Chapter 143 The Moment of Our Farewell is About to Arrive (Two-in-One)
Listening to Noah’s calm words, Rast couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
The grand event… is finally here?
From the very beginning, Rast had known that Noah and the Graveminders were planning a major event targeting the Broken Coast and the Guardians.
However, throughout it all, Noah had been speaking in riddles, concealing the true plan in a fog, leaving Rast unable to see the full picture.
At this moment, as time pushed toward the climax, Noah’s ambitions finally became clear, revealing their entire form.
On the surface, Rast still showed a hint of confusion.
“Saintly offering?”
“Using the entire Paradise and Queen Helen as sacrifices to become the new God of d*ath?”
He repeated the term.
“Your Majesty Noah, I don’t quite understand your meaning.”
Perhaps it was because the time for the plan had arrived, coupled with the need for Rast to play a crucial role…
This time, Noah didn’t hold anything back and spoke directly to explain.
“That’s right, it is the Saintly Offering.”
“The Legendary Domain indeed represents the limit that can be reached in human form.”
“However, this does not mean that there are no higher realms that can be touched beyond the legendary.”
A flicker of light sparkled in Noah’s eyes: “The Sequence, in that ancient era when the gods walked upon the earth, was also known as the ‘Path to Godhood.'”
“This is a heavenly road that leads directly to the divine throne. If stepping onto the seventh step can be called legendary… then the higher steps are the domain of mythical beings, the true divine region.”
“The names of the righteous and evil gods celebrated in this world are the manifestations of those who have touched the divine realm. Of course, among those who have reached the divine realm, there are also differences in rank, which is the difference between the false gods and the true gods.”
“However—”
He paused for a moment.
For some reason, when mentioning these deities that people extol…
Noah showed not a trace of reverence. Instead, a hint of disdain appeared.
“As I mentioned to you before, the so-called gods still remaining at this moment certainly possess more powerful might than ordinary legends. However, their limitations are equally significant.”
“They are all extremely ancient beings, most of whom were born during the beginning of creation, when humans had yet to rise… the wolf demons, giants, ancient dragons, and elves were still walking on the earth during the Age of Gods.”
“Because they are sufficiently ancient, they indeed possess great authority and rank… but this ancientness tied to the era of mythology also became their shackles and curses.”
“When humans rose, mysteries faded, and the age of myth came to a complete end—these ancient gods, originating from mysterious and mythological races, likewise became weak with the decline of the Age of Gods, even falling from their divine thrones and losing their eternal immortality and life.”
“In order to maintain their power and not fall from their divine thrones, those ancient gods unwilling to accept degradation and descend from divinity chose to hide above the ‘Threshold of the Glorious Heavens.'”
“By self-limiting and self-sealing, relying on the remnants of mystery above the ‘Threshold of the Glorious Heavens,’ and the separation from the current world… they managed to barely sustain their rank, preventing their power from rapidly dissipating and directly falling.”
“However, in the end, that is merely a struggle for survival.”
Noah’s words carried a hint of mockery: “This is the era belonging to humanity, and those ancient gods from races that are not human are merely remnants of the old era.”
“They are rebellious ones who go against the laws of the era and the natural order of the world.”
“And the fate of all rebels, be it the ancient gods of the old or the rebels known as guardians, can only be mercilessly crushed by the natural order.”
“To this day, the ancient gods who are merely clinging to life above the Threshold of the Glorious Heavens have already fallen to a large extent, and many have fallen into deep slumber, unable to be awakened by the outside world, and may completely return to silence at any time.”
“Even among the few whose states are still acceptable and have maintained their divine ranks, some have already fallen into a state of half-madness.”
“Just like those cult organizations with their heads filled with bl**d sacrifices, city slaughter, and pollution, they have fallen, become corrupted, and gone mad… how can they still retain even a trace of true divine majesty?”
This old man speaks with astonishing arrogance.
Doesn’t he fear being killed by those cultists for uttering such blasphemous words?
Listening to Noah’s explanation, Rast’s heart was momentarily stunned.
Originally, he thought the hidden organization ‘Graveminders,’ lurking behind the curtain of history, likely had a high god as its true orchestrator.
After all, from the outcome, the Graveminders, who wanted to annihilate the Guardians and bring the Sixth Epoch to its end, seemed to be in the same camp as the cults, pollutants, Iron Cross, and Beast Tide causing chaos across the continent.
But now it seemed—
Noah from the Graveminders genuinely looked down upon those cults, Iron Cross, and Beast Tide… not just looking down on them, but even the source of the chaos, the evil god Noah above the Threshold of the Glorious Heavens, looked down upon them as well.
