Chapter 116: The Soul is Gone, Bones Forge the Throne (Part 1)

A slight pain in his palm, the red-robed man felt as if a drop of his blood had been taken, and then about a tenth of his magic power was also absorbed. His vision seemed to brighten, and a question emerged in his mind. The red-robed man, on an impulse, began to chant, “Where there is life, there is death. Death is not the end, but the beginning of another journey. Gods govern all things, and the dead must come under my jurisdiction. What of the gods?”

“Divine fire is eternal, divinity endures forever, gods are immortal. If a god falls, they will lose their position and their divine fire will be extinguished, their soul returning to heaven.” Little Wilton had passed the trials of the Seven-Layered Tower, and his research into gods was far beyond what ordinary people could compare to. He had his own understanding of the origin and decline of gods, so he quickly spoke these words. His voice naturally and unavoidably reached the ears of the red-robed man, who calmed down and repeated each sentence, mimicking Little Wilton’s speed and tone.

“Where there is life, there is death. Where there is death, there is life. The opposition and unity of life and death, the cycle of destruction and rebirth, the intertwined mixture of all things. What of the world and hell?”

Little Wilton heard the red-robed man’s voice and felt a surge of exasperation. “Oh no, this is a death trap question, a taboo among taboos!” he thought. “Between worlds, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. If a world ceases to exist, its gods will inevitably fall. If a world strengthens, its gods strengthen. Hell is a world, but a world is not hell. If one can draw nourishment to sustain oneself, then world and hell can coexist. However, those who learn from me live, those who imitate me die. Blind imitation will only lead to an inferior path and ultimately result in assimilation and consumption by the other party.”

The red-robed man hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, he mimicked Little Wilton and repeated his words verbatim. The silver-haired beauty beside him couldn’t help but feel a little worried. Was Ramod truly dead? Cast down from his divine position by the gods, his divine fire extinguished, it was, in principle, impossible for him to still be alive. Perhaps a tiny trace of his divinity still existed under the influence of faith, but he absolutely could not be resurrected, even if he was the God of Death, who controlled a portion of the laws of life and death reincarnation.

The stone door shook slightly. Cold sweat streamed down the red-robed man’s face, yet he did not suffer a backlash. Time seemed to stand still, and the patterns on the stone door became even more vivid. The surroundings were terrifyingly silent. After a moment, the red-robed man spoke again, “The strong prey on the weak, the fittest survive. In the cycle of life and death, the strong are revered. To submit to the strong, is it liberation? Is it destruction? Is it the beginning of a new evolution? Or a shortcut to transcendence?”

This time, it was Little Wilton’s turn to be troubled. He seemed to have figured out who Ramod was and what his intentions were. This fellow was actually the God of Death, and it seemed he had done something very unethical—colluding with hell—and was ultimately destroyed by the gods. “Damn it!” he thought, “I’m actually conversing with a god right now, and as an equal no less, discussing the Great Dao! This is simply unimaginable. But the arrow is on the string, and it must be shot! If I fail, everyone might be doomed.”

“Movement and stillness are the ways of nature. It is better to rely on oneself than on others. Stand on your own, learn from others’ strengths and compensate for your weaknesses, constantly evolve, and strive not to lose your way. When facing the strong, you can respect and admire them, but you must not submit. If your spirit is lost, your path ahead will be cut off. What do you seek by submitting to the strong? Life and death hang in the enemy’s hands. Liberation, destruction, and evolution are all possible, but transcendence will be denied.” Little Wilton seemed to have even greater respect for the Human Emperor. In this world, the Human Emperor was an absolute powerhouse, already possessing the strength to transcend but unable to due to the world’s constraints. One could say that the Human Emperor was a half-step transcender, his realm definitely above that of the gods.

However, realm is realm. True combat power requires comprehensive consideration. Gods have the support of their divine kingdom and the world’s laws, allowing them to exert slightly more power than their actual realm. Of course, this is only within this world. If they leave this world, their strength will not only not increase but will be greatly weakened. This is the difference between gods and mages, no, it should be the difference between gods and those whose power is inherent to themselves.

“Rumble!” The ground shook violently, and the stone door opened. The red-robed man stumbled, almost falling to the ground. His magic power had been continuously absorbed, and if the trial hadn’t ended, he probably wouldn’t have been able to hold on much longer. A blood essence entered his mouth, transforming into a warm current that filled his entire body.

The red-robed man didn’t notice a faint black light flashing in and out of the wound on his palm. Beyond the stone door was not the second level, but a new grand hall. In the center of the spacious hall was a massive altar, a massive altar of white bones.

The altar was divided into three layers, with three passages extending to the top. Piles of white bones covered the entire hall: human, beast, hellish creatures, orcs, elves, dwarves, goblins, gnomes, and even the skeletons of dragons and giants. Although millennia had passed, the powerful aura of the skeletons in the hall had not completely dissipated. These were offerings, tributes from believers to Ramod, the God of Death. Their souls were long gone, but their bones formed a throne! The first layer of the altar was over three hundred meters long and wide. Aside from three bone bridges constructed from gigantic skeletons, the rest of the area was covered by a dense sea of corpses. Just looking at it, let alone stepping into it, sent shivers down one’s spine.

The second layer of the altar was circular, ten zhang high and nearly a hundred meters in diameter. The skeletons on this layer exuded an even stronger aura, and some bloodstained transcendent weapons were displayed, though most were broken. There were weapons from hell and weapons belonging to giants, each emitting an unusual aura and presence.

The third layer of the altar was also circular, ten meters high and over twenty meters in diameter. On it lay a table carved from white bones, upon which were enshrined a pair of boots, a small boat, and a mirror. However, the mirror and boots appeared slightly ethereal, while only the small boat seemed ancient and sturdy. The floor of the third layer was covered with intricate patterns. The gleaming white bones were like jade, and wisps of blood qi permeated the space, giving the red-robed man an irresistible urge to pounce on them and absorb them all.

In front of the altar was a stone tablet, its inscriptions somewhat blurred but still barely decipherable. The red-robed man and the silver-haired beauty moved forward step by step with great difficulty under the oppressive aura of the many powerful skeletons. The Soul Nightmare Realm was broken at this point, and the red-robed man’s magic power was also sealed. This was a trial, and the final one. They didn’t need Little Wilton to translate; as soon as the two approached the stone tablet, they received a piece of information: “Altar of the God of Death. Those who enter may obtain one treasure. Do not be greedy. Consequences for violators are at their own risk.”

On the first layer of the altar, the two suddenly felt the pressure on their bodies increase sharply. Wisps of blood qi emanated from the bones beneath their feet and rushed into their bodies. The two felt as if their bodies were being strengthened. One must know that they were both powerful beings at the peak of the second tier or even the third tier, and it was not easy for their bodies to be strengthened, especially with harmless strengthening. As a vampire, the red-robed man could only be improved by purer, higher-grade bloodlines from his own kind. The strengthening from blood essence, apart from high-level magical beasts or dragon blood, offered him very little help. He hadn’t expected such a gain on this altar.