Chapter 14: The Whereabouts of the Sage
Ever since learning that the Mycroft Continent held historical information about the Era of Radiance, Joshua had been filled with doubt.
In the final days of the Era of Radiance, a thousand years ago, the arrogance of the Mycroft World civilization had led them to open a spacetime passage to the myriad abysses of the universe. Countless demons and evil gods, drawn by the news, waged war against the civilization at its peak. In the end, the Sage led the gods and all living beings, paying a tremendous price, to defeat every enemy.
The vast majority of deities, nearly all the major gods, died in that battle or suffered incurable wounds. They could only leave behind their inheritance runes and a final thread of divine power, allowing their souls to transform into Divine Calamity Mist, taking refuge in the Boundless Heaven.
But the Sage was clearly not afflicted by such severe injuries. He even had the energy to separate a portion of his power to create four inheritance artifacts to seek his successors.
Undoubtedly, whether it was the Azure Orb, the Pure White Staff, the Order Twin Blades, or the Origin Robe, they were all incomparably powerful—equipment and sacred artifacts that even divine artifacts could not match. Their successive inheritors were no weaklings either. Coupled with the faint trace of the Sage's will embedded deep within these inheritance relics, even gods would likely find it difficult to seize them by force.
But no matter how powerful the inheritance artifacts were, or how brilliant the inheritors, they were still countless levels below the Sage. If the Sage were present in person, the Mycroft World would never have fallen to the point where the old Pope was anxious enough to prepare to burn himself to maintain its existence. The Abyss Lords of the abyss would likely steer clear of the Mycroft World, fleeing as far as possible, let alone daring to launch an invasion.
"The whereabouts of the Sage? You want to know the truth about this?"
Hearing the warrior's question, Xing Zheng was stunned for a moment. This deity, who had always appeared so stern that he seemed devoid of emotion, showed a clear expression for the first time. The God of Might's lips curled into a faint, barely perceptible bitter smile. He raised his head and spoke as if to himself: "We want to know the answer to that question too."
This answer undoubtedly surprised Joshua. But Xing Zheng paid no attention to the warrior's rare look of astonishment. He continued in a tone tinged with self-mockery: "The Seven Gods, including myself, and indeed all deities existing in the Mycroft Continent world, have a long gap in our memories. It's laughable—the gods don't even know when they became gods. When we awoke, we were already deities, as if it had all been prearranged."
"The Lost Three Hundred Years."
Hearing this, the warrior frowned, rubbing his temples in frustration. "I didn't expect it to be the same for the gods..."
"The Lost Three Hundred Years? That's a good term. It does correspond to a gap of about three hundred years."
The God of Might nodded, acknowledging Joshua's phrasing. Xing Zheng continued: "Through ancient records, we know that the Sage led the gods at the end of the previous era to repel the evil that attacked from all corners of the multiverse. But from the end of that history until the early days of the current Era of Falling Stars, when 'we' awoke at a certain dawn, there is a blank of nearly three hundred years. No texts, no one has memories or records from that time. That period seems to have been erased, devoured, completely nonexistent in this world."
"Though it pains us, we feel we are merely machines set to activate at a predetermined time, awakened at the appointed hour to fulfill our duty of guarding civilization and our own races. As for that blank period before..."
He said: "We only know it doesn't exist. Beyond that, we know nothing."
It sounded like a grim joke, but no one laughed. Because within this unknown lay the truth they all sought. The warrior wanted to know the Sage's whereabouts and purpose, and the Seven Gods wanted to know their own origins.
Joshua rubbed his temples in some distress. Beside him, the Divine Mechanism siblings also wore pained expressions because they couldn't understand a word. Though their reasons differed, the expressions of master and servants synchronized in that instant.
Then, Xing Zheng's voice sounded again.
"However, regarding the Sage's whereabouts, after years of exploration, we have formed a hypothesis."
The God of Might, in his human form as a stern, gray-haired man, gave Joshua a deep look. He spoke with unexpectedly serious tone: "If you truly want to know, Joshua von Radcliffe, then follow me."
"Alright."
The warrior agreed without hesitation.
Two beings, both decisive to the point of excess, reached a consensus in an instant. The dark divine illusion shattered in the next moment.
Outside, around the Divine Calamity Mist, the space dominated by divine power began to function. The frozen flow of time resumed.
For the entire world, the lengthy exchange between Joshua and Xing Zheng in the divine illusion was merely a brief instant, a tenth of a second. For the adventurers and mercenaries fleeing the Divine Calamity Mist, that was the case. In a moment too fast for thought, the silver mist sea, which had seemed about to explode, suddenly fell silent. The blue-green light gathering at its center seemed like an illusion. Everything returned to how it was minutes ago.
Everyone stopped their frantic escape, exchanging confused glances, unsure of what had happened. Only the Ultimate-rank dragon Sukrash vaguely sensed something amiss. The blue dragon frowned, staring into the high sky. It seemed to see two streaks of light tearing through the heavens, heading toward the distant void beyond the world.
In the void.
