Chapter 750: Seeing the Stars

Chapter 750: Seeing the Stars

Wishflux Celestium.

In the Wishing Pool, Wakey lay on a swim ring, drifting back and forth in the water.

She looked at the sky split into three colors, opened her mouth wide and yawned, her five tails swaying: “When are my masters coming back…”

Actually, she wasn’t as bored as she looked. As the Dreamwake deity of the Dream Sect, all knowledge about Dream in the world could flow through her domain. Except for a few deities related to the Dream Sect who could share in these gains, she almost monopolized the development of the Dream Sect, constantly growing in value.

The best part was, although the Dream Sect wasn’t as widely applicable as the Gluttony Sect and sorcerers rarely slept, most ordinary people still dreamed. When they dreamed, it was equivalent to advancing the development of the Dream Sect. Even if it was subtle and slow, the sheer number and long duration made up for it. So even if no one cultivated the Dream Sect in the future, as long as there was a Dreamwake deity to gather knowledge, the Dream Sect would continue to progress.

Deities and the development of Spellcasting Sects were closely linked. If Spellcasting didn’t develop, deities couldn’t be born; if Spellcasting flourished, the deities’ power would grow as well. But even demigod sorcerers rarely knew this, let alone ordinary people.

Wakey was so eager for her masters to return because she was a bit greedy. Though she wasn’t hungry enough to affect her performance, not having eaten dreams for so long made her mood sour.

Even the dreams of beasts or plants would do!

But in Wishflux Celestium, there were only spirits, and spirits didn’t dream-nor did deities.

“Master’s back!”

Facing the slightly questioning gazes of Igor and Tamashi, Ashe calmly fed Wakey two Source Crystals and asked, “Did you finish the assignment I gave you earlier?”

“All done!” Wakey waved her hand, stuffing the Source Crystals into her own staff. “It was way too easy for me!”

“Then cast it once on each of these two.” Ashe pointed at Igor and Harvey.

Wakey nodded. Although she wouldn’t leave with any one master unless all four took her together, if it was just casting spells in the Celestium, she would obey any master’s order.

She let out a “hey,” and tapped the Con Artist and necromancer on the head with her staff.

“…” Igor mused, “Is this the deity giving us a warning stick? What effect does it have?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Ashe said.

Just then, the Light Gate shimmered, and a woman flew out, rolling a few times on the ground before stopping. Ashe immediately sent her a Joy Sword, went over for a quick check, and said, “She’s passed out too.”

She wasn’t the first visitor. Along with Ashe and the others, a young man in Twin cult uniform had also entered. But they were the same-even after arriving in the safe Wishflux Celestium, they remained unconscious, though their bodies were mostly unharmed, just a few scrapes.

“Air density is normal, suitable for human survival.” Harvey squatted down and crumbled a clod of dirt. “It’s almost no different from reality.”

“They’ve been battered by the torrent of fate for too long-their bodies are on the verge of collapse. So they don’t even need to fall to the ground; just reaching the eighteenth layer will scatter their soul entities, and they’ll need a period of rest to recover.” Tamashi hesitated. “They can’t even be used as labor for now, so I’ll have to trouble you…”

“No trouble at all!” Before Ashe could speak, Wakey was already gazing hungrily at the two sleeping on the ground. “Sleeping people are the best! Everyone should sleep together!”

“As for food, we can provide some seeds, but you’ll have to rely on yourselves with Earth spell and Wood spell to be self-sufficient. If that doesn’t work, once a portal to the Gospel Kingdom appears, you can relocate.” Ashe said, “But management will be a bit tricky. I can have the Dreamwake deity help, but she’s not suited for administration.”

“Less than one in ten survived, and their cults are naturally fractured.” Tamashi said, “If you’re worried about trouble, I’ll keep them in line, I promise.”

Ashe nodded, signaling Wakey to take care of the next arrivals, then the four of them turned back toward the Light Gate. Wakey hurried over to grab Ashe’s sleeve, asking pitifully, “Master, are you leaving again?”

“I’ll be back soon,” Ashe said. “Maybe I’ll even bring you a little sister.”

Wakey blinked, and then a sense of crisis surged-Wishflux Celestium only had the Wishing Pool as a facility! If there was a new sister, who would manage the Wishing Pool!?

No, no, I have to squeeze the spirits of the Wishing Pool a bit, make them work overtime, so Master will see my contributions!

Back in the Senlo Kingdom, the Doomsday wind that swept over made Ashe and the others a bit uncomfortable: if Wishflux Celestium was the ruins after collapse, then Senlo was a building in the midst of collapsing-the former was desolate, the latter dangerous.

“How is it?” Ashe asked.

“Management permissions are back,” Tamashi said.

