Chapter 662
The Importance of Authority and True God is Elevated Once Again
As expected, the Abyss and the Spirit Realm engaged in a protracted struggle over the ever-growing fragment.
The Abyss intends to completely reclaim it or transform it into a mere outpost, while the Spirit Realm tries every means to corrupt, destroy, or at least curb its growth, preventing the expansion of the Abyss's sphere of influence.
The wills of both sides clashed, tested, and clashed countless times in the void. Although no direct, all-out war broke out, conflicts over local rules, battles between proxy forces, and clashes of undercurrents of energy never ceased.
[In the year 9934 of the Extraordinary Era, as the fragment gradually stabilized and began to reveal its potential to become a small abyssal sub-plane, it entered a critical phase.]
The willpower and power struggle between the two sides reached a new peak, and that desolate void became the focal point of the invisible battle.
[At this crucial moment, when the Abyss and the Spirit Realm were locked in a fierce battle, with almost all their attention focused on each other, Hell, which had been huddled in a corner, passively enduring the aftermath of their struggle, began to make its own move.]
To its surprise, it discovered that its devastating two-stage spinal therapy, while severely weakening and leaving it in a precarious state, had inadvertently endowed it with an unexpected predatory ability.
This external network of rules seems to have become its extended, more sensitive, and less noticeable tentacles and suction cups.
[Or rather, it currently possesses the power to extend into two vast worlds.]
One set is a fragmented but high-level primal world perception; the other is a fragile but flexible and hidden newborn set of rules.
Using these newly sprouted tentacles, the Will of Hell begins its adventure, which has been brewing for hundreds of years.
[He carefully avoided the most intense direct confrontation between the abyss and the spirit realm's will, like the most cunning parasite, silently extending his hidden, rule-based tendrils towards the very edge of the abyss fragment that was being fought over.]
He didn't devour everything indiscriminately, because that would have immediately exposed him.
However, the extremely slow refining process will not attract any attention.
[Therefore, He began to stealthily and meticulously steal the abyssal primordial power emanating from the fragments.]
Although these forces are minuscule, they are like rain after a long drought for a hellish place, whose very source is depleted and which is parched with thirst.
In the year 10686 of the Extraordinary Era, this invisible tug-of-war surrounding the fragments of the Abyss finally came to a pyrrhic victory for the Will of the Abyss.
The spirit realm's precise and ruthless offensive, after expending considerable disruption of rules and energy, ultimately failed to completely corrupt or destroy the nascent fragment.
[By virtue of its superior control over the same-origin power and the fragment's natural inclination towards its parent entity, the Abyss painstakingly repelled wave after wave of attempts by the Spirit Realm to infiltrate its rules and steal its energy, thus consolidating its dominance over the Abyss fragment.]
As the tentacles of power from the spirit world slowly retreated, carrying with them resentment, what remained was a fragmented world, repeatedly ravaged by the wills of both sides, yet its core remained steadfast.
The Abyss's Will, brimming with the glimmer of victory and the joy of expansion, prepares to fully accept and reclaim this regained limb, completely integrating its essence into itself to accelerate the healing process.
[But just as His power was meticulously taking stock of the total amount of abyssal essence stored within the fragments, like a mother embracing her child, His mind was suddenly jolted.]
[Incorrect quantity!]
[The total amount of the Origin, compared with His initial estimate based on the size and activity of the fragments and His own perception, has a gap that, while not huge, is absolutely not negligible.]
This part of the origin seemed to have evaporated into thin air, or as if someone had subtly and almost imperceptibly removed a piece of it.
Almost instantly upon sensing the anomaly, the Abyss's will, with its chaotic yet cunning mind, firmly fixed its suspicions on Hell. After all, in the fierce confrontations of the past few centuries, it had devoted almost all its attention and defensive resources to the direct battle with the Spirit Realm, implementing a comprehensive and rigorous defense against it.
[The spirit realm's will can never escape its monitoring if it engages in any large-scale extraction of primordial essence.]
Only that hell, always huddled nearby, seemingly harmless and barely breathing, could possibly exploit the blind spots in perception left by their intense confrontation to carry out this extremely insidious theft.
Moreover, this is reminiscent of the ways of hell.
Damn it!
Despite taking countless precautions and defending against all the open and covert attacks from the spirit realm, they still couldn't defend against Hell!
[The year 11432 of the Extraordinary Calendar seems like a strange echo of the previous Abyss Fragment incident, or perhaps a special manifestation of some universal law in a time of decay.]
[A relatively large fragment, imbued with the unique aura of hell, after a long journey through the void, has begun to take root in another desolate corner of the universe.]
The successive occurrences of fragments of the Great World taking root instantly aroused unprecedented joint attention and intense reactions from the wills of the three Great Worlds.
The abyss, the spirit realm, and even Hell itself, from which the fragments originated, all projected their powerful perceptions almost simultaneously.
This time, it's no longer a situation of two companies vying for power while one company is eyeing the opportunity; rather, it's a sudden collision of the tentacles of three parties' wills in the void, assessing each other's potential value and threat.
This situation led these three supremely intelligent world wills to simultaneously realize a key factor that could potentially reshape the future landscape.
In this era of shattered rules, these fragments that have detached from them, carrying parts of the same origin and rules, may be crucial supplements for them to accelerate healing, restore their strength, and even seek transcendence in the future.
Whoever can more effectively control the absorption, and even cultivate, of these fragments will gain the upper hand during the long recovery period, and may even accumulate an overwhelming advantage.
This shift in understanding directly led to a change in strategic focus.
[Relying solely on the macro-level manipulation of the world's will is inefficient and prone to direct conflict in order to delve into the fragments and engage in refined competition, transformation, and extraction.]
[Thus, the strategic importance of the true god of authority, or rather, the high-level individual unit capable of penetrating the level of rules and bearing and executing specific instructions of the world's will, was instantly elevated to an unprecedented level.]
The Abyss had already begun to build and strictly control its demon god system, and now it has accelerated its pace, intending to cultivate more powerful and absolutely loyal demon gods as vanguards in the expansion and competition for fragments.
Meanwhile, the spirit world reacted just as swiftly and decisively.
[His undying will began to scan the entire spiritual realm with maximum efficiency, no longer content with merely awakening the old gods or giving birth to new gods under absolute control.]
He wants to launch a larger, more competitive selection and training program.
[From the vast ocean of spirit beings, we meticulously select those elite creatures with exceptional talent and potential, unwavering fighting spirit, and a willingness to fight to the death, even at the cost of their lives, to complete the mission.]
What He needs is no longer merely obedient tools, but also sharp blades and resilient foundations to expand the spiritual realm and seize the origin in the brutal battle for fragments.
[A silent yet highly efficient selection and cultivation process, impacting the entire internal structure of the spirit realm, has quietly begun under the guidance of the spirit realm's will.] (End of Chapter)