Chapter 459 The Very Center of the World (6400)

Even now, Ansert hadn't received any news related to hidden quests prefixed with 'Final Chain' in the Pioneer Space, whether through overt or covert inquiries or announcements. No one had responded.

It was possible that this was a hidden quest exclusive to the Tartarus world. Of course, it was also possible that all the large exploration teams that had obtained this quest had blocked the relevant information. But regardless, Ansert wasn't an idiot. He knew the weight of this hidden quest; it was definitely more important than any task he had ever seen.

The Ant Lich speculated that he might need to fully explore the background of the Tartarus world before he could begin this Final Chain quest.

And at that time, he might be able to learn the nature of the mysterious gray mist that could even halt the reports of the Pioneer Space.

But now, Ansert was most concerned with the brand-new quests appearing in the report, besides these old tasks.

[Optional Exploration Quest: Uncover the Secrets Hidden Behind the Returning God]

[Current Progress 0%, Reward Points 0]

The report also included two pictures - one of a vague human figure standing on a judgment platform; the other of a gigantic golden dragon shadow floating in mid-air and a tiny human figure in front of it.

The results of the Pioneer Space scan were also recorded in the report.

[Judgment Dragon - Lord of Judgment]

[Overlord - God]

[High-risk target. Full status. Avatar form's strength is at the initial Overlord stage, high threat level.]

[Action suggestion: Use weapons with god-slaying, dragon-slaying, and spirit-targeting properties to launch high-burst attacks.]

"Is the Lord of Judgment really that strong? Not surprising, I suppose."

Looking at the Judgment Dragon's strength report, Ansert's expression was solemn.

If he hadn't been severely injured by the Shenmu Buyi in the World Tree world, forcing him to transform into a lich, he would probably be preparing to apply for an Overlord-tier advancement quest right now.

The time in the Pioneer Space was very chaotic. The flow of time was different in every world in the multiverse. According to the Space, this was precisely evidence that 'time' itself belonged to 'chaos,' a kind of illusion in a sense. But even so, Anderson had only used nine years of his subjective time to go from an ordinary mortal with no knowledge of cultivation to a High-Tier leader. This was enough to show how terrifying the Pioneer Space was for improving strength.

In fact, Anderson's speed was already considered slow. It was said that some true geniuses could touch the threshold of the Overlord stage in less than five years, which was simply unbelievable.

But even so, even if Ansert was lucky and successfully advanced to Overlord after passing the advancement quest, his strength would only be roughly equivalent to an avatar of this Lord of Judgment, the Judgment Dragon.

Moreover, without the corresponding weapons, it would be extremely difficult to fight.

The Three Gods were certainly the native gods of this world, and Anderson was confident that he would surpass them in the future, but now, gods were still gods, especially with hundreds of years of accumulated wish power. Who knew what trump cards these guys had?

"But, wish power can make gods, and it can also overthrow them. The elemental souls nurtured by the world can give birth to innate gods. Naturally, changes in the world will also affect the gods."

Thinking this way, the Ant Lich shook his head slightly: "In any case, the God of Wind and the God of Fire have stagnated for far too long. They clearly have the power to explore the void, but they have been stagnating in this small world… This doesn't fit the Pioneer Space's philosophy at all. No wonder I felt out of place in the society of the Wind Folk."

"And this time, I will definitely leverage the world, change the world, and make this stagnant world run again - at least, start taking steps forward!"

Thinking this way, Ansert was by no means self-hypnotizing. As an explorer recognized by the Pioneer Space, he sincerely believed that the current Tartarus world had fallen into stagnation. Whether it was the order of the God of Wind or the God of Fire, there were great shortcomings.

And he, as someone who had returned from another world and witnessed different orders in many worlds, had the responsibility of enlightening all his compatriots!

"I will be a pioneer, to lead this world to 'exploration and progress'!"

Of course, Ansert also had his own selfish motives.

"And then - I will lead it to connect with the Pioneer Space, making it my own personal world… That way, other explorers won't be able to come and threaten my homeland."

Firming his goal, the Ant Man looked at another report of the Lord of Judgment… He originally thought it should be similar to the one above, with at most some differences in certain details.

But as a result, Ansert was stunned in place.

[?????? · God of Return]

[Celestial Soul Karma Position · Overlord]

Putting aside that string of '?' descriptions that had never appeared in any scan.

Just that huge metal skull icon next to the question mark shocked the lich so much that he gasped, causing the temperature of the entire volcanic fissure to drop thirty degrees: "The End Marker!"

This wasn't the first time he had seen this marker.

But every time in the past when he saw the existence of this marker in various worlds, they had more or less been proven to have the potential or power to destroy the world!

Just like the Judgment Dragon and the Lord of Six Tribulations mentioned before, they were all existences with this End Marker.

And after that, there were detailed action suggestions.

