Chapter 464 Let Us Welcome the Returning God (8200)

Deep beneath Mount Dawn, the vast, boundless sea of scorching lava continued to churn quietly, just as it had for the past several hundred years.

But when Yishar arrived, he keenly sensed subtle differences from the world's center he knew.

"Lord?"

The knight looked up at the center of the distant lava sea, surprised to find that his master, who had always slumbered, only awakening briefly when someone came to visit, was now fully awake.

【You have come, Yishar.】

Noticing his knight's arrival, the gentle voice of a young man echoed from the lava throne: 【Just in time.】

When Yishar reached the vicinity of the throne, he saw a four-colored light screen shimmering before it. The four elements formed a three-dimensional map, with the elements constantly alternating and cycling, creating a world.

At a glance, Yishar could tell that it was an elemental distribution map of the world he lived in!

The blue seas surrounded the brown continents, the azure winds swirled around the heavens and the earth, and the flames burned in the depths of the earth and at the top of the sky… Furthermore, in every corner of the world, the elements were in constant reincarnation and rotation.

Originally, this should have been the truth of the world, the normal state of the world's cycle, but Yishar could see that on the two continents of Holy Fire and the New World, there were six mighty blue torrents converging and flowing into the distant Mingsi Sea to the south—where an extremely rich blue color was as deep as ink, as if something was being conceived, giving people an extremely uneasy feeling.

But the white-haired youth on the lava throne, wearing a sun crown, was smiling, looking at the scene in the light screen before him, smiling happily and gently.

Yishar was stunned.

In over two hundred years, this was the first time he had seen his master smile so happily.

Since the knight became a God-Blessed two hundred years ago, when he first visited his god with excitement, the image of the Lord of Fire in his heart had always been gentle, tender, like a winter bonfire, a warm sun in the morning, giving everyone warmth.

But fire is fire, and the sun is the sun. No matter how close they are to people, they will be burned if you get too close. If a god walks in the mortal world, the place would surely be sunny and the earth would be parched, so for the sake of his people, the god chose to stay alone in the world's center beneath the holy mountain, in the lava sea deep underground, isolated from the public.

Even when the god descended, he remained in the high sky as a second sun, not directly landing on the earth. Aside from smiling, he would not express any extra emotions, so as to avoid the power arising from his own thoughts from running rampant and affecting others.

But now, that gentle god was actually smiling so happily…

What kind of person, what kind of thing, could make the Lord smile so happily? He had to admit that there was some jealousy in Yishar's heart, but soon, the black-haired, golden-eyed knight discarded such frivolous thoughts. He knelt on one knee and reported to the Lord of Fire.

"My Lord, are you aware of the large-scale unrest among the criminals that suddenly occurred in the eastern region? Local priests say they heard an oracle from the Lord of Judgment…"

【Oh, I already know.】

The young man on the throne nodded slightly, smiling as he raised his head and looked at the rocky ceiling above the lava sea: 【He has come.】

【He has returned.】

【Although a long time has passed, he has indeed returned!】

Then, Yishar heard that the Lord's tone had become somewhat regretful.

【But alas, he has returned a little too late.】

【The plans of those children in the sea are about to be completed.】

"My Lord, are you talking about the plans of those rebels? Is their godhood ascension ceremony about to be completed?!"

Hearing this, Yishar, who had been kneeling before the Lord of Fire, immediately stood up. He angrily requested: "Please allow me to lead a team to set out immediately and shatter their delusions!"

【No need. Moreover, come here, child.】

But the Lord of Fire shook his head, refusing Yishar's request. When the knight approached Him with some confusion, the white-haired youth reached out and pressed his hand to Yishar's forehead.

The touch was not as fiery as imagined… The warm and soft touch at the center of the palm was just like that of a real human being.

For a moment, before Yishar could think too much, a burning pain suddenly appeared on his forehead—the pain flashed by, as if it were just an illusion, and he remained motionless, standing like an iron tower.

