Chapter 662: Crushing Defeat

"Nyx!"

The final shriek Eris let out before being devoured by the divine abominations shook the depths of the Abyssal Sea.

Li Mochen could discern the meaning contained in Eris's shriek: in short, it was "Just wait! I will kill you! I will surely return! Kill you all!"

The struggle of this god-king was extremely violent and prolonged, lasting a full four minutes under the cover of countless tentacles.

Yet 'the Madonna' Isis and 'the Earth Mother' Rhea had already given up rescue by the tenth second, retreating together from the depths of the Abyssal Sea.

Eris's flesh greatly excited the two divine abominations, vastly increasing their power. Although Eris's body had not yet died, it had already caused them to grow more flesh—within this Abyssal Sea, their power was inherently inexhaustible.

Besides, there was also the Night Goddess Nyx, whose stance was unclear. Although the latter had withdrawn her dark spiderweb when Eris was being devoured, neither Isis nor Rhea, nor the Abyss King Satan, dared take any risks at this moment.

However, Li Mochen and Lucifer had no reason to let them withdraw safely. The latter targeted the Madonna Isis, nearly entangling her with the 'Chain of Heaven.' Although Isis managed to escape, she paid a heavy price: her divine body was struck over a hundred and twenty times by the two divine abominations, seven of which broke through her defenses and hit her flesh, and part of her flesh was even devoured.

Lucifer's pair of scimitars also inflicted great harm on her, leaving at least seven blade wounds on the Madonna Isis's body.

Li Mochen targeted Satan among the three, using the 'Zhou Tian Thunder Fire Star Core Sword Array' to slash him a thousand times. If not for the rescue and assistance of Rhea, the Earth Mother, this Abyss King, whose overall strength barely surpassed Eris's, would have been slain by Li Mochen's sword.

And if not for Satan possessing a top-tier spatial divine artifact, which allowed him to flash and teleport short distances within the Abyssal Sea even under Li Mochen's divine authority suppression, throwing off the two divine abominations far behind, he would have died under Li Mochen's sword tide!

What made this former Egyptian Underworld King immensely grateful was that Li Mochen decisively gave up after determining he could not kill him. The latter's body flickered slightly and vanished before Satan's eyes.

But by now, his condition was extremely dire, even utterly wretched.

Li Mochen's 'Thunder Fire Star Core Sword Intent' was already immensely powerful, and now infused with truth-level 'Space' and 'Truth,' it became even more irresistible and inexpellable.

He had been severely wounded by Li Mochen! It was foreseeable that without extraordinary measures, he might need hundreds or even thousands of years to recover—or whether he would ever recover at all was unknown.

Witnessing this from afar, Isis's gaze turned dark and gloomy to the extreme. She realized that Rhea had held back greatly, not truly exerting her full strength to rescue.

If not for Rhea's intention to use Satan to slow Li Mochen's pursuit, this Earth Mother would not have hesitated to stomp hard on Satan from behind, pushing him into the tidal wave of tentacles extended by the two divine abominations.

Isis could also foresee the difficult situation awaiting the Radiant Lord and herself—utter isolation with no support.

Yet her eyes held more confusion. She speculated about the relationship between Li Mochen and the two divine abominations, whether today's battle was a trap deliberately set by him, and whether the Night Goddess Nyx had been outwitted by Li Mochen or had known all along.

A trace of regret also began to grow in her heart, like a viper gnawing at her heart.

With her mental cultivation, such thoughts should never have arisen, nor should they trouble her. But the divine abominations had not only inflicted great wounds on her body but had also shaken her state of mind.

Countless thick, deep, dark, and filthy abyssal forces were flowing through her body and soul.

Her injuries were better than Satan's, but still severe. The difficulty of removing this abyssal force was no less than that of expelling Li Mochen's sword intent from Satan's body; of course, the concentration of abyssal force in the latter's body far exceeded that in Isis's.

Yet at this moment, the fact that Satan had managed to escape alive already made Isis feel immensely fortunate.

