Chapter 430: Dark Demon Mocks the Divine Being (4k)
Under the guidance of the white mandala, the lion beast charged forward like a storm.
Dark clung tightly to its thick arm, which it had deliberately raised, his excited gaze fixed on the torches lighting up ahead.
The path ahead was continuously being opened up, with flames flying by on both sides.
The white mandala could no longer keep up with the lion beast’s speed and was dragged backward, forming a trail of light.
But the lion beast seemed to have already sensed the destination and continued to move forward unwaveringly.
Suddenly, it stopped abruptly.
Driven by inertia, Dark lurched forward, barely avoiding falling off.
In the next moment, he saw a temple that felt somewhat familiar!
Although he recognized it as a temple at first glance, it was actually not entirely the same as the previous Moon Goddess Temple.
The most obvious difference was in size.
The Moon Goddess Temple, though mysterious, was only about the size of an ordinary classroom. Inside, there were just two stone pillars and an altar, along with a statue of the goddess.
However, this temple gave a more magnificent impression just from its appearance alone.
The temple walls were carved with floating clouds and exotic beasts, and the main entrance was a splendid golden gate, not only majestic but also more dazzling!
Moreover, Dark clearly remembered that the small Moon Goddess Temple had no doors.
The golden gate before him was half-open, revealing only a narrow gap.
The aura of the Moon Goddess statue obviously leaked out from this gap.
When the lion beast suddenly stopped, the white mandala released from the “Flower Card” finally drifted forward, entering through the gap.
Dark watched as the white mandalas disappeared into the gap, narrowing his eyes slightly.
“Lion Beast, be on guard!”
Logically, there should be no one else here except him in this secret passage.
But now that they were in the temple, it was impossible to predict what might suddenly emerge from the secret passage.
It could be another Vlad, or perhaps a Frieza.
First, we need to confirm who pushed open the door?
…
Dark reached into his card deck and pulled out the “Solo Sword Sheath (Weapon form)” directly, summoning the “Holy Sword” and handing it to the lion beast.
Then he jumped down from the lion beast’s shoulder, holding the “Mana Book,” and followed alongside.
As they approached the door, he paused and ordered the lion beast to scout ahead.
The lion beast stepped forward cautiously, reaching out to press against one side of the golden door. With a slight effort, he pushed the door open wide enough for one person to enter.
A musty smell immediately wafted over.
But he remained unperturbed, pushing harder until the right side of the golden door was fully open!
In an instant, the internal structure of the temple came into view.
Dark’s eyes widened.
There was no sign of anyone inside; four stone pillars stood in the center, each engraved with familiar images of the dancing goddess.
Between the four pillars was a larger and more magnificent altar.
The familiar statue of the goddess stood as if alive, poised and elegant.
As the door was pushed open, the fire pots atop the four pillars ignited automatically, illuminating the entire temple. The statue of the goddess was clearly visible, every detail of the white jade sculpture, spotless and lifelike.
Her posture was slightly different, no longer a praying pose with her hands clasped to her chest and her eyes closed, but rather with her arms raised high, her expression stern.
On the palm of her raised hand, she held a copper mirror shaped like a full moon.
The four-sided light illuminated the mirror, yet it reflected no light, as if all the light had been absorbed, making the mirror surface pitch-black.
“This statue…”
From afar, Dark felt something was different about this statue.
He carefully observed the surroundings, confirming that no one was around, then ordered the imp beast to check behind the altar.
Though this temple was larger than the previous one, its structure was still straightforward, with only the area behind the altar able to conceal someone.
However, after the imp beast circled around, it found no trace of any other person or monster.
—No one was hiding.
If no one was hiding, then who opened the temple door, allowing the aura to leak out?
Dark’s gaze gradually settled on the face of the statue.
The statue was alive!
After the last incident, Dark already knew that the statue was not lifeless.
The cause of the previous incident stemmed from a lingering fragment within the statue of the Moon Goddess.
This fragment had driven the statue to instinctively seek resurrection, manipulating students and allowing Professor Didi to take advantage, leading to subsequent events.
This statue, likely born after the destruction of the previous one, did not even have cracks and did not require repair, starting in a complete state.
It seemed that with a special ritual, it could be revived.
“Is it bait?”
“To intentionally open a gap in the door to let the aura escape, luring me in.”
“Finally catching me?”
Dark carefully observed the facial details of the statue.
He was not worried about being “charmed” like the Sea Star Sect.
And before the statue truly came to life, he knew he was safe.
A statue retaining only a fragment of consciousness, capable of only minor actions, was truly the fish — a cleaned fish lying on the chopping block.
Just as he was thinking this, a glimmer of light began to flow in the statue’s un-closed eyes.
Then a mist began to rise from the altar beneath the statue, gradually filling the air with pink fog.
Dark’s eyes moved, but he was unaffected as he stepped into the temple.
Walking through the pink mist felt like returning home, not uncomfortable at all, but rather refreshing.
If not for his concern about “Bliss” rising, he might have even lain down for a steam bath.
In moments, Dark had crossed the mist and stood before the statue.
He looked up again at the face of the Moon Goddess statue.
Her facial expression remained unchanged, yet somehow gave the impression of embarrassment. Even the glimmer of light in her eyes seemed delayed.
Thinking for a moment, Dark softly spoke two words to the statue: “Moon Goddess?”
…
She was born under the moon, descending to the earth.
She was both the Moon Goddess and the Earth Mother.
She presided over the reproduction of all things, bestowing the earth’s bounty generously.
She was the most beautiful goddess, the mistress of the night.
Her beauty was eternal.
She was sacred and noble, presiding over abundance, fertility, and love.
