Chapter 678: Retrospection

The three ancient Greek god-kings left decisively, while the five who remained, except for Ishtar, all wore extremely grim expressions.

Isis was especially furious; flames seemed to flicker in her usually cold eyes.

Chaos Khaos had a deep enmity with the Gaia lineage, but this being was clearly more threatening to both Horus and Li Mochen.

The power of Slaanesh was difficult even for god-kings like them to resist. Once Khaos fully awakened and spread Slaanesh's power across this world, countless beings would fall to Slaanesh.

Of course, this Chaos God couldn't make everyone experience the same pleasure and joy they had felt. But even if he diluted his power to one hundred millionth, it would still stir up massive waves in this world.

And as the two most widely worshipped gods in this world, they might face reverse 'contamination' from their followers. Slaanesh's power could be transmitted to them through corrupted believers.

In short, the current situation was like a time bomb extremely threatening to them falling into Gaia's hands.

"Let's take a broader view, Your Highness Isis. We were indeed outmaneuvered this time. But at least we've locked Khaos in a cage, haven't we? If he had awakened like that, we'd be facing this trouble right now."

Li Mochen had regained his calm: "I doubt she will release Khaos easily. You probably noticed too—this Mother of Origins seems unusually wary of Khaos."

The key was that he had also gained enough benefits: a total of 4.7 billion strands of merit, allowing him to condense a fifth purple qi of merit, with nearly 2 billion left over.

This not only vastly increased Li Mochen's strength but also further enhanced the abilities of the 'Divine Fortune Purple-Gold Pagoda.' Previously, Li Mochen had struggled to bear Isis's wishes, but now he was much more at ease.

"You're right. Since it's already like this, worrying is useless."

Isis looked at the three 'Spears of Natural Blessing' deep in the ocean, but her gaze remained gloomy.

She was indeed worried about Khaos's 'contamination,' but that wasn't her greatest concern. The key was that Gaia's power might greatly increase as a result.

This could affect the final ownership of the 'Supreme Divine Throne.' For instance, Li Mochen beside her—though he could cooperate with them, if he chose to ally with Gaia now, it wasn't impossible for him to secure the 'Supreme Divine Throne.'

"It doesn't matter, actually."

The Radiant Lord's reaction was very calm. The sun he embodied soon dissipated in the sky: "She still underestimates the power of 'Slaanesh.' If this Mother of Origins only intends to borrow part of Khaos's divine authority, that's fine. But if she exceeds a certain limit, or if she and her descendants try to absorb Khaos's power source, she will eventually regret her actions. The 'Spears of Natural Blessing' cannot purify the power of creation."

Isis paused, then seemed to understand something and smiled meaningfully.

"So be it! Lord Wodenstein, I have now fulfilled your request. Next, please keep your promise."

As she spoke, her figure dissolved into specks of light.

After she left, Chiron said bitterly: "Lord Horus's insight is correct. Gaia lacks understanding of the Chaos Gods. But if this Mother of Origins truly goes wrong, it will be an even greater disaster for the entire Bright World."

"But we are not without ways to resolve it, and it's quite simple."

Li Mochen smiled: "Come help me, Chiron. I only need to become a God above Gods. You should also see that among the Bright World, I am probably the most steadfast in resisting Chaos."

"Indeed! Without Your Majesty's help, I couldn't even complete this shallow seal."

Chiron looked troubled: "Personally, I would be happy to see Your Majesty become a God above Gods. But I'm sorry, Your Majesty, due to certain reasons, I can only remain neutral for now."

"Neutrality is fine, but you can still provide some力所能及的 help, right?"

Li Mochen smiled, thinking of the neutral countries during World War I and II that maintained neutrality on the surface but secretly had biases.

For example, Switzerland in WWII—many documents now show that Switzerland actually 'aided the evil' during the war, not only economically helping the Teutons but also indirectly persecuting Hebrew refugees, which was despised by later generations. After the war, it also hid funds for many Teuton war criminals and companies.

"How about this: my 'Atlanta Magic Energy University' still lacks faculty, especially at the top level. I would like to invite Your Highness Chiron to serve as a visiting professor at Atlanta Magic Energy University."

