Chapter 586: Consolidation
Pontus did not dare to say more. Looking at Ace, who was flanked by the gods, He felt a trace of bitterness in His heart. He hadn’t expected this once inconspicuous mortal to be so formidable, leaping from a mortal without a shred of supernatural bloodline to a regional Main God in just a few decades.
He felt as if His nearly ten thousand years of life had been lived in vain. Born a Demigod, He still had to rely on faith to barely become a True God. The gap between Him and Ace was simply too great. Pontus said no more, summoned an incomparably massive Island Beast, and simultaneously handed down an oracle: disaster was arriving, and only the most devout believers could follow the god to take refuge.
Ace looked at the merfolk, a trace of disgust revealing itself in His eyes. He whispered to the God of Great Strength, Norton: “You stand guard here. After Pontus leaves, expel all the merfolk and half-merfolk.”
Those who are not of my race must have different hearts. Ace never believed in universal brotherhood. Only those within His sphere of influence should be cared for; everyone else was an enemy.
Ace’s projection returned to the floating city first. Looking at the busy magical populace of over a hundred thousand in the alternate dimension, He smiled.
“Only they can be considered my subjects. As for the rest, they are not of my race. If our interests do not conflict, I can give them limited consideration. If our interests conflict, I will strike without hesitation.”
After staying in the floating city for a while, the figure of Ace’s projection gradually disappeared like mist, entering the galactic universe of the Dream Realm sub-plane.
Out of the hundred thousand stars, there were still nearly forty thousand that hadn’t been lit up and restored. Ace’s true body had His eyes tightly closed, seemingly pondering something.
When the projection arrived, their gazes met. That emerald green leaf drifted into Ace’s hand. At the same time, the lucky baby also jumped out from the top of the projection’s head with a pop and returned to the top of the true body’s head.
Under the powerful perception of the Law of Comprehension, the mist faded from this emerald leaf, revealing its true appearance.
“A world within a leaf?”
Ace’s eyes flickered with strange brilliance. He saw a dilapidated world, basically complete. The Great Source of the world seemed extremely weak. Inside, it was already a barren wasteland, and intelligent life had long since gone extinct.
In a flash of lightning, Ace recalled the scene He saw after advancing to Legendary and briefly detaching from the world: the deities of that world were driving planes resembling leaves, charging towards the Kaya World.
“Although it is incomparably dilapidated and has basically welcomed destruction, I can be certain this should be a world, not a plane. It has many nascent but fundamentally complete laws. But it’s like a sapling whose tip has been pinched off; I fear it cannot grow normally.”
Ace played with this leaf, feeling very amazed in His heart. This feeling was as if a world had just advanced to Level 4, only to be stripped of all its potential, and made into an emerald leaf. Without a doubt, this was the handiwork of the elven gods.
“Truly a grand gesture. So those emerald branches and leaves of the World Tree are actually microcosms of destroyed worlds. Perhaps the only thing such a world, where living creatures have gone extinct, can give me is its Great Source.”
Ace tossed that emerald leaf into the galactic center. The Immortal Glazed Heart Fire drifted out, roasting this emerald branch and leaf, and simultaneously roasting the dilapidated world devoid of creatures.
A week later, after forcibly expelling the merfolk and half-merfolk, the Port of Tsimali became an empty city. The Goddess of Elegance wanted to reclaim it, but was vetoed by Ace.
“A Free Port City will be established here. The status resources obtained will be supplied to the rotating Mythical Wizards.”
The other deities had no objections. The Goddess of Elegance was somewhat unhappy, but Ace immediately added: “I will purify the demons in the former Northern Territory region. This area will be returned to the City-State of Medimus.”
Medea’s original intention was to make room for her son. The so-called status was composed jointly of geography and population. As long as there was geography and population, status could be born.
After Ace finished speaking, He took a step and appeared in the sky above the Abyss Projection Land. Ten thousand stars flashed simultaneously, turning the night sky into broad daylight. Right within that pure light, the Abyss Projection Land that had entrenched itself in Salia for a long time was completely destroyed.
Expressionlessly, He recalled the ten thousand stars. This was a standard case of overkill. Actually, a few hundred stars could have solved the matter, but Ace used ten thousand stars precisely for a sufficiently shocking effect.
He also sighed in His heart: “It’s only been a few years. Before descending to the Wizard World Cluster, I was just an Legendary Wizard. Facing the Demigod Ronamus, I had to hurry up and flee. I didn’t expect that just a few years later, I have already advanced to Sovereign, and after becoming a Level 5 existence, my strength advanced by leaps and bounds. Even the Abyss Projection, which I could absolutely never destroy in the past, I can now crush with ease.”
