Chapter 213: The Final Great Artifice (End)
Chapter 214: The Final Great Artifice (End)
Yonglan was determined to end this conflict in the most efficient way possible, casting aside any concerns about being struck down and taken back for Star Wrath energy.
“No more pretending. Let’s be honest, I am the Primal King, so what about it?”
Of course, even with the endorsement of Aseran, Enesyin, and others, such an identity made the Holy Descendant group incredulous.
However, if one were to examine it closely, Yonglan was indeed extremely special in the eyes of others.
With the guarantee of Ate and Jiulu, the Chanters of the Holy Descendant agreed to let Yonglan and his companions complete the Great Movement.
As a Great Artifice to welcome back the Primal King, the Holy Descendant’s Great Movement was of absolute caliber. Logically, the weaving and accumulation over thousands of years should have been sufficient to summon the Primal King back. Even the Holy Descendant themselves did not know where things had gone wrong.
Yonglan, as a follower… or rather, the creator, of the art of forging, after witnessing the Great Movement, could clearly state that the Great Artifice created by the Holy Descendant had no issues. If it continued to operate as intended, summoning the Primal King from the Dark Abyss Sea would be entirely unproblematic.
Ate and the other Saintly descendants asked in confusion, “If that’s the case, then why…?”
“Because you are not worthy! Not worthy. That’s precisely why you are not worthy.”
Yonglan stated frankly, “No matter how much you call, it will be useless. She will not respond. Only I can do it.”
“As for why, I will explain it to you later.”
Shariel’s existence was still too shocking for modern people to grasp immediately, and it would be difficult to explain in a short time. Yonglan couldn’t exactly say that the Primal King was a collaborative IP, could he?
Although that was indeed the case, considering everyone’s tolerance for such concepts, he postponed the matter.
It would be more effective to explain after Shariel genuinely appeared.
“Oh, right, Ain, Jiali, Muge, you all need to come too. Every additional person makes the Great Artifice more efficient.”
Yonglan called his companions over. Although they were eventually driven out by the fiends, they at least had genuine interactions with Shariel in ancient times.
Not close, but acquaintances.
Sams was both true and false. What happened in the game was the original cycle of reincarnation.
Jiali swept her hair aside and said, “Us? We don’t have any research on Great Artifices.”
“No research is needed. You can all play music, right?”
Yonglan smiled and said,
“Just follow the ritual created by the Chanters. Let’s play a song.”
The Great Artifice created by the Holy Descendant used sound as a medium to summon the Primal King. A grand musical performance was the method for executing the artifice.
Ate presented Yonglan and his companions with the musical score. All the Chanters of the Golden Holy Domain gathered together, willing to serve as accompaniment.
The score prepared by the Holy Descendant was quite exquisite. It was a hymn discovered in the “Ode to the First King.”
Legend had it that this was the final heroic deed performed by the Primal King.
Drawing the bow and nocking the string, the Primal King pierced the Dark Abyss Sea directly with arrows of light.
The aggregated Spirit Matter then exploded, and the scattered radiance, like arrows, penetrated the chaotic and gloomy sky, dispelling the darkness and silence.
The world, which had been robbed of sunlight for millennia, finally welcomed back the light and warmth it deserved.
The descending light brought not only light and heat but also the effects of healing diseases, lifting curses, strengthening the body, and preserving youth.
Undoubtedly, it was an unprecedented, and likely unrepeatable, banquet of blessings.
Even to this day, these blessings continued to influence all living beings, making the contamination of fiends almost negligible.
Then, atop the interweaving black and white-gold tower, Yonglan and his companions began to play this song.
“Deng yi-”
“….The King of all realms, all waters, all races, all domains; the conqueror and master of all gods, all kings, and all heavens, shot an arrow towards the firmament.”
“Then, the sound of thunder enveloped the land, and the stars, hidden by the gloomy canopy, opened their eyes from their shallow slumber.”
“Countless rays of light pierced the undifferentiated chaos, descending like arrows.”
“The wilderness was reborn, and all beings were blessed.”
