Chapter 1221: One Step, Eternity
Waiting is an agony, especially in a situation like this, where one's life could be lost at any moment. It's a soul-crushing torment. Without a strong inner resolve and a head made of iron, one's sanity would have surely collapsed long ago. How could anyone have persevered until now?
"Hold fast, everyone! The final victory in this great war will surely be ours! The Underworld Office side has few people left, and their remaining combat strength is dwindling. Let us unleash our full power, strike with a single breath, and slaughter them all! Let their blood herald the triumphant return of our God and the Talisman Ancestor!"
Among the Spiritualists, a Spiritualist King, bathed in blood, spoke loudly. This Spiritualist King held a very high position within the Spiritualist community, equivalent to the Five Emperors of the Underworld Office. It was precisely because of his pivotal status among the Spiritualists that his words garnered greater attention.
Bolstered by his power, the Spiritualist King's voice reverberated throughout the entire Snow Fox Mountain Range. From this, it was clear that his words were not merely meant to inspire the high-ranking members of his faction, but also to invigorate all the surviving members beneath them.
He acted this way because he knew that continuing like this would undoubtedly lead to major problems. Even he was physically and mentally exhausted at this point, let alone others. If their faction's morale wasn't lifted, they would surely hasten their defeat, and many more would tragically perish at the hands of the Underworld Office.
Therefore, he had to provide appropriate encouragement to his side, to maximize their morale. Although he knew that the effect of his actions wouldn't be significant—after all, in the current situation, morale couldn't be boosted with just a few words—doing something was certainly better than doing nothing; it could at least have some small effect.
If anyone else had spoken words similar to his, the effect would likely have been inferior, and might even have been counterproductive. After all, not just anyone was qualified to say such things. He understood this perfectly, which was why he took the initiative to offer encouragement.
As expected, his morale-boosting words did have a certain effect, but it was indeed not very significant.
"Throughout countless years, the Underworld Office has endured innumerable wars, big and small. We, the Underworld Office, have never fallen, and this time will certainly be no exception! As long as everyone holds fast and fights the enemy with all their might, then we will surely witness the final victory still belonging to our Underworld Office!"
The speaker was the Qing Shan Great Emperor of the Underworld Office. Like the Spiritualist King, he imbued his voice with power, so his words also spread throughout the entire Snow Fox Mountain Range, reaching the ears of all surviving combatants, including those from the opposing faction.
As for who would win or lose this great war, the Qing Shan Great Emperor was equally uncertain, and even felt a hint of unease that he himself was unwilling to admit. However, he could not show the slightest sign of it in this situation, because once his true inner emotions were revealed, it would only bring a tremendous negative impact upon the Underworld Office. Thus, not only did he dare not reveal anything, but he feigned composure, putting on an appearance of full confidence.
Naturally, his morale-boosting words also had little effect. After all, fools were a minority; the vast majority of people had brains and knew the Qing Shan Great Emperor's true intention in speaking these words at this moment. So, most of them merely took it as a form of psychological comfort, not truly believing it.
The war, which had already fallen into a slump for both sides, experienced a slight "recovery of blood" thanks to the morale-boosting words of the Spiritualist King and the Qing Shan Great Emperor. However, it was only a minor recovery and did not bring about any substantial change to the stalled conflict. It wasn't that they didn't want to launch fierce, intimidating attacks on their opponents as they had at the beginning; it was simply that the vast majority of them were now more than willing but lacking strength.
The surviving members of both sides were, in fact, well aware that they couldn't endure this great war for much longer. The fact that they could still "recover a bit of blood" and continue fighting was nothing more than a fleeting moment of vitality before collapse. If their True Gods, whom they believed in, did not emerge from the black hole after a while longer, then none of them could guarantee their own survival, nor was it certain they would remain there to fight to the death with the enemy.
Yet, no sooner had the Qing Shan Great Emperor's morale-boosting words faded than a shocked and excited voice suddenly rang out in the area where Yang Haoran was located, immediately drawing the attention of many.
"Look, the black hole is changing again!"
The speaker was a Grand Spirit Master, who at that moment wore an expression of shock as he pointed towards an edge of the massive black hole above.
