When the plot-skips players into the game world
Chapter 1110 - 440 2 Source River

Chapter 1110: Chapter 440 2 Source River

The people present were not entirely ignorant of mysticism.

However, upon hearing Aiwass’s words, Baike immediately reacted: "Disenchantment?"

The Path of Balance’s Disenchantment Skill is also referred to as the "Art of No-Art."

It is the power to disenchant other mysticisms, strip them of their power, and render them "balanced." This principle is the very foundation enabling the Path of Balance to nullify all other Path powers.

The "language" that once could kill the Second Sun, now merely serves as a tool for communication and interaction. Its dissemination and weakening are precisely the result of the Disenchantment Power of the Path of Balance!

Aiwass spoke softly: "The Third Sun consists of the Eternal Self and the Son of the Eternal Self, the Dawn Celestial Marshal. He is a gentler and weaker sun compared to the Second Sun... Since the Second Sun shattered into myriad stars upon its death, could it indicate that the Second Sun possessed a strength greater than the Celestial Marshal? For instance..."

Baike murmured under his breath, picking up the thought: "Pillar God?"

But even speaking those words sent a chill through everyone present.

"A mortal body slaying a Pillar God... Is that really possible?"

The wanderer found this hard to believe.

——It is possible.

Aiwass was certain in his heart.

The evidence lay with the Winged Celestial Marshal.

After defeating the Heaven Devouring Titan Nibiru, the Winged Celestial Marshal entrusted the Hourglass to split himself into two halves. One half entered the unclaimed Fourth Source River, becoming the Master of the Path of Wisdom.

As for his other half, the essence of "Supreme Heaven," it did not traverse an unclaimed Source River—for no wars for the Seat of the Pillar God ensued thereafter. Instead, in the second painting of Aiwass’s ascension ceremony, he "donned a bear skin," and his eyes took on the likeness of the Heaven Devouring Titan.

——From another perspective, could it be that the war for the Pillar God had already concluded?

Aiwass’s mind wandered back to the ancient secrets that his employer had once shared:

[——At that time, the Heaven Devouring Titan had virtually become the overlord of the earth.]

[——By consuming beasts of strength, he grew stronger; by consuming beasts of wisdom, he grew wiser. He devoured long-lived magic trees and consumed countless scale bearers, thereby gaining a hardened shell and unbreakable bones.]

Through consumption... to obtain the abilities of others.

And at that time, the one who had not yet become the Winged Celestial Marshal—or perhaps had already been crowned as the King of the Winged—relied on the blessings of the master of the Path of the Hunt, the Hunting King, and followed the Path of the Hunt to slay the Heaven Devouring Titan.

Then came the crucial part——

[——He drank the titan’s blood, consumed its flesh, and donned its pelt. He absorbed the power of the King of the Earth.]

To drink, to consume. Then to gain the opponent’s power.

The actions of the King of the Winged at that time were identical to those of the Heaven Devouring Titan Nibiru!

And in this process, his victory was due to possessing a greater [Strength] than his opponent!

Aiwass had witnessed similar battles elsewhere.

It was none other than the final war of Supreme Heaven——

The Silver-Crowned Dragon, adhering to the Path of Transcendence, vanquished the Pillar God of the Path of Strength and usurped its authority. And all of this was due to the Silver-Crowned Dragon possessing greater "Authority" than his opponent!

——By leveraging the power of another Path and adhering to an opponent’s Path to surpass them, the critical condition for victory lies in the emergence of a new Path from the same Source River.

Now it seems clear—this is the necessary ritual for the succession of Pillar Gods!

In other words, the Heaven Devouring Titan Nibiru was none other than the prior Pillar God who was defeated and consumed as nourishment by Supreme Heaven!

The Path that it held... must have been "Feast" or "Devour."

The principle of survival of the fittest far predates the era of "Strength reigns supreme"; it is the most primordial jungle law, the primal form of life’s inherent [Violence].

Just like how "Strength" remains latent within the Silver-Crowned Dragon, the Authority of the Material Realm is occasionally overridden by greater strength; after Supreme Heaven defeated and devoured Nibiru, the Giants he created inherited the instinct and habit of "devouring other tribes."

The Winged Ones inherently lack the practice of cannibalism, as evidenced by the Great Sage. Even Supreme Heaven himself did not consume humans... The Giants do not have rituals involving living sacrifices.

Why then do the Giants directly created by Supreme Heaven exhibit such barbaric habits? Why are they regarded with disdain and deemed uncivilized beasts by Supreme Heaven himself?

The reason is singular: the instinct within the Giant Clan is not solely derived from Supreme Heaven but is largely inherited from Nibiru!

Supreme Heaven, rather than crafting representatives for his Material Realm, might have been "cutting away" uncontrollable remnants of "Feast" within himself!

