The hall remained dim, with a solemn atmosphere that seemed to echo faint murmurs. The hieroglyphs carved on the walls still twisted subtly.
Around the round table, three figures seated on high-backed bronze thrones turned their gazes simultaneously toward the man cloaked in mysterious mist, who was slowly appearing in the empty throne.
The First Generation stared intently at the mist, observing the flickering single monocle, his brow slightly furrowing, as it reminded him of a long-lost friend...
The Prophet was also scrutinizing this new council member, involuntarily recalling the disturbances of the red moon, and subconsciously becoming more cautious.
As for the Emperor , it frowned, seemingly deep in thought.
After a moment, the three figures nodded slightly:
"Mentor."
Chen Xiang stroked his staff, responding one by one, his voice low and solemn, yet oddly intertwined with an ethereal quality.
The four ancient council members did not engage in pleasantries, diving straight into the matter at hand.
"Old rules."
The Emperor said flatly:
"Let's share the current information... I'll go first."
Chen Xiang's heart stirred, and he listened attentively.
The Emperor spoke slowly:
"The conflict between the Eastern Hong Kingdom and the Fallen Nation has escalated. It is foreseeable that within five years, a war will erupt between these two nations, although it is uncertain whether the intensity of the war will escalate to a Divine War ."
The First Generation frowned slightly:
"Is the situation really that dire?"
The Prophet's voice was ethereal and calm:
"It's quite normal. Three-quarters of the Fallen Nation's territory has already fallen into the Spirit Realm, and the ruler of the Fallen Nation has been coveting the Eastern Hong Kingdom's riches for quite some time..."
Pausing for a moment, it continued:
"What's concerning is that the day the Fallen Nation fully descends into the Spirit Realm, the speed at which the Spirit Realm invades reality may surge, and divine descents will become simpler, easier..."
The First Generation seemed to ponder:
"Emperor, you are from the Eastern Hong Kingdom, right? Do you have any influence over national policy? It would be best if you could mediate peace between the Eastern Hong Kingdom and the Fallen Nation to jointly address the Spirit Realm's incursions."
The Emperor shook his head slightly:
"I'm considered a high-ranking official, but I cannot reveal my true power. After all, my source of faith cannot be explained, so on the surface, I still seem to be merely climbing the divine ladder, with limited authority."
Chen Xiang's eyelids twitched.
Merely climbing the divine ladder...??
The Celestial Envoy is only extraordinary, while the divine ladder belongs to the gods ; even if it's just a false god...
But a false god is still a god.
In reality, until now, Chen Xiang hadn't encountered a single prominent figure of the divine ladder level.
From the Emperor's words, it seemed that the three council members had already surpassed the divine ladder?
Above false gods, there must be true gods, right?
Chen Xiang felt a sudden chill and quickly analyzed that, according to the Emperor, progressing from the divine ladder to true godhood seemed to require a massive amount of 'faith'...
Just then, the Emperor spoke calmly:
"I don't have anything particularly special to report... What about you?"
The Prophet, whose features were obscured, spoke with an ethereal tone:
"I'm currently in the White Star Kingdom; you all should have heard about the biochemical leak incident in Winter City, right?"
"A little bit,"the Emperor nodded slightly.
"Some impression,"the First Generation also acknowledged.
Chen Xiang, however, said:
"I haven't been paying much attention; is there a deeper intrigue behind it?"
"Yes."
The Prophet's expression grew solemn:
"In Winter City, it is suspected that someone has acquired an ancient altar of the ancients, communicating with a certain ancient ruler!"
"What?!"Both the First Generation and the Emperor were taken aback, while Chen Xiang curiously asked,"An ancient altar?"
The First Generation explained gravely:
"The ancient altar is the only great relic capable of communicating with the ancient rulers, originating from the ancient remnants. It is said there are nine, of which three are in our possession..."
Pausing for a moment, it continued:
"The ancient remnants were a tribe that worshipped the ancient rulers long before the council existed, their exact location unknown. They have been reclusive, only the Prophet can occasionally communicate with them."
Chen Xiang nodded silently, waves stirring in his heart.
Nine altars... are those the nine holes?
Were those layered prayers coming from the ancient remnants?
Meanwhile, the Emperor quietly inquired:
"Prophet, after the unknown individual communicated with the ancient ruler, what happened?"
The Prophet responded with reverence:
"A voice... a vast sound like an ancient bell, the content was... 'I am here.' "
Chen Xiang blinked.