After the Lord of Fire lowered his hand, a scarlet flame mark appeared on his forehead, with holy authority pulsing within it, releasing a clearly visible majesty.

Then, the Lord of Fire looked at Yishar for a while, nodded in satisfaction, and said: 【Let them become the God of Water.】

【Only in this way will the turbulent water elements return to their proper positions and return to the cycle of order.】

"What?"

Hearing this, Yishar, who had been wondering what the God had left on his forehead, was stunned. He frowned immediately and said, "How is that possible!"

"Those sea thugs are clearly trying to subvert the existing elemental cycle of our world! They are cutting off the original rotation process, wanting to violently transform the elements of the entire world into water elements!"

"They even plan to start some 'Deep Sea Age', completely turning our world into an completely unknown state… How can this be called a return to its place, a cycle of order?!"

The Lord of Fire shook his head, his gray eyes not showing any anger towards the Sea People.

【That is indeed their purpose—but, this is indeed the cycle of order.】

In the mind of the white-haired god, the figure of the man who had abruptly appeared and then abruptly left so long ago, refusing the souls of water and earth to become a god, surfaced.

He said with some nostalgia: 【The power of the soul of water is extremely strong. No matter what era it is, a large amount of water elements appear in various forms. Even the Fire Age, which is burning fiercely, is surrounded by white steam.】

【If those children in the sea don't take in the increasingly chaotic Source Water Soul, then in a few decades, or a few hundred years, a primitive and mad, naturally born God of Water will appear. At that time, He will not even be human, and will not understand our order. He may even set off a world-destroying wave, and we will not be able to stop it.】

"Why wouldn't we be able to stop it?"

Hearing this, Yishar was immediately confused. He put his hands together and asked the Lord of Fire: "My Lord, you are a god, and a god far more powerful than those pirates, far more powerful than any newly born god—besides, there is also the Lord of Wind, the Lord of Judgment… With the three gods working together, how could any pirates or naturally born gods of water be able to stop them?"

【But the Lord of Wind will not take action.】

But the young man looked at Yishar calmly, and He said faintly the secret that had been hidden for hundreds of years: 【His soul has already left this world, leaving only the last trace of a remnant and the body, which constitutes the consciousness network, connecting the minds of the Wind People and maintaining order.】

【And I, for the most part, will not stay in this world either—just as you have seen every time you have come to visit me in the past, it takes me a long time to return.】

Yishar was stunned. Although he knew about this situation, he never thought it was like this: "Then, then why is that?"

The knight asked helplessly: "Why did the soul of the Lord of Wind leave this world, and why do you…"

【It's very simple.】

The Lord of Fire sighed, the white-haired youth raised his head, and His gaze seemed to be able to penetrate the rocky ceiling and the world, directly into the void, becoming distant and with a trace of sorrow: 【Our world is too far away from other worlds.】

【All around our world are the ruins and dust left after the world was shattered. Apart from us, there are no other worlds… Not only that, Yishar, the world itself has a lifespan, and the lifespan of our world is particularly short. If we act recklessly without any scruples and do not carry out the cycle of order, then who knows if it can last for a few decades, or a few hundred years?】

As if intentionally informing him, the Lord of Fire looked at his God-Blessed one. He could see Yishar's shocked gaze, as if his worldview had been shattered.

With a light laugh, He withdrew his gaze. The young man turned his head and continued to look at the elemental light screen in front of him. He said faintly: 【For the sake of countless people, the God of Wind left his body as the core of the consciousness network, and used his soul to leave the world, wandering in the void to find a new world suitable for living.】

【I am also searching in the ruins of the surrounding worlds, looking for usable world dust to fill the loopholes in our world.】

【The Lord of Wind and I cannot stay in this world for a long time, so we guided the birth of the Lord of Judgment, maintaining the order we designed, ensuring that you can maintain a friendly and caring heart when we are not around…】

Speaking of this, the Lord of Fire seemed to recall the rebellion more than a hundred years ago, and He couldn't help but sigh: 【But unfortunately, that order has loopholes.】

In addition, in the young man's heart, the scene that he saw when he left the world barrier and came to the void appeared.