Watching her former husband tear through space and escape via a long-distance spatial teleport using a beacon set outside the Abyssal Sea, Isis dared not linger any longer. She cast a deep gaze at Lucifer, who was still in hot pursuit, then her body suddenly burst into flames, turning to ashes in an instant. At the same time, a surge of blood light rushed out, escorting her soul and a few divine artifacts as they shot through the air at true light speed, escaping beyond Lucifer's divine sense.

As a powerful god-king, the 'Radiant Madonna' Isis had her own means of preserving her life. She had a spare divine body hidden outside the Abyssal Sea, which could ensure her survival, though her soul would be riddled with holes.

Just as Isis, Rhea, and the others were fleeing one after another, Li Mochen appeared before Nyx.

The latter had also been fleeing, using her fastest speed to distance herself from the battlefield while Isis and the others were being pursued.

Yet the main body of the divine abomination with truth-level 'Space' authority had been trailing her all along. It had no intelligence but could arbitrarily warp space, manipulate the Abyssal Sea, and was utterly indifferent to损耗.

Worse, this goddess could not attack the divine abomination, unsure of its relationship with Li Mochen and whether doing so would violate the soul contract.

The Night Goddess knew that if she broke the contract, not only would her soul suffer severe damage, but the Fate Dominator would lose all constraints. She might end up following Eris's fate here.

She could only manipulate the surrounding spacetime, engaging in indirect confrontation with this divine abomination.

Yet even after Isis and Satan had fled, Nyx still could not completely shake off the divine abomination. When Li Mochen appeared before her, the Night Goddess abandoned all hope of escape, standing still with a pale, bitter expression.

"It seems I truly made a wrong choice this time."

"Without a doubt!"

Li Mochen's lips curled slightly: "But given the information you had in the past, your decision was undoubtedly wise. If I were in your shoes, I might have done the same."

Nyx frowned, unable to understand Li Mochen's words.

What made the Night Goddess Nyx's mood even worse was that Lucifer's figure then appeared beside Li Mochen.

Holding a pair of scimitars stained with Isis's divine blood, he seemed in a very cheerful mood, his lips unable to stop curling upward. Nyx could understand his feelings: although he had been defeated by Ahura and lost his position as the Babylonian God-King, it was the Radiant Lord and his mother who had personally cast him into hell.

What made Lucifer even more unforgiving was that Ahura had defeated him in open battle, but the Radiant Lord had dealt him the heaviest blow after Lucifer had provided great assistance.

If it were Nyx, she would also feel resentment and regard it as a disgrace.

Now, Lucifer had single-handedly severely wounded the Radiant Madonna, who was slightly stronger than him. How could he not be pleased?

"You spread your power too thin, Andre!"

After returning to Li Mochen's side, Lucifer's words carried no lack of complaint: "If you had concentrated your strength, we could have killed at least one of Isis or Satan just now."

"Wow, are you sure you could kill them? Kill Isis, the Goddess of Life? Kill Osiris, who could be resurrected after being dismembered?"

Li Mochen asked with a smile. Seeing Lucifer fall silent, he turned to Nyx: "You owe me an explanation, Princess Nyx."

"An explanation? I can apologize to both of you and offer some compensation—twenty drops of Source Blood."

Nyx had regained her calm and composed demeanor, smiling slightly: "You two seem unsatisfied? But what exactly do you want from me? Though what I did earlier was wrong, I did not violate our soul contract."

She had betrayed Li Mochen's whereabouts before signing the contract, not after.

Li Mochen did not bother to waste words with her. He directly summoned the 'Divine Sky Spirit Fortune Purple Gold Tower' before him.

After Rhea, Odin and Zeus would, without any evidence, believe that this divine object was in his hands, so Li Mochen no longer made any attempt to conceal it. But he bet that even Odin and Zeus, who had exterminated the Moshla race to seize this object, could not know its true abilities and value, especially after it had been repaired with Source Matter.

"I wish in the name of the Fate Lord! That after violating the contract signed with the Night Goddess Nyx, the souls of Lord Lucifer and myself will not be damaged!"

At this moment, the merit spiritual light on the 'Divine Sky Spirit Fortune Purple Gold Tower' had not been consumed at all, because the premise of Li Mochen's wish had not yet been realized.

But opposite him, Nyx's expression shifted again, uncertain. The divine object in Li Mochen's hand alarmed her; Nyx knew that Odin and Zeus had come to the Bright World chasing this object, and that it was likely a true 'truth-level' divine artifact.