The Prophet's tone became even more reverent:
"I asked the ancient remnants, and they only left me with one sentence."
"What was it?"the First Generation asked.
The Prophet took a deep breath and solemnly recited:
"The voice of the Father God has echoed once more; the day of reckoning for the traitors and despicable ones will surely come!"
The First Generation and the Emperor exchanged glances.
After a long while, the First Generation murmured as if in a dream:
"The Father God... refers to a certain ancient ruler, or does it mean..."
It swallowed hard, seemingly stirred.
The Prophet shook his head slightly:
"I'm not sure. I analyzed the meaning of 'I am here' for a long time but couldn't comprehend it..."
"Has the ancient altar been found?"the Emperor interjected.
"Not yet. Winter City has been under lockdown for a full seven days. The citizens' mental turmoil was dealt with by the third day. For the remaining four days, the White Star Kingdom's Temple of Thought has been searching for anything resembling the ancient altar but has found nothing."
The First Generation lightly tapped the table, repeating:
"What could 'I am here' mean?"
"Is it the ancient ruler or the supreme greatest being?"
"I am here..."
Chen Xiang looked at the three deep in thought, feeling somewhat uneasy.
He coughed lightly:
"Could it simply mean nothing special, just a plain 'I am here'?"
"Impossible!"
The three council members spoke in unison, the Prophet earnestly declaring:
"The words of the master must hold profound meaning!"
The Emperor spoke solemnly:
"For hundreds of years, no altar has ever responded to a master, regardless of who that master is... I even have reason to believe that the Father God mentioned by the ancient remnants is the greatest being!"
After a pause, it trembled slightly:
"If it truly is the voice of the greatest being resonating once more on this earth, how could it possibly lack meaning?"
The First Generation nodded solemnly:
"Unfortunately, I have not heard it firsthand, and cannot acquire the forbidden knowledge within, nor comprehend the master, or the true meaning of the greatest being..."
It sighed in regret.
Chen Xiang remained silent for a long time, gently stroking his staff, observing inwardly, and ultimately said nothing.
Hmm...
After discussing for a long while without reaching a conclusion, the Prophet finally expressed regret:
"I don't have any other significant matters or news. First Generation, Mentor, what about you?"
The First Generation lightly tapped the table:
"To avoid unexpected incidents with the remnants of twilight, I've been sitting in the Great City, but there have been quite a few interesting things!"
Chen Xiang perked up, while the Prophet and the Emperor cast curious glances, the latter smiling as he spoke:
"I'm all ears."
The First Generation nodded:
"Mainly three things. The first is that I've further validated the hypothesis of the separation of gods and humans ; indeed, the existence of humanity can erode divinity!"
The Prophet asked with interest:
"Oh? Have you stayed among the streets again, experiencing the mortal world?"
"Yes, and it's not just that."
The First Generation smiled gently, subconsciously touching his ear:
"During this time, I suppressed my divinity to try to regain my humanity. I suffered some damage; while it's not severe, the separation of gods and humans has been confirmed."
The Emperor frowned slightly:
"First Generation, I'm not saying this lightly, but your current condition is not good. Why engage in such actions? Validating the separation of gods and humans is not essential; even if it were, we could handle it for you..."
"No."
The First Generation shook his head, chuckling lightly:
"I miss that feeling; it occasionally reminds me of my mother... Besides, one can't have too much debt. I'm already burning; adding a few more straws to the fire won't make a difference."
Chen Xiang listened quietly, his brow furrowing. The separation of gods and humans... After becoming a god, does humanity dissipate completely?
If humanity is lost, can one still be called human?
Indeed, the divine exists within humanity.
And the First Generation... It seemed he was facing significant issues?
He shook his head, not delving further, and continued to listen, trying to absorb as much new information as possible.
At that moment, the Emperor chuckled:
"Occasionally reminds you of your mother? First Generation, have you taken on a son's role?"
The First Generation was speechless:
"Not at all; it's just a coincidental familiarity from my childhood."
After a pause, it waved its hand, and the tone became incredibly solemn:
"The second matter."
The First Generation looked around, speaking softly:
"I discovered a forbidden object."
The Prophet laughed:
"You're so serious; I thought it was something major. Just a forbidden object... What, is it one of the top hundred forbidden items?"
The First Generation nodded, then shook his head, speaking in an incredibly deep voice:
"Forbidden Object 002."
"The Book of All-Knowledge"