Chapter 588: Ancient God

"Your Highness flatters me! Compared to the era when your mother, the Greek goddess Ananke, reigned, my efforts here are but a drop in the ocean."

Li Mochen shook his head and also glanced at the sky above the tower: "I believe the vast majority of the fate power you sense comes from this 'Longinus Holy Spear.' Additionally, I must thank you, Goddess, for the 'Book of Fate' you gifted me, which has greatly benefited me."

The price the Magic Goddess paid when she first formed an alliance with him was her insights into 'fate.'

Although Hecate is merely the triple goddess of opportunity, she is after all the daughter of Nyx. On the day of her birth, she received many gifts from her mother. Over the millennia, standing on 'opportunity,' she inevitably gained insights into other mysteries of fate through analogy.

Five years ago, Diana transcribed all her knowledge of 'fate' into a strange book and gave it to him.

The price was that Li Mochen and the Wiltons would one day fully support the goddess in building a 'Magic Network'—that is, stripping the authority to cast spells from all spellcasting professions, forcing all people and creatures to cast spells only through the 'Magic Network,' and using the network's power to prohibit the use of high-power forbidden spells and divine rights in the material world.

Of course, Diana's price was far more than that; besides the 'Book of Fate,' she also offered many other things, showing great sincerity.

Li Mochen readily agreed. This was something that would benefit all beings, even though it would suppress the supernatural forces of this world. However, correspondingly, the 'bio-armor' produced by the Rising Sun Group and the series of 'magic-powered armor' from Light Magic Industries would gain even more important positions in the military and the magical profession.

Moreover, considering that this Bright World would become his most important source of faith in the future, Li Mochen had to ensure the safety of the beings and believers of this world under most circumstances.

After all, for Li Mochen, who was about to leave the Bright World as a deity, the level of magical power in the material world was no longer of great importance.

Li Mochen also sensed that the primal force of this world was responding to what Diana was doing. For this world, it was a merit comparable to the Eastern legend of Nüwa mending the heavens.

Li Mochen felt it necessary to get involved, as it would allow the 'Divine Purple Gold Tower of Fortune' to accumulate more merit light.

Although over the past seven years, the multicolored light on the tower had accumulated nearly two hundred thousand strands—despite his heavy use of it for studying fate, the world's roots, natural truths, and forging mythical equipment—Li Mochen still felt thirsty, believing this accumulation was far from enough.

The power of the 'Divine Purple Gold Tower of Fortune' was beyond doubt. As Li Mochen's understanding of fate deepened, he increasingly felt the unfathomable depth of this artifact.

Li Mochen even suspected that within the tower, there might be truth-level divine rights of 'fate' and 'time sequence.'

Yet even so, to use the power of this 'Divine Purple Gold Tower of Fortune' to kill an Angel King, he still needed a vast amount of merit as a foundation.

"Only from the 'Longinus Holy Spear'? But what I sense is far more than that, young Lord Wiltons. Are you underestimating my power as a main god? Or doubting the insight of Nyx's daughter?"

Diana laughed softly, her gaze solemn: "I sense here a power of fate surpassing that of my mother. So I suspect that my little gift to you is likely negligible."

She now understood why Li Mochen stubbornly chose 'fate' as the core of his path. With such extraordinary talent, his choice, no matter how absurd or difficult it seemed to others, could hardly be called 'arrogance.'

Li Mochen said nothing more. Continuing with modest words would be hypocritical, and the West did not favor such formalities. In matters of fate, he was now confident of surpassing Ananke.

If the ancient goddess of fate was indeed, as rumored, only of intermediate divine rank even in her prime—

"As you can see, this is the demiplane of the Fate's Home magic tower. Those dragons I recently invited seem to like it here."

Diana had already noticed the dragons active in this demiplane—twenty-four in total, all adult dragons at the demigod level, including both metallic and chromatic dragons. They had settled their lairs here, with most sleeping. Only a few roamed the planar gaps and the Astral Plane.