Ashe’s heart stirred. The vessel had escaped, but the management permissions hadn’t transferred out. That meant…

“I’m probably the only vessel for the Chasm Sovereign now.” Tamashi shrugged. “But even so, I still have to leave.”

He looked down at the Light Gate below and said calmly, “At the very least, I have to find a way to let the remaining Senlo people keep living.”

Igor asked, “Are the Light Gate rules set?”

“As soon as the Void Gate ends, the Heart of Wishes Command and the Void Gate Spirit will automatically pop to the other side of the Void Gate, which is inside the Wishflux Celestium.” Tamashi said, “Next, we can go straight to the Wishflux Celestium and wait. There’s no need to stay in this dangerous place.”

Harvey said, “Then the only problem left for us to solve is the last one.”

Everyone turned to look at the little Silver Lantern floating in midair, holding a doll and watercolor pens, reading a book.

“Silver Lantern.” Ashe flew in front of her. “You really can’t enter the Light Gate?”

The little Silver Lantern closed her book and dropped straight down above the Light Gate, but her short legs couldn’t step through at all. She looked up at Ashe and shook her head.

“If she really came here through Silver Lantern ascension, then it’s normal she can’t leave Senlo, because she’s not a true deity.”

Tamashi rubbed his temples, as if trying to dig knowledge out from inside: “The sorcerer→Demi-God→deity path, every step needs deep involvement of Dream rules. So ascended deities are deeply bound to the Senlo Dream. Only in the Dream do ascended deities possess divine power.”

“They’re like grafted plants-ascended deities simply can’t leave the Dream. You can’t take her with you.”

Hearing this, Ashe’s heart stirred. He vaguely felt like he’d forgotten something, but couldn’t recall it.

“Ashe, give up.”

If anyone here understood the strange relationship between Ashe and Silver Lantern best, it would be Igor.

The Con Artist said, “She lived for her ideal, and died for her ideal. Since that’s the case, let her be buried with this world.”

Ashe stared blankly at the little Silver Lantern. Her expression was serene, as if she didn’t care about anything. Maybe this was fate. Although Ashe still fantasized about digging up some treasure from the silver light, Vesser had always acted decisively all her life-even her funeral was no exception. She cut off all hope and told him not to pursue it anymore.

“So I can only leave her behind in this world…” Ashe murmured.

A look of hesitation appeared on Tamashi’s face, immediately caught by Igor: “Does our Divine Sovereign Experience Officer have any insights?”

“The world is collapsing too fast.” Tamashi looked upward. “There are still many people on the road, but before they arrive, I’m afraid the sky will fall and destroy everything.”

Igor said, “There’s nothing we can do about that. We can’t save everyone.”

“Yes, but now there’s a way to slow the world’s collapse.” Tamashi said, “The Chasm Sovereign mentioned in his memories that Senlo’s original rules were all set with the help of deities, because deities represent the originals of rules. Compared to creating from nothing, using a divine imprint takes much less effort.”

“So, we can use Silver Lantern’s divinity to set new rules and delay the world’s collapse,” Raven Annihilation said. “And if Silver Lantern really can purify the Green Beast, maybe… Senlo Kingdom could be reborn.”

Ashe asked, “Then, what’s the price?”

“Herself,” Tamashi said. “Unlike fusing the Void Gate Spirit and Heart of Wishes Command, supporting the world consumes too much energy. The Senlo Dream definitely can’t sustain it. Only by exhausting her divine foundation can new Dream rules be set.”

Tamashi finished weighing the pros and cons and said no more, showing no intention of urging.

Ashe was silent for a while, then crouched down to look at the little Silver Lantern.

Even though he knew there would be no response, Ashe still instinctively asked, “Are you willing?”

The little Silver Lantern looked away from her book, glanced at him, then reached out and touched Ashe’s face.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry,” she said.

After handling the last matters, the four of them flew into the Silent Spiral, preparing to return to the Wishflux Celestium.

“Are you going to tell Lise about the Wishflux Celestium?” Igor asked. “She’s backed by the Omniscient Weaver, you know.”

Ashe hadn’t decided yet. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”

“Why not just use the Senlo people to develop your Kingdom?” The Con Artist laughed. “Have you decided on your Divine Sovereign title yet?”

“Ashe’s Kingdom?” Harvey perked up. “Can I take charge of the Mortuary Services Section?”

“When you two become Demigod Angels, I’ll be the Kingdom’s Divine Sovereign,” Ashe said casually. “We haven’t even solved the food problem in the Wishflux Celestium, and you’re already thinking about Kingdom management. Sorcerers only ever show such creative thinking when it comes to greed…”

Boom!

Suddenly, a burst of flame exploded in the Silent Spiral!

