Chapter 447: Divine Voice

Elysia woke with a start and screamed. The soul-tearing phantom pain of being annihilated by the heavens faded as she filled her lungs with air. After a panicked few breaths, she realized a few things. First of all, she wasn't dead. Second of all, wasn't this Stella's bedroom?

A hand smacked her on the back of the head.

"Can you shut up?"

"Ow—Stella?" Elysia's eyes widened once more, seeing the terrible condition of her cult leader. "What happened to your arm?"

Stella, who was sitting on the edge of the bed and being enveloped in Sol's healing light, shrugged at the question. "I punched the heavens."

Elysia's mouth opened and closed a few times, "Did... you win?"

"I think so?" Stella said casually, "Anyway if you're well enough to ask questions, you should head back to the funeral. The All-Seeing Eye undoubtedly needs your presence, as do the people. With both of us here, there's nobody left to lead the funeral."

Elysia scrambled out of bed, "You're right! Which way do I go?"

"There's an ethereal root in the living room that leads up to the surface. You can take that."

"Got it—and thanks for letting me recover in your bed!" Elysia sprinted out of the room before Stella could reply. Making her way through the messy living room with Jasmine and Stella's stuff thrown everywhere, she found the ethereal root tunnel and reached the surface.

"Ahhhh," she shuddered as Ashlock's divine might pressed down on her. Never before had the All-Seeing Eye's presence been so all-encompassing and oh-so-powerful. It was simply glorious. As she was in the Nascent Soul Realm, the radiant pressure wasn't quite enough to inhibit her, but it was close.

"Ashlock, are you there?" She asked but didn't receive an answer. His focus was elsewhere, likely at the funeral.

Skipping a step, she soared effortlessly into the air, no sword beneath her feet. Her destination was the immense sphere of ash looming in the distance, surrounded by millions of mortals below. Overhead, the raging heavens crackled through the sky and threatened to descend, yet Ashlock's desolation Qi lingered in the atmosphere, holding them at bay—if only barely.

Reaching out with her spiritual sense, she could feel the draw to her infant soul. It was alive and well, meaning Mytherion should be fine too. Stella was severely hurt, but that's because she tried to punch the heavens. I wonder what caused her to do something so reckless? Maybe Ashlock was endangered somehow?

Flying toward the ashen sphere, she noticed something strange. The amount of divine energy rolling down the mountain range from Red Vine Peak and gathering in the valley was tremendous, and she could feel the All-Seeing Eye's presence in the land. Not in the usual way, where his presence was carried through his roots. No, it was as if the very earth itself had become a part of him.

Unable to contain her curiosity, she landed on a nearby patch of land, dropped to one knee, and plunged her fingers into the soil. Mystic Qi coiled around her hand as she called out into the land, and to her astonishment—it answered. The land... it was conscious. It had a soul, and it was one she recognized.

"The All-Seeing Eye is in the land?" She stood up, furrowing her brows. "How is that possible?" Glancing over to the sphere of ash, she decided it may hold the answer. Rocketing up into the air, she quickly reached it and glided through a gaping hole in the bottom of the sphere.

"Oh good, you've recovered." The All-Seeing Eye's familiar distorted voice echoed deeply in her mind, "I'd advise you eat a Void Protection fruit to avoid another incident, as the heavens are very much angered right now."

All it took was a quick look at the rifts overhead crackling with the heavens wrathful energy to confirm the All-Seeing Eye's warning. Her spatial ring flashed, and she quickly gobbled down the fruit. A thin layer of void spread out and coated her skin at the cost of a large portion of her Qi reserves.

"Did you see Stella?"

"I did," Elysia nodded, "She smacked me on the head for being too loud."

"That answers my follow-up question about whether she's in good spirits after her stunt," Ashlock laughed, "Alright, come and land on Moros. I will need your help with something."

Elysia saw a person-sized gap in both layers of Moros's shields open up. She took the invitation through the shields and landed on Moros's surface, surrounded by aether flowers and trees.

However, what drew her attention were three ashen statues below the shade of Erebus's canopy.

Ryker, Diana, and Grand Elder Redclaw—all three were frozen in time with pained or shocked expressions. Douglas and Elaine were sitting on a nearby exposed tree root and seemed to perk up a little at her presence.

Elaine stood up and smiled, "Glad to see you're okay, Elysia!"

"Sure... but what the hell happened after I was knocked out?" She glanced up, "Even Mytherion seems to be quite injured, and the energy pouring out of the heavens is only ramping up."

"That's what the Blessed Land is for," Ashlock said.

"Blessed land... is that why I felt your soul in the earth?"

"You felt my soul in the earth?" Ashlock mused, "I suppose that makes sense. I had to sacrifice a portion of my soul to make it, and it's said that a Blessed Lands form where gods fall."

"Where gods fall? But I thought you didn't think of yourself as a god." Elysia said, and there was a pause.

