Chapter 18: Infinite Heaven and Earth
"Could it be him?" The moment Da Qingshan and Aimee heard the name, they didn't react at first. But when they saw Lü'er suddenly abandon her attack stance and happily tug at Da Qingshan's clothes towards the door, both of them realized who it was. They looked into each other's eyes, seeing the shock mirrored there.
The skeletal dragon, Little Black, was equally astonished. With a flap of its wings, it soared into the air, spewing a cloud of black mist from its mouth.
Aimee and Da Qingshan couldn't worry about anything else. They quickly called out to Leige and Chi Hanfeng, "The Dragon God has arrived. Let's go greet him."
If the news about the "Dragon God" had come solely from Aimee, it might have been hard to believe. But with Da Qingshan, known for his honesty, confirming it, Leige and Chi Hanfeng were so shocked that their mouths could have been stuffed with two dragon eggs each. They were pulled out by Aimee and Da Qingshan in a hurry, with Horns also being dragged along.
Chi Aotian, overly focused on the recent battle, was bewildered by Little Black's sudden intent to fight Lü'er and its inexplicable flight. Anxious and distracted, he ignored everyone else.
Outside the door stood a man.
He appeared middle-aged, with an ordinary face.
His complexion was golden, and he wore a tan coat, standing with his hands behind his back. In Skambler's late autumn and early winter winds of October, his brown hair fluttered in the breeze.
Hearing footsteps from inside, the man slightly raised his head, his eyes immediately shooting out a sharp gleam.
Lü'er jumped out, about to bow her head in greeting, but the man gently waved his hand, "Teimugrasai, there's no need for such formalities in this world."
Initially uncertain if he was truly the Dragon God, Aimee and Da Qingshan were convinced when they heard him effortlessly pronounce Lü'er's challenging name and observed her reaction.
"Greetings, Dragon Lord." Da Qingshan placed his right hand over his left chest, kneeling on one knee, offering the highest etiquette of a dragon knight to the Dragon God in human form. Even Aimee, usually carefree, placed her right hand on her chest and bowed deeply before someone of equal status to the Creator God.
Even the ordinarily lazy Chi Hanfeng, along with Leige, bowed deeply to the legendary figure hidden for millennia.
"No need for formalities. Let's go inside and talk. We can also check on Death God's favored mount, Yaoli." The Dragon God's calm tone carried an unparalleled authority as he led the way into the duke's mansion.
The walls turned back.
In the air, the massive skeletal dragon, flapping its wings, appeared before the Dragon God.
"Hiss—Ang, Hiss—Ang." Little Black let out two low growls, spraying a large cloud of black mist towards the Dragon God, then prepared to fly.
Behind Pilot, a massive cloak suddenly materialized. He grasped one corner with his right hand and waved it towards the black mist, causing a fierce wind to rise, instantly dispersing the mist. A golden lightning bolt shot from Pilot's left index finger, striking Little Black as it was about to soar. In an instant, the lightning snaked across Little Black's body like a golden serpent, crackling as it transformed into a golden rope. The rope intricately wound around Little Black, pulling its wings back. Deprived of its freedom, Little Black fell heavily from mid-air.
Chi Aotian was shocked. Seeing everyone treat this person with such respect, he only dared to glare at Pilot briefly before rushing over to check on Little Black.
The Dragon God paid no heed, smiling slightly, "I have two matters to discuss. The first concerns this necromantic dragon."
As Chi family's main representative, Chi Hanfeng spoke with a solemn expression, "Thank you, my Lord, for your concern. We are quite troubled by this matter. Yesterday, I sent an urgent message to my father. If this dragon is not a blessed creature, then—"
"No matter what anyone says, Little Black and I are together. If the family says anything, I'll leave with Little Black." Although Chi Aotian kept his head down, his words carried an air of stubborn defiance.
"Enough, it's not that serious." The Dragon God Pilot merely frowned at the young man who had twice contradicted him, offering no further reprimand or punishment. He gazed into the sky, speaking slowly about matters that could change the world: "To speak of Yaoli, the necromantic dragon, we must discuss its master: the Death God."
