Chapter 1484: 神见神

Standing at the edge, Zhou Yuan gazed at the seething darkness. He could faintly sense that, within that darkness, the two terrifying entities, after countless erosions and attrition, had reached a fleeting balance at this moment.

At this instant, Zhou Yuan hesitated not at all. Even though the darkness before him was utterly terrifying, he knew this was the last sliver of opportunity he had been waiting for.

Therefore, he took a direct step forward and plunged resolutely into the darkness.

The moment his foot entered, he immediately felt two oppressive forces engulf him. These two forces made Zhou Yuan truly understand what it meant to be insignificant.

At this moment, the Saint God's Will and the Absolute God Curse Poison were like two colossal, mountain-like grinding mills. Zhou Yuan was merely an ant caught between them.

Even though the two mills were only exerting force against each other, the residual power that cascaded down still subjected Zhou Yuan to devastating attacks. In a mere few breaths, Zhou Yuan's proud Saint Dragon body was crushed by more than half. Only his head and upper torso remained, desperately clinging on. The mighty power of a Saint, which in the outside world would attract countless Law Domain experts, was here utterly overwhelmed, instantly crushed by the two terrifying forces the moment it manifested.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan experienced what it felt like to be completely at the mercy of others.

Moreover, as his physical body and Saint power were crushed, Zhou Yuan also felt the erosion of twisted malice from the Absolute God Curse Poison and the Saint God's Will. Zhou Yuan's consciousness was being polluted. His face became extremely distorted, and boundless malevolence rose in his heart, twisting his lips into a grotesque and exaggerated smile.

However, a shred of clarity remained deep within him. He understood he had to guard his mind vigilantly, preventing his emotions from being completely corrupted by the malice; otherwise, he would truly lose any chance of recovery. Yet, under the erosion of these two terrifying entities, how easy was it to preserve his true self and clarity?

Zhou Yuan could sense that as the two terrifying forces eroded him more severely, scarlet and darkness began to emerge simultaneously in his eyes.

“No, Zhou Yuan, you must hold on!”

Suddenly, Zhou Yuan bit the tip of his tongue. Using the increasingly scarce clarity he possessed, he immediately activated the Ancestral Dragon Scripture. Origin Qi began to surge through his body according to the Ancestral Dragon Scripture's pathways. Faintly, the sound of an ancient dragon's roar seemed to echo, and under this roar, the malevolence and chaotic emotions rising in Zhou Yuan's heart actually began to slow down.

However, Zhou Yuan also faintly sensed that this slowdown was only temporary. As his movements grew more pronounced, it seemed the Saint God's Will and the Absolute God Curse Poison, which were eroding each other, were pouring even more stray power onto him. Instinctively, they felt this superfluous 'little bug' should be eliminated sooner rather than later, given how vigorously it was struggling.

But facing this near-desperate situation, Zhou Yuan had no better option. All he could do was grit his teeth, cling to his clarity, and endure the bitter torment. He knew that no matter how difficult it was, he could not easily give up. Because if he gave up here, then he and Yao Yao might truly lose any last glimmer of hope.

“Yao Yao…”

“I won't give up! Believe me, I will bring you back.”

In the depths of the darkness, Zhou Yuan, gradually engulfed by a black tide filled with distortion and malice, whispered softly.

***

Boom!

The boundary wall of the Sacred Race Heaven Domain was slowly torn open by a colossal divine hand, drawing countless terrified gazes. As the boundary wall tore, the Third God, with an indifferent gaze, struck again. Countless streams of divine power materialized from her slender finger in the void, then transformed directly into divine meteorites, plummeting rapidly.

Boom! Boom!

The divine meteorites, burning with divine flames, streaked across the sky, carrying destructive power, descending upon the Sacred Race Heaven Domain like a natural disaster. Such power, if it landed, would inevitably cause immense destruction. Countless Sacred Race beings prayed in terror.

Buzz! Buzz!

However, just as the divine meteorites were about to roar down, immense black lotuses suddenly burst forth from the ground of the Sacred Race Heaven Domain. The black lotuses bloomed, like pillars supporting the heavens, then rose to meet the falling divine meteorites.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Earth-shaking colossal sounds echoed, and the storm caused by the collision of divine powers swept across the entire world, unleashing untold gales and tsunamis. Yet, despite all this, the divine meteorites did not actually land on the ground of the Sacred Race Heaven Domain.

