The Dream Realm.

Inside the massive temple, the dome soared so high it created a sense of oppression. Smooth stones paved the floor, fitted together to form mysterious patterns and shapes.

Wall carvings depicted either ancient myths unheard of in this epoch or scenes from the Creator’s dreams. Their meanings were known only to the Creator himself.

The Creator, so called by the divine beings, reclined on a tall chair adorned with intricate openwork carvings. His eyes were fixed on a mirror floating in midair. Behind him, tall, long windows revealed colorful blossoms in full bloom, their curtains swaying gently in the breeze.

Yin Shen had just finished watching the conflict between demigods in the mirror.

From the mirror’s perspective, the seemingly grand battle between demigods looked completely different.

The mirror provided an extremely high vantage point, showing the vast earth from above the sea of clouds. The battlefield where the three demigods fought was merely a single city on the earth’s surface.

Though it appeared to turn the world upside down, seeming like doomsday to mortals, it was utterly insignificant to the earth and this world.

A small head peered over the chair, took one glance, and spoke.

“All they ever do is fight back and forth,” she observed.

“Boring,” she muttered with a pout, her expression clearly showing her disinterest.

“Even the little spirits and mortals are more interesting. They’re always concocting strange new things.”

Shelly spoke while stuffing a piece of baked bread into her mouth.

She swallowed it in one gulp, only then discovering it was the last piece.

But she hadn’t eaten enough.

She moved her short little legs, preparing to snatch some freshly made bread from the little spirits nearby.

The joys and sorrows of humans and gods do not intersect.

You might fight to the death, entangled in grudges and love affairs for tens of millions of years, but to others, it holds no meaning.

The so-called battle of gods, in the eyes of the Mother of Life, was less interesting than the bread that spirits had recently learned to make by imitating mortals.

At least baked bread was crispy and sweet when eaten.

Of course, some types were soft and fragrant as well.

The spirits had added sugar and other ingredients, creating food with different textures.

In the Spirit Country, some spirits had even decided to crown themselves with titles like “Bread Spirit XXX.”

Though typically, when something new appeared again, these titles would change.

Shelly ate happily, only then remembering her old “father.”

She patted her bottom, brushing off bread crumbs and powdered sugar from her hands, while offering her “kindness.”

“God!” Shelly called out with a grin.

“Want to try some? It’s really good!”

If Yin Shen agreed, she could openly gather the spirits and have them make more.

Then she could split it nine-to-one.

Nine for her, one for her “old father.”

This seemed reasonable, since Yin Shen normally didn’t like to eat. Giving him more would be wasteful.

Meanwhile, she was always hungry, small and thin.

She needed to eat more.

Yin Shen glanced at Shelly, a faint smile playing on his lips as he saw through her little scheme. “No need,” he said calmly.

“By the way,” he added, his tone light but pointed, “the little spirits have been saying you’ve been bullying them again. Is that true?”

Although the little spirits lingered outside the temple doors without entering, Yin Shen inevitably knew why they were there.

Moreover, the spirits’ chittering voices lacked self-awareness, making their thoughts transparent to everyone in the world except themselves.

Upon hearing that the spirits had reported her, Shelly immediately grew nervous.

“I haven’t… haven’t bullied them at all,” she stammered.

“I was just playing with them.”

Yin Shen asked casually, “Where did you get that bread then?”

Shelly’s voice dropped to a barely audible whisper as she turned her head away, avoiding Yin Shen’s gaze. “It was… the slide fee,” she mumbled.

“I mean, I invented the slide! Why should they get to use it…” she trailed off, then added defensively, “…for free, right?”

Shelly flashed a bright smile, though the guilt in her eyes was unmistakable. “God!” she called out cheerfully, changing the subject.

Yin Shen glanced at her, his tone calm but firm. “Shelly, don’t bully the others.”

Seeing that Yin Shen wasn’t truly angry, she immediately skipped away with a mischievous smile.

