Chapter 143: Traces of Life

Minerva was well aware of Xi Fu’s current state and the torments it had endured. She had always done her best to assist, having accompanied Xi Fu as one of the first angels created, through tens of thousands of years. Even if it meant falling for her master in the battle against the gods, she was willing.

However, Xi Fu did not decide to strike first and engage in a conflict with the gods. Always plagued by guilt over the torment and mistakes caused by another self, Xi Fu chose this opportunity to sever the increasingly twisted path it had taken.

Xi Fu knew that the Withering Goddess would never allow herself to be killed or sealed, but at the same time, trusted Minerva. Therefore, Xi Fu asked Minerva to help the gods kill her.

The loyal Archangel ultimately agreed.

Thus, on a day when the cycle turned to the power of decay, the gods invaded the Earth Mother’s temple. Two main gods of order clashed with Xi Fu in an epic battle. Despite it being two against one, the Earth Mother was adept at prolonged battles. The rotation of divine power did not mean she had completely lost another form of strength, and both sides fought fiercely for several days.

At this moment, Minerva, who was supposed to lead the angels against the invaders, suddenly rushed into the temple, pretending to report, but taking advantage of Xi Fu’s unguarded state, stabbed her with a specially crafted artifact. The gods seized the opportunity and overwhelmed the Earth Mother, killing her completely and severing and sealing her immortal essence.

“Vilyric, my story… is complete.”

“Uh-huh…”

The Priestess remained silent alongside Xi Fu Lin, who was lost in thought.

It seemed that Xi Fu Lin’s memory had indeed recovered significantly. The past she had just mentioned was precisely what Vilyric had always wanted to know—valuable information.

However, honestly, there were still some lingering questions that remained unanswered.

First, let’s organize the known details.

Firstly, the God-Made Beast from Xi Fu Lin’s story undoubtedly referred to what is now called the Abyss Beast. The knowledge that Vilyric possessed corresponded directly with the story, explaining the existence of this monstrous entity whose sole purpose was killing and devouring.

The Aibus world, presumably the so-called Abyss, had evidently chosen a vastly different developmental path than this one.

“Xi Fu Lin, back in your era, was there a way for the Abyss world to interact with this world?”

“Yes, but it was difficult. While there were passages to achieve such interaction, there were strict power requirements to traverse these pathways. Ordinary beings couldn’t just go through. Too powerful beings, like gods, couldn’t travel due to the pathways being unable to withstand them either.”

“What about the repulsion from that world? I heard that beings like demons from other worlds are met with severe hostility. If the suppression the Abyss Beast faced originated from the Earth Mother, what about the true Abyss, the Aibus people?”

“None at all. At least before Xi Fu was sealed, I had not heard of any mention that beings from another world would face repulsion. Only beings like gods that carried the world’s malice at that time.”

“Oh…so these changes only began occurring after the fall of the gods?”

“Then, was the floating island created by Xi Fu? Since Minerva is indeed an angel, who was the god that the Winged People originally worshipped?”

Vilyric posed her next question, but after waiting a long time, Xi Fu Lin did not answer, only looking a bit awkward.

“The Winged People, as my descendants, initially did worship the Earth Mother. As for the floating islands… I don’t remember creating them. At least before I was sealed, I only created a God-Made Beast production facility similar to the floating islands you described, something may have happened afterward.”

“Hmm, that’s a bit unfortunate…It seems it’s unlikely to clarify all questions in one go.”

Minerva was not a God of the Sky, but rather the guardian Archangel of the Earth Mother Xi Fu. The betrayal back then was also a proactive measure by Xi Fu to curb her own madness and mistakes. However, after losing many memories, even Xi Fu Lin had forgotten this, only retaining the part about being sealed.

When Xi Fu was sealed, the Aibus world, that is, the Abyss, was still connected to this world. The world did not reject beings from other realms, and the God-Made Beasts—Abyss Beasts—were not sealed beneath the Abyss.

This meant that all these events took place after the Earth Mother was sealed and were likely related to Minerva, who later claimed to be the God of the Sky.

It was impossible to obtain these answers from Xi Fu Lin. Now, one last crucial piece of information needed confirmation.

“Xi Fu Lin, how can you be certain that the Xi Fu I encountered is indeed the original consciousness of the Withering Goddess?”

The voice from the stone statue chuckled.

“Vilyric, what concept do you think the fusion of divine spark fragments, or the resurrection of the Earth Mother, represents?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sorry, my phrasing might have been too vague, but do you think a single individual could easily possess multiple distinct consciousnesses, especially with something like a divine spark as a mental core? You should know that even when authority was split, it took Xi Fu hundreds of years to ultimately develop two opposing consciousnesses.”

“Divine authority is unified. Even if those fragments gave birth to their own consciousness over the millennia, upon merging, only the stronger one would remain. These newly born consciousnesses, having spent most of the time sleeping due to being sealed, how could they compete with the original will of the Earth Mother?”

“Since it has already grown strong enough to transform into an angelic heir, nearly all the divine sparks must have gathered. Her return is an inevitable outcome.”

“Inevitable, you say…”

This statement from Xi Fu Lin reminded Vilyric of the memories of Rebecca she had seen in the city of courage’s third floor prison.

Back then, when she was merging with thousands of vengeful spirits and Blue Dragon Aaliyah, there had also been a direct clash on the mental and spiritual levels. Had she failed in battle, Rebecca’s consciousness would have been consumed by the Blue Dragon’s soul, vanishing entirely.

It seemed that this was a similar principle.

As she contemplated, the Priestess suddenly blurted out a thought.

“Therefore, Xi Fu Lin, you are that consciousness representing the Life Goddess Xi Fu, which has existed for tens of thousands of years, correct?”

Vilyric’s sudden remark seemed to astonish her greatly, as Xi Fu Lin remained silent for a while before reluctantly admitting.

“You are way too perceptive; I just recalled it myself.”

Sure enough.

This was not hard to notice.

First, there were subtle differences in personality. Xi Fu Lin’s approach to interacting with others was almost entirely the opposite of Xi Fu, the Withering Goddess, and after regaining her memory, Vilyric found she never referred to herself as “this body” again, but rather directly as “I” or “Xi Fu” this and that.

It showed that she subconsciously no longer considered herself a new consciousness derived from fragments of the divine spark, but rather something else.

The divine will passed down from the Earth Mother had two strands, representing Life and Decay, and in theory, both could prevail during fusion. However, Xi Fu Lin firmly insisted that the other party was undoubtedly the Withering Goddess, Xi Fu.

The reason for this certainty was also quite apparent.

In that case, Liliya truly hit the jackpot for herself back then…

   

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