Two statues.
On top of one of them, several hundred skulls were weaved together to form a gigantic face.
The other statue was a bit destroyed, but it was made from two intertwining dragons – one blue, one red – which appeared mysterious.
The Soul Shrieker was hesitating to choose one of these two statues.
The gigantic face of skulls gave off a very special feeling.
But it could sense a familiar power emanating from the statue of intertwining dragons.
——furthermore, the intertwining dragons statue was already destroyed.
『 「 Destroyed… 』」
The Soul Shrieker muttered before making its final decision.
It placed its hand very lightly on the two dragons.
The pair of dragons immediately came to life, danced around the Soul Shrieker, and brought it away from the bronze palace.
After the Soul Shrieker left.
Ye Fei Li had gone an entire circle around the palace and reached where the Soul Shrieker disappeared.
He stared closely at that statue.
——–the statue of a gigantic face made from hundreds of different skulls.
Ye Fei Li silently stood for a while, then suddenly put the Clown mask on.
[I desire your great power]
He spoke to the statue.
The statue suddenly began to move.
The hundreds of skulls started moving in unison, causing one to feel an almost numbing sense of fright, but it also allowed the gigantic face’s expression to change.
「 Feeble carrier of [Chaos], clown of mortals, why must I grant my powers to you? 」
The gigantic face observed the Clown and questioned.
The Clown respectfully bowed and replied: [The world needs me to display your great power]
The gigantic face spoke in a resounding voice:
「 Tell me, how do you think true [Chaos] can be achieved? 」
The Clown pondered, then replied: [Will and goal are both not Chaos, the essence of Chaos is that all things are void]
「 I shall grant you this chance, come and take your trial 」
After stating that, the gigantic face opened its mouth and swallowed Ye Fei Li whole.
At the very next moment.
The gigantic face also disappeared from the bronze palace.
Zhang Ying Hao returned to where Ye Ru Xi was standing after going around the entire palace.
He took out two shot glasses, poured some liquor, and offered one of them to Ye Ru Xi.
“You’ve already gone around the entire palace, right? Did you not find a suitable Awaiting?”
Ye Ru Xi asked.
Zhang Ying Hao replied: “Since both Gu Qing Shan and Ye Fei Li had found a suitable one, I don’t need to”
Ye Ru Xi asked in surprise: “Why not?”
Zhang Ying Hao emptied his glass, lit himself a cigar, and replied: “My heart aims at [Order], so there aren’t any [Chaos] Awaitings who suit me”
Ye Ru Xi thought for a bit and chuckled.
“If I remember correctly, you said you were the boss of a hitman firm?” she said.
“I am” Zhang Ying Hao nodded.
“So a hitman aims at [Order] as well?” Ye Ru Xi asked.
“The animals in human skin who likes to abuse their power are the main targets of my hunt——- and I enjoy that process”
Zhang Ying Hao breathed out a ring of smoke before continuing: “I hope for world peace and a comfortable life for all living beings. To reach this goal, I’d gladly hunt for my entire life”
Ye Ru Xi also emptied her shot glass, then gestured to Zhang Ying Hao to pour her some more.
“I’m in the [Chaos] faction, aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you for explaining how your heart aims for [Order] like this?” she smiled and asked.
Zhang Ying Hao topped up the two shot glasses and replied: “You aren’t the kind of person to let power get to their heads, otherwise, your world would have already been destroyed long ago”
The shot glass returned to Ye Ru Xi’s hand.
Staring closely at the amber-colored liquid inside, Ye Ru Xi whispered: “To be able to control your power to such minor degree, yet still capable of holding such firm beliefs in your heart, as expected of someone of my same kind”
She raised her glass.
“A toast to you, and to us all”
“A toast to those I couldn’t think of”
The two of them chuckled at that little joke.
They knocked their glasses together.
While they waited, that bottle of liquor was completely emptied.
…
A mass of light started to come into existence.
The graceful sound of ballroom music resonated from within the light, rousing a sense of peace within one’s mind.
Gu Qing Shan was taken by the teleportation power into the mass of light.
He slowly landed on solid ground.
This was a cathedral——– or perhaps the observation room on top of the highest palace.
A woman stood on top of a podium, wielding a scepter in her hand and a crown on her head with her back towards Gu Qing Shan, immersed in observing the vast world below.
The light glowed intensely.
The woman turned around and lightly chanted:
“Time cannot be chaotic, only by returning to its determined path can living beings be at peace”
An invisible force draped over Gu Qing Shan’s body, gradually expelling some sort of small and broken chaos.
Understanding what this was, Gu Qing Shan looked up to observe the other party.
—–despite her being much younger than before, he could still recognize some of Lady Fusi’s features from her.
Gu Qing Shan bowed: “Lady Fusi, it has been a long time”
The woman smiled and replied: “You’ve matured very quickly. Even I can’t help but be impressed with the Earth Creator’s vision”
“Lady Fusi, are you an Awaiting of [Chaos]?” Gu Qing Shan asked.
