Chapter 478: He Comes from Darkness

The graveyard where the siblings lived was ancient. Not a single bone could be found there, only scattered will-o'-the-wisps. These will-o'-the-wisps were the seeds they guarded. They had to replant them before the will-o'-the-wisps or they themselves perished... This was the meaning of their existence.

Over the long years that followed, their wisdom severely deteriorated, and most of the seeds they guarded extinguished, no longer able to sprout. Their demise was unstoppable...

Fortunately, before their true demise, they found soil where the will-o'-the-wisps could reignite. The elder brother, an 'Omnipotent,' was mentally unstable. Fearing he might go mad and harm the will-o'-the-wisps, he sent his sister, an 'Omniscient,' away with the remaining will-o'-the-wisps to plant them in the soil. Many of these will-o'-the-wisps bore the names of gods. However, what the younger sister didn't realize was that a shadowy figure, disguised as her own shadow, trailed her as she left.

Tap, tap, tap...

The two ascended the stairs, their footsteps echoing through the Celestial Scroll building.

The boy in black paused, glancing at Shi beside him.

Though the porcelain-doll-like girl didn't quite understand the story, hearing about a little girl her age walking through fields with a ghost following behind her filled her with a chilling sense of dread.

"Are you scared?" the boy in black asked with a smile.

Shi clenched her fists and said, "It's just a story. What's there to be afraid of?"

She bit her fingertip, thought for a moment, then asked, "By the way, why are the seeds given such an unpleasant name as 'will-o'-the-wisp'? Aren't will-o'-the-wisps things found in graveyards? How could something like that sprout, and if it did, what would grow from it?"

The boy in black chuckled and said, "A seed is the core of a fruit. A pear seed will always grow into a pear, and a papaya seed will always grow into a papaya. Since these seeds are called will-o'-the-wisps, that means they are ghosts... or rather, demon seeds."

"Ghosts? Demons?" Shi's surprise was evident.

The boy in black nodded and said, "Yes, these ghosts once lived in an island village. One day, a great fire descended from the sky and engulfed the village. These ghosts chose not to save it but instead drained all of the village's resources to build an ark for ocean travel. They sailed into the vast sea and never returned, leaving the village that had nurtured them for countless generations to be destroyed and become a desolate ruin of a graveyard. Before leaving, those ghosts even fashioned the brother and sister from the village's rocks and soil, gave them the seeds, and instructed them to guard the ruins. If the ruins ever returned to life, they were to sow the seeds."

"That's so mean of them!" Shi said, puffing out her cheeks, indignant.

"You think they were mean too?" the boy in black asked.

Shi first nodded vigorously, then tilted her head in thought, saying, "But that's not quite right. While it was mean of them to abandon the village, a village isn't alive. It's like a sword we use; when it gets old and broken, we throw it away and get a new one."

The boy in black countered, "What if the village had consciousness?"

Shi was stunned, her mind unable to grasp the idea for a moment.

The boy in black passed the Sword Hall, where competitions were held, and peered inside. This hall had witnessed countless duels among young talents from the Central Lands; every sword mark on its walls and floor tiles told a unique story.

He had seen such stories for many years, and they had become a part of his life. If they were to disappear one day, he would probably feel a sense of loss, wouldn't he?

The wind swept around the Celestial Scroll building.

The boy in black continued walking towards the upper levels of the Command Tower, resuming his story for the little girl beside him:

"Many, many years later, the village, almost completely hollowed out, showed no signs of recovery. Instead, it was torn to pieces by the sea and swept away to an unknown location. Then, after many more years, the elder brother discovered that an island near where the village once stood seemed to have revitalized. After consulting with his sister, he sent her across the sea to sow the seeds. The ghostly shadow secretly following the sister was the vengeful spirit that had slowly formed from that village."

"A vengeful spirit..." Shi listened silently, a shiver running down her spine. She asked, "Is this the price for abandoning the village?"

"Yes," the boy in black said. "The village's vengeful spirit utterly hated those ghosts. It swore that it would never allow this demonic lineage to be reborn. So it secretly followed the sister, intending to destroy everything."

The boy in black seemed lost in thought, reminiscing: "The sister crossed the sea and arrived at that vibrant village, which was teeming with dragons. These dragons were extraordinarily powerful because they consumed a special kind of spiritual energy, leading later generations to call them 'Ancient Gods.' Actually, such dragons had also existed in the ruined village, but there was no spiritual energy back then, so the dragons were merely a form of life and could not be called Ancient Gods."

