Chapter 320: Changing the Divine Rune Authentication

"You… you're welcome, did I walk into the wrong door?" She looked around, her mind roaring: Walked into the wrong door? Pfft! Why are they in my house? Why!?

Though furious inside, she suddenly looked enlightened: "Sorry, sorry, I took the wrong way, I took the wrong way." She turned to leave.

A massive fruit slammed toward them with a whistling roar.

The newly grown War Tree immediately came into play, hurling its explosive fruit.

Each War Tree stood dozens of meters tall; though still juveniles, they hadn't reached the hundred-meter height of Gao Er, but the temple's area was small, and with four of them stationed at the corners, they completely enclosed the temple.

The diameter of the explosive fruit reached two meters—taller than the entire body of the Goddess of Redemption. If struck, it would be like being hit by a catapult.

The Goddess of Redemption raised her hand and slapped the fruit— it shattered on impact, spewing seeds and pulp, all of which were blocked by a semicircular shield.

Where the shield held, not a drop penetrated; where it didn't, sticky pulp coated the ground, making it look treacherously slippery.

The Goddess of Redemption couldn't hold back her roar: "Why are you here?! This is the Heavenly Fortress! Why?! Why do I keep running into you everywhere?! Won't leaving be enough?!"

Nagelesi scratched his nose, feeling slightly embarrassed—this sounded like bullying a kind peasant woman. But then again, ever since they met, the Goddess of Redemption had been constantly chased.

Ang felt no embarrassment. He summoned his scythe and charged forward, stepping through the sticky pulp, swinging his scythe.

Seeing this, the Goddess of Redemption leaped backward, avoiding Ang's scythe—but landed squarely within the pulp. Her foot slipped, and she crashed face-first with a squelch.

"No good!" She rolled repeatedly, dodging Ang's continuous slashes, and forcibly rolled out of the pulp's range. Just before the pulp hardened, she exploded with power, blasting every drop away.

The explosive fruit wasn't just about physical impact from seeds—its pulp could also harden, gluing victims in place. Once stuck, you'd be like a mouse on a glue trap.

After shaking off the sticky fluid, the Goddess of Redemption shouted: "Why don't you slip?!" She'd seen Ang step on the pulp and dared to step on it herself—only to instantly lose balance.

Ang lifted his foot, showing her: not a trace of pulp clung to his sole—he walked above the ground.

The Goddess of Redemption was unskilled in combat; had she any fighting experience at all, she wouldn't have missed this.

"Unfair! If you're brave, step down and fight me!" the Goddess of Redemption whined.

Ang tilted his head, confused: "You can fly."

"No, you come down and fight!" the Goddess of Redemption pouted.

Nagelesi suddenly realized something and shouted: "You're not trying to stall for time, are you? Waiting for the Holy Angel to rescue you? They're all dead."

"What?! All dead? That's impossible!"

"Yes, we've taken the Heavenly Fortress. We've even dug up the square and planted crops there." Nagelesi pointed below.

From the temple's roof, the Divine Square below was clearly visible. Only now, prompted by Nagelesi, did the Goddess of Redemption glance down—and the sight struck her like lightning.

The once smooth, spacious Divine Square had been dug open. White stones were piled at the edges, revealing dark, fertile soil beneath, teeming with crops—mostly Spirit Beans. A giant cat darted between the plants, plucking only the fullest beans, then peering around nervously, furtive and sneaky.

Giant cat? Nagelesi noticed it too, and roared: "Giant cat!"

The giant cat jumped in fright, lunged forward—and vanished into a dimensional rift.

Gone… gone… gone…

Even a cat is this monstrous? Who are these people? Despair crept over the Goddess of Redemption's face. She screamed hysterically: "Ahh!!!" and lunged at Ang.

A beam of light struck her, erasing her from view.

The little angel's holy light blazed, reducing the Goddess of Redemption to a shower of light particles that slowly drifted to the ground—thus vanished, a goddess gone.

"Is that really necessary? You're a god—fake your death more convincingly!" Nagelesi grumbled.

A light-aligned deity, obliterated by holy light? Who would believe that?

But this was the Sacred Heavenly Fortress. The Goddess of Redemption knew this place better than anyone. If she tried to fake death and hide, digging her out wouldn't be easy.

What now? Nagelesi looked at Ang.

Ang pulled a tiny wisp from his finger and tossed it toward where the goddess had exploded.

The tiny wisp floated on the ground, gazing blankly at Ang.

"Goo~" Ang pointed at the ground.

