In the illusory history world, within the newly recreated Heopolis, inside the giant pyramid.
Inside the colossal pyramid, on the altar above the abyss, surrounded by countless murals and inscriptions, the 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) remnant from a distant era, the Heaven-Bestowed Saint Vijeta, was at this moment relinquishing her Spirituality amidst a burst of light. Her withered remains were also gradually disintegrating during this process.
"Wait a moment, you just said this Holy Mountain was hidden deep in history using the Judge of Heaven's divinity. So, after you're gone, will it collapse?" Looking at the gradually vanishing Vijeta before her, Dorothy spoke directly, and Vijeta's responding voice echoed through the space.
"That won't happen. Although I am gone, the Surgical procedure (Surgical procedure) I left behind remains. The Spirituality stored within this Holy Mountain is enough to supply the Surgical procedure (Surgical procedure) and continue maintaining the Holy Mountain."
Vijeta responded to Dorothy's question, and Dorothy paused slightly before speaking again.
"Then if I take the divinity away, will the Holy Mountain have to return to reality and be unable to go back into history again?"
"No... What requires divine support is the most crucial hiding and recording ritual. Since the ritual has been successfully held, the Holy Mountain can, under the control of the divine holder, freely manifest in the present world or be recalled into illusory history. However, without divine support, it cannot function normally...
"To completely control this Holy Mountain, you not only need to possess the divinity but also truly reach the Archetype Realm. The gift I give you can only allow you to freely use the divinity for a short period. During this time, you can manifest the Holy Mountain to help you repel powerful enemies. Afterward, if there is still time left in the gift, you can also choose to hide the Holy Mountain back.
"However, if you do this, after my gift ends, you will no longer be able to connect with the Holy Mountain... Because the divine master's divinity is missing from the Holy Mountain, and there is no one from the Archetype Realm presiding over it, all abilities within the Holy Mountain will fall into a dormant state of suspension, including the functions of the entire illusory history, unless you eventually truly reach the Archetype Realm and return here with the divine master's divinity. At that time, the entire Holy Mountain will be yours..."
Vijeta explained in detail to Dorothy about the issues regarding the Judge of Heaven's divinity and the Holy Mountain. After listening, Dorothy understood her meaning.
'In other words... once Vijeta disappears and her gift to me ends, the strange illusory history extraordinary power scattered throughout Buserite will completely disappear, and I will no longer be able to create or enter the illusory history world in Buserite. Unless I myself become a true Golden and return here with the divinity...'
Dorothy nodded silently after understanding Vijeta's meaning, then continued to speak.
"Next, I want to ask you another question. Since I am now the successor designated by the Judge of Heaven, will those four pharaohs outside acknowledge me? Will they believe that I am your successor... and even the successor of the Judge of Heaven in the future?"
Listening to Dorothy's words, Vijeta also seemed to be silent for a moment, then continued.
"This question... in fact, it's hard to say. The one who can clearly know that you are the successor chosen by the divine master... is in fact only me, who clearly received the divine master's oracle. Regarding the information about the foreseen person, they are actually not clear about it. They don't understand that the divine master had already designated their successor before their fall, rather than planning for their own recovery.
"Among them, there are some who still think that the divine master will return after a long period of time since their fall. They will certainly accept the return of the divine master, but they may not accept the divine master's successor ascending to the divine throne... Because this means the complete demise of the divine master, so their acceptance of you is actually an unknown quantity..." Vijeta said silently to Dorothy. After hearing Vijeta's words, Dorothy paused for a moment, then spoke directly.
"Then can't you help me explain? Say that I am the legitimate successor... If you can't explain, can you give me something to prove my identity or something?"
"You're thinking too much about this. Even if I explained it directly to them, they probably wouldn't listen to me. After all, they haven't received the divine master's oracle themselves. If I said that the divine master has completely fallen and won't return, and you should serve the new successor, they probably wouldn't just not believe it, but also question if I'm plotting some conspiracy..." Vijeta continued to explain to Dorothy. Listening to Vijeta's words, Dorothy couldn't help but furrow her brow and speak again.
"So, the problem lies in the fact that the Judge of Heaven only gave the oracle about the foreseen person to you alone? Then why did He do that, only giving such a crucial oracle to you?"
