Chapter 821

【 CRADLE OF ORIGIN 】

“Come. Follow right behind me.”

Urinos spoke to Evé.

With that, she rose to her feet and made her way toward the deepest reaches of the cavern.

Evé gave a slight nod and quietly followed behind.

The cave stretched far deeper than she had imagined. Following in the Ancestral Dragon’s footsteps, Evé ventured farther and farther inward, the silence growing more profound with every step as only the soft echo of their footsteps lingered through the vast subterranean passage.

On either side of the cavern lay towering piles of countless gemstones, mountains of glittering gold, and even divine artifacts, all radiating a dazzling brilliance that illuminated the darkness with a shimmering light.

There were heaps upon heaps of priceless treasures, along with countless magnificent divine artifacts so exquisite that even Evé could not help but spare them a second glance.

“These are the treasures I’ve collected over millions of years. Well? What do you think?”

Noticing Eve’s gaze, Urinos proudly asked without slowing her pace.

“You are probably the wealthiest deity in the world…”

Evé could not help but remark.

“Hahaha! I like hearing that. But… even if you flatter me, I still won’t be giving you a gift or two.”

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Urinos chuckled.

Evé smiled helplessly.

She felt she finally understood where the dragons had inherited their greed for treasure.

That being said, she was not particularly interested in these glittering riches. What had truly caught her attention were several of the divine artifacts she had just seen.

The World Tree’s inheritance contained records of many divine artifacts, and among Urinos’ collection, Evé recognized several whose power was no less than that of the Trident of the Sea God or the Crown of Nature.

Of course, no matter how powerful a divine artifact might be, it could only unleash its full potential in the hands of a suitable wielder.

Evé already possessed quite a number of divine artifacts herself. Although Urinos’ collection was astonishing, it was not enough to make her feel envy.

Besides, the several divine artifacts already under her control were already sufficient enough to make many True Gods green with jealousy.

Following Urinos, Evé arrived at the very end of the cavern.

There stood an ancient stone gate, its weathered surface engraved with countless intricate lines of Dragon Script.

After examining it for a few moments, Evé recognized it as Dragon Script magic designed to enhance one’s perception. However, unlike ordinary Dragon Script magic, the spell’s intensity had long surpassed the limits of conventional magic. Every rune carried a trace of unmistakable divine authority, elevating the entire inscription beyond the realm of mortal craftsmanship. Rather than Dragon Script magic, it would be more accurate to call it a Dragon Script Divine Incantation.

Standing before the stone gate, Urinos spoke a single word in Dragon Script.

“Open.”

As her voice faded into the silence of the cavern, the ancient runes awakened one after another, bathing the stone gate in a soft golden radiance.

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Without hesitation, Urinos stepped inside.

Evé followed after her.

By this point, she had long since forged an alliance with the dragons and had no concern that Urinos would deceive her.

Besides, what had come here was merely one of her divine incarnations. Therefore, even if something unexpected were to occur, losing a single incarnation would be little more than a minor setback as there was simply no reason for anyone to go to such lengths merely to target it.

The moment Evé passed through the stone gate, the surrounding scenery changed dramatically and she found herself standing within a circular pocket dimension.

The entire space was filled with floating Dragon Script inscriptions, identical to those engraved upon the stone gate. Every single one was a spell that enhanced perception.

Standing there, Evé did not even need to extend her divine senses to perceive every corner of the space. She could sense even the tiniest speck of dust hidden within its corners, as well as every fundamental particle of mana drifting through the air…

Not only that, but the mysterious calls said to originate from the Cradle of Origin also grew increasingly powerful within this space.

“This is our preparation chamber before departure. I specifically created it for journeys to the Cradle of Origin. You see, that place is rather special, so without thorough preparation, even True Gods may lose themselves within it.”

Urinos explained.

Then she suddenly stepped in front of Evé, rose onto her tiptoes, tilted her head upward, and, under Eve’s puzzled gaze, leaned in and sniffed her.

“There. I’ve completely memorized your scent now. That way, once we’re in there, we won’t get separated.”

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Urinos puffed out her chest proudly.

Evé: ”…”

…Are you a dog?

She could not help but complain inwardly.

Urinos paid no attention to Eve’s strange expression. She took a deep breath and continued,

“All right. Now… you may accept that summons calling out to you.”

As she spoke, she looked at Evé once more and smiled.

“I imagine that now you’ve arrived here, that feeling of being summoned has already reached its peak.”

Urinos’ words stirred something within Evé.

She was right.

