The fourth was blue, brimming with a sense of mystery and chill, as if containing countless pieces of knowledge waiting to be discovered. Under absolute reason, it represented absolute madness.
These four ‘things’ were the most powerful and unmatched gods within Hell’s Abyss.
However, their relationship didn’t seem quite right; in a fleeting glimpse, Gu Hang could see their Divine Realms intertwining and eroding each other, engaged in constant conflict.
Gu Hang didn’t know if his guess was correct, but he felt that the struggle between these four gods seemed to matter more to them than invading the real world.
If that were true, then that would be incredibly good news. If the four gods were to unite and attack together, it would be an utter catastrophe for all living beings in the real world.
Beyond these four, Gu Hang saw a fifth presence that was no weaker than them and even faintly stronger, also occupying a corner of the True Realm. Discover exclusive content at empire
That place seemed shrouded by a cold sun.
The blue sun within the Storm God Kingdom, compared to that real frigid sun, was trivial, like a mere speck of dust.
The frigid sun did not bring warmth, but at least it did not exude boundless malevolence at a glance like the domains of the four gods did.
Under the cover of the cold sun, a large area within the True Realm gleamed with golden light. Amid the brilliant radiance, devoid of warmth, it supported an orderly space. A net-like structure secured the majestic sea of Spiritual Energy to that region to operate according to the will of some great being.
Instantly, Gu Hang had a clear guess: that was The Emperor’s Spirit Network!
Almost every legal Spiritual Energy user’s first theoretical lesson is about how, ten thousand years ago, the ascended Human Emperor established the Spirit Network, enabling humanity to use Spiritual Energy much more safely than in the dark ages of the past.
Now, Gu Hang had personally witnessed the truth of this statement.
He had no doubt that the magnificent golden network was the dominion of the Human Emperor, the Spirit Network he built.
Perhaps, similar to those four fearsome Evil Gods, The Emperor himself also sat upon his golden throne, gazing down at his subjects, glaring at all the enemies of humanity.
…
When analyzing the scene imprinted in his mind, Gu Hang was extremely cautious.
The effects of [Iron Will] were constantly in effect, fearing that even the mere recollection of the scene could cause significant harm. He was also prepared to immediately purge this part of his memory should there be any problem.
Fortunately, his caution did not prove necessary. No abnormalities occurred during the recollection process.
While the information he recalled, understood, and analyzed might not all be accurate, at least Gu Hang now had a rough understanding of the general state of the True Realm.
Simply put, it was a situation of one Emperor against the four gods; the four gods in mutual hostility, particularly the red tyrant and the purple lust battling each other, as well as the yellow-green benevolent father and the blue mystery, their internal strife no less intense than their external conflicts; a countless number of Inferior Deities trembling beneath these five great existences, either relying on one of the four gods — Gu Hang did not see any Inferior Deities relying on The Emperor — or being weak and reclusive independents.
And the space occupied by The Emperor, the four gods, and all the Inferior Deities combined did not even account for half of the entire True Realm.
The remaining majority was pure, chaotic, twisted, and void space, filled with terrifying subspace waves. When they swelled into a maelstrom, anything and everything would likely tremble before them.
The lesser Inferior Deities might be tossed about like a leaf in the ocean, easily capsized by the waves; even mighty beings like The Emperor and the four gods would likely have to retract their feelers and proceed with caution amidst the roar of the tumult.
This was the landscape of the True Realm.
Apart from this larger scheme, Gu Hang also noticed something else: the True Realm seemed particularly malevolent towards him, a peculiar ‘Inferior Deity.’
Although he had stealthily glanced at the four gods, causing himself a headache for several hours, the four gods seemed to pay him no heed, much like a giant would not care if an ant thousands of miles away glanced at it; the nearby Inferior Deities presumably hadn’t discovered him.
But the vast expanse of subspace waves, particularly the part near his Divine Realm, seemed rather restless.
Gu Hang felt malevolence.
Despite not knowing where this malevolence originated from or how it might manifest, this was certainly not a comforting message.
But Gu Hang soon stopped dwelling on this matter.
On one hand, he was prepared to meet the enemy’s soldiers with soldiers of his own, and fend off water with earth. On the other hand, he seemed to have found a method: he could control the Storm God Kingdom and drift within the ferocious tidal waves of subspace.
Thus, he set a course, striving to steer the ‘Storm God Kingdom’, this little boat, towards the glittering domain among the five great divine realms.
He didn’t intend to integrate within it, he merely wanted to place the Divine Realm as close as possible to the area suspected to be near the Emperor’s Spirit Network.
Perhaps, the venerable Emperor, seeing Gu Hang’s plight, would lend a hand?
Of course, that was quite a flight of fancy; that icy sun, supremely dignified, would likely not easily do anything.
But even if he couldn’t help, becoming neighbors would at least prevent attacks from both front and rear.
When Gu Hang looked over, only the golden, gleaming Spirit Network region showed no malice towards him.
However, it was still unknown how long it would take for the Storm God Kingdom to drift through the turbulent waves of subspace and get close to the Spirit Network.
Let it drift slowly then.
…
Human Empire, Eastern Cosmos Domain, Tianma Star Sector, Heijian Star.
In this world filled with numerous feudal states, where the productive forces were still in the late feudal era, a war was breaking out in Pincer City, the capital of Luman Kingdom, the third-largest nation on the planet.
Caught in the midst of it, Lacroix didn’t quite understand the logic behind this war.
He had never been adept at these issues, not understanding the reasons or the background of the war, nor what impact or changes it would bring after the war was over.
But he understood at least one thing:
“I’m a soldier, my duty is to complete the mission.” Lacroix said earnestly to Miss Wang Qi, “My current mission is to ensure your safety and escort you to the outskirts of the city to join up with our main forces. So, please cooperate with me.”
Wang Qi felt somewhat embarrassed: “Do you know I’m the mother of your governor?”
“Of course I know, you are of noble status, and I would die before letting any harm come to you.”
“Then listen to me, we need to go back and save those four leaders of the merchant caravans. As long as they are alive, we can secure victory. Initiating a coup during the family meeting, which directly threatens the safety of all the allied caravan leaders, is the best way to settle scores afterward…”
Lacroix shook his head and said, “Miss, I must correct a misconception: I am committed to protecting your safety with my life, but I am not obliged to follow any of your orders. My mission is to protect your safety, and that doesn’t include anyone else.”
Wang Qi became anxious: “Why can’t you understand?!”
Lacroix paused before continuing, “Indeed, I don’t understand why you noble people, who can consume in one feast what some commoners can’t save in their entire lives, would fight each other to the death; I also don’t understand how the survival or death of those four fleet masters you mentioned will influence the current situation. But to be honest, I don’t want to understand any of that.”
“I am a soldier of the governor, I fight for the governor, and the governor’s orders are the highest command. The order is clear: protect your life. If circumstances permit, I don’t mind following your commands to do certain things, but at this moment, it’s not possible. Turning back now would severely compromise your safety.”
Wang Qi was so angry she wanted to say more, but the next moment, her expression drastically changed!
She saw, at the end of the alley, the emergence of a steel giant.
She wasn’t the sort of woman who would be frightened into helplessness, but just as she was about to warn Lacroix, the young soldier who might have been even younger than her son acted first.
Lacroix pushed Wang Qi into a house with already picked locks while avoiding several rapidly fired 12.7 caliber bullets, and after running a few steps along the brick and stone walls, he fired simultaneously with the grenade launcher in his hand!