Chapter 587

Today is a historic day, one that will be remembered forever. Many years from now, young people will ask with reverence and curiosity about everything that happened today.

At the critical juncture of humanity's survival, two deities, each at the pinnacle of their own myths, unleashed their divine authority, forged chaos, reshaped heaven and earth, and restored clarity to the cosmos!

After tonight, on the brand-new divine era that will be passed down for ten thousand generations, they are witnesses—and those blessed by the gods!

The historic moment of the two deities locking gazes was frozen in time. Though others did not know whether any transcendent communication occurred during that gaze, this unfathomable century-long stare would be etched into countless hearts and inevitably spawn countless works of art and legendary tales.

Su Lin: "Monkey-brother~ You're pulling off 'Tai Shang Opens Heaven' before even reaching the Legendary Realm? Aren't you risking everything you've got? Are you sure this is fine?"

Meng Qi: "Brother Jesus, you jest. I govern the Dao of Cause and Effect, inherently possessing the trait of the Beyond—neither going nor coming—and I bear the Three Pure Ones' karmic threads. To rescue this world from returning to chaos, even if I must pay a price, is it not worth it to reopen heaven and earth?"

"But you, brother—if saving the world were so easy, why did you prepare for so long? Do you have some reservations?"

Su Lin: "Oh, but listen to your brother's advice: bring your Jade Void Palace, Doushao Palace, and Biyou Palace along. Playing the background scenery is still cheaper and easier."

"Then again, we're not strangers. If you're tired, just say the word. I am Lord Haotian's part-timer, after all—we're colleagues. You won't be polite with me, will you?"

Meng Qi: "You're not seriously still playing 'Genesis of Light' and shouting 'Let there be light' all day, are you?"

"Don't you have any other attributes? From a professional standpoint, I prescribe: if you've got nothing to do, bite a lighter."

Su Lin: "I've got a hybrid template of Daoist and Cthulhu mythos. Want to try it?"

Meng Qi: "My Dao Ancestor Cthulhu?!?!"

Tony Stark: "@Su Lin, God, you know exactly what I'm thinking."

He no longer wanted to reenact the classic Office scene.

Su Lin: "So what's the meaning of you showing up at the same time as me?"

Meng Qi: "Aren't you the one who always likes to make a grand entrance last?"

Hearing this, Su Lin looked up at the extra sun and moon in the sky. You've already stolen all my entrance props—what's left for me to show up for?

Meng Qi: "Brother Jesus, do you really enjoy manifesting before mortals? A cultivator need not care for others' gazes or emotions."

Su Lin: "Why don't you flip through 'The Supreme One' and see who likes showing off before mortals?"

Meng Qi: "Meng Qi liking to show off has nothing to do with me, Su Meng!"

Lu Mingfei: "Moshi moshi, you guys are showing off over there, while I'm over here fighting a universe-scale war with a glitchy robot that's lost its mind?!"

Xing: "Odin and Ultron battled to the edge of the universe—Marvel itself has been erased."

Ye Fan: "?"

Xiao Yan: "Be grateful already. I just learned the Flame Dragon Transformation Technique and haven't even had a chance to use it."

Even if he showed up now, it wouldn't solve anything—but after these two pulled off such a grand spectacle, his own entrance would be like fireworks.

Seeing the group chat logs, Teacher Yan Sen couldn't help but ask: "Do cultivators across all worlds now all crave the spotlight?"

Song Shuhang: "Not necessarily. For example, Senior Shi Hao and Senior Ye Fan prefer fighting; Senior Han Li and Senior Changshou prefer caution. Generally, only Senior Su Lin and Senior Meng Qi enjoy showing off before mortals."

Su Lin: "Shuhang, I think you're the one who likes courting death."

Back then, I still tried to maintain the 'hidden ace' persona. But after returning home for the New Year, my whole facade collapsed.

