Chapter 348


Chapter 153: The Clear Situation, Vilyric’s Choice

This was the original plan, but the Priestess unexpectedly disrupted everything as a variable no one anticipated.

Not only did she awaken Xi Fu Lin ahead of time in her own way, but after some chaotic events, she forcefully muddled everything up, causing the Winged People, who were supposed to act according to the divine oracle and quickly find the seed owner, to lose their target and get played around.

“Ugh… this really backfired.”

Having figured it all out, Vilyric slapped her forehead and shrugged her shoulders irresponsibly, glancing at the smiling Archangel with a serene expression.

“I’m not apologizing! Even if I weren’t here, this disaster would have been unavoidable, right?”

“Indeed, according to my initial understanding with Lady Xi Fu, only upon the Withering Goddess reclaiming her divine status and destroying the subspace seal I set up on the Island of Spris, releasing the God-Made Beasts, would the Life Goddess awaken. This disaster was unavoidable; it should have happened a thousand years ago, only delayed by Lady Xi Fu’s self-sacrifice until now.”

“Why do you say that? It sounds a bit like backseat driving, but if I had known about this in advance, it might not have happened…”

Vilyric frowned, but Minerva remained noncommittal about her hypothesis.

“Perhaps. Your existence is indeed mysterious, and I cannot arbitrarily conclude, but as for the outcome, the disaster has still occurred, hasn’t it? This is the world’s malice, a consequence born to completely exclude Lady Xi Fu—the Earth Mother Goddess—from this world, not something easily perceived with mere words.”

“That sounds a lot like that whole destiny and future theory. I once met a little girl with similar abilities. Is everything happening in this world truly already destined?”

Surprisingly, Minerva shook her head.

“Not at all. Fate is a gamble; the gods control the divine realm and rules, existing on an equal plane with the world, so the world cannot dictate the fate of the gods. Therefore, one must fight.”

The Archangel’s smile turned a bit bitter and helpless.

“We simply lost the fight, succumbed to the world, followed a preordained path, and thus fell. That’s all.”

“To be honest… I don’t quite understand.”

“That’s fine; you will come to understand. Moreover, your existence differs from ours, perhaps… but never mind, let’s return to the current situation. According to my original plan, once the situation reaches an irreversible stage, Lady Xi Fu must regain part of her power stored in this Temple of Sky to combat the other Xi Fu, who has gone mad.”

“But your appearance, named Vilyric, made me consider another possible path.”

The Black-haired Girl stared in surprise.

“Wait, you were already aware of me? That vague call I received from the Temple of Sky before—was that you?”

“Yes.”

Minerva smiled in acknowledgment, but that smile seemed a bit bittersweet.

“However, unfortunately, this is just a remnant soul. My main body has fallen. Even though I’ve barely held on with Lady Xi Fu’s power and my sleep, I’m still far too weak and couldn’t draw your attention.”

“Uh…”

In truth, Vilyric had been quite concerned about that feeling at the time and had planned to investigate it, but the incident at the Wing Emperor Palace embarrassed her so much that she hadn’t dared to go out for days. Plus, she heard the temple was temporarily closed for its anniversary…

Well, it’s better not to bring that up.

“So, what do you mean by another path? Are you suggesting I should just go punch that trouble-making Xi Fu?”

“?”

Minerva looked quite surprised, perhaps not expecting this Black-haired Girl to suddenly spout such reckless words.

“I wish it were that simple, but the Earth Mother Goddess was one of the three great gods of order. Even if the Withering Goddess has only regained less than half of her peak strength, it’s still not something an ordinary god can withstand. As for now, it’s necessary for you, who has also reached divine status, to merge this portion of Life Divine Spark to have a chance of defeating her.”

“Merging Life Divine Spark?”

Is that really a requirement?

Vilyric certainly couldn’t confirm how much strength the Withering Goddess possessed, but she had seen that God Priestess; she was strong, sure, but around level 80 at most. Even with all sorts of secret techniques, there was no way she could level up 30 levels from that, right?

The two sides had been at a stalemate with no clear winner, and Xi Fu’s hard strength surely wouldn’t be too high above hers. If it really came down to a fight, Vilyric felt confident she wouldn’t lose.

“Are you unwilling? What a pity… If it really doesn’t work, then we’ll just have to follow the original plan and have the Life Goddess merge again, with Miss Vilyric assisting in battle. However, that would make the odds…”

Sizzle, sizzle…

Halfway through her words, for some reason, Minerva’s figure suddenly began to fluctuate unstably, and the surrounding white light flickered ominously, as if it might go out at any moment.

“Hey, what’s wrong again?”

As if realizing something, the Archangel’s previously composed expression grew anxious.

“The Pseudo-God Kingdom is consuming too much; this incarnation is about to… sizzle… can’t hold on anymore. Once I lose my assistance… sizzle… mortals cannot bear divine power… sizzle… the frontline will collapse immediately! Make a decision quickly!”

“Vilyric, let me handle this! It’s my… responsibility, this should be on me.”

“…?”

Dimly, through Minerva’s reactions and Xi Fu Lin’s seemingly resolute attitude, the Priestess sensed something was amiss.

Merging Divine Spark sounded like a great deal, but… could there be a hidden pitfall?

Thoughts racing, the girl made her decision.

“Xi Fu Lin, I won’t let you do this, nor do I need any Divine Spark. With my own power, I can take care of that arrogant guy.”

“Foolish! How can you be so arrogant! I’ve told you… sizzle… that’s the power of a master god, and if we don’t take advantage of this moment… sizzle… reclaiming it with the device, the Divine Spark will be directly… sizzle… seized by the Withering Goddess, bringing her back to near peak condition!”

Minerva looked extremely anxious, but she was just a remnant struggling to survive, relying on burning herself to accomplish even the delay of creating the Pseudo-God Kingdom.

Without Vilyric’s assistance, this once incredibly powerful Archangel couldn’t even perform what she mentioned, utilizing the device to reclaim the Divine Spark sealed within the God Priestess.

“Minerva, I understand your intent, but let’s put aside whether I can even win. If I’m not mistaken, reclaiming the Divine Spark directly with the device here will immediately kill the God Priestess outside, right? It’s impossible to take anything from a god without any consequences.”

“That is indeed true… but she… sizzle… has long known these things. Every generation of God Priestess willingly承担这份责任 in understanding these precedents; this is not betrayal!”

“Is that so… but I still won’t do it.”