The reason they find themselves in the same camp is merely due to a momentarily similar stance and the shared demand to end the Sixth Epoch.
In the eyes of the Graveminders, whether it be the cults, Iron Cross, or those Forbidden Beasts… they are merely tools to achieve their own goals, having no qualifications to be compared with them.
From the beginning to end, the Graveminders have never pledged loyalty to any evil god or righteous god.
Or rather, they were loyal to—what they truly served was the ‘Natural Order.’
Maintaining the operation of this world, using the catastrophe of annihilation to end one epoch and then start anew, allowing civilizations to rise and fall, cycle through continuously, is the Natural Order.
To go against the Natural Order invites the highest judgment… and to avoid the retribution and backlash from the Natural Order, the Graveminders see maintaining the Natural Order as their supreme mission.
Whether ancient gods or humans, once they attempt to touch the Natural Order, the Graveminders will strike with their blades.
…
Such thoughts flashed through Rast’s soul but did not affect his outward demeanor in the slightest.
On the surface, he was simply listening to Noah’s narrative, occasionally revealing a shocked expression.
After all, anyone hearing such secret information about the Age of Gods and ancient gods would feel immensely shocked.
At this moment, Noah lowered his gaze, calmly observing Rast’s expression.
After a moment, he slightly nodded.
“Of course, not all ancient gods are willing to hide like withered bones in the Threshold of the Glorious Heavens waiting for d*ath.”
“There are also some far-sighted ancient gods who detected the fading of the mysteries and the decline of the Age of Gods… the irreversible historical trend.”
“When humanity was just rising, and the Age of Gods had not yet completely fallen… they still retained their full ranks, decisively choosing to destroy their original divine seats and immerse themselves in the tide of humanity’s era.”
Noah gazed at the undulating yellow ocean in the distance: “The ancient God of d*ath fell several epochs ago; no one truly knows the cause of that ancient god’s d*ath.”
“However, if he died at the hands of other gods or mythical beings, there would inevitably be undeniable ripples of divine battle… but during that time, the Graveminders did not notice any traces of the clash of mythical beings.”
“Therefore, we suspect… the ancient God of d*ath did not d*e in divine battle, but most likely chose to return to silence by himself.”
“Abandoning the original divine kin that was not human and had been abandoned by the Natural Order—turning instead to embrace humanity.”
“On his remains, all the former kings of the Netherworld were of the ‘human’ race, which provides solid evidence.”
Noah’s voice was somewhat ethereal: “Those are divine bloodlines flowing with the bl**d of the God of d*ath… if it were not for the contingency left by that ancient God of d*ath, how could these divine bl**d descendants not be the original god’s mythical beast race but rather human?”
“And Helen—she is the reincarnation vessel prepared for himself by that ‘God of d*ath.'”
“Past kings of the Netherworld, the divine bl**d descendants were flawed products, either unable to bear the full authority of the God of d*ath or were not pure humans, still retaining some characteristics of mythical races.”
“But Helen is different.”
“She is the crystallization of miracles, born after undergoing long periods of gestation and waiting across several epochs, finally appearing in a minute probability as a perfectly crafted vessel.”
“Her veins flow with both divine and human bl**d; she is pure, with not a trace of impurity, yet can fully harbor the powers and abilities of the God of d*ath without bringing any burden.”
“Given time—once the moment is right, the consciousness of that ancient God of d*ath should revive upon this perfect vessel.”
“Allowing that God of d*ath to resurrect in this era, in a pure human form, unobstructed and unopposed by any Natural Order, becoming a new god who is unrestricted and unbound.”
He looked down at Rast in front of him: “And what you have to do is to extract this portion of power from the resurrected God of d*ath.”
“Deities originate from faith and possess their divine realm… and at this moment, the Netherworld, or rather Paradise, can be seen as the God of d*ath’s divine realm, with those deceased being his followers.”
“Although compared to the divine realm of a fully powerful true god, the scale of Paradise is insignificant, it is sufficient to be considered the embryonic form of a divine realm.”
“The reason I had you ascend to the throne of the King of Paradise was to stabilize the faith of those deceased in advance.”
“At that time, during the Saintly Offering… using Paradise and multitudes of the dead as sacrifices, you will be able to briefly open your divine realm.”
“Furthermore, along with your initial integration with the d*ath God’s Chalice and Helen, this perfect vessel as a sacrifice, you will be able to thoroughly plunder the remaining power on that remnant.”
