Chapter 346: The True Goal of the Light Society

As old friends, Christian and Yu Na didn't bother with formalities toward Wu Chang.

They hadn't just established a new base in Wanghai City—they'd also moved the surviving believers here.

Inside a hidden little chapel, five or six Revelation followers were praying, begging for the god's mercy.

Wu Chang instinctively frowned; praying to Christian within Erin's divine realm felt like someone had broken into his home.

But then he remembered this home was something he'd picked up from the other's hands, so he let it slide.

The believers not praying in the chapel stopped their work upon seeing Yu Na and bowed to her:

"Greetings, Grand Archbishop Yu."

Yu Na gave a slight nod and said:

"Go and prepare the altar—I have urgent matters to present to the god."

Wu Chang asked quietly: "Last time I came, you were still Archbishop Yu—how fast did you get promoted?"

Yu Na had nothing to hide and replied:

"I helped build multiple church outposts; with my experience and achievements, I was already close to the Grand Archbishop position. When Yan Xin, who previously oversaw the Wanghai region, was promoted to the Rational Realm, his vacancy opened up—and I naturally stepped into it."

Yan Xin—Wu Chang remembered that name; he'd been Yu Na's former superior.

When she'd been cornered by the Bureau and received no warning, she'd confronted the Grand Archbishop by his full name.

Wu Chang asked doubtfully: "With the World Replica coming soon, isn't it hasty for the original Grand Archbishop to ascend at this moment?"

The World Replica was a rare opportunity for every player in the Wasteland Realm; so many mid-tier players were willing to risk everything just to seize it, proving how vital it was.

The Grand Archbishop of the Revelation was unquestionably among the top-tier combatants in the Wasteland Realm—such a being's gains from entering the World Replica would be immense.

Yu Na spoke coolly:

"Not hasty. The Lord told Yan Xin that the danger of this World Replica far exceeds what's visibly apparent—he wouldn't survive."

"Yan Xin is cautious by nature and unwilling to take risks, so he chose to ascend early and avoid this crisis."

Wu Chang's eyes narrowed slightly; he knew the Light Society had conspired with the Quietist Sect and the Bliss Church in the Rational Realm—he'd known the Revelation couldn't be blind to it.

Christian must have some knowledge about the impending World Replica to make such a judgment.

Wu Chang and Yu Na waited outside for over ten minutes; once the ordinary believers finished clearing the altar, they entered.

The chapel's layout matched the one in Wanning City: pass through the outer chapel, enter the central altar of the outpost.

The altar's scale was identical to the one he'd seen at the Wanning City outpost.

But the Wanning outpost was a standalone clubhouse, while this one was a restaurant on a commercial street.

The difficulty of construction between the two differed vastly.

One had to admit—the Revelation was indeed one of the Three Evil God Sects; they'd managed to carve out this vast underground space beneath Wanghai Bureau's searches, quietly building a chapel—no wonder the Four Organizations had never been able to eradicate them completely.

Yu Na's promotion to Grand Archbishop granted her direct permission to communicate with the True God.

Under her manipulation, a cross-realm communication ritual coalesced upon the altar.

A female silhouette in a long robe, wearing a spiral-tipped hood, appeared above the altar.

"We meet again, Lord of Peace."

Wu Chang bowed slightly and replied: "Greetings, Lady Christian."

Christian's projection paced across the altar, sniffing lightly, and said:

"I smell the scent of a large divine realm—ah, and the odor of a Pillar of the Divine Realm."

"Only a month has passed, and you've achieved this much in the Wasteland Realm? That truly surprises me."

Wu Chang's face showed resignation; this woman's sense of smell was as sharp as ever.

Last time, she'd merely sniffed the "Report on Divine Miracles and Devotion" and detected Erin's presence, pinpointing his and Erin's connection—and realizing they'd stolen her divine realm.

This time, arriving in Wanghai City, she detected the progress of the divine realm without any medium.

He replied humbly: "To Lady Christian's eyes, we're merely playing around—nothing significant."