Shi asked curiously, "Wasn't that sister known as the 'Omniscient'? Didn't she know there was a ghost following her?"

The boy in black explained, "When she was created, she was indeed omniscient, but she couldn't know things outside of her knowledge. For example, before she traveled to that island, she didn't know what it looked like, but once she arrived, her 'omniscience' ability would activate, and she would quickly know everything about the island. However, the sister was unaware of the ghost's existence, and the ghost wasn't something that would be presented to her like the island or the village... Because she didn't know it existed, she had no way of knowing it."

Shi listened, feeling a little dazed, but managed to nod, prompting her elder brother to continue.

The boy in black said, "During the process of sowing the seeds, the sister faced opposition from the island's old village chief. The chief tried to kill her but found himself no match for her. Terrified and fearing retaliation, the chief voluntarily fled the village to seek help from other chiefs, promising the village's most precious resources as a reward."

"The sister didn't actually want to harm the old chief; she only wanted to discuss a way to coexist peacefully. However, she didn't know how to express her goodwill. After the old chief left, she realized she would face retaliation. To protect her seeds and ensure they could grow vigorously, she took out a few of the brightest will-o'-the-wisps. Using the sun and moon as their source, she fashioned them into powerful gods. The less luminous will-o'-the-wisps remained in the village to act as immortals protecting the world, and these immortals gradually awakened later on..."

"So... what about that vengeful spirit?" Shi asked curiously.

"The vengeful spirit was not as powerful as the siblings, so it bided its time, waiting for an opportunity to ambush the sister," the boy in black said. "When the sister had finished sowing all the seeds, she was at her weakest. At that moment, the vengeful spirit struck with terrifying force, knocked her unconscious, stripped her of her omniscient power, and buried her deep beneath the earth, placing many seals upon her. Everything went smoothly..."

"The vengeful spirit gained power and truly began to grow stronger. It wanted to destroy the as-yet-unsprouted seeds, but it soon realized that the elder brother, who was several times more powerful, was still alive and still possessed some will-o'-the-wisps... Only by killing the brother could it achieve final revenge against the ghosts who had abandoned the village. The vengeful spirit began to ponder how to kill the incredibly powerful brother."

Shi listened, captivated.

The two reached the top of the Celestial Scroll building.

"As for what happened next..." The boy in black opened the door and said, "Let's go inside, and I'll tell you slowly."

Shi looked at the unlit room, and remembering her brother's recent words, she felt a sudden pang of fear. She looked up at his faint smile and quickly felt at ease.

Shi walked in.

Outside the Celestial Scroll building, on the barren plains, the ice and snow had melted, revealing the pale yellow essence of the earth.

A streak of fire shot across the sky and stopped on the cold ground.

Suzaku's figure stopped. She looked at the newcomer and smiled faintly, "Is my daughter worried about her mother? Did you have to follow me all the way here to check?"

Zhao Xiang'er, holding her umbrella-sword, stood in front of Suzaku.

She looked at the cluster of buildings behind Suzaku, at the towering Celestial Scroll building, her eyes chilling. "What exactly are you doing? Why are you here?"

Today, Suzaku's expression was unusually serene.

Suzaku looked at her, seemingly deliberating on how to begin recounting a long-past event.

Meanwhile, Yuan Jun quietly appeared.

Zhao Xiang'er's gaze darkened, and her grip on her sword tightened.

"Shall I kill her?" Yuan Jun asked indifferently.

"Dare you?" Suzaku's voice was icy.

Yuan Jun sneered, saying, "This is not your star."

Suzaku said calmly, "For thousands of years, we gods of the stars have had two shackles: one is the darkness in the sky, and the other is the stars' own binding upon us. The darkness in the sky is about to be wiped away, and the stars' binding cannot hinder my authority over the Three Thousand Worlds. I am now free, so any choice I make from now on is possible. I advise you not to provoke me."

Prioritizing the bigger picture, Yuan Jun did not contradict her in the slightest. He turned and departed, disappearing into the cluster of buildings around the Celestial Scroll.

Zhao Xiang'er looked at Suzaku, at the vanished Yuan Jun, and at the Celestial Scroll building behind them. In that instant, her mind cleared, and she suddenly understood something.

