Chapter 1301: Darkness and Fire

Darkness and Fire

The gaze returned to another stretch of starry sky.

This was perhaps the Gods' Covenant Assembly with the fewest deities in attendance. Even though 【Justice (Order)】 had relaxed the restrictions and sent out invitations to every qualified True God who could take a seat and every subordinate god permitted to sit in on the proceedings, not a single deity connected to the Fear faction showed up. Only a handful of True Gods were present.

This undoubtedly made the atmosphere on the scene even more sinister.

The subordinate gods had, from the moment they arrived, voluntarily "stood in the corner like punished children," terrified of being dragged into the terrifying standoff unfolding before them.

Hong Lin had also come. As the proxy of 【Prosperity】, it was not her first time appearing at a Gods' Covenant Assembly, but this was the first time she had attended one with her eyes open. She looked toward the figure in the center of the starry sky, head lowered, expression unreadable, and forcibly restrained the impulse to rush forward and rescue him on the spot.

The river of stars moved in accordance with the rules, twinkling in orderly sequence. The Flowing Light Scales gleamed brilliantly. Before it, a Holy Light Codex suffused from head to toe with the aura of 【Order】 flipped its pages with airy grace, passing judgment upon those cold, star-bright eyes:

"【Deceit】, your ambition is plain for all to see, your crimes are too numerous to record, you have betrayed the order of this world. If you remain obstinately deluded at this moment..."

"And what if I do?"

The Outer God 【Fate】 cut short the long-winded speech of 【Iron Law of Order】, coldly snorting, "【Deceit】 has already paid the price for his foolishness. If a judge cannot even distinguish the suspect he himself has identified, then what order does 【Order】 still speak of?

You don't really think you're 【Order】 yourself, do you, 【Chaos】!"

The moment the words fell, a stretch of chaotic yellow mist rose up behind the Outer God. To the shock of the gods and everyone present, those churning, chaotic giant hands quietly shed their aura of 【Chaos】 and transformed into a pair of star-bright eyes identical to 【Fate】's.

The star-points within those eyes were dim and lifeless, yet the spirals within them still turned on, mesmerizing and unceasing.

The two spirals beat in the same rhythm, complementing each other, and before long, amid the exclamations of those present, merged into one.

【Chaos】 had actually been the Outer God 【Deceit】 in disguise?!

Then where was the real 【Chaos】?

The gazes of the mortals and gods on the scene unconsciously turned toward the 【Iron Law of Order】 that the Outer God had named by title. The Holy Light Codex suffused with 【Order】 faltered for a beat in the motion of its turning pages, then hummed:

"Your lies are no longer believed by anyone!"

"If the lies of 【Deceit】 are believed by no one, then do you also not believe the true words of 【Fate】?

Since you've seen through that I am 【Fate】, why do you not dare to acknowledge it?

Are you afraid I will tell you that, even though this world possesses a fixed destiny, you still cannot give 【Origin】 an answer that satisfies *Him*?

【Fate】 is already dead. Even if I were to place the answer in your hands, you... would you use it?

Only I have any chance of saving this world from its tribulations!

To this very day, even mortals know more than you. So-called 【Order】 is utterly laughable."

"..."

Silence filled the hall. Even though 【Silence】 had not arrived, its will still spread through this place.

The Outer God 【Fate】 surveyed the surroundings, his tone growing colder and more contemptuous.

"The Spacetime Storm has not yet arrived. I still have time to watch a self-deceiving cosmic farce.

I would like to see what agenda this Gods' Covenant Assembly can possibly pass, with so many deities absent.

Having spoken, a gust of void-wind swept toward Cheng Shi, who stood before the gods. Even though the Gods' Covenant Assembly could no longer pose any obstacle to his plan, he still did not wish to let the fixed destiny drift beyond his sight.

Yet just as that gale was about to touch the jester, a sudden, resonant toll of a bell rang out, accompanied by the clang of arms and armor, exploding in everyone's ears.

【Iron Law of Order】 went into a frenzy, pages flying everywhere. The boundless power of 【Order】 within the Codex poured down like a waterfall of holy light, like a flood of edicts bursting through a breached dam, directly drowning the entire stretch of starry sky, devouring the void-wind, and dragging Cheng Shi along into this endless order.

The jester, who had thought his savior had arrived, never expected that before he could be glad for even one second, he had once again become a "guest of honor" of 【Order】—except this seat was not a seat of safety, but the defendant's bench!

That's right. Boundless power of 【Order】 transformed into chains, binding Cheng Shi to a judgment chair to await trial. Clearly, in the eyes of 【Iron Law of Order】, everything Cheng Shi had done in the past counted as aiding an Outer God, and he could not escape the fate of being judged.

