Chapter 632: Relief

Moon Goddess Rabbit remained in the state of 'Unity of Heaven and Man' for a full seven minutes before waking with a start. She then discovered that around her were filled with stone walls of various shapes, totaling over a hundred and twenty—actually, it might be more accurate to call them stone mountains. Since the shockwaves and radiation had completely calmed down not long ago, they had completely enveloped the two of them. In short, they had buried themselves.

"I guess I overdid it?"

Moon Goddess Rabbit wanted to joke with Li Mochen, but then felt dizzy and fainted on the spot. Those seven minutes of 'Unity of Heaven and Man' had consumed all her energy and soul power.

And the divine authority of 'Vitality' that Li Mochen wielded was more focused on the physical level, so he couldn't help her much in this regard.

Moreover, the reason the girl could maintain that state for seven minutes was because he had used all the mythical treasures in his possession that could instantly restore spiritual power.

"No!"

Li Mochen laughed and flicked his sleeve, using a surge of magical power to lift Moon Goddess Rabbit, and at the same time, he pointed at her brow to help repair her spirit.

"I reckon you'll regret it after a while—regret not holding on a bit longer."

He said this with a tone of regret. The peculiar state Moon Goddess Rabbit had just entered was something seen once in a thousand years.

You see, earlier, to help Moon Goddess Rabbit master the high-level 'Earth' and mid-level 'Guardianship' divine authorities, he had spent a full seventeen million strands of merit. But just now, Moon Goddess Rabbit pushed the high-level 'Earth' divine authority to the ultimate limit, close to the level of pseudo-truth, and raised the mid-level 'Guardianship' to the middle of the ultimate level, costing Li Mochen only twenty million strands of merit. Beyond that, all of Moon Goddess Rabbit's divine authorities related to defense and earth—such as 'Earth Movement,' 'Earth Spirit,' 'Solidity,' 'Indestructibility,' 'Magic Resistance,' 'Defense,' etc.—were all elevated to high level.

This was a divine authority level without any external force, meaning that Moon Goddess Rabbit now had almost no weaknesses. As long as she raised her divine rank, she would be a genuine 'Angel King,' and one with extremely powerful combat capabilities among 'Angel Kings' and 'Chief Gods.'

And the merit Li Mochen consumed was negligible—less than seventy million strands!

But based on his past experience, given Moon Goddess Rabbit's existing talent, it would have taken three hundred to five hundred million strands of merit to achieve this effect.

"Regret?"

Moon Goddess Rabbit thought for a moment, then showed a pained expression: "Master, you should have reminded me. If I had known earlier, I would have held out a bit longer."

But this was a paradox. If Li Mochen had reminded her, it would have definitely awakened her from that peculiar state, and then there would have been no further insights.

"You should be content."

Li Mochen clicked his tongue: "Isn't reaching the top in one step enough for you?"

"But Master also said that human desires are endless. If I had held on a bit longer, I might have reached the Profound, no, the Gate of Truth."

Moon Goddess Rabbit sighed for a while, then composed herself and looked around: "So, we've succeeded now, haven't we?"

She had originally been eager to make a dash for the seventeenth-level divine rank. The divine authorities and foundations she now possessed could support a divine rank below nineteen.

The reason she didn't plan to climb higher was that her remaining 'Caution' told her to steady herself, and also because her master Li Mochen's divine rank was only seventeen.

But then Moon Goddess Rabbit realized that her soul power was severely insufficient, so it was best to wait until her condition recovered.

As Moon Goddess Rabbit turned her attention to the outside world, she found that the rampaging energy here had indeed initially calmed down, and the great power from heaven and earth was repairing this severely damaged space.

At the same time, the divine thoughts of the gods had shifted away from them, apparently having lost interest, or rather, not daring to continue 'offending.'

In this world, there were not many who could afford to provoke them. The reason they had been so bold earlier was simply that they were convinced Li Mochen would be severely injured or even destroyed by this reckless act.

"Almost!"

