Will Anyone Live to See the Next Era?

In the city at the foot of the Sacred Mountain.

One could see people kneeling and prostrating themselves from one end of the city to the other, from dawn to dusk, finally reaching the foot of the Sacred Mountain at the end.

They offered their faith to the God of Knowledge in this manner, proving their devotion.

These believers spent most of their time doing this, aside from fishing in the Sacred Lake.

Worshipping the deity was their life, and the God of Knowledge was their everything.

After so many years, the Ghost Cult not only had its own believers, doctrines, and scriptures, but it had also begun to have its own sacred places and a solid foundation.

The ritual workshop of the Divine Contract High Priest Xiao was a tower. Xiao liked to look down from the highest point of the tower.

This made him feel as if the world was a stage, with everyone busily playing their roles.

And himself?

He was undoubtedly the most unique among them. He believed that in the long course of history, he would surely be the one to leave a brilliant mark.

Xiao turned his gaze from the window. On the wall behind him was carved a mysterious image.

This was the mythical path of the Wisdom Ability that he had pioneered.

He called it the Path of Wisdom.

Every reincarnator who embarked on this path must be at the fourth level; this was the minimum threshold for this path.

Only with such spirituality could one condense the image of the Path of Wisdom and then reincarnate.

And Anhofus happened to meet this requirement.

Xiao tapped on the table, uttering this seemingly magical name.

"Anhofus."

Xiao looked at a spirit trapped in a bottle. This was given to him by the "God of Knowledge," who told him that the spirit inside was the infamous evil sorcerer Anhofus.

This name was still a nightmare for countless people in Yinsai, and the most terrifying evil character in stories.

Xiao knew of him.

He even vaguely remembered possibly encountering him on the Island of Mist when he was young, though the memory was somewhat blurred.

He could only dimly recall that it was a gloomy youth full of old aristocratic temperament.

For the success of the experiment, and so that it could leave the flask sooner, the God of Knowledge had returned Anhofus's mythical blood and power to him.

It took nearly half a month.

He divided Anhofus's God's Grace power into four parts: spirituality, wisdom, desire, and knowledge, arranging them according to his blueprint to form a stable structure.

He finally transformed this wisp of a spirit into the image of the Path of Wisdom.

"Success."

"The world's first reincarnator, the first person to step onto the correct mythical path."

Xiao gazed intoxicatedly at the bottle, at a silver-glowing sphere inside.

This was the seed of reincarnation, also everything that a God's Grace Priest possessed in terms of power.

This seed looked like a brain, but the creases and patterns within the brain resembled a tree or a flower.

When planted, it would immediately begin to take root and sprout.

In sequence, it would restore a person's spirituality, wisdom, desire, and knowledge, ultimately allowing the reincarnator to fully manifest in the new body.

Xiao didn't dare release it from this bottle. If this form were to leave the bottle and its carrier, it would instantly vanish.

The reincarnator who had stepped onto the Path of Wisdom was most vulnerable at this time.

The best scenario would be to transfer directly into another body upon transformation, but Xiao was conducting an experiment now, so he had to consider many things, record and observe each step of the experiment, and of course, couldn't proceed so hastily.

Moreover, he still needed to report to the God of Knowledge constantly, as it didn't trust Xiao that much.

Xiao took this bottle to the Sacred Mountain to meet the God of Knowledge, to convey the good news.

"Great God of Knowledge, everything is ready."

The voice of the Little Person in the Bottle came down from the mountaintop: "How have you arranged his life?"

The voice of the Little Person in the Bottle was unrestrained and wild, exuding an aura of malevolence.

"I want his entire life to be under our control. I want to see his existence at all times. I want him to forever be a test subject trapped in a bottle."

Xiao knelt down, holding the bottle. Although his heart didn't harbor much reverence, he knew the God of Knowledge currently controlled everything about him. He was a smart man, one who knew how to adapt to circumstances.

He knew when to compromise and when to show a submissive attitude.

He also knew what the Little Person in the Bottle wanted, and at the same time, knew how to obtain what he wanted from what the Little Person in the Bottle desired.

"I have arranged Anhofus's life for him. This is a performance staged for you alone, God."

"A clown."