That was the endless 'gray fog' that enveloped the entire world.

The gray fog enveloped the world. It originally absorbed the dust from the surrounding worlds and filled it into every corner of the world, maintaining the existence of the Tartadis world, but… just when the God of Wind and the young man himself came outside the world, most of the gray fog receded, leaving only a few remnants, no longer enveloping this world.

The memory of the Lord of Fire is very clear. He knows that the gray fog is a symbol of the Elemental Cycle Era, and is also the mastermind behind the Netherworld Labyrinth and the alternation of eras… But now it seems that its true power is to maintain the existence of the entire world! If it weren't for the gray fog's reminder, it would have been impossible for Him to know that he could also collect the world dust in the surrounding void to extend the time of the Tartadis world's existence.

What is the attitude of the gray fog towards them, towards their civilization?

The young man does not know.

Moreover, it is no longer important.

Withdrawing his thoughts, the Lord of Fire looked at Yishar.

He said calmly: 【You are going to inherit my position and become the new God of Fire.】

"Ah?"

At first, Yishar was a little dazed. He was still immersed in the shocking news that 'the world's lifespan is not long', so at first, the knight did not understand what his god meant—but soon, after understanding, his face was full of shock, and he immediately stood in place, at a loss and said: "Wh, what?!"

On the lava throne, the Lord of Fire looked at Yishar with a smile: 【You are a good child, Yishar. For two hundred and thirty-seven years, since you became the God-Blessed, you have been working diligently for the general public, resolving difficulties and solving problems for them.】

【You have grown and ventured from the grassroots level, all the way to becoming a God-Blessed. You perfectly understand all the key elements of our order's operation. It can even be said that you understand it better than I, the designer of the code.】

"No, God, I don't…"

【No, you understand.】

When Yishar tried to say something, the God of Fire reached out his hand, signaling his knight not to say much at this time. Then, the god in the form of a youth turned his head and looked at the central part of the Holy Fire Continent, where the elemental surge was rapidly normalizing. He said faintly: 【Besides, you are the only one who has upheld my Dao until now.】

【Don't refute, Yishar. Don't you understand yet? Most of the God-Blessed, after they have gained powerful power, no longer want to abide by the precepts I have set.】

【They want to enjoy wealth and enjoy their rights… Of course, because I still exist, they still can't eat luxurious food, so some of the God-Blessed have painstakingly made luxurious food popular, making it not luxurious—this is really not a bad thing. It's good, isn't it? I didn't expect my precept to have this effect.】

Speaking of this, the God of Fire laughed, but there was no smile in His eyes: 【Among the God-Blessed, there are many who pursue more powerful power, and even more who pursue power. There are too few people who just want to eat something good, just that.】

【There are too few God-Blessed who sincerely hope to make the world a better place, so that everyone can live a happy life, who want to maintain such order, and who are not afraid of fighting.】

The youth on the divine seat raised his hand, rubbed his forehead, and closed his eyes wearily, sighing: 【They all want to become gods, but they are unwilling to find their own path, but instead covet my power.】

【Therefore, I have appointed you, child.】

Yishar was a little dazed at first… Indeed, even he himself knew that there were quite a few people with ulterior motives in the God-Blessed center. Since the rebellion more than a hundred years ago showed the injustice and weakness of the gods, the minds of many God-Blessed have changed.

But soon, feeling anxious and uneasy about the words of the Lord of Fire, the knight suddenly became a little angry.

"I'm not a child! My Lord!" He frowned, shook his head angrily, and put his hand on his chest: "I am your knight!"

"What appointment? What inheriting your position? My Lord, are you going to give up the divine throne?!"

The Lord of Fire opened his eyes, He turned his head and looked at Yishar calmly. The two looked at each other, and Yishar's emotions gradually softened.

