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Chapter 1376: Beginning to Accommodate

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Clang! Clang! The windows and doors of Bekland, Trier, Lunburg, and Saint-Milon closed simultaneously, without a single breath of wind. At the headquarters of the "Divine Church of Knowledge and Wisdom," a white tower. Luca, on duty in the underground region, felt the unusual disturbance and sprang to his feet. As a "Seer," he was acutely aware that something significant was unfolding. The elderly man, dressed in a plain white robe embroidered with golden thread, immediately summoned a secret spell and stepped swiftly to the entrance of the underground region, extending his hand to push open the great door. Yet, for a half-divine being, this door—normally substantial—remained motionless, as if sealed by an invisible force. Luca did not attempt to force it open with further efforts. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the depths of the underground. There, silence reigned—no sound at all. This was abnormal. Luca did not need to rely on his own extraordinary abilities to know that something was amiss. Deep underground, a constant sound—shivering the hair on one’s arms and sending a cold chill down the spine—has always echoed. Now, however, it has vanished entirely, as if it had never existed. Others may not be aware, but as a senior official of the Order of Knowledge, Luca knows that this sound originates from a particularly dreadful seal, one whose specifics even he does not fully understand. It cannot simply have been erased without cause. The current situation points to only one possibility: either the seal has broken free of its constraints and entered a more mysterious state, or it has been further sealed, now completely inert and unable to exert any influence on the outside world. In either case, the danger lurking in the surrounding area is of the utmost severity, since the seal’s designation is: "0—01". At the summit of the remaining tower of Bayam, the glow on Amun’s single eyeglass gradually fades, returning to normal. This "mistake" gentleman just openly demonstrated his newly acquired extraordinary abilities, clearly showing to every being observing him that He has embraced the uniqueness of "the Door" and thus attained the corresponding authority! He effectively closed off all matters related to the concept of "the Door" across the entire world, intensifying the sense of closure to its fullest extent. As a result, items that were sealed within the Divine Church and the Secret Orders—currently in a state of seal—could not be used for a short period, since no one could unlock the seals. Even if true deities descended from the stellar realms, they might still need some time to overcome these limitations. Consequently, Amen excluded the vast majority of the Level-0 sealed items from the upcoming divine conflicts, no longer needing to account for such disruptions. Certainly, the influence exerted over the entire world through the exercise of authority cannot be sustained for long unless Mr. Amun dedicates all his focus to this matter. That is precisely why he did not act in advance—only upon observing the disturbance in Caine's anchor did he suddenly initiate action. ...within the hidden realm of the "Goddess of Night." Under the successive impacts of the revived consciousness of "Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun" and the self-awareness, as well as the mental imprints of Antigonus, Caine's consciousness—like a ship caught in a storm—was repeatedly lifted, dashed down, eroded, and shoved sideways. His thoughts became profoundly disordered, nearly splitting into two distinct personas: one identified as Antigonus, the other as the "Mysterious Master." Meanwhile, his corporeal extensions had lost their coherence, teetering on the brink of collapsing into a swirling mass of worms, while only the secret doppelgänger remained, currently simply standing motionless, unguided and unattended. The continuous prayers and praises from his disciples resonated in Caine's ears, forming corresponding mental images. This served much like a dam, desperately holding back the surging flood. For this situation, Caine wasn't entirely unfamiliar—having become a "Mysterious Servant" and absorbed the extraordinary traits of Charathu, he had experienced something very similar. Thus, with the aid of the anchors, having just navigated through the initial chaos, he skillfully guided Antigonus's self-perception and spiritual imprint toward the will of the revived "Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun," allowing the two to erode and entangle one another. The sweeping "spirit storm" weakened considerably, and Caine's self-awareness finally gained a moment of respite. Without fully calming the situation, he immediately introduced the numerous divine forms embodied by the anchors into the ongoing conflict between the two spiritual contaminations, striving to establish a new equilibrium. Yet this proved less smooth than before—compared to Charathu, Antigonus's spiritual imprint was notably more resilient, intense, and frenzied, given that he was an angelic king who embodied uniqueness and was known as half a "Fool." Moreover, Caine had also appropriated the other's identity and destiny. This brings about two additional negative effects: his personality constantly teeters on the brink of fragmentation, frequently feeling himself as Antigonus, striving to integrate the other's mental imprint with his own consciousness; he inherits Antigonus's fate of growing uncontrollably erratic and mentally unsteady, with his entire body progressively collapsing under relentless pressure—this results in an overwhelming amount of mental contamination. Moreover, Antigonus's mental imprint and the emerging will of "Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun" are not entirely at odds; in certain localized areas of conflict, and in several aspects, signs of integration emerge, suggesting they may have originated from a single, unified existence. This initially confirms a conjecture made by Klein—that as a naturally born mythic being, Antigonus is born with an inherent "Tianzun" consciousness. When he ascends to the rank of "Mysterious Servant," this issue becomes significantly more pronounced, prompting an imperceptible transformation within him. When He embraced the "Fool's" uniqueness, madness seemed to become one