This demiplane, forty kilometers in diameter, could not provide them space for free flight, but in the boundless void, they still had places to stretch their limbs daily.

Diana was thoughtful: "So, Your Highness has completed the forbidden spells of the Life and Death domains? Life Permanence? Or Death Forbiddance?"

Diana saw their state clearly: the lives of these twenty-four dragons had clearly reached their end. But their life force was now bound to the Fate's Home magic tower.

As long as the Fate's Home magic tower was not destroyed, these dragons would exist eternally, unless directly killed. This was one of the effects of 'Life Permanence' and 'Death Forbiddance.'

These two forbidden spells were more often used by mages on themselves, making them nearly immortal in battle. However, they could also be used to recruit powerful beings. Through the latter's power, they could cause large-scale destruction, hence they were also classified as 'forbidden spells' by the Magic Association.

These were terrifying spells with nearly unlimited potential. The twenty-four dragons had accumulated over a thousand years; if they did not die, they would eventually become ancient dragons, even primordial dragons.

Yet 'Life Permanence' and 'Death Forbiddance' were also the most difficult forbidden spells to master. They were spells from foreign realms, and no mage in the Bright World had yet mastered them.

"I should say it's a combination of both!"

Li Mochen showed a hint of regret: "Unfortunately, these two forbidden spells can currently only affect demigods, and the number is limited."

The specific number depended on the tower's levels; both Life Permanence and Death Forbiddance currently had only twenty-four slots.

"So, the rest are mages? Speaking of which, I was curious before. Your magic tower's operation seems to be in optimal condition, reaching its maximum potential."

Diana's voice was complex. She almost lost her composure, wanting to complain about Li Mochen. Could forty-eight demigods not satisfy him? Even the U.S. government directly controlled not many more demigods than that.

No wonder the 'Rising Sun-Light Magic' alliance had increasingly disregarded the U.S. government.

Not long ago, Diana had communicated with the Goddess of Liberty. She sensed that even that woman, who loved to stir up trouble, delighted in worldly strife, and enjoyed attacking the Church of Light, had now shown some regret.

"Something like that. But demigod mages are rare in this world, and using them here would be overkill. So I recruited some spellcasters from the Abyss, Hell, and even foreign realms. Their abilities are only slightly inferior to mages."

Li Mochen said, waving his magic to open the tower's gate: "I must apologize, Lady Diana. I can only open the tower to you up to the eighth floor. Above that involves my core secrets."

"Understandable—"

At this moment, Diana's attention was on the edge of the demiplane.

Around the Fate's Home magic tower, there were numerous satellite structures. She saw Rafat de Robespierre's 'Scepter of Destruction,' Conshil Wiltons' 'Crown of Silence,' Jennifer Wiltons' newly built 'Conservation of Energy,' the 'Void Dragon Lair' of the ancient shadow dragon Yvette, the 'Time Wood Boat' of the ancient giant Bartram, and the magic tower 'Universal Matter' of the ancient mage Paracelsus.

Diana thought to herself, indeed, this mage with the title 'First Matter,' who in his prime had strength comparable to Einstein, had ultimately succumbed to the temptation of life.

Although the 'Resurrection Authority' of the 'Longinus Holy Spear' was miraculous, its conditions were quite strict: the soul and body must remain relatively intact. But for Paracelsus, this was not a difficult matter.

Additionally, Diana saw two blood-colored stone coffins of special material in the void. The powerful blood-colored halos outside these coffins dyed a small part of the surrounding void red.

She was not surprised; rumors had long circulated that the vampire progenitors 'Lilith' and 'Cain,' shortly after awakening, were severely wounded and subdued by the young Lord Wiltons, whose strength rivaled a main god.

This could be seen from the recent state of the vampires. Except for the still rebellious Sabbat, all other clans had unanimously shown submission and obedience to the Wiltons.

Adding the temporarily unseen 'Blood-Eyed Angel' Robert Yvonne, 'Disaster Flame Dragon Girl' Hazer Wiltons, the newly promoted demigod 'Void Night Lord' Delfinia Adric, and five ancient vampires—this was the divine domain combat power currently held by the Wiltons, or rather Li Mochen himself.