Atlanta Magic Energy University was founded by him six years ago, specializing in training mages, and had begun to take shape in recent years.

Li Mochen had noticed earlier that the magic patterns Chiron used in the sealing array were somewhat similar to ancient Greek script. They were very different from modern magic patterns but were undoubtedly one of the sources of modern magic pattern branches.

After all, the great sage Chiron was one of the most important founders of the Old Continent's magic system.

Li Mochen saw some of the mysteries: the concept and structure of this sealing array were completely comparable to modern magic pattern technology, a different arrangement from the modern system.

Especially in 'magic pattern simplified arrangement,' 'magic energy utilization efficiency,' and 'magic energy reuse,' it had unique features that were breathtaking.

Even by the most important indicator of modern magic array theory—'magic energy concentration per cubic meter'—Chiron's sealing array surpassed the highest standards of this world.

It showed that the knowledge Chiron spread in this world was extremely profound. Unfortunately, the mages of ancient times couldn't grasp the essentials, and modern mages had deviated from Chiron's path.

Of course, Chiron's magic might not be stronger than modern magic. But stones from other hills can polish jade; his knowledge could help improve mages' overall magic pattern skills.

Moreover, even without this magic skill, Chiron's knowledge and abilities surpassed many major gods.

Considering that in the mythological age, he trained many heroes, his teaching ability was beyond doubt.

Li Mochen believed he would be willing. Cultivating talents and spreading knowledge were likely related to Chiron's divine nature. He guessed Chiron's divine office was related to knowledge and teaching—not only from Chiron's behavior but also from his observation of the Centaurus constellation.

Chiron did not refuse; he agreed readily: "Alright! There's no need to use the title of visiting professor to deceive ourselves. Just give me the position of principal directly. Even under the current teaching system, I believe I won't disappoint you."

Li Mochen laughed heartily. Chiron's willingness to become the principal of 'Atlanta Magic Energy University' was something he could only wish for.

"Now the question is, how do you plan to return?"

Chiron looked at Li Mochen curiously: "It's clear they've set their sights on you. They won't let you and Her Highness Ishtar return easily."

This time, Odin and the others had finally locked onto Li Mochen's whereabouts, outside the heavily fortified shell of the Fate Divine System.

Chiron thought that if he were in their shoes, he wouldn't miss this rare opportunity. Surrounding and killing Li Mochen would be greatly beneficial to almost everyone.

"But that's not a problem at all, Mr. Chiron."

Li Mochen chuckled: "If I weren't confident, how could I have left my divine kingdom?"

Returning to his divine kingdom was very simple now; he didn't even need to use his 'Jump' authority. The spare swords of the 'Dutian Thunder-Fire Star Core Sword Array' left in his divine kingdom could solve the problem. Unless someone surpassed him in both 'astrology' and 'divine rank,' the chances of these god-kings ambushing him were negligible.

But now, even the ancient 'God of Celestial Bodies' Crius couldn't rival him in 'astrology.'

"However, this mark left by Slaanesh seems a bit troublesome. Mr. Chiron, do you have a way to resolve it?"

He felt that this flame mark had created an unbreakable connection with some existence in the void. At the same time, he felt pleasure and joy from the mark, making him happy no matter what he did and stirring his desire for all female beings.

This seemed like a good thing, but Li Mochen knew that if he indulged in it or became dependent on the mark, he would soon become a slave of Slaanesh.

"I can't solve it, Your Majesty! It can only rely on your own willpower. Or one day, when you become a being above divine rank 20, you can sever the connection with her."

Chiron shook his head: "Slaanesh is the youngest of the Chaos Gods, but also the most terrifying. Her power is not particularly fearsome, but it is more deceptive, making it easier for people to fall. So you must never take her lightly."

※※※※

Early in the morning, a violent explosion sounded in Queens, Manhattan, as a shockwave swept through the surrounding area. A plume of red flames and smoke then rose, billowing into the sky.

"Fuck!"

At the entrance of the Second Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, the black girl Katherine couldn't help cursing, hearing the crowd around her groan and complain. Everyone realized that Manhattan's subway would be shut down again today.

It had been like this all year—every time a terrorist attack occurred, the Manhattan Transit Authority would temporarily suspend service, citing safety inspections.