Li Mochen flashed with Moon Goddess Rabbit, leaving the stone mountain island she had created and arriving above the sea surface.

"The shockwaves have basically been neutralized by us, or forced further south. But about 495 trillion tons of TNT equivalent of kinetic energy was transmitted into the ground."

"495 trillion tons?"

Moon Goddess Rabbit raised an eyebrow, then happily curled her lips.

She knew that the threshold for a magnitude 13 earthquake was 500 trillion tons. This was still a terrifying force—after all, a 10-kilometer asteroid impact on the ground only released 20 trillion tons of TNT equivalent.

Thus, Moon Goddess Rabbit was filled with a sense of achievement. This terrifying power, enough to kill a God King, had ultimately been blocked by them for the most part, neutralizing at least ninety percent.

She completely ignored the contributions of the Lord of Radiance and Noah's Ark, only happily thinking that after this incident, her master's faith in the mortal world would surely become more stable and stronger.

And the divine court her master had established would surely attract more gods to join.

"The transmission of seismic waves takes time, but the results detected off the coasts of Australia and South America are magnitude 8 and 9, respectively. It is estimated that the earthquake level across Australia will be around 6.7, weakening from south to north. The only thing to worry about is the tsunami; fortunately, it can be prevented."

Li Mochen didn't mention the prediction for South America. He had few believers on that continent, only 120 million people, most of whom were concentrated in the north, in Mexico and Brazil, which were more influenced by America, and almost all were upper-class figures, so the overall impact was not significant.

At this moment, he had already cast his gaze deep into the world's origin.

"I know you must be very tired now, but stay here with me and watch. This is a rare opportunity—eight God-King-level beings contending for the authority of the world's source core."

He had long been paying attention to the struggle among these God Kings. Their clash at the origin had opened his eyes wide. Not only did he learn a lot from them, but he also got a glimpse of the mysteries behind the Gate of Truth.

In the past, even if Li Mochen used the merit purple qi to stand directly before the Gate of Truth, it was difficult for him to access these deepest principles and mysteries of the origin.

But today, the collision of two worlds and the struggle and tug-of-war among eight God Kings caused violent fluctuations in the world's source core, giving him an opportunity.

This was an excellent chance for everyone to access the origin, but the gains varied.

Li Mochen was certain that no one in this world could match him.

First, not many could stand at the threshold of the Gate of Truth and look inside. Those who, like him, possessed four strands of merit purple qi and maximized their insight were even rarer.

Beyond that, Li Mochen also had the 'Divine Sky Luck Purple Gold Pagoda' and the 140 million strands of merit spiritual light on the pagoda to assist him.

In fact, he was already burning merit to help him illuminate the principles of the origin.

"Forget it, I'm dizzy!"

Moon Goddess Rabbit only watched for a while before feeling dizzy. She knew it was because her soul power had not recovered much yet, so she decisively withdrew her gaze.

"Master, aren't you going to participate?"

Only after reaching this level did Moon Goddess Rabbit deeply feel Li Mochen's power.

She guessed that her master's 'Fate' and 'Time Sequence' must have reached the level of pseudo-truth. With the rank of these two divine authorities, Li Mochen clearly had the qualifications to join this struggle.

"I'd love to, but even having this thought now is foolish."

Li Mochen shook his head: "I guarantee that the moment I join in, they will first join forces to eliminate me. But now, no matter which side, they have to reconsider their attitude toward us."

Moon Goddess Rabbit thought carefully, then nodded: "Master is right. That is indeed foolish."

She knew that Li Mochen's growth rate in this world was enough to make any pantheon or god wary.

The reason Odin and others had been able to endure until now was that Li Mochen had always maintained the ability to deter them, and they were unwilling to expend too much power before the real war began.

But if Li Mochen also had the strength to join in, that would be a completely different situation.

"My power is still insufficient. Compared to Odin and Zeus, I am still too thin. We need time."