"A fool who forever pursues dreams, but whose pursuits are always completely off the mark."

The Little Person in the Bottle muttered Xiao's words. It was the first time it had heard someone describe Anhofus this way.

"A fool who forever pursues dreams but is always completely off the mark?"

With that, it burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"That's right, that's him."

"That's Anhofus."

"A fool who forever pursues eternity, but in the end can only obtain a wrong answer."

"He thinks he's above others, that he's different, but in fact, he's no different from those fools."

The Little Person in the Bottle's feelings towards Anhofus were complex. It hated this madman who created it and then trapped it in a bottle. It couldn't wait to make this fellow taste its own despair and loneliness.

"You must modify his former memories, don't let him gain power."

"My servant, you must make him forever just a test subject, and not allow him to escape the bottle I've imprisoned him in."

Xiao nodded: "I've set traps for when his Ability awakens. I won't let him possess his former power, but I can still test the data of the Ability's return."

"I'll let his former memories and personality surface occasionally, but always in fragments."

"This way, we can get the answers we want, while also ensuring he never fully remembers who he is."

"He will never escape from your grasp, Great God of Knowledge."

The Little Person in the Bottle was very satisfied: "Good, good, good!"

"If that's the case, then let's begin immediately!"

The Little Person in the Bottle was very much looking forward to it.

This was the most interesting drama it had felt since being trapped in the bottle for so long.

More than Lester, more than Lan's death.

It felt even more eager.

Being firmly trapped in the bottle, only this bit of fun could make it feel alive.

Xiao showed a serene smile: "Everything is for God."

The Little Person in the Bottle looked at Xiao: "After you've accomplished this, I will allow you to become my subordinate god."

Xiao respectfully bowed towards the mountaintop, then carried the bottle of the reincarnator down the Sacred Mountain.

Dark River region.

The Divine Contract High Priest of the Ghost Cult brought several Ghost Cult followers to this place. This was once the Samo Kingdom, but now few people remembered the name of the Samo family.

Few people knew Anhofus's real name.

Anhofus Samo.

That was a surname inherited from the offspring of the First King Redlichia, traceable to the era when the Trilobite Men still lived in the God-Given Land.

This was Anhofus's hometown, or rather, his family's territory and kingdom.

Xiao passed through village after village and town after town, finally choosing a remote but not particularly poor or dilapidated small town.

In the town, Xiao saw a woman.

The woman had just come out of a food paste workshop, settling the day's wages at the door.

It appeared her wages were less than expected. She timidly asked for more a few times but was quickly silenced by threats from the other party.

She encountered a beggar at the intersection. As soon as he stood up, she screamed in fear and ran away.

After fleeing to a deserted alley, her demeanor changed completely.

She muttered angrily to herself, cursing the people in the workshop and the beggar who had just frightened her.

She was a hardworking but somewhat neurotic and introverted female Trilobite Man who worked in the workshop, living a rather difficult life.

In her home, there was a well-protected water tank containing her baby.

It was an egg of a yet-to-be-born Trilobite Man.

But it seemed she had no family or husband, and it was unclear where the child came from.

Xiao took one look and said, "It's her!"

The Ghost Cult followers couldn't quite understand and asked Xiao.

"Divine Contract Lord, why choose her?"

"This place is too harsh, not suitable for raising a child."

Xiao replied, "Isn't it precisely because of poverty and hardship that strong desires are born?"

"That's what drives one to desperately pursue everything they want."

"Isn't it because one couldn't get what they wanted in childhood that they strive with all their might as adults to compensate for what they couldn't have but wanted when they were young?"

The follower, clearly from a humble background himself, spoke of a different situation he had observed.

"Divine Contract Lord, more often, people's spirits are completely broken by poverty."

Xiao smiled, "Don't worry, he will absolutely not become such a person."

"I won't allow him to become such a person."

As Xiao said this, his eyes flickered slightly.

As if there was a deeper meaning.

The follower didn't dare ask who "he" was; that was a secret he wasn't yet qualified to know.

The female Trilobite Man was lured away, and Xiao entered the home.

While the room was in disarray, the area surrounding the water tank was immaculately clean.

Xiao took out the Reincarnator's Bottle and placed it on top of the water tank.