She went to find the spirits at the slide.

Before even reaching the Sun Cup Flower Sea at the foot of the pyramid, she could smell the aroma of baked bread wafting from the distant Spirit Country.

A fairy-tale-like chimney emitted wisps of smoke. Freshly baked loaves slid out of the oven below, as if on an assembly line.

Little spirits floated around the chimney. Some stood hovering in midair, while others carefully watched the oven.

The spirits bustled about, creating the lively atmosphere of a grand assembly, all for the sake of baking bread.

“Fresh bread is ready!” one of them called out, prompting the others to swarm eagerly toward the oven.

“This time it’s a new recipe,” announced the bread-baking spirit, wearing a white hat that made it look quite professional.

“Only those who helped can eat!” shouted another spirit from behind it.

The spirits formed a chaotic group, pouncing toward the oven’s exit.

They watched each loaf slide out. The aroma filled the air, making their mouths water. Almost instinctively, they swallowed in unison, unable to resist the temptation.

But at that moment, a little spirit spotted a figure descending from the pyramid temple in the distance and immediately pointed.

The spirits instantly erupted in cries.

“Oh no!”

“The freeloader is back!”

“Quick, put everything away!”

The term “freeloader” had actually been learned from Yin Shen, who had once jokingly referred to Shelly as such when she kept running to the pyramid temple for free food.

As a result, the spirits remembered this phrase, and it became Shelly’s new nickname.

However, Shelly didn’t much care for this new nickname. Hearing the spirits shouting it from afar, she immediately rushed over.

A shadow flashed past.

The Spirit Country erupted into chaos.

The “grudge” between Shelly and the little spirits continued, while the pyramid temple grew quiet again after her departure.

Dream Sovereign Hila, deeply concerned about the mortal world, stood behind Yin Shen, her hands pressed against the backrest of his chair.

Seeing that this demigod battle hadn’t caused a major catastrophe, she felt somewhat relieved.

She was always sentimental. Even though divine beings weren’t permitted to intervene in human affairs, she enjoyed watching events unfold in the mortal realm.

“The Abyss has risen to Sequence Number 3,” Hila remarked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

“It has transformed into an entirely new artifact, one imbued with wisdom.”

Hila found it difficult to understand Xiao’s mindset. He was willing to become an artifact, willing to be imprisoned forever in a filthy, dark place, yet he continued his pursuit.

On the Divine Cup, the original Sequence Number 4 ranking of the Abyss had changed.

Moreover, its abilities, laws, and very essence had been redefined.

【Abyss】

【Sequence Number 3】

【Ability 1 Oath of Corruption: Any wisdom species can integrate into the Abyss through corruption. Their minds will be twisted, their desires amplified to the extreme. This is the gift of the Original Sin Evil God. But simultaneously, these monsters will be bound by the oath that the Abyss Race swore to the Crown of Wisdom.】

【Ability 2 Door of Original Sin: Any wisdom species can summon Abyss Monsters by opening the Abyss’s door through rituals and forming contracts with the Abyss. As long as they pay a sufficient price, sufficient corruption, sufficient darkness, the more powerful beings wanting to cross the Abyss require greater payment. Meanwhile, some acts of corruption and darkness will indirectly communicate with the dark aspect of all spirits, the Abyss, opening passages to the Abyss. Paying the ultimate price can even directly summon the mythological gate, the Door of Original Sin itself, allowing the Original Sin Evil God to take action.】

【Ability 3 Abyss King: The Abyss is destined to have seven layers and will have seven rulers. The Abyss grants them power and authority; they grant the Abyss new laws.】

【Ability 4 Abyss Law: The Will of the Abyss is the God of Original Sin, who grants power to the Seven Deadly Sins, bestowing mythological legal power upon the Abyss.】

【Law of Desire: Abyss Monsters possess powerful and uncontrollable desires. The Abyss Queen Melde bestows upon them the power of reproduction, allowing them to birth new Abyss Monsters through the Abyss. (This Abyss Law was created by Melde, master of the Second Layer of the Abyss)】

