Kingdom of Knowledge

A shadow fell from beneath the sea of clouds and into the divine kingdom.

It looked rather disheveled.

The damaged Door of Truth slowly materialized, standing upright in the depths of the divine kingdom.

Within the mythical kingdom, the figure stood impatiently. Its voice was somewhat hoarse as it called out.

“Domain of the Divine Kingdom, activate!”

The God of Knowledge and Truth immediately activated the power of the divine kingdom, forming a massive barrier seal. The target of this seal was unmistakably his own Door of Truth.

Under the maintenance of the Kingdom of Knowledge, the power leaking from the Door of Truth finally stopped.

After completing this task, Asai did nothing else but look toward the numerous servants in the kingdom.

Below the steps, a multitude of ghosts raised their heads in unison. Their gazes were fixed upon their deity.

Asai’s gaze moved rapidly, finally settling on the one he trusted most.

“Polik!” Asai called out urgently, his voice sharp and commanding. “Adjust the course. Return to the Avel Peninsula immediately!”

Ghost Polik saw the situation, his eyes lingering on the Door of Truth with its broken frame and cracked gate. He asked no further questions.

Together, all the ghosts operated the Kingdom of Knowledge.

They immediately adjusted its orientation, drifting toward the distance with the clouds and mist.

Light and shadow shuttled through the sea of clouds, disappearing over the ocean with the wind.

Asai stood beneath the Door of Truth. His form had become indistinct, seeming extremely unstable.

Asai was contemplating a question.

Did the Ruhe Beast appear in the mortal world of its own will, or…

He did not know, and there was no way to ask.

He felt he had made a mistake.

He was not mistaken in wanting to use this opportunity to seal Xiao’s Door of Original Sin. Nor was he wrong to think that after weakening Xiao, he could strike directly at the Abyss.

Rather, the mistake lay elsewhere.

He sought the Door of Original Sin, but ultimately failed.

One aimed to seal the Door of Original Sin, while the other sought to reclaim Purgatory. Neither was willing to back down.

This eventually caused the situation to spiral out of control, reaching a point where even he could no longer contain it.

Before the great war began, there was still room for choice. Once the war of the divine beings started, it was not so simple for either party to withdraw. The first to withdraw would certainly suffer greatly.

The final situation completely exceeded Asai’s expectations. Even the Ruhe Beast had appeared.

This was naturally due to Xiao himself being incredibly challenging to confront.

In this great war, Xiao obtained the second path of the True God of Wisdom but failed to reclaim Purgatory.

Asai prevented Xiao from reclaiming Purgatory but ultimately let Xiao take the Door of Original Sin back to the Abyss.

In the end, their wanton actions in the Life Sovereign’s garden enraged the Ruhe Beast. They were left severely wounded and fleeing, with neither gaining any advantage.

They had both forgotten that even though the Life Sovereign no longer paid attention to the mortal world, this place was still her backyard garden.

The seven Great Gods she left behind, though dormant beneath the earth, possessed unimaginable power.

In the blink of an eye, the Kingdom of Knowledge returned from the waters outside the black storm of Ruhe Beast Island to the skies above the Avel Peninsula.

At this time, Ghost Polik looked toward the deity beneath the Door of Truth and spoke up.

“God Asai, what is…”

Ghost Polik could see that Asai’s condition was not good. Taking the full force of the Ruhe Beast’s Burrowing Demon Worm head-on was a severe injury, but that was only superficial.

He saw the dissipating massive power, and the dense cracks covering the Door of Truth.

This was not something the Kingdom of Knowledge’s barrier seal could simply resolve.

Asai raised his hand, stopping Polik’s question.

He still had more important things to do and no time left to explain.

Asai took out the Flask of Truth Seal and thought for a moment.

Then, he opened the stopper on the flask.

A twisted shadow surged out from the bottle as Asai unleashed the existence trapped within.

In the sky, a massive flaming star emerged. The terrifying, twisted shadow of the Cannibal’s Curse roared across the heavens.

At last, the Cannibal’s Curse descended into Purgatory.

At this moment, the Lord of Purgatory also appeared.

He held the Book of Xiuborn in his hand, controlling the source of curses.

The moment Purgatory appeared in the mortal world, it was instantly rejected by the realm’s laws. The constraints of the oath bound it tightly.