Could it be...

Her heart clenched as she gazed at the Celestial Scroll building, as if seeing a true devil.

"Xiang'er, you've always been very clever. Things have come to this, and I had no intention of hiding anything from you," Suzaku said, noticing her expression and sighing. "But even if you've guessed the truth, it's useless. As you are now, you can't change anything."

In the previous spacetime explosion, the entire Western Kingdom was destroyed.

Without her Divine Kingdom, Zhao Xiang'er's strength would undoubtedly be greatly reduced, making her unable to participate in truly peak battles like those of Ning Changjiu and Ye Changong.

Zhao Xiang'er stared blankly at her, remaining silent for a long time before pointing at the Celestial Scroll building, her voice trembling with anger: "He... he actually is..."

"Just as you suspect," Suzaku smiled slightly, her expression rapturous. "But don't worry, I will protect Xiang'er. After all... you are our daughter."

"You lunatic!" Zhao Xiang'er said coldly.

"Yes, I am a lunatic," Suzaku said. "But how else can one live without going mad? For a god, mental normalcy is a luxury..."

Zhao Xiang'er watched the woman laughing dementedly, bit her silver teeth, and suddenly leaped up, soaring into the sky.

She intended to fly beyond the firmament, tell them her suspicions, and stop the battle raging beyond the heavens!

Suzaku smiled helplessly, then followed closely, quickly surpassing Zhao Xiang'er and intercepting her.

"Stop struggling in vain."

Suzaku smiled gently, "That battle will end soon... It is a ludicrous and tragic decisive battle. It is ludicrous because both sides are fighting for the continuation of human civilization, and it is tragic because no matter who wins, it will be a devastating blow to human civilization. This is destined to be a tragedy, the greatest tragedy in history."

In the Great Void, this peak duel was drawing to a close.

In the ruins of the asteroid belt, the weakened Ye Changong, her moon gauze stained with blood, was enveloped in scorching dust and smoke. Ning Changjiu held her small, soft body in his arms, soaring through the pulverized dust clouds, trying to evade the Puppet's pursuit.

The Puppet, with its long hair like a waterfall of light, was a true killing machine; eliminating the young pair seemed to be ingrained in its very being.

These ordinary dust particles, of course, could not obstruct its gaze.

It easily pinpointed their escape direction and pursued them like a phantom.

"Protect the flame of human civilization from extinguishing..."

The Puppet chanted this phrase as it flew in pursuit, like a fanatical devotee reciting a devout prayer.

Its figure pressed closer, and with a single sword stroke, it cleaved the entire dust cloud in half. The sword light pierced through the cloud, aiming directly for Ning Changjiu's back.

The Puppet seemed to have learned the authority of 'Taiyin'!

Ning Changjiu had no way to evade this strike. Holding Ye Changong, he was forced to use his back as a shield against the sword light.

The sword light cleaved his back, almost severing his spine. His arms, embracing Ye Changong, tightened abruptly. Ye Changong could feel his pain within his embrace; unable to break free, she desperately channeled her authority of life, healing his wounds as much as possible.

Ning Changjiu's back was stiff and excruciatingly painful. Blood spilled, spiraling into distinct droplets in the cosmos.

Above, the massive dust cloud was easily cut open by the Puppet. Sword light and moonlight merged, complementing each other and unleashing boundless power. Simultaneously, dozens of authorities activated almost at once, centered around 'Death's Prison' and 'Judgment,' piercing through the void and striking towards Ning Changjiu's back in a lethal attack.

"No..."

Ye Changong's voice was a mere groan. She reached out, wanting to activate the authority of infinity and jump to a new world-line, but her hand was held in an unyielding grip, unable to move.

The authorities and killing intent instantly shredded the flesh on Ning Changjiu's back.

This pain was a hundred times more brutal than having one's fingernails instantly peeled back. Ning Changjiu's agonizing scream was almost squeezed through his clenched teeth.

Within the Violet Palace, the Golden Crow Divine Kingdom shook violently. Lu Jiajia and Siming could no longer hold on; they fell from their divine thrones, kneeling on the ground, their shoulders trembling and constricted, like pitiful women who had endured a day and night in icy snow.

Even with their combined strength, even with the support of all human cultivators, they were still so powerless against such peak power.