She could not determine whether Li Mochen's wish could be fulfilled, but the two divine abominations circling nearby made her extremely wary and fearful.

"So this is the so-called Wishing Tower? Odin, Zeus, Ahura, Itzamna—they came for this?"

Nyx stared intently at the nine-story stone tower in Li Mochen's hand, but aside from sensing a faint truth resonance, she could find nothing remarkable about it.

To her eyes, it was just an ordinary stone model tower, shaped exactly like the towers in Eastern culture.

Yet the more so, the more Nyx took it seriously. Her pupils contracted slightly as she met Li Mochen's gaze.

"Speak! What exactly do you want from me?"

"You should have guessed, Princess Nyx."

Li Mochen shook his head and let out a sigh: "There is only one thing in your hands that I must obtain. Of course, you can also gamble—try to escape from Lord Lucifer and me."

Lucifer cooperatively spread the Chain of Heaven in all directions, sneering coldly as he raised his twin blades, posing as if he would strike at the slightest provocation.

He indeed had no certainty of killing Isis and Satan. The former Egyptian Goddess of Life had countless means to revive herself and her husband. In history, she was as hard to kill as the Magic Goddess, having been recorded as dying nine times, yet she remained unharmed.

She was also far more terrifying than the Magic Goddess Hecate; the latter's soul changed with each reincarnation, with a new soul and personality as the main entity. But for Isis, death left no trace.

But Nyx—Lucifer was at least sixty percent certain he could kill her and prevent her resurrection for several hundred years.

"I will not attempt to kill you, Princess Nyx! I know that any god-king's survival ability is not to be underestimated; even now, I cannot be sure whether the Freedom Goddess is truly dead."

Li Mochen smiled like a demon, his voice cold as ice: "I will only leave you here, in this Abyssal Sea, letting your soul and flesh be completely corrupted by the abyssal force here."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow, a glint of brightness in his eyes, thinking this was indeed a good method, one that could truly threaten people like them.

At their level, none could be easily killed outright.

Even earlier, when surrounded by Isis and the others, Lucifer had not despaired.

Li Mochen had a clone outside, and Lucifer himself had contingencies, the ability to rise from death. The consequence would be severe injury and losing the chance to compete for the God Above Gods.

Or worse, Li Mochen's divine system would collapse, and Lucifer would lose control of Hell.

But being corrupted by the abyssal force here was a price none of them would be willing to pay.

The Night Goddess Nyx felt a chill run from her soles to her brain, her hairs standing on end. Earlier, she had thought the worst outcome was just one death—she had experienced that before.

But now, Nyx felt she had been naive, underestimating her opponent's ruthlessness.

If she had known the other party's intention, she would have shaken off the divine abomination at all costs earlier.

"Now, you must make a choice! Do not think I will give you time to stall."

Li Mochen's aura had turned icy cold, and the two divine abominations circling nearby once again spread their millions of tentacles.

"I will give you at most one minute! You should understand, Princess Nyx, that when I decide to attack you, there will be no turning back for either of us. I can only try to keep you here and then attempt to obtain the Fate in your hands—"

Before Li Mochen could finish, Nyx said with a pale face: "Then swear an oath, Lord Willtonstein! You must guarantee that after I hand over the item, you, Lord Lucifer, and these two divine abominations will let me leave safely. And it must be an oath that your Wishing Tower cannot nullify."

But even so, Nyx could not truly rest easy. Who knew the true limits of the Wishing Tower, or whether it would be effective?

She thought she had been utterly foolish; Li Mochen had used a soul oath instead of swearing by the Source, clearly prepared to break the agreement at any time.

Two minutes later, after Li Mochen swore by the 'Core' of the Bright World, the celestial stars beyond, and the 'Divine Sky Spirit Fortune Purple Gold Tower,' Nyx finally sent a mass of pale purple aura interwoven with gold threads before Li Mochen.

"All of it?"

Li Mochen's eyes lit up, a greedy gleam appearing.

The 'Divine Sky Spirit Fortune Purple Gold Tower''s desire for this object had reached his mind, magnifying his own desire for it infinitely.