It felt just like that thief god who, after being told "I killed myself," immediately killed himself—and then couldn't even find anyone to blame.

Still, it's not bad—when I show off, I've got this equally exposed reckless golden giant to keep me company.

If only this guy didn't keep eyeing my Azure Jade Void Sword and just signed the contract outright, it'd be better.

Su Lin stared expressionlessly at the Primordial Tai Shang, riding a bull from east to west, casually using his Sleeve of Heaven and Earth to snatch the 'Chaos Box.'

He sent a message: "You didn't get assigned this gear—why are you just grabbing it?"

"This item has a karmic connection with this monk. I'll borrow it for a look," Meng Qi replied.

You and I co-founded the Buddhist sect just to say this line, right?!

If the chaos inside that box hadn't begun corrupting his sandbox, he wouldn't have spent a fortune turning a fragment of cosmic origin into ash just to summon Luxi as a placeholder, without even planning his entrance.

Still, these Reincarnators picked a good time—just as he was worried there were too many sneaky bastards in this Holy Grail War, with no chance to harvest them.

And now, someone even volunteered to start a team battle—with a door-kicking reminder.

"My Lord," Luxi presented a purple arm adorned with a five-stone glove, then slowly dissolved into ash.

One fragment of cosmic origin could only sustain Luxi's combat activity for this long.

It's essentially a pay-to-summon build.

Only now did the Scarlet Witch, finally realizing, stare in disbelief at the position to her right.

Nearby, Thanos's severed corpse, missing head and elbow, was slowly dissolving into ethereal void elements, merging into the world.

"Mephisto, you just said—" Stephen slowly turned his head, his eyelid twitching violently: "What the hell?"

Behind him, nothing—no sign of the suited lord of the hell dimension!

The demon who had just moments ago declared "Opportunity won't knock twice" had vanished—no shadow, no trace!

In less than a breath, the zero-dimensional cosmic singularity surrounded and whisked everyone away. Though 'God' merely glanced at them, he took no further action.

Action?

Of course there would be no action.

All Reincarnators whose identities were confirmed would be eliminated through normal procedures by 'others' within the next few hours.

If the pressure were too heavy, rumors of blackouts or fraud would spread to other timelines and eras—who would respond to the secret Holy Grail War's summons then?

Most importantly, a systematic purge of Reincarnators would be too obvious.

When Meng Qi arrived beside him using 'Heaven and Earth Within Reach,' Su Lin handed the Infinity Gauntlet to Gu Yi, who appeared in the form of the 'Six-Winged Arbiter.'

She nodded slightly, removed and secured the five gems, then announced to New York:

"Collect seven Sacred Seals to make a wish within the designated scope to the Little Holy Grail. Until then, any attempt to seize or harm the Little Holy Grail is forbidden."

"The Little Holy Grail has always been inside Stark Industries Tower."

She did not say what would happen if someone still broke the rule.

Inside S. H. I. E. L. D.'s temporary base, the Avengers stared blankly as the 'Primordial Tai Shang' and 'God' flew into the top floor of Stark Tower.

After a while, Odin strode in, shouldering a spear with a damaged robot hanging from it, riding his eight-legged divine steed.

All destruction repaired at a visible rate, layer upon layer of cosmic starfields forming, excluding Wanda from outside the building.

"Kamen Rider. Goodman. His pronunciation wasn't 'Good,' but 'God!'"

Nick Fury pressed his forehead, eyes tightly shut: "Motherfucker! These damn amateur news media people!"

Absurd beyond belief, yet certain logic and hidden issues gradually became reasonable.

Where had these people come from, and why did they know Stark? He opened his eyes frantically searched, finding in a trash bin's paper basket a verified forged intelligence report:

The Three Great Families of the Holy Grail War: Einzbern, Zolgen, Stark

Stark had known about the Holy Grail War from the start and participated in its organization; that tour group was in fact a team composed of Heroic Spirits, deities, and magus Masters.