However, the identity of the accused was unusually sensitive at this moment, so 【Iron Law of Order】 did not begin the trial immediately, but threw itself wholeheartedly into the battle against the Outer God 【Fate】.

Curiously, when the Gods' Covenant Assembly is convened, any battle that occurs in this stretch of starry sky should have been stopped by 【Justice (Order)】, with the corresponding voting rights stripped away. Yet this time, 【Justice (Order)】 said not a single word, offered no comment.

Seeing this, the Outer God 【Fate】 sneered without cease.

"When 【Justice (Order)】 itself is no longer just, what order does 【Order】 still speak of?

I had thought this world still had some hope of salvation, but now it seems only a mere handful are worth saving.

【Chaos】, you keep your mouth shut about your own identity, and yet you still dare to fantasize about using the power of 【Order】—which is no longer orderly—to stop me?

Who gave you the courage?"

As he spoke, the stars across the entire stretch of sky were shrouded in a shadow.

Void Invasion!

Although the Outer God could not violate the 【Covenant】, could not negate the outcome of the Gods' Covenant Assembly, 【Fate】, who possessed power beyond that of the gods, could still influence this assembly by other means.

Even if his voting rights were denied, it did not matter. After all, even if every True God present voted in favor, they could not reach a majority. This Covenant Assembly, rather than being the jester's lifeline, was better described as the final cry and struggle of those "Foolish Gods" of this world who had always been kept in the dark, fighting for their own divine authority and "dignity."

They were unwilling to silently accompany the world into oblivion and annihilation.

【Folly】 was among them. He felt the power that had appeared beneath this stretch of starry sky, a power that did not belong to this world, and looked again at those chillingly cold star-bright eyes. He froze for a moment, then suddenly let out a derisive laugh.

"So foolishness never had an answer in the first place."

Having spoken, he departed. While the darkness had not yet wrapped around this place, he left with airy grace.

He was like a sage who saw through everything, and also like a coward who fled the battlefield.

And just as the endless void ceaselessly invaded the starry sky, and the pitch-black gradually devoured the vision of the mortals and gods present, a flash of light suddenly erupted before the gods' eyes.

Fire!

A red tongue of flame flickered out, and then crimson fire set the heavens ablaze!

Roaring flames exploded from behind the Codex, where the holy light was fading. The scattered sparks, carrying the fervent will of 【War】, began to spread through the blackness like a plague.

The scene before their eyes was like a spark falling into a sea of oil—in an instant, it painted over the vision the mortals and gods had just lost with a sheet of blazing white!

【War】 has returned!

No one had expected 【War】, long absent from the Covenant Assembly, to appear at this moment, nor that he had actually been hiding behind 【Iron Law of Order】.

No wonder the usually hesitant 【Iron Law of Order】 had suddenly found its backbone. This was not a judgment from 【Order】, but a revival of 【Civilization】!

Then where is 【Truth】?

Where is 【Truth】?

The gods searched all around, but unfortunately, they did not find 【Truth】.

Perhaps the cosmos never had truth to begin with — only the endless cycle of order and war.

Yet just when the gods thought the appearance of 【War】 would shift the situation, the Outer God 【Fate】 once again gave a cold snort:

"The cosmos is empty of men — has it really come to needing a demigod to speak on behalf of the gods?

"Follower of 【War】, I sent you to the true universe so you could 'complete your studies' and come back to deal with me?"

Only then did the gods realize that the source of that towering battle intent, comparable to 【War】 itself, was not 【War】 at all — but a... human, drawing a bowstring amid a sea of flames that blazed across the sky?

Qin Xin's beard and hair all ablaze, his left eye rolling like molten lava, his right eye savagely dripping blood, his face solemn as he looked toward the Outer God and said in a deep voice:

"Borrowing greatness from the gods has always been the will of the Fire-Keeper.

"Using the divine might of gods to wear down the oppression of gods is also the unyielding spirit of the Fire-Keepers.

"Whether you are 【Fraud】 or 【Fate】, as long as you do not belong to this world, you are our enemy.

"Enemies should be met with sharp arrows!

"To drive back the darkness, one must rely upon the Fire-Keeper!

"What is sought for survival? Only blood — and fire!"

Before the words had fallen, those hands — skin split like a drum, fresh blood gushing wildly — released the great bow's string, sending that arrow, wrapped in the will of every Fire-Keeper, determined to protect humanity and guard the world, flying toward...

The Judgment Chair beneath Cheng Shi!