Chapter 1617: A God King’s Attention

Golden light illuminated the earth.

Eight figures in mourning robes, their faces obscured like the Underworld’s Black and White Impermanence, knelt piously in the air.

Someone stood at their center, carrying a basket full of golden paper.

Countless strips of golden paper scattered through the air, but when they hit the ground, they seemed to merge with it. They quickly disappeared.

No one knew who they were, or why they were here.

But the loyal immortals were certain that the Mausoleum contained terrifying good fortune.

Little did they know, off in the void, in the realm of the true gods…

A man with skin as white as paper, golden hair, and purple robes looked into an old bronze mirror. Shockingly, its surface reflected the Divine Mausoleum. 

The man looked into it emotionlessly. A faint smile tugged at his lips. “The Transcendent Mausoleum. I suppose it was about time for it to arrive.”

The man’s inexplicable smile suddenly faded. He glanced at the man beside him, a carelessly handsome youth. “I hear that you called all the era-destroying giant beasts back. Are you planning to attack the Third Era ahead of schedule?”

“Is there a problem with that?” asked the youth lightly.

“I naturally don’t have a problem with it, but as you know, if you attack in advance, the Masters of the Laws might not stand with us,” said the man in purple.

“That would be best,” said the handsome youth. His deep blue eyes flashed with thirst for battle. The corners of his lips gradually arched upward. “I’ve hated the sight of those Masters of the Laws for quite some time. They’re pathetically weak, yet somehow, they stand above all other races. I want to use my actions to tell them that we, the true gods, are this universe’s true unparalleled existences.”

“Yale, you really live up to your title as the God of Destruction.” The man in purple shook his head.

“Hmph, don’t think I can’t tell what you’re really getting at. You’re trying to call me a barbarian, aren’t you?” This casually handsome youth was indeed none other than the God King of Destruction, Yale. He glanced coolly at the man in purple, and plastered a smile across his face. “Hmph. I was surprised that you’d come with me. Haven’t you always hated warfare and everything it entails?”

“Not long ago, I finally understood what freedom truly means.”

“What?”

“All living things, submitting before me. That’s freedom.” All of a sudden, the glint in the purple-robed man’s eyes made even the God King of Destruction, Yale, feel a chill. 

He looked at the man in purple for a while, then nodded and laughed. “It seems I’ve picked up on something I shouldn’t have.”

“What of it?” As soon as the words left his lips, the man in purple returned to his usual state. He glanced down at the world below.

“It looks like those ants are this era’s hope. Yale, do things as you see fit. The Goddess of War and I will both stand beside you.”

“…..” Yale’s hands quivered. If the man’s earlier words had been mere veiled hints, then this was a clear declaration of his intentions. 

He was the God King of Freedom!

The true freedom that he wanted was standing above all other lifeforms. So long as the Divine Emperor stood above him, he couldn’t achieve the true freedom he desired.

Yale had wondered why the God King of Freedom was interested in coming here to see the Transcendent Mausoleum.

The Goddess of War already stood at his side, which meant that over half of the true gods’ military might was under his control. His main purpose in coming here was to make his intentions clear to Yale.

Yale suddenly understood: the God King of Freedom wanted to pull him to his side.

Become his subordinate?  

Yale laughed lightly, but thought about it no further. To him, it didn’t matter who he followed. He was happy so long as he could relish in the joys destruction brought him. “I am willing to cooperate with you.”

“That’s excellent.” The God King of Freedom laughed and nodded. The instant Yale agreed, the God King of Freedom seemed to lose all interest in the Transcendent Mausoleum. “Let’s disperse, then!”

Yale nodded. His goal in coming here was simple; he just wanted to take a look.

At the same time, he wanted to see for himself just what kind of a man the Third Era’s Emperor Star was. He’d seen all he’d come here to see, so he naturally felt no need to linger. He waved his hand and crushed the mirror into fragments. The instant it shattered, he shot Ye Zichen a heavy glance. 

“So you’re the one the Goddess of War misses so badly? Don’t disappoint me, my cute little Emperor Star.”

….

Ye Zichen stood before the Divine Mausoleum, but he suddenly frowned and looked up. Yang Jian and the others were there too, and they all followed his gaze.

Pu Jingwan then looked away and asked, “What is it?”

“Nothing.” 

Just now, Ye Zichen had clearly sensed someone peering down at him, but when he spread out his divine awareness, he didn’t sense any trace of anyone at all. 

After gesturing to indicate that there was no need for concern, Ye Zichen fixed his gaze entirely on the mausoleum.

It now occupied all of what was once Howling Valley. Although the mausoleum looked as if it were touching the ground, there was actually about half a meter between it and the earth.

It was like a mountain, with a wide base – quite possibly over one million square meters in total.

Once you reached about halfway up the mountain, you’d see that the tip wasn’t just a mountain peak, but rather, a mausoleum. 

The clouds over the Immortal Region were now completely golden red, as if time had frozen, stuck in an eternal daytime. When Ye Zichen heard the elderly village head’s account, he learned that the Immortal Region hadn’t seen nightfall in over half a month. 

When they heard that, Ye Zichen’s group was incomparably shocked.

After gaining a basic understanding of the situation, they rushed out to examine the mausoleum directly.

When they arrived, there were already quite a few immortals there scoping things out. As for the people in funerary garb, they seemed not to notice. They simply kept on tossing golden strips of paper.

“The mausoleum is actually blue!” When they got close, Yang Jian couldn’t help but exclaim. Before they got here, they’d thought the mausoleum would be red. Now that they were here, they realized it only looked that way because of the red barrier surrounding the entire mountain. From a distance, it made the mausoleum look red.

After passing through the barrier, the mountain was sky blue.

The gate to the mausoleum was in a central location. There was a sign hanging above it. The word written on it was…

Transcendence! 

Through the red barrier, Ye Zichen could tell that beneath the sign was a spatial rift. If he weren’t mistaken, the rift was where he was supposed to put the key after fusing its fragments together. It was the keyhole to open the mausoleum. 

“Does that sign mean that this mausoleum can make someone transcend?” When she saw the sign, Pu Jingwan muttered. The others furrowed their brows.

Don’t let their cultivations fool you; Yang Jian and the Great Sage were considered members of the younger generation. If not for Ye Zichen, they wouldn’t have known about the Divine Mausoleum at all. 

At that moment, Venerate Spirit Treasure walked up to them, scratching his head and laughing gleefully. “This just goes to show that your experience is too limited. Want to know why the sign says ‘transcendence’? I can tell you… if you beg me.”