The tiny wisp's eyes lit up. It inhaled sharply: Goo~

Its body swelled like an inflating balloon, then plunged headfirst into the earth.

Nagelesi rejoiced: "Finally, one that doesn't just scream!" But joy faded quickly: "Does this mean I have to learn Goo language again?"

…

The Goddess of Redemption was desperately diving deeper underground. As a goddess of redemption, she wouldn't die so easily—even a sliver of consciousness or divine power could allow her to redeem herself, only the time required would vary.

She knew the Heavenly Fortress well. She knew exactly where it was safe. Once she reached it, unless they turned the entire Heavenly Fortress upside down, they'd never find her.

Now the question: why were these people here? What had happened to the Heavenly Fortress? Had the Holy Angels truly all perished?

She'd barely found a way back. Who could have imagined the gods' fortress had been seized by enemies?

As she pondered, a sudden warning flared in her mind. Before she could react, a ball of white light surged forward, wrapping tightly around her consciousness.

The white light's power was immense. Once caught, she found she couldn't break free—it dragged her relentlessly toward the surface.

"Let go of me!"

"Goo~"

"Let go of me!"

"Goo·goo~" They spoke different languages. The Goddess of Redemption was forcibly dragged to the surface.

The tiny wisp flung her onto the ground, then shrank and floated back to Ang. Ang extended his finger, and the wisp clung tightly to it.

"That… that… that's a Holy Spirit Wisp?" the Goddess of Redemption asked dazedly.

Holy Spirit Wisps were rare, but not nonexistent. Yet why was this one so strong? She had no resistance at all—dragged back without a fight.

Ang nodded. This wisp had consumed Faith Fire and fragments of divine cores—Faith Fire stolen from Dai Sen and Harvey, divine core shards from the God of Seeds. Anything Ang didn't need, he fed to the tiny wisp.

Ang didn't know how much it had eaten, but its strength was undeniable.

The Goddess of Redemption murmured: "Why… why do you have so many good things…"

Ang tilted his head, then suddenly said: "You are guilty."

The Goddess of Redemption laughed: "You want to judge…?"

Before she finished, several chains of Original Sin snapped up from the ground, binding her tightly.

Though her body had been shattered and she now existed as pure energy, the Original Sin Chains bound her firmly, even shaping her form.

"Impossible! How do you have Original Sin Chains?! What sin have I committed?! How could I possibly be guilty?!" the Goddess of Redemption cried in panic.

Ang only felt she was guilty, but couldn't say why. He leaned closer and looked: "Envy, greed, anger."

"I… I… I…" She stammered, each "I" accompanied by a frown, deep thought, then a pained grimace.

After long contemplation, the Goddess of Redemption suddenly calmed and summed up: "I envy you for having so many good things. I wanted to take them and hoard them—I was greedy. I became angry the moment I saw you here—I was furious. I am guilty."

With each phrase, one chain snapped. When she finished "I am guilty," all chains shattered. The Goddess of Redemption slowly rose.

"Clap!" A sharp slap echoed beside her. She turned—Nagelesi was excitedly slapping its own hip muscles.

Seeing everyone stare, it blushed: "I got too excited! This is true divine warfare! Finally, I've witnessed it! He says you're guilty, you confess your sin, become sinless—Ku Ba Da! Law against law! Divine warfare means defining law to erase the enemy."

Good heavens—after millennia as a god, Nagelesi had finally grasped the essence of divine warfare. Everyone else had graduated; it was just entering kindergarten.

What was there to get excited about? Aren't you a god too? The Goddess of Redemption rolled her eyes, resigned: "I'm leaving. Nothing can stop my self-redemption. Fine, kill me again. Even if only a sliver of my soul remains, I'll be reborn. I'm leaving. Kill me if you want."

She stepped forward—her toe already cracked open a sliver of a teleportation portal.

Once, she'd shattered her soul entirely and spent a thousand years hiding in a corner of the Damp Sea realm—yet she'd still been reborn. Another thousand years? Fine. She'd hide from this guy. He was a curse—wherever she went, he appeared.

Clang! A golden book slammed down, its pages snapping shut.

Shrinking, the Brass Book flew back into Ang's hand. When he opened its pages again, inside sat the Goddess of Redemption, utterly bewildered.

Nagelesi was stunned. It looked down at the Goddess of Redemption beneath its feet—in the Brass Book, it was its true form: a fifty-meter-long brass dragon. The Goddess of Redemption was smaller than its foot.

Behind it, Red Star in full battle armor poked its head out, glanced once, recognized her as one of the Light Gods, and shouted excitedly: "Red Star, flash!"