It was forced back into the Dream Realm.

At the same time, the Lord of Purgatory’s form began to waver, teetering on the edge of vanishing from the mortal world. The barrier of the Kingdom of Knowledge expanded swiftly, and the damaged Door of Truth emitted a beam of light that enveloped him.

The God of Knowledge and Truth, with the help of the Kingdom of Knowledge’s special realm, temporarily kept the Lord of Purgatory there.

“Wait a moment.”

Just now, Asai had grasped the life and death of the Lord of Purgatory.

He could have even seized everything from him.

But after thinking about it, Asai ultimately chose to give up.

What he wanted was not the current Purgatory. The current Purgatory was of no use to him. Even if he seized all its power, it would not provide much benefit to himself.

He wanted a Purgatory that could become mythical, an existence that could firmly restrain the Abyss and the God of Original Sin. He wanted a Purgatory that could become Xiao’s great enemy.

What he valued was Purgatory’s potential.

Even if the Lord of Purgatory alone could not become Xiao’s great enemy, Xiao’s other enemies would make Purgatory his fatal weakness.

The Lord of Purgatory looked at the God of Knowledge and Truth, then at the surrounding servants of the divine kingdom.

Asai spoke to the Lord of Purgatory. “Yafuan.”

The other replied, “I am the Lord of Purgatory, not Yafuan!”

The Lord of Purgatory reminded the God of Knowledge and Truth. He greatly disliked when others called him by the name Yafuan.

Asai was suddenly stunned.

His condition was very poor. In his urgency and conditioned reflex, he had called out the name Yafuan.

The Lord of Purgatory’s reaction suddenly made him think of something.

It made him think of himself.

Just as no matter how much Asai denied he was Anhofus, in others’ eyes, he was Anhofus.

He believed the sins of the past had nothing to do with him. He believed he and Anhofus were completely different.

He believed he was only Asai.

But no one cared what he thought. In everyone’s eyes, he was Anhofus.

Everyone firmly believed that beneath his seemingly normal facade, there must be a shadow of unimaginable madness.

“Lord of Purgatory.”

Asai did not insist and changed his form of address.

He could feel his condition getting worse, but there were still some arrangements to be made. He spoke with haste.

“The God of Original Sin Xiao will slumber for a period of time. He will lose control of many things in the outside world, and the contingencies he once arranged will be unable to respond quickly.”

“For instance, you.”

“He will not be able to interfere with you or control you during this time.”

“This is your chance to ascend to mythology. It is also your only chance.”

“If you cannot ascend to mythology with this opportunity, then the next time will be your moment of destruction, along with your Purgatory.”

Asai did not waste a single word.

He handed a book to the Lord of Purgatory, this life form that possessed a face identical to Yafuan’s.

The name of the book was 【Immortal Form and Artificial Humans】.

If 【The Path of Wisdom】 was the secret tome of demigods, then this book was the bible of mythical artifacts.

After the Lord of Purgatory obtained this book, the threshold of mythology completely disappeared for him.

The Lord of Purgatory took the secret tome. “One opportunity is enough.”

He turned his gaze back to the God of Knowledge and Truth. “But why are You helping me?”

Asai shook his head. “I am not helping you. I simply do not want to see Xiao become stronger.”

“You do not need to thank me. I expect you will not anyway.”

“But the stronger you become, the more I am willing to see it.”

“I even hope to see the day when you can reclaim the Abyss, leaving Xiao with nowhere to escape.”

The Lord of Purgatory understood.

The Kingdom of Knowledge expanded its domain, and an invisible force pushed the Lord of Purgatory away, causing him to vanish from the mortal world.

At this time, Asai looked toward Polik.

“Polik.”

Polik stepped forward. “God Asai.”

Asai began telling Polik about his situation.

“This time, both Xiao and I suffered severe injuries. Xiao must enter slumber.”

“And I must do the same.”

Ghost Polik asked, “Is there no other way?”

Asai looked toward the Door of Truth, at its broken frame and gate covered in dense cracks.

“The dissipation of power is secondary. Given time, it can be accumulated. But when problems arise with one’s authority, the consequences are unimaginable.”

“So I must enter slumber to repair my Door of Truth and my power.”