Until the end, he silently took a step back, and then said blankly: "But… why?"

【The existence of the God of Water is necessary, but the Soul of Source Water rejects the holders of other elemental souls. Before it is tamed, I have no way to grasp it—our powers interfere with each other, and even form a blind spot at sea.】

Saying this, the Lord of Fire sighed wearily: 【And for some reason that I am not very clear about, the power of those children at sea is expanding too fast, as if there is an invisible force, not from our world, helping them behind the scenes… Originally, in my plan, those children would still need hundreds of years to slowly find the whereabouts of the Soul of Source Water, and at that time, I would also be able to slightly calm the order within the Holy Fire Country, and then formulate a new covenant to make up for the previous cracks…】

【But now, the excessively expanded Soul of Source Water has encountered the excessively expanded Sea People forces… I don't know what the final result will be, but either the newly born God of Water will be extremely powerful, enough to replace the order of elemental rotation, or they will be numerous, even more than me, the God of Wind, and the God of Judgment combined.】

【The existence of the God of Water is necessary. But if those children in the sea really become the God of Water, then they will inevitably choose to counterattack the continent—at that time, because I have been collecting the dust of the world for hundreds of years to maintain the world, and I have not accumulated too much power, I am afraid I will not be able to resist.】

Speaking of this, the white-haired youth smiled freely. He reached out his hand and straightened the divine crown on his head, indifferently saying: 【They have never been able to guess how I plan to deal with them, and have always been wondering if I will send my God-Blessed and many priests to crusade against them.】

【First of all, not to mention that many of my God-Blessed have ulterior motives. They have made many preparations. The sea is their home field, so even if you go to crusade against them, there will be many casualties, and the entire world will be weakened because of this. The civilization that I have worked so hard to build will be completely reduced to a state of eternal doom.】

【I don't want that.】

The Lord of Fire's tone was calm, and His voice echoed in the sea of lava, making Yishar speechless in shock: 【And love is the strongest plan.】

【Those selfish children will never imagine that I don't care whether I die or not, I just want to create a better order so that everyone can live in a better world.】

【Based on this, they will never be able to guess and prevent my plans.】

"My Lord…"

The knight knelt on one knee, he felt that even if he was in the lava, he couldn't stop the cold feeling from spreading in his spine.

Yishar stared at the youth in front of him, the god he worshiped, he murmured: "You, you mean…"

The god reached out his hand and gently touched the head of the knight he regarded as a child, He smiled: 【Although I have not accumulated much power, but I have been in and out of the void for many years, and my soul has long been tempered to be extremely powerful—as long as I burn my soul at that time, no matter what plans those children have, how can they stop me from suppressing their souls and recovering the Soul of Source Water?】

【As long as I am not afraid of falling, then my power will be enough to burn out all their plans for a hundred years, even if the power accumulated by the Soul of Water is far greater than me, it cannot stop me from using this to redefine the era—the God of Wind has already entrusted the Soul of Wind to me, and the Soul of Earth… In short, at that time, the four souls will gather, and the true god will be born. That will inevitably be a more perfect and beautiful era than this one.】

Saying this, the young man touched the mark on Yishar's forehead that looked like a burning flame, and He smiled quite happily: 【At that time, you will become the new Lord of Fire, or rather, the god of the four souls gathered—Yishar, you are my successor, fulfilling my Dao and formulating a new order.】

But after hearing this, Yishar not only did not feel any joy, but his face turned pale.

The God-Blessed stood up, he took two steps back, avoiding the hand of the Lord of Fire, and then let out a low roar: "Why?"

"God, why do you have to do this kind of thing, and force this responsibility on me?! How can you be so reckless… say your death?!"

Facing Yishar's accusation, the Lord of Fire just shook his head slightly: 【I am not forcing you, Yishar, but if you believe in me, you should do this.】

"Isn't this using faith to force me?"

