# 1118
Chapter 1119: Paradise
"How long has it been?"
Lin Qiye glanced at the gradually darkening sky and asked.
"Half an hour." An Qingyu answered.
"Half an hour..." Lin Qiye's brow furrowed slightly. "Did something happen to Zhua Ge?"
Logically speaking, given Shen Qingzhu's temperament, it shouldn't be difficult for him to quiet his mind and enter the Pure Land of the Mind. The fact that he hadn't entered after half an hour meant either something had happened on the ship, or his mental distractions were extremely complex... Based on Lin Qiye's understanding of Shen Qingzhu, he was more inclined toward the former.
"No accident. There are too many distractions in his heart—he can't enter." Michael's eyes swept across the void, speaking calmly.
Lin Qiye and the other two froze simultaneously.
Zhua Ge had too many distractions?
How could that be possible?
That was the Zhua Ge who had fought his way through life and death!
If anyone were asked who had the most mature mindset in the entire team, everyone would immediately choose Shen Qingzhu. Lin Qiye couldn't fathom what kind of distractions could bind this man who had already transcended life and death.
Lin Qiye and An Qingyu exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. Only Jiang Er floated quietly in the air, as if having thought of something, staring blankly.
"We don't have much time. If he can't enter, I'll have him wait on the ship. After you obtain the [Ark of the Covenant], you can go reunite with him."
Michael casually traced a string of characters in the air. They transformed into a streak of golden light that shot into the void and vanished.
After finishing this, He flapped His wings, and a wave of golden light surged forth, engulfing Lin Qiye and the others behind Him. They soared toward the center of the clouds beneath the dusky sunlight.
...
Above the sea.
Within endless darkness and fog, the exploration ship rocked with the churning waves. In the silent cabin, a figure still sat stubbornly cross-legged on the ground, the dim candlelight illuminating his face. Large beads of sweat dripped onto the floor.
Shen Qingzhu's brow was tightly knit, his complexion pallid from excessive mental exertion. As the ship lurched violently, the candle on the table burned down to its end and went out. Endless darkness enveloped the entire cabin.
Heavy breathing echoed within the cabin. After a moment, Shen Qingzhu slowly opened his eyes, an unprecedented weariness written across his face.
He took a deep breath, glanced at the time in the center of the cabin, and clenched his fists. Just as he was about to try entering Paradise again, a streak of golden light shot out from the void and悬浮在Shen Qingzhu面前。
That was a string of characters Shen Qingzhu didn't recognize, but the moment it appeared, an意念传递进入他的脑海。
"No need to try further. Wait here."
Shen Qingzhu stood frozen.
Hss——!
The golden characters burned away in the air, golden specks of light dissipating. Shen Qingzhu's pale, stunned face once again sank into darkness.
The creaking of the hull echoed in the dark cabin. Shen Qingzhu stood motionless like a statue. After a long while, he let out a self-deprecating laugh and leaned against the doorframe, sliding down to sit on the floor.
He pulled out a cigarette from his chest, lit it, and exhaled a puff of smoke with practiced ease. But his left fist unconsciously clenched.
He looked up at the churning fog at the stern of the ship and fell silent.
Thump——!!
Not knowing how long had passed,
A dull sound of a fist striking the deck echoed through the silent cabin.
...
Paradise.
Golden light flickered repeatedly across the sky, racing toward the depths of Paradise.
Michael's speed was simply too fast. So much so that Lin Qiye and the others engulfed within the golden light could only see countless blurry silhouettes flying past beneath them. Then they arrived before a flat, barren expanse of land.
Lin Qiye's feet touched the cloud layer. He looked around—white clouds circled this expanse of land like a slowly rotating white tower, connecting from the cloud layer beneath their feet all the way up to the dusky sky. The area enclosed by the white clouds was roughly a hundred kilometers wide, like an entire city.
"Is this Paradise?" An Qingyu spoke in surprise.
"This is where the Holy Sovereign dwells. The ring outside the clouds—that's the true Paradise for souls." Michael explained calmly.
Lin Qiye was stunned.
Such a vast area, and it was only where the High Divine One lived? How enormous must the entire Paradise be?
Recalling the silhouettes that had flashed past his eyes just moments ago, Lin Qiye's brow rose slightly. If even a Seraph's speed required such a long flight... the scale of this Paradise was likely far beyond their imagination.
"Paradise is not material, so physical measurements like size and area are meaningless here. From a spiritual perspective, Paradise itself is infinite." Michael flapped His wings, flying toward the center of the expanse, His gaze sweeping the surroundings as if searching for something.
How profound.
Lin Qiye thought silently in his heart. The figure that had emerged from the sixth ward surfaced in his mind. His heart stirred slightly:
"Michael... where did the Holy Sovereign of the Western Holy Church go?"
Michael's form paused slightly. "He left."
"Left?"
Upon hearing these two words, Lin Qiye didn't know how to interpret them for a moment.
Michael came to a stop, looked up at the heavens, and raised His hand, pointing upward:
"He is there."
Lin Qiye and the others followed the direction of His gesture. Beyond the endless sky, there was nothing else. They froze for a moment, then as if having thought of something, they spoke in unison:
"The Moon?!"
Michael nodded slightly. "Long ago, when the Cthulhu Gods first descended upon Earth, some of Earth's Supreme Gods sensed the anomaly and joined forces to try to annihilate them. But their power was too诡异. So the gods could only change their approach—trying to drive them away or seal them instead.
In the end, several Highest Ones lured the Cthulhu Gods to the Moon. After an intense battle, the Holy Sovereign shattered the Moon, using Himself and the origin of Paradise as the price, transforming into a crescent moon to forcibly seal the Cthulhu Gods.
After that, Paradise fell. I obeyed the Holy Sovereign's command and have remained stationed on the Moon ever since, preventing the Cthulhu Faction gods from breaking their seal and endangering Earth."
After hearing Michael's words, Lin Qiye and the others were shaken to their core, their mouths hanging open involuntarily...
"That seal on the Moon was left by your Holy Sovereign?!" Lin Qiye's eyes were full of disbelief.