The nearly omnipotent Puppet Butcher descended vertically from the sky, a silver sword in its hand, its figure rapidly closing in.

"Its power comes from the stars..."

Ye Changong's brows trembled slightly. From her cool lips, the words, as gentle as she could make them, resonated in Ning Changjiu's mind: "If you seal all the stars, you might be able to defeat it."

Seal all the stars...

Ning Changjiu clenched his teeth so tightly they almost ground together.

Ever since he learned that the Puppet's power came from the stars, a similar idea was the first thing that flashed through Ning Changjiu's mind.

But how could stars be sealed?

There were only two ways to seal the stars: one was to simply destroy all of them, cutting off the source of power directly; the other was to create a barrier, similar to a Divine Kingdom, lure the Puppet inside, imprison it within the Divine Kingdom, and use its laws to subdue it.

But neither of these was something they could accomplish in their current state...

In an instant.

The Puppet's sword, wielded mid-air, was already at his neck. The sudden chill made all the hairs on his nape stand on end. As the blade sliced down, Ye Changong mentally commanded her Moon Branch to intercept it.

With a clang, the weapon was repelled once more.

But the pale thunder of 'Judgment' relentlessly pursued, aiming directly for Ning Changjiu's back.

Ning Changjiu barely managed to turn, shielding his master while simultaneously drawing his sword to cleave the pale thunder.

Sword light and lightning intertwined brilliantly.

A sharp curtain of light exploded once more in the void, swirling wildly and displaying spectacular colors.

More and more blood floated in the void.

Ning Changjiu's embrace loosened slightly.

Ye Changong could hear his suddenly rapid, yet increasingly faint, heartbeat.

As death approached, the lonely cosmos was so quiet. Moments from their past flashed through their minds. Ye Changong suddenly felt regret, regretting not having done more during those eight years.

If everything ended here, they would surely have regrets, wouldn't they?

"I want to..." Ye Changong suddenly said, "I want to see the moon again."

These words echoed in Ning Changjiu's ear.

He had just cleaved the pale thunder and was falling with Ye Changong. The moon, obscured by the chaotic body, was not far behind them.

Ye Changong kneaded a ball of moonlight into Ning Changjiu's embrace, then pushed him away.

Ning Changjiu was stunned. He could clearly feel that in his arms lay the complete authority of life.

His master had given him the authority of life!

The authority of life seeped into his body, closing his wounds with miraculous speed. Ning Changjiu saw the sorrow in his master's eyes, a sorrow imbued with the heart-stopping beauty of death. A single glance made his heart twist in agony.

"What are you doing?!" As Ning Changjiu's injuries slightly healed, he moved, swiftly darting towards his master, intending to pull her back into his embrace.

But at that very moment, the Puppet's pursuing figure also arrived.

It plunged between them, like a dark river, separating the two.

Ye Changong spread her arms, facing Ning Changjiu, and fell towards the black moon, a smile of serene relief gracing her lips.

It was the look of someone embracing death...

But how could Ning Changjiu just watch her die?

The authority of life repaired his flesh and blood, and spiritual energy surged within him. Holding the silver sword, his eyes widened in fury, and he unleashed a colossal sword light capable of rending the cosmos, striking towards the black figure before him.

But the Puppet ignored him.

After a brief assessment, the Puppet, holding its blade, thrust towards Ye Changong.

It chose to eliminate Ye Changong first.

The Puppet's figure arrived in an instant.

Its blade easily pierced through Ye Changong's lower abdomen, emerging from her back.

Ning Changjiu watched this scene, his breath caught, his next heartbeat feeling as if it would tear him apart... Even though they had long prepared themselves for defeat and death, when this moment truly arrived—when the Puppet crushed them with strength far beyond their imagination and then drove its blade into Ye Changong's body—Ning Changjiu was close to despair. Yet, at that very instant, every drop of his blood ignited, and he felt an unprecedented rage!

In the pure white mind-lake, Liu Xiewan, nearly unconscious, vaguely awoke. She felt a summoning, then extended her hand, merging with Ning Changjiu once more to unleash a world-shattering sword strike that surpassed even their previous peak.

This sword strike illuminated the Puppet's nape, its light even suppressing its long hair.

But the Puppet's expression remained icily indifferent.

"Death's Prison, Suppress."

It uttered casually, using these two authorities to block the sword strike.

