Chapter 479: Interrupting the Ceremony
The fire in Aiden’s eyes didn’t cloud his judgment. Instead, it turned into pure, deadly intent.
"Dawn Society, today I’ll wipe you out completely."
He took a step forward. The power of a god inside him, combined with his high-level Law of Space, exploded at full force.
Boom!
The entire underground base shook violently. Twisted, dark red lightning lashed through the air like wild beasts, forming a massive net of chaotic laws, trying to stop this newly ascended god in his tracks.
But against absolute control over space, all those chaotic law fields were useless.
"Break."
Aiden’s face was emotionless. He simply pressed his right hand into the air.
Crack-
Space for a thousand meters around shattered like a mirror. A passage made of pure chaotic void energy tore straight through the entire base.
He flickered, crossing all obstacles in an instant, and landed directly on the central altar at the deepest point.
The violent shockwaves of void energy shattered the cultivation pods around him. Countless unfinished Dawn Warriors didn’t even have time to scream before they were turned to dust in the space storm.
Aiden stood steady on the altar. His double pupils flashed like lightning, piercing straight into the center of the ceremony.
But the person he saw wasn’t who he expected.
It wasn’t Orrin, the leader of the Dawn Society.
Instead, it was a middle-aged woman in a dark gold robe.
She stood quietly at the center of the altar. Her face was cold. Her eyes were deep, like an ancient well. Around her, there was a strange, otherworldly aura.
Boom!
Without a word, Aiden released the full pressure of a lesser god. It crashed down like a tidal wave, crushing the space around him until it cracked and broke apart.
But under a pressure strong enough to make a level 99 Great Venerable drop to his knees in an instant, the middle-aged woman did not even let the hem of her clothes move.
Her expression did not change. There was even a faint, almost invisible smile on her lips.
"Greater God..."
Aiden’s double pupils narrowed slightly, and a ripple of shock rose in his heart.
There was actually such a terrifying being hidden inside the Dawn Society. Her level was clearly far above Orrin’s!
"Aiden, you really didn’t disappoint me. You arrived even faster than I expected."
The middle-aged woman spoke slowly. Her voice was calm and emotionless, as if she were talking to an old friend she had not seen in many years.
"Who are you?"
Aiden moved his fingers slightly. The Law of Space turned into countless invisible threads, locking down every possible escape route around the woman.
"Stop this ritual? No, you are mistaken."
The woman did not answer Aiden’s question. Instead, she raised her head and looked at the dark red curtain of light spinning above them.
"I have been waiting for you, Emperor of the Great Shaw Empire."
"Because the true purpose of this ritual was never to create those crude ’Dawn Warriors.’"
"It exists only to bring you here."
Warning bells rang in Aiden’s mind. A strong sense of danger rushed over him at once.
"A trap!"
Almost at the same moment, he tried to contact Bella and Jade outside.
However, the Law connection that had been clear before now felt as if it had sunk into an endless swamp. There was no response at all.
At some unknown point, a strange dark-gray energy had risen around the entire base, sealing off everything within a hundred miles.
Outside, Bella’s Light Avatar, Victor, and the others were instantly cut off by an unbreakable barrier.
"You noticed?"
The middle-aged woman smiled faintly. A cold, calculating look flashed in her eyes.
"The Dawn Grand Array’s true form is called the ’Realm of the Vanquished Divine.’"
"It was never meant to produce soldiers in large numbers. Its real purpose is to completely separate you from the Supreme God avatar behind you."
"Now that the barrier is complete, even if Bella has godlike power, she won’t be able to step inside for at least half an hour."
The woman looked at Aiden. Her tone carried the calm confidence of someone who believed victory was already in her hands.
"Now you are alone, deep in enemy territory. What other trump cards do you have?"
Aiden took a deep breath. The anger in his double pupils faded, replaced by a bone-chilling coldness.
"To kill you, I am enough."
A black blade of space flickered in Aiden’s palm, giving off a sharp aura that seemed able to tear through anything.
But the woman gently shook her head. She slowly placed her hands together in front of her, showing no sign of hostility.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Egretta, Executive Elder of the Dawn Society."
"I did not come here today to fight you to the death. I came to make a deal with you."
Aiden laughed from pure anger. The space blade in his hand burst out with a black light thousands of feet long.
"The Dawn Society betrayed humanity and sided with the Abyss Heavenly Demon. And you think you are worthy of making a deal with me?"
Facing Aiden’s overwhelming killing intent, Egretta only sighed. A trace of madness and disdain flashed in her eyes.
"Sided with them? Aiden, you are too naive. You also underestimate us far too much."
"The Dawn Society never planned to work with the Heavenly Demon."
