Boom!
Another tide of corruption surged forth, but the severed mystical connection could not be reestablished.
Truman enveloped himself in dreamy phosphorescence, completely preventing any reconnection.
At the same moment, the illusory star in the Astral World erupted with dazzling brilliance.
The intensity of the corruptive tide increased several-fold.
But in Truman's eyes, the Mother Tree's actions carried a hint of frantic desperation.
"It was spooked by the Book of Dreams, instinctively trying to flee, only to quickly regain its senses and, in a fit of rage, attempt to reestablish a connection to erode me."
"Hmm!" Truman tapped his finger on the Book of Dreams. "The rank of the Book of Dreams seems a tad higher than I imagined…"
If it could scare even the Mother Tree at first glance, wasn't that high enough?
With the connection to the Mother Tree severed, it could no longer corrupt Truman, only futilely battering the barrier, stirring ripples.
"Let's go," Lilith said, beginning to channel blood-red moonlight—the Uniqueness of the Moon pathway, left at the ritual site as a precaution.
Their mission was a complete success; there was no need to linger and face the tides of corruption.
Truman and Amanises nodded. As the blood-red moonlight flickered, the trio's figures swiftly vanished from the abyss.
The place returned to calm, leaving only the starry sky, the illusory star, and the ceaseless tide of corruption.
In the Creator's divine kingdom, a crimson moon suddenly unleashed a blood-red tide. As it receded, three figures appeared.
"Until we meet again," Amanises said, reclaiming the crimson moon and concealing herself, departing the Creator's divine kingdom.
Lilith, expression unchanged, returned to the Dream Territory. The matters that followed didn't require their involvement.
This abyss expedition offered much to ponder.
"Well?" Sasrir emerged silently from the shadows.
"The abyss is indeed a weak point…"
Truman recounted everything he saw and heard in the abyss, omitting the Mother Tree's strange reaction to him.
"The abyss…" Sasrir's expression grew grave. "Then Farbauti must not die."
"Hm?" Truman raised an eyebrow, finding the statement intriguing.
"We need a deity to guard the abyss, to prevent a certain someone from entering this world through it," Sasrir said softly.
"Using the 'Abyss' to block the abyss?" Truman's expression was colorful; the outcome was unexpected.
Yet, it held a certain logic.
In Truman's memory, the Devil Monarch was the only ancient god to survive, wasn't it?
Why?
With the Creator wielding true omniscience and omnipotence, subduing a wounded ancient god should have been trivial.
Yet the Devil Monarch survived, enduring until the Fifth Epoch.
"Aren't you worried it'll benefit that one outside?" Truman asked, a reasonable concern.
"Benefit? Impossible. The Devil Monarch isn't so easily manipulated," Sasrir shook his head slowly.
"Before the barrier breaks, the Devil Monarch won't be fully corrupted. And if it is corrupted…"
Sasrir paused, his tone odd and puzzled. "The Lord said, trust in the wisdom of future generations."
Truman's expression turned strange. From what he knew of the future, the Devil Monarch indeed retained some resistance, and there would likely be deities to keep it in check.
"There's no other way. It's the most suitable," Sasrir said, inviting Truman to witness the divine war's conclusion. Truman agreed readily.
"Oh, by the way, the Devil Monarch seems to possess high-sequence characteristics of the 'Order' pathways. We should seize those," Truman suddenly recalled.
The two "Order" pathways played significant roles in later eras and shouldn't be buried in the abyss.
"Hm, consider it a perk for the Devil Monarch guarding the abyss," Sasrir nodded lightly, then teased.
Sasrir's words left Truman stunned. "Well, true…"
Purifying the Devil Monarch's chaotic characteristics was indeed a "benefit" for it… albeit somewhat unethical.
Truman didn't see what Sasrir did, but the Ancient Sun God likely understood.
This was reflected in the divine war in the Astral World.
Previously only intervening sporadically, the Ancient Sun God now fully engaged, no longer relying on the invisible barrier but actively joining the battlefield.
Pure, radiant sunlight formed an unparalleled pillar, connecting the Spirit World, Astral World, and even the material world.
This was a "Purification," but one so absurdly powerful it could pierce the entire world.
When this pillar of light appeared, all who saw it forgot everything, their minds blank, unable to form stray thoughts.
Under the Giant King's restraint and the shadow curtain's control, the terrifying pillar struck the Devil Monarch with precision.
All corruption and depravity were annihilated in an instant.
Within the world-piercing pillar, the massive, distorted Devil Monarch roared silently.
Each syllable it uttered carried unimaginable corruption, but all were purified by the sunlight.
In the pure solar radiance, it resembled an overexposed black-and-white silent film.
In the silent stillness, the Devil Monarch's struggles intensified. "Purification" was undeniably capable of truly killing it, its restraint too severe.
"Roar!" As the Devil Monarch struggled, another substance began seeping from its massive form.
A blood-red liquid, its appearance shattered the black-and-white scene, tainting the silent film with colors representing all worldly desires.
Having occupied the abyss for years, the Devil Monarch's study of the starry depths surpassed what Truman had seen!
"What is that!?" Even the ancient gods turned, sensing the strange power with uncertainty, their thoughts drifting to the Astral World.
But the invisible barrier blocked outer god powers, and the ancient gods,who dont dare to go out, had limited knowledge of the Astral World, unable to identify its source.
The Ancient Sun God regarded the blood-red liquid with increased caution. Behind him, a shadow curtain parted, revealing an eye peering into the world.
Where the eye's gaze fell, a shadow seemed to invade the black-and-white world, veiling the blazing white in a thin gauze.
Simultaneously, an ancient clock with twelve segments appeared beneath the Sun God's feet, its time beginning to flow!
Two distinct authorities!
Their emergence froze time and corrupted shadows, combining with the sunlight to suppress the blood-red liquid!
"The Lord said, purify," the Ancient Sun God declared again.
Every inch of the Astral World lit up, countless pure rays blooming.
The Devil Monarch finally lost all resistance.
(End of Chapter)