The sensation of being called had indeed grown stronger and stronger.

It even gave her the feeling that if she answered it now, she would immediately be transported to some unknown place…

Thinking this, Evé no longer hesitated.

She finally chose to accept the summons originating from the Cradle of Origin.

The instant she made her decision, a mysterious force immediately enveloped her.

It was a power that could neither be resisted nor opposed. Even as a True God of Higher Divine Power, Eve found herself utterly incapable of affecting it in the slightest.

Shock welled up within her.

The next moment, it felt as though an invisible force had torn her consciousness away, and the world spun violently around her…

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It seemed as though an eternity had passed.

Or perhaps only a single instant.

When the dizzying sensation of crossing through space finally ended, Eve’s senses gradually returned.

Looking around, she found herself within a world of darkness.

Silent.

Boundless.

Not only that, but she seemed to have lost her body entirely, leaving behind nothing but a drifting consciousness.

The familiar sensation sent enormous waves crashing through Eve’s heart.

This place!

It was here!

This… was the very place where she had remained before awakening as the World Tree!

She had once believed it to be the world after her death…

Could it be…?

That her reincarnation had actually been connected to the Cradle of Origin all along?

Evé was deeply shaken.

However, after becoming a True God, her will had long since grown far stronger.

Although the revelation stunned her, she quickly regained her composure.

Yet when Evé attempted to extend her divine senses and summon her divine power to carefully examine this familiar yet unfamiliar world of darkness, another discovery left her more shaken than ever before.

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She…

Had lost her power.

Her divine senses.

Her divine power.

Both were gone.

A trace of fear arose within Evé.

Power was something whose importance was often impossible to appreciate while one possessed it.

And only after losing it did one truly realize how terrifying its absence could be.

At that very moment, one familiar aura after another surged toward her from every direction.

Chaotic.

Evil.

It was the power of the Abyss.

Eve’s heart trembled.

The Abyss…!

The power of the Abyss possessed an overwhelming ability to corrupt souls.

Without her divine powers, should she become tainted by the Abyss, there would be only one possible outcome left for her.

Corruption.

However, just as the Abyssal power was about to engulf Evé, countless Dragon Script inscriptions suddenly appeared within her consciousness.

Somewhere beyond the void, Evé sensed a faint and distant connection.

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It was the connection between herself and her true body.

Her spirits lifted.

Grasping that faint thread of connection, she finally established contact with her true body.

The next instant, dazzling radiance burst forth within her consciousness.

The familiar fluctuations of divine power spread outward, and every trace of Abyssal aura rushing toward her vanished in an instant.

They had been purified.

At the same time, the remaining Abyssal aura retreated with astonishing speed, as though it possessed a will of its own.

Before long, the vast world of darkness returned to complete stillness.

At the same moment, the borrowed power gradually faded away, and Evé once again returned to a state without divine senses or divine power.

However, she had already memorized that thread of connection.

Should the Abyssal aura attack again, she could once more draw upon the power of her true body to repel it.

Not only that, but after grasping that connection, Evé had the distinct feeling that she could leave this strange space whenever she wished.

And it was obvious that once she left this peculiar dimension, her divine senses and divine power would be fully restored.

In other words, although she had temporarily lost her own power to a certain extent, she was now safe.

Only then did Evé finally let out a sigh of relief.

Had her real body entered this place alongside her, she would probably have been drenched in cold sweat by now.

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At the same time, she came to realize that her dependence upon her own power ran far deeper than she had imagined.

If she were ever to lose everything she possessed now…

She might truly go mad.

The realization filled Evé with mixed emotions.

She understood that her heart was not nearly as resilient as she had initially believed.

Even after attaining Higher Divine Power, she could still feel fear.

She could still feel dread.

She could still lose her composure.

And this feeling of being unable to control her own fate…

She never wished to experience it a second time.

“It seems you’ve adapted much faster than I expected. It looks like I won’t need to help after all. I had originally been worried that, since you came here with only a divine incarnation instead of your true body, and therefore weren’t truly a Higher Divine Power in this place, you might be unable to resist the corruption of the Abyss.”

Urinos’ voice interrupted Eve’s thoughts.

Evé turned her attention toward the sound.

Within the darkness floated a translucent mass of consciousness.

Though it was merely consciousness, Evé knew without a doubt that it was Urinos.

“What exactly is going on? Is this void empty space truly the Cradle of Origin?”

Evé asked.

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Of course, she did not speak aloud.

Instead, they communicated directly through consciousness, something Evé found herself able to do instinctively.

