Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 82: Chapter 78 I’m Better!_1

Heaven and Earth stalled.

The moment Fu Canlight appeared in the sky dome, all Sea Beasts convulsed violently, trembling under the flashing lightning, no longer exhibiting their ferocious, overwhelming momentum.

Even Daguan, who was also of the Fifth Stage, stiffened for a moment under the pressure of that invisible aura.

This was a suppression ordained by the heavens!

In front of the Kirin Stigma, there was no room for wild beasts to cause mischief!

According to Alchemists’ classifications, Stigmata that had reached the Fifth Stage were known as the legendary Philosopher’s Stone, which was said to contain all secrets. This was because power that had reached such a level was, without a doubt, the embodiment of a miracle, a reflection of the God Spirit on Earth.

Since ancient times, in the legends of Dongxia, the Kylin has been considered an existence much closer to a God Spirit’s rank than any other being; otherwise, it would not have been revered as an Envoy of Heaven.

Even among Stigmata, there are levels of superiority. And within the Fifth Stage, even if one were to search the entire world, the ranking of the Kylin would undoubtedly be among the top tier.

Even if Daguan had assimilated the Mythological Source Text of the Ancient Shemites and acquired Divine Nature, how could he contend with the foundation Dongxia had accumulated over thousands of years?

Moreover, he had encountered an anomaly like Fu Canlight.

Originally, the Saint Kirin governed all beasts with benevolence, conveying wisdom and Sky’s Command to all living creatures; by legend, it should have inclined towards command and support types.

However, no one expected that Fu Canlight, a stubborn brute, would harden himself in Hell for decades. He forcefully derived the power of ”Representative for Heavenly’s Punishment” from his natural talent to ”convey Sky’s Command,” transforming auspiciousness into ferocity. After grasping the power of Yin and Yang Stimulate, he became The Crowned One, one of the true Kings.

Thereafter, under his lightning, nothing was indestructible, and his reach was boundless within thousands of miles.

Not only was his offensive power astonishing, but he also had an innate restraint against all Stigmata with beastly characteristics. Any Sublimator with beastly traits in their Genealogy would be helplessly beaten by him as if he were a father disciplining his son. Handling someone like Daguan, who could only serve as a vessel among Fifth Stage Stigma, was effortlessly simple. But this didn’t mean that such power came easily or comfortably.

Even Raven, seeing such a scene, could only swallow the soda rolled up on her wings and concede with clasped hands, Well played.

Only because she deeply knew the difficulty involved could she understand the extraordinary talent and willpower he must have possessed, as well as the bloody price he had paid.

The so-called Stigmata are the results of deciphering the God Spirit Legacy—tools for maintaining the Current Circumstances and exploring Deep Hell.

From the beginning, their purpose was to transform oneself step by step from a mortal, approaching the level of Gods.

However, this process was neither gentle nor comfortable but instead required brutal Metamorphosis and gruesome sacrifices. A misstep could lead to the peril of falling into the Abyss.

After all, from the moment of transcendence, Sublimators became maintainers in place of the gods, an indispensable part of this world. Indeed, calling them the Chosen One wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Even today, the Astronomical Society continues to decipher the God Spirit Legacy, expanding into Deep Hell by relying on the Sixteen Pillars that underpin the Current Circumstances, perpetually refining this system.

Stripping away the various aliases, the Astronomical Society bluntly used the ranks found in Alchemy to name the stages of Stigmata.

First Stage·Mercury, Second Stage·Gold, Third Stage·Ether, Fourth Stage·Star Antimony, Fifth Stage, the Philosopher’s Stone... and beyond, The Crowned One that stood at the very top, and the Natural Enemy who truly became a God Incarnate after breaking that limit.

Seemingly simple, the path was akin to groping in the dark. Through the most basic Stigmata, Sublimators followed a complex and secret roadmap, climbing upwards. They incessantly gathered and searched for miracles and Abyssal Treasures to accumulate and undergo Metamorphosis, hoping ultimately to ascend to the end of the path—the very pinnacle of all things.

Where Gods reside.

There were so many unknowns and dangers; even minor changes could lead to unpredictable outcomes. Being left with no way forward was merely one of the lighter punishments; directly falling into Hell and being tainted as an invasive substance or a Solidifier was a far more common fate.

Was it not because Utopia, the former leading institution of the Astronomical Society, had negligently and simplistically explored this power that it led to its subsequent division and fall?

While it’s unclear what price was paid for such a crude alteration, success would have demanded extraordinary hardships and an irreplicable stroke of luck.

Now, with a single strike, Fu Canlight forcibly dragged Daguan into the Border; then, he drew a boundary to imprison him, forcefully doing so.

Subsequently, the moment Daguan was exposed, the surrounding dense fog twisted and tore apart. Countless faint silhouettes emerged above the Sea, rushing toward him.

Almost every commonplace or uncommon weapon could be discerned: bladed weapons, firearms, and all manner of Border Relics. One hundred thousand people tread upon the solid waves, charging at Daguan.

The number was not a mere metaphor but a solid reality—one hundred thousand people!

One hundred thousand Sublimators bearing the same face!

Offensive, defensive, shackling, assaulting, excavating... A dizzying array of tasks emerged from the hundred thousand, who cooperated with the coordination of a single individual. Even as countless fell in Daguan’s fierce struggle, new shadows would split off to join the fervent battle and labor.

Quantity—pure, sheer quantity.