“After countless nights, the mortal world once again basked in sunlight, much like the dawn blooming after tens of long centuries.”
“A long-awaited dawn, a dawn that would never set.”
Ten thousand notes ascended and marched towards the Dark Abyss Sea. At this moment, Yonglan felt his consciousness gradually blur. This sensation… was exactly the same as when he usually entered Sams.
He could enter it even in broad daylight!
Very well, did he need to be the one to call her back?
Yonglan calmly closed his eyes. Soon, he arrived above the Dark Abyss Sea.
Within this sanctuary carved out by fiends lay a space filled with brilliant golden radiance.
In the distance, it appeared as a temple built on a mountain peak. On the path leading to the peak stood a thousand silver trees, winding upwards.
These silver trees, entirely silver and crystal clear, clustered densely together. Divine radiance emanated from their branches, and the rich aura of Divinity made Yonglan’s appetite whet. However, now was not the time to covet this Divinity. The Godslayer looked around and asked,
“Shariel?”
“Yonglan…”
As he called out, below the mountain peak, Yonglan saw a familiar figure.
White-haired Hram was still in her hooded white dress, but her exquisite and beautiful face appeared hollow and weary from the passage of time.
Yonglan: “Ah, I kept my promise and came to pick you up. Although it felt like just a blink of an eye for me, you must have waited for a long time.”
Shariel managed a weak smile, “It’s not too bad, really. The passage of time doesn’t affect me much.”
“Alright, from now on, leave it to me. I’ll take you out.”
Yonglan looked ahead of Shariel. The sealed fiends were still restless. Despite being slaughtered for so long, their numbers remained immense.
But Yonglan wasn’t here to exterminate all the fiends. He was here to bring Shariel out.
Therefore, he only needed to carve a path through the Dark Abyss Sea.
As for why Yonglan had the confidence to confront multiple Celestial Gods?
The answer is the Great Artifice!
The Spirit Matter that the Holy Descendant had planned and accumulated for thousands of years was poured into Yonglan’s body at this moment.
He was unbelievably powerful!
“Meow一一”
Raising his spear with his right hand and aiming at the enemies before him, Yonglan exhaled.
At this moment, with each breath, every inch of special energy structure within the Warrior’s body began to frantically absorb and convert the free energy in the world like a high-energy engine, transforming it into pure and simple explosive force and high heat, which then gushed out from the tip of his spear.
One, two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two… His right hand trembled, and the tip of the Sky-Cleansing Spear blurred, instantly layering upon itself.
The spiral spear energy, capable of piercing everything, dissipated only a sliver of its residual power, yet it stirred up a storm.
High heat and impact were the most primal means of attack. Yonglan had brought them to their absolute extreme. Each spiral spear energy contained the temperature of the sun’s core and an impact force exceeding ten hundred million tons, enough to shatter mountains and melt hills.
The spiral destructive impact hit its target, immediately making the hollow sky erupt with a brilliant light like the sun. Continuous explosions echoed within the rapidly rising massive pillar of light. However, in an instant, several beams of light broke through this thick pillar.
But the fiends retaliated, raising their weapons. The atmosphere exploded with thunderous roars like volcanic eruptions. The air torn apart by the fierce energy formed countless swirling vortexes around the fiends, emitting a mournful wind.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Yonglan’s figure moved like light and fire. With each forceful step, the violent impact made the earth tremble frantically, causing the flat brick surfaces to crack in radial patterns. Storms of dust and rubble surged skyward behind him, and then the high-heat radiation from the Warrior melted into a rain of molten lava.
The Sky-Cleansing Spear finally broke through the fiends’ impenetrable defense, piercing through the body of one fiend.
Power! Infinite power!
I felt strength surging within me!
Successfully activating the Great Artifice, Yonglan felt his power surge! Explode! Grow!
Unimaginable might! Unprecedented dominance!
Damn it, with such terrifying demonic power, what could possibly stop it? What could possibly stand in its way!?
