Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

······

Darkness enveloped all, time itself seemed to blur. When Moanda glimpsed light once more, the surroundings had changed dramatically.

A pale purple moon hung in the sky, an invisible force following the moonlight, shining on the grey earth. A river of lava divided different regions, its intense heat reminding Moanda of the sun above the heavens.

Indeed, the elf did not know that it was originally a part of the sun.

Beyond the river of fire and the Nether Moon, Moanda saw beings that were neither living nor dead wandering aimlessly not far from the ground. They emitted a negative aura, provoking an instinctive aversion in the elf. She detested the sensation of being at odds with life, thus she extended her hand, and with divine power flowing, mercilessly snuffed out the soulfire burning within their skulls.

It was Moanda's first time using divine power against foes, and although they were only mortals, her spirits were nonetheless lifted considerably.

"Enough, don't waste more time on these things. Unless you can pick the Nether Moon, cutting off its moonlight, or permanently transform the environment of the Underworld, causing the pervasive energy here to dissipate completely, you're only exerting effort in vain," said a voice.

From the shadows stepped Erebus, casting a casual glance at the lives that had turned to dust.

Although he too found these mindless, fearless creatures bothersome, under the Nether Moon's radiance, their birth was endless.

Compared to the wraiths transformed from the corpses of earthly beings, these naturally born wraiths were nearly infinite. The density of the Underworld's essence in an area and the strength of the Nether Moon's light often decided their numbers.

If their number increased too much, they would 'starve to death'; if too few, they would multiply again. Over a sufficiently long period, their total number always maintained a dynamic equilibrium.

"These creatures are not important. Now, begin your task," instructed Erebus with a light wave of his hand. Instantly, from across the boundary dividing the Underworld and the Realm of Lightlessness, the area that seemed to consume everything, several beings flew out.

Some were tall and handsome but carried dark powers in their bodies; some were robust with skin as pale as corpses, their hair and beards pitch-black.

Of course, there was the most special one, a giant egg wrapped in flesh glowing with a sinister red hue. Upon that flesh, Moanda felt a chilling sensation.

She even had the feeling that the flesh was 'watching' her. Although this was only a faint premonition, it made the elf subconsciously step back.

"You might lack experience, but that's alright, these are ready-made templates. Using your inherent authority, as an unusual deity, this shouldn't be difficult for you," said the Lord of Darkness, his gaze lingering on the giant egg for a moment before moving away.

"However, the future habitat for them is not the Underworld, as with your current strength, it's probably impossible for you to alter the essence of life allowing them to adapt to this environment. Fortunately, their original homeland has also come through, situated between the earth and the Underworld.

Therefore, you only need to make some slight adjustments, which I think you should be able to accomplish," he said calmly.

"I understand. But this egg... what do you want me to do with it?" asked Moanda. Find your next adventure on m_v l|e-NovelBin.net

Nodding, Erebus affirmed that creating life according to the template was not difficult for Moanda. It would become a repetitive task once she became familiar with the power of the Life Vase.

Yet, this dangerous-looking egg, which was 'alive' on its own and required no additional actions from her, along with the endlessly squirming flesh, made Moanda wish to stay far away.

"...You don't need to bother with the egg; use the power of [Life] within the Divine Artifact to suppress the other 'life' within that flesh. That's what you must do," Erebus said, a twitch in his eye, after a brief silence.

Only upon returning to Chaos did the Lord of Darkness finally realize he had still underestimated that fearsome giant tree. In reality, at that interface, it appeared as though the pressure suppressing him and Laine's powers was significant, but the pressure on the tree was far greater than on them both.

A remnant of a destroyed world combined with the core of the Divine Tree that once sustained the Nine Realms, its essence and power were far beyond Erebus's initial estimates. Even now, back in his own domain, he had not been able to completely erase the persistent force on his left hand, which clung like a malignant tumor.

He could either take more time to erode this force with a certain 'immortality' property or resolve it in another way. Luckily, this was Chaos, and with the life-oriented Divine Artifact, utilizing the absolute nature of Divine Authority, Erebus could still solve this problem.

"I will do it. So, is this where I will live from now on?" Moanda asked.

With another nod, even if it was just using the Divine Artifact to suppress the flesh, it shouldn't be too hard, so Moanda didn't hesitate any further.

She looked around, and although the Life Vase could hold her essence, now that the Golden Apple Tree was no longer a seed, it could no longer stay inside indefinitely. She needed a place to replant this Divine Tree.