Chapter 159: God of Dawn (4)
“This is a fragment of the Gate of Angels,” the God of Dawn told Lynn.
The Gate of Angels?
Lynn's expression shifted slightly.
He looked at the snow-white cloud in the God of Dawn's hand.
It looked incredibly pristine. The pure white cloud resembled a piece of flawless jade.
To think this was actually a fragment of the legendary Gate of Angels.
He had heard the Gate of Angels was a vital treasure to the Angel Race, much like the Elven Mother Tree was to the Elven Race.
Opinions varied on the Gate of Angels' true function. Some claimed the Angel Race was born through it.
Others claimed it could purify angelic bloodlines.
There were simply too many legends surrounding the Gate of Angels, making it difficult to separate truth from fiction.
But it was undoubtedly a supreme treasure on par with the Elven Mother Tree.
However, the God of Dawn only held a fragment, so its power would be drastically reduced.
“Of course.” Lynn finalized the transaction with the God of Dawn.
If this truly was the Gate of Angels, even a mere fragment held immense value.
Taking the fragment, Lynn placed it into his Storage Ring.
He then brought out another ring. Playing it safe, Lynn didn't open a passage to the Abyss directly through a teleportation formation or another spell. Instead, he used the Ring the academy had given him.
He just didn't know if this academy-granted Ring could still open a path to the Abyss from within the Feilan Plane.
Deciding to test it, Lynn rubbed the Ring.
The Ring's surface glowed, releasing a shower of golden sparks.
The golden sparks began to swirl, instantly forming a circular passage before him.
It opened!
He stepped into the passage and waved to the old priest.
Through this Ring, he could bring one follower into the Abyss.
The old priest looked at the passage, placed his hands behind his back, and unhurriedly followed Lynn inside.
Lynn's feet touched the familiar soil of the Abyss. Behind him, the old priest strolled leisurely out of the passage with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked up, surveying the surroundings with keen interest.
He seemed intensely curious about everything, taking in the sights with a sense of novelty.
“So this is the Abyss that invaded our plane back then,” the old priest muttered to himself.
An inexplicable smile gradually spread across his face.
“How magnificent. What a miracle. Truly marvelous.”
Low chuckles continuously tumbled from his throat.
“Hehehehe...”
“Hahahaha!”
His increasingly unbridled laughter echoed across the empty plains.
“Is this the Abyss? I can feel it. I feel it! Compared to the Abyss, what does the Feilan Plane even amount to?!”
A platinum light gradually welled up within the old priest's black eyes.
The next moment, two beams of white light shot from his pupils, instantly piercing the heavens!
The murky yellow clouds in the sky shattered, briefly revealing the scenery above. It was a bottomless, profound darkness, and within that black void, countless massive shadows were slowly rotating.
Watching the old priest cause such a massive commotion, Lynn's expression remained unchanged.
With a disturbance of this scale, the academy should have noticed by now. Strangely enough, why hadn't anyone arrived yet?
Standing in place, the old priest began to float. His robes fluttered and snapped wildly despite the lack of wind.
From within his loose sleeves, his shriveled yet large hands stretched outward. Wisps of platinum divine power continuously swirled around his body.
Immediately after, the light coiled up his arms like white dragons, shrouding his entire form in an instant.
His levitating white beard danced fiercely, and his pupils had turned entirely platinum.
His body—or more accurately, His divine body—featured a profound platinum halo slowly rotating behind the back of His head.
The surface of his skin cracked and peeled away, revealing a body radiating divinity underneath. Every inch of skin seemed filled with holiness and light.
He had actually descended with His true body!
Only then was Lynn genuinely shocked.
To think the God of Dawn standing before him had descended into the Abyss with His true body. Was He really that bold?!
Lynn clicked his tongue inwardly.
A divine descent, an avatar, and a true body descent were completely different matters.
A divine descent only brought down a fraction of divine will. Even if the physical vessel was destroyed, the worst that could happen was the divine will being captured, expending a certain amount of mental energy. The strength displayed in this state depended heavily on the vessel being possessed.
