nothing in the original timeline, where the Shadowwolf, cautious and careful, would not only avoid becoming a vessel for the Celestial Sovereign but also utilize the power of the Velvet Curtain to some extent.

But fate had other plans. Shortly after Zhou Mingrui’s release, Luke arrived.

The Primordial Creator briefly awakened, along with His two aspects, the Celestial Sovereign and God, whose wills were also stimulated, leading to a slight resurgence.

Thus, the Shadowwolf became the sacrifice.

Compared to the Primordial Witch, a Sequence 0 true deity, a Sequence 2 Miracle Worker angel had no chance of resisting. The Celestial Sovereign completely overtook the Shadowwolf, reviving the Pillar within it.

Swish—

Realizing that his biological father had also appeared, Ammon pinched his monocle, transforming into a small raven that silently hid in Luke’s pocket. A faint voice sounded.

"Remember to protect me."

Luke rubbed his chin, his tone light and playful. "Are you afraid of dying, being just a manifestation?"

"…The main body severed our connection just now, so I’m on my own now."

Ammon emphasized, "A manifestation’s life is still a life."

"Alright, but I might not be able to protect you well."

Luke grinned, the layers of light circles behind him dissipating, his aura gradually weakening. The connection with his main body was also diminished.

The divine descent had ended.

He could have held on for a few more seconds, but he chose to end it early to preserve his last burst of power or quickly repair his body, preparing for the next divine descent.

As the overwhelming power faded, Luke felt a deep, bone-penetrating pain throughout his body, as if cracks were spreading like shattered porcelain, threatening to collapse at any moment.

"Ouch~"

He drew in a sharp breath, his face contorted in pain, immediately using various healing methods to repair his body. He realized he had pushed himself too far, almost to the brink.

Divine descent was indeed not something an ordinary angel could handle. It required a perfect alignment between the body and the deity, maintaining a certain level of mystical connection, and bearing the risk of being invaded by the deity’s consciousness.

Hmm… it couldn’t last too long either.

From battling the Hidden Sage, to defeating the Primordial Witch, and then confronting the Primordial God, the entire ordeal had taken only a few minutes, yet it felt like days.

Luke endured the pain, glancing at the Sea of Chaos, which had calmed with the Celestial Sovereign’s appearance, seemingly on guard or gathering strength. A slight smile tugged at his lips.

Fortunately, the situation had stabilized.

The brass-colored eyes of the White Tower pathway, symbolizing omniscience and omnipotence, shifted their gaze from Luke to the Celestial Sovereign, fixating on him intently.

"Meeting again, Mystic."

The Primordial God glanced at this old adversary, his voice calm, devoid of emotion.

The Celestial Sovereign remained silent, the layers of illusory doors sealing off this place. His pitch-black eyes quietly observed God.

In that moment of eye contact, it was as if the entire world had been reduced to just the two of them, their entire attention focused on each other.

"Aggregation" and "Separation" were the innate abilities of the Primordial Creator and the most fundamental laws of the universe.

As two distinct aspects of the Primordial Creator, God and the Celestial Sovereign had an inherent conflict. They both yearned for and repelled each other, clashing from the moment of their creation.

To sum up their attitude toward each other in one sentence...

I can die, but you must die!

The Pillars were the ultimate limits that the Old Gods could reach. Even if other outer gods absorbed a suitable second Essence, they could only approach the strength of the Pillars, never surpass or replace their symbolic significance.

The reason for the fall of God and the Celestial Sovereign was that, even being Pillars themselves, they attempted to absorb an Essence that did not belong to them, breaking the boundaries of the Pillars.

Thus, the "Aggregation" instinct went completely out of control, leading to an unprecedented and intense conflict between the two Pillars. In the end, both fell, and they could only wait for their resurrection contingencies to take effect.

The Primordial God's resurrection contingency primarily relied on the "Five Families" inherent in Him: the Dreamer, the Hanged Man, the Tyrant, the Sun, and the White Tower. Secondarily, it involved the Primordial Witch and the Red Priest, who were absorbed before His fall, corresponding to the City of Disasters.

As for the Celestial Sovereign, besides the "Three Mystic Families" He possessed: the Door, the Mistake, and the Fool, He also suspended hundreds of humans above the Sourcehold, waiting to be deployed.

After a brief exchange of glances, the Celestial Sovereign shifted His gaze to Lu Ke, his expression softening into a gentle smile, like a teacher who is kind to a good student.

"How should I address you?"

"Just call me Lu Ke."

The Celestial Sovereign nodded slightly. "When did you first notice me?"

"From the very beginning."

Lu Ke smiled, the cracks in his body rapidly healing, his tone calm.

"It's a simple deduction. Since the Primordial God is about to awaken, the Mystic Lord must be nearby, and vice versa."

"You are the Lord of the Spirit Realm, and He is the Omniscient and Omnipotent One. It would be unreasonable for either of you to do nothing when the other is about to awaken."

"I also tried to probe your arrival through certain means."

During the battle with the Primordial God, He directly used the Sea of Chaos to conjure the powers of the Five Families and attempted to fix my fate using the Dreamer, which was not a rational move.

Whether it was "Invasion", "Entropy", or "Unity", His symbol was given by the Primordial Creator.

Perhaps the Primordial Creator knew what the Celestial Sovereign and God did not, or perhaps the Primordial Witch, being a mad but not foolish being, deliberately concealed information about Him from the Primordial God, hoping to benefit from their conflict.

