The Birth of a Savior

He let out a short, almost mocking laugh. “But the Undying Death God was clinging to his last breath. After handing a few items to the search party, he managed only one sentence: ‘I can’t believe I’m alive to see you all. Do not continue seeking us before you comprehend these artifacts…’ And then, he breathed his last! Those very artifacts were none other than the five supreme treasures of our Five Families of Fallen Gods!”

Yonker gestured towards the Emerald Seal—or rather, the dice—within its casket, declaring, “Though Lynch Baton never had the chance to explicitly explain the distribution, our five families easily deciphered its meaning. Our forefather possessed a fervent passion for gambling, thus the Emerald Seal must, unequivocally, belong to our lineage! As for the Beast Emperor’s Seal, with its golden lion carving, it was undeniably bequeathed to the beastmen’s Saint Baton Clan… Thus is the genesis of the five great treasures of the Godslayer Five Families!”

Annie, surprised, inquired, “Grandpa, Annie has a question. It is logical that the ancestors of our four clans left no remains, yet if Lynch Baton’s body was indeed recovered, why does only the Orbach Sacred Tomb grace the Great Grassland today?” This was precisely the question Du Chen harbored as well.

Yonker nodded. “Your question is excellent! But Grandfather must begin with these five artifacts. After our ancestors acquired them, they immediately commenced their study. First, the Starry Sky Battle God Clan discovered their ability to transmit power, and subsequently, all five of our families unearthed their respective methods of power transmission! However, nine hundred years ago, an ancestor of the Saint Dak family, much like you today, gained an opportunity for inheritance. Yet, in the end, he did not receive power. Instead, he obtained…”

He offered a helpless smile. “He obtained a Projection Map. We later learned that it was none other than the Celestial Capital map!”

Annie gasped, “Ah!?”

“Indeed. From that moment onward, our ancestors, little by little, inherited a myriad of peculiar and wondrous artifacts from these treasures!” Yonker chuckled faintly. “Among them were maps, ancestral messages, battle qi secret manuals, and my ancestor even acquired the Secret Scrolls of gambling prowess… Amusing, isn’t it? But our ancestors meticulously connected and analyzed every piece, finally deriving a singular conclusion three hundred years ago!”

Du Chen silently recited, “Five Keys Align, Gather in Celestial Capital for Immortality, Path of Gods Ends!”

This was the very phrase Susanna had uttered during her exchange with Du Chen before the great battle against Bonis! At that time, based on Susanna’s explanation, Du Chen understood it to mean… by taking the Beast Emperor’s Seal and the other five keys to the Celestial Capital, one could discover the Secret Technique left by the Divine Emperor!

At this moment, Yonker also proclaimed loudly, “’Five Keys Align, Gather in Celestial Capital for Immortality, Path of Gods Ends!’ This signifies that after completely mastering the secrets of the five treasures, the Five Families of Fallen Gods must carry them to the Celestial Capital to unearth what the Divine Emperor left behind, then undertake the resolution of The Great Catastrophe, and simultaneously, rescue those five ancestors!”

Annie exclaimed in shock, “Didn’t Lynch Baton already perish? Why would he need rescuing? Could it be that our ancestors are not truly dead!?”

Yonker’s expression turned solemn. “Now Grandfather will address your query regarding Lynch’s body. Back then, upon Lynch Baton’s death, his body instantly dissolved into ashes. The grieving descendants of the Saint Baton Clan wailed as they gathered his remains, intending to carry them back to the Great Grassland for a proper burial. Yet, you must understand, the beastmen’s funerary customs are… unusual, some even profoundly unsettling to us humans. It was precisely due to these strange traditions that they uncovered a profound secret during the burial—that was no true Lynch Baton at all, but merely a gruesome construct of beast bones and animal hide!”

Similarly, Yonker and Annie could not fathom such a situation. But Du Chen…

Du Chen’s thoughts drifted to Julie. So, the ancestors of the Godslayer Five Families, The Great Catastrophe, and even Wolf’s experiences after journeying south… all were intricately linked to the Scarlet Army!

In other words, the gods who mysteriously perished during the Art of Artifact Annihilation long ago—Kuban, Mellon, Orbach, Sigurd, and even Divine Emperor Prince… all were eradicated by the Scarlet Army!

This realization sent shivers down Du Chen’s spine. Julie had claimed the Scarlet Army was unimaginably potent… and Du Chen believed it, absolutely, without an iota of doubt!

Damn it all, they could even fell a Divine Emperor!!!

Yonker’s booming shout jolted Du Chen awake. “Annie, your true mission after inheriting the Family Head position is to continue researching the five treasures, to rescue the ancestors, and to resolve The Great Catastrophe!”

Du Chen clenched his fists, murmuring inwardly, “No, it’s not merely the ancestors of your five families; it’s also the Godslayer gods—saving the gods, now that’s a top-tier Great Benevolence!”

But at this juncture, Annie posed another question, “Grandpa, what you spoke of happened over a millennium ago. Has The Great Catastrophe mentioned by our ancestors been ongoing all this time?”

“Precisely! The ancestors’ analysis concluded that… that disaster has been ongoing, and it’s gradually expanding! Ultimately, it might even threaten the Life Tree!”

Du Chen was greatly shocked, his hands and feet trembling with excitement. His heart roared with a primal, exhilarating cry!

“The Life Tree!? The very core of existence, the unyielding pillar supporting all of heaven and earth! Its destruction would signify nothing less than utter annihilation! And the thought of me, personally, saving the Life Tree is far from a jest – I’ve already apprehended Sophie, a captive of the Scarlet Army, and thus possess the vital Clues… Xue Ji, just you wait until my Bagua is fully unleashed, and I’ve decisively routed Margaret; then, I shall return to claim you as my bride!”