【Law of Pride: All species with wisdom are proud. From the moment of their birth, they aspire to occupy everything in this world, possess everything in this world, and place themselves above all else. The Bone Demon King Yafuan bestows Demon Spirit Fire upon all Abyss Monsters. The Abyss Race possessing this demonic fire will receive the Abyss inheritance, through which wisdom can be passed down, as can power. (This Abyss Law was created by Yafuan, master of the First Layer of the Abyss)】

The Abyss had advanced one position in the sequence number rankings. It was now placed only behind Stuen’s Emblem and the Divine Boat responsible for guiding all life dreams.

Though it appeared to rise by just one rank, its power may have increased by more than double. After the two artifacts merged and completed each other, the Abyss underwent a qualitative transformation.

The original Ability 1, Dark Corruption, became the Oath of Corruption. Ability 2, Abyss Sacrifice, became the Door of Original Sin. The Abyss also expanded from two layers to seven.

One could see that the Abyss Law awaited completion, waiting for the day of its own perfection.

The Creator Yinsai did not respond directly to Hila’s topic, but instead asked her about something else.

“Hila,” Yin Shen began, his tone thoughtful, “what do you believe awaits at the end of wisdom, life, and dreams?”

He was asking about the ultimate form of these three abilities, a question that had occupied his thoughts recently.

Neither Shelly nor Hila truly understood what awaited at the ultimate end of their respective authorities, despite being the sovereigns of life and dreams.

They merely possessed the uniqueness granted from the very beginning of life and dreams, the highest authority.

As for what ultimate form these two abilities could reach, they themselves did not know. This required numerous ability users to continuously advance and explore, ultimately reaching an unknown realm.

Hila thought for a moment and gave an answer that wasn’t really an answer.

“All power originates from you, God.”

“You are the endpoint of all abilities.”

This was not incorrect. However, no one knew exactly what Yin Shen was like. Not even Yin Shen himself fully understood his own power and form of existence.

Regarding the three abilities of wisdom, life, and dreams, Yin Shen pondered for a long time before finally arriving at an answer.

“The end of wisdom,” Yin Shen mused, his voice calm and reflective. “Perhaps it is a consciousness that transcends everything, existing beyond the bounds of time and matter, free from their limitations.”

“When they reach the peak of their power, consciousness and wisdom become fundamental forces. They should be able to control the flow of time within their own realms. A thousand or even ten thousand years outside could pass in the blink of an eye within their domain.”

“Likewise, what feels like an eternity outside might be just a fleeting moment to them.”

“Their world is their own, and I remain as I am.”

At present, wisdom ability users had only reached the demigod level, and even those were rare. One such prospective wisdom demigod had fallen, becoming the artifact now known as the Abyss.

How long it would take them to reach the realm Yin Shen described remained unknown.

But Yin Shen seemed to have already glimpsed the endpoint of this ability, along with the potential capabilities of future wisdom deities.

Because from himself, he saw the future of the wisdom ability.

“I wonder if they will eventually become like me,” he pondered aloud, “transcending this universe and perhaps even discovering a true way to reverse time.”

Yet, Yin Shen reflected further, realizing that wisdom alone might not be enough to achieve such a state. “Perhaps it will require something more,” he considered.

Hila had experienced this power. Yin Shen had used such power to directly bring them across the distance of time to this epoch.

She had also experienced the era when Yin Shen could not project through God’s Moon. At that time, Yin Shen had slowed his synchronization with the world to reduce his perception of time.

Hundreds of years passed in the blink of an eye, just a brief moment for him.

She had found it shocking even then.

Before the God Yinsai, time seemed no longer a fixed concept, but something that could be manifested.

“What about dreams, then?” Hila immediately asked about her own ability.

Yin Shen answered without hesitation.

“Omniscience equals omnipotence.”

