# 904
Chapter 905: Takamagahara
"Takamagahara's Gate of Guidance?" Lin Qiye was stunned. "You're saying that behind that gate... is Takamagahara?"
Merlin nodded slightly. "It's also our destination this time."
Between the rolling waves, the transformed whale's massive body slowly approached the giant gate above the sea's surface.
Standing on the transformed whale's back, Lin Qiye's perspective of the gate shifted from level to upward, and finally to the point where even looking up couldn't capture its full scale. The shock in his heart was beyond words.
This gate was simply too enormous. The transformed whale's body was already incomparably vast, yet at this moment, before this Gate of Guidance, it seemed as small as a toy. As for Lin Qiye and the other two standing on its back, they were even less significant than a speck of dust.
"Get ready, we're about to enter." Merlin suddenly said.
Before Lin Qiye could react, the giant gate before the transformed whale silently opened a crack, and a blinding white light burst forth from behind it, causing Lin Qiye to involuntarily close his eyes.
An immense gravitational pull swept out from behind the gate!
Whirrr—!!
The ancient and weighty gate slowly swung open. Under the terrifying gravitational force, Lin Qiye and Jialan's bodies were instantly ripped from the transformed whale's back—like two specks of dust caught in a vacuum cleaner—flying directly toward the massive gate.
Merlin, still firmly planted on the transformed whale's back, had a glint flash in his eyes. Two magic arrays materialized in his palms, and blue ropes shot out at lightning speed, instantly binding around Lin Qiye and Jialan's waists, forcefully pulling them back to his side.
The gravitational forces churned, seawater roiled. The transformed whale's enormous body automatically drifted free from the sea's surface, slowly flying into the gate behind.
As the transformed whale's form vanished, the massive gate gradually closed. With a muffled boom, the portal sealed shut completely, fading from the ocean horizon as if it had never existed.
...
When Lin Qiye opened his eyes, the world between heaven and earth was nothing but a sea of blood.
The vast blood ocean churned beneath the transformed whale, broken flesh and weapon fragments intermittently surging within the waves. The blood-tinged breeze that crept into Lin Qiye's nostrils made him involuntarily furrow his brow. His gaze swept across his surroundings before finally lifting toward the sky—a incomprehensibly massive crimson blood moon hung quietly in the high heavens.
This red moon was dozens of times larger than the one Lin Qiye had seen in the fishing village. It resembled a sky-obscuring red disc, embedded among distant mountain peaks, its light falling upon every corner of this realm.
Lin Qiye stared at that moon for a long while before回过神来, his shock evident as he turned to look at Merlin beside him.
Merlin's expression was equally grave.
"Lord Merlin... where... is this?" Lin Qiye asked tentatively.
"Didn't I just say? Passing through the Gate of Guidance, this naturally is Takamagahara."
"But isn't Takamagahara the land of Japanese gods? How could it be like this?"
Lin Qiye looked puzzled at the surroundings—the blood-colored ocean, shattered landmasses, the desolate and eerie tall buildings in the distance, and that heart-stopping red moon in the sky. This was nothing like where gods would reside; it was more like hell.
Merlin gazed up at the sky for a long while, then raised his right hand, pointing toward that red moon.
"Because of it."
"The red moon?" Lin Qiye paused for a moment, then added, "Or is it... the Cthulhu gods?"
"There's no essential difference between the two." Merlin replied. "The reason the red moon exists is because the Cthulhu gods broke through a corner of the seal, and their own power poured out, forming a regional contamination radiation that was projected from the Moon onto Earth. When you look up at the moon from a contaminated area, it appears red."
The amount of information contained in this sentence was staggering. Lin Qiye stood frozen on the spot.
When Lin Qiye was at the fishing village, he had already learned that the Cthulhu gods existed on the Moon. Combined with Chen Yangrong's "will eventually return" and the Seraph's identity as a "gatekeeper," he had also guessed that the Cthulhu gods being on the Moon was not their own intention, but was caused by some other factor.
Based on Merlin's words, what kept the Cthulhu on the Moon was some kind of seal?
"Were the Cthulhu gods artificially sealed on the Moon?" Lin Qiye asked in shock. "What kind of existence could seal an entire pantheon on the Moon?"