Li Mochen continued to gaze at the origin, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "Be patient. The one who takes the first step may not win. Look, Gaia almost made it to the end, but her situation is now very bad."

Another one in a bad state was the Lord of Radiance. In Li Mochen's perception, both he and Gaia had become targets of joint attacks by the other parties.

So now a peculiar phenomenon had occurred: these two enemies who had been fighting for thousands of years were now joining forces to face the enemy, and they were quite默契.

Moon Goddess Rabbit didn't ask how bad Gaia's situation was. Her attention was drawn to another world nearby.

Right before her eyes, a wound three kilometers wide was left at the junction of the two worlds. The power from the world's origin had not fully repaired it. The forces of the two worlds had surrounded this 'wound' like amber, solidifying it.

It was expected that in the future, war would break out between the two worlds.

Odin's army from the 'Beast World' would surely pour into the Light World. And the human nations here would certainly not sit idly by while those alien races invaded or even destroyed their civilization.

Then, over time, this 'wound' would grow larger until the 'Beast World' completely squeezed in, becoming one or two new continents.

But when Moon Goddess Rabbit looked deep into the 'Beast World,' she saw only devastation. Within the 5,000-kilometer limit of her vision, there were no living things at all.

※※※※

While Li Mochen and his servant at the southern end of the Pacific began to observe the changes caused by the world collision and the fierce battle within the world's origin, at the Sanctuary Fortress east of Melbourne, Australia, everyone felt the ground shaking violently, as if the mountains were toppling and the earth was splitting.

But at this moment, instead of panic, everyone showed joy.

"It's been measured! It's only 6.4 here, only 6.4!"

"Great Lord! My home in Melbourne is finally safe."

"I told you, the Dominator will protect us. Other gods think we are sinful and should be eliminated. Only the great Dominator says that mortal civilization is shining with spiritual light."

"Damn evil gods! Damn great catastrophe! Let them try to kill us!"

"Just as the Lord said, the great catastrophe will come, but He will not allow disaster to befall His believers."

Dandy Granger was also overjoyed. A magnitude 6.4 earthquake meant that the glass in his house would be intact. The building he lived in was said to be able to withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes. The magical array there ensured that everything inside the building would remain intact in earthquakes below magnitude 6.5.

"If I had known it would be like this, we could have stayed home. It would have saved a lot of money and been more comfortable."

Mrs. Granger began to lament the over a thousand Australian dollars they had spent: "Damn those evil gods and damn experts. We shouldn't have listened to them. They scared me to death."

Then she clasped her hands together: "With the merciful Lord protecting us, there's nothing to worry about. This land, this country, is the country protected by my Lord."

Dandy couldn't help but laugh: "You forgot that coming to the Sanctuary Fortress for refuge was an oracle from the Dominator. I guess even our Lord wasn't absolutely certain at that time."

In Dandy's view, this only highlighted the greatness of the 'Dominator of Fate.' He thought that no god in the world would be willing to take such a risk for mortals like them, including the Lord of Radiance.

"So, can we go back?"

Their child, Loya Granger, said with anticipation: "The earthquake is over, right? It should be safe now?"

He was tired of staying here. He missed his game console at home, his computer, and his TV.

His sister Clemmy muttered softly: "I think we can stay a bit longer."

In the girl's eyes, the Sanctuary Fortress had water and electricity. Although the conditions were simple, it was more fun than the cold city. She had met many people here and made some friends, like the Holder sisters. She didn't want to leave them so soon.

But no one in the family considered her opinion. The Grangers were also quite tempted.

"Go back?"

Dandy Granger began to seriously consider it. But at that moment, Rebecca Holder, wearing a volunteer uniform, rode past them on a bicycle and spoke through an electric megaphone.

"Everyone, please note that there will still be a demonic calamity later. Please be sure to stay inside your tents! Most of our armed believers have to go to the walls, so we can't spare much manpower to patrol the camp for now."