And this matter, from another angle... hints at another truth.

Namely, during that era, Pillar Gods could walk the earth freely, devour humans at will, and even be slain by mortals!

In the Second Sun Era, the Material Realm and the Dream Realm had yet to be completely severed!

If the curtain of Balance were to shroud the entire world, fully separating the Dream Realm from the Material Realm... such that even dream rituals and prayers could no longer bridge the gap, then this world would entirely lose its Transcendent Power.

Conversely, if the Master of Balance had not enacted an absolute severance between heaven and earth, then the Material Realm and Dream Realm would inevitably remain intertwined.

Under such circumstances, regardless of whether it is a Celestial Marshal or a Pillar God, both could walk freely within the Material Realm. These true gods, wielding authority, could reshape the world at will... inevitably ushering in immense chaos.

The Winged Celestial Marshal himself was the Master of the Tower of Heaven—or, at least, he had once borrowed the Tower of Heaven’s power. His ability to kill the Heaven Devouring Titan likely had connections to the Tower of Heaven. Among the "herbivores" led by him in the second painting, perhaps there were Mages from the Tower of Heaven.

[——Without Wisdom, we live aimlessly on the ground. Always trapped in endless cycles, only by touching Truth can we perceive everything with clarity.]

[——I shall return, Fox. You merely need to guard this tower... On the day I reach Truth, I will unravel all mysteries for everyone. Why we fight, and why we live.]

These were the words of the "White Horse" before journeying to the Third Source River during the ascension ceremony, spoken to the "Fox" at the Tower of Heaven.

And if we connect all these points——

The Second Sun slain by "language," the Second Sun transforming into countless stars, the Tower of Heaven being split apart, language being disseminated and disenchanted...

The Great Sage had profoundly been influenced by Balance—his very birth was directly tied to Balance. The "occupational system" was devised by the Great Sage and the Hourglass, the Wild Hunt, a kind of undead antivirus software contracted by the Great Sage, exists to maintain the Balance of the Material Realm, the Hourglass entrusted Supreme Heaven’s remnants to the Great Sage...

"I might have an idea..."

Aiwass murmured softly.

"What is it?"

Professor Bard looked at Aiwass expectantly: "Care to elaborate?"

Aiwass merely shook his head in response.

Instead, he posed a question to everyone: "Which Path do you believe language belongs to?"

This question plunged everyone into deep thought.

"[Beauty], perhaps."

"While I’d like to say Authority, in this era Authority has yet to be born."

"Undoubtedly, language could only belong to the domain of the Path of Beauty."

Soon enough, the group provided answers. Except for the "puppet," Cardinal Galatea.

...Indeed, this was the case.

Given the current conditions, language could only belong to the Path of "Beauty."

However, Paths are not the source of power.

If considered not by "Path" but rather by "Source River," then "language" should instead belong to the Source River of "Civilization"—the Third Path, under the Path of Devotion held by the Candle Master.

But clearly, language has nothing to do with "Devotion"...

Aiwass had realized the crux of the problem.

"The puppet..."

He softly addressed Cardinal Galatea, the Favored of the Gemini Mirror, asking: "What is the Source River of the Path of Beauty?"

Cardinal Galatea’s Advanced Divine Art was contracted to the Gemini Mirror. Just as the Lord of Scalefeather could hear whatever Aiwass heard, this question itself was essentially posed directly to the Gemini Mirror.

——If Cardinal Galatea did not know the answer to this question, then likely no one in the world would.

But at that moment, the cold and emotionless Cardinal Galatea unexpectedly blossomed into a warm and radiant smile.

She smiled adorably, as if ice had melted.

"You’ve realized it, haven’t you?"

Cardinal Galatea spoke with a gentle and airy tone, her voice soft and light: "The second Source River is named... [Differentiation].

"All things are born of [Differentiation] into [Beauty]—Differentiation gives rise to ’comparison,’ and from comparison comes ’beauty’ and ’ugliness.’

"Differentiation from imperfect realities births innocence and fantasy; differentiation from routine behavior gives rise to dance and song. Differentiation from others creates the self; differentiation from ideals breeds envy... And the one capable of endless comparisons of ’differentiation’ is the twin-reflecting Gemini Mirror—"

At this point, "Cardinal Galatea" suddenly showed a fleeting moment of distraction.

She then reverted to her cold demeanor, falling silent as if she had never heard Aiwass’s question.

It was Gemini Mirror itself manifesting to respond to Aiwass!

...Exactly so.

Aiwass gazed at the luminous ancient ruins and felt as though he understood.

"The miracle of ’Civilization,’ when subtracted from the power of ’Creation’... results in the differentiation used to distinguish unique languages, scattering people across lands, unable to understand one another—"

The power of Source Rivers can not only be added but subtracted as well!

"[Differentiation]."