90: Funerals, Ascensions and Murals

The news of Eastern Abyss's passing caused a huge stir throughout the entire world.

People's first reaction was disbelief, then they fell into silent remembrance.

How could the God Art Master who could slay a god be so fragile?

But that was the reality.

Meng Yun's true identity was never revealed to the world.

The world only knew him as Eastern Abyss, the God Art Master of the Saintess Church, and that was enough.

Whether he was Meng Yun or Eastern Abyss, it didn't matter.

Neither to Meng Yun nor to Vivian.

On the third day after Meng Yun's passing, a grand funeral was held in Saintess City.

Regarding the God Art Master's funeral, there was initially a dispute among the public about whether it should be in Newt City or Saintess City.

However, considering that the God Art Master and the Holy Maiden spent their few peaceful moments in the Saintess Church, and that the Saintess Church was also the headquarters, the funeral location was finally set there.

In the square, beside the Saintess Church statue, an equally tall and majestic statue of the God Art Master had already risen from the ground.

It was regrettable that the God Art Master himself never witnessed this day.

The Coffin of Slumber lay quietly in the square.

Within the limited time today, the God Art Master would receive the sincere farewells of the people.

Number One to Number Seven, and Ruyi, all stood by, their faces filled with grief.

If anyone else was equally heartbroken besides Vivian, it was undoubtedly them.

Meng Yun passed away before he could create his army of artificial humans.

These seven individuals and one cat were Meng Yun's final swansong.

Number One rubbed his eyes, trying hard not to let tears fall.

"Boss, don't cry, you still have to stand guard," Number Three whispered from the side.

"Who's crying? Your dad is crying!" Number One retorted angrily.

"My dad, my dad is lying in there, and they say he left with a smile, you can't slander him," Number Three said in a muffled voice.

Number Seven wore a black suit today, completely concealing her beautiful figure. She sniffled, her eyes red: "Don't force me to kick you on a day like this."

Ruyi also wore a special cat suit today, sitting upright on the God Art Master's statue, vigilantly looking around.

They said a cat appearing at a funeral was unlucky.

To hell with unlucky!

Now it was sitting on top of the statue, let's see which idiot wanted to invite bad luck!

It had to give Meng Yun a proper send-off!

Citizens came in an endless stream to offer condolences.

Some even traveled thousands of miles from various cities.

Among them, the largest numbers were naturally from Newt City and Pavva City.

The former had personally experienced the God Art Master's world-saving act.

The latter was the stronghold of popular support that established Meng Yun's reputation as a God Art Master!

Several Arcanists who had been saved from the burning Hellfire looked at the coffin in disbelief, feeling as if it was all a dream.

The bloody scene of the Arcane Association in Pavva City being purged that day, and the Arcane Envoy Jeddo being slain, were still vivid in their minds.

How could this be?

How could such a brave and compassionate God Art Master suddenly fall into eternal sleep here?

Dopa's expression was solemn. He adjusted the golden badge on his chest and stood perfectly straight.

Then, he bowed deeply to Meng Yun.

The Arcanists behind him followed suit, also with serious expressions, paying their final respects to Meng Yun.

Behind them, several sets of orderly footsteps gradually sounded.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Vivian and her Holy Maiden Guard approaching in formation.

Vivian wore a black and white outfit, and there was no expression on her delicate face.

Just like her past as a containment object.

Vivian held a pure white flower and gently placed it on Meng Yun's chest.

She reached out and smoothed a slightly messy strand of Meng Yun's hair.

That dark hell scepter was gently placed by her in a corner of the coffin.

"Even if your soul returns to the netherworld, please help big brother wreak havoc."

Then, with reluctance, she gently closed the coffin lid.

Once closed, it might not open for a thousand years.

She needed to ensure that her big brother's body remained in the most perfect state possible, preventing time from mercilessly eroding it.

On November 13th of the Holy Maiden Calendar Year One, God Art Master Eastern Abyss's funeral was held as scheduled.

No one knew that the grand burial was Meng Yun's cenotaph.

His true body was placed beside Vivian's bed, in that Coffin of Slumber that could seal everything.

On January 1st of Holy Maiden Calendar Year Three, Number One and Layla, the captain of the Holy Maiden Guard, were married.

In early July of the same year, Ruyi entered the realm of God Art Master.