Ghost Polik asked, “God Asai, how long will You slumber?”

Asai replied, “Not too long. This era is not the previous one, and I have already become mythical. I do not need to walk the Path of Wisdom again.”

“There are large numbers of witch spirits on the Avel Peninsula and Ruhe Beast Island. They will help me repair the Door of Truth and replenish my missing power.”

Polik had no unnecessary words. “God Asai, what do You need me to do?”

Asai told him, “Help Sukob with all your strength. If he can become a demigod, I will awaken as the Master of the Divine System.”

“This is our future. It is the most critical matter.”

Polik nodded, indicating he understood.

Meanwhile, Asai stepped toward the interior of the crumbling Door of Truth.

A soft glow radiated from within the door.

The light enveloped Asai’s figure entirely.

The ancient Door of Truth, which had originally emitted light, instantly grew dim.

Countless chains were born from thin air, winding around the Door of Truth and locking it tightly.

Polik, along with all the servant ghosts, prostrated on the ground and knelt before the Door of Truth.

“God who holds Truth, Ruler of Books and Knowledge, Eternal Cycling Asai!”

“We will always anticipate and await your return.”

On the other side

The Lord of Purgatory was rejected by the laws of the mortal world and bound by the oath of the Abyss.

Ultimately, he returned to the Dream Realm. This time, however, the coordinates were completely different.

The flaming star, which had grown dim, reignited with blazing fire.

The Lord of Purgatory passed through the void and once again sat upon his throne.

He held the 【Book of Xiuborn】 in one hand and 【Artificial Humans and the Form of Immortality】 in the other.

The Book of Xiuborn was a secret tome compiled by Xiuborn that recorded the hidden secrets of the gods. The origin of the other book, however, was unknown to the Lord of Purgatory.

Even so, the content within was profoundly shocking.

This book’s method of dividing the power of wisdom into four parts, spirituality origin, wisdom consciousness, desire personality, and knowledge memory, revealed a deep understanding of the mysteries of wisdom itself.

The Lord of Purgatory could not understand what kind of existence could have written such a book.

“It must be one of the naturally born deities!”

The Lord of Purgatory felt that only a deity could see through the secrets of wisdom so clearly.

How could a mortal possibly write such a book?

But after finishing it, he felt something was off.

The perspective from which this book was written was not from the top down but from the bottom up.

From a mortal’s perspective, describing the form of immortality was like unraveling a profound mystery.

It was the idea of creating a deity using a mortal body.

No, based on the content of this book, it should be called an immortal artificial human.

But an immortal person, could that still be called a person?

At this moment, even the proud Lord of Purgatory was thoroughly shocked.

He flipped through the book repeatedly, as if wanting to find the creator within its pages.

“Who exactly wrote this?”

“A mortal actually wanted to create a deity?”

The Lord of Purgatory suddenly remembered something.

Once, when Yafuan met Ghost Polik, Polik showed him the secrets of the previous era.

Among them was a passage about the cause of the War of the Divine Beings in the previous era, which seemed to have some connection with the content of this book.

At that time, Ghost Polik had said,

“The evil thing once created by the God of Knowledge and Truth Asai was called the evil god, the Little Person in the Bottle.“

“God Asai thought he created a mythology, another deity with a will and memories identical to his own.“

“He did uncover the secret of truth, but he never anticipated that he would create a monstrosity. The moment the evil god appeared, he himself fell into slumber.“

“The evil god was born, and disaster followed, bringing ruin to this world.“

The Lord of Purgatory spoke another name.

“Anhofus.”

It seemed to be another name for God Asai. So this book was written by the God of Knowledge and Truth?

The Lord of Purgatory seemed to glimpse another side of the God of Knowledge and Truth Asai. It appeared he was not as simple as the snake people imagined, nor as simple as his believers worshipped.

“The Abyss and Truth!”

“The Gods and the Ancient Ones!”

“Mythology and Anhofus!”

The Lord of Purgatory spoke a series of words that would seem completely unconnected to ordinary people, contemplating something unknown.

After a long time, he finally closed the book 【Artificial Humans and the Form of Immortality】, setting it aside with a thoughtful expression.

Many things were too far removed from him and had passed too long ago. Thinking too much about them was meaningless.

What he needed to do now was become stronger.