The Death God, without a doubt, captured everyone's attention with the Dragon God Pilot's first words. Of course, what followed left Leige, Chi Hanfeng, and the others utterly stunned.
Everyone believed that the Creator God was the true deity of all, the only true deity in this world. While this understanding wasn't entirely wrong, it wasn't entirely right, either.
In reality, the entire world was composed of three realms, or more accurately, three spaces.
The Creator God, the Dragon God, and the Death God each ruled over one of these worlds.
Among these three gods, the Death God held the highest status.
Every so often, after countless millennia, the Creator God's world would undergo a catastrophic upheaval beyond even the Creator God's ability to manage. The heavens and earth, created by the Creator God, would be compressed into a tiny mass in an instant. The Creator God, using all the potential of their life force, could only protect their own original race. All other races would be utterly destroyed in that instant, their vast lives and millennia of civilization vanishing into smoke. The preserved original race would be trapped in a small world, guarding the Creator God's life mark, awaiting the birth of the next Creator God. This world would be known as the Source of Creation.
Once a new Creator God emerged, they would recreate the world, giving birth to new life, while the previous generation's original race would form the dark life of this world. Most of these dark lives would cling to the life mark of the previous Creator God, while only a few would be willing to leave the Source of Creation to enter the new Creator God's world.
When the new Creator God's world experienced another upheaval, the original race of the old Creator God, along with the old Creator God's life mark, would be compressed into a floating rune within the Source of Creation. Over countless generations, they would accumulate new strength, eventually transforming into a new Creator God.
"Do you mean we were created by one of countless Creator Gods?" Amidst a chilling realization, only the mage Leige could maintain such calmness and possess the strong curiosity to ask questions.
Pilot nodded silently, "In truth, the Dragon God is the same."
Like the Creator God, the Dragon God also reincarnates through generations. Naturally, each Dragon God has their own original dragon race, and after each generation of dragons dies, they return to the Dragon Spirit after two reincarnations, waiting countless generations to become a new Dragon God based on their life mark. The previous Dragon God's original dragon race was of the dark element, while the current Dragon God Pilot's original dragon race is of the golden element.
After the Creator God creates life, they typically create different spaces. The current Creator God has created two main spaces: the Divine Realm and the Human Realm. In common understanding, Demon Island is considered the Demon Realm, but this is incorrect. It is merely an area left by the current Creator God at the intersection of space and the Source of Creation. Naturally, the primary race of the previous Creator God often appears there. Due to human ignorance and the immense power accumulated by the previous Creator God's original race over two lifetimes, everyone refers to this unknown, highly unfriendly race as "demons."
The Dragon God usually creates a world called the Dragon Realm, which aligns perfectly with the Creator God's world, allowing dragons to enter the Creator God's world directly from the Dragon Realm.
Naturally, the Creator God's world and the Dragon Realm are not simultaneously destroyed by great forces, but instead, they alternate in appearance and destruction.
"Then why are there so many species in the Creator God's world but so few in the Dragon Realm?" Aimee's courage gradually grew.
"Uh—" The Dragon God shook his head with a wry smile, "In the entire universe, the Creator God represents movement, while the Dragon God represents stillness. The balance between movement and stillness creates harmony. Of course, there are rare cases where a Dragon God enjoys movement and wishes to create a more diverse world. For instance, the Dragon God two generations before me did just that. He created a world with a rich variety of dragon species, including flying pterosaurs, swimming finned dragons, massive plesiosaurs, and ferocious tyrannosaurs. They were collectively known as dinosaurs. However, the abundance of species led to the premature collapse of the Dragon God's world, and all dragon species were wiped out in an instant, leaving only the original dragon race, later known as crocodiles."
"This doesn't seem to have anything to do with my Little Black." Even knowing he was facing the Dragon God, Chi Aotian couldn't change his manner of speaking.
"That's right, which brings me to the third world—the world ruled by the Death God."
