Chapter 141: The Two Goddesses

Now that the Depraved Beings had been completely eliminated and the guardian angel Hilda Kurk had been defeated and rescued, only a few Abyss Worms remained from the invading Abyss army.

Among them, several legendary White Feathers, including Sigrid Kurk, were currently fulfilling their original task—exterminating those legendary Abyss Worms.

With Leila and Renée included, the number was just enough for each of them to handle one. Of course, considering the undying characteristics of the Abyss creatures, a typical legendary one-on-one would certainly be at a disadvantage, so Miss Vilyric conveniently offered them some small assistance—activating the Halo of 【Brilliance】.

This essentially leveled the playing field.

Meanwhile, Vilyric wasn’t just sitting idle; she had very important matters to attend to.

Not long after the fall of the Demon Island, Xi Fu Lin, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly stirred.

She had woken up.

In other words, the Abyss Demon Island was indeed powered by a piece of the Earth Mother Goddess, and with its fall, the splintered divine spark’s essence was unconsciously absorbed by the nearby most powerful—or rather, the largest of its kind—Xi Fu Lin.

With this replenishment of numerous divine spark fragments, along with the memories absorbed from the previous Book of Unwritten Words, Xi Fu Lin finally recalled many things.

As soon as she woke up, she dropped some bombshell news.

【So, you mean to say that the Xi Fu currently causing chaos is not the consciousness split from the divine spark fragments but the real Earth Mother Goddess? What exactly constitutes a ‘real Earth Mother Goddess’…】

Xi Fu Lin’s voice sounded much clearer and more powerful than before. Although her tone was identical to that of the Xi Fu in the illusion, Vilyric could distinctly tell the difference in tone and attitude.

If she had to describe it with adjectives, the latter came off as flippant yet indifferent, while Xi Fu Lin appeared gentler and more agreeable.

It had to be said that Xi Fu Lin had woken up at just the right time; Miss Priestess was troubled about what to do next. Although she had some guesses, she couldn’t just wander around aimlessly based on mere feelings.

【Don’t rush, let me explain slowly… I can’t believe I forgot so many things; it feels like a lifetime ago… From your description, it seems like She has awakened and has escaped from her seal.】

【In fact, the divine power contained in these fragments doesn’t strictly differentiate between life and death. The power of the Earth Mother Goddess Xi Fu encompasses both life and decay and can transform between the two at any time. ‘Decay and Life’ is a unified whole.】

【Vilyric.】

【Hmm?】

【Do you remember the fragment I referred to as the Southern Disaster, the one we encountered the first time?】

【Of course, what about her?】

Xi Fu Lin fell silent for a moment; similar reactions often occurred before she was about to reveal something significant, and this time was no different.

【Actually, there are two Earth Mother Goddesses.】

【Huh?】

Due to the broadness of Xi Fu Lin’s statement, Vilyric felt surprised but didn’t know how to react. However, Xi Fu Lin didn’t make her wait too long before explaining.

【I’ve mentioned before that what is truly eternal and indestructible is the divine spark representing the Earth Mother Goddess’s authority over life and decay, while consciousness is a derivative of that. My initial statement was incorrect; these scattered divine spark fragments’ consciousness is not ‘Xi Fu’ but rather new entities that emerged over time, inheriting parts of memory and power after the splitting of the divine spark.】

Oh, that does make sense.

No wonder that fellow was so focused on constructing the temple in the illusion and called herself a deity, even insisting on doing something so humiliating.

This probably stems from the mindset of the latecomer, yearning yet not obtaining.

After all, that consciousness, though it inherited parts of Xi Fu’s memory and power, was inherently tightly sealed and possessed real power far from that of the ‘predecessor’ in the memories.

Xi Fu Lin continued her explanation.

【The essence of the Earth Mother Goddess also originated from the initial consciousness birthed from the divine spark, which gradually formed a special being transcending ordinary creatures once it developed its own body and values; this pattern holds true for most primordial deities.】

【Originally, there was indeed only one Earth Mother Goddess, who represented an order of the divine, uniting both authorities. But gradually, for some unknown reason, the malice of the world began to target Xi Fu.】

【World’s… malice?】

This described the same as the inscriptions in the Spirit Chamber of Omoland, and Vilyric had contemplated the meaning of this so-called ‘worldly malice’ for a long time but had always been at a loss.

【Yes, it’s the world’s malice or rejection. The world is repelling us gods; I still don’t understand why, and even the original Xi Fu couldn’t grasp its origins.】

【This rejection manifests differently across individuals, with both overt and covert influences, but its main purpose is quite clear: to exclude all gods that reach the divine level from the world.】

【As for the Earth Mother Goddess Xi Fu, the rejection manifested in her case as her consciousness gradually splitting into two parts, resulting in Xi Fu, representing the authority of life, and another Xi Fu, representing the authority of decay.】

【Both are Earth Mother Goddesses, yet in a sense, they are no longer the original Xi Fu. The consciousness birthed from the divine spark is influenced by the authority it represents; during the initial harmony between life and death, there was no issue. Even during the long time after the first split, both seemed entirely identical, but…】

【Wait! Hold on!】

The Priestess suddenly raised a question she was super concerned about.

【What form does this split take? Do they split into two gods directly? Or is it a situation where they have a kind of dual personality that switches at will?】

Xi Fu Lin’s voice turned somewhat bitter. If one could see her expression right now, it would likely be one of deep frustration.

【Neither. The existence of a deity represents law and phenomenon, far more complex than ordinary creatures. For instance, just like the two moons in this world going through phases of brightness and darkness, as the world’s rejection intensified, the divine body of the Earth Mother Goddess also began to undergo periodic changes.】

【Initially, Xi Fu discovered that occasionally all divine power in her body was forcibly transformed into a single life or decay attribute, but it wasn’t severe. Most of the time, she remained the fused Earth Mother Goddess.】

【However, as time passed, the states of the singular Life Goddess and Withering Goddess became longer, with the fusion state continuously shortening until after several hundred years, it finally became impossible to manifest.】

【During this period, Xi Fu also contemplated many methods to try to halt or delay this worsening change, but they served only as temporary solutions; this transformation seemed to be an inevitable process, much like ordinary people’s aging and mortality.】

   

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