It was this power, formidable even by the standards of the Church of Light, that forced the Church to swallow the bitter pill of losing the 'Longinus Holy Spear' and still dare not launch a direct counterattack.

"This is the first floor. As you can see, there are eight directions here, each with a mana pool. On the left is a construct production and repair workshop, on the right a basic library, and opposite is a large dormitory and living area that can house about a hundred magic apprentices. Of course, I have no intention of taking apprentices, so this place will remain empty—"

Li Mochen walked toward the stairs, introducing as he went.

Diana's attention, however, was elsewhere. She was more concerned with the magical protection array here, which was typical of Einstein's style—magnificent and grand, fine and rigorous, overall filled with the aesthetic of the Baroque era.

But it was not entirely Einstein's work. As the goddess of magic, Diana could see that about sixty percent of the magic patterns were by another hand. Some parts were logically rigorous but slightly immature, cumbersome, and not refined enough, likely from the mage before her, titled 'Master of Fate.'

However, their overall integration was very harmonious, seamlessly unified, and logically tight with no flaws. Thanks to the eight mana pools on this floor, the power of this magical protection array had reached or even surpassed the level of resisting forbidden spells, estimated to be slightly stronger than her current intermediate divine right of 'Guardianship.'

The problem was that Li Mochen also held various conceptual divine rights of protection. Once he ascended to godhood as the 'War God,' commanding various offensive and defensive divine rights, he could further enhance their effects.

Enemies attacking this magic tower would face the combined effects of the protection array and divine rights such as 'Solidity,' 'Indestructibility,' 'Magic Resistance,' 'Eternity,' 'Unyielding,' and 'Defense.'

Stationed on this floor was a 'Hellfire Steward' from Hell.

This was a powerful type of devil in Hell. Members of this race were either extremely powerful warriors or highly skilled mages. They never formed independent factions in Hell, mostly serving as close attendants in the courts of various Hell lords and even kings. Because of their 'loyalty,' far surpassing other types of devils, they were highly welcomed by Hell monarchs. A demigod-level 'Hellfire Steward' was often the first choice for chief attendant and captain of the guard.

Such a powerful and reliable being was only used to guard the first floor of this magic tower?

"This is far enough, Lord Wiltons."

Diana stopped Li Mochen, who had already stepped onto the stairs: "I can roughly guess the situation above."

In the East, there is a saying about seeing the whole from a part. For her, the Magic Goddess, upon entering this magic tower, she could already deduce four or five tenths of its structure.

But if Li Mochen did not intend to show her the structure above the eighth floor, then continuing upward, Diana doubted she would see much more.

Moreover, Diana knew a bit about avoiding suspicion. A magic tower was a mage's foundation for approaching the source and reaching truth, hiding their most core secrets.

Unless it was an extremely close relationship, they generally would not allow others into the core levels of the magic tower.

Diana only regretted not seeing Li Mochen's 'Crimson Dragon Armor,' unable to know if this mythical equipment had new changes. Besides Kukulkan, had Li Mochen gathered other powers?

But Diana did not insist. She knew that her ally still had some guard against her, an understandable precaution.

"Lord Wiltons, my next action may be somewhat presumptuous, but please believe that I have no ill intentions. Consider this a congratulatory gift for the completion of your magic tower—"

With this, Diana's figure suddenly began to change, manifesting three bodies standing back to back.

The three figures each had different faces, and their auras and essential powers were also different, representing her three aspects: the Goddess of Opportunity, the Goddess of Magic, and the Goddess of Ghosts and Hell.

At this moment, these 'three' deities each held two mythical artifacts: two staves made of red and blue 'divine crystals,' a string of bead necklaces, a rope, a shortsword, and a mace.

She appeared solemn, radiating boundless magical light and divine power, filling the interior of the magic tower. From her mouth came words difficult to understand, moving and pulling the root power of this world, causing the surrounding magical tide to surge violently.