Meanwhile, its blade had already pierced Ye Changong's body, and another authority swiftly attached itself to the blade, intending to shatter Ye Changong's body in one blow.

"Calamity," it commanded once more.

The sword embedded in Ye Changong's body exploded with a roar.

At that very moment, Ye Changong suddenly looked up, her eyes clear, with no trace of sorrow left. Instead, they held a bone-deep resolve and determination!

Her eyes looked past the Puppet's shoulder, fixed intensely on Ning Changjiu. From her thin lips, cold words abruptly echoed in Ning Changjiu's mind-lake:

"One sword... just one sword! Kill it!"

Since Ning Changjiu first met her, her voice had never been so urgent and resolute.

The Puppet's sword pierced her body, and the authority of Calamity was unleashed, exploding within her. Yet, Ye Changong's body remained unharmed.

Where did the vanished explosion go?

Soon, the Puppet received its answer.

The moon exploded!

In that instant, Ye Changong grafted the 'Calamity' that had exploded within her onto the moon.

This was the Puppet's peak strike. Boundless energy exploded within the Moon Prison, tearing it to shreds in its rapid expansion. The chaotic body attached to the Moon Prison's surface was also blown away by the explosion, and the resulting shockwave surged back over Ye Changong and the Puppet.

Simultaneously, the authority of Dream activated, invading the Puppet's sea of consciousness before it could react.

It had been proven during the previous 'pollution' incident that the Puppet's mental capabilities were relatively vulnerable. While not fatal, this was certainly a way to slow its actions.

Ye Changong deliberately allowed it to stab her, intending to seize the opportunity to detonate the Moon Prison, thereby obscuring the starry sky with the chaotic body and cutting off the Puppet's source of power.

Previously, when Ning Changjiu used the earth as a bow to propel himself, he pierced the chaotic body with a single sword strike from within its core! This also proved that the Dark Lord, isolated from the starry sky within the chaotic body, was vulnerable.

Yet, despite its immense power, why did it choose to weaken itself with the chaotic body?

Ning Changjiu had no time to ponder the answer.

The Moon Prison had exploded. They had no retreat. This sword, regardless of success or failure, would be his last. As the sword light flashed, life, death, and destiny were decided in an instant!

Within the chaotic body, the silver sword struck straight down!

At the same time, the Golden Crow flew out, and the Gate of the Red Sun opened. Siming and Lu Jiajia emerged from it, one to the left and one to the right, unleashing a light capable of cleaving gods with their exquisite curved sword strikes.

The two female figures had endured holding up the Divine Palace for too long, their palms bleeding profusely, yet their sword-wielding movements did not slow by even a fraction.

This was the killing technique they had practiced countless times!

The sword lights struck the Puppet's body almost simultaneously.

A trace of bewilderment flickered across the Puppet's indifferent face once more.

"Protect... the flame... of human civilization... from extinguishing..."

Broken, disjointed words came from its mouth.

The three sword energies merged. Each sword light was an ice blade piercing joints, a cleaver shattering limbs. The power they unleashed poured forth, illuminating the chaotic body. Without the support of the stars, the Puppet became vulnerable, its outer layer ripped to shreds.

After the sword light, a furious wind and mighty waves suddenly rose, tearing open the briefly reclosed chaotic body once more.

"Don't let it touch starlight!" Ye Changong's gentle voice was already hoarse.

They didn't know if this strike had killed this peak masterpiece of the previous civilization, but there was only one chance. If it were to see the stars again, the effort of this sword strike would be in vain.

Without much thought, Ning Changjiu directly unfurled the Golden Crow Divine Kingdom, encompassing the damaged Puppet with the crimson sun.

The light flashed and vanished; the Golden Crow flew back.

The surface of the chaotic body still trembled, fragments of the Moon Prison shot outwards, and the sword light gradually dissipated. Ye Changong clutched her lower abdomen, her eyelids half-closed over her porcelain-white cheeks. Siming and Lu Jiajia gripped their bleeding web-between-thumb-and-finger, the intense pain making their lips and teeth tremble, unable to speak.

In the pure white mind-lake, Liu Xiewan bit her lip, kneeling on the lake's surface, her body undulating like water.

Ning Changjiu's sword-holding hand slowly lowered. His tattered and unkempt white robe fluttered in the air.

The cosmos was silent.