The violent energy tide of the Great Magic Tide surged violently in the void. The worlds were connected by this surging energy river, but temporarily unable to interact due to spacetime chaos. Looking out, the multiverse at this moment resembled a star river within a white nebula. Bright lights representing worlds flickered in the magic tide, proving their existence.
Standing in the void, Joshua felt the surge of energy. The magic tide radiation, like a tidal wave, struck him directly without the filtering of a world barrier. But this energy impact, comparable to a series of large-scale Ultimate-rank spells, not only failed to harm the warrior but was fully utilized by him, absorbed into his body to accelerate the conversion of his Steel Force.
If cultivating transcendent power is like hatching an unformed egg into the most suitable and powerful form, then reaching the Legendary realm of destiny means the cultivator has fully mastered their life and fate, completely hatching and sublimating themselves into a higher life form. Thus, the true form of every Legendary is an optimized visualization of their power, energy system, future, goals, and ideals.
Like the Nature Mentor, whose goal was to become a new Father of Nature, so her Legendary true form was the entire natural ecosystem around the Eternal Thousand-Island Lake. Eagle followed the path of Holy Light, so his Legendary true form was the profound light-wave lifeform. Every Legendary has a unique form, which is the manifestation of their strongest power.
And Joshua's Legendary true form was also a conception of 'strength.' Although incomplete due to insufficient Steel Force, it could still be partially manifested.
—In the myriad worlds of the universe, what is closest to the definition of strength and immortality?
—The answer is a star.
Under the relentless energy impact of the Great Magic Tide, a wondrous radiance flickered on the surface of the warrior's body. He released his restraint on his own power, and instantly, immense gravitational pull warped the surrounding spacetime, even causing a large portion of the energy torrent from the magic tide to begin revolving around Joshua's body, forming a vast accretion disk.
The radiance on his skin was remarkably similar to the form formed when a star, after burning for tens of billions of years, collapses into endless matter—a structure akin to white dwarf matter. The enormous mass requirement slowed the warrior's self-evolution to a crawl, but the defense, so sturdy that even the magic tide couldn't affect it, drew the attention of even the gods.
At this moment, the God of Might and Justice had abandoned the human form used for communication and returned to his true state—a constantly rotating black ring, which was also his holy symbol in the mortal world. After observing Joshua's body for a while, the deity used divine power to resonate in the void: "Look."
Saying this, the ring-shaped holy symbol rotated, and a beam of divine light, colorless and formless but filled with the aura of 'dominion' and 'holiness,' shot into the void.
The next moment, around the Mycroft World, countless stars symbolizing worlds seemed to be activated, beginning to shimmer.
"Look, Joshua."
Xing Zheng said. Though he had no body or expression now, divine communication couldn't be faked, so the warrior could feel the deep emotion within the God of Might: "These stars."
As Joshua looked up at the stars, Xing Zheng spoke in a solemn tone: "Through research on the Pure White Staff, we have obtained the Sage's former aura. And those flickering stars in the void are worlds the Sage once visited and left his aura behind. Those lights are 'footprints' activated by divine power."
"What?"
Hearing this, even the composed warrior couldn't help but ask in disbelief. Joshua looked up at the void in shock. The sea of the multiverse was vast, and the starry worlds appeared dreamlike in the light mist of the Great Magic Tide. But within this visible, magnificent star river region, nearly one-tenth of the stars began to flicker.
These stars, symbolizing worlds, glowing meant the Sage had once visited that world. A tenth of the countless stars formed a long road leading to the other side of the multiverse, its end invisible.
From the clues Xing Zheng pointed out, the Sage had undoubtedly left the Mycroft Continent over a thousand years ago, heading to an unknown distance.
"The gods do not know where the Sage has gone, but he is undoubtedly not dead. Beings of that level can almost be called immortal and indestructible. Even evil gods cannot harm him in the slightest."
Xing Zheng said, his tone returning to indifference: "Joshua, this time I descended an avatar to the Mycroft Continent world, which has already violated the covenant that 'gods shall not directly interfere in the mortal world.' Part of the reason was to maintain the integrity of Shinur's inheritance rune, and part was because of you."
The massive black ring rotated slowly. The deity's voice came through the spiritual world: "We believe that within the Mycroft Continent, there must be information about the Lost Three Hundred Years. It might be in the ruins of the Central Black Forest, or in some lost texts. We hope you can help us find it. It likely contains the deepest secrets of this world, and perhaps the reason the Sage left this world."
"Is this a mission?"
Hearing this, Joshua replied.
"No."
The deity said: "This is a suggestion."
"Then." Raising his right hand, the warrior gazed at the flickering radiance on his skin. He nodded lightly: "Agreed."
...
Just as the warrior was about to return to the Mycroft World.
From the black ring representing Xing Zheng, another spiritual communication came.
"Joshua."
The God of Might said slowly before leaving: "You are one of the finest warriors in this world. But I hope you know one thing."
"What thing?" Joshua asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Do not harbor pity."
After a long silence, as if pondering his words, the God of Might and Justice finally used the simplest expression: "Because the enemies of order are not only chaos and evil gods."
He said, word by word: "There is also another kind of order."
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