The door to the higher realm had opened, but he still had to walk the path step by step.

After going through this upheaval, he had undergone some changes.

A small miscalculation by Xiao had brought him to the brink of losing everything.

In the end, he managed to hold on to both his life and Purgatory.

Moreover, he emerged from the ordeal even stronger than before.

But all of this also made the Lord of Purgatory’s sense of urgency grow stronger.

Just as the God of Knowledge and Truth had said, if he could not seize this opportunity to become mythical, then there would be no next time.

The Lord of Purgatory stood from his throne, his presence commanding and resolute. He summoned a massive shadow that stretched across the flaming star, its form dark and foreboding.

With unwavering focus, he directed the shadow of the curse, guiding it to merge entirely with the flaming star.

His voice echoed across the flaming star, resonating deep into the vast expanse of the Dream Realm.

“Purgatory and curses are one.”

“Purgatory is the origin of curses.”

“Purgatory is the nightmare of the cursed.”

“Purgatory is the destination of those who touch forbidden things.”

His voice called to curses and Purgatory, completely smelting the two together.

“I bestow the Power of Curses upon Purgatory, granting the dark side of all spirits the Power of Curses.”

“I am the Lord of Purgatory.”

“The existence that controls the source of curses.”

The massive power of the Cannibal’s Curse transformed into gray-black smoke, circling the flaming star three times.

Finally, a massive black stone platform rose upon the flaming star.

The stone platform was very long, looking like a gigantic dining table.

Upon this “dining table,” a large quantity of food appeared.

Looking closely, they were actually the transparent shadows of snake people, one after another.

“What is going on?” one of the ghouls cried out, his voice trembling. Fallen spirits appeared one by one on the stone platform, released from the depths of the Cannibal’s Curse. Many had once been the wicked followers of Suero.

“Why am I here?” another ghoul muttered, glancing around in panic. The ghouls exchanged terrified looks, recognizing familiar faces among the damned.

“Fire… it is everywhere,” someone whispered, their voice barely audible over the crackling flames. The fire beneath the stone platform burned fiercely, heating the black surface until it glowed red. The searing heat caused their skin to blister and their flesh to tear, drawing out screams of agony.

“It is too hot! I cannot take it! Let me out!” a snake person wailed, thrashing in desperation.

“This… this is Purgatory,” another ghoul stammered, his voice shaking with fear. The realization spread like wildfire as the cries of terror grew louder. “We are in Purgatory!”

At one end of the stone platform, a massive shadow slowly rose.

The terrifying shadow of the Cannibal’s Curse sat at the other end of the platform, like a ravenous diner.

The shadow continuously twisted and gradually became real, finally transforming into a pale white figure.

Mmm…

The massive figure made sounds like a hungry beast as it speared the ghouls upon the black stone platform.

Ahhh!

All the ghouls let out terrified screams. But no one could escape the stone platform, escape this terrifying prison of Purgatory.

One ghoul after another was speared in their terror and stuffed into the gaping maw of the shadow of the curse.

They were devoured by the shadow of the Cannibal’s Curse, tasting the ultimate agony of being consumed. Yet they would not simply die. In the end, they would appear on the stone platform again.

This repeated again and again, until they completely dissipated.

At this moment, the shadow of the curse and Purgatory merged into one, coming under the control of the Lord of Purgatory.

He possessed the complete Cannibal’s Curse. His idea of using the Power of Curses to perfect his authority for ascending to mythology had taken its initial shape.

Next, he would focus on gathering strength and readying himself for the ascent to mythology.

Within the Abyss

The God of Original Sin Xiao suffered severe injuries in the mortal world. The terrifying tentacle of the Great God reached in from that world.

The entire Abyss trembled beneath its horrifying form. With one strike, it shattered the Door of Original Sin that represented death and disaster.

One evil sovereign after another in the Abyss gazed at this unprecedented scene, their expressions filled with disbelief and unease.

Countless Abyss demons stared in shock, their eyes wide with astonishment.

In their memories, the Evil God of Original Sin had always been an unshakable force. Never before had they seen him in such a disheveled state.

It was beyond their imagination that an existence called a deity could reveal such a vulnerable side.

These kings of the Abyss looked in terror at the horrifying tentacle reaching in from the mortal world.