"All of it!"

Nyx tried to maintain her composure, but her face was still extremely ugly, her words laced with strong reluctance.

"If you are not at ease, I can also swear by the Source."

"Then swear an oath. I am indeed not entirely confident in your character, Princess Nyx."

Li Mochen smiled calmly: "Preferably a strict one! I personally prefer a stellar oath."

Nyx snorted lightly, then sent another small mass of pale purple aura interwoven with gold threads over, and pointed to the celestial stars: "If I still have any Fate Source Matter in my hands now, may I die by the blade!"

Then she stared at Li Mochen with an extremely cold gaze: "This is only the beginning, Lord Willtonstein! From today on, you will surely be the enemy of all gods."

"Naturally!"

Li Mochen nodded in agreement: "But the current Radiant Lord and the Bottomless Abyss are more tempting than I am, Princess Nyx. You can say that after Zeus and Odin curb their desires."

Nyx was left speechless. The Wishing Tower was indeed in Li Mochen's hands, but his power was at its peak. The Radiant Lord, on the other hand, was about to enter his weakest moment—even weaker than when he was corrupted.

And at this moment, both the Source Matter in his hands and his faith would be a delicious feast in everyone's eyes.

There was also the sphere of influence left by Eris, equally tantalizing. Zeus, Odin, and Ahura dreamed of acquiring the regions under Eris's control with their strong industrial capabilities.

So in the end, what choices Gaia and the other three would make, whether they could restrain their greed and not take advantage of the situation to loot, was something no one could be sure of.

Nyx had some confidence in Odin, but as for the others, she truly had no certainty at all.

※※※※

After the Night Goddess Nyx had gone far away, Lucifer asked with curiosity in his eyes: "You had planned this all along, right? So it wasn't the Source, but the Soul Contract? And what about these two divine aberrations?"

A hint of dissatisfaction still showed in Lucifer's eyes; he suspected that Li Mochen had entered this place long ago.

But considering that this time he had the chance to personally severely wound the Holy Mother Isis, Li Mochen's actions could still be forgiven.

"I did intend to lure Eris here, but the place of action was not here, but closer to the core zone. I had a way to severely wound that Goddess of Freedom, but I wasn't sure I could kill her. At that time, I never imagined I could severely wound Isis and Satan, nor did I think I would have the chance to obtain this mass of Fate Source from the Night Goddess Nyx."

Li Mochen shook his head as he explained, while integrating that mass of Fate Source into the 'Divine Pneuma Luck Purple Gold Pagoda'.

The latter immediately emitted a 'humming' sound; the merits gathered on the pagoda danced wildly, and countless purple-gold patterns began to appear on the pagoda's exterior.

The rhythm of truth inside and outside the pagoda instantly elevated to the level of 'Pseudo-Truth'.

But to outsiders, it still appeared as an ordinary, unremarkable stone pagoda, without any unusual phenomena.

At the same time, Li Mochen collected the remnants left by the Goddess of Freedom Eris into his own bag. This included the ultimate 'Freedom Scepter', the pseudo-truth-level whip 'Tongue of Strife', numerous mythical armaments, and a large quantity of mythical materials—among which were even rare items like Source Blood.

This Goddess of Freedom's assets were quite substantial, and it was also thanks to this Sea of Aberrations that could block the spiritual senses of god-king-level beings and had a strong suppressive effect on mythical armaments themselves.

Otherwise, even if Li Mochen had truly killed Eris, it would have been very difficult for him to obtain them all.

"Oh?"

Lucifer squinted, clearly half-believing and half-doubting, with suspicion prevailing.

"I'm not lying to you. My method involved this Wishing Pagoda of mine, but after entering the core area of this Sea of Aberrations, some unexpected things happened."

Li Mochen's original plan was to use the over five hundred million strands of merits accumulated on the pagoda to create an opportunity to severely wound Eris in the Sea of Aberrations, then escape using the extremely complex environment of the sea.

But what he saw in the depths of the Sea of Aberrations made him change his predetermined plan.

"Is it related to these two divine aberrations?"

As Lucifer said this, he noticed Li Mochen raise his left arm.