Ashlock sighed. "It's about time I accept my godhood and wrestle control away from the tyrannical heavens, starting with us establishing our own afterlife. A place where the line between life and death blurs, souls are nurtured rather than burned and recycled, and loved ones get to see the deceased enjoying a new life. I sacrificed a portion of my soul and all the divine energy I could manifest to make the creation of this soul sanctuary possible. But I think it will be worth it. So long as people worship me, their souls will be gently plucked from the river of reincarnation and nurtured here, and after seeing what happens to souls in the afterlife, I think the people here will be quite keen."

"I... love it." Elysia had stars in her eyes, "When do we start?"

"The creation of The Eternal Grove of Rebirth is already underway, but I need your help to shape it in my image, Elysia."

Elysia nodded, "I can do that."

"There's also another thing." Ashlock added, "Once the gate to the afterlife is forcefully closed, we will be free of heaven's wrath, but the souls trapped on the other side won't be. Before finalizing this, I need the remaining souls safely returned."

Elysia looked up at the rift and clenched her fist, "I'll go to any lengths to fuck over the heavens if it makes you see yourself as the god you are."

"Very well then," Ashlock said, "reconnect with Mytherion so we can work together on making this happen."

Elysia looked up at Mytherion and shook her head, "I can't. The heavens detached us."

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"What do you mean?"

She tapped her chest, "To uphold this vast array and reach into the afterlife, Mytherion had to rupture out of my chest for me to make full use of his powers."

"Why couldn't you do that yourself?"

"Because Mytherion and I are separate entities. I wanted to raise him to be your vessel, not mine." Elysia admitted, "I... surrendered my opportunity for immortality for you. Now that the heavens tore Mytherion from me, I can't regain control over him or my infant soul that resides inside him."

There was a long pause.

"I want to stay with you," Mytherion said.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I raised you to stand on your own. To become worthy of accepting Ashlock's soul should he die!" Elysia shook her head, refusing to accept this. "I can handle this on my own. I always have until now."

"No, you cannot."

Ashlock said firmly, "As my offspring, Mytherion has unlimited cultivation potential and is more attuned to divine energy. Should you try to conduct godly rituals on my behalf in the future without Mytherion's support, you will die, Elysia. Stop being a hard-headed nutcase. I never even asked for a replacement. What, do you think I will die? Do you have such little faith in me?"

Elysia's eyes widened as her heart froze, "No—it's not like that."

"Then what are you waiting for? The heavens are about to crush us, and there are souls to be saved. Stop putting me above everything and get to work."

"Right, right," Elysia quickly jumped up through Moros's shields and flew toward the heavens where Mytherion was holding the array together. Ignoring the immense spiritual form of his looming overhead, which was possible due to her infant soul and mystic Qi, she focused on the tiny black tree with red leaves.

"Are you sure about this?" Elysia whispered to Mytherion, "You're free from me now. With my infant soul and memories, you will surely prosper and grow into the perfect vessel for Ashlock."

"What use is a servant to a god if they aren't immortal and there to protect them forever?" Mytherion simply replied. "Together, we can ensure my father never requires another vessel. We will be unstoppable, able to slaughter everyone in his way and convince every living consciousness to join us in our worship of him."

"Oh Mytherion! You have such a way with words."

Reaching out, she petted the tiny tree she had raised from a sapling while feeling immensely proud. "I raised you well," the corners of her lips curled up into a grin, "If Stella can punch the heavens, together we can tear the heavens down and bring reality to ruin. Once we have slaughtered every god, only the All-Seeing Eye will remain for the mortals to worship."

Mytherion's leaves quivered with excitement, "It will be glorious."

"It's crazy how similar we think." Elysia felt like she had a soul mate.

"Well..." Mytherion paused, "we are technically the same person."

Elysia blinked. Since Mytherion got all of his memories and knowledge from her. Was she basically just talking to herself in the mirror? No, that couldn't be the case; they simply shared a common view of how amazing the All-Seeing Eye was. Either way, her god demanded that she rebond with Mytherion, so she would do just that.

Hugging Mytherion, she howled in pain as the tree dug its roots into her chest and slowly sunk back into her body. Larry moved his ashen body and surrounded her, blocking off waves of energy coming from the heavens. The process took a few minutes, but eventually, Elysia and Mytherion became one again.

"Are you done?" Ashlock asked in her mind.

Elysia nodded.

"Good, then, since one of my offspring that I have linked with an ethereal root is inside you, I can do this—"

Elysia threw her head back, and her whole body shook as a shard of Ashlock's divine might thrust into her soul. "This..." her mouth opened and closed like a fish, her mind and soul so overwhelmed by pain and ecstasy that she couldn't put two and two together.

She then felt a strange presence invade her consciousness. It condensed into a physical form, dancing through the darkness until it formed words.

[Forming Blessed Land: The Eternal Grove of Rebirth...]

"What is that?" she asked.

"What was what?" Ashlock replied as his soul shard settled in.

"The golden words floating in my consciousness?"

"Golden words?" His tone turned serious. "What do they say?"

Elysia read out the message, and Ashlock grew quiet.