Unlike the Creator God and Dragon God, there is only one Death God. Though he has witnessed countless generations of Creator Gods and Dragon Gods, he lacks a name, or rather, his name has been lost to the river of history, forgotten even by the Dragon God and Creator God.
The Death God is immortal, and his world doesn't simply accept the souls of the dead. Only individuals with exceptionally strong life energy become residents of the Death God's world after death.
Since the Death God lacks the ability to create worlds, he enjoys using existing materials from the Creator God's and Dragon God's worlds to create new things.
With an infinitely long life, he is extremely selective about the materials he uses from these two worlds. For instance, the necromantic dragon Yaoli is one of the Death God's most beloved mounts. It's said that this dragon was created using the soul of an exceptionally unique individual named Yaoli from several generations of Creator Gods. Legend has it that Yaoli, while assassinating someone far superior in strength, fame, and skill, managed to intimidate the person with the gaze in his eyes, stabbing him to death. Even after being slashed 27 times by the person's guards, Yaoli held on until the target was confirmed dead, before his body crumbled to pieces. The Death God believed this soul was beyond any he had ever encountered, thus creating the Yaoli dragon from it.
"For instance, this Chi Guan Shield." Pilot walked slowly to Yaoli, and with a slight movement of his hand, a shield bearing the characters Chi Guan emerged from Yaoli's body.
Twelve generations ago, there was a Creator God named Zhuanxu. After taking charge of the Creator God's world, he was extremely harsh to the previous Creator God's original race. The previous Creator God, Yandi, had a formidable divine general named Gonggong, the Water God, who led his people in a valiant resistance. Ultimately, due to a power disparity, Gonggong was defeated. In a fit of rage, he slammed his head into the sky-supporting pillar—Mount Buzhou—knocking it down. Later, after Gonggong's death, the Death God crafted the Chi Guan Shield from Gonggong's skull, renowned for its exceptional strength and resilience, retaining Gonggong's immense power.
What amazes the Creator Gods and Dragon Gods across generations is the Death God's recycling of remnants, which extends not only to the races created by the Creator God and Dragon God but also to their very bones. The Death God has always believed that the bones of the Creator God and Dragon God are the finest materials in existence. For instance, the Yaoli dragon's soul may be Yaoli's, but its bones come from countless past Creator Gods and Dragon Gods. In the 17th generation, there was a particularly fierce Creator God who once attempted to invade the Death God's world. After his death, to prevent the Death God from utilizing his remains, he expended all his energy to ignite a celestial fire, but—
The Dragon God raised his hand again, and another item appeared on Yaoli's body—a Cunyan Spear. After that Creator God's demise, his entire skeleton was incinerated, but a part of his bone marrow transformed into a relic of one foot and two inches long. Observing it closely, the Death God found it exceptionally sharp and elastic, personally crafting it into the red spearhead of the Yaoli Spear, nearly indestructible.
"So, the Yaoli dragon is actually a necromantic dragon placed by the Death God into the Creator God's world. With the Death God's capabilities, you needn't worry about any trivial tricks he might have." The Dragon God Pilot coolly stated, hands behind his back. "The second matter I bring today concerns the current Creator God."
A thousand years ago, the Creator God of this era suddenly vanished. Based on his friend the Dragon God's assessment, it seemed he hadn't died, yet there was no trace of him. The Dragon God assumed he was wandering between the heavens and the earth, but as countless years passed, it appeared otherwise. As the Dragon God, it was inconvenient for him to search the Creator God's world, so he had always hoped to find suitable candidates for the task.
Over the past few centuries, he had tasked the divine race, elves, dwarves, and others to investigate, even sending six divine dragon envoys, disguised as humans, to search, but to no avail. When he learned of a boy who managed to earn the trust of a divine green dragon envoy, becoming a divine dragon knight, he began quietly observing Da Qingshan, and later Aimee, scrutinizing the entire education process of someone regarding the divine green dragon envoy. At this point, Pilot snorted heavily.