"Damn the Aesir gods, damn Olympus! Do they have to make our lives miserable?"

"Those bastards, since they can't win on the battlefield, they turn their guns on civilians."

"The Radiant Church must be helping them. I heard it on a TV show—if not for their help, those guys would have been driven out of America long ago."

"But there's no evidence; it's just irresponsible speculation."

"To hell with evidence! Is it false that the Radiant Church colludes with rebel forces in South America? It's been reported many times. They call them insurgents, but they're all drug dealers, gangsters, scum!"

"Did you know that the demons that suddenly appeared over a year ago were released by them? Just like the Radiant Scripture says, because of our impiety, God is punishing us, HA!"

"Hey, you bastard, are you a follower of the Radiant Lord too?"

Katherine didn't join in. Silently, she took out her smartphone and opened the 'Manhattan 24-Hour News Network' app to browse the latest news.

Smartphones had been introduced two years ago by the 'Michelle Medici Industrial Group.' These handheld phones, the size of a palm, had independent smart operating systems like personal computers and large touchscreens—in just one year, they had swept across America, greatly advancing communication technology and mobile networks.

But the phone in Katherine's hand was from South Korea. Its more affordable price and strong cost-performance ratio allowed that country's smartphone brand to rival the 'Dream' phone series of the Michelle Medici Industrial Group in a very short time.

Sure enough, Katherine saw the headline in the news app: 'Explosion at Top Floor Restaurant of Hilton Hotel in Queens; Casualties May Reach 300.'

After reading the full article, Katherine frowned deeply, a look of speculation in her eyes.

The perpetrators of this terrorist attack had been identified as members of the Beast Empire's special operations group, but the case still had many suspicious points. The Hilton Hotel was one of America's largest hotel chains, with very strict anti-terrorism measures, even surpassing some Manhattan subway stations. Yet the terrorists had managed to infiltrate and cause an explosion killing 300 people.

The article's author questioned the hotel's security measures, suggesting that several followers of the Radiant Lord on the security team might be the biggest loophole, and made the accusation with conviction.

Could it really be that the Radiant Church was colluding with those Nordic Aesir terrorists?

This made Katherine uneasy, and she instinctively grasped the Radiant Saint Emblem hidden in her sleeve.

A year ago, whenever she felt uneasy, this object would bring her warmth and dispel negative emotions. But now, Katherine still felt a chill throughout her body, her heart filled with fear.

She tried to silently recite scriptures from the Radiant Scripture to suppress her blasphemous thoughts, but her mind kept involuntarily recalling the news reports and commentaries she had seen recently.

Katherine was a devout follower of the Radiant Lord, as was her entire family. The community where she grew up had always had a strong religious atmosphere.

So even after the U.S. Federal Congress outlawed both the Old and New Radiant Churches as illegal faiths, Katherine never wavered. She still prayed to the Radiant Lord before meals, attended church in the suburbs on Sundays, and even protested on the streets organized by the church.

Due to different laws in various member states and local governments, the federal government couldn't completely ban the Radiant Church. But in big cities like Manhattan, where hostility toward the church was growing, Katherine had to be more discreet and couldn't openly declare her faith to everyone.

This wouldn't get her arrested, but it might lead to rejection by friends and colleagues.

Since the war began, the Radiant Church's actions in South America had made people here thoroughly disgusted. The constant terrorist attacks had further fueled dissatisfaction. Media and politicians were fanning the flames, attacking and criticizing the Radiant Church, which had even become politically correct in many places.

Katherine had initially scoffed at these news reports, furious, believing an invisible hand was manipulating public opinion. For a time, she argued daily on news pages and forums.

But as evidence of the Radiant Church colluding with the enemy, even directly inciting believers to rebel, kept emerging from South America, she could no longer confidently claim that the Radiant Lord had nothing to do with terrorists.

Undoubtedly, the Beast Empire that had suddenly appeared in the south was an enemy the U.S. Federation had to defeat.

The feudal system of this alien civilization and the various horrors in the Beast Empire's occupied territories all made this clear. The modern civilization-based U.S. Federation could never coexist with the Beast Empire.