The gods of Salia felt a chill in their hearts. The strength Ace displayed was simply too powerful. This was the use of both grace and might.
Destroying the Abyss Projection was bestowing grace; displaying powerful strength was demonstrating might. More importantly, the power Ace displayed was too great. In the era of the Gods’ Fall, following such a powerful Main God provided a tremendous sense of security.
Opposing such a powerful Main God might also lead to falling into a long slumber, or even losing one’s Fruit of Immortality. For a time, the gods were speechless. The God of Arithmetic, Thoth, looked at Ace with an even more complex gaze, thinking in His heart:
“Is this the power of concurrently walking the path of magic? Those stars are undoubtedly the ones I saw back then. I didn’t expect Him to combine dreams with them. It seems I must also spend more time giving due consideration to the path of wizards.”
The God of Great Strength, Norton, suddenly said loudly, “Your Holiness the Main God, there is a group of elves entrenched in the Salia Forest in the north. Should we cleanse them first?”
Ace smiled: “This inevitably must be cleaned up. Not just the Salia region; in the corresponding Reflection World, not a single patch of emerald green is allowed to remain.”
Although His voice was gentle, the gods heard extreme coldness.
“The northern part of Salia will be left to you. Evil must be completely eradicated!”
After speaking, Ace took a step, disappeared, and appeared in the Reflection World.
The gods exchanged glances and also flew away from the area, arriving at the northern part of Salia. This was the graveyard of the Fire Stealers Alliance, and also the above-ground colonial stronghold of the elves.
The seven True Gods descended here together. The elves here still didn’t know that doomsday had arrived. The God of Great Strength, Norton, took the lead, His radiant Divine Power directly leveling the place to the ground. The other six True Gods attacked together. Except for one Demigod who barely escaped, all the other elves were exterminated.
Medea pulsed Her Domain of Elegance, capturing that elf Demigod and bringing them back. She said to Thoth, “Please, Your Holiness, offer this scoundrel to His Holiness the Main God. We will return to our respective city-states first.”
In the Reflection World, it was lush and green here, with vitality running wild and murmuring streams. If He hadn’t seen it with His own eyes, Ace simply wouldn’t have believed that this was actually the Reflection World permeated with death aura.
“Turning death into life is simply an inconceivable miracle. Objectively speaking, introducing elves into our world is not necessarily a bad thing, but they must be used by us. Otherwise, if the elves completely replace us, what use is there for this world?”
The air gradually became scorching and searing. One, two, ten, a hundred—more and more stellar projections appeared here, illuminating the place brightly. This was Ace’s Tenth Ring Legendary spell: “Descent of the Stars.”
At the stage of Legendary spells, there is truly only one spell. Most of the others are derivatives of this spell. This spell contained all of Ace’s current cognition of the world. From different angles and different directions, it was enough to derive infinite variations.
This time there was no demonstration of might, nor was there a need to show off. Ace didn’t waste Divine Power. About a thousand stars flashed with intense light together. The extremely intense light waves caused all life to die within the radiance.
“Life originates from radiance. However, excessive radiance can only make life wither. Therefore, burn, wail, turn into white bones, turn into death aura. Let the Reflection World return to its former tranquility, and welcome purification and judgment!”
Ace bowed slightly, singing loudly in an aria. Blazing light a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times hotter than ordinary fire purified everything here. Even a Demigod had no chance to escape. This was the power of the stars.
Looking at the ashes in the nearby area, Ace suddenly smiled: “Compared to the Sun God, I feel like I resemble the sun more? If I had known, I should have held back a bit. I even killed the Demigod. I originally wanted to take Them to study.”
…
“This is an elf Demigod?”
Betty’s eyes shone with light. Behind her, the soul fire in the empty eye sockets of the Demigod Lich Witte also suddenly burned fiercely.
“Yes, we have already exterminated the elves entrenched in the northern forest. This Demi-god is a spoil of victory presented to Lord Ace. I must trouble you to pass them on to Him. Additionally, if possible, I have a Demigod-level projection that I hope can study magic here.”
The human and the Lich gulped as they looked at the slender, beautiful elf Demigod. Especially the Lich Witte; he clearly had no saliva, yet he swallowed emptily. Being able to convert the death energy of the Reflection World into life energy was too great a temptation for Witte.
“I remember Lord Ace gave You the relevant information, right?”
Betty asked with some doubt.
Thoth nodded and said: “That is indeed the case, but I found that what is most needed for studying magic is the atmosphere. An academic atmosphere is more important than cold, hard data.”
