Chapter 48: The Prophet's Dream

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, far faster than one could possibly imagine.

Nangong Rin’s perpetually emotionless expression rare in showing a trace of astonishment, though she quickly recovered her calm, as if that momentary fluctuation had merely been an illusion.

She looked up at the grey, overcast sky. Clark’s figure was long gone from her field of vision, and naturally, she had missed the brilliant explosion that had unfolded in the silent vacuum of space.

Shifting her gaze to the figure standing with hands behind his back on the mountaintop below, her form flickered slightly before she landed gracefully beside Bai Yujing, saying softly, "Thank you."

Had Bai Yujing not intervened in time just now, she very well might have capsized in the gutter.

Primarily, she had not expected that Clark, who initially appeared to possess only the strength of the early Integration Realm, could instantaneously skyrocket his offensive power to the Mahayana Realm.

If that self-detonation had truly occurred right here, and without any pre-arranged defensive formations relying solely on spellcraft to tough it out, Nangong Rin would have found it impossible to escape unscathed.

After all, her primary mastery lay in the Dao of formations; when facing formidable enemies of the Mahayana Realm, she always relied on exquisite arrays to counter them.

She only used direct spellcraft when dealing with adversaries below the Mahayana Realm.

"It was my fault for underestimating the enemy just now."

She candidly admitted her miscalculation.

"You are not to blame."

Bai Yujing smiled and said, "Even I did not expect his strength to climb to such a degree instantly.

The demonic eye provides far too strong an augmentation to the Apostles."

"I have previously crossed paths with a demonic-eyed fiend. It seems he did not use his full power back then."

Pausing for a moment, she offered another possibility, "Or perhaps that demonic eye and Clark’s superpower were simply too compatible, producing such a massive enhancement effect."

If it was the latter... A sudden new thought popped into Nangong Rin's mind.

Perhaps she should not be pondering how to create heterogeneous superpower users, but instead figure out a direct way to become a heterogeneous superpower user herself.

After all, the upper limit of heterogeneous superpower users was terrifyingly high; she did not necessarily have to stubbornly grind away at her past cultivation path.

This thought made her heart skip a beat, and she began to rapidly consider the possibility of her own transformation.

Bai Yujing took out his phone and swiftly issued instructions to the other four legion commanders, ordering them to suspend their operations.

The strength displayed by the Apostle far surpassed that of the legion commanders; he or Nangong Rin would have to take action personally.

***

The northern part of the Eighth Administrative District was a vast, boundless desert.

Even at just 7:36 in the morning, the blazing sunlight had already dyed the sea of sand a dazzling gold-white, and the temperature had climbed to 35°C.

Heatwaves distorted the scenery in the distance, and the dry air was thick with the dust scent of fine sand being scorched by the heat.

Hidden inside a sand dune approximately two hundred and fifty meters high was a comfortable space imbued with a strong sense of modern technology.

The floor was paved with mirror-smooth black tiles, reflecting the soft LED light strips embedded in the ceiling. The cool white light diffused silently, enveloping the entire space in a tranquil aura.

The Prophet sat alone on a soft sofa, communicating silently with the other Apostles through the unique connection shared among the demonic seeds.

"Clark has detonated himself."

"His penchant for explosions was always bound to invite death. As it turns out, eternity is the true art."

"Indeed, everything would have been fine if he had just obediently left."

"When it comes to one's own persistence, no one easily backs down. The very reason we were resurrected by the gods is because of the extremely intense obsession deep within our hearts."

"That is correct. There is no need to excessively chastise Clark. As long as we act according to our own plans, we will achieve our respective pursuits."

The Prophet ended this brief conversation.

He had merely intended to announce the news of Clark's death, not to criticize him.

A cup of steaming coffee was gently placed on the table before him.

It was Dylan who had brought the coffee.

Her short, azure-blue hair resembled polished metal, slightly veiling the curves of her ears.

Her pretty cheeks were painted with delicate light-purple eyeshadow, and her eyes emitted a bewitching yet icy sheen under the lights.

"With Clark’s character of fearing nothing short of global chaos, he undoubtedly spilled the intelligence regarding the Apostles before he died."

Her voice was cold and clear, like melting ice springs from the peak of a snowy mountain.

The Prophet picked up the coffee, blew on it gently, and said expressionlessly, "It does not matter.

Even if Nangong Rin modifies her cognition at this moment, it will not produce the slightest impact on the gods' descent plan. She is already useless."

"The Sage was able to precisely locate Clark’s hiding place, which means he has already cracked the data on the computer.

That list of dignitaries associated with us has likely been exposed as well."

The Prophet took a sip of coffee, his tone remaining calm and unruffled as he said, "Once this batch dies, we simply find the next batch.

The combination of immortality and eternal power is an irresistible temptation in this world to those dignitaries."

With that, the corners of his mouth hooked upward into a trace of cold mockery. "Even if it is a lie, they will willingly and gladly believe it."

Dylan had only mentioned this out of her duty of remembrance. Seeing that he already had a well-laid plan in his heart, she turned to ask another, deeper question: "Can we defeat the Sage?"

To this question, the Prophet did not answer immediately.

His fingers unconsciously and gently stroked the warm ceramic wall of the cup.

After a long period of contemplation, he slowly spoke, "I do not know."

The Prophet loathed those greedy and insatiable dignitaries.

Yet toward the Sage Bai Yujing, he held a profoundly complex reverence deep within his heart.

In his view, there was no existence in this world more perfect or more powerful than the Sage.

Yet even such a perfect Sage had an opponent that could not be completely defeated.

That was not some specific individual, but an existence akin to a concept: the malice of humanity.

Throughout the torrential flow of a five-thousand-year history, the Sage had constantly battled against human malice.

Corrupt bureaucrats, overbearing superpower users, greedy capitalist conglomerates, psychologically distorted criminals...

The Sage had never lost a single battle, but human malice had never truly vanished from the world either.

The Prophet never thought he could surpass the Sage.

Therefore, he chose another extreme path in an attempt to realize that unprecedented "peace."

To completely eradicate all individual differences from a physical standpoint.

As long as everyone became a part of the gods, there would naturally be no more strife in the world.

All wills would merge into one.

To outsiders, this method was cruel and insane, but the Prophet had already truly experienced that feeling.

It was a beauty beyond description.

He was also the only one among the upper echelons of the Eternal Cult who had not been resurrected by the gods after death, but rather had gained the gods' highest favor while still alive, bestowed with the Six Paths Divine Eye of supreme might.

"The Sage's strength is unfathomable, and so are the gods. I cannot say who will win or lose, but even if my body is shattered to pieces, I will never retreat."

His voice was very soft, yet carried an unquestionable resoluteness, like a blade sinking silently into the sand.

Dylan fell silent.

She actually did not care about those grand goals and ideals.

Yet as long as the Prophet was determined to do it, she was willing to pour out everything she had to accompany him by his side.

For her, the Prophet was her entire world.

Everything else was entirely inconsequential.