Even Katherine, a mere woman, was acutely aware of this. If they didn't want to be exploited, oppressed, ruled, and slaughtered by those barbarians, they had to fight back.

And the Radiant Lord, not only colluding with the Aesir pantheon that supported the Beast Empire, had also caused heavy casualties among U.S. soldiers. Even in Katherine's eyes, this was unforgivable.

"The Bloody Radiant Legion has issued a statement claiming responsibility for the bombing, saying it was a collaboration with the warriors of the Beast Empire. They say it's to protest the government's unfair treatment of the Radiant faith. They threaten that if the government doesn't restore the Radiant Church's legal status, such attacks will continue."

"The Manhattan Archbishop of the Old Radiant Church has declared that the Bloody Radiant Legion has nothing to do with them!"

"Bullshit nothing to do with them! It's them!"

The crowd buzzed again, almost everyone filled with anger. Katherine sighed softly, put her phone back in her pocket, and walked toward the nearby bus stop.

At this moment, this was the only public transportation available in Manhattan. Catherine, after exhausting every ounce of her strength to squeeze onto the crowded bus, finally arrived at Rockefeller Center, where her company was located, over an hour later. Many of her colleagues were also late, but as soon as Catherine got to the company, she was summoned alone by her superior.

"Mrs. Ascott, I regret to inform you that due to the company's current operational difficulties, we have no choice but to lay off staff. You—"

A look of panic immediately appeared in Catherine's eyes, and she hastily interrupted her superior's subsequent remarks: "Excuse me, sir, is it because of a mistake in my work? Or because of my faith?"

She and her husband were supporting a house in the suburbs, and their child was currently attending an expensive private school. She could not afford to lose this job now.

"No, there have been no mistakes in your work; you have always been one of the best in our operations department. And it's certainly not because of the god you believe in. Although the Church of Light has been banned by the government, America has always been able to accommodate different faiths."

The chief operating officer, named Sherwood, smiled bitterly: "An hour ago, three of our offshore drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were destroyed. The news won't come out for a while, but it's certain that our company is on the verge of bankruptcy. Before the government decides whether to provide assistance, we must cut the company's operating costs."

Catherine's face turned pale. She knew that her dismissal might be inevitable, but she still felt puzzled:

"The Gulf of Mexico? Aren't there several sea fortresses built there for protection? And three permanent fleets of our navy stationed there?"

"The sea defenses are fine; someone planted bombs on the drilling platforms. It's a radical armed group supported by the South American Holy Synod, called the Blood of Dawn."

At this moment, Catherine could not help but feel a surge of disgust toward the Radiant Emblem hidden in her sleeve.

She knew that the South American Holy Synod was one of the largest members of the Reformed Church of Light. And the 'Blood of Dawn' was the most notorious drug cartel and terrorist organization in Mexico.

※※※※

Just as the black woman named Catherine was thinking of the 'Blood of Dawn', a transaction related to the 'Blood of Dawn' was taking place in California, America.

In an old warehouse in the eastern suburbs of San Diego, the big boss of the 'Blood of Dawn', Jake Palagrin, was watching warily a black-clad woman who clearly had werewolf bloodline.

"Hey, woman! You told my men you have a new supply for me, right?"

"That's right, Mr. Palagrin."

The black-clad woman smiled faintly. Even under the gaze of many strong men here and locked by numerous weapons, she showed no unease.

"I've brought the stuff. This is part of it."

With a flick of her sleeve, she produced ten glass bottles of one-liter capacity, filled with pills of various colors.

"Wow, what's this? A new type of ecstasy?"

Jake Palagrin sat motionless on a seat made of stacked sacks, but a young man with a frivolous expression beside him walked up to the black-clad woman, opened the glass bottles one by one, and sniffed and identified the pills.

Then his brow furrowed tightly: "What the hell is this? I've never seen anything like it. It doesn't look like much either."

At this, a series of clicks of gun safeties being released echoed through the warehouse.

"It's called Bliss."

The black-clad woman's lips curled slightly, her chin lifted: "As for the effect, you'll know once you try it. I have no reason to deceive you, do I?"

"I hope so!"

Jake Palagrin clapped his hands, and soon someone brought in two drug addicts.