"Regarding this, I also have no way of knowing the divine master's considerations... Besides me, the divine master was unwilling to inform more people of His plans. He seemed unwilling to let more beings know that He had already chosen a successor in the distant future, other than me who was hiding deep in history...
"Besides me, the only one who might have some awareness of this is probably Shepsuna, 'Bright and Wise Light'. The divine master seems to have given some enlightenment to her, who is very sensitive to the future among us, allowing her to also grasp some outlines of His intentions, but only outlines. Shepsuna is far from as clear as I am about the specific content of the oracle." Vijeta continued to speak to Dorothy. After listening to her words, Dorothy thought for a moment and then responded.
"Do the Four Pharaohs hope more for the Judge of Heaven to return than for a successor to appear? What about you? Don't you hope for the Judge of Heaven's recovery? Are you really willing to give this divinity directly to me... instead of trying to use it to revive the Judge of Heaven?" Dorothy asked Vijeta this way. Listening to Dorothy's question, Vijeta couldn't help but fall silent for a moment before answering.
"I... naturally also greatly hope that the divine master can return. But... the divine master said in the oracle He gave me before that after His fall, He would absolutely not recover again. After that, if any being claims to be Him and tells me that He will return, then it is not credible... Any Him that appears after His fall is false and blasphemous... The divine master warned me not to attempt any means to revive Him in any form, even if the revival is successful, the one who finally returns will no longer be Him..."
"No longer Him..." Listening to Vijeta's words, Dorothy couldn't help but furrow her brow and murmur. And just as Dorothy was continuing to ponder what Vijeta's words meant, Vijeta spoke again.
"After this, I think it is inevitable that you and my old colleagues will have various interactions. Here I have some suggestions for you, suggestions on how to interact with them."
"Suggestions... I'm all ears." Listening to Vijeta's words, Dorothy said directly, and Vijeta's voice then sounded.
"Among the four of them, the one you can consider prioritizing contact with is Shepsuna. She is the only female among the five high-ranking wise kings of the Holy Dynasty besides me, and also the pinnacle of the path of foresight in the past. I said before that she glimpsed the outline of the future and can roughly understand the divine master's will to a certain extent. She is the closest person to the divine master besides me, and also the one who respects the divine master's will the most besides me. If she can correctly judge the divine master's will, then her acceptance of you will be higher than the other three, but you must also be careful and cautious during the interaction to avoid misunderstandings.
"Next is Seytut. He was the master of the path of roaring in the past. Unlike the characteristics of the branch path he once mastered, Seytut is the most stable and gentle in personality among us, and also the one who pays the most attention and importance to ordinary mortals. The country he ruled was once the most vibrant among the countries of the Holy Dynasty. I estimate that even if he becomes an undead, he won't stay in the tomb properly, but will travel around, so he will probably have a better understanding of the changes of the times. You might be able to talk to him better.
"Then there is Taharka. He was once the peak of the path of spirit silk... He was the one among us who paid the least attention to mortals. He had a strong desire to rule, and once controlled his country and countless citizens like puppets. He was an excellent ruler, and also a ruthless ruler. The country he ruled was once the most powerful and also the most indifferent among the countries of the Holy Dynasty. He was obsessed with collecting all kinds of subordinates, both of his own race and other races. He always liked to command and control others, making them sincerely loyal to him. Taharka has high aspirations... Even my orders sometimes he won't listen to. Besides the divine master, no one can truly make him loyal. Therefore, you must be extremely careful when interacting with him. He probably won't acknowledge you..."
Vijeta spoke slowly, and Dorothy also carefully recorded in her heart what Vijeta was saying. And when she finished talking about the three people, she paused slightly at the fourth person, and then continued to speak.
"Finally... there is Hafdar. He should be the most difficult one for you to handle... or perhaps completely impossible to handle. He was once the leader of the path of bewildering gods, and also the one among us who pursued academic and extraordinary research the most deeply, the most persistently, and also had the highest talent and achievements. But at the same time, he is also a stubborn fanatic. Although he is a genius, he is extremely prone to stubbornness and extremism in doing things. It was he who researched and created the ritual that allowed the four of them to undergo undead transformation. Because of this personality and talent, he is also the one who has produced the most unpredictable situations during these long years.
