novelraw Chapter 137 - 135: Chaos Undivided
Chapter 137 - 135: Chaos Undivided
Westheid had given the Qinghui People several days off, but just as the Purity People were gratefully enjoying their holiday, Duke Qinghui himself led a team across the Ying River.
Accompanying him were Yolanda, Mivana, and Shamuel, along with numerous Shadow Fire Technicians and newly promoted members of the Qinghui Guard. The team consisted almost entirely of professional specialists and elite Transcendents, making its overall quality exceptionally high.
Crossing the Ying River only took a minute, but there was a reason why the refugees dared not take a single step over it.
In a way, the Ying River was the final barrier against Chaos. To cross it was to enter the Chaos Domain.
The Chaos Domain was a terrifying region that made mortals tremble at its very name. Once trapped deep inside, one could face a fate even more horrific than death.
Not that such an encounter was common—most would be dead long before it could happen.
At a glance, the scenery on the opposite bank looked no different from their own. The fields and forests were still thick with vegetation. But a closer look revealed an eerie truth—it was completely devoid of life.
There were no insects, no birds or beasts, not even a single blooming flower. The withered grass and trees clung to a semblance of life only by sharing the vitality of the faraway Purity Forest.
The most visceral sensation came from stepping onto the land itself. The moment Westheid and his party set foot on the opposite bank, they were hit with immediate discomfort.
The air felt thick and foul. A dull, phantom pain pressed down on their chests, and a faint ringing echoed in their ears. The sensation was an instinctual warning, urging them to flee.
Westheid’s reaction was the most severe. The instant he set foot on the opposite bank, his brow furrowed, and he broke into a fit of violent coughing.
COUGH! COUGH! COUGH...
"Brother, are you all right?" Yolanda asked with concern, her eyes fixed on Westheid’s pained, almost constipated expression.
Westheid waved his hand. "Don’t worry. I just feel... very strange."
His Holy Spirit Bloodline of Absolute Order experienced the most severe rejection within the Chaos Domain. At the same time, because they were nearing the Purity Forest, his innate bloodline Talent, [In Purity], also began to take effect.
This put Westheid in a quantum superposition of buffs and debuffs. His Status panel no longer displayed every minor effect; otherwise, it would have been cluttered with four or five rows of buffs and debuffs.
This constant push and pull was an experience unlike any other for Westheid. All his senses were overwhelmed by a nauseating vertigo.
However, thanks to the incredible adaptability of his [Withered Glory Sun], even the suppression and corruption of the Chaos Domain began to subside. After resting on the riverbank for a while, Westheid finally recovered.
’It’s incredible how much an Order Creature suffers in the Chaos Domain. And this is just from *existing* here, let alone fighting... If an ordinary person faced any of the Chaos Hundred Forms, they’d probably break down on the spot.’
Westheid sighed. "This means that for the battle to reclaim the Qinghui Territory, we can’t rely on a massive army. Our Warriors must be elite; quality over quantity."
Yolanda replied, "That’s to be expected. We already have a well-established Qinghui Guard system. With the Knight’s Magic Tome you brought, Brother, our resources in this regard should be more than sufficient."
Under the powerful debuffs of the Chaos Domain, sending mortals to fight Chaos would be nothing short of murder. That is why the main forces of the Realms of Order in the war against Chaos have always been Transcendents, particularly those following paths specialized in anti-Chaos combat.
The Imperial’s Army of Light, Yonglan’s Knight Lords, and the Celestial Vault Kingdom’s Azure Sky Mechas are all examples of this. They can maintain order at home while purging Chaos abroad, serving as the pillars of their nations.
"Let’s move out," Westheid ordered. "For this first expedition, our primary goal is to determine the extent of the Chaos corruption. Gather as much information as possible."
"Yes, Brother."
"Rest assured, Duke Qinghui. Leave it to us."
The teams led by Yolanda and Shamuel immediately began a thorough search of the surrounding area.
The exploration team left the banks of the Ying River, following a dilapidated path deeper into the territory.
Westheid gripped [Shadow-Born], the weapon at his waist, and led the Guard forward, cautiously scanning their surroundings.
His vigilance seemed unnecessary, however. The path ahead remained steeped in an eerie silence, with not so much as a whisper of movement.
"It’s so quiet," Westheid said with a sigh, scanning the area. "There are no wandering Monsters in the woods, nor any sign of the Chaos Hundred Forms. It seems most of Chaos’s attention is focused on the Pure Holy Spirit. The corruption of the Qinghui Territory hasn’t progressed very far."
’Or perhaps Chaos’s primary goal was always to corrupt the Pure Holy Spirit. As for the Qinghui Territory?’
’It was just a target of opportunity. After all, once the Pure Holy Spirit falls, the entire Purity Forest will be irreversibly dragged into the Chaos Domain.’
But Westheid wasn’t worried. ’No matter how much of a joke or a letdown my Holy Spirit Ancestor might be, she’s a genuine Holy Spirit. She won’t go down that easily.’
’Besides, I can estimate her corruption progress by checking my own.’
’I just checked, and my own corruption progress is only at 5%.’
’Still... Chaos is truly a formidable enemy.’
Westheid gazed at the blurry distortion of space on the horizon, pondering what the Poem of Destiny said about Chaos.
’What is Chaos?’
’In a word: the primordial is Chaos, and disorder is Chaos.’
’In this world, the so-called Chaos isn’t some cheap villain whose sole purpose is to destroy everything.’
’On the contrary, the Mortal World was first birthed from Chaos itself.’
’The world’s original form was the Spirit Realm, a state of Chaos Undivided. Time and space, past and future, life and death, light and dark... all concepts were interwoven, with no distinction between them.’
’But in that primordial world, a portion of matter and life eventually broke away from the state of Chaos Undivided and settled.’
’They became what are now known as Order Creatures and the Mortal World.’
’The moment the Mortal World separated from Chaos, this unending war began.’
’Order could never return to Chaos Undivided. That state of absolute disorder and senselessness is more terrifying than death... Even death is a concrete concept belonging to Order, but in Chaos Undivided, death does not exist.’
’There is only endless solitude, stretching across eternity.’
’Therefore, the Mortal World sees Chaos as a cancer upon reality, resisting it with bitter hatred and purifying it by any means necessary. For this very purpose, ultimate beings of Order like the Celestial Gods came into existence.’
’But from the perspective of Chaos, is not this "Order" also a mistake, a cancer?’
’The will of Chaos desperately seeks to eliminate the "Mortal World," this great anomaly, and return all of existence to its primordial wholeness.’
’To this end, the Chaos Hundred Forms were born. They madly assault the Mortal World, seeking to correct this fundamental error.’
’In the conflict between Order and Chaos, there is no good or evil, no right or wrong.’
’There are only differing positions.’
’And I, Westheid, am undoubtedly on the side of Order. Chaos Undivided... it’s all just a bit too extreme for me.’
’So to me, Chaos is just fucking disgusting! It has to be crushed with all my might!’