Though the Papacy of legend vanished into the void, the recovery of the Genesis Bible was a significant gain. After both the Holy Grail and the Bible came into Yulia's possession, her strength once again skyrocketed, even directly surpassing Wang Lan's.
It might have been an amplification caused by the union of the two Genesis artifacts, or perhaps the Golden Bloodline within Yulia had begun to awaken—her strength seemed to grow with every passing moment. This was most apparent to Wang Lan, who felt it acutely.
Now, whenever Yulia appeared before Wang Lan, he felt an intense oppressive force, the natural suppression a higher-tier being exerts on a lower-tier one.
Wang Lan didn't know exactly how powerful Yulia had become, but he was almost certain that without his Break Sky Slash, he likely couldn't withstand a single blow from her.
Although Lucifer had been slain, the absence of a notification sound from the system left Wang Lan deeply troubled. Instead of returning to their country, the two remained. These days, Wang Lan spent every moment deciphering the secret of the final set of numbers in The Book of Revelation within Yulia's Genesis Bible.
The Book of Revelation chronicled all major events from the birth of humanity to the present. Though its records were brief, seemingly just a few words for each event, they encapsulated the deaths of countless beings.
Since this set of numbers was also recorded in The Book of Revelation, it surely represented significant events in human history.
Deep into the night, in the stillness, Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu performed their nightly exercises. For some reason, Wang Lan's mind always became exceptionally agile afterward. Isn't this supposed to be the 'sage's hour'? But Wang Lan was special; blood rushed to his brain, providing ample oxygen and making it extraordinarily sharp.
While they were still catching their breath, leaning on each other and enjoying the afterglow, a flash of insight suddenly exploded in Wang Lan's mind. Instantly, his body trembled, and he sat up abruptly.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Xinyu was startled.
"Do you remember the information related to numbers in The Book of Revelation that we looked up earlier today?"
"Aren't those just random things people post online? Those numbers are meaningless. Besides, The Book of Revelation only contains one set of numbers, so where would so many others originate? And are you saying every single one of those numbers you found is identical to the set in The Book of Revelation?"
"These numbers are what archaeologists have excavated from ancient ruins, spanning different countries, regions, and even different civilizations. Xiao Ai filtered out only those with a factual basis in archaeological findings."
"So what?"
"I just had a flash of inspiration! I think I've found a way to decode these numbers." Wang Lan scrambled out of bed, grabbed his computer, and turned it on.
"Look, if the difference between these two sets of numbers represents time, and if each number stands for a number of days, then... how many days are between these two sets?"
"One hundred and seventy-two years and six months," Jiang Xinyu said calmly, looking at the two numbers.
"Xiao Ai, compare major events recorded in the Genesis Bible's Book of Revelation that are one hundred and seventy-two years apart."
"Yes!"
Soon, Xiao Ai completed the comparison. One event was the great scientific explosion, and the other was the first appearance and widespread outbreak of the Black Death. These two events, both capable of changing humanity's destiny, were exactly one hundred and seventy-two years apart.
"Let's ignore the initial numbers; they likely represent a calendar system. If we focus only on the later dates, can we find corresponding events in the Bible for these unearthed 'Revelation numbers'?"
As Wang Lan spoke, he made comparisons. Indeed, all the strange unearthed numbers corresponded to events recorded in the Bible, and each event had had an extremely profound impact on the world.
The stone tablets unearthed from the Mayan civilization were especially noteworthy. They contained as many as twelve sets of numbers, all of which matched records in The Book of Revelation—particularly the great flood that destroyed the entire Mayan civilization, recorded in a particularly shocking and vivid manner.
"So... the last set of numbers in The Book of Revelation also represents a date?"
"Right. If we convert the date differences into our current Celestial Calendar, this number corresponds to... July 7th, Celestial Calendar year 5023? What's today's date?" Wang Lan asked blankly.
"July 1st," Jiang Xinyu replied.
"Only seven days left? Something significant, something that will impact the fate of human civilization, is sure to happen in seven days." Wang Lan looked at every major event recorded in The Book of Revelation, a shiver running down his spine.
Meanwhile, Lucifer was dead, but the system still hadn't issued a notification or a reward. This made Wang Lan suspect that a great catastrophe, possibly related to Lucifer, might occur in seven days.
「The next morning」
Wang Lan found Yulia. After he explained his speculations, she immediately took him to see the Pope.
"Almost ninety percent of the events recorded in The Book of Revelation are major disasters. With only seven days remaining, we probably can't do anything, can we?" the Pope said.
"The event hasn't happened yet. Should we really do nothing?" Wang Lan asked, unwilling to accept this.
"But do you know what event it will be?" The Pope's question silenced Wang Lan.
"Look at what's recorded in The Book of Revelation: volcanic eruptions, great floods, ice ages, massive earthquakes, global pandemics... Any one of these events built up over countless ages before suddenly erupting. Even if we knew about them seven days in advance, we'd still be powerless."
"First, we need to determine what is going to happen," Yulia, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. "If a major disaster truly occurs, allowing it to happen without intervention would be a violation of God's will."
