Chapter 1

In the world of Coro, if there was a last beacon of light in the darkness, the last recognized holy land in the hearts of the secular nations, the last sanctuary in the endless chaos, then without a doubt, it was the Holy Domain.

Ever since the ancient giant Lockmarton shattered the earth, turning Coro into five continents floating in the Sea of ​​Karnos, the evil chaos and dark forces had been relentlessly eroding the realm of order. Those continents floating in the outer reaches rose and fell in the primordial arcane energy, and chaos and arcane energy washed over everything on those lands day after day.

The Canaan Secret Realm was completely swallowed by chaos thousands of years ago. When the last beacon of order on that continent was extinguished, the power of the orderly kingdom could no longer reclaim the land, and a piece of orderly land was permanently lost.

The other continents were also swaying in the chaos, facing the fate of being swallowed at any time.

But only the Holy Domain, this land floating in the very center of the void, had been shrouded in light for thousands of years, without the slightest shadow.

Until recently, the Light of Asueman suddenly dimmed.

Looking from the endless dark void, the Holy Domain was like a regular inverted cone. It had an almost perfect outline: a perfect circular edge, an inverted cone continental base symmetrical along the central axis, and a gently undulating terrain on the continent that gradually rose towards the center, making it seem like an incredibly perfect man-made object—no wonder some scholars speculated that the Holy Domain was originally a long nail personally forged by the Creation Goddess, once nailed to Lockmarton's forehead. On the inverted cone base of the Holy Domain, countless faint rays of light could be seen constantly moving. These rays of light were attached to the crystalline substances protruding from the soil and rocks, surging like substance. Scholars speculated that these rays of light formed a huge primitive rune, and this rune was the embodiment of the power of the Creation Goddess. Throughout the ages, countless famous mystics had risked their lives to come to the base of the Holy Domain, looked up, and studied the light that wandered beneath the Holy Domain, trying to glean the secrets of the world's original power from it. A few of them truly comprehended a little bit of it, and thus leaped to become the most powerful sages and mentors in the history of Coro, while more were swallowed by the Sea of Karnos, their bones gone.

But now, these constantly moving rays of light had weakened to an unprecedented level. Even if there was still a glimmer of light, compared to the heyday of the Holy Domain, it was simply the light of fireflies.

There was still a thin curtain of light above the Holy Domain, but this curtain of light was also so weak that it frightened the people of the Holy Domain.

In the center of the Holy Domain continent, on the high ground guarded by the City of Divine Grace, composed of three concentric circles, the Crystal Holy Mountain Asueman pointed straight to the sky. This magnificent "mountain" composed of a large number of white crystal pillars emitted a faint light in the night sky, as if using its last strength to support the thin barrier in the sky, but any Holy Domain person could see that this great holy mountain was declining.

Pope Augustus VII stood on the high platform of the Palace of Holy Statues, looking at the Light of Asueman close at hand. This palace, located on the "Side of Divine Will," the innermost layer of the City of Divine Grace, was the highest shrine of the Church of the Creation Goddess, the closest place to the gods that mortals in the world of Coro could reach. The palace, decorated with white megaliths and gold paint, had two towers, forming a door-like structure, signifying that this door led to the secret realm of God, and the high platform of the Palace of Holy Statues was located on the top of the connecting corridor between the two towers, a place that only the Pope and bishops could approach. Standing on this high platform, one could directly bathe in the purest and greatest light of Asueman—Augustus VII would come here every day to stand still and meditate for an hour, to think about the balance and future of the entire world, to plan the many affairs of the Holy Domain, and to make those major decisions that could affect the lives and deaths of countless people.

But today, he could no longer enter this state of meditation. The weak light of Asueman shone on his face, bringing only chills to the old man.

The old Pope tightened his thick and gorgeous golden holy robe. He looked at the top of the Crystal Holy Mountain Asueman, where there was a shocking crack. Electric arcs and light mist were constantly spewing out of the crack, weakening the power of the holy mountain every minute and every second.

In fact, most of the crack had healed. The ancient divine power of Asueman seemed to have the power of self-repair, but the old Pope could see that its repair speed was far less than the weakening speed of the barrier. I am afraid that before the crack was completely healed, the Holy Domain would be swallowed by chaos.

"Your Majesty, the investigation team of Monk Kalaxius still has no news." A high-ranking bishop came behind Augustus and said softly, interrupting the old Pope's contemplation.

Augustus VII turned slightly: "Is the next investigation team ready?"

