CHAPTER 339: CHAPTER 295: THE TRUTH RECORDED IN THE LETTER_2

"At Sera’s invitation, you quickly entered the village and, together with Lena, arrived at the temple of the Holy Light Ancient God. Upon stepping inside, you froze abruptly, discovering that the divine statue above was actually the God of Victory, bathed in radiant light."

"It seems that, in terms of faith, the people of Chasing Light Village have already reached a consensus."

"Lena, well done."

"You maintained a calm expression and spoke in a deep voice... Lena, and this person, this person, uh..."

"You pretended not to know that Sera was the Guardian of Chasing Light Village, although you had already deduced her identity through the God of Victory."

"Soon, Lena revealed Sera’s identity."

"You continued... The Faith Channel has been severed. The God of Victory can’t sense your situation here and guessed that something has gone wrong, so I was sent to figure out what has happened in Chasing Light Village that even the Golden Law Book can’t resolve."

"The two women exchanged glances."

"Sera was the one to speak this time. She revealed with a hint of dread in her voice... Honorable sir, you might find this hard to believe. The crisis in Chasing Light Village stems from the land itself—because the land here has come alive."

"The land of Chasing Light Village has come alive?"

"You were taken aback, instinctively asking... The crisis in Chasing Light Village doesn’t come from external forces? It’s not the Faith Channel being severed or the overlapping layers of mist?"

"Lena shook her head, her expression solemn, and said... That’s indeed deceptive and misleading, but the truth isn’t so. That mist doesn’t originate from an external terror; it was a mechanism laid out by the Holy Light Ancient God during their lifetime. Honestly, I don’t think it’s protecting Chasing Light Village. In fact, ever since I came here, I’ve always felt something was wrong with the Holy Light Ancient God."

"You noticed that Sera’s expression hadn’t changed, not even when Lena suggested there was an issue with the Holy Light Ancient God."

"It seems the waters run very deep here."

"Your expression turned serious as you asked Lena and Sera what exactly was going on."

"As the Guardian of Chasing Light Village, Sera evidently knew more about the sequence of events. She explained... The Holy Light Ancient God resided in the temple deep within the sacrificial altar. That place was sealed with divine power, making it inaccessible to the villagers. Of course, at the time, no one wanted to enter anyway. Later, the Holy Light Ancient God inexplicably fell. The seal shattered, and to uncover the mystery of the God’s demise, the most faithful believers of the Holy Light Ancient God—Chasing Light Village’s strongest temple warriors—entered the temple in the sacrificial altar. In the end, only one person returned alive, bringing back a tattered handbook."

"After the fall of the Holy Light Ancient God, the temple within the sacrificial altar turned treacherous and terrifying. It doesn’t make sense."

"It seems there are deeper secrets hidden here."

"As numerous thoughts surfaced in your mind, you suddenly realized something and fixed your gaze on Sera, saying... Are you suggesting that the Holy Light Ancient God resided in Chasing Light Village?"

"Sera remained silent, but her eyes said everything."

"She had long since noticed the issue."

"As a ’God’ of the Radiant Kingdom, a member of the Ancient Gods who proclaimed their blessing to guide humanity through cataclysmic disasters, they should rightfully dwell within God’s Fortress, not remain in such an isolated village surrounded by wilderness."

"However, due to her piety back then, Sera dismissed her doubts as divine benevolence."

"But as the Holy Light Ancient God fell under peculiar circumstances..."

"The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was amiss."

"Seeing her expression, you decided not to press the issue further. With a grave demeanor, you continued asking... The contents of the handbook, they must contain clues about the current strange and terrifying events facing Chasing Light Village, correct?"

"Yes."

"It was Lena who spoke this time. Sera, meanwhile, rose and left. By the time she returned, she was holding a worn and incomplete handbook."

"She handed the handbook to you."

"You didn’t immediately accept it but instead sought clarification... This must be a sacred relic of Chasing Light Village, right? Are you sure it’s okay for me to take a look?"

"Sera nodded and said..."

"If it were anyone else, it certainly wouldn’t be allowed. While the villagers have gradually accepted the reality of the Holy Light Ancient God’s demise and embraced faith in the God of Victory, the former ’God’ still holds a certain degree of sanctity in their hearts. A collapse of faith could have negative consequences, possibly giving the restless dark forces an opportunity to act."

"However, sir, you are a friend of Lena and have come here under the oracle of the God of Victory to help us. We trust your character and believe you will not disclose the contents of the handbook. We also hope you can provide us greater assistance."

"It seems Sera places no small amount of hope in you. Lena, on the other hand, seemed a bit aloof."

"Did you offend her somehow?"

"You pondered for a moment before accepting the handbook, your gaze fixed on its pages..."

[This power is too evil. It cannot be brought to God’s Fortress, or it could cause horrifying consequences. No, I must guard it myself.]

[What is this inexplicable whispering?]

[A ’God’ from the Radiant Kingdom has arrived—an attendant deity of the Oath King. It’s said they are heading to the Kroa Mountains to deal with an earthbound monster. No, that’s not it. Why, out of all the Gods in the Radiant Kingdom and God’s Fortress, did they come for me? It must be for this artifact. It’s mine; no one can take it from me.]

[It seems the City of Ten Thousand Gods is experiencing issues. At least, that’s my suspicion. Even though I pray to the Three Ancient Gods of Oath, Virtue, and Nature, their responses remain consistent.]

[No, I cannot allow this artifact to be exposed. I must protect it and cut off all flow of information.]

[Through the whispers, I accidentally learned a horrifying truth: the master who created everything—the omniscient and omnipotent God—was never truly dead. He resides within every God, preparing to punish every desecrator.]

[I... I myself am that desecrator...]

[I feel a shadow looming closer. No, no, I must use this artifact to escape this dreadful fate.]

[No...]

[Desolate Mother, you deceived me.]

"Soon, you finished reading the contents of the handbook."

...

Desolate Mother?

"The thing guarded by the Holy Light Ancient God was actually related to this Evil God?"

"Yang Qizhou immediately connected the dots... In Dark Mist Town, there was that six-faced creature stitched together from six sect leaders. It eventually chose to serve the Desolate Mother. And the Harvest Goddess, she had long since been fully corrupted by this Evil God, losing all her original radiance."

"When the Holy Light Ancient God penned this handbook, perhaps they had already been tainted by the Desolate Mother. Who knows how much of the content in the handbook is even true."

"Yang Qizhou muttered, glancing back at the game screen."

...

"Soon, you finished reading the handbook’s content."

"You pondered quietly."

"Sera, the Guardian of Chasing Light Village, had so readily abandoned her original faith and sought help from Fire Stealing Village. It was likely tied to having read the handbook."

"Adjusting your expression, you said seriously... The calamity of Chasing Light Village stems from something malevolent in the sacrificial altar’s temple, tainted by the Evil God’s power. The fall of the Holy Light Ancient God is also linked to it. Haven’t you investigated it?"

"Lena and Sera exchanged looks, remaining silent, making you instantly realize—they had attempted to explore the sacrificial altar to locate the source of the calamity, but had failed."

"It seems it’s up to me, the holder of ’Destiny,’ the Shepherd of the Gods, the future Lord of Blasphemy, to solve these problems."

"You mused inwardly, a deep and enigmatic smile forming on your lips... Alright then, let me see what horrors lie in a place where even the Golden Law Book is ineffective."

PS: Felt unwell the entire day but pushed myself to finish. Was considering taking the day off—sigh.