The pupils of this Abyss King immediately contracted slightly as he stared at the wisps of black energy缠绕 on Li Mochen's arm.

"Inside that are powerful beings beyond your and my imagination, possibly with divine ranks of twenty-three or twenty-four."

Li Mochen was also looking at his own hand: "You might find it hard to imagine, but the source bodies of these two divine aberrations were, in life, their subordinates, possibly even servants, disciples, or spirit pets—similar to my relationship with the Dragon Pulse. Even after death, they still have extremely strong control over the divine aberrations spawned from these two source bodies. See? After being controlled by me for so long, they still haven't lost control and rebelled."

Lucifer's body trembled again. A being with a divine rank of twenty, possessing superior divine authorities like 'Truth' and 'Space', and mastering two or more truth-level powers, was already enough to rival the Lord of Radiance—yet it was merely a servant or spirit pet?

If he hadn't sensed in that black energy a powerful aura that made him fearful, wary, and even powerless, Lucifer would have unhesitatingly thought this guy was talking nonsense.

"And now I have formed a connection with them; there is already karma between us. I may have to find a way to help them resurrect, and it can't be too late."

Li Mochen sighed: "I really don't know if this is a blessing or a curse."

But of course, he did not regret it. Even if he had to go through it again, Li Mochen would unhesitatingly do the same.

Compared to the gains this time, his付出 was actually minimal. Even if there were any hidden dangers, they were not something he needed to face now.

Before the crisis of life and death, why not drink poison to quench thirst!

"So you really weren't lying to me."

Lucifer laughed instead: "I don't know if they will bring disaster to you in the future, but at least for now, they are a disaster for Isis and the others. We are temporarily safe, aren't we?"

When he saw Isis leading the other three appearing before them, Lucifer had already realized that Li Mochen's situation would be extremely dire.

But now, although still dire, Li Mochen had bought himself time.

However, Li Mochen's next move made him pause.

While lowering his sleeve to cover the black energy on his arm, he also sent a mass of black dust to Lucifer.

—That was the Dark Source in Li Mochen's hand!

"This is for me?"

Lucifer looked at Li Mochen in surprise: "So generous?"

The amount of this Dark Source was almost enough for him to forge another pseudo-truth-level mythical armament!

"I've already obtained the Fate Source from Nyx, and Eris's things are probably useless to you. But this time, I can't let you accompany me on this adventure and end up with nothing."

Li Mochen said frankly, while sending two books to Lucifer.

"But I do have a request."

"The Dual Element Transformation Method? Dualism?"

Lucifer understood Li Mochen's intention with just one glance at the two books: "You want me to split into dual elements?"

The 'Dual Element Transformation Method' was presumably the meditation method Li Mochen primarily practiced. As for 'Dualism', it originated from Ahura Mazda.

Li Mochen did not intend for him to practice it exactly as written, but his meaning was already very clear.

"Not only split into dual elements, but one of your elements must also join my Divine Fate Pantheon."

Li Mochen said in a tempting tone: "Don't you think the Dark Holy Seal and this mass of Dark Source are wasted in your hands, Lord Lucifer? This is also a way out. The limit of Venus is at divine rank twenty; it can no longer help you advance further. And my pantheon still lacks a Dark Goddess."

Lucifer gazed deeply at Li Mochen. A minute later, he put away the mass of Dark Source and the two books.

"A good proposal! I will consider it carefully. But regardless, you are quite a good person. If there's anything you need my help with, feel free to come to me anytime."

Li Mochen laughed heartily: "Does that mean I can consider you an ally?"

"Yes."

Lucifer sighed: "I must admit, you, the Lord of Fate, are far more包容 than the Lord of Radiance! And now, I also acknowledge that you indeed have a chance to obtain that position."

※※※※

Isis did not choose to travel with the 'Earth Mother Goddess' Rhea. She rendezvoused with Satan in the gap between the worlds of Light and Darkness, not far from the Sea of Aberrations in the Dark World.

"You lost."

Satan—also the former Egyptian Underworld King Osiris—stepped out from the darkness: "This isn't the first time you've been fooled, but you've probably never lost this badly."

His condition was surprisingly good. Isis's truth-level life force healed most of his injuries the moment they met.