The sorcerers instinctively activated their Sanctuary to protect themselves, but they immediately realized the flames weren’t trying to hurt them-they were trying to spread through the fracture layers of the Silent Spiral!

The blazing flames’ scorching brilliance seemed to pierce through their skin, illuminating their organs, marrow, blood vessels, and even their souls!

This strange fire… Ashe finally remembered what he had forgotten!

At this moment, a figure was rushing toward the Light Gate, as if trying to enter the Wishflux Celestium ahead of them!

Specter Seer Vichy!

This guy still hadn’t left!

When Tamashi said ascended deities couldn’t be taken away, Ashe had vaguely realized that Vichy might still be in Senlo. Vichy was insatiably greedy and vicious, the type who would even taste the filth from a passing cart; after finally getting his hands on a precious deity, how could he possibly let it go? He would rather stay behind and try to steal the Knowing Guard Fire!

And now that Vichy had suddenly jumped out, his purpose was obvious: use the Knowing Guard Fire to stop Ashe and the others from time trave, then enter the Wishflux Celestium himself, monopolizing the Celestium and Dreamwake deity!

Ashe knew he had been exposed; Vichy had witnessed him create the Dreamwake deity-how could he not be tempted by the hunt?

Without the Knowing Guard Fire, then just snatch a Celestium and a deity!

However, Vichy most likely hadn’t heard Ashe and Tamashi’s conversation.

If he had, he would never dare confront Ashe and the others in Senlo.

Because now, Senlo had already become Tamashi’s wanton amusement park!

“Sanctuary!”

Time slowed infinitely, Vichy’s figure came to a complete halt, and under the protection of the “Sanctuary,” Ashe and the other two unfurled their virtual wings and rapidly approached the Specter Seer. Meanwhile, Tamashi looked at the surrounding flames, picking out a suitable fantasy affix for the situation: “Nonflammable!”

Nothing can burn!

But just as Ashe and the others neared Vichy, with a sudden bang from Vichy’s body, their “Sanctuary” effect was abruptly dispelled-Vichy actually had a Defensive Miracle specifically against Senlo’s fantasy creation!

Then let’s gang up on him!

Igor’s eyes shimmered with illusions, countless God-slayer Ashes slashing toward Vichy.

Miracle: Visualization Overlap!

Harvey didn’t have time to unleash Frostfire, so he had to use genuine flames instead. His long nails scraped five bloody marks on his arm, the blood spreading with his nails, transforming into five flaming arrows that shot out!

The bloodflame spirit and flame arrow spirit left behind by Chikara!

Ashe gripped the Honey Sword tightly, activated “Single-minded Devotion,” and immediately black sword light appeared on the blade, as if weighed down by heavy chains, hacking toward Vichy!

Miracle: Hate Sword!

A dozen or so explosive sounds erupted from Vichy’s back in an instant, blocking all the attacks. Only Ashe’s sword struck her back directly; she had no choice but to turn and use her sleeve to block the sword light!

“Ah!?”

Ashe looked shocked. “Fire Cat… no, you’re Vichy!”

The person now before Ashe was no longer the cold young man from before, but a spirit girl extremely similar to the Fire Cat deity. Only, unlike the Fire Cat’s lively energy, her eyes brimmed with deep malice every second, and she said coldly, “You all ruined my plans!”

Vichy had actually abandoned her original body and been reborn through the Fire Cat deity?

Ashe thought for a moment and instantly understood the cause and effect-Vichy’s original body was probably also a Senlo native. Senlo natives would be drawn by the World Destruction Procedure; if Vichy hadn’t escaped, she wouldn’t have survived the World Destruction Procedure, and since she couldn’t take the Knowing Guard Fire deity with her, and she just happened to know how to reincarnate using spirits/deities, she used deity reincarnation!

But these details didn’t matter!

“Vichy, today you die!” Ashe clung to Vichy, growling in a low voice.

Vichy pressed her lips tightly together; she didn’t seem the type to shout and scream. She watched as her last Knowing Guard Fire was easily dispelled by Tamashi, a look of resolve flashing in her eyes.

At this point, they were already very close to the Light Gate, but Tamashi lightly tapped his finger-he could expand the Light Gate, so naturally he could shrink it too!

The Light Gate rapidly shrank, and beneath Ashe and Vichy was no longer the Light Gate, but the lower level of the Silent Spiral!

At that moment, Vichy suddenly conjured a Void Gate beneath herself and unleashed her final divine intervention on Ashe: daydream!

Even without the aid of a Prophetic Dream, daydream could make the target continue their current action for a period of time! During this process, any attack would wake the target, but the control priority was Demigod first!

So Vichy easily broke free from Ashe, a cruel smile on her face as she watched the one who ruined her plans crash straight into the unknown Void Gate!