Outside the boundary wall, Cang Yuan, Jin Luo, and others watched this scene, their expressions turning solemn. To nullify an offensive from the Third God's divine power was clearly beyond the capability of the Sacred Race's remaining four Ancient Saints. Therefore, the one who acted had to be the Saint God.

He had awakened!

At this moment, an unresolvable fear arose in the hearts of Cang Yuan, Jin Luo, and the others. That fear was a lingering shadow from the ancient war that annihilated realms. The Saint God's might and terror were etched into the memories of all beings in the heavens, indelible forever. Even with the Third God present before them, at this very moment, all Saints still felt a bone-chilling cold.

As the Saints trembled in fear, on the summit of the Sacred Ancestor Heaven's holy mountain, a nine-colored lotus suddenly grew forth. The lotus continuously expanded, eventually piercing through the void and appearing directly outside the boundary wall. The nine-colored lotus slowly unfurled under the terrified gazes of the Saints across the heavens.

Within the lotus, a figure sat cross-legged. The figure was clad in black robes, with long black hair flowing down his back. His body was slender and tall. His face appeared blurred, and yet, upon a cursory glance, it seemed strangely familiar, as if seen before. This was because his true form was imperceptible to ordinary beings; everyone's perception of his face was merely their own imagination. However, one thing remained constant: a black vertical eye that subtly opened and closed in the center of his brows. It seemed to be the ultimate embodiment of darkness; even a Saint's gaze lingering on it for a few seconds would cause their Saint Soul to disintegrate, plummeting into eternal darkness.

The black-robed man sat cross-legged in the nine-colored lotus. He raised his head to look at where the Third God was, but never spared a single glance for the vast armies of the heavens behind him.

“Third God, you and I have finally truly met,” he said with a faint smile.

The Third God watched the Saint God with indifferent eyes, not responding.

The Saint God shook his head at this. “Too cold,” he murmured. “Know that your appearance was due to my awakening of the Ancestral Dragon's residual will back then. Although you were born from the Ancestral Dragon's will, you are not the Ancestral Dragon after all. You have no need to protect these ant-like beings.”

“When heaven and earth first opened, the Ancestral Dragon transformed into all things. He also sought to take primordial divine matter to forge divine bones for all beings, allowing them to carry divinity. This would give all things the potential to become gods. However, both you and I were born from primordial divine matter. If we had been forged into the divine bones of all things, there would be no primordial gods like us in this world. Fortunately, I possessed the ability to seek good fortune and avoid disaster, and timely concealed myself within the chaos. This foiled his intention, ensuring that all beings in this world would forever lack the potential to become gods… And simultaneously, this is why you and I ultimately appeared.”

The Saint God's voice spread through the vast void, causing the Saints behind him to tremble all over. For in the Saint God's words, they seemed to have uncovered a monumental secret. It was the reason why, from ancient times to the present, no matter how remarkably talented any being in the heavens was, none had ever been able to take that final step and enter the realm of gods. It turned out that there was still a flaw in all things in heaven and earth. And that flaw was the so-called divine bone, the very essence that carried divinity.

“Therefore, Third God, you should truly thank me,” the Saint God concluded.

The Third God calmly replied, “Then how do you wish me to thank you?”

The Saint God chuckled softly. “Of course, by joining me to exterminate all beings in this world, returning their bloodline power to its origin. Then, you and I can ascend to the supreme power.”

The Third God, with eyes as deep and indifferent as the starry sky, stared at the Saint God and said, “No, you are mistaken. To wield the power of the First Sequence and become the Supreme God, merely devouring these beings of the heavens is not enough. You and I… cannot coexist.”

The Saint God was momentarily speechless, then shook his head and chuckled, “Wouldn't it be better if we first exterminated all beings in the heavens, and then dealt with that issue?”

The Third God said, “Saint God, spare me such useless deceptions. Otherwise, the day all beings in the heavens are exterminated will be the day you make your move against me.”

The Saint God sighed, rubbing his forehead with a hint of exasperation, and murmured, “It seems negotiations have broken down again. If that is the case, then I suppose I'll just have to devour you first…”

He slowly rose from the nine-colored lotus, spreading his arms. A grand and indifferent voice echoed at this moment, reverberating through every corner of the heavens.

“I hereby declare the first true divine war in history…”

“Now commencing.”