Chapter 654 Memories of a Distant Past
While the tension of conflict between Duke Zohar and Duke Gamliel continued to rise, spreading death, fear, and unease throughout the imperial capital of the Great Ratholos Empire, the imperial palace remained indifferent without the slightest movement.
But despite the imperial palace's inaction, streams of news continued to flow inside, keeping Emperor Varan updated on the overall situation.
Emperor Varan listened to the reports from his Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Defence with a cold, detached expression. He didn't reveal the slightest concern for the two dukes who were his blood brothers. After all, their conflict had yet to reach the point where their blades were at each other's throats.
However, even if they were, it didn't seem like Emperor Varan would still concern himself with their wellbeing.
Emperor Varan only had one singular focus – the hidden force secretly stirring the chaos from the shadows.
"For dozens of years, I have been aware of your existence. But despite my efforts to uncover everything about you – your identity, people, strength, and purpose, not even the shadows of your tail have been seen all this time…"
"And yet, this time, because of one single spark, you are all jumping out to fan the flames of conflicts… Have you all become that impatient to achieve your goals?"
Emperor Varan's eyes flickered with a chilly glint as he quietly muttered to himself.
Magic had always been the weakness of the Great Ratholos Empire due to their single-minded pursuit of the extreme limits of body refining.
Even when the Great Ratholos Empire became aware of the limitless magic application of mana, it only saw mana as a supporting tool for furthering one's path in body refining.
This was because, back then, magic was a deep abyss of unknown possibilities; no one in the Armstrong imperial family knew if developing the empire in the direction of magic was worth it.
Thus, compared to the risk that came with the unknown, the Armstrong imperial family chose the conservative choice, focusing on body refining, which they already had a rich knowledge of and were open to greater possibilities due to the emergence of mana.
Thanks to that decision, the Great Ratholos Empire cemented its position as one of the most powerful nations in Pangea.
However, as magic continued to be developed by other countries, that firm position started weakening as early as a hundred years ago. As such, after Emperor Varan reached the transcendent level of body refining, he chose to permit the development of magic.
Shamans and Witch Doctors emerged after that, along with hidden threats that accompanied them.
The Great Ratholos Empire's relationship with the seven witch kingdoms worsened due to the existence of the hidden force that sought to plunge the empire into chaos. After all, many had suspected the involvement of the seven witch kingdoms.
Emperor Varan only realized that was untrue in the past several decades when he finally caught faint traces of demon involvement, which he didn't find surprising either.
The real problem was which of the Seven Great Devils were involved.
'Impatience or not, I won't miss this opportunity to catch you all in one fell swoop and learn everything!' Emperor Varan coldly thought with a clenched fist.
…
…
…
In a seemingly distant past of the Divine Realm, when the universe was still in its earlier stage of existence, a couple floated in the dark void of space as they gazed at a supermassive black hole ahead of them.
The couple of one man and woman were both humans, but they were more than just mere humans. They had skins white like snow jades, eyes black like the starry night sky, and fluttering soft black hair like silk in the wind.
Coupled with the eastern dragon and phoenix robes they wore, which heightened their elegance and grace, the dashing handsomeness of the man, and the unrivaled beauty of the woman, they were like celestials that came out of paintings, stories, or one's imagination in the mortal worlds.
They were existences akin to gods and leading figures in their era – the Era of True Divinity.
While many were still figuring out how to become True Gods, this particular couple had already—or rather, just recently become Peak Heavenly Gods in the Divine Realm.
"The Divine Abyss of Absolute Beginning, the graveyard of gods and devils… Now that I am a Peak Heavenly God of Space, I can finally try to explore this perilous region and uncover its secrets," the handsome man muttered with anticipation as he held the beautiful woman's hand and peered into the distant black hole together with her.
Since the beginning of time, many have sought the secrets within the Divine Abyss of Absolute Beginning, and he was no exception.
Feeling the beautiful woman's grasp of his hand tighten, the handsome man glanced at his wife affectionately and softly said, "You know, I may be the Heavenly God of Space now, but I still don't have complete confidence in venturing into the Divine Abyss of Absolute Beginning and making it back alive."
"You don't have to accompany me on this trip, Scarlett," the handsome Heavenly God of Space stated.
The beautiful woman called Scarlet gently shook her head and replied with a smile, "Wherever you go, I go. Be it in glory or dull, cultivation or the mundane, life or death, we promised to share everything when we consummated our love. There's no point trying to get rid of me now, Vanitas."
"Besides, for the longest time, I have always been looking forward to exploring the Divine Abyss of Absolute Beginning and uncovering the secrets of the universe with you. No matter the outcome, I am content as long as I am with you," Scarlett added tenderly.
In response, Vanitas simply smiled back warmly.
He had already anticipated such a reply. Since he understood his wife well, he also knew it was impossible to dissuade her from following him into the known region of no return.
"The Divine Abyss of Absolute Beginning possesses the mightiest devouring force in the entire Divine Realm. Since the beginning of time, it has also been swallowing up any and everything that fell into its net, not to mention the concentrated divine energy that wraps around it like a white blanket…"
"We don't know what we might find inside the Divine Abyss of Absolute Beginning either, but I'm almost certain the divine energy, if we find any, would be of the highest purity and potency in the entire universe."
"Right," Vanitas completely agreed with his wife's statement. It was the most logical train of thought.
Furthermore, it was also precisely because of that possibility that they were willing to take the risk to explore the Divine Abyss of Absolute Beginning right after becoming Peak Heavenly Gods.
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