“We have no objections, but this requires Lord Ace’s approval.”
Bayen suddenly appeared, bowed to Thoth, and said slowly.
Just as they were speaking, Ace’s True God projection flashed back from the Reflection World. He said with a smile: “Since Your Holiness Thoth wishes to attempt the path of magic and enjoy the academic atmosphere, I naturally agree. Your projection can come and settle in the floating city right now.”
The other few hastily bowed to Ace. The Lich Witte spoke first: “Lord Ace, can you lend this Demigod to me? I am very good at researching various organisms, and I am especially interested in this ability to convert between life and death.”
Betty said in a sharp voice: “I am also very interested! You are too cunning, Witte. I want to research too.”
Watching the two bicker endlessly, Ace rubbed His temples and laughed: “Are you two little children? No need to fight over it. The two of you can conduct a joint experiment.”
Bayen also took a step forward at this time and coughed softly: “Lord Ace, I also want to join the joint experiment.”
Looking at the few of them, Thoth thought to Himself: Is this what a wizard is?
Towards an existence of the same level, there is no reverence whatsoever; the first thing they think of is conducting research experiments. He felt even more excited.
As a deity who had sheltered wizards for a period of time, Thoth also understood the path of magic quite deeply. He had even sent a clone to study at the magic school. Based solely on magical attainments, Thoth was sufficient to be an Legendary Wizard.
His Demigod projection studying magic also had an innate advantage: He had accumulated enough resources. Sufficient resources could allow Him to naturally break through when His cognition was sufficient. The only problem was that deepening cognition was too difficult.
Magical mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, optics, and various kinds of mathematics… Fortunately, Thoth’s domain made Him very good at mathematics. Otherwise, if it were another deity, they would probably doubt their divine life.
…
A few days later, after stabilizing the entirety of Salia, news also successively arrived from various places.
The Elven Gods, Rebel Gods, demons, and devils also successively fell. The lives of wizard inheritances in various places became very difficult. High-level wars rendered ordinary supernaturals powerless.
Some True Gods had even already fallen into slumber, exiting the stage early.
“We must quickly find our Fruits of Immortality. The battles on the inner side of the world are becoming more and more frequent and intense. Once one’s Fruit of Immortality is found by someone else, the consequences will be unimaginable.”
After the gods found Ace, the Goddess of Elegance, Medea, said somewhat urgently.
“That is indeed the case. Although even if obtained, it is difficult for an ordinary deity to destroy it. But if it is an existence above a Main God, it is still possible to shatter the Fruit of Immortality, provided the other party obtains it.”
Ace also knew that this was indeed true. Having advanced to the Sovereign level, Ace also felt that if He took one more step, a qualitative change would occur on the four-dimensional level. What if the Titan Main Gods, that is, Level 6 existences, were all true four-dimensional existences, or rather, a special superimposed state of the fourth dimension superimposing the third dimension?
Whichever it was, at that level, They very likely possessed the strength to shatter three-dimensional immortality.
After all, the so-called three-dimensional immortality is constructing a fruit that twisted past time on the four-dimensional level. Even for Ace Himself, if He obtained this fruit at its intersection point in three dimensions, He could trace its four-dimensional main body.
As long as this fruit on the four-dimensional level is destroyed, it effectively destroys the other party’s foundation of three-dimensional immortality. Then, killing the other party in three dimensions can completely kill the god.
Even if this order is reversed, there is no problem. First killing them on the three-dimensional level, and then destroying the Fruit of Immortality before they resurrect, will also completely eliminate the deity.
“That is indeed true, but right now is precisely the time when mystical energy is oscillating. Even ordinary Main Gods cannot break the barrier, which means they cannot enter the Divine Secret Realm. Therefore, even if someone obtains a Fruit of Immortality, it will be difficult to destroy it for a while.
“But having said that, we cannot hand over our immortality to others. We need to retrieve it now.
“This is your Fruit of Immortality, so it must have a very deep connection with you. You all go your separate ways to search first. I will bestow upon each of you a Star Mark. If there is a problem, call Me.
“As for after the fruits are found, those who trust Me can hide them in My sub-plane. We can make a vow to return them after this Gods’ Fall ends. Those who do not trust Me, I can only ask you to leave the Salia Peninsula and take your people to find another place.”
The gods felt a chill in their hearts. Ace was giving Them no choice. If They left with the residents of Their city-states now, where else could They find a place?
The God of Great Strength, Norton, said: “I am willing to make a vow with Your Holiness Ace, a vow of mutual assistance, mutual benefit, and mutual respect.”
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