Linde's words were like a pebble thrown into an ancient well, creating an invisible ripple in the silent temple.
Wherever his gaze fell, the crimson light in the eyes of the majestic beast god statue grew ever brighter, eventually becoming like two real lava moons, illuminating the entire temple in a blood-red and fiery glow.
An indescribable pressure suddenly descended, far more ancient, vast, and filled with primal, wild power than the aura of any orc king.
The air thickened, time seemed to slow down, and all the orcs, including the five beast kings, involuntarily lowered their heads, expressing their awe of the supreme being. It was an absolute crushing on a level of life, a direct manifestation of the source of faith.
A flicker of fear and resentment crossed Elvis Keyes' face, but more than anything, it was a subservience to divine power.
The fox lord Zahira clenched his fists nervously, his emerald eyes fixed on Lind, wondering how he would deal with this truly divine gaze.
However, Lind, who was at the very center of the oppressive aura, merely raised an eyebrow slightly.
The pressure was indeed immense, enough to cause mortal beings to collapse instantly, but for him, who had just returned from the dead remains of Noctoos, had reconstructed his light veins, and understood the Shadow Abyss, this feeling was more like a storm with great momentum, but unable to truly shake his foundation.
“An interesting mortal… no, you are no longer just a mortal.”
A deep, resonant voice, like the simultaneous roar of billions of wild beasts merging into a single will, resounded directly within the soul of every living being in the temple. It was the voice of the will of Urano, the god of beasts.
"You possess the repulsive embers of light from that old bastard Lucius, and the chilling shadow of death from that madman Nocturnus... What's even more peculiar is that you've managed to so strangely maintain them together without collapsing on their own..."
Shenyin's voice carried a hint of inquiry, a hint of doubt, and an undisguised sense of apprehension.
"Verbal communication is too inefficient. Come in and have a chat, Child of the Anomalies."
Before he could finish speaking, the space around Lin De distorted and blurred.
Under the horrified gazes of the five beast kings and all the orcs, Lind's figure vanished into thin air as if erased by an eraser, without any energy burst or spatial rift!
"The divine kingdom is here to guide you!" an elderly shaman exclaimed in surprise.
This is the highest form of etiquette (or the strongest form of confinement) that a deity would only use to treat a guest whom the deity values (or is extremely wary of) – directly guiding the guest's spirit or physical form into the deity's own divine realm for dialogue!
Zahira's heart was in his throat. Within the divine realm, all rules were set by the gods. No matter how strong Lord Linde was, could he have an equal dialogue with His Majesty Urano within that realm?
...
The next moment, Lind found himself in a completely different world.
Above them was not the sky, but an endless, churning cloud of energy composed of crimson, ochre, and dark gold, like the boiling blood of a wild beast.
Beneath my feet lies the hard, dark red earth with a metallic sheen, while in the distance stretches a continuous, grotesque mountain range that resembles the spine of a giant beast.
The air was thick with the scents of sulfur, hot blood, and wild growth, and the sounds of countless beasts roaring and howling, along with the heartbeats of tribal war drums, filled the air, creating an eternal epic of the wilderness.
This is the divine realm of Urano, the god of all beasts—the "Endless Hunting Grounds".
Here, Lin De could clearly feel the subtle rejection and suppression of him by the laws of the entire divine kingdom.
The density of this space is extremely high, and the gravity is several times that of the main material world. Even legendary experts would probably find it difficult to fly here.
The omnipresent power of wild faith attempts to erode his will, awakening the most primal desires for killing and conquest deep within him.
The pressure is real, like the weight of the whole world is pressing down on my shoulders.
"Well, Son of the Outcast? Does my kingdom still meet your standards?"
Before Linde, the churning energy cloud coalesced into the outline of an enormous, blurry behemoth's head, which looked down at Linde with scrutinizing and majestic eyes like lava.
This is a more direct manifestation of Uranus's will.
Linde stretched his neck, his crystalline body humming softly as it adjusted to the immense pressure. He looked up at the colossal face of the god, his purple eyes calm and undisturbed.
"Not bad," he commented casually, as if he were evaluating a landscape. "The laws are solid, the faith is firm, much stronger than the lair of some dying gods. However, this wild restlessness is a bit... crude."
Uranus's will seemed to pause for a moment, and even the churning clouds slowed slightly. He had never heard of any mortal (even a demigod) being so calm, even with a hint of...criticism, after entering His divine realm.
"Arrogant!"
The divine voice boomed like thunder, filled with rage, and the entire divine kingdom seemed to tremble in response: "You think that by stealing a sliver of the fallen's light you have the right to criticize the true gods?"
A terrifying divine power pressed down on Lind like a tsunami, trying to force him to his knees and submit.
Around Linde, the power of the [Bright Aura] and [Shadow Abyss Aura] flowed spontaneously, and a barely perceptible thin film of light and darkness appeared around him. The divine power, powerful enough to crush mountains, collided with this film, yet it was like waves crashing against rocks; although it stirred up violent energy ripples, it could not truly penetrate it in the slightest!
Linde didn't even take a step back.
He shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness, as if dealing with a child bluffing:
“Urano, stop with the tricks. If you summoned me here just to show off your divine power, that’s far too boring. Just tell me your true intentions; my time is precious.”
He paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the giant beast's head:
"For example, that 'God of Fusion' that makes you uneasy?"
Upon hearing this, the tremors of the divine kingdom abruptly ceased.
A distinct look of shock and solemnity flashed in Urano's enormous lava eyes.
The churning energy clouds subsided, revealing a deeper, more profound divine realm that seemed to be composed of stars and beast souls.
The silence lasted for several breaths before the thunderous divine voice rang out again, but this time, the anger had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.
“…You actually know about 'He'?” Urano’s voice deepened. “It seems I underestimated your knowledge of the world’s secrets.”
"I know far more than you can imagine."
Linde stood with his hands behind his back. In this endless hunting ground, his figure appeared incredibly small, yet his aura was in no way inferior. "The God of Fusion, a chaotic evil god who infinitely evolves itself by devouring and fusing other life forms and even divinity. His tentacles seem to have already reached the vicinity of this continent, making you uneasy, don't you?"
Urano's will manifested in silence for an even longer period of time. Finally, the giant beast lowered its head slightly, which could be considered as acquiescence.
"...His madness and greed are far beyond your imagination."
Urano's voice carried a barely perceptible hint of... weariness?
"He is not a native god of the continent of Tyr, but a calamity from the depths of the starry sea. His laws are completely different from ours; they are pure devouring and distortion. Once targeted by Him, the life forms of the entire world may be distorted and merged, becoming a part of Him."
"So, you came to me."
Linde understood. "You sensed the primordial power within me that combines light and shadow, and you think I might be a potential ally in dealing with this 'fusion' threat? Or perhaps, a 'stone' hard enough to be used to test Him?"
"Allies? Perhaps."
Urano admitted, "At least you are not its irrational chaos. Your power system and your tendency toward order indicate that you are naturally hostile to it. The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend, but at least I can use him temporarily."
The behemoth raised its head, its lava eyes fixed intently on Lind:
"More importantly, I need to confirm whether your 'anomaly' is the prelude to this disaster, or... a glimmer of hope to end it."
After hearing this, Lin De's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Utilization? Hope? Define it however you like. But I have no interest in becoming a knife in the hands of any being."
He took a step forward, and the dark red earth beneath his feet cracked slightly, suggesting that the suppression from the divine kingdom had limited effect on him.
“If He dares to extend His claws into my territory, into the order I protect, I will naturally cut them off. But this is my own will, not your request or the will of any god.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com