"We are only using the Heavenly Demon..."
Egretta paused. Then she spoke each word clearly. Her voice echoed through the dead silent underground space, sending a chill down the spine.
"...to make the Heavenly Demon fully awaken."
As Egretta’s words fell, the entire underground altar sank into a deathly silence.
Only the dark red lightning still crackled in the void, making a harsh, grating sound.
The space blade in Aiden’s hand paused slightly. A deep coldness flashed in his double pupils.
"Make the Heavenly Demon fully awaken?"
"You lunatics were willing to sacrifice the entire Earth just to fuel your so-called ’Ark.’ And now you dare to speak as if you are doing something noble?"
Aiden’s voice was not loud, but it carried the pressure of a god. The gray barrier around them began to buzz and shake.
He had searched the Supreme Miko’s Memory Crystal, so of course he knew about the Dawn Society’s old "Ark Plan."
When Egretta heard the word "Ark," a look of disdain flashed in her eyes.
"Ark?"
She gave a cold laugh and gently waved her withered fingers.
"Aiden, what you know is only the foolish plan of those cowards from the last generation."
"Using the souls of all living beings as fuel, then driving the Ark through the endless void just to barely survive? That is what deserters do!"
"That plan was completely overthrown and purged by us ten years ago."
Egretta’s voice suddenly rose, filled with an almost fanatical obsession.
"The vision of our current leader is far beyond what ordinary fools can imagine."
"The Ark was never a ship meant for escape."
"It is a key. It is a bridge!"
Aiden narrowed his eyes. The Law of Space inside him began to move in secret, ready to launch a fatal strike at any moment.
But he did not attack right away. He wanted to hear what else this madwoman had to say.
Egretta pointed at the spinning dark red curtain of light above them, her expression feverish.
"Earth is nothing but a dry well, an exiled prison."
"And the seven pillars of the Heavenly Demon are the seven iron locks sealing this dry well shut."
"One thousand years ago, Yves of the Great Shaw Empire sealed the seven pillars. Do you really think he was a savior?"
Egretta snorted coldly, her tone full of mockery.
"Foolish!"
"He only delayed the Great Destruction. He never solved the real problem."
"The awakening of the seven pillars is an unavoidable law of the universe. Every forced seal only allows them to gather even more terrifying destructive Strength for their next awakening."
"When they erupt again, Earth will be turned into cosmic dust. Not even the smallest trace of life will remain."
Aiden frowned slightly.
He thought of the last words Yves had left behind.
In that Divine Emperor law crystal, Yves had indeed hinted that the seal was only a temporary solution. The Great Destruction would still come in the end.
Egretta quickly noticed the change in Aiden’s expression, and her smile became even more pleased.
"It seems you have realized it too."
"So the only way out is not sealing them, and it is not running away."
"It is-to set them off ourselves!"
Boom!
As Egretta spoke, the altar behind her suddenly erupted with a dark gray beam of light that shot upward, piercing straight into the underground dome.
"We will make the seven pillars of the Heavenly Demon fully awaken on Earth!"
"At the exact moment they awaken and their energy reaches its peak, we will use that world-destroying power to tear open the space barrier between Earth and the outer universe by force!"
"We will open a path to the higher universe!"
"The Ark will carry the genetic legacy of all life on Earth and ascend through that path into a higher-dimensional world!"
"This is evolution. This is the only path to true freedom!"
Egretta spread her arms wide, like a god declaring the truth to her believers.
A wild wind whipped her dark golden robe, making it snap loudly. Around her, the gray barrier seemed to tremble in response to her madness.
"What Yves failed to do, we will do."
"You, Aiden, carry great fortune. You even control the Law of Space. You should have been the perfect guide for this evolution."
"Why stand on the side of mortals and protect an old world that is doomed to be destroyed?"
Egretta stared straight at Aiden. Her eyes were full of hope, as if she was trying to win him over.
She believed that any being who had reached the level of a god would be shaken after hearing such a grand plan.
After all, gods and mortals were no longer the same kind of existence.
Aiden stood quietly in the air.
The space blade in his hand gave off a dim, dark glow, reflecting his cold, stern face.
Egretta’s logic did sound complete. In some ways, it even matched certain plans Yves had left behind.
If it had been Miles of the Azurecloud Empire, or some selfish member of a hidden family, they might have already bowed their heads and sworn loyalty.
In the underground space, only the sound of surging energy tides could be heard.
Egretta waited quietly for Aiden’s answer.
A long time passed.
Aiden raised his head. In his double pupils, there was no passion, no hesitation-only a dead silence as deep as the Abyss.
"It does sound reasonable."