They seemed to have defeated the unconquerable enemy, yet for some reason, no one felt joy. Instead, everyone experienced an ineffable sense of bewilderment, as if none of it held any meaning...

"Is it dead?" Lu Jiajia looked at him and asked softly.

Siming also looked at him, her blood-red lips alluringly moist.

Ning Changjiu closed his eyes, observing the Golden Crow Divine Kingdom from afar with his Taiyin eyes.

The Puppet lay within the Divine Kingdom, its body broken, the delicate light-hair behind its head gone. Its eyes were closed, its fate unknown.

Even if it wasn't dead, perhaps it could be imprisoned forever within the Golden Crow Divine Kingdom...

"We... seem to have won," Ning Changjiu said.

He also felt no joy from annihilating a great enemy. Why was that? Was it because the Puppet had constantly murmured, 'Protect the flame of human civilization from extinguishing'?

No! He had never changed his decisions based on his enemies' sorrow or joy...

Ning Changjiu's head was splitting with pain.

All four seemed drained of energy, and there was little communication between them.

Ye Changong, holding her bleeding lower abdomen, said softly, "All right, this is it. We have fulfilled our mission. Now... it's time to converge all world-lines."

"Converge all world-lines?" Siming asked in surprise, vaguely sensing a connection to the authority of infinity.

"Yes, world-lines," Ye Changong nodded, saying, "This is also why Changjiu was reborn in this lifetime."

Ye Changong extended her hand.

Previously, she had merged time, space, and light to form Infinity. This authority was now in her hand.

"Infinity."

Ye Changong whispered.

The authority unfurled.

Then, an incredible panorama slowly unfolded before their eyes.

They were no longer in the Great Void but within a strange, peculiar space. Around them were countless colorful lines. At this moment, they stood within one of these lines.

"These beams of light are different world-lines," Ye Changong explained, standing beside them. "At the end of the previous life, I must have known the plan was doomed to fail. So, after acquiring Time and Space, I returned to the Taoist temple. Just as you were about to ascend, I pierced your chest with a sword, extracted the light from your body with my Moon Branch, merged it into 'Infinity,' and then..."

Ye Changong looked at the light beams and said, "Then, using the authority of Infinity, I split the originally single world-line into infinitely many... These world-lines represent infinite possibilities. In most of them, you would normally become my disciple. But the charm of infinity lies here: there are always some world-lines where, due to various accidents, you wouldn't become my disciple but would instead be in different places, doing different things, just like in this life, where at sixteen you were still a disciple to an old Taoist."

"However, doing this could also cause spacetime chaos, because if even one of these seemingly parallel lines deviates slightly, it would trigger massive collisions. At that point, world-lines would devour each other, leading to unimaginable consequences. Therefore, after obtaining the sole 'correct solution,' we must converge the world-lines to prevent any accidents."

Ye Changong, holding Infinity, whispered:

"All this began with me, and it will end with me. Next, I will merge all world-lines back into one. The history we are writing at this very moment will also become the sole history."

Ning Changjiu looked up.

He noticed that the other world-lines, whether long or short, had all come to a standstill at a certain point.

Only theirs continued to advance.

They were the only world-line that had defeated the Dark Lord.

Their world-line continued to advance, eventually surpassing all others, and those superseded lines slowly converged towards them.

All tragedies that occurred in other world-lines would be erased at this moment. No one could alter history anymore, and they, along with all of humanity, would have a bright future.

Was all of this finally settling down...?

At this moment, many people in the mortal world were still fearfully gazing up at the moon's explosion, unable to determine the outcome of the battle.

"I didn't expect them to actually succeed."

From within the Celestial Scroll building, the boy in black slowly stepped out and said, "I can sense that the authority of Infinity has been activated. The convergence of world-lines is irreversible. After all these years... we have finally succeeded."

Yuan Jun stood beside him, listened to his words, and finally let out a long breath of relief.

"Gods live forever," Yuan Jun said, closing his eyes and performing a blessing ritual.

"Gods live forever."

The boy in black also smiled faintly.

"What are you waiting for?" Yuan Jun asked, looking at the boy in black.

"Hmm?" The boy in black looked at him.

Yuan Jun met his gaze, his eyes ancient and world-weary. He said seriously and respectfully, "Ascend to the divine throne of the new world, Lord Dark Lord."