Chapter 1199: The Apotheosis Platform Appears (Part 2)
Though Bai Yuanhua was a Demon Saint, the scene before him still filled him with terror. This wasn't merely because he had never witnessed such a sight; it was primarily due to the overwhelming grandeur of the spectacle, which exerted an immense pressure upon him.
As he posed that question to Yang Haoran, Bai Yuanhua already knew the answer in his heart. He simply found it difficult to believe, which was why he sought confirmation from Yang Haoran. Even if Yang Haoran hadn't given a definitive reply, he would have understood the situation himself.
At this moment, Bai Yuanhua had no leisure to dwell on Bai Jiumeng’s matter, nor did he harbor any of his previous disdain or dissatisfaction towards Yang Haoran. All such feelings were cast aside, for in this current predicament, he needed an ally to discuss countermeasures. Yang Haoran, as a Guardian, was clearly the best candidate. Thus, he not only refrained from speaking ill of Yang Haoran but even addressed him with newfound courtesy.
"From the current situation, it appears to be the prelude to the Apotheosis Platform's imminent appearance. I believe Patriarch Yuanhua is well aware of this, too."
Yang Haoran responded, his face still grave, not immediately reverting to his usual composure even after Bai Xue and the other three had departed.
"The Apotheosis Platform appearing—the Spiritualist False God will be the happiest of all. But why, of all places, does this cursed thing have to appear above my Snow Fox Mountain? What terrible luck!"
Bai Yuanhua didn’t continue to press Yang Haoran for confirmation that the scene before them was indeed the prelude to the Apotheosis Platform’s appearance. He had already received Yang Haoran’s affirmative answer, and as Yang Haoran had said, he himself was well aware of what was happening, so there was no need for repeated confirmations.
However, the impending appearance of the Apotheosis Platform brought him not an ounce of joy. This was evident from his grim expression and the tone of his voice.
Because with the Apotheosis Platform appearing on Snow Fox Mountain, it wouldn't be long before major forces converged here. In particular, the Spiritualist False God, who was intent on becoming a god, would undoubtedly rush to this place as soon as he received the news, for if he wished to ascend, he must step onto the Apotheosis Platform.
For the Spiritualists and their allies, the Spiritualist False God successfully stepping onto the Apotheosis Platform was a matter of paramount importance. They would spare no effort in their support, because only by the Spiritualist False God achieving true godhood could these allies obtain the benefits they desired. Otherwise, all their efforts would be in vain, and they would face severe retaliation from the Yin Division!
Conversely, the Yin Division and its allies certainly did not wish to see the Spiritualist False God successfully ascend the Apotheosis Platform. Even before becoming a true god, the Spiritualist False God was already giving them headaches. If he truly became a true god, dealing with him would become even more troublesome, potentially leading to catastrophic consequences for them.
Therefore, the Yin Division would undoubtedly exhaust every means to prevent the Spiritualist False God from ascending the Apotheosis Platform. To succeed in this, it was obvious that the Yin Division would deploy all its top experts.
This meant that in a short while, almost all the top experts of the entire New Beginning Realm would gather on Snow Fox Mountain, turning it into a veritable Asura battlefield. Once the two sides clashed, let alone Snow Fox Mountain itself, the entire mountain range might not survive the great battle. The destruction of Snow Fox Mountain in the ensuing conflict was a certainty.
Snow Fox Mountain was the ancestral home of the White Fox Clan, where they had thrived and multiplied for generations. If Snow Fox Mountain were destroyed, it would be a disaster for the entire White Fox Clan. As the patriarch of the White Fox Clan, and having already learned the fate that awaited Snow Fox Mountain, Bai Yuanhua naturally could not look pleased. His frustration was palpable.
Although Bai Yuanhua held the esteemed rank of Demon Saint, and such experts were rare in the New Beginning Realm, he was but one individual. If the top experts of the Spiritualist faction and the Yin Division clashed here, it was simply beyond his power to stop them. Even if he dragged his entire White Fox Clan into the fray, it would be useless; forcefully participating would only lead to self-destruction.
Had it been any other matter, with Bai Yuanhua's Demon Saint cultivation, both the Spiritualist faction and the Yin Division would have shown him some deference. After all, neither side wished to offend a Demon Saint-level expert. However, this matter concerned the Apotheosis Platform, and neither side would relinquish their struggle on his account.
Let alone a mere Demon Saint, even if he were a mythical Demon God, faced with such an event, neither side would yield an inch.
