Online Game: Evil Dragon Against The Heaven - 252

“This is merely a request of mine, a desperate wish… If possible, I hope that you can find the Demon God Li Xiao in the shortest time possible and use the power of the Four Divine Spirits to either annihilate or subdue him. No one knows of his resurrection yet, otherwise, the Lost Continent would already be in turmoil. Right now, the only person I can inform of his existence… is you. Of course, this is merely my hope, my request. You are entirely free to refuse. As long as you are willing to take the Sacred Mark Beast with you, I and the countless fallen of the Illusory Beast Clan will be eternally grateful to you in the afterlife.”

The elder’s voice carried traces of pleading. They had sacrificed their entire clan to seal the Demon God Li Xiao, ensuring that he would no longer bring calamity to the Lost Continent. Yet now, upon awakening his consciousness, he discovered that the great price they paid had been for naught, as Li Xiao had returned. Even with only a wisp of his consciousness remaining, he could not suppress the boundless unwillingness in his heart.

Ye Tian Xie did not immediately agree. Instead, he spoke solemnly, “At this moment, I have indeed received the favor of your Illusory Beast Clan. If this were merely a matter of dealing with an ordinary villain or enemy, helping you would be natural. But back then, even the Four Divine Spirits sacrificed themselves to seal the Demon God Li Xiao, yet they could not truly destroy him. How… could I possibly defeat him?”

The elder seemed to have anticipated this question. Without any sign of disappointment, he calmly responded, “Indeed, with the immense power of the Demon God Li Xiao back then, few forces in existence could have resisted him. However, despite his return to the Lost Continent, he has yet to stir up any great storms. That is because, although he has escaped the Sealing Heaven Formation, one of the costs he must have paid is that the power he once possessed was forcibly nullified by the forces of the Holy Sword War God, Doom Shura, Azure Abyss Demon Emperor and Abyss Knight. In other words, if the Demon God Li Xiao originally possessed five portions of power, and each of the Four Divine Spirits held one portion, then upon breaking free from the Sealing Heaven Formation, the best outcome he could have achieved was having four portions of his power nullified—leaving him with only the last remaining portion.”

“You mean to say that the Demon God Li Xiao is far weaker now than he was before? That this is the weakest state he has ever been in? And that he is surely searching for a way to restore his power… which is why you wish for me to find him as soon as possible?” Ye Tian Xie frowned as he spoke.

The Lost Continent, already shrouded in unrest, was in fact concealing an even greater, unseen crisis. While the attention of the world was focused on the upheaval of the Tower of Destiny and the escape of the Eight Demon Kings, an existence far more terrifying than the Eight Demon Kings had already silently returned…

And he alone was the first person to know of this terrifying revelation.

So then… should he inform the Lord of Tianchen City and spread the news to the entire world?

…………

…………

It seemed… he could not.

At the same time, the emergence of the Eight Demon Kings and their escape from the Tower of Destiny.. could it be related to the Demon God Li Xiao?

“Yes, this is my request… A request not just for myself, not just for the Illusory Beast Clan, but for the entire Lost Continent.”

There was no notification sound indicating the acceptance of a quest. This proved that it was merely a request, not an official mission, and there would be no reward for its completion. After contemplating for a moment, Ye Tian Xie spoke, “Since you can sense the presence of the Demon God Li Xiao, you should also be able to gauge my current strength. Do you think that even if I disregarded all consequences and used the Illusory God Transformation, I could stand against him? An ancient Demon God is still an ancient Demon God. Even if he has only a tenth of his original power left, he is still far beyond what I can handle.”

“As you are now… indeed, you cannot. However, you possess the Sacred Mark…If you obtain the full inheritance of the Four Divine Spirits, you will surely have the power to battle the current Demon God Li Xiao. The power of a Demon God is terrifying, but recovering lost power is an arduous process. It may take a thousand years, or even ten thousand years—it is not something that can be accomplished in a mere day, decade, or century. One who possesses the Sacred Mark is chosen by the heavens. I believe… you can do it!”

The elder’s words caused Ye Tian Xie to pause for a moment. He thought about the effects of the Illusory God Transformation and its terrifying repercussions. After a brief moment of contemplation, he asked, “I am but a single person. Even if I obtain the full inheritance of the Four Divine Spirits, I can only transform into one being at a time. Why are you so certain that if I acquire all four inheritances, I will be able to battle the current Demon God Li Xiao? Is there another secret behind this?”

“You are correct.” The elder’s voice carried certainty. “Among my Illusory Beast Clan, there has always been an ancient legend. The highest form of our clan’s illusionary power is not the Illusory God Transformation—it is… the Sacred Mark Transformation. When one who possesses the Sacred Mark awakens the Sacred Mark Beast and inherits the power of the Four Divine Spirits, the person and the Sacred Mark Beast will complete a transformation that has only existed in legend, one that has never been witnessed before—the Sacred Mark Transformation.”