[Super-dangerous target. Unable to confirm strength. Unable to confirm status. Extremely dangerous.]

[Action suggestion: Return immediately.]

That was as good as saying nothing.

Instantly, Ansert's expression turned solemn.

"This is the victorious Lord of Judgment, the God of Return?"

"No wonder the intelligence showed that the Judgment Dragon was almost defeated with one blow - the difference in strength is indeed too great!"

As a space explorer, Ansert keenly sensed that this God of Return might be the hidden boss behind the mysterious Three Gods.

Just like the World Tree Buyi, hidden behind the protagonist Zhou Zhou!

"So that's how it is. Yalber's 'Calamity Ritual' was destroyed because of the God of Return? Indeed, if there is a powerful existence with the End Marker, it is not impossible to defeat a typhoon disaster."

In Ansert's mind, all the information connected: "Then, that guy wanted to figure out the situation, so he sent another group of pirates over, and ended up getting caught by the other side in the Cheerful Sea, along with himself."

The Ant Lich didn't think Yalber's mouth was hard enough to withstand the God of Return. The plan for the ritual and ascension to godhood must have been exposed: "Yalber has completely lost the qualifications to ascend to godhood. Although it's a bit of a pity, now is not the time to care about such trivial matters… Although it's not clear what's going on with this God of Return, as long as the situation of the Three Gods hasn't changed, the plan won't be too bad."

"My plan won't end so easily!"

Just as Ansert was thinking about relevant supplementary measures and countermeasures for his subsequent actions, he received another communication.

"…Hmm, those pirates? It seems they also sensed something was wrong."

The soul fire flickered beneath the shell. The lich stared at the name displayed behind the communication magic circle. He frowned slightly at first, then chuckled: "That's right."

"It's time to speed things up."

At the same time.

The center of the Sacred Fire Continent, Dawn Sacred Mountain.

The endless vast plain in the center of the continent was like a sea of emerald green. The climate here was always mild, and at night, one could always clearly see the bright stars in the sky. Patches of gray-blue clouds floated in the night sky, intertwined with the starlight.

Just below the starlight and moonlight, the towering Dawn Sacred Mountain stood abruptly in the very center of this vast plain, and beneath it was an ancient city, a remnant of the previous era. The white city walls bore the marks of a thousand years of time.

Old Nesser City.

Now the Three Gods Temple, the Central Sanctuary.

All the Fire Folk on the Sacred Fire Continent originated from this city. It was the root of the Fire Folk, the place where God first made a covenant with humans.

Here, the original text of the earliest covenant was recorded, the oldest statues of the Three Gods were erected, and the most primitive history of the era was kept.

Similarly, the latest magic technology, the latest elemental spells, and the original text of the latest canonical books were also being researched here.

The combination of the latest and the most ancient was the charm of the Central Sanctuary. Nearly one hundred thousand clerics and several times as many devout believers lived in this city, forming the center of faith and technology of this continent and nation.

And in the Central Sanctuary, in the magnificent Central Cathedral.

A knight wearing a crimson cloak and light silver armor strode in from the outside. His armor was engraved with prominent flame crests, as well as vows praising God, and ancient canonical texts of the covenant.

And everyone along the way, whether knights or clerics, ordinary people or priests, bowed to the knight from the bottom of their hearts after seeing the armor.

Until finally, when the silver-armored knight wanted to enter an ancient teleportation room located underground in the Great Cathedral, two holy knights wearing white armor with red patterns stepped forward and blocked his way.

"Sorry, Your Excellency."

"The Sanctuary High Priest Council has determined that only some of the Spirit Blessed recognized by the Sanctuary can go to the 'Profound Land'… We must verify your identity."

The silver-armored knight stopped. He glanced at the two holy knights who showed no fear, and then reached out and took off the winged helmet on his head, revealing a handsome but cold face.

The black-haired, golden-eyed holy knight narrowed his eyes, and a pair of golden sun earrings on his earlobes flickered with fluorescence. His tone was calm and unreadable: "Is this okay? It should be enough to prove my identity."

"No problem, Lord Ishaar."

The moment the silver-armored knight took off his helmet, the two holy knights exchanged glances, then bowed their heads, took a step back, and cleared the way: "This is your right."

"However, this is the third time this month that you have applied to go to the Profound Land… The Sanctuary High Priest Council will definitely question you, thinking that your actions may disturb…"

"Get out of the way."

The black-haired, golden-eyed knight named Ishaar scolded, causing the two holy knights who intended to delay him to shut up. Then, he put on his helmet again and stepped into the teleportation room.

Soon, as the four-colored elemental power converged, the light of teleportation lit up.

The road to see God was opened in this way.

Spirit Blessed.