Yishar couldn't believe it, he waved his hands, and the meaning of refusal was so strong: "I believe in you, I hope you will always sit high on the divine throne, leading us forward like the sun!"

"I am willing to die for you, rather than willing for you to sacrifice for us!"

At the end of his words, Yishar gritted his teeth, he stared at the god sitting on the lava throne in front of him, and said word by word: "My Lord, do you want a dog who will only obey your orders, or a knight who can die for you?!"

Even the Lord of Fire did not expect Yishar's such a determined resistance.

In the Holy Church of Fire, almost all the God-Blessed are craving for more powerful power or rights. This is not a bad thing, but it is the basic ambition of people. People who crave progress should not be demanded of too much, even if some of them attempt to seize the power of the Lord of Fire, that is not a big deal.

The white-haired god thought that Yishar would gladly accept this responsibility, and take over this huge power that everyone envied—that is the gathering of the four souls, a power that surpasses ordinary gods and can even lead to a higher realm—He did not expect that the other party's loyalty to him had reached such a point that he could reject this temptation.

Why?

The god's memory was retracing, He recalled the scene nearly three hundred years ago, at the beginning of the Elemental Era, when He was still in the mortal world, leading the first Fire People to build their homes.

At that time, there was such a boy who had been following behind Him.

【Child, why are you following behind me?】

The god at that time bent down and gently asked the other party, wiping away the sweat from the child's head.

The ignorant boy said a little foolishly: "The city you built for us is so big and beautiful. I have never lived in such a big and warm house!"

"So I want to learn a little bit. When I grow up in the future, I also want to build many, many bigger and better houses for you and for everyone!"

Yishar has indeed built a lot of temples for himself.

Over the years, he has been busy at the grassroots level and has built many 'houses'.

I built the foundation and the framework, but the order of this world, the flesh and blood and decorations of this house, were built by themselves.

——Because the gods built a beautiful order for people, so people want to defend this beauty.

Or rather, what Yishar wants to follow may not be a god who, in his opinion, wants to give up his responsibilities, so he will be angry… In fact, what he is following is the path that makes everyone happier than before.

Just like himself—he walks with himself, so he believes.

The reason for following… Perhaps it is that simple.

After a long silence, the god laughed softly.

【I don't want any of them.】

He still smiled gently, looking at Yishar, as always: 【What I want is a wise man who can walk with me and open up the way forward—I don't need a dog who doesn't know how to question me, I don't need a knight who will only die for me—I need a fellow traveler who can understand my thoughts, understand my teachings, and follow my ideas.】

【What I need is that after I leave, someone can raise my banner, re-ascend to my position, and maintain the country and order I created.】

【I need such an existence.】

"Understand…"

Repeating this word in a low voice, Yishar stared blankly at the Lord of Fire in front of him who could still laugh. He couldn't understand why any god could so 'easily' give up his life. He first chuckled, and then laughed out loud: "What understanding?! We humans can't understand each other. A father can't understand his son, a daughter can't understand her mother!"

"My Lord, your churches are secretly going against your will! They are flirting with pirates, they covet your power, they harbor evil intentions, let alone believe in you!"

"What exactly do you want? Understanding? This is more incredible than you demanding freedom and life from us!"

The god silently watched the other party until Yishar's voice echoing in the sea of lava gradually dissipated, becoming calm.

In the midst of the sound of lava bubbles churning and exploding, He said simply: 【But that is faith.】

【I need a new Lord of Fire to appear after I suppress the four elemental souls and redefine the era, to stabilize the order and protect the survival and happiness of the people—He can continue to collect the embers of the surrounding worlds as fuel for our world, maintain the existence of the world, and can sacrifice himself at the most important moment to create a new era. Do you understand? Becoming a god is not a gift, it is my demand of you.】

【Yishar, if you love me more than you love my Dao, then it means you don't believe in me at all, you just worship me, love me.】

【The distance between faith and worship is farther than heaven and earth.】

【Do you believe in me, or just worship me?】

The voice of the Lord of Fire stirred up the boiling of the elements in the entire sea of lava.