"I now feel Stark Tower is safe—maybe the Avengers don't need to protect the Holy Grail." Thor raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Why don't we head back early? I don't want a bunch of steel weapons in my mouth at dinner tomorrow."

"No, even if He demonstrated this power, it doesn't prove—Asgard was just aliens. Sorry, Thor, I didn't mean to offend." Nick Fury from 2023 was trying to rephrase:

"In any case, we cannot"

"You really should return to your own timeline." Nick Fury looked up and smiled: "Indeed, I also think leaving it here for now is fine."

The Avengers from 2023 still bore expressions of extreme shock, but upon noticing Nick Fury's odd behavior, they simultaneously showed a hint of sympathy.

Unlike this naive kid here, after all these years, everyone knew what this guy was really like.

"Didn't I say so?" Nick Fury looked at his future self and the others, spread his hands, and laughed:

"They only joined the Avengers a few days ago."

Early morning, in an alley near the Manhattan Customs Enforcement Bureau.

【Data collection transmission progress: 78% 81%】

"You call this the Holy Grail War?!"

The man dressed in the Green Lantern Corps' bodysuit, known as Second Brother, gasped heavily, his chest heaving, breathing thick, rust-tanged air, murmuring:

"I don't even believe it myself… I shouldn't have been so stubborn, damn it."

"That Weigong Shilang… isn't even a magus!"

A cut ran along his neck, as if slashed by a sharp object; life, soul, fate, and even personal karmic existence continuously leaked from the wound.

Even with such a wound, Second Brother still lived.

"I can endure it—this way, data collection completes, and the reward will cover the cost of wound repair and resurrection."

He wasn't speaking to himself—he was using this method to keep his consciousness clear.

Second Brother raised his hand, gazing at the small, pigeon-egg-sized, hollow metal sphere clutched in his palm.

【Heavenly Corpse Relic: Lamentation Prayer】: Pray once per hour.

Success Judgment: Life persists, ignoring damage from physical, soul, law, karma, spacetime, and other layers; during this time, death factors have no effect. Failure Judgment: Suffer one misfortune; before the misfortune activates, no other factors affect you.

Effect cannot be terminated; only reset upon returning to the Cycle Space.

This precious Heavenly Corpse Relic from the Abyss works well, but his luck is poor.

His cloudy eyes fixed on the ghostly light within the hollow sphere, anxiously awaiting the unknown event.

This is not a dead end; he has not used this relic for the first time.

Last time, a primordial dragon devoured half his body, yet he still survived—so long as he stays alert and responds.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

A series of muffled thuds, accompanied by faint noise and curses, stirred the alley into commotion.

"Can't we rest first?! We just saved your timeline!" A gruff male voice rang out.

"Come on, sweetheart, that timeline is bullshit!" A carefree, mocking voice said:

"Cassandra, that menopausal hag, wants to preserve the Void Lands? Against the Multiversal Devourer, with her sharp warts? Hahaha~"

"Why's my head feeling soft? Nyaa-chan, are you sitting on my head?"

"Oh my god, such a perk…"

Psssh—

As blood sprayed, the silver-haired girl withdrew the crowbar she'd driven through Deadpool's skull.

"Sorry, turns out my butt's a bit soft."

Deadpool felt the softness beneath him and shoved others away: "You're crushing innocent civilians! Hey, sir, can you hear me? Wait—what are you wearing?!"

Click—the pistol chambered a round.

Bang!

"Fuck you, Canada!" Deadpool said to Constantine beside him:

"Why are you staring at me? This tasteless cosplay fan has a neck wound—he's been dead for ages."

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

"Relax, Canada." After firing several shots, Deadpool shuddered and shoved the metal sphere into his crotch:

"We'll protect your family."

"Multiversal Protectors, it's time to save the world!"

【Data upload complete. Institute · Graveyard of All Things Branch thanks for your contribution】

A lifeless, death-laden region at the edge of the universe, chilling to the bone.

