Chapter 32: Proof of Divinity—The Godhead
The battle slowly drew to a close; every last monster had been completely annihilated. The final moments had come down to a duel between Xianyue and the three most formidable monsters; fortunately, Du Xin had stepped in to help take down the most troublesome of the bunch—a small bird-like creature—thereby breaking the stalemate.
"Why did you help me? I could have handled it myself."
Looking somewhat pale, Xianyue felt a twinge of displeasure at Du Xin's intervention. In her mind, the "test" Du Xin had spoken of was precisely this: whether or not she could clear this place on her own.
"It's not that I meant to interrupt you, but... look ahead."
As he spoke, Du Xin pointed toward the altar situated just ahead. Hovering above the altar now was a gateway—a massive portal composed entirely of flesh and corpses. Blood coursed through its structure, and something resembling a beating heart pulsed rhythmically within it—a sight both grotesque and malevolent.
Xianyue frowned as she realized that this colossal gate was constructed entirely from the remains of the very monsters she had just slain.
The massive gate, dozens of meters high, loomed atop the equally massive altar. The old man, too, had reappeared; he stood beside the gate, his face twisted in a mask of sheer frenzy.
"Heh-heh-heh! Thank you so much! Did you know? Gods really *do* exist in this world! Divinity is real, and I am about to meet the greatest God of all! Oh, Great Satan! Lucifer! Heh-heh-heh!"
The old man's eyes darted wildly, his demeanor akin to that of a demon-beast unleashed from its prison—bloodthirsty and utterly unhinged.
Xianyue felt a sudden, ominous premonition. Just as she was about to charge forward, the sound of an incantation began to emanate from the old man's lips.
"Oh, Great Satan! Please, descend upon the mortal realm! Ignorant and foolish mortals are in need of Your salvation; the greedy Dragon Clan awaits Your divine retribution..."
The incantation was at once eerie and devout—sacred yet utterly wicked. As the chanting reached its crescendo, the "heart" embedded within the massive gate began to throb violently. Blood surged through the veins snaking across the gate's surface, flowing down to drench the entire altar in crimson. The altar erupted in a blinding crimson glow, and a shimmering membrane of blood-red energy materialized within the gate's frame. A palpable demonic aura began to swirl within that space, growing steadily in intensity—as if something were poised to burst forth from the gate at any moment. As if starved of energy, the colossal gate withered and shrank with startling speed. Even the old man standing beside it had every drop of blood and vitality drained from his body; half of his frame crumbled into ash, yet he did not die—he continued to chant his incantations.
At that very moment, Du Xin made his move. A surge of pure, azure energy coalesced into a long spear. Du Xin seemed to take a particular delight in this spell; the spear shot forth like a bolt of lightning, striking directly against the protective barrier generated by the altar.
What had begun as a seemingly fragile Tier 2 spell suddenly manifested with the power of a Forbidden Curse. In less than half a second, the sturdy barrier shattered into a myriad of flying shards. Undiminished in its momentum, the spear slammed into the great gate itself; amidst a thunderous roar, the gate exploded into a gruesome shower of shredded flesh and blood.
Casually dispelling the falling chunks of flesh and droplets of blood, Du Xin approached the old man—who, remarkably, had not yet perished. Whether this was due to the old man's sheer luck or Du Xin's deliberate intent remained unclear.
"You truly are a man of talent; I almost found myself reluctant to kill you. However, with only three hundred years remaining, I cannot risk leaving you alive to stir up trouble. You must die."
Du Xin extended a finger and made a light, air-borne thrust; the old man instantly met his end.
Standing amidst the rain of blood, Xian Yue looked pale and drawn. She fought desperately to suppress the urge to vomit; once she had somewhat quelled her nausea, she stepped forward to join Du Xin.
"Well? Is he dead?"
"Er... yes, he's dead."
Du Xin had previously promised to offer Xian Yue a choice, but now that he had—in a moment of impulsive excitement—gone and killed the old man himself, he was forced to devise a different kind of test.