The majestic power of the fire element stirred in the center of the world, causing the viscous lava to set off layers of waves, hitting each other and intersecting, splashing sparks all over the sky.

Yishar felt the mark on his forehead burning, he trembled and stared at the Lord of Fire staring at him in front of him, and then couldn't help but cry.

He had already begun to accept it, but he still found it difficult to let go. The knight walked step by step towards the lava throne, murmuring: "God, is this the only way? Is this the only path to take? Is there no other way for you to calm this elemental turmoil?"

【Of course there is, but I can only choose to sacrifice myself. I have no right to let others sacrifice for me, even if that person is willing to die for me.】

The Lord of Fire laughed, He reached out his hand and pressed it on Yishar's forehead again, the hot mark of the God of Fire branded itself, the young man said calmly: 【If you want to change something, then do it yourself. The only one who can sacrifice without sin is yourself, otherwise it is wrong. This is what I learned in the last era.】

【But now…】

Speaking of this, His expression couldn't help but become a little complicated. The Lord of Fire raised his head, He looked directly ahead from afar, His gray eyes seemed to be able to see through the thick rocky earth, directly to the distant other side, the huge wave that was slowly approaching.

Far away on the other side.

July 5th, 307 of the Elemental Era.

In the central part of the Holy Fire Continent, on the avenue near the central holy city, a mighty crowd of people were walking.

They were dressed plainly, their faces were full of sorrow in the past, and their bodies were mostly incomplete, either with broken hands, broken feet, or brands on their faces.

But now, their limbs have been reborn and can be used freely, as if they had never lost them.

"Justice!"

A loud shout rang out, and the sound of the flag waving fluttered in the wind.

A dark-skinned old fisherman was carrying a flag. His eyes were bright and his will was lowered. Old Chuck waved the flag and shouted loudly again: "Justice!"

Then, the entire team also shouted in unison: "Justice!" The sound resounded through the sky.

It could be seen that the old fisherman, who had lost his hands in the past, now had a pair of white new hands—although they had not experienced the wind and frost, and even had blisters on his tiger's mouth because of waving the flag for a long time, he still refused to let go and continued to wave it vigorously.

The gray-haired priest walked at the front of the team. Amon led the team of these 'sinners' forward, all the way forward, and strode towards the direction of the central sanctuary.

There is no need for his god to walk in front.

As a companion with God, the apostle of judgment will open up the way forward and fulfill the Dao he recognizes.

At the end of the team, Su Zhou followed behind everyone, watching this team continue to grow and move forward firmly.

Then, he seemed to sense something, and the youth turned his head to the side, his face showing doubt.

"Is that you? Elias?"

Seeming to have noticed the gaze of the Lord of Fire, Su Zhou lowered his head sharply, looking at the depths of the earth with sharp eyes. The purple-green dragon eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the thick earth, directly to the very center of the world.

Then, he laughed: "Long time no see, I'm back!"

——You're back, Teacher.

In the sea of lava, the God of Fire, who had been sitting on the divine seat for a long time, slowly got up in the shocked gaze of Yishar and left the lava seat.

For two hundred years, this was the first time He had left the divine seat, with His feet on the ground.

【I don't think there can be other ways.】

The god in the form of a youth looked up at the rocky dome, He murmured in a low voice: 【But for that person, perhaps nothing is impossible in this world.】

But even so, He just smiled, smiling indifferently.

【But I can't put my hope on other people. I must try to surpass this cycle myself, even if the price is death.】

【Let's go, Yishar.】

Saying this, the God of Fire stepped forward and walked towards the passage leaving the world's core, the sea of lava, and the knight followed closely behind the god.

【Let us go to welcome the god who has finally returned.】

It took a long time to write and revise… It is indeed a bit late, but at least it is 8000 words.

There will be an update tonight