“At that time, the ancient God of d*ath’s arrangements and efforts spanning several epochs for his rebirth will become your bridal attire.”
“After taking his place, you will become the new God of d*ath.”
…
Noah’s words echoed one by one, very calmly but with an enticing power.
Hearing Noah’s narrative, a burning light appeared in Rast’s eyes.
It was the fire of ambition, nourished by greed.
Although this touch of greed and ambition quickly disappeared from Rast’s eyes, it was still completely seen by Noah.
He cast a glance at Rast, not speaking to expose it, merely calmly continuing:
“What I need to convey is this.”
“Do you have any questions?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the black-haired youth in front of him eagerly shaking his head.
But then, Rast seemed to suddenly think of something and hurriedly spoke:
“Your Majesty Noah… this time the Saintly Offering requires gathering all the citizens of Paradise to the royal city as offerings, allowing me to establish my divine realm and seize the power of the God of d*ath.”
“Therefore, the commotion of the Saintly Offering will inevitably be great, and it cannot be completely concealed.”
The youth lowered his head, carefully concealing the burning light in his eyes: “I’m worried that the Guardians, and that Cecil, will learn about the movements of this Saintly Offering.”
“At that time…”
Rast’s words remained unfinished.
But looking at the trembling hands in front of him, which cautiously concealed his own ambition yet still exposed a hint of a youth’s vulnerability, Noah already understood the underlying meaning of his words.
Empty of greed and ambition, yet lacking the corresponding courage and decisiveness.
Clearly choosing betrayal but having no courage to face it, worried about being hunted down by enemies yet still needing to seek his help.
How ugly, the kind of coward beneath a fierce exterior…
Noah internally evaluated Rast like this, though it didn’t show.
“You need not worry about the guardians.”
He spoke calmly:
“I have already communicated with the forbidden beasts in the ocean.”
“The moment the Saintly Offering begins, it will be the time when the Broken Coast falls.”
Noah’s voice echoed coldly: “That is the judgment from the Natural Order, named the ‘Guardians’—”
“The destined hour of demise.”
“By that time, whether it be the Guardians or Cecil, they will not have the surplus to be distracted from what is happening in Paradise.”
…
As the emerald green ethereal light flared up, Rast’s vision spun.
The scene before him reverted from the Nether Abyss and Noah’s Abundant Domain to the unchanging scenery of the royal city.
Rast stood beside the iron throne, gazing at the distant cityscape.
In his eyes, the greed and ambition that he had previously tried to conceal quietly faded, returning to pure void.
This conversation with Noah had indeed been fruitful.
Not only did he gain a complete understanding of the Saintly Offering plan… but he also vaguely sensed Noah’s hidden true intentions behind his disguise from the few words that slipped through.
In addition, there were two other gains.
First, it was Noah mentioning the term ‘Night Blade.’
In the Sixth Epoch, the ability after the visualization of personal mental landscapes should be called ‘Extraordinary Ability’ instead.
In other words—
Long before the Night World had appeared during the Sixth Epoch… Noah, or rather the Graveminders behind him, might have had some connection with the Night World and even grasped some of its secrets.
When pondering further… the birth of the Night World very likely correlated with the original Graveminders.
Secondly, in the Abundant Domain, he caught a glimpse of Noah’s inner landscape… the true origin of the Graveminders, the original intention behind establishing the Graveminders.
It was a dull-witted human who, in order to record the experiences of each lost civilization and to accumulate power sufficient to subvert the Natural Order, founded this organization.
Guardians of civilization, bearing the mission of passing down the torch through the generations…
It should have been like this.
However, to this day.
The Graveminders had become agents of the Natural Order, even resorting to wielding slaughter against the very humans they should have been safeguarding.
“So, no matter how brilliant the ideal, how dazzling the original intent.”
“After enduring the erosion of long periods of time, it ultimately will decay and change—”
“Until it rots to the point where the original form can no longer be seen…”
Rast’s words dissipated in the evening breeze, unheard by anyone.
After a moment, he returned to his senses.
Rast’s thoughts stirred slightly, summoning a long-waiting attendant from the palace.
“Notify all of Paradise.”
“Ten days from now, a nationwide Saintly Ceremony will be held.”
“During the ceremony, I will bestow eternal blessings and immortal life upon all arriving citizens.”
“By your command, Your Majesty,” the attendant respectfully answered before taking his leave.
Only Rast remained, sitting on the cold throne, watching the sky in the southeast direction.
That was towards the Watchtower.
“Little Grey, it seems—”
“The moment of our farewell is about to arrive.”
(End of Chapter)