A streak of red light blasted onto the Goddess of Redemption.

She screamed and hurled a hammer.

Huh? The Hammer of Redemption? Wasn't that stolen? She paused, then realized: everything here could be manifested?

She immediately grew excited, tossing out a plate, then a kitchen knife, then a spatula, then a pillow, shoes, swords, spears, hammers—all shimmering with divine light, death aura, none ordinary.

Red Star's spirit was pummeled into a frantic scramble.

Nagelesi, irritated, stomped them both underfoot: "Why did you lock her in here?! No—how can you even lock her in? The Brass Book can seal deities, but why can you use it? I can't even use it!"

"She runs," Ang replied matter-of-factly.

"She runs, let her run! Just blast her! Why lock her in? Blast her, she'll be reborn in centuries. Lock her in—when will I ever get peace?!" Nagelesi snapped: "No—how can you use it?!"

Ang tilted his head: "Soul energy. Slam."

"That's it? Just pour soul energy and slam her in?" Nagelesi exclaimed.

It tried pouring soul energy into the Brass Book—then frowned: "No reaction?"

Ang said: "Soul… weak."

"Pfft…" Hit where it hurts. Who could match a god's soul?

Whether from exhaustion or having thrown everything, the Goddess of Redemption had calmed. When Nagelesi released her, she didn't act up anymore. Red Star's spirit had long since vanished into some corner.

"Is this a sealing space? How did you do this? Can I leave?" The Goddess of Redemption didn't bother being polite. She manifested a recliner, a tea table, juice, and lounged comfortably, eyes closed.

Her own domain could manifest many things—she felt a sense of familiarity.

"Uh, this is the Brass Book…" Nagelesi began.

Before it finished, the Goddess of Redemption waved her hand: "I know. Brass Book. You're the God of Knowledge."

Talking to an ancient god was easy—no need to explain everything.

"So can you let me out?" the Goddess of Redemption asked.

Ang shook his head.

Nagelesi finally understood and explained: "We had no grudge against you. Every encounter, you were the one who lost. Letting you run was fine. But now? This place is ours. If you can come and go freely, what if we're gone next time and you sneak back in?"

"You only came back to plant trees—otherwise we'd have lost you. Accept it. You're not leaving."

The Goddess of Redemption clenched her teeth and said with a resigned tone: "If you promise to let me out, I'll teach you how to alter the divine rune authentication and control methods; otherwise, even if you seal me, when another Light Primordial God is reborn, they'll still be able to come and go freely here."

"All the Light Gods are dead," Negrilis said dismissively.

"Can you guarantee that?" asked the Goddess of Redemption.

"... can't," Negrilis hesitated. Who could guarantee it? They had already seen the God of Balance and the Goddess of Redemption—who could be sure a third Light Primordial God wouldn't be reborn?

He turned and muttered to Ang for a while, then turned back and said: "Fine. You teach us, and we'll let you go."

"Swear an oath—a soul oath. If I teach you how to alter the divine rune authentication and control the Heavenly Realm, you release me. Have him swear it, not you." The Goddess of Redemption pointed at Ang, clearly having realized that this Bronze Dragon's word meant nothing.

Ang tilted his head and ignited a flame of soul oath.

A soul oath could be used not only to pledge loyalty to a superior, but also to bind all kinds of agreements—it was a vow enforced by the soul itself, and any being with a soul could not break it; its binding power was even stronger than a divine oath.

A soul oath could bind gods, but a divine oath relied on the god's own authority to enforce.

After verifying the oath, the Goddess of Redemption finally transmitted the method for altering divine rune authentication and controlling the Heavenly Realm.

After reading the entire method, Negrilis erupted: "Ku Bada! You're cheating! You still need the Control Key to alter the divine rune authentication, and you still need the Heavenly Realm Scepter to control the Heavenly Realm—you concealed critical information! You're cheating! Are you a demon?!"

The Goddess of Redemption raised the flame of the oath triumphantly: "The oath only says: 'If I teach you how to alter the divine rune authentication and control the Heavenly Realm, you release me.' Whether you can actually do it is outside the oath's scope."

Negrilis kicked her angrily, sending her flying out of the Bronze Book.

Get angry, get angry—that's right! Hmph! You won't die of rage, but I'm getting out anyway.

The Goddess of Redemption glanced at Ang and caught him pulling out two familiar items—one of them being the Heavenly Realm Scepter. Ang swung the scepter, then kicked her, sending her hurtling into the newly opened portal.