"Hafdar regards the divine master as his only teacher, and regards the divine master as his eternal source of wisdom. It is almost impossible for him to abandon his faith in the divine master. Even if I personally went to persuade him, it would probably have little effect. Therefore, he is also the least likely person to accept you. You'd best not contact him easily..."
Vijeta said this to Dorothy in an ethereal tone, and at this moment, her remains sitting in the seat had dissipated seven or eight parts, with only a little bit of the head remaining.
Listening to Vijeta's words, Dorothy nodded silently after carefully noting everything down. She looked at the vanishing Vijeta and asked the final question.
"Then... finally, I want to ask you one more question. Do you hope that I can become the second Judge of Heaven in the future?"
With a serious expression, Dorothy said to Vijeta, and Vijeta, whose head had completely disappeared, said with her final echo.
"Regarding this... I don't quite know either. I hope you can become the second divine master, but I also don't want to see you eventually follow the divine master's old path...
"I cannot answer this question, because I can no longer see the fate beyond this moment. I cannot give any reference... So, trust your own choice, foreseen person."
Vijeta's words echoed leisurely in the vast and empty sacrificial area inside the pyramid, then gradually faded away and completely disappeared. On her original seat, only a collapsed robe remained at this moment, and above the robe, a small purple light orb floated in the air.
"Goodbye... teacher."
Looking at the scene before her, Dorothy sighed slightly,
And just as Dorothy was about to reach out her hand to touch the floating light orb, a final trace of Vijeta's words sounded in the space.
"Finally... I want to say something. I don't know if it's fate, but among those you brought into this history, one is my blood relative. If possible, please take good care of her..."
"What?" Listening to Vijeta's words, Dorothy was momentarily stunned. As she frowned, a familiar face appeared in her mind.
...
Time returned to the normal moment. In the desert of Buserite, the ancient city from a distant era was now manifest and standing under the dark clouds of the night. Above this ancient city, Dorothy, wearing Vijeta's robe, was flying. Having just repelled a formidable enemy, she was recalling the final conversation with Vijeta not long ago.
And now, on the streets of the holy domain's ancient city, several pairs of eyes were cast upwards, focused intently on Dorothy. The owners of these eyes were the four pharaohs who had previously fought against Yunina and suffered severe injuries. They stared closely at Dorothy in the sky, some of their emotions still slightly agitated.
"Won? The disgusting aura has gone far away... Did Vijeta win?"
"It seems so... But the question now is, is that person up there really Vijeta? I always feel a little strange."
"Hey! Shepsuna! Hurry up and say something, is that really Vijeta! You were able to change back to your original appearance, did she use the divine master's legacy to restore you!"
Just as several pharaohs were confused, Hafdar was the first to speak loudly towards Shepsuna on the other side. In his eyes, Shepsuna would definitely know the current situation in more detail.
"..."
Facing Hafdar's question, Shepsuna, who was still maintaining her human form at this moment, stood there quietly, staring at the sky without moving and remaining silent. She did not directly answer Hafdar's question. Seeing this scene, Hafdar couldn't help but let out a disdainful cold snort.
"Hmph… here we go again…"
As if remembering something unpleasant, Hafdar, after a cold snort, shifted his gaze away from Shepsuna and refocused on the figure suspended in the sky. Then, he was about to take to the air and personally fly up to confirm the state of the former "old acquaintance."
However, before Hafdar could personally fly up to confirm the situation, "Viajeta" in the sky had a new movement. She extended her hand and gently waved it, and an invisible force quickly swept through the entire space. Then, a huge change began.
Above the desert, the huge ancient city gradually faded from reality, transforming into an illusion constructed by countless intersecting lines. These lines that constructed the city rapidly diminished visible to the naked eye, from dense to intricate, from intricate to simple, from simple to nothingness. As the construction lines gradually disappeared, the entire city was rapidly returning to emptiness.
"The Holy Domain… is returning to history…"
"Wait! Viajeta!"
"Stop! Explain to me what you are doing! Viajeta!!"
Seeing the manifestation of Heopolis around them, the three pharaohs present, after a slight shock, each reacted and spoke. At this moment, they all wanted to go and ask Viajeta in the distance to clarify the matter, but she had no intention of stopping and disappeared from the present world along with the entire city.