Christian smiled and said:

"I heard that after your last meeting with me, you caused quite a stir in the Intermediate Layer—you snatched a Pillar of the Present World from those self-proclaimed gods, and even made the Mother of Desire suffer a heavy blow."

"I'm beginning to believe you might truly have the power to alter fate."

Wu Chang kept his expression calm but spoke with implied meaning:

"I simply can't stand those who sit above others, casually deciding the fates of others."

Christian countered:

"You and that little girl with the light aura—you've coalesced a large divine realm, and the realms connected to it clearly number no fewer than three."

"You control three realms; to the humans within them, your status is above all—your actions determine their fates."

"So what's the essential difference between you and those you despise?"

Wu Chang paused, then answered: "The difference is, I respect my opponents—I don't dig through what isn't mine."

Christian asked curiously: "What do you mean?"

Wu Chang said: "If I want something, I take it directly—in the Abyss Game, strength is reason, and that's perfectly justified."

"Taking is taking, competing is competing—open, honest, no need to hide."

He snorted coldly, his eyes filled with contempt, and continued:

"But some people, relying on their strength, enjoy manipulating hearts to prove how unique and transcendent they are."

"They call themselves gods, invoke fate as justification, torment the weak, strip away their dignity, and force them to willingly submit, surrendering everything."

"The higher they sit, the more they believe they can toy with everything—so I want to grab them by the hair, drag them off their thrones, and smash their faces."

Christian seemed to understand and said: "You stand with the weak—you can't tolerate their arrogance?"

Wu Chang shook his head: "No, I represent no one, fight for no one—my actions stem purely from personal interest."

"Just like how Lady Christian is always said to bring chaos."

Kristin denied: "Causing chaos is what Lyman loves to do—you've stolen part of His authority, which should be clear enough."

"But from my perspective, I quite like your hobbies."

Her phantom gaze turned to Wu Chang, sighing:

"I had hoped this meeting would be another chance to persuade you to join the Apocalypse, but you've already built a great Divine Nation, even constructed the Pillar of the Divine Nation—surely my offer now seems beneath you."

Wu Chang smiled: "My answer last time still stands. If one day I reach the third layer of the Abyss, perhaps we can cooperate."

Kristin did not pursue the topic, but asked:

"Why did you seek me out this time?"

Wu Chang rubbed his hands, his expression pleading:

"You must already sense what I'm thinking, Lord Kristin. I'm just a minor figure from the Wasteland Realm, appearing at this moment—I can only be concerned with the World Copy."

Kristin said with interest:

"But I can't guess what you want to ask."

Wu Chang said: "A few days ago, I went to the Reason Realm and happened to pick up some intelligence."

"The Reason Realm has recently undergone a major upheaval: the Evolutionary Faction of the Four Organizations allied with the Society of Light, expelled the Order Faction, and now openly control the Reason Realm."

"They're not satisfied with this—they've apparently allied with the Sect of Serenity and the Church of Bliss, attempting to interfere with the World Copy from the Reason Realm, pursuing some hidden agenda."

He paused, looking at Kristin, and said:

"Such a conspiracy among major organizations—your Apocalypse's intelligence network must have noticed."

"Among the powerful factions in the Reason Realm, only the Order Faction of the Four Organizations and members of the Apocalypse have refused to join them. I assume it's because Lord Kristin refuses to consort with them—and perhaps I can gain some intelligence from you."

The Society of Light's conspiracy involves every faction—except the Apocalypse.

Put kindly, that's the Apocalypse refusing to join their corruption.

Put crudely, it's being excluded, subjected to American-style bullying.

If not for fearing he'd anger Kristin, Wu Chang wanted to break into a street dance right before her and say:

"Hey, listen up—we've prepared an awesome plan for the World Copy in ten days. Every major organization is involved. But guess who didn't get an invitation?"

"You~"

Kristin said in surprise:

"You've gathered quite a bit of intelligence—even uncovered their secret alliance."