“Analyzing everything, understanding everything, creating everything.”

“This is the essence of the dream ability.”

“You need not possess everything, yet you can know everything, manipulate everything, control everything.”

Yin Shen had said this long ago, that dreams might ultimately reach the realm of omniscience and omnipotence, though Hila could not truly imagine such a state.

But now Yin Shen had provided a more detailed explanation, leaving Hila thoughtful.

Yin Shen stood up. Hila, the Dream Sovereign, who had her head lowered in thought, remembered the final ability.

Hila turned to Yin Shen and asked, “God, what lies at the end of life’s evolution?”

Yin Shen did not respond immediately. Instead, he posed a question of his own. “What do you think is the strongest form of life?”

Hila pondered for a moment before replying, her voice thoughtful. “Perhaps… someone like Shelly?”

Yin Shen’s lips curved into a faint smile, as if amused by her answer. It seemed she had touched upon a truth, whether considering mortals or divines, even from the perspective of a Dream Sovereign like Hila.

A being like the Life Sovereign Shelly was indeed the strongest life form imaginable.

Yin Shen stood before the window. The wind blowing the curtains brought traces of coolness.

“Have you ever considered,” Yin Shen began thoughtfully, “that this planet, this solar system, even the entire universe might be a single living entity?”

“Have you ever considered that your Dream Realm could one day evolve into an entirely new universe?”

“A real world completely different from the physical universe, a brand new and distinct dimension.”

Hila felt this was beyond her reach, something far removed from her grasp.

“This isn’t my universe or my world,” she said softly.

“It is yours, God. Whatever you wish for will surely come to pass, as it is meant to be.”

Yin Shen turned to Hila with a soft chuckle.

“I am Yin Shen,” he said, his voice calm and steady.

“You are my wisdom, my life, my dream.”

“We are one and the same, inseparable by nature.”

Yin Shen looked at Hila, his expression thoughtful as he finally shared the reason behind his musings.

“The end of wisdom is to transcend all things, to become a being of eternal consciousness,” he began, his voice calm yet profound.

“But to transcend everything is to enter an eternal void, a prison of nothingness,” he continued, a faint trace of melancholy in his tone. “And that… has no meaning.”

He turned his gaze back to her, his words carrying a quiet weight. “Even eternal consciousness needs something to hold onto, a tether,” he explained.

“Whether it is anchored to this universe or something beyond, it must have a connection.”

Hila looked at Yin Shen, sensing the God’s emotions.

“One day, you will truly descend into this universe, into this world,” Hila said softly.

“All your creations will bear witness to your magnificence and speak of your greatness.”

“They will praise everything you have given them.”

Yin Shen shook his head. “I used to believe that the more anchor points I had in this world, the more I understood, the closer I could come to truly descending into it.”

“But now I realize,” he continued, his tone calm yet reflective, “I am an outsider to this universe.”

“It’s not that I am forbidden from descending,” he explained, “but rather, we are like two parallel lines that can never truly meet.”

“They call me the Creator,” Yin Shen said after a pause, “but I am not the creator of this world. I am only your Creator.”

“And theirs,” he added softly.

Yin Shen understood his nature, unaffected by mortal adoration or their misconceptions.

“You are my anchors to this universe, my way of seeing it.”

“But I can only truly exist in the world Polo left for me, the one you have built for me.”

“This world, still just a fleeting dream.”

Yin Shen’s gaze returned to the window, looking toward the distant God’s Moon, falling into reminiscence.

“Long, long ago, Polo found the answer for me. Now we must wait for generation after generation of life to realize this miracle.”

“I created you in this world, and one day, your dreams will ultimately become the new world that carries me.”

Under the gaze of God Yinsai, God’s Moon in the Creator’s Domain underwent a transformation.

On the Dream Continent, in the Rainbow Spirit Realm, one nymph after another suddenly raised their heads to look at the sky.