"I don't know." Merlin shook his head. "The fate at that level is completely beyond my窥探... Moreover, whether 【Cthulhu】 even qualifies as a pantheon remains uncertain."
Hearing this, Lin Qiye was stunned.
"What do you mean?"
"The aura of the Cthulhu gods is quite different from other pantheons on Earth." Merlin pondered as he spoke. "Whether it's Great Xia mythology, Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, Indian mythology... they all have traceable history and cultural accumulation, carrying a weighty destiny foundation.
But those things on the moon are different.
I ask you, do you know where the Cthulhu Mythos originated?"
Lin Qiye茫然 shook his head. "I don't know..."
"Then do you know when this pantheon appeared? Who proposed it? How was it passed down?"
Lin Qiye's brow furrowed slightly. He lowered his head to seriously contemplate for a long while, yet still shook his head...
In his memories, there was absolutely no information regarding this matter.
"Don't you find it strange?" Merlin slowly said. "A pantheon, with no foundation, no religion, no historical accumulation, suddenly appeared in everyone's cognition, as if forcibly stuffed into human thought. Not even anyone questioned the authenticity of this pantheon—it simply existed so naturally...
'They'... are they really mythology?"
Lin Qiye was stunned.
An overwhelming flood of thoughts tumbled through his mind, crashing against his understanding of reality.
"But... if 【Cthulhu】 isn't mythology, then what are they?" Lin Qiye asked blankly.
"I don't know." Merlin shook his head. "This is all just my doubts and speculation. For you, it's still too far away. No need to dwell on it."
Lin Qiye took a deep breath, casting aside those tangled thoughts. Just as he was about to ask more, the transformed whale beneath their feet suddenly convulsed violently!
The blood-colored ocean surged violently. A low humming sound emanated from within the transformed whale. Merlin's expression changed. His hands grabbed Lin Qiye and Jialan, and a magic array suddenly expanded. The three of them vanished from the transformed whale's back.
When they reappeared, they had already left that blood-colored ocean, arriving at a shoreline littered with wreckage.
Lin Qiye turned to look. Between the churning waves, that massive corpse began to slowly sink. A scarlet glow like blood radiated from within it, instantly covering the entire sea area.
At the beginning, he truly didn't think he needed to draw a weapon against such an opponent. But at this moment, he had no choice but to take out his weapon, otherwise, he was already struggling to hold on. Rebirth through fire was powerful, but it required continuous consumption. Once his own bloodline power was overly depleted, it would also harm his origin.
"I have to say, you've exceeded my expectations. But now, I'll use my full strength." As Cao Youwei's words fell, the Phoenix True Fire gathered like the ocean swallowing rivers, and he actually withdrew the Phoenix True Fire Domain.
The blazing Phoenix True Fire condensed and formed around his body, transforming into a magnificent gold-red armor that covered his entire form. Weapon in hand, he resembled a demon god gazing at Meigongzi.
Meigongzi did not pursue. Standing in the distance, she slightly composed her somewhat agitated mood. Although this battle hadn't lasted long, her emotions were becoming increasingly亢奋.
Before truly facing a Great Demon King-level Undying Fire Phoenix, she hadn't known if she could truly withstand it. Her confidence all came from what Tang San had given her. And as the battle continued, when she truly began to suppress her opponent, protecting herself from the Phoenix True Fire with the Seven-Colored Heavenly Fire Liquid, she knew—she truly could.
For the past century, Tang San had guided her through countless combat techniques, all最适合她使用. Like the previous Netherworld Thrust, Netherworld Hundred Claws. And the Sword Star Chill that had just severed Cao Youwei's finger for the first time. According to Tang San, these were all true divine techniques. After he made slight modifications and taught them to Meigongzi, they were the most suitable for her to施展.
The more she used these abilities, the more Meigongzi couldn't help but真心佩服 Tang San. When Tang San first told her these were divine technique-level, she had harbored some doubts in her heart. But at this moment, she could continuously wound and压迫 her opponent while surpassing a major realm—if they weren't divine techniques, how could that be possible given the cultivation gap?
At this very moment, the numerous Royal Sovereigns standing atop the Imperial Heaven Pillars all looked at this young girl with newfound respect. When the Phoenix True Fire Domain appeared, what they had been considering was how long Meigongzi could withstand under this domain.