A deep, pitch-black, and gloomy fog had enveloped the entire star system. This hazy shroud, like a wave of mist washing over everything, clung to every face, seemingly stripping away all consciousness.
The moment they came into contact with this dense fog, even Emanators were powerless to maintain clarity of mind and could only fall into a stupor.
...Only Aeons could maintain their self-awareness within this dark fog. Not only that, but they could also move, pursuing their own thoughts and desires.
But now, a speck of light had appeared amidst the swirling mist. This light grew brighter, flickering bit by bit, illuminating the fog in this sea of stars and rendering it somewhat translucent.
If one were to look inward from outside this star system, they might see this thick fog as a long-unwiped lantern shade. And within that shade, the oil had been filled, and a flame was now lit, brightly illuminating the interior.
The Guiding Spirit Lantern had truly been forged... Herta had guided Ron's will, forging a clear path through the endless agony, allowing him to successfully reach the end of his great work.
That entire furnace of resplendent golden liquid had been completely condensed, fused into one, and transformed into the shape of a lantern.
The Aeon who had walked into the golden fire was gone; what emerged was a Lantern of [Salvation]. However, compared to the previous Lantern of [Salvation], this one appeared more angular, its lines not as soft and gentle.
And upon this lantern, concentric circles were intricately carved, one after another. These dense patterns gathered the light, converging it upon a single point, yet it remained latent, not allowing the Guiding Spirit Lantern's power to manifest just yet...
But even so, it was enough.
Under Ron's protection, Herta had evaded the corrosion of this deep fog, but guiding an Aeon's consciousness with the power of an Emanator was still far too difficult. Furthermore, while the miracle blueprint for the Guiding Spirit Lantern was simple in design, the actual forging required the utmost care in its fine details...
As she was now, she had no strength left to handle what came next. She could only lean against the gradually cooling Furnace of Creation and sit slumped on the ground, her eyes downcast. The light in her pupils had dimmed somewhat; she was merely forcing herself to keep this puppet from logging off, awaiting the final outcome of this place.
---o---
Out on the horizon, beyond the celestial curtain of the Xianzhou [Luofu], in the vacuum of space, Nanook of [Destruction] and HooH of [The Equilibrium] were still locked in combat, with no clear victor.
After all, they were both Aeons... These beings were like celestial bodies with spirits, the very embodiment of concepts. They were nearly immortal and indestructible. While there might be some difference in their strength, it was not so great that one could be defeated so easily and cleanly.
Right now, Nanook of [Destruction] was still wreathed in lava and flame. He hammered his fists, one after another, into the fog-shrouded Aeon before him, blasting him apart time and time again, only to see him re-form each time and pick up the scales that had fallen in the mist.
HooH of [The Equilibrium] appeared to be on the back foot, far from matching the ferocity of Nanook's [Destruction]. Yet, he was completely unharmed. It was clear that he was unaffected by Nanook's [Destruction] and his fierce attacks; not even a scratch had been left on his skin.
Of course, as an Aeon, such superficial injuries were meaningless. After all, they had already worn the crown of an Aeon, becoming the master of a Path, an incarnation of a concept. But to be able to so easily handle Nanook's [Destruction] and his various attacks was a testament to the power of HooH of [The Equilibrium].
After all, Nanook of [Destruction] wielded the Path of [Destruction], one of the few Paths in this sea of stars whose concept was inherently the most offensive. He himself could be called "the incarnation of the annihilation of all things"...
In terms of pure destructive power, [Destruction] was a cut above [The Hunt], which was similar in nature.
Yet, though HooH of [The Equilibrium] was struck by Nanook's [Destruction] again and again, seeming to take the full force of the blows, he could effortlessly dissipate into mist and then re-form as one to raise his scales.
Nanook of [Destruction], on the other hand, did not seem to be faring as well as HooH of [The Equilibrium]... The molten rock and flames around him no longer swirled about his person like a planetary ring.
The lava and flames were scattered and draped over Nanook's [Destruction] body like tattered ribbons. No new wounds had been inflicted upon Nanook of [Destruction], but golden blood was gushing from the gash on his chest. An old wound, unhealed for who knows how long, seemed to have been aggravated, bleeding more conspicuously than before.
Although Nanook of [Destruction] still maintained a ferocious, man-eating demeanor, and the oppressive might surging from his body seemed capable of melting half the star sea into a sea of fire in an instant, it could not conceal his decline...
Nanook of [Destruction] was about to be defeated.
This was inevitable... HooH of [The Equilibrium] had been an Aeon for an unknown length of time, hiding behind the scenes, manipulating the cosmic situation to promote the "Equilibrium" he so desired. While Nanook of [Destruction] was fierce, he was, in the end, the youngest Aeon in this sea of stars.
His power might be great, but a long time ago, he had been gravely injured in a confrontation with Aha of [The Elation]. The wound on his chest had yet to heal. Facing off against a veteran Aeon, there was simply no way he could win.
The only reason he had been able to drag this on for so long was because, as the Aeon of [Destruction], he was exceptionally skilled in the art of attack and slaughter...
However, this was enough.
The Guiding Spirit Lantern was forged. The mission of Nanook of [Destruction] was complete.
Seeing the brilliant golden light shining from within the gloomy gray fog, the voice of HooH of [The Equilibrium] wavered for the first time.
Before, he had always been chanting "Equilibrium" in a low voice, his tone as still as an old well, filled with a cold divinity, like a vast echo heard in a desolate valley. But now, it sounded different...
