Awakening

The entire world was a Spirit Realm instance. All along, he had been living inside an instance... Then what difference was there between him and an NPC in an instance? Heh, perhaps there was none at all. At first, Zhang Yuanqing found it hard to accept. He couldn't stomach the idea that he was actually an NPC living inside an instance—it felt like an insult to his dignity. As a Spirit Realm walker, as someone from the "real world," he had always looked down upon the "ignorant and naive" beings in instances with a sense of superiority, viewing them from a godlike perspective. Only now did he realize that the clown was none other than himself. Yet, considering that even the villain was himself, becoming an NPC wasn't something so difficult to let go of after all. Before true deities, mortals were merely low-level life-forms that could be fabricated at will. What difference was there between an NPC in an instance and a wild human? Still, that bizarre sensation lingered in his heart, refusing to dissipate. *Whatever happened to the rule that non-Spirit Realm items couldn't be brought into an instance...* Zhang Yuanqing gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I understand now. You used the cosmic origins as the core, supplemented by godhoods, to create the Spirit Realm. This planet is also within the Spirit Realm. For the evil gods to disrupt the orthodox plan, they have to invade the Spirit Realm." It was precisely under the Spirit Realm's sanctuary that mortals like them could survive surrounded by evil gods. Having said this, something suddenly crossed his mind, and his brow furrowed. "Wait, isn't the Spirit Realm a modern creation?" He had seen from the murals on the Bronze Tree that divine power originated from falling meteors, and evil had likewise descended with meteors. Naturally, if the entire planet was merely one massive instance within the Spirit Realm, then a breach torn in the Spirit Realm was equivalent to a tear in the sky, allowing evil to descend from outer space. However, if the Spirit Realm had existed since ancient times, it shouldn't contain ultra-modern elements like instances, class advancements, and attribute panels. Sovereign Haotian smiled faintly. "In ancient times, we guided humanity in cultivation. As mortals attained higher and higher statuses, this planet gradually became unable to endure their battles. In order to provide them with ample trial grounds, the administrators opened one blessed land and grotto-heaven after another, calling them the Spirit Realm! "Some of those spirit realms were later reclaimed and became today's instances, while others remained behind in the world for various reasons. "In antiquity, the Merit Roster was a tool used to uphold order; it recorded the moral virtues of the mighty, and the one with the highest merit was often elected as leader. "The current functions of the Spirit Realm existed in ancient times as well, only in different forms. When the Spirit Realm revived in modern times, the old order could no longer be used. So, I integrated it with modern reality and made adjustments, giving rise to the Spirit Realm of today." *So that's how it is...* Zhang Yuanqing accepted this explanation and turned to another matter. "Empress Wa held the divine authorities of both Scholar and Musician. Does that mean She was stronger than ordinary deities?" Sovereign Haotian nodded gently. "Indeed. Empress Wa, the Mother Goddess, the Divine Lord of Wind and Thunder, the Earth Sovereign, and the God of Magic were the foremost deities; the others were somewhat lesser. Yet there are exceptions—certain rules are inherently superior to others. Such as mine." Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the dial behind Sovereign Haotian's head and asked tentatively, "Your rule... is time?" Sovereign Haotian smiled. "You may also refer to me as the 'God of Time.'" "Why is there no class in the Spirit Realm related to you?" "I must maintain myself in peak condition so that I can sustain the operation of the Spirit Realm and resist the invaders' erosion with the power of a single deity." Sovereign Haotian sighed. "Energy is conserved; the more spiritual energy dispersed to the outside world, the weaker the power of the godhood. In truth, aside from the currently known orthodox classes, the Spirit Realm still contains quite a few godhoods left by orthodox deities. However, the Spirit Realm's operational capacity is limited. If all those godhoods were incorporated to generate classes, the Spirit Realm would become overly bloated, leading to even greater loopholes and errors. "Perhaps when the Sun, Moon, and Stars return to their places in the future and the Master of the Cosmos is born, the Spirit Realm can evolve to a higher plane. At that time, more classes can be