Li Mochen's eyes first narrowed, instinctively flashing a hint of caution. But then he relaxed his guard, watching the scene calmly.

About three minutes later, when Diana withdrew her magnificent divine light and merged her three aspects into one, Li Mochen bowed to her with deep gratitude.

"I did not expect Lady Diana to bestow such divine grace. I am extremely grateful!"

At this moment, all the magic pattern arrays inside the Fate's Home magic tower gained a mysterious power. This made all the array structures inside the tower more solid, smoother, and more powerful.

It was the 'Magic Blessing' of the Magic Goddess Diana, a manifestation of the divine right of magic. It could be understood as a divine-right version of permanent magic, and Diana had expended a great deal of divine power for it.

"No need to thank me, young Lord Wiltons."

Diana smiled and reached out to help Li Mochen up: "As your ally, I am sorry that I cannot directly participate in the possible coming battle, but that does not mean I cannot do my best for you. Besides this blessing, as a goddess of 'Magic,' 'Mystery,' and 'Truth,' I promise that all spells and divine rights used by you and your subordinates in this battle will achieve their maximum effect."

Then her figure turned into wisps of spiritual light and faded away: "Finally, I bless you, young Lord Wiltons. I look forward to the time when I can truly call you 'Your Highness.'"

...

"Is this goddess reliable? I'm a little uneasy—"

After Diana left, Hazer's figure manifested beside Li Mochen.

She had been staying on the top floor of the magic tower, watching the situation below, and only now appeared.

If someone familiar with Hazel were present at this moment, they would find that the girl was completely different from the image she usually presented to the outside world.

Inside Li Mochen's magic tower, her pupils were strikingly red and blue, emitting a strangely captivating flowing light. From her shoulder blades, a pair of reddish-gold wings extended, wantonly releasing the power of ice and fire within the tower.

They roughly maintained balance, but Hazel was clearly unable to perfectly harmonize them. She had to resort to this method to relieve the pressure inside her body.

But what was most astonishing was the golden flame burning beneath the girl's feet. Though it had no temperature, it caused the surrounding void to constantly expand or contract—that was divine fire, a purity far beyond faith and law.

"This magical blessing could indeed become a double-edged sword."

Li Mochen knew what Hazel was worried about: if Diana harbored ill intentions, then the divine 'blessing' permeating the magic tower could become a fulcrum for Diana to attack the wizard's tower.

"The Goddess of Magic is not beyond being bought by our enemies, but there's no need to worry excessively. Her past record of trustworthiness is quite good; she has never betrayed an ally. And if she is smart enough, she will understand that she currently cannot find a more suitable ally than me."

In this regard, Li Mochen was quite confident.

After all, Diana's 'Magic Network' was constructed within the Bright World, and with Diana herself and those high-ranking gods unable to descend in their true forms for various reasons, he, possessing the combat power of a chief god, was undoubtedly a force capable of deciding the outcome.

Moreover, a large part of Diana's Magic Network covering America and the oceans relied on the twelve communication satellites currently launched by Xuri Telephone Network Company, as well as the optical cables, fiber optics, and signal base stations deployed across the country and on the seabed.

If Diana decided to abandon her alliance with him, it would delay the completion of the 'Magic Network' by at least two to three years.

With those 'God-Kings' beginning to return to this world, that was a price Diana could not afford.

"I think so too."

Hazel said with curiosity: "But this woman has great ambition. If she completes the Magic Network, could she become a new God-King?"

"Yes! But only in this world. Of course, that would also help her delve deeper into the mysteries of magic and the arcane."

Li Mochen had gained a deeper understanding of the divine world.

He knew that whether they were gods of faith or gods of law, they all had the qualification to advance to 'God-King' in the Bright World. But their achievements were based on this world; they could not use the power gained from faith and law in this world for the outer realms.

Only those who became gods through physical bodies, that is, ancient gods, could be free from the limitations and constraints of realms. They could exert their power relatively completely in most worlds of the Astral Plane.