Though he still intoned "Equilibrium," one could clearly hear a hint of urgency in his voice.
He suddenly turned, ignoring the fist of Nanook's [Destruction] that came crashing down. His misty form dissipated once more, but this time, the scales fell as if weighed down by a mountain, plummeting towards the Xianzhou [Luofu].
The scales fell, breaking through layer after layer of fog, while wisps of the dense mist gathered together, once again coalescing into the form of HooH of [The Equilibrium], who reached for the scales as they fell towards the Guiding Spirit Lantern.
But Nanook of [Destruction] clearly had no intention of letting him have his way...
Scorching flames erupted from Nanook of [Destruction] as their starting point, spreading in all directions before sweeping violently towards HooH of [The Equilibrium].
Before, he had only been trying to stall HooH of [The Equilibrium], so he fought him in close quarters, forcing HooH of [The Equilibrium] to focus on the battlefield between them. But now, he had no intention of delaying any longer. He went all out, displaying the might of [Destruction] towards HooH of [The Equilibrium].
In an instant, the crimson-gold flames pushed back the gray gloom. The gloomy fog was torn apart by the inferno, and torn apart with it was the body of HooH of [The Equilibrium]—
This time, HooH of [The Equilibrium] did not get off so lightly. A trace of crimson-gold flame now clung to the scales in his hand. This small flame could not be extinguished no matter what, and it was clear that, by taking advantage of the moment his focus was on the Guiding Spirit Lantern, Nanook had truly injured HooH of [The Equilibrium]...
HooH of [The Equilibrium] once again condensed his body, but the opportunity had passed. He was caught by Nanook of [Destruction] and entangled in battle once more.
It was because of these repeated delays by Nanook of [Destruction] that a result was finally achieved...
Herta watched everything happening in the sky. It was difficult for a mortal to perceive the struggle between Aeons, but an Emanator could catch a glimpse or two. Yet her mind was not here right now.
She raised her head, her gaze fixed instead on the Guiding Spirit Lantern that was slowly floating up from the Furnace of Creation—
At the moment the Guiding Spirit Lantern was completed, Herta could still feel Ron's consciousness lingering within...
Although Ron had offered his everything, casting himself into the Furnace of Creation to be forged into this lantern in the brilliant golden flames, he had not truly extinguished his own consciousness.
In the end, he had endured the pain... In the end, he had not truly abandoned the Path of [Salvation], nor had the Path of [Salvation] abandoned him.
But he had not fully donned the crown of [Salvation] either... The Path of [Salvation] had not transformed into the abundant form seen in the previous simulation; it was far from reaching its peak, let alone its complete state.
But even this was enough.
The current Guiding Spirit Lantern was the Guiding Spirit Lantern, but it was also the Aeon of [Salvation], the Path of [Salvation], and Ron himself...
The current Guiding Spirit Lantern was like an Aeon... forged into this very shape.
And this was precisely what Ron wanted.
He didn't just want to complete the Guiding Spirit Lantern in this simulation. Although simply completing the lantern was enough, a truly immense gain, that didn't stop him from seeking more...
After all, he truly had the chance to seek more.
Now that the blade that could pierce the veil had been sharpened, how could he not go directly to that heavy veil and test just how bright this lantern really was?
Ron was certain... as long as he dared to pierce the veil and see all that lay beyond it, he would inevitably touch upon Terminus, the Finality.
If he touched Terminus, the Finality, then that simulation would inevitably end in failure, yielding only a scrap of information.
But since this simulation had already come this far, he might as well put it to good use, squeeze out the very last drop of value from this run, and directly pierce the veil of fate to see what truly lay beyond the firmament...
And so, Ron's consciousness, now existing within the Guiding Spirit Lantern, having lost much of its faculties but still driven by a single-minded obsession, stirred the flame within and used the power of this lantern for the very first time...
The flame upon the Guiding Spirit Lantern swayed and suddenly surged high. Yet, the clear, bright light it emitted did not grow brighter. Instead, it slowly dimmed, fading bit by bit, until several of its sides seemed to become opaque, no longer emitting any light at all.
Only one area, the wall of the lantern etched with intricate patterns, began to glow—stream after stream of brilliant golden light flowed, slowly converging, condensing bit by bit, gradually uniting from scattered rays into an extremely slender golden line—
Seeing this, HooH of [The Equilibrium] fell silent. He stopped chanting the "Equilibrium" that echoed like a voice in a valley and desperately tried to rush towards the Guiding Spirit Lantern, only to be intercepted by Nanook of [Destruction], who was wreathed in lava and flame.
The God of Annihilation and Ruin turned his head to look at the lantern that was emitting a brilliant golden glow. A subtle, wondrous arc appeared on his perpetually cold and merciless face.
A flicker of pleasure appeared at the corner of his mouth as he watched the slender line slide upwards from below. Like a hot knife through butter, it cleanly and smoothly sliced open reality. Reality was cut with incredible ease, revealing the world beneath: the Sea of Quanta and the Tree of Existence...
This time, there was no illusory branch wrapped in seven colors extending forth. Instead, the opening was torn directly in a patch of void, offering an almost complete panorama of the Tree of Existence.
Looking up towards the crown of the Tree of Existence, though layers upon layers of branches and leaves obscured everything above, it was clear what existed there. The endless Veil of Fate still shrouded it, but...
The Guiding Spirit Lantern turned slightly, and the brilliant golden radiance fell upon it.
A pillar of light broke through the veil...
...piercing through heaven and earth.