Chapter 18 Chains

Until now, Ansert had not received any information related to the hidden quest prefixed with 'Final Chain' in the Pioneer Space. No one had responded to inquiries, whether overt or covert, or even to public announcements.

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 received this quest had sealed off relevant information. But in any case, Ansert wasn't an idiot; he knew the weight of this hidden quest, which was definitely more important than any quest he had ever seen.

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

And then, he might be able to know the essence of that mysterious gray mist that could even halt the Pioneer Space's reports.

But now, Ansert's primary focus was on the brand new quests that had appeared in the report, in addition to those old tasks.

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

[Current Progress 0%, Reward Points 0]

The report also included two images—one depicting a vague humanoid figure standing on a judgment platform; the other showing a mountain-sized golden dragon shadow floating in mid-air and a tiny human figure in front of it.

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

[Judgment Dragon · Lord of Judgment]

[Overlord · God]

[High-risk target. Full state. Avatar form has Overlord Initial Stage strength, high threat level.]

[Action suggestion: Use weapons with God-Slaying traits, Dragon-Slaying traits, and Spirit traits for 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 Shenmu Buyi in the Zhengtianshenmu World, forcing him to transform into a Lich body, 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 in each world of the multiverse was different. According to the Space, this was proof that 'time' itself belonged to 'chaos,' a kind of illusion in a sense. But even so, Anderson had only used nine years of his perceived time to go from an ordinary mortal who knew nothing about cultivation to a High-Tier commander. This was enough to show how terrifying the Pioneer Space was for increasing strength.

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

But even so, even if Ansert was lucky enough to succeed in the advancement quest and successfully advance to Overlord, his strength would only be comparable to one of the avatar forms of this Lord of Judgment, the Judgment Dragon.

Moreover, without the corresponding weapons, fighting would definitely be very difficult.

The Three Gods were indeed the native gods of this world. Anderson firmly believed that he would definitely surpass them in the future, but now, gods were still gods after all, especially with hundreds of years of accumulated faith power. Who knew what other trump cards these guys had?

"But, faith power can make a god, and it can also topple a god. The elemental souls nurtured by the world can give birth to innate gods. Naturally, the changes in the world will also affect the gods."

Thinking like this, the Ant Clan Lich slightly shook his head: "In any case, the Wind God and the Fire God 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 ideals at all. No wonder I feel out of place in the society of the Wind Clan."

"And this time, I will definitely leverage the world, change the world, and make this stagnant world operate again—at least, start moving forward!"

Thinking like this, Ansert was not simply hypnotizing himself. 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 Wind God or the Fire God, there were major shortcomings.

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

"I will be the pioneer, to lead this world toward '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 personal exclusive world… This way, other explorers won't be able to come and threaten my hometown."

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 only minor differences in certain details.

But the result was that Ansert was stunned in place.

[??????? · God of Return]

[Heavenly Soul Karma Position · Overlord]

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

Just that huge metal skull logo next to the question mark shocked the Lich, causing him to gasp, dropping the temperature of the entire volcano crater by thirty degrees: "Apocalypse Marker!"

This was not the first time he had seen this logo.

However, every time in the past when he saw this logo on someone or something in various worlds, it had been proven that they had the potential or power to destroy that world!

Just like the Judgment Dragon and the Lord of Sixfold Tribulation mentioned earlier, they were all existences with this Apocalypse Marker.

Following this was a detailed action suggestion.

[Ultra-Dangerous Target. Strength Unconfirmed. Status Unconfirmed. Extremely Dangerous.]

[Action Suggestion: Return Immediately.]

That was as good as saying nothing.

Instantly, Ansert's expression became 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 a single 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 Shenmu Buyi hidden behind the protagonist Zhou Zhou in the Shenmu world!

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

In Ansert's mind, all the information connected together: "Then, that guy wanted to figure out the situation first, so he sent another group of pirates over, and as a result, he himself was caught by the other side in Queyue Sea."

The Ant-Man Lich didn't think that Yalb's mouth would be very tough, and that he could hold on in the face of this God of Return. The plan regarding the ritual and becoming a god must have been exposed: "Yalb has completely lost the qualification to become a god. It's a bit of a pity, but now is not the time to care about such trivial matters… Although it is not yet clear what this God of Return is all about, as long as the situation of the Three Gods does not change, the plan will not be too bad."

"My plan will not end so easily!"

While Ansert was thinking about relevant supplementary measures and countermeasures for the subsequent actions, he received another communication.

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

The soul light under the shell flickered. The Lich stared at the name displayed behind the communication magic circle. He first frowned slightly, and then smiled softly: "That's right."

"It's time to speed things up."

At the same time.

The Holy Fire Continent, Morning Light Holy Mountain.