For a time, the originally magnificent and huge capital city completely disappeared. In the desolate and vast Buserite Desert, the originally thick fungal mist disappeared, the originally strange and foul-smelling flesh and blood ground disappeared, and the originally magnificent ancient city also disappeared. The extraordinary wonders created by the extraordinary were now completely gone, and everything returned to ordinary desolation.
"Damn Viajeta… What on earth is she thinking! Just because she is the guardian of the Holy Domain, she completely ignores us, is that right!
"She clearly inherited the greatest legacy of the Divine Master, and she is the only one among us who retains her original abilities. For thousands of years, she has been hiding deep in history, making no effort to revitalize the Holy Dynasty! How can someone like her receive the favor of the Divine Master… I want to… Ugh…"
After seeing Heopolis and "Viajeta" disappear without a word, Hafdar was instantly enraged and roared. Just as he was emotionally agitated, his entire spiritual body suddenly experienced an abnormality, directly interrupting his subsequent words. After a sudden pause, Hafdar's body swayed slightly, and then he extended his withered hand to look, only to see that there was still a trace of fresh blood on the mummy's dry hand.
It was obvious that in the previous battle, the spiritual bodies of Hafdar and the others were strongly eroded by Unina, and had been significantly and seriously damaged. Although Unina used all the divinity she held at the scene when she fled, allowing the pharaohs' spiritual bodies to escape the torment of divinity, the damage already caused and the residual Spirituality were not so easily eliminated.
"Say something… Shepsuna, what was the intention of that 'Viajeta' doing that just now…" While Hafdar was being harmed, Vitahaka on the other side looked at Shepsuna and asked in a low tone.
At this moment, Shepsuna had returned to her undead form from her original normal human form. Shepsuna, who was re-donning her veil to cover her terrifying face, responded leisurely when facing Tahaka's question.
"Everyone… We are all seriously damaged now. This is not the time to haggle over every detail here. Let me send you all back to your respective tombs to recuperate. After you have recuperated and recovered, we will discuss other matters."
Shepsuna said so, and then she gently waved her hand. Instantly, a large spirit-summoning array appeared under the feet of Hafdar, Tahaka, and Seytut, emitting a faint light.
"Wait… Shepsuna…" Seeing this scene, Seytut on the other side immediately spoke out to stop her, but at this moment, Shepsuna had already activated her ability. She whispered.
"Spirit Repatriation…"
As soon as the words fell, the spirit-summoning array created by Shepsuna burst into a great flash of spiritual light, and then the three undead pharaohs were all teleported back. Shepsuna, whose condition was clearly better than the three pharaohs, stood in place after doing all this and looked into the distance, at the sky where "Viajeta" had been. After a moment, another spirit-summoning array unfolded beneath her.
After another flash of spiritual light, Shepsuna also disappeared from the spot. For a time, the silent and deserted Buserite Desert returned to its usual tranquility, as if nothing had happened.
…
Dorothy took advantage of the last bit of time remaining on the buff given by Viajeta to return Heopolis to the depths of the false history and hide it. During this process, she did not choose to have direct contact with those undead pharaohs.
Through Viajeta's previous warning, Dorothy understood that those undead pharaohs would not necessarily fully accept her identity as the Judge of Heaven's successor. They would gather here to fight Unina in order to protect the Holy Domain. This was because they still retained their last loyalty to the Judge of Heaven.
However, if someone suddenly appeared, claiming that the Judge of Heaven had completely fallen and would never return, and that he would replace him as the successor, these pharaohs would most likely not accept it for a while. Therefore, Dorothy believed that it was not a wise choice for her to directly contact the other party as the Judge of Heaven's successor. Dorothy could not control the unknown factors involved.
Therefore, Dorothy chose not to directly contact these four pharaohs for the time being. After a period of time, she would follow Viajeta's advice and gradually try to contact them one by one, from the easy-going to the difficult ones, and gradually try to win the support of those pharaohs. It would be good to win over one, and there was nothing she could do if she couldn't win over all of them.
After returning Heopolis to the false history, Dorothy changed out of Viajeta's robe in the false history world and put it away. After putting on her original clothes, Dorothy flew up into the air again, taking a final look at the ancient and magnificent city in the false history desert. Then, as Viajeta's power was about to disappear, Dorothy teleported herself out of the false history world and returned to the present world.