This battle could be described as the most straightforward and unadorned fight Yonglan had ever experienced. The purity of it might only be comparable to the initial exchange when he first entered the game and fought the Living Knight, with no flashy special effects or aftershocks.
At this moment, Yonglan’s mastery over his own power reached its zenith. Not a single bit of energy was leaked; all the erupted energy was concentrated at the tip of his spear.
The fiends, too, reacted similarly. Yonglan had expected them to transform directly and use some bizarre forms to overwhelm him, but to his surprise, the fiends reverted to their primal state, engaging him in a direct fight in Hram’s form.
The Godslayer and the Hram gods battled until the end of primordial times, even obliterating the Great Dao.
Although it appeared to be a straightforward weapon-based combat, devoid of the grandeur of roaring mountains and collapsing heavens, technique was irrelevant in such a battle. Or rather, everything mundane was meaningless. It seemed like an ordinary battle, a return to simplicity.
However, this was merely an illusion. Yonglan and the Hram gods had no fancy tricks or schemes. It was a simple contest of power: whoever had higher energy output and purer quality would gain the upper hand.
No tactics, all stats!
“Boom一一”
Finally, when Yonglan sensed he was nearing the end, he raised the Sky-Cleansing Spear high.
As the radiant spear was unleashed, the entire sanctuary was momentarily plunged into darkness.
But this darkness lasted only an instant. The next moment, light appeared.
Light.
Endless light spread through the void, like a grand tide.
This tide surged and billowed, vast like a celestial river. It expanded powerfully, causing the star river to tremble and all realms to sway, immersing all heavens within it.
The river of light filled every corner of the sanctuary’s space, as if stealing all the light in the world and transforming into a sweeping storm that washed over everything. The figures of the Hram gods could no longer be discerned, as if they had merged with the tide of light. Their forms melted like candles.
While the prolonged battle unfolded above the Dark Abyss Sea, this conflict indirectly affected the real world. The Dark Abyss Sea, which had stood for countless millennia, was now stirred, as if the sky were about to collapse.
“What… what is happening?”
“The Dark Abyss Sea… is shaking…”
Everyone in the Golden Holy Domain stared at the sky, dumbfounded.
Aseran lowered her eyelids, gazing solemnly at the sanctuary, which resembled a mass of viscous shadow, and said slowly,
“The King is in a fierce battle with the fiends. The sky barrier of the Dark Abyss Sea can no longer hold… The battle is entering its final phase.”
Ate also became extremely excited upon hearing this. The Chanters now fully believed Yonglan’s identity. In fact, they had already believed him instinctively long ago, but now their doubts were completely dispelled:
“Then, all we can do now is wait, and witness. Witness the victory of the First King.”
Everyone fell silent, looking at the darkening and gloomy sky.
This unprecedented peak battle lasted for an incredibly long time. The outside world waited day after day, year after year. During this period,
Enesyin and the others also explained the whole story to Yonglan.
The secrets of ancient times, the truth behind the so-called “Hram Demonkin,” and Shariel’s existence…
Finally, one day, the Dark Abyss Sea was torn open. A dim beam of light dispersed the thick haze, disintegrating it layer by layer. The barrier above the sky transformed into countless fragments, scattering like snowflakes.
“It seems it’s over.”
As the dust settled, everyone looked up in anticipation. Under the radiant light, two figures returned to the Great Artifice sanctuary of the Golden Holy Domain.
Yonglan supported Shariel. They stood almost shoulder to shoulder, looking battered and weary.
But Yonglan still spread his arms and said,
“Children, I’m back.”
“Welcome back, Yonglan.”
“Congratulations, My King!”
“Simply breathtaking!”
A wave of fervent cheers, reverence, and joy greeted the man’s return.
Normally, he might have been satisfied with this, but after the long and arduous battle, Yonglan just wanted to rest well.
So, he whispered something to White-haired Hram and closed his eyes.
Shariel rested Yonglan’s head on her shoulder and smiled,
“Yes, rest assured. And then, continue to enjoy this journey and this game.”
PS: Intense soul battles every day during this period. Alas, it’s truly detrimental.