…
Among the ancient gods who once ruled the world, the Moon Goddess was unique.
But now, the Moon Goddess statue concealed only a fragment of a soul, too fragmented to be of much significance.
Dark neither revered nor disdained her excessively, merely treating her normally.
With a soft call, the temple fell silent for a long time.
The mist that had surged quietly receded like a tide, but the divine light in the statue’s eyes grew more brilliant.
A gentle voice emerged from her lips.
“Who are you?”
…
It reminded one of the classic three questions: Who are you, where are you, and what do you want?
And in one’s mind, the answers would automatically follow: I am myself, I am here, and I want to…
…
Dark suppressed the urge to speak out, enunciating clearly, “A destined person.”
Fate is indescribably wonderful.
If Mr. Starfish was the destined person for the previous Moon Goddess statue,
then Dark Diemon, who was the first to find this Moon Goddess statue in the vast secret passage, was undoubtedly also a destined person for this statue.
He could gradually sense the massive amount of “Bliss” stored within the statue.
Although the “Bliss” within the Moon Goddess statue lacked some special factor, making its quality inferior to his own “Bliss,” it made up for it in quantity.
Dark initially estimated that the statue contained at least one hundred points of “Bliss.” Even if converted at a 3:1 ratio, it equated to over thirty points of his own “Bliss.”
That was the amount needed to evolve the imp beast into a demoness beast.
If Dark possessed a higher-level formation array, he might be able to forge a “Bliss IV? Moon” right now!
Even if the Moon Goddess version of the “Capital Sin Card” caused the golem to lose control, having such a trump card could be very useful.
Unfortunately, Dark had yet to reach the threshold of the exclusive “Capital Sin IV” formation array.
Without being able to forge a “Bliss IV? Moon,” the “Bliss” in the Moon Goddess statue had little meaning to him.
On the contrary, the “fragment” within the Moon Goddess statue was his ultimate goal.
Out of respect for traditional etiquette, if communication could resolve the issue, Dark did not want to resort to violence.
So he controlled himself.
…
Their conversation was not in the same language.
It was a form of spiritual communication.
After the Moon Goddess received an answer to her first question, she fell silent again.
Observing carefully, Dark said, “And who are you?”
The Moon Goddess spoke again, her tone fluctuating slightly: “I am the Moon Goddess, and also the Earth Mother!”
Dark smiled faintly: “Aside from your divine duties, what else do you have?”
The Moon Goddess fell silent again.
Glimmers of light continued to flash in the statue’s eyes, as if she was deeply pondering.
Dark was patient, waiting calmly.
But the Moon Goddess never responded.
Perhaps this simple question had stumped her completely.
So, out of kindness, Dark Diemon changed the question: “Do you want to know the meaning of your existence?”
This time, although the Moon Goddess was silent for a while, she eventually responded: “No, my purpose is to reclaim my primordial divinity.”
Though convoluted, it essentially meant revival, didn’t it?
Indeed, just like biological reproduction, it was an instinctive behavior.
Pondering this, Dark said: “Have you ever considered that once you regain your primordial divinity, you will no longer be yourself?”
Ultimately, she was just a remnant of a soul, and the Moon Goddess’ thinking ability was clearly limited.
After much thought, she finally blurted out: “Why?”
Dark patiently explained: “You call yourself the Moon Goddess, but aside from the shell of your divine role, you don’t even have a true name. So your divine role is just a facade, a fragment of consciousness derived from the statue. You are the statue, not a god.”
The Moon Goddess was momentarily stunned, as if her entire understanding had been overturned. She exclaimed in shock: “I am the statue?”
At this moment, Dark raised his hand and pointed at the lifelike statue, saying in a matter-of-fact tone: “If you’re not the statue, then what are you?”
“No, I am a god!” the Moon Goddess instinctively rebutted.
Dark calmly said: “No, you are merely a consciousness born from the statue. Besides the façade of ‘Moon Goddess,’ you have nothing. Once you regain your primordial divinity, your autonomous consciousness will be swallowed by the true consciousness of the Moon Goddess.”
“You lie!” the Moon Goddess’s voice fluctuated more violently.
Dark sympathetically said: “Why would I lie? What benefit does lying serve me? You are merely a self-consciousness born from a statue, dreaming of becoming the Moon Goddess before being exposed, unaware that you are merely a tool for the Moon Goddess’ revival.”
The Moon Goddess: “No, I’m not!”
Dark nodded: “Yes, you are not a god; you are a statue.”
The Moon Goddess: “No, I’m not a statue! I am a god!”
Dark curiously asked: “Do you really believe you are a god? Then what about your divinity, your god’s core, your divine authority?”
The Moon Goddess’s voice softened noticeably: “That’s because I am in my weakest state…”
Dark: “Weak enough to become a statue?”
The Moon Goddess: “…”
…
Dark’s lips curled slightly, turning away from the Moon Goddess’s fragmented consciousness, which had no self-awareness, and wandered through the grand temple.
This temple was even more magnificent, with frescoes carved around the walls from the left side of the entrance to the right.
Looking at the frescoes, they depicted farmers rejoicing in harvest, shepherds entangled among sheep, and infants crying under the bright moonlight…
After carefully observing them, Dark called out to the “Mana Book” to record them.
This long fresco reminded him of the Golden Country fresco he had obtained with Emma.
If these frescoes could be interpreted, it might yield another discovery.
After circling around, he returned to stand below the statue, leisurely looking at the statue, now completely still.
To him, this statue was utterly harmless.
As for whether the fragment of the Moon Goddess was born from the statue or was a remnant of the true Moon Goddess — it didn’t matter.
Dark casually said: “Would you mind changing your living environment?”