Whether it was the Sacred Fire Continent or the Distant Wind Continent, all the Wind Folk and Fire Folk initially had a question: why was the group of clerics in this world who were second only to God called the Spirit Blessed? Where did God bless them, allowing them to enjoy such glory?

But in fact, the glory of the Spirit Blessed only needed to have one thing.

That was the right to see God.

"The atmosphere in the Sanctuary is getting more and more wrong. If I didn't show my face, those guys would probably dare to stop me."

Under the helmet, the lines of Ishaar's face were tight. At this moment, a raging fire was burning in the eyes of this handsome knight. Powerful elemental power surged in his body, but he always held it back and didn't let it erupt.

After nearly three hundred years, Ishaar's appearance had not changed, always fixed in his young and prime. And the faith in his heart was the same.

But unknowingly, other people, even the Spirit Blessed, had changed.

With such indignation in his heart, his figure disappeared from the Central Sanctuary after teleportation, and then appeared in a vertical crevice located at the bottom of the Dawn Sacred Mountain, an entrance to the depths of the earth that seemed to lead to the center of the world.

Profound Doctrine.

A passage directly to the core of the world.

That was, the road to where God slumbered.

It could be seen that although the crevice leading to the center of the earth was deep, it was not dark. The golden-red glow of the lava was clearly visible even tens of thousands of meters away, and it pushed the scorching wind upward.

Lowering his head, Ishaar stared at it, and then stepped onto the spiraling staircase.

The Fire Lord Spirit Blessed, Seventh Seat 'Ishaar'.

The pinnacle of the Spirit Blessed.

Known as the man closest to God in this world.

Located under the Dawn Sacred Mountain, the road to the Profound Doctrine leading to the center of the world was eternally filled with high-heat fumes. On the spiraling stairs, there were layers of powerful magic detection. If the faith was not pious enough, the magic would be triggered, either teleporting people back to the starting point, or directly activating punishment, completely killing the lawbreakers.

But how pious and powerful was Ishaar? He didn't care about these fumes and spells at all. The knight walked all the way, feeling as familiar as if he were going home.

Soon, he walked tens of thousands of meters down, penetrated the earth's crust and the hot wind, and came to the depths of the earth, the starting point leading to the true center.

At the end of the spiral staircase, a stone tablet carved with obsidian and cast with bright silver metal was so conspicuous.

[Remember the Covenant]

That was the only word inscribed on the stone tablet.

And behind the stone tablet was a golden-red sea of scorching lava. The boiling magma bubbled and foamed, exploding from time to time, stirring up high-heat magical fumes.

But, in such a desperate situation for life, there was an ancient throne standing in this sea of fire that could melt even metal.

Even more surprising, sitting on this throne was actually a petite boy!

The boy wore a golden sun crown on his head. Slightly curly snow-white soft hair hung over his shoulders, and the ends of his hair shimmered with golden-red elemental light. A classic white robe wrapped around his chest and abdomen, and a red belt tightened the opening.

The boy's slightly opened gray eyes were indifferent and lifeless, with only a trace of deep red firelight flashing in the deepest part. He stared at the tumbling lava in front of him, as if he could watch it forever and ever.

The silver-armored knight walked on the lava. He came to this lava throne piously, and then took off his helmet and tucked it under his arm.

The Spirit Blessed Ishaar knelt on one knee and bowed his head to the boy on the throne: "My Lord, your knight has important matters to report."

Silence.

After this sentence was uttered, a long time passed before the gray eyes of the boy sitting on the throne lit up with a spark of wisdom again.

[Oh?]

He slowly raised his head, looked at his knight, and said gently in a clear and holy voice: [What is it, my child?]

[What has surprised you so much that you have come before me without reporting in advance?]

"My Lord, a few days ago, in Sunset City in the Far East, everyone witnessed the descent of the Lord of Judgment—"

The knight, who had waited for a long time, didn't care at all.

He didn't say any superfluous words, stating the information in a solemn tone, but his voice always contained a hint of suppressed anxiety: "This matter was still under investigation, but subsequently, we obtained reports of a battle between a humanoid Lord of Judgment and a dragon-shaped Lord of Judgment. The struggle between the two gods caused great shock and unease… The tens of thousands of residents of Sunset City jointly reported a miracle, requesting the Central Sanctuary to investigate."

[Two Lords of Judgment?]

After a moment of silence, the boy called 'My Lord' by Ishaar shook his head slightly. There was no surprise in his gray eyes: [Maybe it's a conflict of faith. It was foreseen when it was designed… Are there any specific details?]

"No, My Lord."

Ishaar couldn't be sure. After thinking carefully for a while, he said in a deep voice: "However, according to some Sunset City residents, they saw that the humanoid Lord of Judgment confronted the dragon-shaped Lord of Judgment for a long time at the beginning, until finally, he took out the legendary Blazing Holy Sword, and then repelled the opponent…"

"But My Lord, the most important thing is not this, but that you should wake up now!"