"With such means, yet you still linger in the Wasteland Realm competing with others—it's cheating."

Wu Chang bristled at that—what did she mean? By any count, he'd only been in the Abyss Game for a hundred days. Who was being unfair to whom?

Before Wu Chang could retort, Kristin continued: "I do know some things about the Reason Realm."

"But what do I gain by telling you?"

Wu Chang's displeasure vanished instantly, replaced by his pleading expression: "Didn't I just shelter your followers with my Divine Nation? We're allies helping each other—talking about favors makes it distant."

"I just used the Divine Kingdom to shelter your believers, so we're friends helping each other, right? Bringing up benefits would just make things distant."

"You could just report to the Four Organizations that the Apocalypse has established a base in your Divine Nation—see whether they care more about a small base or a large Divine Nation."

Wu Chang grimaced, realizing free-riding wasn't easy, and settled for a compromise: "If you're bringing this up, you must need me to do something. As long as it's not unreasonable, we can negotiate."

With the World Copy approaching, every one of his items was vital. As long as he wasn't forced to give anything up, he'd accept exerting effort in exchange for intelligence.

Kristin had been waiting for this answer. She immediately said:

"Fine. My request is simple—well within your capabilities."

"I trust your word. I'll give you the intelligence first, then ask you to complete my task afterward."

Getting the intelligence first, then helping afterward—this sounded highly advantageous. But from another angle, it meant Kristin's task would be difficult.

She feared he'd renege, so she revealed the intelligence first, sealing off his escape.

But as long as the scope was confined to the Wasteland Realm, he had nothing to fear.

"Then I'll accept your offer, Lord Kristin. Regarding the Society of Light's plan, I want to know its full scope."

When Kristin had told him about the Pillar of the Present World, he had once asked her: what was the purpose of those who destroyed the Pillar?

Kristin had refused, claiming the Wasteland Realm's fate was sealed and fearing his death if he knew.

Now he knew—the ones who destroyed the Pillar of the Present World were the Society of Light and the Evolutionary Faction of the Reason Realm. With events at this stage, Kristin had no reason to hide it anymore.

Kristin slowly paced the altar, as if weighing what to say and what to withhold.

Now that he already knew that the ones who had destroyed the Pillar of the Present World were the Evolution Faction of the Church of Light and the Rational Faction, with things having developed to this point, Christine should have no reason to hide it from him any longer.

"If you'd spent more time in the Abyss, traveled more in the Reason Realm, you'd have guessed the Society of Light's plan without me telling you."

"Before I reveal the Society of Light's plan, I must ask you one question: in your mind, what is the Pillar of the Present World?"

Wu Chang felt absurd the moment he heard the question.

After all, the first time he met Kristin, it was he who asked her: what is the Pillar of the Present World?

His entire understanding of the Pillar of the Present World had originally come from her.

She had told him then: the Pillar of the Present World was a failed Copy that had stalled during ascension, stuck in the intermediate layer—neither conquerable nor uncontrollable.

Yet now, upon meeting again, she asked him the same question.

Today, he had seen many Pillars of the Present World—even the Copies connected to his large Divine Nation were mostly Pillars of the Present World.

But his understanding of them had not fundamentally changed from what Kristin had told him then.

He pondered possible deeper meanings, then said slowly:

"To me, the Pillar of the Present World is not unconquerable or uncontrollable. Its essence is the rampant proliferation of the extraordinary."

"What we call dimensional ascension, in my view, is the loss of control over the extraordinary influence in the Copy's region—its extraordinary power extends across the entire world, causing extraordinary proliferation."

In my view, the Pillar of the Present Age is neither unassailable nor uncontrollable; its very essence is the proliferation of the extraordinary.

What is called dimensional ascension, in my view, is the loss of control over the extraordinary influence of the instance's region, causing the extraordinary forces within the region to extend across the entire world, resulting in the proliferation of the extraordinary.