Under Xiao's divine technique power and chanting, the reincarnator merged into the Trilobite Man egg. The egg immediately burst forth with intense silver light, but the glow gradually subsided, eventually appearing not much different from an ordinary egg.

Xiao carefully observed this scene, recording the data he wanted.

"Path of Wisdom, Step One: Success."

Having obtained what he wanted, he let out a relieved sigh.

Then, Xiao gently approached the egg and said, his gaze penetrating the eggshell to the gradually forming consciousness inside.

"Anhofus."

"All this pain and torment is arranged for you by the great God of Knowledge."

"Will you submit to fate, or will you change everything?"

"Let me see if you're as formidable as the rumors say!"

The egg showed no reaction, but Xiao's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

His anticipation, however, differed from the God of Knowledge's malicious amusement.

Xiao walked out of the dilapidated home and said to the few followers.

"You will be stationed in this town from now on. You must report any anomalies to me immediately."

"You must ensure the safety of this place, but you must not take any other action without my orders, understood?"

The followers dared not disobey Xiao's orders and all responded, "Yes, Divine Contract Lord."

At the same time, Xiao placed a bead on top of a building in the small town.

Like an eye monitoring the entire town.

This allowed the images to be continuously transmitted back to the Sacred Mountain and into the eyes of the "God of Knowledge."

Letting the god see what it wanted to see.

As mentioned before, the God of Knowledge did not trust Xiao.

It monitored all this, not just to watch a grand play, but also to personally observe the experimental data of the reincarnator and the Path of Wisdom.

At the same time, it was also observing Xiao, this ambitious servant—

Above the Deep Sea Abyss.

A God's Grace Priest wearing a golden mask stood at the top of the abyss. This enormous underwater chasm was so vast that one couldn't see its edges horizontally, let alone the opposite side.

As for the bottom of this sea trench, no one had ever reached it.

When Elena arrived above the sea trench, she heard a sound.

"Thump! Thump!"

Heavy, muffled, distant.

It was like a drumbeat, but the drum must have been as large as a mountain.

The sound seemed to emanate not from the surroundings, but from within one's own body.

It was as if the heartbeat of some terrifyingly enormous beast was causing everyone's hearts in the vicinity to beat in unison.

Deep Sea Knight Elena even felt that the seafloor and the water were vibrating to this rhythm.

She asked the local lord beside her, "When did this start happening?"

The lord and several priests gave her the time. Elena thought for a moment.

"That was right around the time Vivien wrote to say she was looking for the Ruhe beasts."

She calculated that she was still Vivien's elder.

Vivien would have to address her as Lady Elena in person, while she generally called Vivien, the third-generation Sage of Truth, by her name.

"What a coincidence?"

"Could the bottom of this Deep Sea Abyss be where the Ruhe beasts are slumbering?"

Elena looked into the darkness of the deep trench, finding it increasingly plausible the more she looked.

Elena turned around, lost in thought.

She didn't believe in coincidences, but rather that there must be some connection between everything.

"Could it be that Vivien found something related to the Ruhe beasts, so she's in a hurry to find these monsters?"

"And these monsters have sensed something, so they're responding?"

Elena was puzzled by Vivien's search for the Ruhe beasts.

But for so many years, apart from some delusional madmen, no one had searched for traces of these monsters, nor did anyone know where they were.

Without the divine power bestowed by Yinsai God, without the authority of the Mother of Life, no one could manipulate or control such terrifying beings.

Seeking them out would be like delivering oneself as food to their mouths, wouldn't it?

Vivien must have some kind of assurance to need to find them.

Elena had once wanted to see what was at the bottom of the abyss, but each time a puppet went deep into the seabed, she lost control. She couldn't possibly enter the seabed directly with her body.

After all, the bodies of Wisdom Ability users weren't particularly strong; in fact, the body could be said to be the greatest weakness of Wisdom Ability users.

Elena sent a message to God-Descended City in Yinsai, explaining the recent situation in the Deep Sea Abyss.

In the letter, she also specified the exact time when the situation occurred.

In the castle of the Temple's Demon-Hunting Group.

Vivien received the transcribed cloth from Anli's hand, and after reading the text on it, she pondered briefly.

