# 1944
Chapter 1936: Persuasion to Death
Border of Great Xia.
On the endless sea, a figure clad in a mud-stained cassock walked across the white foam and stopped before an ancient stone city.
Fate Monk gazed at this magnificent ruins, his eyes flickering with subtle light as he contemplated something unknown.
A moment later, he stepped forward and calmly entered.
The instant his foot touched the mottled stone, a vast pressure descended from above the ruins, crushing down upon him. The stone pillars and debris scattered across the area flashed to his sides, forming an insurmountable wall before him. The stone wall's surface had no seams whatsoever, as if carved by nature itself. A dozen gazes pierced through the void and fell upon him.
Fate Monk's form froze in place.
"Who dares, set foot upon the Ancestral God Temple?" A deep, resonant voice echoed through the countless stone pillars.
The Ancestral God Temple was no longer the divine ruins drifting through time-space rifts as it had been in the past. With the gradual return of faith, the Ancestral Gods within had recovered a portion of their power. Sensing an unfamiliar presence entering the Ancestral God Temple, they awakened immediately.
At the same time, they saw that face—an exact copy of Lin Qiye's. But this did not make them mistake him for Lin Qiye, for they were far too familiar with Lin Qiye's aura. That copied face only filled them with vigilance.
In their understanding, Lin Qiye was their faith.
Now someone had come wearing his face into this sacred ground, like an outsider bursting into a temple and impersonating the Buddha—this sense of offense and insult immediately arose.
"...【Predetermined Fruit】 seeks an audience with the Ancestral Gods." Under the Ancestral Gods' pressure, Fate Monk's expression remained unchanged as he spoke calmly.
Gazes swept across his body. After a brief silence, the oppressive weight crushing down from above dissipated entirely, and the towering stone wall blocking his path slowly moved aside...
A straight road leading to the center of the Ancestral God Temple appeared before Fate Monk.
Upon seeing this, Fate Monk continued forward along this road, ascending the stone steps toward the platform. When he entered the most sacred area of the Ancestral God Temple, twelve ancient, mysterious stone statues finally came into view.
Fate Monk stood at the center of the platform, and within the encirclement of these twelve colossal statues, his form appeared utterly insignificant...
"Did that Lord send you here?" The resonant voice spoke again.
"No. I came of my own accord."
The Ancestral Gods' voice did not respond immediately, seemingly waiting for Fate Monk to provide an explanation.
Unexpectedly, Fate Monk did not give them the explanation they wanted. Instead, he asked:
"May I inquire, how much of your strength has been restored?"
The Ancestral Gods paused. "A mere ten percent."
"How much longer until you can恢复战斗能力?"
"At least two months."
This question had been answered before, when Lin Qiye first brought them back. From when Lin Qiye brought the Ancestral God Temple back until now, only ten days had passed—far too short a time for Ancestral Gods whose lifespans were measured in millions of years.
"We don't have that much time." Fate Monk showed no surprise at this answer and replied calmly, "There are only four days left until the battle that will decide humanity's fate... Can the Ancestral Gods recover before then?"
"Four days? Absolutely impossible." The Ancestral Gods replied decisively.
During the countless years the Ancestral Gods had drifted through time-space rifts, their existence had been nearly obliterated. Recovery was not something that could happen at will—it required massive accumulation and digestion of faith power. Four days was insufficient even for a wounded Chief God to recover, let alone them.
"Then it seems the Ancestral Gods cannot become a force in this war." Fate Monk paused briefly, then said indifferently:
"Since that is the case... please, go to your deaths."
The moment Fate Monk's words fell, the entire Ancestral God Temple fell into dead silence.
Several seconds later, the Ancestral Gods' voice rang out, filled with disbelief: "...What did you say?"
"I have heard that the Twelve Ancestral Gods once contemplated the boundless cosmos, and from it derived a secret technique that can be performed jointly. It involves self-destruction of primordial power, returning all origins to one, sacrificing everything of oneself as the price, and ignoring all defenses to annihilate the target... I believe it's called, the【Primordial Ancestor Formation】?"
The instant the words【Primordial Ancestor Formation】 were spoken, all twelve stone statues trembled simultaneously. On their blurred faces, an expression of "shock" appeared.
Fate Monk continued unhurriedly: "Since the Ancestral Gods cannot restore your strength before this great battle and will be useless, you might as well发挥余热最后 and set up a killing formation..."
"Where... where did you hear of the【Primordial Ancestor Formation】?" A second, resonant voice spoke up—sounding like another Ancestral God unable to hold back.
"We have never revealed the existence of the【Primordial Ancestor Formation】 to outsiders. Not even that Lord knows of it... You are merely a mortal life he created. How could you possibly have learned of it?"
"I know, because you used it..."
"Used it? When?"
"The future."
The Ancestral Gods' brows furrowed tightly.
"Four days from now, the ambulatory【Chaos】Nyarlathotep and the forest【Black Goat】Shub-Niggurath—two Pillar Gods will join forces for a final assault. In that battle, Great Xia suffered a crushing defeat, and the flames of war swept through the Ancestral God Temple.
You Twelve Ancestral Gods desperately attempted to use the【Primordial Ancestor Formation】 to annihilate【Chaos】, but a moment before the formation could complete,【Chaos】smashed through it... I need not describe your ends in detail. In short, afterward,【Chaos】walked out of the Ancestral God Temple alive, becoming the final straw that crushed Great Xia."
When Fate Monk's words fell, the Ancestral God Temple remained silent for a long while before the Ancestral Gods' voice murmured:
"The future..."
Gaze after gaze traveled among the Ancestral God statues, as if they were communicating something among themselves.
"What? Don't the Ancestral Gods believe me?" Fate Monk asked in a deep voice.
"You were able to name the【Primordial Ancestor Formation】and describe its origins—that alone is proof enough... But if the【Primordial Ancestor Formation】failed to kill【Chaos】in your future, what makes you think there will be a chance this time?"
"In that future, the【Primordial Ancestor Formation】failed to kill【Chaos】because their assault came too suddenly. Neither Great Xia nor you were prepared for battle... Trying to form the【Primordial Ancestor Formation】in haste left too many openings, which is why【Chaos】could desperately break through midway.
But if this time we set up the killing formation in advance and kill【Chaos】within the Ancestral God Temple, Great Xia will have spare strength to destroy【Black Goat】—every ending will be rewritten!"
Fate Monk raised his head, his piercing gaze sweeping across all twelve Ancestral God statues as he slowly spoke:
"I know the Ancestral Gods are the origin of all myths, the faith of all living beings, and the loyal subordinates of Lin Qiye. Your existence is too vital for this world—for me to persuade you to your deaths would be to make enemies of all living things...
Therefore, the only one who can stand here and persuade you to die... is me.
Honored Ancestral Gods,
Have you... made your decision?"