“Yes… and no.”

Urinos drifted closer.

“This is the boundary between the depths of the cosmos and the Cradle of Origin, a fracture in space-time or a crevice within the Abyss, so to speak.”

“Hmm, If I had to describe it… it is more like the outer perimeter of the Cradle of Origin., I guess?”

“Here, every True God below Higher Divine Power loses all of their strength completely. Even those who possess such rank are greatly weakened. So a single careless mistake here is enough to invite corruption from the Abyss.”

“For True Gods below the rank of Higher Divine Power, the only way to draw upon their dormant strength here is by maintaining their connection to the prime material realm of the cosmos.”

“Otherwise, there is only one possible outcome—being corrupted by the Abyss.”

Hearing Urinos’ explanation, Evé finally understood.

She now knew why everyone warned that those below Higher Divine Power should never attempt to travel to the Cradle of Origin.

She also understood why Urinos had insisted on accompanying her.

Had Evé attempted to come here alone with only her divine incarnation, the only outcome would likely have been the corruption of that incarnation.

Perhaps even her consciousness itself would have been damaged or consumed by the Abyss.

The Dragon Script runes within Urinos’ pocket dimension had been prepared precisely for this moment.

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“So only our consciousness has come here?”

Evé could not help asking.

“No. Our bodies have come as well, though yours is only a divine incarnation. They’ve merely been sealed by some unknown force.”

Urinos answered.

“Of course, now that we’ve avoided the corruption of the Abyss and reestablished our connection to our divine powers, we can pry open that seal and reclaim control of our bodies.”

After saying this, Urinos’ consciousness began to emit a faint glow before Eve’s astonished gaze.

It gradually solidified, first transforming into a giant dragon covered in shimmering iridescent scales, then slowly taking on a humanoid form, finally returning to the appearance she had before entering this space.

Sensing the changes in Urinos’ power, Evé followed her example.

She drew upon the power connected to her true body through that invisible link.

The next moment, her own body began to reform as well.

Her divine incarnation reappeared.

However, although she had regained a physical form, the vast majority of her divine senses and divine power remained sealed.

“You’re learning remarkably quickly.”

Urinos smiled as she looked at Evé standing before her once more.

“What now?”

Eve flexed her limbs before asking.

“Now… naturally, we head for the true Cradle of Origin.”

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Urinos replied.

As she spoke, she extended her right hand.

A violet sphere of light appeared above her palm.

The sphere rotated continuously, shimmering with an uncanny brilliance while emitting a soft radiance that caused Eve’s heart to skip a beat.

Aside from its different color…

She was intimately familiar with it.

Because she possessed one within her own divine soul.

Only hers was blue.

It was the mysterious sphere that served as the gateway to Earth, thereby allowing her to connect to the internet.

Moreover, before her awakening, she had once touched another sphere that was green.

“What is that?”

Evé could not help asking.

“It is the key that opens the gate to the Cradle of Origin. There are seven such keys throughout the cosmos.”

“Each key possesses different abilities. Some have been fused into divine artifacts and hidden away, some have been lost, while others are controlled by other Gods.”

“Only those who possess a key, or a divine artifact fused with one, can hope to step into the true Cradle of Origin.”

Urinos explained.

Then she glanced at Evé.

“Incidentally, the All-Divine Mother once possessed one of these keys as well. However, it is now in Etriōu’s hands…”

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Evé remained silent.

After a moment’s thought, she ultimately decided not to reveal that another mysterious blue sphere also resided within her divine soul.

Most importantly…

Her sphere could connect to a world from beyond this universe.

That secret was the greatest secret she possessed.

Holding the violet sphere, Urinos infused it with her divine power.

Immediately afterward, the dark world trembled slightly.

At her feet, flights of enormous white stone steps materialized.

The staircase continued extending into the depths of the endless darkness.

“Let’s go.”

Holding the sphere aloft, Urinos began ascending the steps one by one.

Evé watched for several seconds before following after her.

The two of them continued onward along the white staircase.

As they advanced, the steps behind them gradually disappeared.

They walked.

And walked.

No one knew how much time had passed.

Finally…

They reached the end of the staircase.

There lay a vast platform.

Standing upon it was an ancient dilapidated temple.

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As Evé gazed upon that towering yet strangely familiar temple, a trace of surprise flashed across her eyes.

“The Pantheon?”

Urinos gently shook her head.

“No…”

She looked toward the magnificent, ancient temple, worn by countless ages, with a profound gaze.

“This is the true Cradle of Origin.”

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