The Purple Spider Web in the night sky had burnt out completely, forming an updraft that condensed water vapor into cumulonimbus clouds. The pitter-patter of raindrops struck the window, clashing against the glass with a shattering pop sound.
Now, rain was falling throughout the entire Kingdom of Gospel, and this was not just any rain but a ritual track, symbolizing the Spider Web descending from the Heavenly Curtain, spreading to every corner of the Kingdom of Gospel.
When I succeeded as the First Gospel, this set of ritual tracks would take effect, becoming an extension of my will, allowing my commands to walk the lands of the Gospel like fate itself.
The moment Ash noticed the rain outside, information he shouldn’t have known sprang up in his mind.
It was a strange sensation, as if there was an iceberg in his mind; whenever he saw anything, the corresponding part of the iceberg would melt, making him instantaneously comprehend all causes and effects.
He had no doubt that when the iceberg completely melted, he would be incredibly close to being All-Knowing and All-Powerful. But the towering waves stirred up by the melting iceberg would also surely drown all his personal will.
However, he had no means to stop the iceberg from melting. The Divine Being that mimicked his face was now gradually prying open his skull, stirring his brain; tearing open his chest, kneading his heart; and eventually, it would don Ash’s skin and step into a future named ’Yayin.’
Now, this final transition time was both cruel and merciful. The cruelty lay in that he could only watch helplessly as he was crushed and assimilated by a greater will, like a condemned prisoner executed by lingchi; the mercy lay in that he would not dissipate in confusion but could clearly understand that all this was not accidental or bad luck, but the inevitable destiny—he would die with reason and justification—perhaps this was another form of cruelty.
The source of all this was the Secret Avatar.
The so-called First Gospel was actually about selecting the most suitable human to wield a Divine Being, but a human’s soul could never perfectly contain a Divine Being, just as a wooden barrel cannot withstand corrosion. Thus, the Gospel could only find ’a relatively suitable sturdy barrel’ to extend the lifespan of the barrel as much as possible.
"The purest, most naive, most kind, most wonderful young girl," was the most suitable barrel. Of course, such a person could not adapt to all Divine Beings, but she could indeed resist the corrosion of Gospel Divine Beings to the greatest extent. Each Divine Being had different requirements for suitability.
The reason the royal family of Yisu could continue for seven hundred years without interruption, with princesses generation after generation becoming the First Gospel, was because the Yisu royal family could not only cultivate princesses meeting all the criteria but also knew some hidden criteria. Therefore, with added bonus points on top of the basic scores, they could naturally crush all other candidates and firmly hold the position of the First Gospel.
If everything went smoothly, this term’s First Gospel should rightfully belong to the pockets of the Yisu royal family, but ever since Ash acquired the Secret Avatar, the Gospel suddenly had new ideas.
It found a more suitable candidate.
In the Mermaid Palace, they knew that Harvey’s future control over a Divine Being was not coincidental but because Harvey would later obtain a Concept Avatar related to Necromancy. With the buffer of the Concept Avatar, he could barely withstand the corrosion of the Divine Being (although Harvey had already missed the initial opportunity).
A Concept Avatar was like a layer covering the barrel, significantly reducing the damage of the same-faction Divine Being to the soul, thereby extending the lifespan of the barrel. Like Harvey, who would later become a Legendary Necromancer, aside from possessing Four-winged Magic Power, he must also have a Miracle that strengthened the Spirit. Thus, in conjunction with a Concept Avatar, he could perfectly contain a Divine Being.
This also showed that no matter how sturdy the barrel, it could not compare to a barrel with a protective membrane. Moreover, a Divine Being does not remain stationary; when activated, it causes severe damage to the soul; hence, the might of the Divine Being must be limited to a certain extent; otherwise, it would prematurely exhaust the host’s lifespan.
And a soul protected by a Concept Avatar meant not just a longer lifespan but also that the Divine Being could exhibit higher might.
If you were a Divine Being and you had to move house now, you had two choices: (1) The same old wooden house, living for a maximum of fifty years, but with poor quality material that could rot easily, you might accidentally break through the stairs; (2) A well-furnished bungalow with a longer lifespan that would not break during normal use, and it could also withstand occasional activities like exercising, barbecues, and fireworks.
So, the moment Ash obtained the Secret Avatar, he could not possibly escape from the palm of the Gospel. No matter how pure, naive, and kind Princess Yisu was, she couldn’t compete with Yayin, who came with a dowry—the Gospel was just too practical and materialistic.
The Secret Avatar was a concept dropped by the Commander of Spider Tower. Spider Tower was the domain of the All-knowing Weaver, and the Secret Avatar naturally had a high compatibility with the Gospel Technique Spirit. If Ash had known earlier that the Gospel List was selecting a Divine Being’s host, if he had returned the Secret Avatar to the Empress Commander sooner, if...
Ash suddenly remembered something. At this moment, the ’Gospel Ash’ in his mind once again extinguished his spiritual essence. His body trembled as he slid downalong the wall; ’Liss’ came over and tightly grabbed his hand, looking at him worriedly, "Are you afraid?"
"Not afraid, I’m not afraid at all," Ash answered as lightly as possible, reaching out to embrace ’Liss,’ gently stroking her back, trying to transfer his relaxed mood to her.
At the same time, he found the ’Soul Summoning’ Technique Spirit in his soul, tightly wrapped it with Magic Power, then brought down his will—destroy it!