But even so, such rash moves did not align with the Primordial God's cunning nature.

It was as if He had been unknowingly deceived.

Additionally, when recreating the Law of the Child of Chaos, Lu Ke deliberately visualized the second half of the Celestial Sovereign's use of Deception.

He did not recreate the Deception itself, but the imagery strengthened the mystical connection, allowing him to detect the Celestial Sovereign's presence.

The Celestial Sovereign smiled and nodded in approval.

"You did very well, but you lacked some basis in your reasoning. Your actions were like deducing the process after gathering enough information."

"For example, you shouldn't have been so certain that I was in the Godforsaken Land, or that you understood the issues with the Primordial Witch so clearly. That was information I didn't fully grasp initially."

"You seemed to see through the River of Fate, understanding all the information before acting..."

The most fearsome opponent isn't the one with great power, but the one with a sharp mind. The Celestial Sovereign of Auspiciousness not only had a sharp mind but also wielded the power of Blind Folly, capable of turning the opposition into fools.

Lu Ke maintained his smile, his tone steady.

"Do you really think so? Fate is a mysterious thing, even for the Old Gods."

"Whether it's you, the Primordial God, the Goddess of Fate, the Key of Light, or the Ring of Destiny, even if you can manipulate, weave, or guide fate, you cannot see through the entire River of Fate."

"True."

The Celestial Sovereign did not argue, seemingly reflecting. "After all, you are covered in the Unknown, making it impossible to discern your true nature. No matter how we deduce from your logical actions, we cannot determine if this is a disguise, or if you have intentionally constructed a false image."

The Primordial God nodded, his gaze shifting to Luke, his tone carrying a distant divinity.

"Indeed, no one can predict your next move."

"For instance, even if you were to declare a truce with me now and work together to send the Mystic Lord back, it wouldn’t be surprising, as there’s no particular enmity between us."

"From a value perspective, the Sourcehold aligns well with you, the Door’s method of breaching barriers is similar to yours, Deception is a very versatile ability, and Mistake’s strategic nature fits you perfectly."

"Most importantly, the Mystic Lord embodies the ‘Change’ of the entire universe, while you represent the ‘Change’ beyond change. You are natural enemies, and any harmony between you is impossible."

"And I have reached my limit. I will not repeat the mistake of trying to contain excess Essence again. I have no interest in the Sourcehold, and I am already at odds with the Mystic."

The Celestial Sovereign: ...

Ammun: ...

Luke: ...

Brilliant!

Absolutely brilliant!

As the Primordial God finished speaking, Luke couldn’t help but look at the Celestial Sovereign, finding the other’s words quite convincing.

The wish-granting lamp in his pocket trembled violently, and a grand, layered voice echoed in Luke’s mind.

"Agree with the Primordial God and eliminate the Mystic Lord. I can make a pact and grant you a few more wishes..."

"——"

A pale golden seal appeared at the spout of the lamp, blocking the Genie’s voice.

The Celestial Sovereign pinched an imaginary monocle, smiling warmly.

"Truly worthy of being the strongest Spectator. A few words can sow discord and guide events according to your will."

"But someone as clever as Luke, who has defeated a deity at the Angel level and brought us back together to check each other, won’t fall for such a simple trick."

He smiled and offered another proposal.

"Everything you said is true, but there’s one point that needs correction."

"In terms of compatible Essence, the Sea of Chaos, which encompasses all possibilities, seems more suitable than the Sourcehold."

"I’ve been observing your battle. Luke has used abilities that even I, the Lord of the Spirit Realm, find unfamiliar and hard to comprehend. He carries rules and authority that don’t belong to this universe, making him uniquely special."

"The Sea of Chaos isn’t as strange or unpredictable as the Sourcehold, but in terms of inclusivity and potential, nothing suits you better."

"Moreover, while my consciousness has awakened, it lacks support, having only the Sourcehold and a Sequence 1 Archangel’s Extraordinary Trait. The Primordial, though not fully revived, has chosen an inappropriate body, but the divine rank of a deity can compensate for everything."

"Your body is also close to breaking down, so currently, He is the strongest among us. In a three-way battle, the weaker two should unite against the strongest, don’t you think?"

Faced with the Primordial God’s provocation, the Mystic Lord held his ground, countering with skilled rhetoric.

The strongest Spectator and the greatest Con Artist each used their own methods to try to drag the other down.

Still, the same principle applies.

I may not live, but the other must die!

Luke rested his chin in his hand and smiled.

"I have a better proposal."

He looked at the Primordial God, speaking sincerely, "The Primordial Witch is a pervert who has undergone a gender change and has had relations with many men. For the Creator to awaken in such a body is a real insult to your image."

"Moreover, the Witch isn’t part of the five pathways you control, which will cause you trouble in reclaiming your authority and create a significant vulnerability. It’s not a good choice at all."

He then turned to the Celestial Sovereign, his voice filled with emotion.

"As for the Shadowwolf, a mere beast, how could it possibly be worthy of the Celestial Sovereign of Auspiciousness? And it’s only a Sequence 2 Angel, completely unworthy of your revival."

"Since neither of you wants the other to live, how about this!"

Luke took out the Genie, cleared his throat, and awkwardly ran a hand through his hair.

"In the presence of the Child of Chaos, you both renounce this opportunity to revive, and we all return to the starting point, what do you say?"

"As for me, I’ll take a loss and clean up the remains of the Primordial Witch and the Shadowwolf for free!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end