Dungeon King: A Lady Knight Offered by My Goblins

Chapter 391 389-First-generation Deity, Second-generation Deity

"You carry the legacy of the Wraith Cult. Haven't you ever entered the Valhalla of the Wraith Cult? Oh, it should be called the Wraith Abyss."

The High Priest's lips barely moved, not emitting much sound, yet his voice clearly reached Ethan's ears.

Ethan looked puzzled. Wraith Abyss? He had only seen the temples of the Wraith Cult. The Wraith Abyss sounded like a place exclusive to the Wraith Cult.

"I've never seen it," Ethan pondered for a moment before deciding to tell the truth.

"Hmm? You haven't seen it?" The High Priest frowned, his eyes filled with deep perplexity.

"What is this Wraith Abyss you speak of?"

The High Priest glanced at Ethan and slowly explained:

"Hmph, the essence of religion is fanaticism. The powerful members of the Wraith Cult, in their devotion to protect the cult, voluntarily became Wraiths after death, guarding the Wraith Cult. As the number of Wraiths grew, the Supreme Deity of the Wraith Cult, to provide these guardian Wraiths a haven, created a small world specifically for them, which is the Wraith Abyss."

"Hisss--so, the Wraith Abyss and Valhalla share similar concepts."

"Indeed, it's strange that you possess the Rule of Wraith and have never entered the Wraith Abyss."

Ethan stood still, thinking of Sheimodo.

He had obtained this fragment of the Rule of Wraith from Sheimodo.

Could it be that Sheimodo had left him a backdoor?

Why didn't Bogart allow him to enter the Wraith Abyss?

Was it because his realm hadn't reached the required level yet?

Ethan found it inappropriate to elaborate further, so he deftly changed the subject:

"High Priest, did you seek me out because you have some task for me?"

The High Priest glanced at Ethan, then at Sherry, who floated in the air, enveloped by the Rule of Shadow:

"It's not so much an arrangement as it is a desire to have a chat."

His tone carried a sense of melancholy, prompting Ethan's imagination to wander.

"Since it's a chat, may I ask the High Priest a few questions?"

"Ask."

"I'm curious why your soul appears so solid. You possess such a soul that seems capable of wandering outside!"

"Had it not been for the aura of the Rule of Wraith on you, I would have seriously doubted whether you are an inheritor from the Wraith Cult."

"...."

"This is a power granted to me by Valhalla. My activities are confined to Valhalla, where the belief and Bloodline power are the strongest. Although it seems I am alone, I carry the spiritual power of thousands of Shadow Clan Wraiths."

"I see!" Ethan nodded slightly. "So, was that giant hand also your doing?"

The High Priest's mouth corners slightly downturned as he spoke indifferently:

"Correct, that was my way of testing you."

"Oh? Could you elaborate?"

"The Shadow Clan values Bloodline over race. Even if a Goblin awakens the Shadow Bloodline and achieves greatness, they can gain the recognition of our clan. So, Sherry is someone that this generation's High Priest has asked us to pay extra attention to. However, we cannot tolerate outsiders harboring designs on our Shadow Clan. Therefore, I abducted Sherry to observe your actions."

"I performed well, so you let me off the hook."

"Indeed," for some reason, Ethan felt the High Priest's expression was somewhat awkward, "I saw your determination to protect Sherry, and thus knew in my heart that you would neither harm her nor threaten the Shadow Clan. What harm is there in allowing you to visit the Shadow Clan's Valhalla?"

The High Priest would never reveal the true reason for his retreat.

The aura of the Primordial Light emanating from within Ethan was too frightening. 

Facing Ethan, he felt that in that moment, Ethan possessed the power of a deity.

To prevent the sacred land of the Shadow Clan from collapsing, the High Priest had to withdraw.

Had it not been for this unexpected turn of events, the High Priest would not have allowed Ethan to cross the bridge so easily.

Ethan fell into silence, and the High Priest was the first to break it:

"Where does the Primordial Light within you come from?"

"Oh, the High Priest also knows of the Primordial Light?"

"Of course. If I had possessed a strand of Primordial Light back then," a hint of melancholy appeared in the High Priest's eyes, "I could have fully stepped into the realm of deity, protecting the Shadow Clan for a thousand, ten thousand years..."