Even as a fallen Demigod remnant soul, I’m not someone a mere mortal sorcerer can bully!

Tamashi saw this and immediately expanded the Light Gate again, making it just large enough to cover the space in front of Ashe-this way, Ashe would crash into the Wishflux Celestium instead of the unknown Void Gate.

But the Light Gate and Void Gate happened to be on the same level, and as the Light Gate expanded, it collided directly with the Void Gate. Before this, there had never been an overlap of two Void Gates; even if a sorcerer tried, the Void Gates would always shift a bit, never truly intersecting.

Only someone like Tamashi, with world management authority and the ability to freely modify spirit effects with fantasy, could construct such a peculiar scene.

The Light Gate and the Void Gate collided, subtle spatial energies intertwining, and then a monstrous wave surged forth. Tamashi instinctively withdrew the Light Gate, but the Void Gate had already shattered. The resulting spherical spatial turbulence swallowed both Ashe and Vichy!

Igor, Harvey, and Tamashi stared blankly at the scene, unable to react for a moment.

But in the next second, the necromancer dove straight into the spatial turbulence without hesitation!

Tamashi was about to follow, but Igor blocked his way. “Celestium! You have to protect his Wishflux Celestium!”

“Why not you!” Tamashi roared. “I’m not even a sorcerer!”

“Because I’m faster than you.”

Tamashi was stunned. With a wave of his hand, the Con Artist’s phantom before him vanished into smoke.

He hovered dumbly in midair above the Silent Spiral, his shoulders trembling, lost in thought.

After a long while, he finally took a new raven mask from his belt pouch and put it on again.

“Vichy!”

Ashe snapped out of his daydream, immediately gripping the Honey Sword, ready for a desperate fight.

But standing before him were only Igor and Harvey.

“Luck’s on our side. The spatial turbulence actually led to a normal place,” Igor observed the passages ahead and behind. “This looks like an underground tunnel. Judging by the airflow, we shouldn’t be far from the surface.”

Ashe asked blankly, “Where’s Vichy?”

“Gone,” Igor replied. “Probably slipped away while you were still dreaming.”

Ashe looked at the two of them, let out a long sigh, and put away the Honey Sword.

“You two really won’t let me go,” he said. “Can’t you learn to be as calm as Tamashi…”

Igor said, “At a time like this, all you need to do is kneel and kowtow in endless gratitude. No need for so much nonsense.”

“Let’s go,” Harvey said. “Let’s check out the situation outside first.”

The three of them moved along the tunnel toward the direction of the wind. The tunnel was narrow and long, but didn’t seem like a mine cave.

Although they’d arrived in an unknown Kingdom, the sorcerers weren’t too worried. After all, with the Void Gate Spirit, Kingdom time trave was now possible. Plus, all of them were at least Sanctuary-level; unless they ran into a legendary sorcerer, they could run rampant even in a strange Kingdom.

“Could we have arrived in Gospel?” Ashe speculated. “If so, then everything’s solved.”

“Blood Moon would work too,” Igor said. “Honestly, I’d quite like to meet some ‘old friends.’”

“Is it possible we’ve already died, and this is hell?” Harvey offered a rather creative guess.

“Impossible, absolutely impossible.”

Amid their brief discussion, they soon reached the cave entrance. Ashe was a bit surprised. “It’s daytime outside?”

The light at the entrance was very bright, but their senses told them it was already night. There were two possibilities: either an artificial light source, or this Kingdom had a significant time difference from Senlo…

But when they stepped out of the cave, they discovered a third possibility.

The night sky was filled with Stars, constellations stretched across the heavens, the Milky Way hung upside down, bright as day.

It was the most dazzling starry sky they’d ever seen.

In the crumbling Senlo, a beam of silver light pierced the world, becoming the last pillar holding up this collapsing Kingdom.

Within the silver light, a little girl lay on the ground hugging a doll. She spread open a Sorcerer’s Handbook and began to write and draw on it with watercolor pens. Every time she finished a page, a new one would appear, as if the Sorcerer’s Handbook was still continuing.

Behind her, a phantom dragon seemingly made of countless shattered mirrors watched her creation in silence.

All around her were hundreds of Source Crystals. Until these Source Crystals were depleted, she wouldn’t need to use her own energy. Guided by the light, green crystal rubble flowed toward the Silver Lantern, but once illuminated by the silver light, they turned to ash and were freed, leaving only a silent Echo behind.

As time passed, Senlo gradually calmed, all colors faded away, and the world sank into endless silence. In the pitch-black night, a childish voice whispered softly:

“I am Yolan Vesser…”

In the boundless darkness, only a single Silver Lantern endured.

(End of Volume Three)