The endless vast plain in the center of the continent was like a verdant ocean. The climate here was always peaceful, and on the darkest nights, one could always clearly see the countless stars in the sky. Patches of gray-blue streamers floated in the night sky, intertwined with the starlight.

Beneath the starlight and moonlight, the towering Morning Light Holy Mountain stood abruptly in the very center of this vast plain. And beneath it, there was an ancient city, a relic of the previous era, with the marks of thousands of years on its white walls.

Old Nesser City.

Now, the Three Gods Temple, the Central Sanctuary.

All the Fire Clan people on the entire Holy Fire Continent originated from this city. It was the root of the Fire Clan, the place where the gods first made a covenant with humans.

Here, the original version of the first covenant was recorded, the most ancient statues of the Three Gods were erected, and the most primitive history of the era was preserved.

Similarly, the latest magic guide technology, the latest elemental spells, and the newest canon were being developed here.

The combination of the newest and the most ancient was the charm of the Central Sanctuary. Nearly 100,000 holy knights and several times that number of devout believers lived in this city, forming the faith and technology center of this continent and country.

And right in the Central Sanctuary, at the majestic Great Central Cathedral.

A knight wearing a fire-red cloak and light silver armor walked in from the outside. Conspicuously engraved on his armor were flame emblems, oaths praising the gods, and ancient original canons.

Everyone along the way, whether knight or holy knight, commoner or priest, bowed respectfully to this knight from the bottom of their hearts upon seeing the armor.

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

"Sorry, sir."

"The Sanctuary Council has determined that only a portion of the God-blessed ones approved by the Sanctuary may go to the 'Profound Land'… We must verify your identity."

In response, the silver-armored knight stopped. He glanced at the two holy knights who showed no fear, and then reached up, removed the winged helmet on his head, revealing a handsome but indifferent face.

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

"No problem, Lord Ishar."

The moment the silver-armored knight took off his helmet, the two holy knights exchanged glances, then bowed their heads and stepped back, clearing 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 Council will definitely question you, believing that your actions may disturb…"

"Get out of the way."

The black-haired, golden-eyed knight named Ishar rebuked, silencing the two holy knights who intended to delay him. Then, he put his helmet back on and stepped into the teleportation room.

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

The path to seeing the god was thus opened.

God-blessed.

Whether on the Holy Fire Continent or the Distant Wind Continent, all the Wind Clan and Fire Clan people had once been confused: why were the holy knights in this world, second only to gods, called God-blessed? Where exactly did God bless them, allowing them to enjoy such honor?

But in fact, the honor of the God-blessed only needed one thing.

That was the right to see God frequently.

"The atmosphere in the Sanctuary is getting more and more strange. If I don't show my face, those guys might even dare to stop me."

Under the helmet, the lines of Ishar's face were tight. The handsome knight's eyes were burning with raging anger, and powerful elemental forces surged within him, but he suppressed them, not letting them explode.

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

But imperceptibly, others, even the God-blessed ones, had changed.

With such indignation in his heart, his figure disappeared from the Central Sanctuary after teleportation, and then appeared at a vertical rift in the Morning Light Holy Mountain's underground, an underground entrance that seemed to lead to the center of the world, a profound place.

Profound Doctrine.

A passage directly to the core of the world.

That is, the road to the place where God slumbered.

One could see that although the rift leading to the center of the earth was deep, it was not dark. The golden-red light of the molten lava was clearly visible even tens of thousands of meters away, and it pushed the scorching wind upwards.

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

Fire Lord God-blessed, Seventh Seat 'Ishar'.

The pinnacle of God-blessed.

Known as the man closest to God in this world.

Beneath the Morning Light Holy Mountain, the road to the Profound Doctrine leading to the center of the world was eternally filled with hot, smoky winds. On the spiraling layers of stairs, there were also layers of powerful magic detection. If the faith was not devout enough, the magic would trigger, either teleporting people back to the starting point, or directly activating punishment, completely killing the offender.

But how devout was Ishar, and how powerful was he? He didn't care about these smoky winds and spells at all. The knight walked all the way, as familiar as going home.

Soon, he walked tens of thousands of meters downward, penetrated the earth's crust and hot winds, and arrived at the depths of the earth, the starting point leading to the true core of the earth.

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

[Remember the Covenant]

That was the only phrase engraved on the stone tablet.

And behind the stone tablet was a golden-red sea of scorching lava. The boiling magma churned, rising bubbles, and exploded from time to time, creating a hot, magical smoky wind.

However, in such a dead end for life, there was an ancient throne, standing in this sea of fire that was enough to melt even metal.

Even more astonishing was that sitting on this throne was actually a petite teenager!

This teenager wore a golden sun crown, and slightly curled, snow-white soft long hair hung over his shoulders, with golden-red elemental brilliance flickering at the ends of his hair. A classical white robe wrapped around his chest and abdomen, and a scarlet belt tightened the opening.