She said with confidence: "Don't worry about your safety! The Sanctuary Fortress is sturdy, as you have seen, right? Those dark creatures and devils can't get in. No one can violate the land protected by the Dominator of Fate. If you are still afraid, you can pray to the Lord and chant hymns—"

"Demonic calamity?"

Dandy Granger's expression immediately turned serious. He had almost forgotten that in the prophecies of the gods, after the great catastrophe, there would be a 'demonic calamity' that could kill the remaining one-third of Australia's population.

The next moment, he heard a crisp cracking sound. Countless black fissures suddenly appeared in the sky. Boundless demonic energy surged violently in this world, as if the world was on the verge of collapse.

This scene caused many people present to scream, and panic spread again in the camp. Even Mrs. Granger's face turned pale with fright. She clasped her hands together again and quietly recited the prayers of the Church of Fate.

But Dandy keenly noticed that those black fissures were blocked by a powerful force at the periphery of the Sanctuary Fortress. Only inside the fortress were there no fissures.

"No need to panic, everyone! This is a superposition phenomenon caused by the violent oscillation of the space walls between the Dark World and the Light World after the world collision. It won't last long—the bishop said at most half an hour. Please look at our fortress walls; they are intact, and there are no spatial cracks inside. So the interior of the Sanctuary Fortress is safe. Let me say it again: no one can violate the land protected by the Dominator of Fate! And the holy warriors and knights under my Lord will crush those demonic creatures."

Rebecca spoke loudly again, then pedaled hard and continued forward on her bicycle.

Her words not only comforted Mrs. Granger but also calmed others nearby.

Regarding the demonic calamity after the great catastrophe, most people had some understanding from TV and the propaganda of heretics. They knew that the superposition of space walls itself would not cause much harm to this world. The trouble was that many dark creatures would take the opportunity to cross over, and devils and demons from hell and the abyss would find it easier to enter the mortal world.

"Let's go inside! We can't cause trouble for the church."

Dandy took one last look at the city walls. The three layers of walls, twenty-five meters high and fifty meters thick, along with the dense magical arrays and numerous heavy weapons on them, gave him ample confidence.

He thought this place was probably much safer than Melbourne, even though there was a sizable magic tower array above Melbourne.

Loya Grance was reluctant; he actually wanted to stay outside and take a look. If possible, he would have liked to go up to the city wall to see the situation.

But in the end, the big boy, still grumbling, ducked into the tent: "Those damned heretics, they all deserve to die!"

Even thinking with his heels, Loya could guess that those heretics would surely take the opportunity to cause trouble.

When most of the church's armed forces needed to defend the outer side of the wall, the garrison inside the fortress would certainly be greatly weakened. Staying inside the tent was the wisest move and the greatest help to the church.

But then, Dandy saw Rebecca's father, Smith Holder, and his wife, Colena Holder, both fully armed, walk out of a nearby tent.

Dandy couldn't help but glance sideways at them. Smith Holder noticed his surprised look and smiled back at him: "As you can see, Dandy, I've signed up for the church's militia."

Then the man shrugged and gave a bitter smile: "Hard to believe, right? But I've just thought it through—this is probably the best way to protect our families. As Father Uhtred said, the church's strength is always limited. Those of us who are capable need to take up arms and join in. Only then can we ensure everyone's safety to the greatest extent."

Dandy's expression shifted slightly, a hint of envy in his eyes. But in the end, he sighed softly and ducked into the tent.

He was not like Mr. Holder, who, though a civil official in the city government, had been, like his wife, an enthusiast of magical professions and combat in his youth, and was now a ninth-level magical professional.

He was far richer than Dandy; the equipment the couple wore was most likely the 'Knight'-class bio-armor produced by the Rising Sun Company.

This gear was not only expensive, costing tens of thousands of gold shields, but also required special channels to purchase. With these two suits of armor, the couple's combat power reached the outlaw level. In Australia, that was no small strength.

For the next seven hours, Dandy's family spent the entire time in the tent. Outside the Sanctuary Fortress, artillery roared and machine guns fired incessantly.