Even the endless Sea Beasts were powerless against an efficiency and output multiplied one hundred thousandfold!

[Or Self-Steady·The Colours of Clouds Are Mine]

Another Fifth Stage Sublimator from Dongxia, Yan Qingge!

If it were simply one person, there would be nothing to fear. If it were merely one hundred thousand, it wouldn’t be a concern. But if these one hundred thousand were all armed to the teeth with Border Relics and mass-produced weaponry, coordinating seamlessly as one, that would spell terrifying consequences.

They were fearless in sacrifice and indifferent to death. Even if more than half perished instantly, new individuals would pick up the equipment of the fallen, arm themselves, and once more rush fearlessly to the front lines.

They weren’t fighting; that was not their role. The battle naturally fell to Fu Canlight. What they were engaging in was construction—no, it would be more precise to say, construction for destruction.

It was akin to assembling a siege engine right in front of the enemy. A hundred thousand farmers began to build arrow towers right up against The Purified People’s walls...

Under this terrifying manpower and speed, countless colossal instruments were mounted onto Daguan’s shell. They were rapidly bolted and welded together. Then, as endless currents of electricity were poured in, they emitted a sinister glow.

Although its purpose was unclear, one thing was certain: it wasn’t there to provide Wi-Fi signals.

The Purified People hidden within this Border could finally wait no longer as the situation worsened. One after another, white figures emerged from Daguan’s whale-like blowholes, unfolding their wings, their Halos rising above their heads.

Without a doubt, these were the Solidifiers that resided in the Paradise of Bliss, hailed as the ’Predator Angels’—essentially the forks and knives in the Ranch Owner’s hand!

Indisputable divine power now coursed through their unfurled wings. The frenzied Predator Angels chanted hymns, forming Legions, and raised their weapons toward the Kylin in the Sky Dome above.

Four-edged Swords of Flame extended from the void, spinning on their own, stirring up wind and clouds, clashing head-on with the lightning!

So massive they could bridge the gap between heaven and earth, the flame Sword Blades and lightning clashed incessantly in the sky. Meanwhile, bracing against the counterattack from countless Sea Beasts and The Purified People, Yan Qingge finally completed his task.

”I’m done!”

Several hundred figures worked together, connected the last cables, and turned back to shout.

In that instant, power from the void flowed through the machinery. The force of Great Secret: Chalatustra was imposed upon Daguan, fixating it entirely within the Current Circumstances. No, solidifying it within the Sea. Mission accomplished.

Yan Qingge breathed a sigh of relief, then heard a hoarse roar behind him. The Purified People’s counterattack had begun.

”Old Fu! Old Fu!” Yan Qingge reflexively called for help, only to realize in despair that Fu Canlight was busy holding off the Ranch Owner’s Sword of Divine Punishment and couldn’t spare him a thought. He had to step in himself.

The hundred thousand figures were embarrassingly overwhelmed by the charging Purified People. Once the adversaries began to fight desperately, without regard for the cost, Yan Qingge became utterly beleaguered. He could only manage to entangle them due to his numerical advantage—pulling hair, stepping on toes, hitting groins, poking eyes... One hundred thousand bruised and swollen faces looked upward to the sky, screaming.

”Xiao Bai! If you don’t come now, I’m going to die!!!”

”I’m coming, I’m almost there!”

Amidst the doves circling, no figure appeared.

”Damn it, I’m really going to die! Ah, my eyes! Damn it, you son of a bitch, where are you kicking!” The scene had degenerated into a freewheeling brawl with The Purified People.

”I’m really about to die! How much longer are you going to be?!”

”Almost, almost there!” The hurried voice of the White Emperor’s Son rose from the void, ”Just a moment! Just a moment!”

Yan Qingge could only spit blood in helpless fury.

One hundred thousand copies of himself meant one hundred thousand ways to die. His ability to infinitely split also infinitely weakened his combat strength. Yet, to maintain the integrity of the machinery behind him, he couldn’t ease off; he had to form this bulwark himself.

Just as he was about to collapse, a small, slender figure finally descended from the sky, landing disheveled in the Sea. A dripping wet face emerged.

”I got lost again!” the teenage girl cried out in complaint, ”I’ve said it so many times; that Border transit point isn’t accurate at all! You all just refuse to fix it!”

”Just take the car! Why can’t you just ride properly like everyone else?!”

Yan Qingge was about to explode with frustration, ”Come and help me quick! I can’t hold on much longer!”

So, the White Emperor’s Son reached out and sliced through the void.

In an instant, The Purified People who had been rampaging through his one hundred thousand clones were diced. Their bodies were sliced so finely, to nearly invisible fragments, that their blood couldn’t even spurt before they were reduced to intangible dust.

Yan Qingge was stunned, ”Just you alone?”

”No idea.”

The girl clambered out of the Sea, awkwardly trying to brush the water from her hair, her face filled with bewilderment, ”I was afraid of getting lost, so I left at three-thirty and ran for several hours! Did they get left behind me?”

”Where on earth did you run to?!” Yan Qingge raised his wrist in desperation, showing her his watch, ”It’s only three twenty-nine now!”

Before his words had even faded, a white celestial river descended from the sky, like the Milky Way pouring in reverse, and gushed into Daguan’s blowholes.

A surging blast wave swept out in all directions.

In that instant, everyone peering at this battlefield—whether through Water Mirrors, satellites, or various illusions—was dumbfounded. Wait, what are you doing?