Once the pills entered their mouths, the two men, who had been panicked moments before, now wore expressions of dazed pleasure, their eyes vacant yet satisfied.

"Seems like it works."

The black-clad woman withdrew her gaze from the two men: "These 'Bliss' pills are free samples for you. I reckon you'll need some time to fully trust them. If you want to continue buying, you can summon me with this talisman, and I'll appear before you at the right time. As for the price, twenty gold shields per pill."

The young man with the frivolous expression was taken aback: "Twenty gold shields per pill? Are you crazy, or do you think we're that stupid? The best ecstasy now costs only five gold shields per pill."

"That's why I said you need a trial period. It's more addictive, relatively less harmful to the body, and can bring unparalleled joy. Once you've really used it, you'll find that any other drug in the world is garbage compared to it. And under the current circumstances, I can provide you with a stable, large supply."

The black-clad woman seemed somewhat proud: "I believe you'll come to me. Definitely."

※※※※

Li Mochen, who had already returned to the Divine Kingdom of Fate, was unaware that another wave of religious conversion was about to sweep the mortal world, nor that a drug called 'Bliss' was spreading across the land of America at an alarming rate.

After returning, he first spent some time arranging for Chiron. This was easy; 'Atlanta Arcane University' was still the private property of the Wiltonshtan family. The university's president was also held by a respected member of the Wiltonshtan family.

Regarding the change of president, this man was very magnanimous. On one hand, he didn't lose much power—Chiron would only be responsible for teaching matters in the future; on the other hand, it was the prestige of this great sage. Heracles, Achilles, Jason, Odysseus—every Greek hero he had trained was famous, and among Greek heroes, they were the top tier.

Moreover, having a powerful being proficient in multiple 'pseudo-truth' level divine authorities serve as the president of a mortal university was in itself the supreme glory of 'Atlanta Arcane University'.

After handling this matter, Li Mochen gazed deeply at the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom in the void for a long time.

This time, when sealing 'Chaos', the Night Goddess had never shown herself. This surprised Li Mochen and also made him feel regret.

He had originally prepared to coordinate with the Lord of Light and Gaia to eliminate this hidden danger once the Night Goddess intervened. Involving the corruption of Slaanesh, their interests aligned on this matter.

Unfortunately, Nyx ultimately did not appear.

However, Li Mochen's killing intent remained unabated. Before the next decisive battle, resolving the variable of the Night Goddess was imperative.

She would either retreat from the world of light forever or be killed by him in the coming period!

Of course, this was very difficult. Li Mochen needed to make some preparations, some arrangements beforehand. He didn't know if he could do it, but he would do his best to prepare.

After withdrawing his gaze, Li Mochen's main body sat down cross-legged at the top of the magic tower in Fate Township, and at the same time summoned the 'Divine Purple Gold Tower of Fate'.

"I wish! To comprehend truth-level perception in the shortest time."

The merit wrapped around the magic tower instantly diminished by over 700 million strands. Then, after about seven days of closed-eye meditation, study, and self-enlightenment, Li Mochen's 'perception' had entered the truth level.

'Perception' is an ability essential to almost all gods. It can't even be considered a divine authority; it's an innate ability they possess.

It is also relatively easy to improve. Li Mochen had long been at the pseudo-truth level and had put some effort into this area. Now, with the aid of merit, entering the truth level was a natural progression.

After this, Li Mochen made a second wish.

"I wish! To comprehend pseudo-truth level 'Concealment' in the shortest time."

Concealment falls under the category of divine authority. This time, Li Mochen spent a little more time and about over 400 million strands of merit.

Twenty-seven days later, Li Mochen made a third wish.

"This time, when I reverse time and space and travel through the river of time, I will not be detected by any intelligent being until my divine power is exhausted!"

After making this wish, the merit on the 'Divine Purple Gold Tower of Fate' collapsed by another over 600 million strands. After a brief adjustment, Li Mochen activated the jumping ability of the 'Scarlet Dragon Armor'.

With this jump, he arrived at the beginning of the creation of the Bright World.

Knowing that a newly born realm might attract the attention of powerful gods, Li Mochen immediately entered a state of 'stealth'.

But at this moment, Li Mochen also felt a tightness in his chest—this time-space jump consumed nearly half of his divine power.