"Xian Yue, what did you see—and what did you *feel*—inside that gate just now?"
Du Xin asked, after a moment of contemplation.
"A force... one of profound evil and pure malice. It carried an aura of chaos and bloodlust, and possessed a power of such magnitude that it dwarfed anything I have ever witnessed—including the Tree of Life itself, and even the greatest human mage I have ever met: Venerable Gu Yao."
Xian Yue replied, her expression grave. "Let me tell you the source of that power: it is the Demon King of Hell—the Fallen Lucifer—and the ruler of death and evil: Satan! What you just witnessed was merely a projection of his attempt to manifest."
Du Xin paused as he spoke. A flicker of shock flashed through Xian Yue's eyes, though her facial expression remained largely impassive as she waited for Du Xin to continue.
"This summoning ritual was not completed, and the cataclysm did not descend—for I stopped him. However, three hundred years from now, the true cataclysm will arrive. At that time, the Gates of Hell will open, demons will pour forth, and the world will become a sea of blood and corpses—a living hell for all creation. Yet, when that time comes, I will not intervene."
"You are God, aren't you? The one and only—the solitary God!"
Xian Yue asked suddenly. Though phrased as a question, her tone was laced with absolute certainty.
"Yes. You guessed it long ago."
Xian Yue's shock was more profound than anything she had ever experienced before. Her jaw dropped, remaining agape for a long moment, while her trembling eyes betrayed her utter disbelief.
"Xian Yue, three hundred years from now, I will not prevent the cataclysm that befalls the mortal realm. Now, I require you to make a choice. You may follow me into the Divine Realm, becoming an immortal being possessed of infinite power—much like the legendary Archangel Michael of mortal lore. However, should you choose this path, you must not interfere in the cataclysm that strikes the human world. Your other option is this: I will depart, and you may remain behind to aid humanity in surviving the cataclysm. Should you choose this path, you face the very real possibility of death—and still, I will not intervene."
"Why?! Why won't you help humanity? You are God! So many people place their faith in you, worship you; the Holy City's Pontificate still reveres you as their Lord! You clearly possess infinite power—you could resolve this crisis with such ease!"
Xian Yue cried out in agitation. Confusion, anger, and even sorrow were plainly etched upon her face. "I am a god. I created this world, and I possess infinite power. I am the supreme deity of the mortal realm—yet I am also the God of Hell! What I seek is neither good nor evil; what I require is balance. For you must understand: without evil, there can be no good; without darkness, there can be no light. Life and death are twin aspects of the same existence. I am merely fulfilling my inherent duty as the Creator God."
Xianyue fell silent. From Du Xin's perspective, she could find not a single flaw in his logic. It was akin to a human observing a battle between two colonies of ants—there was neither reason nor necessity to intervene. Yet, she still could not truly comprehend Du Xin, for in this moment, she was a human—not a god.
"I choose to stay. I am willing to fight for humanity to the very end!"
Du Xin, however, smiled with a sense of gratification.
"The current might of Hell is far beyond anything you mortals can match. They possess beings that transcend the Eighth Tier—seven of them, in fact. Even their numbers of Eighth-Tier entities are several times greater than those of the mortal realm—and by that, I refer to *all* living beings, including the Dragon and Elf races. That is why I have deferred this battle for three hundred years. I shall ensure that you live to see those three centuries pass."
Du Xin reached out and gently tapped Xianyue's forehead. The faint green spark glowing within Xianyue's mind rapidly expanded, coalescing into a crystalline entity. A mysterious power—one that transcended the very laws of nature—erupted within her body. In an instant, she ascended to the Seventh Tier; she continued to climb steadily toward the Eighth, finally coming to rest at the very pinnacle of the Seventh Tier.
"I bestow upon you the Mark of Divinity—a Divine Spark. Should destiny favor you, you may well become the first *Arch-Mage*—or perhaps even ascend to true godhood: the Goddess of the Forest!"
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