"Is Primordial Light that precious?" Ethan was somewhat incredulous.

"Naturally. At the dawn of the universe, the primordial scattered, its spirit power falling in all corners of the universe. Over time, planets, trees, and creatures that received the primordial spirit power gradually became deities."

"Deities originated like this?"

"Exactly. These are the First-generation Deities of the universe. Bored with the world, the First-generation Deities began to create, bringing life to each planet. They created various races with great powers and abilities that even the First-generation Deities did not possess."

Ethan's eyebrows raised in surprise: "There are things the First-generation Deities don't know?"

"Yes. The biggest problem with the First-generation Deities is their inability to progress. The spirituality of the primordial was both the key to their divinity and their shackles. They couldn't evolve any further..."

Ethan remained silent, listening intently as the High Priest narrated that distant and vast history.

"However, the life forms they created had different aspirations. They too wished to become deities, to be supreme beings in the universe, to be revered by all. Thus, over the long stretch of time, the First-generation Deities and the life forms they created began to struggle."

"The First-generation Deities were magnificent! They were miracles of the universe and harbingers of life. They were the fountain of creation, the origin of all things, the guardians and guides of all life. Their existence bestowed order and laws upon the universe, enabling life to thrive and evolve."

"However, their inherent flaw was unavoidable – they could not progress further. The life forms they created, although perhaps not matching their intellect, had lived for so long that the mere accumulation of experience allowed them to break through."

"The life forms broke through the ceiling set by the First-generation Deities. From then on, the life forms created by the First-generation Deities became hunters, preying on them. It is said that the battles between the life forms and the First-generation Deities lasted for several epochs..."

"The First-generation Deities, too comfortable in their divine thrones, finally thought of the primordial spirit power within them. They sought to decipher the primordial spirit power to find a path to further progress, but it was too late."

"The life forms they created hunted them down, consuming their primordial spirit power... From then on, the First-generation Deities fell completely. Even those who barely survived were either imprisoned or forced to wander in other worlds... The Second-generation Deities began to dominate the entire universe."

"To ensure that the races of life forms they governed did not repeat the act of hunting the First-generation Deities, the Second-generation Deities undertook two measures."

Ethan, captivated by the High Priest's storytelling, eagerly asked:

"What two things?"

"The first thing they decided was to jointly create a race that could stand against the offspring of deities but would never become deities themselves in their lifetime. This race, conjured by the Second-generation Deities, possessed intelligence, courage, and the ability to use tools..."

"People? The human race?" Ethan furrowed his brows slightly.

"Correct. The race that the Second-generation Deities jointly created is the human race. They discovered that the human body is most suited for practicing and understanding rules. This is also why most of our races take a human form, or seek to transform into humans."

"How does that benefit the Second-generation Deities?"

"The benefits are enormous. Though the human race possesses potential almost reaching the ceiling, they are born weak and inconspicuous among all races. When oppressed by other races, humans naturally rise to fight back. The human race then becomes a weapon in the hands of the Second-generation Deities to counter those races, preventing them from having the energy to think about how to kill deities, to become deities."

"How cunning..." Ethan's expression was shaken.

"The Second-generation Deities were, after all, survivors of the battle with the First-generation Deities, each more cunning than the last. To bolster the human race against the First-generation Deities, the Second-generation Deities unconditionally aided them. Why else would other races have only one or two deities, but in human carvings and history, there appear various different deities? The God of Fire bestowing fire, the God of Aqua bringing down rain, even the God of Sun deliberately dimming the sunlight to prevent humans from being scorched to death..."

"Aren't the Second-generation Deities afraid of humans becoming deities?"

"Didn't I say? The human race was created with the impossibility of becoming deities, a unified result of the Second-generation Deities' design. You've heard of the God of Fire, God of Aqua, God of Sea, even the God of Wraith, and so on, but have you ever heard of a God of Humans?"

"So, the human race is just a tool for the Second-generation Deities?" 

Ethan's tone carried a hint of melancholy, grateful that he now carried the Golden Divine Dragon Blood within him.

Yet, he still felt a sense of regret.

"And the second thing?"

The High Priest did not immediately answer. 

Instead, he turned and gazed into the starry sky, his eyes filled with coldness and a hint of bloodthirst.