"That's... the divine voice." He eventually explained, "I wanted to connect our souls via Mytherion so you could work alongside the divine voice to help shape the Blessed Land, but I didn't expect you to be able to see it. Whatever, it's fine. You two will be working together for now."

Elysia smirked. And Ashlock really tries to deny he is a god? Returning her focus to the floating words in her mind, she mentally cupped her hands and bowed. "I look forward to working with you."

The voice responded in kind by twisting into a new form and surging straight into her. What followed was a strange out-of-body experience where she was pulled up into the air, far above the sphere of ash or clouds. Despite exchanging no words, she knew what she was being shown.

Ashlock's power.

She could feel his deep presence in the earth below her, encompassing the entire valley between Darklight and Ashfallen City. This was the area that was quickly becoming the Blessed Land. Yet Ashlock's presence and influence spread far beyond that in every direction for possibly thousands of miles. It was almost incomprehensible to her human mind that one's body could be spread over such a vast area.

He truly was a realm-spanning being.

Elysia raised her nonexistent hand, and to her shock, she could pull on the power. She could bring it toward her through the root network or push it away.

Is this what it feels like to be Ashlock? She felt like seas would part, and mountains would rise should she will it.

"I've given you control over a fragment of my power. You now see how I see the world." Ashlock replied, confirming her thoughts, "Do with it as you wish to ensure the heavens are vanquished, the souls returned, and the Blessed Land formed."

"Leave it to me."

Elysia spiritually raised her hand, bringing divine energy into Larry's domain and mixing it with her mystic Qi. Having access to so much power, the only limit was her imagination.

First, she needed access to death Qi—and a lot of it. Reaching out to the nine corpses of the Blightbane family kneeling upon pillars with roots through their hearts, she was surprised that their souls had not yet departed and answered her call.

"Of course, a death cultivator wouldn't die so easily," Elysia hummed, "But while your souls remain in this world for now, your vessels are very much dead."

[Do you wish to use {Necroflora Sovereign [SS]} on their souls]

Elysia looked at the suggestion and rejected it outright without even knowing what a Necroflora was. Something about the suggestion being presented in a box ticked her off the wrong way. The beauty of her mystic Qi was how unrestrained and limitless it was. If what she was about to do could be summarized as a technique, then Ashlock wouldn't have had a need to bring her on.

What he needed was for her to think outside of the box.

She clapped her hands and used the nine Blightbane corpses as conduits to control the gathered death Qi by the array. If she wanted to keep them and all the other souls here, it needed to feel like a place they could stay—a realm for the dead.

Mixed with the divine energy and shaped by her mystic Qi, reality encompassing the entire valley began to slowly... shift. The line between the dead and alive, spiritual and the material, began to blur into one. After forming the realm of the dead, ethereal tendrils like trails of smoke rose up from the death flowers planted on the mortal graves as if seeking out their host.

The lost souls that had been burned and then weaponized by the heavens floated down toward the tendrils like fish to bait. They latched on and were dragged down to the ground. The death flower then glowed with power, giving Elysia an idea.

Utilizing a fragment of Ashlock's power, the ground ruptured with a raise of her hand, and ethereal trees more spiritual than physical rose from the soil. However, not every soul became a tree. A forest needed more than trees to feel alive. Some souls turned into flora, others into animals.

Perhaps the phrase spirit animal had more meaning to it than people realized.

While the mortals below panicked as the ethereal forest teaming with life appeared around them, Elysia returned her focus to the heavens. There were still more that needed to be saved.

As Larry continued to absorb the brutal attacks from heaven, causing his domain to crumble around them, Elysia took action. Her body spiritually enlarged, taking on a similar size to Mytherion before he'd remerged with her. It was time to take the souls back.

She then did the unthinkable—she reached up into the rift with her hand wreathed in death dao and anything else she could gather. The heavens reacted immediately, the energy crackling angrily against her skin. The void protection melted away, as did the desolation Qi. Her mystic Qi, mixed with divine energy, was peeled layer by layer as if she were an onion.

Elysia let out a soul-wrenching scream as the energy of the heavens seared the spiritually enlarged version of herself, burning her soul in its hellfire.

Just as she was going to give up and pull her arm back. Her god spoke to her.

"I'm sending help. Watch out from below."

"Below?" She looked down and saw a colossal ship, nearly vertical, heading straight up toward her. It was surrounded by an aether Qi shield so thick she almost couldn't see through it, and that's when she remembered what Stella had told her.

"She had punched the heavens..."

Elysia braced herself as Moros came from below and swept her up. She perched herself on Akasha's trunk and grinned wildly. The ashen statues alongside Douglas and Elaine were missing, likely having gone elsewhere—it was just her along for a crazy ride.

The heavens seemed to sense their impending doom as the rift began to rapidly collapse in on itself, but it was too late. Moros crashed into the rift, prying it open. She almost lost her footing as the flagship abruptly stopped, halfway between reality and the afterlife.

Elysia looked around at the apocalyptic scene. A realm of darkness filled with nothing but hellfire and the screaming of souls. It was unbelievable, but they had successfully penetrated the afterlife.

Something Elysia was sure the heavens did not appreciate.