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

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

God-blessed Ishar knelt on one knee. He bowed to the teenager on the throne: "My lord, your knight has important matters to report."

Silence.

After this sentence was spoken, a long time passed again before the teenager sitting on the throne, the gray eyes, relit a bit of wisdom.

[Oh?]

He slowly raised his head and looked at his knight. The teenager said gently in a ethereal and sacred voice: [What is it, my child?]

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

"My lord, several days ago, in the distant eastern Sunset City, people witnessed the descent of the Lord of Judgment—"

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

He didn't have any extra words. He stated the intelligence in a solemn tone, but his voice always contained a trace of irrepressible anxiety: "This matter was still under investigation, but afterwards, we received reports of a battle between a human-shaped Lord of Judgment and a dragon-shaped Lord of Judgment. The struggle between the two gods caused great shock and unrest… Tens of thousands of residents in the entire Sunset City jointly reported the miracle, requesting the Central Sanctuary to investigate."

[Two Lords of Judgment?]

After a moment of silence, the teenager who was called 'My Lord' by Ishar 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."

In this regard, Ishar couldn't be sure either. He thought seriously for a while, and then said in a deep voice: "However, according to some Sunset City residents, they saw the human-shaped Lord of Judgment initially confronting the dragon-shaped Lord of Judgment for a long time, 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, the important thing is that you should wake up now!"

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

[Blazing Holy Sword…]

He sat on the throne and couldn't help but mutter to himself: [The blade of… Annihilation?]

[I didn't design this back then.]

[Could it be…]

Instantly, one could see that the agility in the teenager's eyes was becoming more and more intense.

Realizing this, Ishar was immediately delighted. Although he didn't know why his lord would suddenly become active after hearing about the Blazing Holy Sword, this was precisely the purpose of his coming to see him frequently.

Immediately, the devout knight raised his hand again: "My lord, the world situation is chaotic and unstable, but the Fire Clan happens to want to hold a great ritual of punishment, and the miracles of the Lord of Judgment are also appearing frequently. It is precisely the time when people's hearts can be used. Now, the Seven Seas pirates are fully contracting and their whereabouts are unknown. It is the perfect opportunity for us to regain the Queyue Sea!"

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

Raising his head, Ishar's handsome profile 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 holy knights who could pay their respects to you, but now even the God-blessed ones must pass the Sanctuary Council's test."

"Moreover, not all of the God-blessed ones are devout."

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

Ishar was so painstaking, he sincerely couldn't stand the current situation and wanted to do something.

But in the end, he got this answer.

[No.]

The white-haired, gray-eyed teenager raised his head, met his knight's gaze, and smiled gently, but his tone was not to be refused: [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 the elements rotate each other, people want to integrate the elements. In the era when the elements are in harmony, people will also think about differentiating the elements—this may also be a reincarnation, but I have never been able to transcend it.]

--Yes, transcending reincarnation is so difficult…

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

[Wait for the arrival of 'that moment'.]

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

In response, Ishar looked blank, the knight's golden eyes were full of disbelief. He didn't expect that his lord would not care about everything—Ishar wanted to continue to advise him, but he found that his lord had really fallen into a deep sleep again, leaving only a small shell on the throne.

"…Crack."

Clenching his teeth forcefully, Ishar's handsome face was full of unwillingness.

But no matter how unwilling he was, he could only turn around and leave in loneliness.

Only the boiling sea of lava slowly churned, as it had for the past four hundred years.

At this moment, outside Sunset City.

Su Zhou's group had already boarded the carriage to the Central Sanctuary.

Originally, the carriage didn't move fast, but with the blessing of Aimon's divine magic and Su Zhou's power, the speed of this carriage had nothing to do with horses—it basically flew in the air, and the carriage pushed the horse forward.

"But, my lord, since we have made the carriage fly, why don't we just fly over there directly?"

This was the confusion of Aimon and others, and even Yalb, 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 in other cities in this world along the way—it won't take too long, I think it's very necessary."

This was Su Zhou's simple answer.

The world was slowly falling into a whirlpool.

Whether it was the existence from another world, the pirates intending to become gods, the sea people wandering the four seas, or the fanatical Lord of Judgment believers who were fanatic because of the god's descent, and the Fire Sanctuary with other thoughts, all foreshadowed the arrival of a huge change.

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

It was precisely because of his actions that the world would change—whether it was the Wind Clan, the Fire Clan, the pirates and sea people, whether it was faithful or unbelieving, whether it was a god or a mortal, all would think, act, and make their own choices because of his actions.

However, there was nothing strange about this.

Because the existence of a powerful being, simply by existing, would affect others.

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

On the morning of the fourth day of his arrival 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.