Chapter 1 The Cold Frost Temple

The Cold Frost Temple stood quietly in the arctic winds as always, the eternal gales howling and stirring up countless ice shards and snowflakes around it. The temple’s black-grey multi-tiered spires gleamed with a frigid blue light, as if a hideous beast was blocking all living creatures from approaching—but inside the temple, there were still places as warm as spring. In the main reception room at the center of the temple, a fireplace blazed fiercely. The heat of the flames was channeled throughout the room by a few simple runes carved into the walls, making it exceptionally warm. The current leaders of the Demon Hunters, Elder Gregoriven and Elder Hasson, were receiving Hao Ren and his party. Bai Huo was also present with her mentor, and the three Demon Hunters wore particularly serious expressions.

The Demon Hunters’ penchant for retro décor made the room look as if it had been copied from a medieval castle. The delicate brass candlesticks and portraits hanging on the walls were bathed in the flickering firelight, which made one drowsy—at least, that’s what Gungnir thought. So she openly spread her beloved little blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace, curled up in a ball on it to bask in the warmth, and peeked at Hao Ren talking business next to her while occasionally purring comfortably.

“Big cat’s life is so boring,” the cat girl commented on Hao Ren’s life, “doesn’t even know how to enjoy the fire.”

Hao Ren had already explained the situation with the "divine talent." Hasson’s stern face looked even more serious: "Divine power… If I hadn't personally experienced so many things, I really wouldn't believe that Demon Hunters would be involved with this kind of power. You must know that there is no place for religion in the original Demon Hunter tradition. We have always disbelieved in gods, let alone so-called ‘power from gods.’"

Hao Ren understood this—after all, in the past few thousand years, the main thing the Demon Hunters did was crack open the heads of "gods" all over the world. This large violent group truly went from Mount Olympus to Asgard wielding machetes, forcibly chopping away at the entire mythological history of the earth. It would be strange if these guys believed in gods.

However, true gods did exist after all. After the battle of Corpus, the higher-ups of the Demon Hunters already knew this and were subtly hinting at this truth to the lower-level Demon Hunters. As for Hasson himself, he even knew that the God of this universe was a goddess, and this goddess was a five-digit lucky number, so it was much easier for him to accept the truth of "divine power" than other Demon Hunters.

"We are now only guessing that Demon Hunters possess the talent to use divine power, but due to your original possible source of divine power, the Creator Goddess, has already fallen, and coupled with the barrier of the Wall of Reality, you have now lost this ability, so it will be very troublesome to verify. After all, not everyone is like Lily, who underwent a complete transformation of her soul and then received the infusion of a new True God," Hao Ren nodded to Lily beside him, prompting the latter to wag her tail proudly, "That's why we need pure-blooded Demon Hunters to help with the investigation."

"That's no problem," Elder Gregoriven stated first, "Demon Hunters have always been closed off to the outside world, and our bloodline is well-maintained. Pure-blooded Demon Hunters are everywhere here."

"If possible, it's best to be the first generation of Demon Hunters, the earlier the bloodline, the better," Vivian reminded, "Merely being pure-blooded is not enough. We must find the earliest Demon Hunter samples."

"This… is somewhat difficult. The Mythological War led to the deaths of a large number of Demon Hunters, and the Battle of Corpus even led to the fall of all the ancestral Demon Hunters, including the Twelve Sages. The first generation bloodline… I'm afraid it really can't be found. Even someone as experienced as me doesn't count as the first generation."

"Then as early as possible," Vivian frowned, "What a sin, damn Mythological War… A good long-lived species actually had an entire generation die out because of the war. What were you guys thinking?"

Hasson and Gregoriven could only chuckle dryly. This matter was too subtle and sensitive to talk about. Nowadays, in some alien circles, even in Demon Hunter circles, it was still a tacitly understood topic that everyone avoided mentioning. Only a monster like Vivian, who had lived for more than ten thousand years, could casually complain about it.

"There's another matter," Hao Ren said quickly, changing the subject when he saw the awkward atmosphere, "About the previously mentioned group tour to visit relatives back home…"

Lily covered her head and sighed, "How did a perfectly good plan turn into this after the landlord gave it a name…"

Evidently, the three Demon Hunters in front of him were also a bit allergic to the name of this operation. The two older ones were mature and steady enough to withstand it, but Bai Huo directly turned her face away, unable to look directly. But Hao Ren was the master she had "sworn allegiance" to back then (although Hao Ren himself had almost forgotten about it), so she was too embarrassed to persuade Hao Ren to change the name again, and could only quickly continue the topic: "We are very interested."