generated." Perplexed, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Behind every known evil class lies an evil god. The evil gods clearly haven't perished, so how could they split off godhoods to form demigod-tier items?" Sovereign Haotian replied: "The Spirit Realm was created by us based on the godhoods left behind by fallen yang deities. How could the godhoods of the yin deities who died in the great war possibly become Spirit Realm walker classes? "The existing evil classes became part of the Spirit Realm precisely because the evil gods behind them invaded the Spirit Realm. However, they could only split off a fraction of their rule power and cast it into the Spirit Realm, forming flawed, incomplete godhoods to create evil demigods to fight against the orthodox faction. "Strictly speaking, evil demigods merely possess demigod power, but they do not possess the qualifications to influence the Spirit Realm, because they are not administrators. "However, as long as the wielder of the Sun, Moon, and Stars chooses to side with the evil faction, they can use their status as the core administrator of the Spirit Realm to expand the number of administrators and incorporate the evil classes. "That way, the evil gods outside the Spirit Realm can smoothly become Spirit Realm administrators, wiping out the entire orthodox faction, and even obliterating the Spirit Realm itself. "In their eyes, their actions are merely upholding the order established at the very dawn of the universe." *So that's what it means when they say the evil faction has no true 'demigods.'* Intrigued, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Once the cosmic will is born, can it truly alter the rules and change the destiny of annihilation?" Sovereign Haotian let out a sigh. "It is also possible that it will choose to side with the evil faction and maintain the original order. That is precisely the specialty of the Night Wanderer class. "The cosmic will belongs neither to orthodox nor evil—or rather, it can be orthodox just as easily as it can be evil. "As for the candidate for the 'cosmic will,' we can only do our best to choose someone inclined toward the orthodox, someone who aligns with orthodox ideals. "As to whether the cosmic will can comprehend a way to alter destiny, that is something even deities cannot guarantee. But as long as there is hope, we will attempt it." Zhang Yuanqing nodded in comprehension. While digesting the information, he racked his brain to fill in any remaining gaps. Suddenly, an idea struck him. "I've met the Commander of the Bu Liang Ren. He denied being the First Emperor. As the second powerhouse in history to comprehend the mysteries of the Five Elements, where did the First Emperor go?" *** [Ding! The arena battle has concluded. The orthodox faction is victorious.] [Ding! 24 hours deducted from the duration of the evil faction's array.] [Ding! The contention for the array has begun!] The moment the Spirit Realm prompt rang in their ears, both factions sprang into action. Everyone moved with teleport-like speed, arriving at the evil faction's array domain whose duration had just dropped to zero—a barren, sand-covered territory spanning five hundred square kilometers. The Void demigod arrived first, landing right inside the towering pillar of light. The instant his footing settled, he saw an iron-tower-like dark silhouette barreling down like a comet, trailing howling gales. Eight arms flailed in all directions, each brandishing a weapon, slashing toward the Void demigod from every angle. *Boom!* The eight weapons converged at a single point, and the kinetic energy unleashed by their collision caused space itself to collapse. The Void demigod did not meet the blow head-on, nor did he attempt Void Stealth; he teleported out of the pillar of light in advance. Had he opted for Void Stealth just now, he would have been severely injured. Asura's raw violence could pierce space; even Void Stealth could not fully negate it. Fu Qingxuan, rushing up from behind, gave a clear shout: "Five Elements Unite! I'll form the head!" As soon as her voice fell, the Lord of the Central Court's stature abruptly soared, turning into a gigantic, ochre-yellow deity. Strands of earth spiritual energy peeled away from the ground like unraveled silk, coiling around his feet to form a pair of bright yellow cloud boots. The enchantingly gorgeous Water God Palace Master transformed into a rolling dark cloud, winding around the giant deity's frame into a dark robe embroidered with subtle patterns. Little Sapling elongated his body, wrapping around the giant deity's waist like a ribbon to become a jade-studded emerald belt. Guild Leader Jiang whipped up a sky-filling sea of fire, howling as he slammed into the giant deity. The deity caught the sea of flames and snapped it behind his back; with a resounding billow, the flames unfurled into a fiery cloak. Finally, Fu Qingxuan transformed into a streak of sword light and descended upon the giant deity's crown, manifesting as an imperial headdress hung with dangling jade beads. The giant deity's features immediately became sharp and distinct—dignified, righteous, and imposing. The five spiritual energies of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth boiled and merged together, giving rise to a hazy, chaotic spiritual radiance. The entire instance world seemed on the verge of returning to primordial chaos. The giant deity took a step forward, shrinking the distance underfoot, and appeared before Asura, throwing a punch. *Boom!