of His very faces. That is, Antigonus, even before his complete collapse, was already, in spirit, a kind of amalgamation—his self-awareness and spiritual imprints bore partial affinities to the "Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun," which could not be separated during the act of "seizing." In comparison, Zarathustra's spiritual imprints were much cleaner, with only a small portion belonging to the "Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun," the rest stemming from the intense emotions he expressed in his final moments. Their differences stemmed not only from Antigonus's additional embrace of the "Fool's" uniqueness, but also from the fact that Antigonus became a "Mysterious Servant" at the dawn of the Fourth Age, when the Tian Zun's will had yet to wane to the level of late Fifth Age. A new equilibrium remained elusive, and Kline's collapse accelerated relentlessly: his body was now largely composed of translucent, writhing worms, extending outward in one after another slick, eerie tendrils. As he desperately clung to his self-awareness, tirelessly seeking a new equilibrium, his collapsing body, Antigonus's frenzied spirit, and the resurgent will of "Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun" simultaneously entered a state of deep slumber. This caused all the changes to abruptly halt, reverting everything back to normal. Meanwhile, Caine's self-awareness, thanks to its unique resilience against dreams and mental invasions, maintained a thread of clarity during this slumber. This—yes, I have stolen not only Antigonus's fate of uncontrolled madness, but also his current state of eternal slumber—yet I myself possess a certain capacity to resist slumber. Caine grasped that thread of clarity and gained a clear understanding of the present situation. To him, this was an opportunity. Only now did he fully comprehend why the "Goddess of Night" required the waters of the "River of Eternal Darkness" as a medium to attempt this. This is not only because it is difficult to temporarily place both the unique Angelic King and the "Mysterious Sovereign" stirring within Him into a state of eternal slumber, but also because the state of slumber is highly advantageous for Kline—it creates an ideal environment where only a single thread of his will remains active, while all other disturbances are fully dormant! At the same time, Kline has confirmed one point: his ability to remain conscious during dreams and when his mind is invaded is not solely due to the special qualities of the "Source Fortress," since the "Fu-Sheng-Xuan-Huang Heavenly Sovereign" within him has also now entered slumber. Although this "Mysterious Sovereign" has only recently begun to awaken, His dignity and connection to the "Source Fortress" are clearly stronger than Kline's current state—indeed, He cannot fully resist the encroachment of slumber, so why can Kline? Therefore, Kline believes that part of his unique ability in this regard stems from the blessing of the "Night Goddess," a gift he received at birth. The blessing bestowed by the true god who holds authority over the realm of dreams, combined with the added essence, strength, and divine qualities of "The Source Citadel," forms this unique phenomenon. A gentle, ethereal song seems to rise from the depths of the dream, further deepening Claren's awareness. Without hesitation, he immediately adjusted the dormant imprints and pollutants within his body, achieving a new equilibrium. Then, he extended slender, smooth tendrils adorned with strange patterns, drawing upon the power of "The Source Citadel" to silently extract the singular essence of "The Fool" from within Antigonus. Perhaps because he now embodied Antigonus himself, this extraction succeeded without any setbacks: a semi-transparent mask inscribed with the symbol of "The Fool" soared out of Antigonus's body! The man with a coarse, black wolf's mane remained asleep, as if in eternal slumber. At the same time, the hazy mist dispersed, and ethereal starlight poured into the hall. This ancient palace appeared suddenly, out of the dark and mysterious Stellar Realm, rising atop the summit of the Honachis Mountain range. The hidden had been revealed; fate began to intertwine. At the now-unveiled Sacred Land, upon a mountain peak, a vast cross revealed a faint, ethereal shadow curtain, which parted to reveal a man. He wore a simple white robe and had a dense mass of golden beard. He was Adam. Behind him, closely adhering, was a dense shadow bearing five heads. This shadow partially merged with Him, yet had not yet fully become one. Adam looked up toward the Star Realm, where authority and symbols had twisted and transformed, and smiled calmly to the shadow behind him: "Apparently, they still don't know why I have chosen to establish my foundation upon the concept of the 'Idealist' this time. I have never shared this discovery with anyone else." As soon as he finished speaking, His expression grew solemn and resonant: "I am One, and I am All. I am the beginning, and I am the end." His eyes suddenly became ethereal, and a vast sea of colors and possibilities rose around Him, as if embracing all hues and potentials. Adam then lifted his hand and grasped the silver cross pendant hanging at his chest. Instantly, a blazing yet ethereal sun burst forth above His head, while on His left, lightning, gales, and waves intertwined to form a majestic, all-seeing silhouette. On His right, a towering white spire, adorned with numerous bronze eyes, rose majestically. These imagined authorities and symbols, propelled one by one by the turbulent sea of chaos, flowed into Adam's body. Finally, the shadow pressing closely against Adam's back also merged into His form. With a tremendous surge, the sea of all colors and possibilities rose high, and Adam expanded into a magnificent, luminous light capable of supporting the heavens and the earth. This radiant light moved slowly across the chaotic, dark "waters," raised its hand toward the stellar realm, and solemnly proclaimed: "Let there be light!" Instantly, the entire stellar realm came alive, revealing no further secrets, and even the intangible barrier that had previously separated the Earth-corresponding region from the complete stellar realm and the entire universe became clearly visible. At this moment, countless faces of unimaginable terror pressed against the transparent, crackled barrier, silently observing the unfolding scenes within.