But at this moment, if someone observed closely, they would see wisps of black energy flowing under the skin of this Abyss Lord, and from time to time, sharp bursts of energy would break through his flesh from within, spurting out threads of golden-red blood.

The same situation occurred on Isis's body, but her condition was much better.

"Yes, a thousand years of preparation all went down the drain."

Isis raised the corner of her lips, still able to mock herself: "I must admit, I made a wrong choice this time."

"You are always like this, stingy to the point of being appalling. Back then, you refused to include Amun in our Ennead, leading to the disintegration of the pantheon and forcing you to leave Egypt; you refused to let Lucifer share your authority and glory, ultimately pushing this future God-King into Gaia's hands; and now, you have personally pushed this unprecedented genius to our opposite side."

Osiris sneered: "If Horus fails to become the Supreme God this time, it will be because you personally gave up this opportunity."

Isis could not defend herself or refute; she could only sigh softly: "The matter of Amun cannot be blamed on us. Lucifer and Wiltonshire are indeed our fault. But you should also understand that Horus was not like this before; he was always willing to share with others, otherwise Lucifer and Michael would not have trusted him. This can only be said to be a flaw in the path of Sun and Radiance—the stronger Horus's power, the more he is influenced by his divine office."

Osiris frowned and could say nothing more.

All Sun and Radiance gods have this problem. If they symbolize dawn or dusk, it's fine, but if they represent the sun at its zenith, they truly cannot tolerate anyone else vying for brilliance.

"Things have come to this point; it's useless to say more, Osiris."

As Isis spoke, she used her Life Scepter to sweep and move around Osiris's body. Almost every motion drew a wisp of black energy from within him, along with strands of sword energy being forced out.

"You must return as soon as possible. The situation will become very troublesome. Horus's faith in the mortal world is hard to shake, but your territory in the Abyss will become our greatest weakness."

"It will be difficult for me to hold it now."

Osiris shook his head: "You know what those Abyss Lords are like. I haven't fully suppressed Baal's rebellion yet. Odin is fine, but Ahura and Zeus will surely swarm like carrion vultures to devour the flesh of the Abyss. What they lack most now is a piece of underworld—this is the foundation for them to truly establish themselves in this world."

"Some things should be abandoned when necessary. You are too indecisive, Osiris. In this regard, Lucifer is far better than you."

Isis's eyes shone with a sharp, piercing gleam: "In any case, the layers of the Abyss you directly control must not fall."

Osiris stared at her intently, then nodded: "I'll do my best."

In the Lord of Radiance's system, the combination of the Heavenly Kingdom and the layers of the Abyss he controlled constituted a true underworld.

"And what about you?"

Osiris asked in turn: "Horus's faith in the mortal world is very stable, but that doesn't mean they can't extract nourishment from you. Those guys will also be happy to weaken your and Horus's power."

"The Church of the Goddess of Freedom should no longer exist, Osiris."

Isis said expressionlessly: "In the centuries they controlled America, they accumulated too much wealth."

Osiris immediately understood. Li Mochen had shifted the矛盾 and crisis toward them, and Isis was further diverting the attention of those carrion-eating vultures.

"Let's leave it at that. I can only do this much for your injuries for now."

Isis put away her scepter and waved her hand, tearing open a light gate in the void, then stepped through.

But Osiris noticed that she was not returning to the Heavenly Kingdom or the Old World. Instead, she was heading to some place in America.

He raised an eyebrow, a puzzled look in his eyes: "Are you planning to personally deal with the Church of the Goddess of Freedom?"

"No! Of course I wouldn't do that. That woman is vengeful; I won't give her a reason to hate me. There are many ways to destroy her church, aren't there?"

Isis's voice came from behind the light gate: "I have to try to resurrect her, Osiris. I know her; she won't die like this."

Osiris still didn't understand: "Of course not! But that will take time, maybe decades or even centuries to recover. Does that make sense?"

"It does, Osiris."

By then, the light gate was nearly closed, but Isis's voice was as calm and wise as ever: "This conflict among the gods above gods will not end anytime soon. We may have to face a long war, lasting ten or even a hundred years to conclude it. We need to take a longer view, and this future Goddess of Freedom can still be a combat power we can rely on."