However, achieving the realm of God-King through the physical body was very difficult. It required at least one divine authority to reach the true 'Truth' level—a rank above 'High', 'Ultimate', and 'Pseudo-Truth'.

By this standard, Li Mochen could also glimpse the reality of those 'Outer Realm God-Kings'. He estimated that only one or two had truly reached the realm of God-King; the rest mostly relied on the power of the Bright World itself to possess God-King-level strength.

Even Nyx, if she left the Bright World, was expected to have only quasi-God-King strength. Now the Night Goddess was focusing on spreading faith in the outer realms, just like other Outer Realm God-Kings, intending to use her faith and law divine positions in various realms to study the truth of night.

Moreover, the legendary supreme divine position could only be achieved by the so-called 'Ancient Gods' in the West, 'Physical Buddhas' in India, and 'Immortals' in the East. These were beings who had taken one of the three thousand great paths to its extreme.

"That's still impressive. She is also an ancient god, and she will become another Goddess of Liberty or Night Goddess Nyx—"

Hazel sighed softly, a hint of reverie in her eyes: "What is the power of a Truth-level divine authority like? I wonder when I will be able to see the roots of this world like her."

She was already walking the path of divinity, so she deeply understood how vast the gap was between herself and the Goddess of Magic.

The girl had always been filled with a thirst for power, and the world's essence and truth gradually unfolding before her eyes stirred curiosity and longing within her.

Li Mochen smiled at this, then knocked Hazel on the head: "You're overthinking, little girl! Before fantasizing about these things, please first learn to control your own power, OK? Didn't I tell you to go into seclusion? Why did you run out?"

"You said that the path of cultivation requires balance between tension and relaxation; there's no need to be too tense. And—"

Hazel replied confidently, while gazing into the void with a cold, sharp look: "Brother, you're about to advance, right? With so many people watching you, how could I stand by?"

"But in your current state, I can't rest easy."

Li Mochen sighed, his expression slightly helpless as he instructed: "If you insist on fighting, that's not impossible, but you must act together with Robert, maintaining a distance of ten kilometers. Can you do that?"

Hazel had mastered the 'Divine Authority of Ice' and 'Divine Authority of Silence' three years ago. Her talent and comprehension were exceptional, and with guidance from masters like Li Mochen and Conshuri, her progress in these two divine authorities was remarkably rapid.

This was also related to Li Mochen's accelerated nurturing. He had used wish spells more than once to help Hazel study the laws of ice. This allowed her to temporarily balance the power within her and step into the rank of ancient god.

Compared to gods of law and faith, the threshold for the latter was relatively simple—as long as 'power' reached the standard.

This condition was as difficult as reaching the sky for many, but for Hazel, it was no problem at all. Dragons were known for their strength and powerful innate spells, and Hazel, possessing both blue and red dragon bloodlines, could easily cross that line with the help of the 'Dual Element Profound Transformation Method'.

However, after entering the ancient god stage, the sublimated ice and fire powers within Hazel once again fell out of balance. Her mastery and understanding of ice and silence were relatively stable and complete. But in terms of 'flame', 'calamity', and 'misfortune', she showed deficiencies. She was currently working hard to make up for these shortcomings.

So this time, Li Mochen really didn't intend to let her participate. After all, with flaws in her own state, Hazel could easily be exploited by other powerful beings.

Especially the enemy named 'Mephisto', the King of the Abyss, who excelled at exploiting various weaknesses and flaws of his opponents. One of his most powerful divine authorities was 'contradiction' and 'loophole'.

Also, those mages had to be watched. Under the right conditions, these demigods and legendary mages often managed to kill gods beyond their rank.

As for the 'Blood-Eyed Maid' Robert, her power attribute was relatively singular, but because of that, she had honed her divine nature and divine authority to near perfection. Over the past seven years, she had even elevated the 'Divine Authority of Wind' and 'Battle Wind' to the intermediate level. Additionally, she wielded the enhanced 'Fang of the Wind God' and the powerful mythical artifact 'Skull of Itzamna'.