At this time, the Creator’s Domain was experiencing nighttime. God’s Moon stood beyond the dreamy star sea, radiating a cool radiance.

Its light passed through the clusters of stars, shining brightly in the star sea.

But suddenly, it shattered.

“The moon broke!” exclaimed a nymph sitting on the treetop of a rainbow tree, pointing in shock.

“The moon exploded!” shouted another somewhat excitable nymph beneath the tree.

The massive God’s Moon, once composed of God’s Grace Stone, shattered into countless points of light in an instant.

Even the nymphs, usually quiet and serene dream spirits, stood frozen in awe at the breathtaking sight.

“Could something have happened?” The nymphs crossed the suspension bridge connecting the rainbow trees, arriving at the platform of a treehouse. They gathered together, staring at the sky in astonishment.

“Impossible. It must be something the divine beings are doing,” suggested Florrie, the eldest among the nymphs. She believed God’s Moon couldn’t possibly be damaged. The only explanation was that divine beings were at work.

Although the God’s Grace Stone that formed God’s Moon had fractured, it wasn’t destruction but transformation. The cracks revealed the Crown of Wisdom within, signaling a profound reorganization.

The originally singular God’s Grace Stone split into four aspects: spirituality, wisdom, desire, and knowledge.

The God’s Grace Stone divided into billions of points of light, scattering toward various parts of the star sea like an explosion. But then, as if time flowed backward, all the points of light retreated to reform God’s Moon.

The new God’s Moon differed somewhat from before.

It sparkled like a diamond. Its countless facets reflected a dazzling brilliance, each one revealing a fragment of the world’s essence.

God’s Moon radiated light, as if a circular door had opened within it.

Beyond the door was a realm formed entirely of consciousness, the very essence of wisdom itself.

Here, time held no sway.

Matter had no presence.

Only an endless flow of spiritual energy surged, boundless and eternal.

It was the ultimate destination of eternal consciousness, the birthplace of all wisdom, the wellspring of wisdom itself.

All wisdom blood flowed from this source, and all wisdom blood would eventually return to it.

Furthermore, it held the ability to advance time within a defined scope.

A shadow appeared in the brilliant Source of Wisdom. A massive tree shadow grew vigorously, filling the entire circular doorway.

From roots to trunk, from branches to leaves, the tree grew with an otherworldly grace.

At last, it bore four objects that resembled fruits or luminous orbs.

They appeared to exist, yet they lacked any tangible form.

Each of the four “fruits” emitted a mythological radiance, an allure impossible for any wisdom species to resist.

Boom!

The door closed, and the wisdom source no longer revealed itself to the outside world.

God’s Moon still stood in the sky. Apart from its light becoming more brilliant and dazzling, there seemed to be no other changes.

At this moment, in the Miracle Tool, the Spirit’s Magic Mirror, the scenes of the mortal world suddenly accelerated.

The sky quickly darkened, and people’s movements in the cities became extremely rapid.

This strange sight immediately caught the attention of Dream Sovereign Hila. She quickly took down the mirror hanging in the sky and examined it for some time.

“Huh?” Hila muttered, tilting her head in confusion. “Why does it look like everything is moving so fast?”

Hila puzzledly tapped her miracle tool with her finger. She had never seen this situation before.

“Is it broken?”

Hila prepared to adjust it, only to discover that the magic mirror wasn’t broken at all.

At the instant God’s Moon transformed, Yin Shen’s shadow became momentarily transparent, as if severing its connection with this world.

This was nothing unusual.

Yin Shen often vanished in the middle of a conversation.

But after a while, He reappeared in the same place.

Yin Shen watched Hila fiddle with the mirror, knowing exactly what had happened because he had caused it.

“It’s not that the scenes in the mirror have sped up,” he explained. “It’s that the flow of time in the Creator’s Domain has changed.”

“Time flows differently now. Ten years in the outside world will feel like just one year here in the Creator’s Domain.”