An avatar, on the other hand, was a body constructed by consuming a portion of divine power and divinity. Though not the main body, it could still exert a certain level of combat prowess.
As for a true body descent, it went without saying. While it boasted the highest combat power, a true body descent was also exceedingly dangerous.
If He died in this state, He would truly perish.
Even if a sliver of divine consciousness remained to resurrect Him countless years later, the one revived might not necessarily be Him, but merely a new god grown from His corpse.
When the God of Dawn revealed His true body, Lynn suddenly felt that the surrounding atmosphere was somewhat off.
A hazy, peculiar ambiance seemed to permeate the air.
Lynn felt suffocated, accompanied by a faint, indescribable sense of dread.
This dread stemmed from the depths of his soul. It was the natural awe that welled up from the bottom of one's heart upon witnessing an indescribable, magnificent existence.
The will of the Abyss had descended!
Lynn felt the surrounding time blur. By the time his consciousness cleared, everything was already over.
The God of Dawn, having reverted to the old priest's form, was standing beside Lynn with a smile.
Lynn had no idea what kind of deal the God of Dawn had struck with the Abyss.
But it seemed to be concluded. Perhaps even his own cooperation with the God of Dawn was merely a part of that transaction.
They returned to the Greater Feilan Plane.
“If I want to spread a faith in a kingdom subordinate to the Radiant Pantheon, do you have any recommendations?” Lynn asked the God of Dawn. After this direct encounter, Lynn's sense of awe toward the deity had significantly diminished.
It was a very bold question—asking a god of the Radiant Pantheon how to poach faith right to His face.
The God of Dawn, back in the guise of the old priest, turned His head with a faint smile.
“Do it in the Blue Sea Empire.”
“Just don't go overboard. I'll dispatch the church's holy knights and the Imperial Army to encircle you, but I won't send any additional forces,” the God of Dawn said. “Consider it a training exercise for my subordinates.”
The peaceful environment of recent years had made them pampered and complacent. It was time to give them a sense of crisis.
Ripples of surprise flickered in Lynn's eyes.
He was actually allowing him to spread faith in the Blue Sea Empire.
That was His very foundation. Such a move was tantamount to digging up His own roots.
Just what did the God of Dawn want?
But whatever the God of Dawn wanted had nothing to do with him, because he wasn't the one receiving the power of faith anyway.
Maesys was like a cow; He ate grass and produced milk.
This matter no longer had much to do with him.
At that thought, a smile naturally surfaced on Lynn's face.
“By the way, do you have anything else you want to ask?” the old priest asked.
Lynn simply shook his head.
He was no longer interested in what would happen next.
He had already gotten the answers he wanted.
The next moment, the old priest's body shuddered slightly, vanishing from Lynn's sight like a bursting bubble.
At the same time, a noisy clamor returned to Lynn's ears.
The sound of a priest reciting scriptures and doctrines continuously echoed around him.
Lynn looked up. It felt as if he had merely been dreaming.
Dreaming that he met the God of Dawn and even took Him on a trip to the Abyss.
The morning sun shone through the church windows. The warm sunlight spilled over him, comfortably toasty.
The slanted sunlight acted like a warm spotlight, falling upon the old priest behind the altar.
The old priest behind the altar finished reciting his final sentence.
“May our great Lord of Dawn protect us forever.”
The numerous believers below echoed in response, “May the great Lord of Dawn protect us.”
Making their way out of the church, the believers behind him also began to leave their seats one by one.
Lynn walked up to the altar. The old priest adjusted his glasses, looking at the spirited young man before him, and asked mildly, “I've never seen you in town before. Are you a traveler?”
“What troubles you? If you are willing to speak of it, perhaps the God of Dawn will protect you forever.”
Looking at the old priest, Lynn surveyed his surroundings.
He looked at the light streaming in from the window, then lowered his gaze to the floor, staring at the shadow beneath the old priest's feet.
Lynn smiled. “My confusion has been resolved.”
The old priest pushed his glasses up in bewilderment.
Though he didn't quite understand, he was still happy that Lynn had resolved his confusion. “May the God of Dawn protect you forever.”