Chapter 138: Level Six

The tenth year of the Adysu Empire drew to a close.

After a months-long standoff between the Royal Court and the Adysu forces beneath the Imperial Capital, a night of betrayal arrived. Nobles within the city rebelled, the gates were thrown open, and the Imperial defenses collapsed.

"Charge!"
"His Majesty has ordered that the King of the Royal Court be taken alive; a dukedom awaits whoever captures him!"

Cries erupted across the battlefield, carrying the iron-blooded fervor of war as the forces surged forward.

"Indeed," Adys observed the chaos within the Imperial Capital from the battlefield, sighing, "no matter how sturdy the walls, they cannot prevent a kingdom’s decline."

Beside him, Nadir and his companions stood at attention, their eyes gleaming with excitement as they surveyed the scene.

"Your Majesty, the King of the Royal Court has retreated with his troops to the inner city. They are rounding up the nobility—it seems they are preparing for a blood sacrifice."

Nadir and the others were visibly startled. However, upon hearing this, Adys merely smiled faintly. "Let him be."

"Nadir, continue the assault. The Royal Court is broken; the inner city's defenses are far inferior to the outer walls. It is time to end this." He looked toward the silent, distant banners of the Royal Court and gave his command.

***

In the void, as the outer perimeter of the Imperial Capital fell, one of the two great pillars of heaven suddenly collapsed. A faint, mournful wail seemed to echo through the air as the pillar shrank to half its size. With its collapse, a unique, blood-tinged space that had been previously concealed gradually emerged.

A soft, verdant light—radiating vitality—drifted into this space. Chen Ming looked at the vast domain before him and shook his head.

"Has the once-great Ancestor God of the Royal Court, the noble savior, truly fallen to this state?" he sighed softly, sensing the weakness ahead.

With a thought, a glow ignited around him. The Domain of Nature expanded, repelling the surrounding pressure as he moved directly toward the core. Upon entering, he found countless soldiers standing in formation, their bodies covered in scars and reeking of the iron-blooded scent of a thousand battles. Yet, upon seeing Chen Ming, they did not attack; though their eyes were filled with hostility, they held their ground.

"Are you the God of Nature?"

After a moment, a handsome, heroic knight stepped forward. "Please, follow me. His Majesty has been waiting for a long time."

"Lead the way," Chen Ming replied quietly.

As he walked through the domain, scenes unfolded before him: castles, manors, and rows of knights standing in silent vigil, exuding a sense of profound, ancient history. Among them stood a grand palace, similar to the one in the Imperial Capital yet distinctly different. A powerful aura rippled from within.

Chen Ming glanced at the knight, who stopped and bowed, then climbed the steps and entered the palace.

The interior was silent. Despite a lingering air of nobility, it was desolate; there were no guards, only a solitary king standing alone.

"You have come," the Ancestor God of the Royal Court, Chrisia, said as he watched Chen Ming approach.

"Your condition is dire," Chen Ming observed, sensing the weakness in Chrisia. "Though you have barely awakened from your slumber, your power has been depleted to a critical threshold."

Chrisia merely smiled, appearing indifferent. "Do you know?" he stared at Chen Ming. "The first time I saw you, I understood that while both of us are empowered by the world, the world has always favored you."

Chen Ming shook his head. "It is not that the world favors me more; it is that the world has abandoned you."

"Chrisia, you were the savior of the previous century. You bore the merit of saving the world, which is why, even now, you still receive the favor of the world's essence. But no matter how deep that favor, it cannot overcome the world's instinctive desire for salvation."

As he spoke, a soft light from the world appeared, enveloping both of them and manifesting scenes from the past.

"In life, you were a knight favored by the world. You protected it throughout your life, fulfilling the mission it bestowed upon you."

Chen Ming turned to look ahead. As he spoke, a sliver of world power descended, showing a handsome, gentle knight who had stepped forward in the world's darkest hour, single-handedly pacifying a demonic tide to protect his people. Chrisia stood in silence, watching the scene unfold.

The vision shifted. The knight, in his final battle to defend his people, suppressed the Demon God but perished in the process, becoming an Ancestor God. Then, the glorious scene darkened. The sounds of weeping and cursing emerged—the result of a millennium of blood sacrifices.

Chrisia remained silent, a trace of sorrow rising in his heart, yet he watched it all with a steady gaze. The scene shifted again: the Demon God, once suppressed, had finally emerged. The vision ended, leaving only the surging power of the world.

"Do you feel it?" Chen Ming asked. "A millennium of blood sacrifice has allowed you to persist, but it has also caused countless deaths. The resentment from these killings, combined with the karmic debt you owe the world, continues to bind you."

"Chrisia, at this point, how much of the favor you earned from saving the world remains?" Chen Ming gestured to the blood-stained light surrounding Chrisia's form.

"In life, you lacked the strength to fully suppress the Demon God, leading to today’s crisis. In death, you partook in blood sacrifice; while you protected the people from the demonic tide, you simultaneously wrought endless slaughter, hindering the world’s ascension. These were not your intentions, but to the world, they are reasons enough to abandon you."

Chrisia remained silent for a long time. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Around them, the world's power began to churn, as if urging an end to the matter.

Sensing this, Chen Ming shook his head. "Give it up. If you are willing to surrender, you can still remain the Ancestor God of the new kingdom."

Chrisia shook his head. "No need." He looked at Chen Ming, his voice slow. "Let me finish my story as a knight."

"It seems we must fight after all," Chen Ming sighed.

The next moment, two immense divine domains erupted in the void, their terrifying majesty freezing the space between them. As the Domain of Nature expanded, its overwhelming power pressed down upon Chrisia. Though Chen Ming gained the upper hand, the two entered a stalemate. After all, Chrisia was still a sixth-level Ancestor God, a child of destiny born from the world's crisis. His foundation was deep; he would not be easily crushed.

"Hm?"

Down on the earth, amidst his guards, Adys suddenly looked up.

"Has it finally come to this?" he murmured, a flicker of divine brilliance passing through his eyes.

"Your Majesty, what is it?" Bill asked, looking at him with concern. Through the link between high priest and deity, he vaguely sensed a fierce battle unfolding in the distance.

"Bill, guard my physical body," Adys said with a faint smile.

Before Bill could react, a stunning scene unfolded. Before the eyes of all, a massive sun began to rise from Adys's body. Though it was not scorching, the immense divine might it radiated made everyone want to kneel. It was the true spirit that had been separated during the incarnation of the God of Nature, now manifesting in its entirety.

"The great God of Nature!"

Cries of devotion rose as countless believers fell to their knees. Looking at the star-like, majestic will rising into the sky and sensing that familiar power, they wept with joy.

In the sight of all, the true spirit ascended, broke through the world's barriers, and entered the void to reach Chen Ming. Sensing Chen Ming’s presence, the spirit rippled and merged with him.

Within Chen Ming, the two powerful spirits touched, and under the force of their shared essence, they rapidly fused, restoring the original, complete spirit. As the spirit returned to wholeness, memories flooded his mind, converging and integrating. Simultaneously, his aura began to swell. With a slight tremor of his divinity, the final seal was shattered, and he ascended to the sixth level.

"Finally," Chen Ming whispered, sensing the profound sublimation coursing through him. "The sixth level."

After years of accumulation, his power had long been sufficient; it was only the incompleteness of his spirit that had held him back. With the return of the avatar's spirit, he had ascended instantly. As he rose in power, the balance between him and Chrisia shifted, breaking the stalemate.