Chapter 5 The Grand Finale (6)
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The reason why Da Fantian is the leader among the Crowd of Gods is not just because he was the first god in this enormous hive; it’s also due to the fact that, after countless eons, his power has reached a level that’s inconceivable for the average mortal.
Di Shitian ranks second among the Twenty Celestial Gods, only below Da Fantian.
However, even ten Di Shitiens combined probably wouldn’t be able to stand a chance against a mere finger of Da Fantian.
Thus, though all Twenty Celestial Gods are upper-level gods, the gap between these upper gods is as vast as a chasm.
Take for example Broad-eyed Heavenly King who ranks last among the group, his actual power can hardly measure up to a casual breath exhaled by Di Shitian. Yet oddly enough, Broad-eyed Heavenly King could effortlessly thrash the strongest of the middle-level gods. This is the difference between gods of varying tiers.
Lin Nan, who has fully absorbed all the legacies of Frost North Snow, naturally commanded considerable power.
Duowen Heavenly King clearly realized that the three brothers were no longer her match.
The reason why she refrained from utterly annihilating them was that she didn’t intend to escalate the situation. Apparently, she aimed to gain recognition from the Divine Realm and occupy a crucial territory for the Four Heavenly Kings – the Asking Dao Continent.
The Heavenly Kings of Growth and Holder-of-the-Nation couldn’t bear the insult and were loudly clamoring to fight her to d*ath.
However, in the end, Duowen Heavenly King managed to restrain his two younger brothers, lowering his head which had always been held high even in the presence of Di Shitian.
“I admit defeat…”
“Boom! Boom!”
Just as Duowen Heavenly King finished his sentence, there were several streaks of lightning flashing overhead.
Even though the sky appeared clear, all the Celestial Soldiers and Generals who came to suppress Lin Nan along with the Three Heavenly Kings were filled with fear and trembling legs at this moment.
“The heavens have changed!”
On the fortress ruins, Cold Moon looked upward at the sudden chaos in the heavens and suddenly felt unusually light, like the heavy burden that had long been oppressing her had finally lifted.
At that very moment, nearly one-fifth of the Three Races’ population within the Sky Tower perished due to emotional exhaustion.
The survivors were overwhelmed with terror, not knowing when this misfortune would strike them.
Fortunately, everything stopped the moment the Female Emperor broke free from her confinement.
Those who had been with the Female Emperor the longest, such as Cool Moon and Little Drill Wind, immediately recognized that the former Cold Moon Great King she had returned!
Although they weren’t entirely sure what had happened, they guessed that the battle for body control must have been extremely arduous. Ultimately, their familiar Cold Moon Great King had returned to them.
Tears streamed down Cool Moon’s face.
Would it all finally be over?
…
Atop Mount Sumeru, Di Shitian watched this unfolding saga with composure.
“Looks like the Twenty Celestial Gods will soon welcome a Newcomer.”
Zizaitian remarked, “With Broad-eyed Heavenly King deceased, naturally, there is a need for replacement. The only question is whether Da Fantian will approve her status.
However… she’s so formidable, even the Three Heavenly Kings together couldn’t stand up to her. I estimate her ranking won’t be low, at least somewhere in the top ten.”
Di Shitian smiled, saying, “What her rank is doesn’t matter; the crucial part is that Asking Dao Continent is back under our control.”
Zizaitian was surprised, “Ah… does that mean the two of you struck a deal just now?”
“Indeed.”
Just as Di Shitian finished speaking, a grand and resonant voice suddenly echoed from the summit of Mount Sumeru, reaching all corners of the Divine Realm.
“Cold Moon has attained the status of upper god, known as Cold Moon Fairy, ranked ninth among the Twenty Celestial Gods.”
All gods on Mount Sumeru, including Di Shitian, instinctively bowed in respect, saying, “We obey Da Fantian’s edict.”
Although the ranking of Cold Moon Fairy was still below the Three Heavenly Kings, the perceptive few knew this was a gesture of face Da Fantian gave the Three Heavenly Kings, after all, how could one further demote their ranks when they’ve already lost such a large portion of their territory?
If this were to occur, where would the Three Heaven Kings put their pride?
Di Shitian raised his head with a semi-smile towards Zizaitian and said, “For the first time in all these years, I feel eager about going to a place.
She hasn’t failed my expectation. It’s excellent.”
Zizaitian hesitated and asked, “Where? The Asking Dao Continent?”
Di Shitian chuckled, pulled Zizaitian’s hand, and said, “Let’s go together.”
…
Since the control of Asking Dao Continent fell into Lin Nan’s hands, a 3D projection of the entire continent automatically appeared before her.
This time, she finally understood where all those floods originated from, as the Four Heavenly Kings had drastically altered the polar climate, resulting in the massive melting of glaciers.
Unfortunately, destruction is easy but reconstruction is difficult.
Furthermore, as a novice, she had to go through a lot of trouble to make the floods on the continent gradually subside, and then re-formed into towering and vast glaciers at both poles.
It took her the whole week to accomplish this.
Meanwhile, Di Shitian and Zizaitian patiently waited on the sidelines, never interfering.
“Cold Moon Fairy, this continent is your domain now. Even if we know how to adjust quickly, we cannot lightly intervene as outside gods, one must be cautious; words uttered can lead to unforeseen consequences.
We can only speak freely on Mount Sumeru since it is Da Fantian’s territory, and we are merely lodging there.”
Lin Nan bowed to them and said, “It’s a great honor for me to have you two companions.”
Di Shitian waved his hand and said, “Let’s talk about the main topic. Before I came, I’ve already reported to Da Fantian about the plan to restart the Expansion Channel.”
Lin Nan nodded, “Agreed.”
…
After all the floods had retreated, the entire continent was desolated.
Had the Three Races not stored enough food beforehand at the base of the Sky Tower, people might have truly been at a loss upon facing the all-muddy land, not knowing where to start rebuilding their homes.
Nevertheless, the Three Races united under this calamity, setting aside all divisions.
And beyond doubt, the name Great Dao Empire was deeply ingrained in their hearts.
Without the Female Emperor, these people would have surely perished under the Divine Punishment.
Yes, the people all attributed the d*ath of a million individuals to the Four Heavenly Kings.
Cool Moon and several other Insiders chose not to disclose the truth.
Because sometimes, the truth is not meant to be revealed to the public. They didn’t want to see the Three Races, who just barely survived the calamity, to fall to pieces because of certain reasons.
Moreover, the Female Emperor is not only the monarch of the Great Dao Empire but also a deity of this continent.
Perhaps the only real kindness lies in them completely forgetting the truth.
Other than the Three Races, nearly 300,000 Players also survived by chance.
There was no doubt that during the preparation for resisting the Divine Punishment, they played a significant role.
Had it not been for them, the food production issue might have been an even bigger problem.
After the Divine Punishment ended, the High School History Teacher approached Cool Moon, the current main administrator of the Empire, requesting an audience with the Empress.
Mr. Gao had long suspected the Empress (or at least the soul within her) wasn’t a local native, based on his conversations with the former Cold Moon. But he kept it to himself, as the Divine Punishment was imminent, and all decisions were made with the bigger picture in mind.
Now that the Divine Punishment is over, it’s time for him to seek a resolution for the remaining players.
PS: Tomorrow, September 30th, the final chapter will arrive.