Here, he had no magic tower to replenish his power, nor 15 billion believers. He could only rely on his divine body of god-level 16, an ancient god, and divine authorities such as 'Eternal', 'Vitality', and 'Life' to supply divine power.

In addition, Li Mochen felt that the flow of time he experienced was 100,000 times the normal rate. That is, while others experienced 100,000 hours, he experienced only one hour. Everything outside appeared to him as a 100,000-times fast-forward.

Li Mochen knew the reason. He did not belong to this era; the power of the present was pulling at him, preventing him from easily interfering with the past of the river of time.

However, this huge time difference also had a great advantage. Although it created an insurmountable temporal membrane between him and the outside world, it also infinitely reduced the risk of him being discovered.

At the beginning of the world's creation, Li Mochen watched with his own eyes as a drifting star beast's core gave rise to 'Chaos'. Within the tens of thousands of years of this Chaos evolving into a world, a void rift underwent a qualitative change under the effect of Chaos. That should have been the process of 'Chaos's' birth.

Then came the visits of great beings from all heavens to this 'Chaos'. They either projected directly into this 'Chaos' or used their power to distort the network of laws generated within this 'Chaos'.

Li Mochen did not care about these. He only focused on ensuring he was not detected and observed the whereabouts of the 'Source Essences' and 'Innate Divine Artifacts' that accompanied the world's birth.

Fortunately, those outer domain great gods did not extend their divine thoughts into the depths of this 'Chaos World'; and the most ancient life forms of the Bright World were generally low in power at that time, mostly below god-level 8, and could not detect Li Mochen's existence at all.

It was not until the Mythological Era that Li Mochen watched the Moshlans arrive, followed by numerous pursuers including Zeus and Odin, who swarmed into this world one after another.

Li Mochen could not afford to pay attention to the complex evolution of this world any longer. Every bit of his divine thought he expended brought a huge consumption of divine power.

However, at a certain point in the early Mythological Era, Li Mochen's expression shifted slightly, and he made his first move to intervene in the past world. He arrived before the corpse of a giant frost giant.

Here, more than a dozen gods surrounded the frost giant, seemingly discussing how to deal with the giant's corpse. But the next moment, over thirty ice spears appeared from the horizon, piercing toward them.

While the gods were distracted, Li Mochen reached out and grabbed a mass of flesh from the giant's heart area.

Next, five thousand years later, Li Mochen jumped again to three thousand years ago, nudging a mass of 'Source Essence' being washed by a great river, causing it to be buried deep underground and sealed—according to the normal trajectory, this Source Essence would have flowed into the Atlantic Ocean and gradually dissipated during the world's evolution, turning into a huge deep-sea mineral deposit.

The third intervention was for an innate divine artifact that had not been found until the end of the Mythological Era. The process was similar to before: burying it deep in an unknown secret realm, waiting for him to retrieve it in the future.

The fourth intervention was adding a peculiar drug into the bodies of several ancestral werewolves. It had no effect on their bodies or abilities, and under normal circumstances, it was almost undetectable, but it could spread through bloodline reproduction.

This was both a setup for someone and an attempt to interfere with the future.

At this point, Li Mochen felt his divine power was nearly exhausted. He dared not continue. As the Bright World expanded and various life forms emerged, his magical power consumption increased. The key was that the Bright World and the Dark World had begun preliminary fusion.

Without any reluctance, Li Mochen jumped again, returning to the modern era, to the normal time period.

Then, in less than half an hour, three items appeared in his hands.

The first was a 'Source Essence', a mass of earthy white fluorescence rich in 'Earth' and 'Metal' Source Essences.

—According to normal history, it would have given rise to a vast mineral deposit spanning three thousand kilometers, containing countless rare metals and rare earths, deep in the ocean.

Li Mochen had already sensed with his divine thought; that mineral deposit had disappeared without a trace in this era.

But since this 'Source Essence' had always been singular, never intersecting with any intelligent life, it was originally located under the seabed at a depth of 37,000 meters, at least 700 kilometers below the seabed.

Even powerful mythical creatures would not usually go to such places. Therefore, Li Mochen's act of seizing this object had minimal interference with the river of time.