Fusi simply smiled and replied: “It’s a long story, Earth God, there are more important matters that you must understand right now”
Fusi wielded her scepter and lightly tapped the void of space.
Everything started to change.
The world around them moved away.
Another world manifested around the two of them.
“The Reality Gate had been closed”
Following Fusi’s voice, the two sides of a gate of unimaginable magnitude suddenly closed shut.
The sound of cheering from countless entities could be heard.
Some were so delighted that they were even sobbing.
“The Worlds’ Apocalypse had destroyed everything. Only the entities who stood at the very peak, thanks to their unimaginably great power, managed to enter the Reality Gate to prolong their existence as well as to wait until the eventual end of the Apocalypse” Fusi continued.
Gu Qing Shan couldn’t help but question: “What does it look like outside of the Reality Gate?”
Fusi seemingly didn’t want to return to that scene of the past and only gave a curt answer:
“Infinite”
Infinite…
Gu Qing Shan carefully digested the implications of this word.
Fusi continued: “Even after long years of waiting, the Apocalypse outside of the Reality Gate never weakened at all”
“As time passed, some especially feeble Apocalypse had instead managed to infiltrate the inside of the Reality Gate”
“All of us realized something”
“We definitely must come up with a solution to study the Apocalypse, as well as find a way to eventually end it”
“Due to a difference in our ideology, we split up into two factions”
“One faction believed that the Apocalypse could not be fought against. It would only be when the Apocalypse had found that all living beings were dead would the world return to a blank slate, at which point the Apocalypse would end, and a new Era shall begin anew”
“The other faction believed that the life and death of living beings do not affect the Apocalypse. The Apocalypse would be never-ending and eternal, whenever living beings come into existence again, the Apocalypse would soon manifest like their shadow. For this reason, the only path of survival is to retaliate against it”
“To retaliate against the Apocalypse, more power, more profound knowledge and wisdom, as well as a better opportunity was required. Once living beings become powerful enough, there would eventually be a day when we can triumph against the Apocalypse—— or at least, it would grant us all enough power to protect ourselves when the Reality Gate eventually collapses”
After stating that much, she turned to Gu Qing Shan.
Gu Qing Shan said: “I guess, this would be the origin of [Order] and [Chaos]”
“Indeed” Fusi appeared full of praise and continued: “The [Chaos] faction attempted some total destruction, which brought them reasonable results”
The scene of countless worlds being destroyed appeared all around them.
Whenever these worlds fell into complete destruction by [Chaos], the Apocalypse would gradually disappear after that as well.
———because the Apocalypse had lost its target.
“The [Order] faction also quickly attempted to educate living beings, allowing numerous shining civilizations to come into existence inside the Reality Gate, all of which came up with many solutions to retaliate against the Apocalypse”
Worlds started appearing around Gu Qing Shan one after another.
He saw numerous worlds of Technology, Magic, Savagery, Cultivation, Void, Mysticism, as well as others.
Numerous great men and heroes displayed their prowess with the intercepting eras, eventually leading their civilizations to prosperity.
Fusi’s voice resounded:
“However, [Chaos] and [Order] eventually clashed”
Gu Qing Shan pondered and nodded: “[Chaos] wished to eradicate all living beings to extinction, while [Order] wishes for living beings to mature and grow strong, this was an irreconcilable conflict between the two sides”
Fusi continued: “A great battle occurred between [Order] and [Chaos], but in the end, both sides realized that if this continued, there would be no result other than guaranteed mutual destruction”
“Because of this, both factions decided to gather all of their power and imbued it into [Chaos] and [Order] respectively, hoping that living beings would eventually fall to ruin through [Chaos], or head towards prosperity through [Order]”
“Victory and defeat will be left for living beings to decide. While both factions had spent too much of their powers to create [Order] and [Chaos], thus falling into slumber, only reawakening at random intervals, or being contacted from the outside through dreamscapes”
Hearing this, Gu Qing Shan recalled those two titles.
Harbinger of Apocalypse’s End.
Slumbering Era’s Songster of Night.
He started speaking: “Once [Chaos] had destroyed all living beings, the Apocalypse would also end. At that moment, a Harbinger would appear to awaken the Awaitings of the [Chaos] faction——- they will have earned their new lives and gotten their victory”
“Similarly, at the time of the Apocalypse’s mass destruction, a Songster of Night would appear to call upon the Awaitings, hoping that they would grant their power. Aiding and guiding living beings to victory against the Apocalypse”
Fusi nodded: “That is how it is”
“Then what about you? Where do you stand?” Gu Qing Shan asked.
Fusi replied: “You first”
Gu Qing Shan casually replied: “I naturally am not willing to allow living beings to die. Everything I strive to do is for the sake of protecting them, and if someone dares to touch the people I protect, I would kill them”