The location where Dorothy arrived in the present world this time was not the battlefield where she fought with Unina, but a desert not far from Bastis. Naifnis, Vanya, and Awei, who was only left with an iron coffin, were all here. Dorothy had specifically sent them here before.
"How is it? Miss Scholar, what is the war situation over there?"
After seeing Dorothy's sudden appearance, Vanya asked directly with some anxiety, and Dorothy, after confirming that the people in front of her were safe and sound, replied.
"It's alright now. I have successfully entered the Holy Domain left by the Holy Dynasty in Buserite and communicated with the ancient saint who holds the legacy of the Divine Master. She has personally taken action and successfully expelled your great traitor of Light from this land. At least for a short time, she will not return. We are safe now."
Dorothy responded to the people in front of her in this way. Hearing Dorothy's words, Neff, who was originally trembling, directly breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the ground.
"Phew… Did she finally successfully drive that guy away? It wasn't easy. According to what you said before, that guy was too terrifying. It's a good thing she was driven away…"
Neff said this while relaxing on the sand. Hearing Neff's words, Dorothy couldn't help but look at her with a silent and meaningful gaze until Neff felt a little uneasy and couldn't help but say directly.
"Uh… Miss Scholar, why are you looking at me?"
"Nothing, alright… Now that the crisis has been resolved, let's say goodbye for the time being, everyone of Light. I hope that after you report today's situation to the Holy Mountain, the Holy Mountain can attach more importance to the expansion of the Tayi Sect."
Dorothy continued, and as she spoke, her gaze fell on the iron coffin next to her.
"Thank you very much for your help this time, ancient people of 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment). I will report all the details of today's situation to Captain Amanda. The reappearance of the great sinner Unina, and her being directly favored by the evil god Cup Mother, this matter will inevitably cause a stir in the Holy Mountain. I hope the Cardinal Council can unite to deal with it at that time…"
Inside the iron coffin, Awei responded to Dorothy's words. Tonight, she had experienced too much, and there was too much to report. This would take her a good while to organize and compile the report.
The reappearance of the great sinner who apostatized four hundred years ago, and her leap to become the leader of the largest evil cult at present, is a major event for the Holy Mountain that has not been seen for hundreds of years, enough to attract the high attention of all Cardinals.
In addition, there is the matter of the resurgence of the ancient 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) Church. Awei has now confirmed that the so-called Judge of Heaven is the orthodox inheritance of the First Dynasty seven thousand years ago, and the other party has found the former Holy Land in front of her. In that Holy Land, there is likely an ancient saint who can expel Unina, who is favored by the Cup Mother.
Although far from the battlefield, Awei personally witnessed the magnificent Holy Domain city reappear out of thin air before her eyes, and extend all the way to her side. Awei personally saw that the incredibly powerful Unina was actually repelled, which proved that this inheritance from ancient times still possessed powerful strength, a strength that even the Holy Mountain could absolutely not ignore.
"Your strength is crucial in repelling the servant of the evil god this time. I hope that in the future, we can have more cooperation in dealing with the spread of evil cults."
Awei said this to Dorothy. After listening to Awei's words, which clearly had the intention of winning her over, Dorothy responded with a light laugh.
"Cooperation… That's not impossible, but before that, your Cardinals must come up with a unified opinion…"
Dorothy said this to Awei. Hearing Dorothy's words, Awei paused slightly, then spoke again.
"In the face of crisis, I think the Cardinals will ultimately overcome their differences…"
"I hope so." After listening to Awei's words, Dorothy said with a smile, and then she grabbed Neff's shoulder, who was still resting on the side, and teleported her back to the false history with her.
"We're leaving…"
"Huh…"
Then, Dorothy used the last remaining power Viajeta had given her to control the false history, traveling quickly to a distant place in the false history world, preparing to directly exit the false history world at the border of Buserite, allowing herself and Neff to quickly leave Buserite and avoid direct contact with the Church forces that would inevitably arrive later.
In the final rapid journey in the false history, Dorothy also began to recall her greatest gain from Heopolis this time, besides divinity, which was the purpose of her trip, the Golden rank ritual of the Path of Pure Reason.
Path of Pure Reason Golden rank - Heaven-Decreed Saint.
The promotion ritual requires knowing a secret history of six current or most recent main gods in the six major domains, confirming their current state, and personally witnessing their true form or a part of their true form.