Chapter 243.2: Sweet Dreams and Illusory Light Part 2

High above, the enormous wound in the heavens closed without a sound, and radiance spread in all directions.

With the projection of the Maelstrom gone, the weight of the world increased once more. Fissures appeared across the Great Abomination Incarnation.

“Now that things have reached this point, there is little left that can be done.” The phantom of an old monk appeared before Changsheng. He lifted the fish tank in his hands, and the fish inside lazily flicked its tail. “It asks why you insist on clinging to this.”

“I was the one who started this war and issued this challenge. How can I let it end like this?” The Great Abomination Incarnation smiled faintly. As he watched decades of diligent effort collapse before his eyes, he suddenly grew calm. “If I throw down my armor and flee with my tail between my legs now, wouldn’t Origin laugh at me? And if I were to die one day and meet Mr. Tao in the afterlife, how can I possibly face him?”

The old monk sighed. “You refuse to repent even at the very end, Changsheng.”

“Isn’t that exactly who I am?” Changsheng didn’t care in the slightest. He gazed beyond the night sky, toward the streaks of blazing light surging across the heavens with a grin. “Jian Yuan has already left. The rest of you should go as well. There’s no need to concern yourselves with me. I still have another fight ahead of me!”

Every surviving sanctuary in Spring City resounded almost simultaneously with a peal of bells.

The blessings and divine essence of numerous Upper Abominations circulated and flowed into Changsheng’s body. Carefree, he waved, allowing his subordinates to scatter and flee without the slightest concern. As he raised a hand, through the cracks between his fingers and palm, he saw the brilliant point of light hanging high in the heavens. Unfortunately, from such a great distance, he could make out little more than Ji Jue’s face.

But those eyes... There was no mistaking them. Even if they happened to cross paths someday amid a vast sea of people, Changsheng was certain he would recognize that gaze at once.

“Such pure venomous hatred and blood-soaked vengeance. Truly rare.”

He could still feel the wound throbbing faintly. Within it, the auras and properties of numerous Great Abominations, including Putrefaction, Rampant Slaughter, Absolute Abyss, Tower, and Wolf, shifted and circulated. Since when had the Path of the Depths gained a rare talent like this? In the future, neither the mortal world nor the Depths would likely know much peace with someone like him around. He had not expected that, besides Origin, he would gain yet another great threat today.

What wonderful news. And what a pity...

Changsheng looked away, sighing regretfully. “I won’t have the chance to see what you’ll become. And neither will you.”

Finally, he let go. He allowed the weight of the mortal world that Mr. Tao had bestowed upon him to slip from his grasp.

Vast heavenly radiance poured down. From the deepest reaches of Spring City, the Laws of Origin left behind by Mr. Tao spread like a violent tide. Radiance swept across everything, stripping away every last remnant of the Heretic Cult in an instant and severing all traces left behind by the Great Abominations.

With that, the outcome was decided. Yet, as those crushing shackles fell away, the Great Abomination Incarnation’s aura transformed, expanding with overwhelming grandeur.

As Changsheng slowly rose to his feet, rainbow light gathered around him once more, engulfing everything. Though grievously wounded, the savage and brutal presence he exuded seemed even more terrifying than before. ℯℯ𝑙.

“The vastness of Origin, the weight of the mortal world... I’ve learned my lesson from you, Mr. Tao!”

He ran a hand over the fissure across his chest, the wound of Origin that had pierced deep into him, but he made no attempt to erase it.

Instead, he looked back toward the heavens. “Thank you all for waiting. Now, which one of you would care to show me what you’re capable of?”

No one answered. From high above, cold, merciless gazes settled on him. There were people from the Lou family, the Tong family, the Jiang family, the Yu family, even the Ji family of Central City and the Li family of Huangzhou. More than a dozen Celestial Beings appeared, their killing intent unmistakable.

With the corruption of Spring City ending in failure, the outcome of the gamble had been decided. Origin had taken everything.

The Great Abominations’ factions across the Federation had suffered a crushing defeat and once again scattered into a disorganized rabble. The various factions that had either staked heavily on the outcome or watched anxiously from the sidelines had gained nothing and could only leave in frustration.

The Divine Mandate had seemed to be shifting in Changsheng’s favor. After hiding his claws and fangs for decades and preparing for this very day, he had risen in a single bound to become a pivotal piece capable of determining the future course of the mortal world.

Had he succeeded in one stroke, countless Abominations would have naturally flocked to him, and becoming the Maelstrom’s representative in the mortal world would have been well within reach.

But now, in the span of a single day, he had lost everything on the board. Of course, there would be no more aid coming his way, nor any hope of turning things around.

One thing, however, had not changed. As long as he remained alive, as long as there was even a single breath left in him, he would remain a calamity to the mortal world.

The time for reckoning had come. Lightning exploded across the sky, and torrents of rainbow light surged forth.

Laughing wildly, the Mortal World Abomination transformed once more and shot into the sky like a storm, charging straight into the inescapable trap that had long been prepared for it. He was courting death!