But inside the fortress, as Rebecca had promised, it was very calm. During that time, no monsters managed to enter the Sanctuary Fortress. Even when there were occasional disturbances, they were quickly suppressed with the help of the church's paladins, battle priests, and civilian militia.

This was clearly due to stable morale. At such a time, only brainless fools would be swayed by the heretics.

So after the first two hours of anxiety, the Grance family completely relaxed. They could tell that the sounds of artillery and gunfire always remained at the outermost edge of the fortress, and the roar of heavy cannons was not too intense. Clearly, the battle outside was still under control.

The key was that the fortress's broadcast constantly reported the battle situation outside the walls. Volunteers also patrolled the camp with electric megaphones, tirelessly maintaining order and calming people's nerves.

Loya and his sister even felt in the mood to play Ludo inside the tent. They didn't have to worry about food either; at mealtimes, someone delivered meals to them. Of course, this came at a cost, but no one thought it unreasonable at such a time.

Five hours later, the gunfire outside the walls gradually subsided. By the seventh hour and ten minutes, only a few scattered shots remained.

Only then was the alert lifted inside the fortress.

"I suggest you prepare to stay inside the fortress for a while longer."

After a day of hard work, Rebecca returned and advised them: "You must have heard on the radio, right? Now all over Australia, monsters are everywhere, even the core business district of Melbourne is not spared."

Dandy also realized that the road back to Melbourne might be very dangerous. He frowned: "Is the situation there serious?"

"More serious than you think. At least three demon lords of demigod rank have descended on Melbourne. The city's magic tower array couldn't fully defend. Many dark creatures and demons have entered the city. It's said that over a dozen church sanctuaries have been breached."

Rebecca replied with a bitter smile: "The camp's audiovisual room has reopened. You can go there to watch the news. But not many TV stations are operating right now."

She was in a very bad mood because she knew that the area where she lived had largely collapsed. Fortunately, it was just a rented place, located in a slum in the southern part of the city.

But given the current state of Melbourne, it was unlikely they would find another ideal place to live.

The Grance family was also worried about their own house. After that, they hurried to the audiovisual room. It was already packed with people, all staring intently at the large screen TV at the front. It was showing footage from inside Melbourne, taken from a high altitude, presenting a complete view of the entire city.

What reassured the Grance family was that the building they lived in still stood in southern Melbourne. But the hundreds of smoke columns rising from the city, the dark creatures scurrying through the streets, and the enormous demons made them deeply worried. This second-largest city in Australia had essentially fallen into the hands of monsters.

Many people's faces turned pale. In some clearer images, they saw many human corpses, even severed limbs—

"Why is our Sanctuary Fortress safe?"

Loya Grance was also breathing rapidly and asked in confusion: "Doesn't Melbourne have a magic tower array?"

This was also Dandy's doubt; he was equally puzzled. After all, in terms of defense against monsters, this Sanctuary Fortress was clearly inferior to Melbourne's magic tower array.

"It's spatial overlap. The magic tower array in the city doesn't have the function to prevent spatial walls from overlapping, so it can't stop dark creatures from entering this world. And—"

This was a young man wearing a mage's robe with four gold lines embroidered on the cuffs. As soon as he spoke, he attracted the attention of everyone around.

"I heard that the Lord of Fate, to defend against the calamity, mobilized four thousand legendary combatants from the church and the Rising Sun Group to enter Australia. That means each of the one hundred Sanctuary Fortresses of the Church of Fate has at least forty legends and two or more demigods stationed to guard. Besides that, I heard from my teacher that in the ten hours since the catastrophe began, the battle angels under our Lord, the Calamity Dragon Angel, and many subordinate gods have fought countless battles against those scheming evil gods and demons. You'll learn about this sooner or later from the internet and the news—"

When he said this, he looked around at everyone, including Dandy, with a proud gaze: "So be grateful, everyone. At the onset of the great calamity, you made the best choice! Under the protection of the Lord of Fate, these fortresses are the last pure land on this continent."