The elder’s voice was somewhat faint, but when he uttered the words “Sacred Mark Transformation,” it carried an undeniable sense of longing and anticipation. The person with the Sacred Mark had finally appeared, but the elder himself would never have the chance to witness this legendary ultimate transformation…

“Sacred Mark Transformation… What is that? Does it turn one into an even stronger god?”

“Perhaps… No one truly knows what the Sacred Mark Transformation creates. However, on the ancient stone tablets of the Illusory Beast Clan, there are records about it. Our most powerful illusionists spent generations deciphering a single name from the ancient stone. That name is believed to be the godly entity formed after the Sacred Mark Transformation.”

“What is the name?”

“That name is…Ultraman (凹凸曼).”

Ye Tian Xie: ⊙﹏⊙b！@#￥%……

“Young one, your expression tells me you are shocked by this name. Could it be…that you have heard it before?”

“N-no… I haven’t.” Ye Tian Xie quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Ultraman…Your radiance truly knows no bounds… The peace of this world shall be entrusted to you!

“No matter what, I hope that one day… you can use the power of my Illusory Beast Clan to destroy or subdue the Demon God Li Xiao. My Illusory Beast Clan… once the strongest of all races, how could we simply perish without leaving a mark? If we cannot use our clan’s power to completely eradicate or subdue him, ensuring that he will never again bring calamity to the Lost Continent…I will never rest in peace.” The elder’s voice let out a long sigh, filled with unconcealed bitterness and unwillingness.

Such a tragedy—no matter who it happened to—would be impossible to accept.

“Alright, I understand. If there truly is a way to defeat him, I will find him and use the power of the Illusory Beast Clan to eliminate him” Ye Tian Xie replied.

At this moment, all he could think of was destruction.

Yet, the elder had spoken of destruction or subjugation.

Ye Tian Xie automatically ignored the word 『subjugation』. A terrifying Demon God—how could he possibly be subdued? How could he be tamed? To ensure that he would never again wreak havoc upon Lost Continent, the only way was complete annihilation. Even the Sealing Heaven Formation had ultimately failed to contain the Demon God Li Xiao. The notion of subjugation? That was no different from placing an unfathomably dangerous ticking time bomb right beside him.

And when that day finally arrived… when he finally learned the true nature of Li Xiao, he would recall why the elder had mentioned the word 『subjugation』. The road of fate was always full of unforeseen twists, too many unexpected, even unbelievable, developments.

“Thank you, young one… Thank you for granting this dying soul one final selfish wish. You are the one chosen by fate, the bearer of the Sacred Mark. I believe that since you have promised, you will surely see it through… With this, I can finally rest in peace. But before that, my last wish is to witness the Sacred Mark Beast of my Illusory Beast Clan. The creation and existence of the Sacred Mark Beast is a mystery that has never been unraveled. It has existed since the birth of our clan, for countless years, emitting an eternal holy radiance every second of its existence. Generations have guarded it, yet no one has ever seen or known its true form. Can you… awaken it completely now?” The elder made his final request, his voice growing faint. Clearly, his last traces of consciousness were nearing complete dissolution.

Ye Tian Xie nodded and stood before the dimly glowing orb. “How do I awaken it?”

“Place your hand—the one bearing the Sacred Mark—upon its egg. Use your will to summon it, guiding it to fully awaken from its slumber. Break its shackles, and bring it forth into this new world.”

Following the elder’s instructions, Ye Tian Xie stretched out his left hand and pressed it against the orb. A warm sensation spread from his palm. He closed his eyes, slowly sensing the connection between his own power and the gentle, cautious force within the orb. That power gave him an inexplicable warmth, and even more strangely… a sense of familiarity that should not have existed.

“Come out. You’ve slept long enough—it’s time to wake up. Come… remove the barriers that bind you, and step into the world. You will see that the world outside is even more beautiful than you imagine… Now, come forth.”

His thoughts transmitted his words gently. Gradually, he felt the power within the orb respond, no longer cautious but drawing closer to him… closer still…

Ping!

A thin crack suddenly appeared on the floating orb.

Gradually, with the sound of delicate fractures spreading, the crack extended, lengthening until it evenly split the glowing sphere into two halves.

Ka…

The white light vanished. The two halves of the floating orb split apart, falling smoothly to the ground. At the same time, a dense white mist carried a small, indistinct form as it slowly descended from midair, touching the earth.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

The elder made no further sound, but Ye Tian Xie could sense that he was focusing every last bit of his consciousness to witness the form of the Sacred Mark Beast. If he still had a heart, it would surely be pounding with uncontrollable excitement at this moment.

The white mist slowly dispersed, revealing the true appearance of the Sacred Mark Beast before Ye Tian Xie’s eyes.