In the blink of an eye, beneath the chaotic night sky left behind after the clouds dispersed, multicolored lights shifted and flared. Vast winds howled, blazing radiance collided, and terrifying tides of spirit matter spread in every direction.

With that frenzied laughter, the strange, burning rainbow light lunged left and right, meeting every attack head-on. Blood poured down like torrential rain, only to evaporate completely before it could ever reach the ground.

In mere moments, numerous domains and temporal anchors descended to seal him in. The rainbow light charged again and again, only to be crushed and mercilessly torn to pieces.

At last, amid what seemed like a host of burning stars, an immense and majestic pair of eyes slowly opened, looking upon everything below. That gaze alone seemed enough to bring the stars to a standstill and freeze all creation in place. Before that supreme power, everything became as insignificant as dust and insects, incapable of the slightest defiance.

This was the pinnacle of the Origin Path, the incarnation through which the power of Supreme Benevolence manifested in the mortal world—the Celestial Overseer!

As Absolute Judgement descended, the rainbow light filling the sky froze. A moment later, the hoarse laughter stopped abruptly, too. In utter silence, the Great Abomination Incarnation broke apart, its soul was annihilated, and every trace of its existence was erased from the world, never to be seen again.

The eyes of the Celestial Overseer swept across the mortal world. They paused briefly on Skyrail, then moved on without the slightest concern before closing indifferently and vanishing.

The Celestial Beings dispersed in all directions. Every abnormal phenomenon disappeared as though nothing had ever happened.

It was almost impossible to imagine that only moments ago, there had stood here an arrogant Foolish Abomination intent on throwing the mortal world into chaos, an ambitious schemer who had sought to step beyond the gameboard and seize control of the Divine Mandate itself.

Ji Jue stood before the shattered window, staring into the empty night sky as he raised his head and demanded, “With power like that, why did you have to wait until now? Do you really find it so satisfying to play chess with the mortal world as your board?!”

No one answered. Perhaps the bewildered words of a speck of dust were simply too insignificant to be heard. Or perhaps the Divine Mandate stood too far above and could not be bothered to answer.

Ji Jue closed his eyes.

***

When everything finally came to an end, and the life-or-death struggle drew to a close, Spring City fell silent once more.

Salvation and ruin had both swept through the city, only to pass on. In the end, the ruins were no less desolate than before. Only the last traces of weeping faded into the distant wind. Along the ravaged streets, amid collapsed brick and stone, the monsters wandered through what had once been their home, with nowhere left to go.

None of that seemed to matter anymore. With the shrill scrape of metal, they dragged themselves forward, slowly stepping out of the shadows. Blood stained their hideous faces, and scraps of corpses hung from their claws and fangs. Dazed, they simply stood there and raised their heads toward the sky, staring at the dreamlike radiance shimmering overhead.

Across the vast and tranquil night sky, speckles of starlight twinkled and gathered, forming a boundless river that flowed toward some unknown destination.

When that light fell upon the mortal world, it scattered a gentle, crystal-clear glow. Thread by thread, strand by strand, the light weaved together. Like a soft caress, it illuminated those faces twisted by madness and pain.

Their scarlet eyes seemed almost hurt by its tenderness. They recoiled in fear, shrinking away, yet none of them could bring themselves to leave. Only black tears slowly slid down their faces and fell into the dust.

Now that there was light, the endless hatred that had burned through the long darkness was finally exhausted. And when the nightmare that had lasted far too long finally came to an end, the departed souls stared blankly at the stars, filled with fear and yet utterly entranced, even if they couldn’t see the sun.

Something broke. As the miracle’s gift came to an end, winding cracks appeared across the rusted steel. The monsters’ broken bodies gradually fell apart and collapsed toward the ground. In their final moments, they lifted their heads and let out long, piercing cries toward the lonely figure high above in the heavens. Their tears had run dry, and the weeping had ceased. So why, when the end finally came, did those cries sound almost like laughter?

Ji Jue remained silent. As the countdown on the screen neared its end, he reached out once more toward the world and, for the final time, he called upon the power of Skyrail.

Gentle ripples spread outward. Streetlamps flickered back to life, illuminating cobwebs, dust, and all the ruin around them. Soft light stretched along the broken streets and flowed through deserted alleys, lighting up deserted shopping centers and crumbled buildings. Dust-covered mannequins stood behind display windows, proudly showing off skirts buried beneath layers of grime. In the cubicles of office buildings, faded documents stirred faintly in the breeze.

Beneath the night sky, neon lights and city lamps lit up in waves. Within that glow, everything seemed to return to the way it had once been. Towering buildings rose on every side, trees and grass were lush and green, and a cool, damp breeze blew in from afar. It was as though the bustle of human voices had returned to the streets. Invisible crowds flowed along the sidewalks, horns sounded in the distance, and cars sped down the broad avenues.

The rain of suffering and despair had finally spent itself. At the end of the fleeting dream, the city shone with its former splendor.

Ji Jue wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes as he looked upon everything he had created. Then, just like them, he cracked a soft smile. “How beautiful this world is.”