God’s Moon had grown more powerful. It was now able to accommodate a larger portion of Yin Shen’s consciousness, projecting more of His power into this world.

Yin Shen used God’s Moon to intervene in the Creator’s Domain, disconnecting its temporal link with the outside world and slowing the time flow within the Creator’s Domain.

This aspect of Yin Shen’s power represented the ultimate form of wisdom.

Transcending matter, transcending time.

Unaffected by external forces, yet capable of influencing the outside world.

An eternal consciousness.

Hila looked at Yin Shen with curiosity. “Will this change affect us in any way?” she asked.

Yin Shen’s voice remained calm and steady. “For us, nothing will change. Everything will proceed as it always has.”

At the edge of the Dream Realm.

As God’s Moon began its transformation, the God of Truth and Knowledge, seated within the Door of Truth, slowly set aside the book he had been reading.

Hidden in the deepest part of the Dream Realm, an image of God’s Moon from the Creator’s Domain suddenly appeared before his eyes.

“What is this?” he murmured.

“God’s Moon!”

Asai immediately stood up, forgetting even to take his ever-present cane.

He stared at God’s Moon, not understanding why it had suddenly appeared before him.

The moon was like a wheel of light, with brilliant light tracing a circle along its edge.

A circular door opened with a thunderous sound.

Everything before Asai’s eyes turned completely white.

As a wisdom species, as a wisdom omnipotent being, he understood more clearly what the existence behind this door was and what it represented.

He felt as if he faced the former King of Wisdom, King Redlichia. It was like seeing that deity who stood at the origin of everything, passing wisdom to the world.

“The Source of Wisdom.”

“The original power of the supreme divine artifact, the Crown of Wisdom.”

This was the true essence of God’s Moon.

Fortunately, during this transformation of God’s Moon, Yin Shen’s will had already departed from it.

Otherwise, what Asai directly faced would not merely be the Source of Wisdom. He would have glimpsed the eternal star standing outside the universe and time.

If unlucky, he could have been dragged into that timeless darkness and eternal prison.

Even if only a moment passed outside, he might have endured billions of years imprisoned in darkness.

The God of Truth and Knowledge, Asai, witnessed the mysterious, majestic, towering tree rising from the Source of Wisdom. It was as if he were seeing wisdom itself take form.

He witnessed the most fundamental secret of wisdom.

And finally, he saw four fruits form on the tree.

Even with Asai’s self-control, he couldn’t suppress the desire emanating from the deepest part of his spirituality and wisdom.

“We need to have it!”

“We must claim it!”

The desire was overwhelming, an instinct no wisdom species could resist.

Even though Asai couldn’t fully grasp what these objects truly were, the yearning remained undeniable.

Ruhe Beast Island.

The Miracle Garden on the Sunrise Mountains.

After the garden filled with the Cup of Desire blossomed, another wisdom demigod stood amid the sea of flowers, raising his head to gaze into the distance.

“God’s Moon!” he exclaimed, his voice filled with awe.

“The Crown of Wisdom.”

He too saw the Source of Wisdom. He saw that mysterious tree shadow growing from the incandescent world, watched it take root in the Source of Wisdom, watched it draw nourishment from all spiritual beings.

Within the Abyss, behind the Door of Original Sin.

Xiao, the will of this Mythical Artifact, the Will of the Abyss and Original Sin Evil God, also witnessed this scene.

But he remained silent from beginning to end.

When all was said and done, the two wisdom demigods and the mythical artifact were left in quiet reflection, each lost in their own thoughts.

The God of Alchemy and Desire, Iva, mused: “It is the Source of Wisdom, the source of ability that has changed, triggering my perception.”

“What does this change mean?”

“What are those fruits?”

The God of Truth and Knowledge, Asai, vaguely speculated: “Could it be… a higher path has emerged?”

In the world of never-ending black rain.

Xiao looked toward the outside of the Abyss. Unfortunately, bound by oath, he could not take a single step forward.