"Yulia, what are you planning to do?" the Pope's face suddenly paled, and he asked sternly.
"The Divine Oracle Skill, to view the River of Fate."
"Are you mad? Can you bear the price of viewing the River of Fate?"
"If it's a disaster significant enough to be recorded in The Book of Revelation, then even the cost of my life is worthwhile," Yulia said with a faint smile. "I am the Papacy's Saintess; this is my mission."
The Pope's face instantly turned incredibly somber. His lips twitched for a long moment, but ultimately, he didn't stop her.
"Let's go to the Star Picking Building."
Although Wang Lan didn't know the price of the Divine Oracle Skill, the Pope's expression clearly indicated the cost was not small. Silently, Wang Lan followed Yulia to the Star Picking Building.
A dazzling divine radiance emanated from Yulia's body, as if a torch had been ignited. Her golden hair danced, seeming to writhe as if in water. Yulia held the Genesis Bible, the Holy Grail hovering above her head.
Step by step, she walked towards the high platform, towards the apex of the Star Picking Building.
The divine radiance around her grew increasingly brilliant, pulsing with immense Divine Power. In an instant, the stars in the sky miraculously brightened.
The people of God's Country, and indeed the entire world, witnessed a spectacle they had never seen before.
The sun hung high, yet the stars shone brightly. Sun and stars appeared together in the same sky, the radiant Galaxy vying with the sun's brilliance.
Yulia unfolded the Genesis Bible and extended a delicate, jade-like finger towards the heavens, connecting with the Galaxy. A terrifying divine pressure erupted instantly, surging Divine Power sweeping across heaven and earth as the sky rippled with divine radiance.
Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu were drenched in sweat, their eyes fixed intently on Yulia, whose figure was nearly obscured by the Holy Light. Tension surged through their hearts.
Ethereal celestial music drifted through the air, accompanied by rising sacred chants.
An unknown amount of time passed. Suddenly, the Holy Light around Yulia burst forth, its intense white brilliance momentarily blinding the three of them present.
URK—
Yulia suddenly crumpled, spitting a mouthful of golden blood that stained the front of her robe red. Wang Lan flashed to her side in an instant, supporting her. Lifting his hand, he cast a Life Halo upon her.
But the Life Light did not quickly restore Yulia's body. Before their very eyes, Yulia's full head of golden hair turned snow white, and her face rapidly aged. In the blink of an eye, her breathtakingly beautiful face transformed into that of a wrinkled old woman.
"Yulia, you…" Jiang Xinyu covered her mouth, an expression of utter disbelief on her face.
Yulia, however, seemed calm, smiling softly. "Using one's life as the price to view the River of Fate—this is the cost. Xinyu, have I turned into a seventy or eighty-year-old old woman now?"
"Even if you have become a seventy or eighty-year-old old woman, you are still the most beautiful old woman in the world," Jiang Xinyu said, struggling to find words to comfort Yulia. For a woman, the blow of aging so suddenly was more devastating than death itself.
"Yulia, you paid such a terrible price. What did you see?" the Pope asked, his eyes filled with sorrow. This was the Papacy's most exceptionally talented and beautiful Saintess, now almost ruined by the Divine Oracle Skill.
"The Fifth Era will begin in seven days."
"What?"
All three were profoundly shocked. They had anticipated a great change in seven days, but no one had imagined it would be this monumental. The Fifth Era... the previous four Eras had all ended in world-annihilating catastrophes.
How is a new Era born? Naturally, only when an old Era perishes can a new one emerge.
"In seven days, the time for the God of Heaven's Nirvana will arrive. In Eden, a new God of Heaven or a Demon will be born. Whether the world is reborn or destroyed will depend on whether it is a god or a demon that emerges."
"Born in Eden...?"
"Damn it! Lucifer is going to be resurrected as a Demon!" Wang Lan exclaimed, his face turning pale with alarm.
"Isn't Lucifer already dead?" the Pope asked, startled by Wang Lan's shout.
"Lucifer is indeed dead. But Lord Pope, don't forget, before he was killed, he conducted a sacrificial ritual that seemed to be complete. Could the purpose of that ritual be his resurrection after death?"
Wang Lan was certain because the system hadn't indicated otherwise, and it had never been wrong in all the years it had been with him. At Wang Lan's words, the Pope instantly grasped the truth, becoming even more certain than Wang Lan.
Based on his understanding of sacrificial rituals, especially one performed using the Zodiac, the Pope knew its effects must be incredibly potent. And with it timed for the birth of a god or demon, Lucifer's intentions were undeniable: he planned to usurp the God of Heaven's ordained arrival, to be born first.
Only one god or demon can be born in the Fifth Era. If Lucifer is born as a Demon, then the god will not emerge. Humanity will face utter destruction, and the Fifth Era will be one ruled by Lucifer.
At this realization, the Pope turned deathly pale, large beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead and dripping down.
"Lord Pope, use the Genesis Bible to summon Heaven. If Lucifer truly intends to steal the God of Heaven's divine authority, there must be anomalies in Eden," Yulia said gravely.
"Very well, I will begin preparations immediately."