The high-ranking bishop frowned, hesitated, but finally opened his mouth: "Your Majesty, the barrier is weakening, and high-ranking clergy are working day and night to maintain the light of order from being extinguished. The manpower we have drawn back from various continents is just enough to maintain the daily operation of Asueman. Under such circumstances, it is really impossible for us to form another..."

"Manpower can be squeezed out," the old Pope's tone was still calm and gentle, and his long eyebrows hung down from both sides, making him look kind and amiable, but those who were familiar with him knew that this old man's character was actually extremely stubborn. "Send the reserve magic stones to the furnace, and we will be able to free up an investigation team."

"Your Majesty, is Ansu Continent really that important?" The high-ranking bishop couldn't help but ask. In his opinion, the old Pope's decision was too hasty and lacked reliable and credible reasons. This style of acting on intuition was completely unlike the wise old man's usual style. "We are now facing a huge difficulty. Wasting even a little bit of strength under such circumstances is ten times more dangerous..."

"Asueman has already given us instructions," the old Pope pointed to the Crystal Holy Mountain in front of him. "A light has lit up on Ansu Continent. This light has awakened several halls inside Asueman from their slumber. This is a signal from the holy mountain. It needs to repair itself. It needs the light on Ansu Continent—no matter what it is, we must find it and bring it here."

Saying that, the old Pope turned his head slightly and glanced at the high-ranking bishop: "In the current situation, being trapped can only lead to a destined ending. A desperate fight may bring hope instead. In the past, we should not act rashly, but now, we can only pin our hopes on God's grace."

The old Pope's previous statement did not move the high-ranking bishop, but his later words left the other party speechless. The high-ranking bishop could only nod his head: "I will give the order. The second investigation team will set off as soon as possible."

The old Pope lowered his eyebrows and changed the subject: "What is the situation in the various countries on the continent?"

"Most of the news has been cut off. The Chaos Storm has blocked most of the sea routes and magic net signals. Currently, we only know that this situation is happening simultaneously on all continents. Every orderly country is under attack, and the shadows of the Annihilation Sect have also appeared."

"Annihilation Sect?"

"Those madmen will not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Your Majesty," the high-ranking bishop replied with his head lowered. "The stronger the power of Chaos, the stronger their power will be. Moreover, the countries are exhausted in dealing with the storm, so it is easier for those fanatics to take advantage of the situation. The secular kingdoms are not as united as the Holy Domain. They are very vulnerable in the face of internal threats."

"Secular kingdoms have the power of secular kingdoms, and the Holy Domain has the responsibility of the Holy Domain. Now we must focus our energy on this Chaos Storm. We can only trust the rulers of those kingdoms for secular matters," the old Pope sighed. "I am only worried about the upcoming Kindling Ceremony. It is now the seventh year of the war. The Kindlers of the various countries should have been exhausted. The new successors must be responsible for lighting the Sunscorched Towers next year, but they have encountered this situation... This is a critical juncture, Verol. I always have an ominous premonition that during this period when the eyes and ears of the Holy Domain are blinded, this world is rapidly tilting towards darkness, and many things are beyond our imagination and control."

The high-ranking bishop was silent for a moment. Obviously, this question was indeed difficult to answer. In the end, he could only reply with a comforting sentence: "The Light of Asueman will definitely be lit again. By then, the dark clouds will dissipate, and order will return to the Holy Domain."

"Verol, I hope it is as you say. If there is nothing else, you may withdraw."

The high-ranking bishop took his leave. After a moment of silence, Augustus VII turned around, looked at the Crystal Holy Mountain Asueman, and said to the empty air: "Prepare the 'Doorway.' We are going to the Star Chart Hall."

Originally empty air suddenly rippled with layers of waves, and then an image appeared wearing a white robe, his whole body like a ghostly nothingness, shrouded in a layer of blue light. She could faintly be seen as a woman, but her face was so blurred that it was almost impossible to distinguish: this was the Gatekeeper of Asueman, the noble sacrifice, the ancient spirit integrated with the Crystal Holy Mountain.

Augustus VII knew that this Gatekeeper was almost as old as the history of the Church. Popes had been replaced countless times, but only this Gatekeeper had remained the same.

Even as Pope, Augustus VII could not understand the secrets of this Gatekeeper. The latter never communicated with people except for being responsible for leading the way and opening the doorways. Augustus even dared not be sure whether this ancient spirit had really been a human being in the past.

The Gatekeeper nodded silently, and behind her, a door of light opened out of thin air.