### Chapter 664: The Death of Father Snake
The conversation between Father Snake and the Lord of Scales and Feathers was not kept hidden from outsiders. Observing the reactions of the Cardinal Bishops, it was clear they were already aware of this future. Perhaps it was due to Loki’s prophecy, or perhaps the Pillar God with whom they had a contract had mentioned it long ago. It was also possible that no god or person had told them – after all, it was a future that could be deduced purely through logic.
Not all paths have an end; some paths lead to eternity. However, transcendence is not among them.
—Father Snake would eventually reach his end, and his appointed day was fast approaching.
This was a path whose conclusion was set from the very beginning.
Transcendent beings never retreat, never stand still—and precisely because of this, those who transcend can never find peace.
But this day-after-day, infinite progress was a form of happiness for transcendent beings. No matter where they went, new goals lay before their eyes.
—However, “transcendence” ultimately requires a goal to be established. Therefore, if one looks into the infinitely distant future, transcendent beings will eventually face an unavoidable fate.
That is, they will one day transform from “transcendent beings” to the “strongest beings.”
And when they can no longer transcend, it will mean their betrayal of the Path. Just as a rebel becomes a monarch, they are no longer the same rebel as before…
It is easier to conquer a world than to hold it. This is likely the general direction of such stories.
“‘The Pillar of this World shall never betray this Path,’” the Lord of Scales and Feathers said, occupying Eivass’s body, his emerald green pupils deep and his voice low. “‘This is what you told me when I became a Pillar God. Now, I am still the God of Adaptation. And you…’”
“—I will never retreat either,” Father Snake interrupted, his attitude clear.
“All Pillars of this world are slaves to their past selves…” Hengwo suddenly spoke, uttering these words.
In an instant, a brief silence fell upon the room.
“Eivass” looked at Hengwo and nodded slightly.
Then, he once again looked at “Cardinal Cyril” and broke the silence, asking directly, “When is the appointed day?”
“August 1st, it is set.” Father Snake said without reservation. “On that day, I will complete the final transcendence—crossing the Twilight Wall. Whether I survive or not, and regardless of what lies beyond that wall… I will no longer exist as a Pillar God. Whether I die, leave, am reborn, or ascend to the highest seat… I will depart from the River of Easier Conditions. This world will face ‘eight days without transcendence.’ Come August 8th, a new Pillar God will ascend.”
…August 1st.
The quietly observing Eivass heard this date. He suddenly realized. In another timeline, the Ring Heavenly Envoy’s ascension was precisely on August 3rd!
If Father Snake’s death were to be moved forward, then according to this timing… perhaps the Ring Heavenly Envoy would not ascend through “patricide,” but rather Father Snake would reach the end of his Path.
When the River of Easier Conditions were to be vacant of a Pillar God, the Ring Heavenly Envoy would ascend.
If nothing unexpected happened… that would likely be the day of the confrontation between Eivass and the Ring Heavenly Envoy.
…Less than half a year remaining?
Such a thought arose in Eivass’s mind, and for a moment, he felt a lack of reality and tension.
“It’s not that there’s no way at all…” At this moment, the Lord of Scales and Feathers spoke leisurely. “You can also try to modify your Path’s narrative, just like I did.”
“Transcendence and Adaptation are different paths, Kunpeng,” Father Snake refused without hesitation. “I am destined to walk the Path of Transcendence until the very end, and I will never turn back. To attempt to transcend this inevitable death would be to betray the Path of Transcendence on another level. This is the ‘paradox of transcendence,’ an infinite wall with no front or back.”
He gazed at “Eivass” with his purplish-red snake eyes. “You will live on, carrying a scale and a feather of mine. You… are also a continuation of me.”
“—However, ‘easier conditions’ and ‘survival’ are not in conflict.” “Eivass” crossed his arms and shook his head slightly. “The Path of Adaptation also flows with the blood of transcendence—just like the Path of Authority. I won’t forget—in the distant past, precognition was a capability of the Path of Transcendence. Anchoring the future, and then transcending it… isn’t that exactly what you previously did?”
Upon hearing the secret suddenly revealed by the Boss, Eivass was slightly stunned, then enlightened.
No wonder… The Lord of Scales and Feathers had a title, “God of Stealing Scales and Plundering Feathers,” and the Church’s formal title for him was even “God of Adorned Scales and Feathers.” Where did his “scales and feathers” come from, to the point they became a Pillar God’s title?
As expected—it was from Father Snake, the “Winged Serpent”!
The Lord of Scales and Feathers had once stolen Father Snake’s precognitive abilities, just as the Spider Silk Grimoire had stolen Loki’s Supreme Heaven Divine Blood.
And it is because the Path of Adaptation has incorporated a portion of the Path of Transcendence that the adaptors nowadays have acquired traits of transcendence—whether it be assassins who assassinate the strong, the wealthy, and officials, or physicians who use poison to overcome the weak and medicine to conquer death, or hunters who fight against “monsters” that are stronger than intelligent beings and have become a scourge, all possess a hint of transcendence.
—Survival of the fittest.
The essence of adaptation is precisely “evolution”! And evolution is undoubtedly “transcendence for the sake of survival”…
…This so-called interconnectedness, where every action has a consequence, is all predetermined.
The act of “adorning scales and feathers” in the past has now become the starting point for a major deviation of the Path of Adaptation…
“—This is not strange, Eivass.” As Eivass thought this, he suddenly felt the surrounding space become dim again. In the dark space, a chair appeared before him. The Lord of Scales and Feathers sat with his knees crossed and fingers interlaced, the faceless man seated rather upright. There was no light source around, yet it was surprisingly possible to see the faceless man’s illusory features.
“—This scene looks like a villain’s subordinate reporting the situation to a BOSS in silhouette,” Eivass couldn’t help but quip.
The Lord of Scales and Feathers simply chuckled. “It’s not far off, actually. You guessed correctly… The reason the Path of Adaptation has deviated so greatly is because a portion of the Path of Transcendence has been mixed into it. Because of this, the Path of Adaptation is more stable when strong enemies exist. And now, without external enemies, the Path of Adaptation is prone to deviation. However, this situation is not unexpected. Rather, it is a very logical—even inevitable—situation. Think about your own situation; the influence of a Path on the Material Realm is long and profound. Later Pillar Gods will inevitably be influenced by the earlier ones. The God of Authority also possesses an aspect of transcendence, along with traces of power; the God of Love yearns for ultimate beauty, and also possesses beastly desires. Before my final ascension, I was also a follower of Father Snake, and even his Apostle.”
The Lord of Scales and Feathers said slowly. “I stole the scales called ‘Hexagrams’ and the feathers called ‘Rain of Predation’ from him. The former is the ability of precognition, and the latter is the essence of evolution.”
“…Why are you telling me this?” Upon hearing this fundamental secret related to the succession of Pillar Gods, Eivass did not have the energy to be curious or amazed. Instead, he became alert and extremely vigilant.
“Naturally, it’s because you have some connection with Father Snake.” The Lord of Scales and Feathers smiled. “The Ring Heavenly Envoy is the Son of Father Snake, and you are the half-body severed by the Ring Heavenly Envoy. You can be seen as a part of him, or his younger brother, or even his descendant. But regardless, you have some ‘缘’ (yuan, fate/connection) to Father Snake.
—Do you know why various improbable events always happen around you?”
(End of Chapter)