Later, he discovered that the Death God had also secretly sent his most cherished mount into the Creator God's world, joining this small team. As a result, he decided to invite these young individuals to help him investigate the Creator God's disappearance.
"Phew—" Upon hearing it was a business matter, Aimee let out a long breath, his expression instantly relaxing, "Oh, I see. Dragon Lord, you must be aware of our small mercenary group's motto: no profit, no early rise. Engaging us is our honor, but without adequate rewards, there's no good work. A task as monumental as finding the Creator God should come with substantial compensation."
"Heh—" The Dragon God, perhaps encountering someone bargaining with him for the first time, chuckled, "If you find the Creator God, I reckon he'll make you eternal gods of wealth."
"Uh, pardon me, Dragon Lord, but our small mercenary group absolutely does not accept empty promises. Even if it's not a cash transaction, at the very least, we need to retain the option of bartering to avoid unnecessary trouble." Even before the Dragon God, Aimee's golden mind continued to work swiftly.
"I recall giving Da Qingshan a spear." The Dragon God was nearly exasperated.
"Sorry, that's a thing of the past. If you had proposed exchanging that spear for this task back then, we would definitely have declined; the difference is too vast." Aimee once again displayed a pure smile.
"Ugh," The Dragon God pondered a moment, pulling a fist-sized colorful egg from his robe, "I won't tell you what this is, but it's an extremely precious item. The Creator God secretly crafted something rather amusing, thinking I was unaware, hehe. Based on my understanding of him, during your search for him, there will come a day when you'll encounter this thing. If one day you face something truly unsolvable, take out this colorful egg. I believe you'll be satisfied with the price."
Aimee took the egg, examining it closely in the sunlight, muttering softly, "Not just a dyed goose egg; perhaps cooking it might grant immortality." He looked up, scrutinizing the Dragon God's expression for any signs of deceit, "Hmm, I believe anything the Dragon God carries mustn't be too shabby. So, Lord, if someday I find this item too disappointing, you must allow me, and accompany me, to any divine dragon envoy's lair, letting me take some items freely, ensuring no retaliation."
This kind of face-losing scenario likely hadn't been encountered by any previous Dragon God, making it unprecedented. Pilot finally laughed, "Alright, I'll take you to two dragon lairs."
"Great, a deal's a deal. We'll set off immediately tomorrow." Aimee agreed readily, secretly resolving that if the task wasn't completed, this goose egg would serve as compensation, perhaps extending life; if accomplished, he wouldn't want this worthless egg and would instead plunder a dragon lair.
"With your current abilities, it's impossible," The Dragon God suddenly grew serious, "As a divine dragon, Teimugrasai is only at the third rank, and Yaoli, in the mortal realm, can't reach its peak state—the sixth rank—but should at least reach the fourth rank. Aimee, too, must at least attain the level of a grand mage. We have ten years for this mission. I hope you'll strive to enhance your abilities and meet my requirements before undertaking the task. Otherwise, don't go courting death."
With that, the Dragon God Pilot patted Lü'er and Yaoli, taking a step into the void, disappearing from sight.
In the autumn of the second year of the magic calendar, six people and two dragons first heard the core secrets about the world's cycles. From that moment, an almost impossible task was thrust upon these young individuals.
To fulfill the Dragon God's mission, the young adventurers immersed themselves in relentless trials by undertaking various small tasks, with the exception of Chi Hanfeng. Afeng and Locke frequently visited the Chi family in the imperial capital, imparting some combat experience to Aimee and his companions, most of it being lessons from failures. Aimee devoted more of his nights to studying magic with Leige, who encouraged Aimee to frequent the Empire's Magic Academy library to learn more about magic.
In the fall of the second year of the magic calendar, 16-year-old Sha Ruo left the empire to return to the Holy Church to complete her two remaining years of priest training. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Lin Yushang, being a girl, didn't need to serve as Redstone's guard. She continued her studies as a phantom beast knight, frequently visiting Leige the Mage to inquire about magic, influenced by certain special reasons.
The scroll of history turned a new page here.