Although Robert had only achieved the rank of a law god, among all his subordinates, the Blood-Eyed Maid was now undeniably the top combatant.

With Robert's care, Hazel's safety was sufficiently guaranteed.

After forcing the reluctant Hazel to nod with a stern look, Li Mochen's figure flickered again. He directly arrived at the top of the magic tower, beneath the dome that reflected the Astral Plane.

At that moment, with a thought from Li Mochen, a projection of a girl began to appear beside him—it was Angela, far away in Manhattan. The moment the projection appeared, the girl, who was practicing spells over there, cast her lively gaze over.

"A Mo, is it starting?"

"I plan to advance half a day early, right now."

Li Mochen spoke while looking up at the dome: "Just a while ago, I sensed some unfavorable changes from the starry sky. So, An Qi, you need to be prepared to handle whatever might happen there on your own. Of course, you can also choose to give up and return to my side. I think I still have ways to stop Michelle's intentions."

"But that would cause massive casualties, right? Possibly exceeding a million."

Angela sighed, her beautiful eyes filled with unparalleled determination: "Don't worry, okay? A Mo, I won't become your weakness! That's the meaning of my relentless pursuit of power over the past seven years. Besides, in Manhattan, I have your allies to turn to. Anthony has already become a powerful mechanical god."

"Then be careful, An Qi!"

Li Mochen did not persuade further. He had made all the necessary preparations. The purpose of this communication was just to remind her.

"Your enemies are not only the Dragon Witch Cult and your father, but possibly also the seven Archangels!"

After ending the communication with Angela, Li Mochen received another communication request. It was from Conshuri—ever since Li Mochen built the Fate Township magic tower to the twelfth floor, his grandfather could no longer bypass the tower's magical energy array to project his magic directly without permission, nor could he spy on the situation inside the tower.

"I sensed that your magic tower has entered combat mode. Is it starting?"

Conshuri looked even younger than seven years ago, and now his eyes were filled with strong anticipation.

"At most half an hour!"

Li Mochen replied calmly: "The likelihood of battle is extremely low. The 'Longinus Holy Spear' and 'Fate Township' are enough to intimidate any chief god. But if they decide to take the risk—"

"Until you have spare capacity, I will take command of the battle."

Conshuri picked up Li Mochen's words, then changed the subject: "So, in your judgment, those powerful beings watching you are more intent on containment? The place where battle is most likely to occur is actually Angela's side? She still insists on going her own way? I have to say, that girl has become your biggest weakness now. I'm already regretting it; the assistance the Michelle Group brings you is smaller than I imagined."

"Must you be so utilitarian, old man?"

Li Mochen looked coldly at him: "Don't underestimate Angela. She is stronger and tougher than you think. If my enemies think she will be my weakness, then I believe Angela will break their claws and teeth. So, don't let me hear such words, old man! They bring back some bad memories."

"Oh?"

Conshuri was slightly surprised. He looked carefully at Li Mochen and found that his expression was serious, not at all like a joke. Instead of getting angry, he raised the corner of his mouth: "I look forward to it! If she can do what you expect, I will apologize to her. But if she can't, I will watch her die in Manhattan, and I will do my best to prevent your subordinates from going to rescue her. Andre, you are destined to sit on the throne of chief god, even God-King. And your spouse, your queen—"

Li Mochen could roughly guess what Conshuri was about to say next. He didn't want to listen anymore and directly ended the magical communication. If the old man thought he could interfere with his arrangements for Angela, he was overthinking.

Then, under the starlight streaming down from the dome, Li Mochen gradually sank his divine will into his body, like a mirror reflecting the entire void around him, even the roots of the world.

At that moment, the blood energy, source power, true essence, and mana within Li Mochen all boiled. Under the guidance of his will, they mingled together and began to coalesce into one.

This was the final step of the Dual Element Profound Transformation Method, and Li Mochen had already stepped over the threshold of the ancient god.