Du Chen was undeniably swept up in the moment, so much so that he missed many of Yonker and Annie’s subsequent exchanges. However, Dus was still keenly listening; should Du Chen wish to know, he need only inquire with Fifth Brother.

After Du Chen regained his composure, Yonker had already instructed Annie to prepare for attuning to the Emerald Seal. The old man chuckled, “Go, and discover what you shall gain from the Emerald Seal, be it power, a vital hint, or some other peculiar and wondrous artifact!”

Annie smiled. “Whatever it is, it is an ancestral relic Annie must treat with utmost reverence, Grandpa. How should I proceed now?”

“Do not employ battle qi. Just as Betty and Francis engaged in their dice gamble today, you shall cast a spinning ‘zero point,’ and the instant the dice settles, infuse Spiritual Power into it!”

This method of inheritance… truly, only a Master of gambling prowess could accomplish it!

Annie followed the instructions, delicately pinching the Emerald Seal between her index and middle fingers, and flicked it out with an almost casual air. Yet, the dice-like Emerald Seal spun gracefully on the tabletop. Moments later, it came to rest tilted, revealing the ‘zero point’ face!

Annie’s Spiritual Power immediately followed suit…

A resplendent emerald green light suddenly blossomed from the Emerald Seal. Yonker was overjoyed, “It’s done!”

Du Chen also fixed his gaze intently on the Emerald Seal, brimming with curiosity about what Annie would ultimately obtain!

Gradually, within the emerald green light, a few streaks of golden and white radiance appeared. Yonker’s brows furrowed. “When I inherited and communed with it back then, only green light manifested, and subsequently, I received the ancestor’s Lightning Halberd Technique. But today, when it’s Annie’s turn, why are there three beams of light… Could it be that what she’s receiving this time isn’t power, but rather, unknown information?”

Considering this, Yonker felt a slight pang of disappointment. Annie, however, seemed utterly immersed in a mysterious state, her sky-blue eyes half-open, half-closed, sparkling with an unusual luminescence as she gazed quietly at the Emerald Seal.

Green, white, and gold intertwined. Slowly, the green light coalesced to form a grassland backdrop, while the white and golden lights converged, then began to twist… Before long, the brilliance intensified, so much so that even the aged Yonker was momentarily blinded by the sheer intensity of the light!

Du Chen and Dus’s eyesight remained unaffected. They continued to gaze at the Projected Image appearing above the Emerald Seal. But upon discerning the final image, Du Chen let out a wry smile. “It seems Annie has received a hint from Batuoke, but this hint is also…”

Dus stared at the image, shaking his head in bewilderment. “Isn’t it too far-fetched!?”

When the light finally dimmed, Yonker slowly opened his eyes. He saw a figure faintly appearing against the emerald green grassland background: clad in white, wielding a long sword, with blue eyes and golden hair, exuding a handsome countenance… The old man suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, nearly losing his balance!

Annie also returned to normal. Upon recognizing the person in the image, she stiffly turned her neck, staring blankly at the equally shocked Yonker. “Grandpa, how… how could it be Francis?”

Du Chen chuckled strangely. “Fifth Brother, look at the nose of that person in the image. My nose is slightly aquiline, whereas Wolf’s nose is flatter than mine. This is the most obvious visual distinction between Wolf and me!”

“Oh, it truly is! But I must say, you and Wolf bear such a striking resemblance; Fifth Brother almost mistook him for you, and thought the person in the image was you!” Dus pouted, then his eyes suddenly glinted with a mischievous, almost wicked light! “Francis, judging by Annie and Yonker’s reactions… they don’t seem to know about Wolf at all, and instead mistook the person in the projection for you!”

Du Chen also mused, “I was just pondering the same thing. Wolf did indeed meticulously erase all traces of his existence back then, so much so that even the descendants of the Kaine family remain unaware… But the ancestor of the Batuk family was also a Grand Marshal of the Fallen Gods, and was familiar with Margaret. They should possess ample reason to know about Wolf!”

Dus’s eyes darted, and Du Chen also suddenly understood. Their Divine Senses spoke in unison: “Knowing the name doesn’t equate to knowing the appearance!”

Dus chuckled wickedly, “Precisely! If they knew Wolf’s appearance, then with Annie’s familiarity with you, she could certainly distinguish the difference in your noses with a careful look. But Annie didn’t recognize him, so…”

Du Chen smirked. “So the Batuk family has already determined that the hint left by their ancestor points to me, Francis!”

Both anticipated that a wonderful misunderstanding was about to unfold…

At this moment, the Emerald Seal not only projected an illuminated image but also emitted a profound, ancient voice. However, the voice seemed to be interfered with, very disjointed, with static marring its pronouncements. Only a few phrases pierced through the cacophony with relative clarity, and when pieced together, they formed a chilling message…

“Children, no matter which of the five of us you are descendants of, you must remember this person! He is the greatest Sage, the most mysterious Prophet, the most benevolent God… We five once disbelieved his Great Prophecy, misunderstood him, and harmed him. Until he failed fighting alone, and The Great Catastrophe truly descended, we regretted, grieved, and lamented… Children! We cannot be sure if he died after his failure! Find him, trust him, follow him… He will be the last savior in The Great Catastrophe, he will be the last hope to guide you on the Path of Redemption!”

The voice ended there, and Yonker and Annie stared wide-eyed, gawked foolishly at Francis in the image…

A savior? Francis!?

By the heavens!