Saying this so excitedly, Ishaar raised his head. The black-haired, golden-eyed knight originally wanted to continue to persuade, but he was surprised to find that his Lord's eyes suddenly lit up after hearing the Blazing Holy Sword.

[Blazing Holy Sword…]

He sat on the throne, muttering to himself: [The Blade of Extinction…?]

[I didn't design this back then.]

[Could it be…]

Instantly, it could be seen that the color of灵动 in the boy's eyes became more and more intense.

Noticing this, Ishaar was immediately delighted. Although he didn't know why his Lord would suddenly become active after hearing the Blazing Holy Sword, this was exactly the purpose of his visit.

Immediately, the pious knight raised his hand again: "My Lord, the world situation is now chaotic, but the Fire Folk happen to want to hold a Great Punishment Ceremony, and miracles of the Lord of Judgment are also frequently appearing, which is when people's hearts can be used. Now the Seven Seas Pirates are fully shrinking, and their whereabouts are unknown, which is a good time for us to regain the Cheerful Sea!"

"My Lord, please let me lead a team to the Seven Seas to wipe out those unfaithful evildoers. For your glory, your knight will not hesitate to be smashed to pieces!"

Raising his head, Ishaar's handsome face showed a pleading look: "Moreover, My Lord, you really can't continue to sleep… Since that rebellion, many different voices have appeared within the Sanctuary. Originally, there were still many ordinary clerics who could visit you, but now even the Spirit Blessed must be checked by the Sanctuary Council."

"Moreover, not all of the Spirit Blessed are devout."

"My Lord… I am willing to be your sword, to cut off these rotten vines, to clear the weeds for your manor…"

Ishaar had put in so much effort. He sincerely couldn't stand the current situation and wanted to do something to change it.

But in the end, he got this answer.

[No.]

The white-haired, gray-eyed boy raised his head, met his knight's gaze, and smiled gently, but his tone was undeniable: [This is not the same as my plan.]

[Let them go, I don't care. The truth of the world is that what is united for a long time will be divided, and what is divided for a long time will be united.]

[In the era when elements rotate each other, people want to unify the elements. In the era when elements are in harmony, people will also think about differentiating the elements - this may also be a cycle, but I have never been able to transcend it.]

——Yes, transcending the cycle is so difficult…

Saying this, memories couldn't help but come to mind, and the god slowly closed his eyes: [So, everything is left to you.]

[I will continue to slumber, waiting for the arrival of 'that moment'.]

"But, Lord, those blasphemous pirates, those traitors who have already begun to prepare to seize your power…"

Ishaar looked at a loss, and the knight's golden eyes were full of disbelief. He couldn't believe that his Lord didn't care about anything - Ishaar originally wanted to continue to persuade, but he found that his Lord had really fallen asleep again, leaving only a small body on the throne.

"…Ka."

Clenching his teeth forcefully, Ishaar's handsome face was full of unwillingness and incomprehension. He really didn't understand what his Lord was thinking.

But no matter how unwilling he was, he couldn't question God, and in the end, he could only turn around and leave in disappointment.

Only the boiling sea of lava slowly churned, just like the past four hundred years.

At this moment, outside Sunset City.

Su Zhou and his party had already boarded the carriage to the Central Sanctuary.

The original carriage was not fast, but with the blessing of Aimon's divine magic and Su Zhou's power, the speed of the carriage actually had nothing to do with the horses - it was basically flying in the air, the carriage pushing the horses forward.

"But, My Lord, since we have made the carriage fly, why don't we just fly over there?"

This was the confusion of Aimon and Sara and others, and even Yalber, who was thrown aside as a prisoner, didn't understand this point, but he didn't dare to ask.

"Because I want to see the situation of other cities in this world along the way - it won't take too long, and I think it's very necessary."

This was Su Zhou's simple answer.

The world was slowly falling into a vortex.

Whether it was the existence from another world, the pirates who intended to ascend to godhood, the Sea Folk who drifted across the seas, or the fanatics of the Lord of Judgment who were mad because of the divine descent, as well as the Fire Sanctuary who had other thoughts, they all foreshadowed the arrival of a huge change.

Su Zhou certainly knew this, and he also knew very well that all of this was driven by his arrival.

It was because of his actions that the world would change - whether it was the Wind Folk, the Fire Folk, the sea-loving pirates and the Sea Folk, whether it was piety or disbelief, whether it was gods or mortals, they would all think, act, and make their own choices because of his actions.

However, there was nothing strange about this.

Because the powerful existence, just the existence itself, would affect others.

The wheels turned, the carriage pushed the horses, and headed towards the distance.

On the morning of the fourth day after arriving in the Reincarnation World, Su Zhou left Sunset City.

In the very center of the world, he embarked on a journey to the center of the world.