Although Elena hadn't explicitly stated her speculation, it was somewhat implied.

Vivien, of course, understood the meaning.

"At that time..." she mused. "It coincided with my transformation into a Scarlet Apostle and Stuen's breakthrough."

Vivien thought to herself, "Could it be that Stuen's breakthrough triggered a response from the Ruhe beasts sleeping at the bottom of the sea trench, gradually awakening them?"

Vivien walked and thought.

"It's very possible."

"As they are both the most powerful Life Ability users in this world, the Ruhe beasts might also be sensitive to Stuen's existence."

She shared her thoughts with Anli and several priests of the Temple of Truth, and they somewhat agreed with this theory.

Anli said, "Mere speculation is meaningless. We need to go and see for ourselves whether the Ruhe beasts are in the Deep Sea Abyss to confirm."

Vivien nodded, "Then Stuen and I will head there today. The news of our departure from God-Descended City and our destination must be kept strictly confidential, and there's no need to inform the Abyss Kingdom."

Vivien was concerned that if their movements were exposed, it might trigger some action from the Ghost Cult.

Anli said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of things here in God-Descended City."

Stuen and Vivien left God-Descended City that day, heading towards the Deep Sea Abyss.

This abyss was known not just to everyone in the Abyss Kingdom, but to all of Yinsai as well.

After all, all the people of the Abyss Kingdom originated from this abyss, and even their name was derived from it.

That night, Vivien and Stuen met Elena on an island not far from the abyss.

"Lady Elena."

Elena studied Vivien with a puzzled expression, seemingly unsure of what to say.

"What's this?"

Although Vivien was well-covered, Elena could immediately see that she was different from before.

Vivien explained, "I've become a Life Ability user through a secret technique."

Elena examined her carefully: "That's good. The Temple of Truth and Yinsai need you now. If you were to fall, too many people would be troubled."

Elena led them directly to the abyss, where they listened to the terrifying heartbeat together.

"Vivien, take a look."

"Do you sense anything?"

Vivien and Stuen looked down into the sea trench. Unlike Wisdom Ability users, both of them immediately felt a strong sensation.

As they gazed into the abyss, it was as if something from the bottomless depths was staring back at them.

An extremely terrifying feeling descended upon them.

That aura.

Ancient, dark, cold.

Despite being masters of life and servants of Mother of Life Shelly, their presence exuded no warmth of life.

Vivien and Stuen exchanged a glance, and Vivien nodded.

Although they hadn't seen the scene below, both were essentially certain that this was the place they were looking for.

Elena, watching the two, also knew she had found the right place.

"Do you want to go down now?"

"Or wait and plan a bit more?"

Vivien shook her head: "No need to wait, let's go now!"

Without hesitation, Vivien plunged into the abyss, descending towards the sea trench's depths.

Stuen transformed into a blood shadow, encircling Vivien as they descended to the seabed together.

The darkness extended endlessly.

The sound of the heartbeat became increasingly clear, and Stuen even felt a strong threat, causing him to feel a surge of agitation and suppression.

In the darkness, Vivien's voice entered Stuen's consciousness: "How much deeper?"

She felt she had already descended to an unimaginable depth, as if she was about to pierce through the earth that mortals relied on for survival.

This descent into darkness stirred a flicker of fear even within her, an Ability user.

Moreover, her body was constantly being compressed by a powerful force. If she weren't a Life Ability user, she would have likely been reduced to a pulp in the blink of an eye.

Stuen didn't speak, because he didn't know either.

Suddenly, a beam of light flashed in the darkness, like lightning.

With that momentary illumination, they finally saw the bottom of the Deep Sea Abyss.

They were utterly stunned.

Vivien: "What is that?"

They saw that beneath this abyss, there was actually a city.

A city that no one in Yinsai or the Abyss Kingdom had ever seen, nor had ever been recorded in any documents.

A city like a dark myth, with a style completely different from any they had known.

Outside the city were mountain-like structures, but they radiated an extremely powerful life rhythm.

Although it was the first time Stuen and Vivien had seen such monsters, they knew what they were the moment they saw them.

It was an imprint deeply etched into them since the God-given era, the supreme power Yinsai God bestowed upon the Trilobite Men.