* The explosive sound of the fist striking Asura was like the detonation of a nuclear bomb; the sonic shockwave alone was enough to kill an ordinary human. Asura was blasted backward like a cannonball. Shrinking the ground once more, the giant deity chased after him. The two sides clashed fiercely on the distant horizon. Surging chaos and sky-blotting dense fog obscured all vision; only dense explosions and spatial fluctuations betrayed the ferocity of the battle. The Void demigod returned to the pillar of light. The ancestor of the Spirit Realm clan, the Sea Emperor, the chairman of Heaven's Punishment, the Goddess of Beauty, and the Lord of the Stars tacitly blocked the front of the pillar of light, coldly eyeing the evil faction's demigods. Only five demigods remained on the evil faction's side. The Void demigod looked up at the sky. "Well, well, it seems your masters behind the scenes have quieted down. If I were you, I'd bend the knee right now. When a battle can't be won, surrender is the sensible choice." The evil demigods ignored him, secretly reaching out to communicate with the supreme existences in the unseen void, pleading for power to descend. They did not fear death, but they certainly wouldn't throw their lives away pointlessly. Minute after minute ticked by, and five minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Right up until the core of the array was seized by the orthodox faction, the supreme existences never bestowed any power. With this, the evil faction had only their final array left. Once its duration expired three days later, under the present circumstances, it would undoubtedly be taken by the orthodox faction as well. The orthodox faction would then be able to open the Abyss and summon the origin of the Sun. The battle in the distance gradually subsided. The giant deity shrank the ground and returned to the orthodox camp, splitting back into the five alliance leaders. Drenched in blood, Asura strode back across the barren earth, step by step. The two sides confronted each other in silence. Ling Tuo frowned deeply, looking at the evil demigods. "Those existences still haven't responded?" The Gu Dragon of the Spirit Society and the Southern Sect's two Illusion Gods shook their heads at the same time. Unable to muster a smile, Fear Heavenly King touched his silver earring. "Perhaps they're locked in a tug-of-war with the Spirit Realm. Having projected power twice in a row, the Spirit Realm's mechanisms will surely patch the loopholes." The Southern Sect's Illusion God let out a heavy breath. "We can only wait and see." Right then, Asura's deep voice rumbled, "Retreat!" *** New York County. Winnie Berrent stood by the window, admiring the city scenery beneath the blue sky and white clouds. This week had been remarkably peaceful. The evil faction had gone quiet, and clashes like zero-dollar shopping sprees, street shootouts, and cult sacrifices had plummeted. The orthodox members, their nerves taut for so long, finally had a chance to catch their breath. Although she knew full well this was merely the calm before the storm, fleeting peace was still peace. It was far better than keeping one's nerves perpetually frayed, buried in tense and perilous work. After all, since the war between the evil and orthodox factions broke out last October, the New York County branch of Heaven's Punishment had suffered heavy casualties, to the point where headquarters had to transfer personnel from across the globe. Winnie Berrent planned to hit the hot springs after work to wash away the exhaustion of her duties and enjoy the upcoming weekend. Right then, the landline behind her rang—shrill and urgent. For some reason, Winnie Berrent's heart tightened. Instinctively, she felt it boded ill; perhaps she had simply received too much bad news lately. Frowning, she walked over to her desk and picked up the receiver. Her secretary's hurried voice came through the speaker: "D-Director, we just received notice... the Wind and Thunder Twin Gods have awakened!" Winnie Berrent froze on the spot, as if struck by a bolt of lightning.