Everyone looked in the direction the Grand Spirit Master pointed, and sure enough, at the edge of the black hole he indicated, space was rapidly mending at a visible pace.
Although the change was only occurring in an inconspicuous edge area of the black hole, many observant individuals had already noticed this scene before the Grand Spirit Master spoke. They simply hadn't cried out like him.
And now, as the Grand Spirit Master spoke with shock, those who hadn't immediately noticed the black hole's change also discovered the anomaly. Some wore expressions of astonishment, others showed excitement, while still others revealed looks of trepidation.
The massive black hole, which had remained unchanged for a long time, finally began to shift again at this very moment. And this change was quite significant, for as the space at the black hole's edge rapidly healed, its covered area quickly began to shrink. If this continued, in just a short while, the colossal black hole in the sky would completely vanish.
"Is it finally coming to an end?"
Yang Haoran watched the rapidly shrinking black hole above, and such a thought couldn't help but arise in his mind. In just a few breaths, it had shrunk by about a tenth; its complete disappearance was merely a matter of moments. He felt that before the black hole completely vanished, the three mighty figures inside should have been able to determine a victor.
Although he hadn't stepped inside the black hole and didn't know the exact situation within it, it seemed to him that once the black hole fully healed, the three mighty figures inside, if not trapped forever, would likely find it exceedingly difficult to emerge. Thus, he vaguely felt that before the black hole fully healed, or perhaps before it completely vanished, the struggle between the three powerhouses should conclude.
Of course, this was merely his unilateral speculation. He couldn't be certain if reality would unfold as he guessed, as the methods of deities were simply incomparable to those of a mere mortal like himself. Some of their techniques surely surpassed his imagination, so even if the black hole completely vanished, those three mighty figures might still have a way to emerge. It was just that at this moment, his thoughts leaned more towards the former possibility.
The combatants, whose fighting spirit had just been somewhat rekindled by the Spiritualist King and the Qing Shan Great Emperor, now found their battle intent completely gone due to the black hole's renewed anomaly. Everyone shifted their attention to the black hole above. Even those who were still fighting their opponents were merely going through the motions, not exerting their full strength. After all, no matter how intense their battle, whether final victory belonged to their side still depended on the outcome of the struggle between the three True Gods.
As the black hole grew smaller and smaller, an object gradually revealed its form. Although initially only the tip of the iceberg was exposed, even that mere glimpse allowed everyone present to recognize what it was.
The object emanated a golden light, and its distinctly angled steps were fresh in everyone's memory. This object was precisely the Apotheosis Platform, the very structure one had to ascend to its summit to become a True God!
Although only the tip of the Apotheosis Platform had been revealed, it still exuded a sense of profound awe. However, what everyone present wished to see at this moment was not the Apotheosis Platform itself, but whether the deities they each believed in had emerged victorious. Thus, no matter how magnificent the Apotheosis Platform appeared, they had no inclination to appreciate it at this time.
In less than the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, the black hole shrank from massive to minuscule until it completely vanished. The shattered space returned to its original state, and the tall, magnificent Apotheosis Platform was fully revealed once more.
At the very top of the Apotheosis Platform, just one step away from the God Position, a figure knelt motionless. This person was tall and possessed two heads: one handsome, the other ugly. This individual was none other than the Spirit Master False God, worshipped by the Spiritualists.
The Spirit Master False God was now ragged and bathed in blood. Both his handsome and ugly faces were utterly pale, devoid of color, and simultaneously displayed intense unwillingness. Yet, the unwillingness on these two faces was unnervingly rigid, as if a pause button had been suddenly pressed, like lifeless sculptures, bearing no resemblance to the expressions of the living.
Indeed, these were not the expressions of a living being, for the Spirit Master False God was no longer alive at this moment. Not a single trace of life fluctuation could be detected from him; it wasn't that he deliberately concealed his life force, but that he was genuinely, truly dead.
Not only was he dead, but his Guardian Spirit had also perished. As for why such intense unwillingness was etched on both his and his Guardian Spirit's faces, it was because the God Position was directly before them. They needed only to take one more step to successfully claim the long-dreamed-of God Position, and from then on, shed their False God bodies to become true deities. Yet, that single, short step remained untaken, and they had paid with their very lives. How could they possibly be willing to accept such a fate!
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