In Yang Haoran's view, Bai Yuanhua understood these principles perfectly. Thus, to minimize losses, Bai Yuanhua had ordered his clansmen to flee immediately, not even having time to take the White Fox Clan's countless years of accumulated treasures with them.
Yang Haoran knew that Bai Yuanhua didn't *not* want his clansmen to take their valuable items; it was simply that there was no time. If they spent time retrieving valuables, they might not be able to escape at all. Furthermore, some items couldn't be easily taken and would require more time, and Bai Yuanhua, understanding this, would certainly not allow his clansmen to waste time on such matters. They could only abandon the clan's treasures and prioritize their lives.
Snow Fox Mountain was facing an imminent catastrophe. Not only would the White Fox Clan's ancestral home be gone, but their countless years of hard work and accumulated treasures would also suffer devastating losses. As the patriarch of the White Fox Clan, Bai Yuanhua's face was naturally grim, and his inner fury was immeasurable.
No sooner had Bai Yuanhua's voice, brimming with both anger and helplessness, faded than he and Yang Haoran sensed intense fluctuations in several areas on Snow Fox Mountain's peak. Subsequently, over a dozen spatial rifts appeared across the mountaintop, and figures swiftly emerged from them.
From their attire, demeanor, and the power fluctuations emanating from within them, it was clear that these individuals did not belong to a single faction. Among them were members of the Yin Division, Spiritualists, as well as Talisman Masters and Demon Hunters. Though their affiliations differed, the very first thing they did upon emerging from the spatial rifts was identical: they all looked up at the enormous black hole slowly rotating in the sky.
They had rushed to this location because they had detected an anomaly above Snow Fox Mountain. However, previously, they were too far away to see clearly, thus they couldn't be certain of the true nature of the black hole that had suddenly appeared above the mountain.
Now, after observing it up close, some still had no idea what the black hole was, while others recognized its true origin.
Almost all of the Spiritualist faction recognized the black hole's origin, and their faces lit up with excitement. Conversely, the Yin Division faction seemed to be clueless as to what the black hole signified, and their faces were filled with bewilderment.
The Spiritualists recognized the black hole because their high-ranking officials had long since prepared all Spiritualists on the matter. They demanded that their subordinates know the omens preceding the appearance of the Apotheosis Platform, for only by being thoroughly prepared could they avoid misidentifying or completely failing to recognize it when the omens appeared.
As the Apotheosis Platform had no fixed location for its appearance each time, and any corner of the New Beginning Realm could become its manifestation point, it was impossible to wait at a single location for it to appear. This made knowing the omens of its appearance in advance all the more crucial.
To avoid missing the Apotheosis Platform's appearance, not only did the Spiritualists thoroughly prepare, but their allies also did their homework in advance. In contrast, the Yin Division and its allies had never studied this aspect, which was why they largely failed to recognize the black hole in the sky.
The individuals who had appeared on Snow Fox Mountain's peak at this moment were not solely from the Yin Division and Spiritualist factions; there were also others outside these two groups. However, neither the Yin Division nor the Spiritualist faction had the inclination to concern themselves with them at this time. All their attention was focused on the black hole above, and likewise, they paid no heed to the other two factions.
Upon recognizing the black hole's origin, the Spiritualist faction, without exception, expressed ecstatic joy and promptly conjured their respective Communication Talismans. It was obvious they were reporting the imminent appearance of the Apotheosis Platform to their superiors.
Although the Yin Division faction didn't recognize the black hole's origin, they clearly saw the Spiritualists' excited expressions. Thus, even without knowing what the black hole was, they could make some inferences based on the Spiritualists' reactions. At the very least, they could be certain that the black hole's appearance was highly beneficial to the Spiritualists, otherwise they wouldn't be so agitated.
The Yin Division faction was not foolish either. Even if they didn't know the black hole's origin, they knew it was of no small importance, and the Spiritualists' excited reaction further confirmed this. Therefore, they also conjured Communication Talismans, reporting the situation they witnessed to their superiors.
Yang Haoran was not idle at this moment. Like everyone else, he conjured a Communication Talisman, though the one he conjured was merely a phantom projection, not a substantial entity. This occurred because Yang Haoran on Snow Fox Mountain was merely a divine sense illusion; he had no independent space and thus could not conjure talismans. The reason one could see the divine sense illusion conjure a Communication Talisman was because his true body, located in the Guardian District of Jingling Continent, had done so, and the divine sense illusion's actions and words were synchronized with his true body, leading to this phenomenon.
As everyone, including Yang Haoran, conjured their Communication Talismans, spatial rifts continued to appear on Snow Fox Mountain's peak, and more and more people, having discovered the anomaly, rushed to the scene!
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