As the rules of this world became increasingly perfected, the pull from the upper realm grew stronger.

In Holy Maiden Calendar Year Six, Layla successfully gave birth to a daughter, named Sasha. In the same month, Vivian passed on the title of Holy Maiden to Sasha.

Afterward, she announced her seclusion.

On the seventh day of the seventh month of Holy Maiden Calendar Year Seven.

According to the records of the Saintess Church, on that day, Saintess City was enveloped in golden light, which materialized and granted every living being an equal increase in Arcane comprehension.

Abstruse and profound Arcane techniques soared into the sky, piercing through the nine heavens.

A young girl, carrying the Coffin of Slumber on her back, her slender figure moving forward fearlessly, rode the golden light into the sky and disappeared.

Thus, the era of Holy Maiden Vivian ended, and the Arcane World entered a new epoch.

On the sixth day of the sixth month of Holy Maiden Calendar Year Thirteen.

Ruyi's Blazing Roar Cannon broke through the spatial barrier, also opening a path to ascension, and with Arcane transformation into a horse... no, into wings, soared into the sky.

An anxious voice seemed to come from the heavens:

"Absolutely cannot let the Dead Sleep Witch's accomplice come up, quickly disrupt space-time!"

Ruyi: ?

What?

It was just a harmless little cat!

Are they really targeting a cat like this?

Ruyi's body was enveloped by spatial-temporal turbulence, and the powerful force almost tore it apart.

Fortunately, it was an elemental incarnation, and its self-preservation ability far exceeded that of ordinary beings.

But in the spatial-temporal turbulence, it had already deviated from the upper realm coordinates and was falling towards the unknown Three Thousand Worlds.

"Meow? Meow meow!"

Huh? Over there, it seems not to be sealed by demonic chains...

White Tiger Heaven?

This cat will go there!

...

One hundred years of the Saintess Church.

Ordinary people had already gone through three generations.

That once glorious epic of years could now only be glimpsed from historical books, wandering poets, or the long-lived Arcanists themselves.

Holy Maiden Sara had unknowingly served as Holy Maiden for nearly a hundred years.

Under her leadership, the entire world was progressing rapidly.

The age of steam had long become a thing of the past.

Countless skyscrapers towered into the sky, and Arcane techniques, internal combustion engines, and even Hellfire had become the mainstream of the era.

People no longer believed in gods, because the gods were seated in Saintess City.

Number One and Layla, after protecting Sasha for fifty years, also ascended to the upper realm hand in hand.

This time, no one stopped them. It was said that the entire ascension passage had already been broken down by Vivian.

Thus, the only old acquaintances still remaining in the lower realm were Number Two to Number Seven.

But for the long-lived Arcane Envoys and God Art Masters, ascension was only a matter of time.

At the century mark, Sasha decided to revisit Newt City to experience the glorious years of the past.

She saw an old man with white hair, holding an Arcane carving knife, meticulously carving something onto hard basalt.

"Elder, may I ask what you are carving?"

Sasha's melodious voice resonated behind the old man.

The old man turned and looked at Sasha, who was close by, his expression momentarily dazed:

She looked like her, at least seventy percent like her.

Holy Maiden Vivian.

"Greetings, Holy Maiden."

Even as the old man bowed in greeting, the carving knife in his hand remained.

"As you can see, this is a God-slaying mural."

Sasha's gaze swept over it, only to see that the entire mural was almost completed.

On the left side of the painting was the arrogant evil demonic eye, with a beam of light almost piercing through the entire image.

On the right side were two figures, a man and a woman.

The man stood in front of the girl, a ball of dark flame seeming to dance in his hand.

Beside the girl were thousands of golden light swords, poised for action.

The confrontation between the two forces silently spoke of the scene a hundred years ago.

Sasha was shocked when she saw it.

But the old man's final inscription made her curious: "What does this 'Meng...' mean?"

"Oh!" The old man patted his head, looking annoyed: "I'm old, my memory is blurry..."

Saying that, he lightly scraped off "Meng" and prepared to carve the three characters "Eastern Abyss."

"May I ask your name, Elder?"

"My name is Tom, esteemed Holy Maiden."

(Old readers are very stable in following updates, but new readers don't give a few each day, so Tomato's recommendations have really given up on me, and income has repeatedly hit new lows (´◔‸◔`))