The throne of the Royal Bloodline era, a power that no one could resist.

"Ruhe beasts."

Above the underwater city, they saw something that glowed dimly like a moon.

Looking closely, they realized it was an enormous monster with a sphere-like structure at its top.

Vivien recognized it from the pictures she had seen: "Moon Magic Fern."

Looking at the phosphorescent giant, wasn't it the legendary Star of Death?

As for the lightning that had flashed earlier, it allowed them to see the curtain-like structure covering the beast city.

"Sky Beast."

Besides these, they also saw monsters patrolling the city, each somewhat resembling the legendary Sele Sea Spirit.

With this, they were completely certain that all the beasts were here.

This was even better.

They wouldn't have to search for them one by one.

But there was also a terrifying situation: if all seven Ruhe beasts were disturbed simultaneously, it would be enough to crush them to dust.

The two surveyed the underwater beast city briefly before quietly retreating.

Fearing to disturb the seven slumbering beasts.

Surfacing, Vivien fell into deep thought.

"We absolutely can't take them by force. We're no match for those seven Ruhe beasts."

Vivien expressed her first thought. Stuen didn't speak, which already indicated his agreement.

But mythical blood wasn't something you could obtain by secretly scratching off a button or picking up a shed skin.

Those were just derivatives of blood energy, like Stuen's blood river.

Stuen voiced his idea: "Let's target the Sele Sea Spirit first."

"I saw it had spawned a group of minions. It shouldn't be difficult to capture one, and then we can spend some time extracting and refining the Ruhe Seal."

Stuen: "Once we get the first one, the rest will be easier. We can figure out ways to get all seven Ruhe Seals gradually."

Vivien also felt this method was the most reliable for now, although it was a bit troublesome.

They would need to carefully sneak into this terrifying city of monsters time and time again, secretly obtaining the Ruhe Seals they wanted from them.

But it was incredibly stable. As long as they found ways to bide their time, they would eventually succeed.

After all, the Ruhe beasts were here, and they couldn't suddenly disappear—

Dream Spirit Hila and Mother of Life Shelly returned together on the hot air balloon boat. All along the way were ferry boats carrying life dreams, their lights traversing the void.

Hila and Shelly stood at the window of the hot air balloon, staring endlessly at this scene.

The small boat was filled with various objects purchased from the mortal world, most of which were not particularly useful, but rather flashy.

After activating the underwater beast city of giant beasts as per God's mission, Hila had taken Shelly on a quiet tour of the mortal world before returning to the God's realm, content.

God-Given Land.

The two sneaked through the gates of the Pyramid Temple, peeking inside.

They didn't see God.

Hila looked around curiously, but Yin Shen emerged from behind them.

"Did you have fun?"

Hila was startled, standing straight.

Then, a bit embarrassed: "We just went for a little stroll."

"We also brought gifts for God, they're quite interesting."

The spirit's "little" usually meant quite a long time.

But Yin Shen didn't mind. He just nodded and placed the gifts the spirits brought him on the table.

Hila followed, bringing up another matter.

"God, aren't we taking the Ruhe beasts with us?"

Hila meant that since the beasts were also immortal, perhaps they could be brought back to the God's realm and then taken to the next era.

Yin Shen shook his head: "The beasts undergo reincarnation every few hundred years. They can directly cross time to reach the next era."

He also explained the reason: "The underwater beast city is not just for accumulating mythical blood. It might become an important factor in driving the evolution of all things."

"Let them slumber there. The beasts have their own mission."

Hila didn't say anything more. She picked up the mirror and stood by the window with Shelly, watching recent events in the mortal world.

Yin Shen sat not far away, able to see the scenes in the mirror by turning his head.

There was Blood Plague Stuen and Scarlet Apostle Vivien heading to the Deep Sea Abyss.

There was also Xiao carrying out the reincarnator plan, and the Little Person in the Bottle.

And there was Anhofus, who was about to become a reincarnator.

Yin Shen suddenly said: "Do you think any of these people will live to see the next era?"

Hila pondered for a moment: "Some lives might cross eras into the next epoch, but I'm not sure if they'll still be the same as they are now when that time comes."

Yin Shen nodded.

"Indeed."

And said nothing more.