"If extraordinary phenomena are compressed within a limited area, the plane will not ascend; if they are allowed to spread throughout the entire plane, the Pillar of the Present World can ascend at any moment."

This was his insight, formed after witnessing multiple plane ascensions following the birth of the Pillar of the Present World.

The essential difference between the Wasteland Realm and the Rational Realm lies not only in the gap of top-tier combat power—many Class-A Wasteland Realm instance bosses are stronger than the bosses of the simplest Rational Realm instance.

It also lies in the popularization of the extraordinary.

In the Wasteland Realm, extraordinary abilities exist only in the hands of a few; the vast majority of people do not even understand the concept of the extraordinary.

When extraordinary power concentrates in a region and creates widespread familiarity with the extraordinary, that region is likely to become an instance space.

This is also why Wasteland Realm instance zones are far smaller than Rational Realm instance zones, and why instance zones expand as instance levels increase.

Taking Wu Chang's experienced instance as an example, in Saint Song Corporation, the instance zone encompasses the entire Wildo City, where Primordial Armaments and Degenerate Monsters mostly gather.

When Schultz transformed into an artificial deity and attempted to use the artificial deity to expand the extraordinary across the entire world, linking all humanity together, the plane began to ascend.

When Schultz's plan failed, the plane's ascension failed.

But the concept and seed of the extraordinary had already been sown across the world; human perception had changed irreversibly, and thus it became the Pillar of the Present World.

When the Lost Continent rose from the ocean floor and the Deep Sea Lord sought to control global faith, the plane ascended.

The reappearance of the Lost Continent and the Deep Sea Fishmen's attacks on humanity served the same purpose as Schultz's initial actions: expanding localized extraordinary phenomena to the entire plane.

But what was expanded was merely perception, not true extraordinary power—thus forging the Pillar of the Present World.

Erin frequently manifested before the people of Gao Mu, revealing divine miracles through the Divine Nation's Pillar, convincing people that gods walked among them—this too fit the pattern.

Once the mechanism behind the formation of the Pillar of the Present World is understood, the method to destroy it becomes obvious.

Sever the source of the extraordinary, and you destroy the Pillar of the Present World.

For instance, in the underground shelter, the source of the extraordinary was not the Mother of Desires, but the technological mysticism created by He Yun—this was the true extraordinary source capable of altering the entire plane.

Therefore, the Helmet Man, seeking to destroy the Pillar of the Present World, aimed to kill He Yun utterly and erase the technology.

Meanwhile, Mercury, seeking to preserve the Pillar of the Present World, used contracts to trap He Yun within the world's cycle, ensuring the technology might leak at any moment—yet never actually did.

Christine nodded after listening, satisfied with Wu Chang's answer.

She said: "I can see that, after some time apart, your understanding of the Abyss and the nature of the extraordinary has deepened far beyond what it was before."

"But perhaps your gaze is too far-reaching, causing your attention to focus solely on seeing farther, confined within the plane where the Pillar of the Present World resides."

Wu Chang sensed something vaguely, but could not be certain, and asked:

"Your Holiness Christine, how should I adjust my vision?"

Christine looked at Wu Chang and said:

"Your group, who call yourselves Abyss Game players, possesses many abilities we cannot grasp."

"One such ability—you should already possess it, having seized the Pillar of the Present World. If I recall correctly, that ability is called Temporary Administrator Permissions."

"Doesn't the very existence of that permission exist to detach your vision from the plane itself, allowing you to perceive everything from the Abyss's macroscopic perspective?"

Wu Chang recalled the Temporary Administrator perspective and all he had seen in the Intermediate Layer; combined with Christine's earlier words, a sense of dread arose in his mind.

"I don't understand."

"No, you already do," Christine said, with a tone that saw through all things.

"The Pillar of the Present World—why is it called a 'pillar'? What is it supporting?"

"If the pillar of a house is damaged, what happens between the floors?"

"Now recall the question you asked me before—tell me, what is the true goal of those who seek to destroy the Pillar of the Present World?"

(End of Chapter)