A white building, jarring and out of place amid the tidal undulations of darkness, bore the style of an English academy.

"When I dreamed, someone told me that if you gaze long enough into the distant stars, you'll see the dawn's first light."

A tall figure sat atop floating books, gently swaying her pale, delicate legs as she lazily yawned:

"But after lingering too long in the Void, even finding stars to look at requires searching through an entire universe—let alone a darkness so absolute it's beyond black."

Her face bore a critical, indifferent expression, as if uninterested in everything.

"It's at least a color—why do you disdain it?" said the short-haired boy with thick round glasses, his face lit by a warm smile.

"The Master invites you and that my lord to join the Institute. Have you given your answer?"

"Isn't it boring?" The tall figure glanced back over her shoulder, her silken red hair cascading down her robe.

Her waist-length hair blazed crimson like flame, her eyes bright gold-red, her snow-white neck and face flawless.

The short-haired boy didn't understand: "What do you mean?"

"Repeating the past over and over, playing games with versions of yourself across different timelines," the red-haired woman pierced his disguise and asked:

"Do you find it interesting?"

"I'm just someone who clings to the past, so it's fine," the short-haired boy smiled, pulling out a pocket watch and saying:

"In the verification of linear time's fairness, for an infinite execution segment with no initial state, there's no such thing as interesting or not."

"The Master means you need only complete one Cycle's teaching duty within the Institute's main campus, and he will trade you the theoretical results of this research."

"What do you say?"

"I'll think about it," the red-haired woman turned her head back, but without any sign of serious consideration, she casually pulled a book from the nearby shelf and began flipping through it.

The short-haired boy said nothing further, merely bowed slightly before turning to leave.

"Situation has changed," a researcher in a white lab coat rushed over:

"A large-scale spacetime entanglement has appeared within the sample universe. A reconnaissance research team has been wiped out. This is their final message."

"Did the Supreme Above act personally?" asked the short-haired boy.

The researcher shook his head: "According to internal reports, it was the Three Pure Ones, God, and Odin with the Infinity Stones."

The short-haired boy: "?"

What is this new Marvel version?

"Where did the Holy Grail War come from?"

After taking the research data from the researcher, his expression grew more puzzled and bewildered: "There's no such entry in the timeline model."

The researcher wiped his sweat and replied:

"Perhaps among the multiverse contained within Marvel, there happens to exist a universe with a history of the Holy Grail War."

The short-haired boy nodded without comment, paused for a moment, then returned into the library behind him.

"Then I'll promise on the Master's behalf to offer you a different exchange: go investigate the cause of this universal-scale spacetime entanglement."

The short-haired boy kept smiling: "And the Holy Grail War."

The red-haired woman tilted her head, magic coalescing in her hand into an object: "Holy Grail War?"

"..." The researcher's face froze for a moment before saying: "Madam, the object in your hand is a male masturbator—we're referring to the Holy Grail said to grant any wish."

"Sorry, my ex-husband in a dream once sold these—he held a Holy Grail War at the Pure Yang Sect in the Immortal Realm."

The red-haired woman nodded in sudden understanding: "Then I accept."

She closed the book in her hands, leapt from the floating books, and the infinitely extending library began folding and looping from multiple observable and unobservable dimensional perspectives.

"Is this person... okay?" the researcher asked numbly.

"Under the conditions of carrying numerous fragments and with the First Heaven's instinctual consciousness assisting, there's absolutely no problem," the short-haired boy said, withdrawing his gaze and smiling faintly:

"You say I'm playing games with versions of myself across timelines—but aren't you the same?"

"The Crimson Witch who crossed the Ultimate Shore."

"Miss Farah."

The short-haired boy turned, then, as if with regret, pulled out his pocket watch and placed his thumb on the regulator.

"Strange."

"The awakening progress of the First Heaven seems different from my last experience?"