"That's right," a rare smile appeared on Hasson’s stern face, "Homeland ah… a homeland located in another universe. If there wasn't concrete evidence, who would have thought that such a thing was actually true. To be honest, I have imagined countless times what the 'Dream Plane' you mentioned is like. Even without any memory of that place, I can't control my curiosity."

"There will definitely be many Demon Hunters interested in this journey." Elder Gregoriven expressed his wishes more subtly.

"But this is not just sightseeing," Vivian reminded, "Um… although Hao Ren gave it a misleading name, I believe you can understand the meaning behind this matter."

"To let us see the normal order between aliens in the absence of 'innate hostility'?" Gregoriven was a shrewd old man, how could he not think of this, "And… another test?"

Hao Ren nodded slightly: "That's right. The Mythological War has ended, but the relationship between aliens and Demon Hunters is still tense, you could even say that hatred continues. It's just that now the Shadow Council is suppressing it, Vivian is suppressing it, and there is pressure from reality and human society, so this conflict will not erupt, but I know that the friction in private has never ended, and bloodshed and death incidents should occur every now and then, right? I don't expect this hatred that has lasted for nearly ten thousand years to be easily cleared away, that's too naive, but I think it would be good to do something to ease it, after all, now both the aliens and the Demon Hunters have the idea of improving the situation. This time, I will not only organize the Demon Hunters to return to the Dream Plane, but also call on some of the more enlightened alien leaders to participate. I believe that after seeing the scenery of their homeland, truly understanding where they came from, and how they developed into what they are today, you will all have some thoughts, right?"

Saying that, he paused for a moment, and continued: "As for another test… you guessed right. You already know about the Creator Goddess. In the Dream Plane, the divine power remaining after her fall is still operating, affecting the operation of the universe in a way that I cannot yet measure or understand. The priests of Holletta can still use divine magic through the 'Stigma' ritual. Now I need to understand what this remaining power is all about, and whether it will react to your 'return'."

The aliens on Earth were all sent over by the Creator Goddess using the "hyperspace ark" Yggdrasil back then. Since the Goddess had this arrangement, then she would definitely have a backup plan. However, now that Vivian had amnesia, and the First Born and the Guardians couldn't help, the investigation into the Goddess's backup plan had fallen into a deadlock. Hao Ren was unwilling to watch things stagnate like this, so after careful consideration, he felt that he should take the initiative to do something.

This time, organizing some aliens to return to the Dream Plane was a somewhat risky but very worthwhile action. A small team of less than a hundred people would not cause too severe an impact on the Wall of Reality, but perhaps it could stimulate some settings left by the Creator Goddess in the depths of the universe—if they existed.

No matter what the backup plan was, Hao Ren could only start studying it when it was revealed.

After all, the inside information that Gregoriven and Hasson knew was limited. It would take a long time to explain the details of the Mad Lord, the Four Epochs, and the God-Slaying War to them in detail, and it was not necessary, so Hao Ren just briefly mentioned his thoughts and did not say too much in detail.

"Letting the Demon Hunters and alien leaders form a group to 'return home to visit relatives'…" a smile-like expression appeared on Hasson’s stiff face. He shook his head, his tone helpless, "Only you would come up with such a crazy and bold idea in this world. To be honest, I really can't imagine what will happen that day. Have you considered the arrangements after we meet?"

Hao Ren chuckled: "That's simple. Whoever is a troublemaker will be picked out and beaten to death. If that doesn't work, they'll be knocked unconscious and tied up with chains, locked in glass jars, and I'll transport them to the Dream Plane by car, ensuring that you open your eyes and take a look at your old home. I have all kinds of high-specification Immortal-Binding Ropes there, tied so tightly that even Lily's transformation can't break free. I said I was organizing you to return home to visit relatives, but don't really think that I'm running a travel agency—we don't care about user experience in this business. Anyway, you're not paying, so how much do you believe in a cult that advocates for human rights?"

After Hao Ren finished speaking, Vivian nodded in emphasis: "Don't worry, I'll also take action. Although I'm weak now, there shouldn't be many people on Earth who can beat me. If you're not at ease…"

Gregoriven and Hasson broke out in a cold sweat. Before Vivian could finish speaking, the two shook their heads vigorously. Gregoriven spoke first: "Don't worry, don't worry, we will definitely take care of the Demon Hunter side and guarantee cooperation…"

They hadn't seen Hao Ren's violent methods much, but Vivian's deterrence was well known to everyone, especially the early Demon Hunters. Who dared to say that they hadn't been beaten by Vivian a few times? With this deterrence standing there, order was guaranteed.

Thinking about it this way, the situation on the alien side was probably similar: Vivian went crazy back then and even beat herself. Those who knew her should have been beaten into submission…