Among them, some turned their heads toward the deepest part of the Abyss.

The Evil God of Original Sin had suffered unprecedented severe injuries and was now at his weakest.

In the Abyss, the King of Lust, Melde, was the only one who held true loyalty to the God of Original Sin Xiao.

Xiao, however, had never required their loyalty or faith in the first place.

The Evil God of Original Sin Xiao felt dizzy and disoriented. His consciousness seemed to have lost its anchor and was about to dissipate into the void.

But he quickly and forcibly endured that drowsy feeling of being swallowed by the void, pulling his Door of Original Sin back from the edge of darkness.

He propped himself against the bone table and moved to the other end.

“I am the God of Original Sin.”

“Controlling all original sin, devouring all original sin.”

“Door of Original Sin, seek my location, use me as the coordinates.”

“Return to the Darkness of All Spirits.”

The upper half of the Door of Original Sin’s frame and its base, scattered in the void, responded instantly to the call of the Evil God of Original Sin Xiao. As if drawn by an overwhelming gravitational force, they began to descend toward the Abyss.

The demons in the Abyss stirred restlessly. One after another, they stepped forward.

At this moment, Xiao stood on the Flesh and Blood Star, gazing down over the entire Abyss from his lofty position.

Hmph.

A faint snort, cold as ice, froze everyone in place. Time across the entire Abyss seemed to stop. No one dared to move.

Even in his weakened state, as long as he existed for a moment, as long as he remained awake, no one in the Abyss could muster the courage to face him directly.

In an instant, the entire Abyss grew quiet.

Xiao shifted his gaze, showing no regard for them.

He turned his attention toward Ruhe Beast Island in the mortal world.

“The Life Sovereign’s backyard garden. It seems to be true.”

Xiao shook his head.

“The Sovereign deity does not care!”

“Still, the god’s believers and followers continue to tend to the forsaken garden, preserving its forgotten corners.”

“They hold onto the hope that one day, She might return.”

Ruhe Beast Island was still different. There were too many secrets here, too many deities.

Xiao turned his gaze, looking beyond Ruhe Beast Island.

There, lay an even vaster world.

He raised his head again to look at the starry sky.

Beyond that starry sky, what would it be like?

This world had no end, no limits.

Only people have limits. People cannot imagine the vastness of this world, just as the people of the previous era could not comprehend the next era 250 million years later. That already exceeded their imagination of time’s end.

However, it was precisely because of this, because there were so many unknowns, that it became something worth anticipating.

Xiao was not disheartened. Perhaps he simply lacked the capacity for such emotions.

In fact, he felt he had gained much from this experience. He had discovered the second path of the True God of Wisdom and had also broadened his perspective, shifting his focus from the Abyss and Ruhe Beast Island to the vast world beyond.

“Time moves forward.”

“This era is the era of the gods.”

“Then, where is the end? Where is the terminus of the age of gods?”

He gazed into the distance. Beneath his feet, the Flesh and Blood Star squirmed violently.

The endless black rain grew more intense, transforming into a violent storm.

The Door of Original Sin descended from the outside world and fell toward the Flesh and Blood Star, resembling a meteor crashing to earth.

The Flesh and Blood Star consumed everything, pulling the door deep into its core.

The God of Original Sin Xiao slowly descended, sinking together with it into the Flesh and Blood Star at the heart of the Abyss.

The ceramic little person on the bone table panicked. It chased after Xiao, shouting loudly.

“God, what happened to You?”

“You cannot abandon me!”

Xiao lowered his head and grasped the ceramic little person.

Instead of taking it into slumber with him, Xiao extended his hand and released it, letting it descend toward the mortal world.

The ceramic little person’s face was filled with terror as it fell. It could not comprehend what the Evil God of Original Sin intended by this action.

“God?”

“No, do not abandon me!”

The Evil God of Original Sin stood tall in the darkness. His voice transmitted into the ceramic little person’s mind.

“I have already arranged your task.”

Xiao turned around, no longer looking at the ceramic little person.

“Everything is already in place.”

“The next time I awaken, I will begin my assault on the divine position of Master of the Divine System.”

The flesh churned, engulfing both the Door of Original Sin and the figure of the Evil God of Original Sin.

Xiao became one with the Flesh and Blood Star.

His slumber had begun.