Chapter 521: Grand Law of Eternal Calamity Flame

The triad of heinous scoundrels followed the red-robed priest deeper into the palace. Passing through a cross-shaped corridor, Iger suddenly turned to look at a weathered plaque on the wall, so worn down it resembled a chopping board. Ashe glanced at it and immediately understood what had caught Iger's attention.

The inscription had nearly faded beyond recognition. Ashe was certain he didn't recognize the first two characters, which were likely written in the local dialect of the Myriad Continent. However, the last few words were in the universal True Spirit Language[1] and remained barely legible: Card & Tile Parlor[2].

Unless the Temple of Calamity Flame happened to be a sect of compulsive gamblers, there was no reason for a game room inside its palace.

That wasn't the only oddity. Ashe had already noticed plenty of strange details while soaking in the baths. The bathhouse itself was unquestionably magnificent. The Fish-Slaying Dragon water inlet and the murals depicting a paradise of dancing spirits perfectly matched the grandeur one would expect from a religious order.

Yet the towels the temple provided were nothing more than ordinary cotton cloth. Forget the Gospel Kingdom; even in Shattered Lake Prison, they would barely qualify as foot rags, let alone toilet paper. The fresh clothes prepared for them were equally plain. When Ashe first saw the red-robed priests dressed in such crude garments, he assumed it reflected the Calamity Flame faith's emphasis on austerity. Now, it seemed more likely that their light industry simply wasn't very developed.

Fortunately, Iger had spare clothes stored inside his spatial card. They were all his own, but since the three of them were roughly the same build, they could make do.

There were many other inconsistencies as well. The cracked ceilings, walls, and floors had all been patched with coarse gray-white mortar. While the repairs made the building usable, they were far from attractive. It wasn't as if they lacked Earth-class sorcerers. If this was the best the sorcerers could manage, then only two possibilities remained. Either the temple desperately lacked Earth Class sorcerers and forced them to do a slapdash job, which was unbelievable for such an important site, or the sorcerers themselves lacked knowledge of the original mortar formula and had done the best they could.

The recipes for elegant, high-quality masonry were unique inheritances of individual civilizations. Far from actual Miracles, they were merely luxuries that people could live perfectly well without. Thus, unless Earth-class sorcerers underwent specialized training, all they could produce would be limited to basic, practical gray mortar.

In the case of the Temple of Calamity Flame, from its foundation to its highest bricks, the temple itself hadn't built the palace at all. Instead, it was a trophy they had seized and occupied, created by a civilization whose technological level was separated from theirs by an enormous gulf.

When the red-robed priest opened the innermost chamber and gestured for everyone to remove their shoes, put on robes, and enter, the scorching wave of heat rushing toward them instantly revealed the palace's original purpose.

Hot steam, so intense it seemed capable of scorching their throats, filled the entire hall. They stepped onto the crisscrossing dry wooden floorboards. Beneath the warm orange glow of the lamps stood a square wooden enclosure in the center of the room, housing a furnace piled with oval volcanic stones.

Resting atop those stones was a white tiger seemingly sculpted from White Jade Flames. Its hazy fire concealed any trace of gender, but the five tails fanning out behind it like ethereal wings unmistakably revealed its identity.

A Five-Tailed Blazing White Tiger!

Ashe and Iger felt their scalps tingle as the blistering steam assaulted them. By now, they could finally identify what this room had originally been. It was the steam room of a grand bathhouse.

No wonder there was the Chess and Card Room along the way. No wonder, when Ashe had asked for a bath, the temple had been able to arrange such a luxurious bathing pool so effortlessly. This place had been a bathhouse!

As for why a bathhouse would be decorated in such an extravagant style of gleaming gold and lavish luxury, the answer wasn't difficult to imagine. When people relaxed, they generally preferred either the tranquility of dim lighting or the lively atmosphere of bright, bustling spaces, or both at once with quiet rest areas and vibrant entertainment zones. Using interior design to help guests ease into the right frame of mind was perfectly reasonable.

The true problem lay in why a religious order would choose a bathhouse as its headquarters. And why would a Divine Spirit make a steam room furnace its divine throne?

Ashe and the others were beginning to realize that the Myriad Continent, a kingdom so desperate it needed the Gospel's First to save it, would probably continue to surprise them in every conceivable way.

Despite the suffocating heat, the priests in their heavy crimson robes spoke without the slightest difficulty. Respectfully clasping their hands together, they bowed toward the Blazing White Tiger and chanted, "We kindle Thy Eternal Flame of Calamity, offering the radiance of wisdom unto the sun, that it may never be extinguished. We merge with Thy crimson blaze and return the soul's confusion unto the earth, that it may waver no more. In the ashes we shall reunite, and from the darkness thou shalt make us burn anew. Praise be to the Grand Law of the Eternal Flame of Calamity!"

"Praise be to the Grand Law of the Eternal Flame of Calamity," Ashe and the other two echoed with "complete sincerity."

On the way here, the red-robed priest had already explained in the simplest terms possible what a Divine Law was. It was the second fate that awaited a sorcerer after death.

As a rule, sorcerers who died generally fell into Hell and manifested as sorcerer projections in the Virtual World. But here on the Myriad Continent, another possibility existed. A sorcerer could shift into a Divine Law, becoming a pseudo-god that stood infinitely close to a Five-Winged Angel.

Compared to true Divine Spirits, pseudo-deities could not maintain human form and usually appeared as beasts. They were also far weaker. In addition to gradually fading over time, they could even be slain by sorcerers. As for whether genuine Divine Spirits could be destroyed by mortals, that was a realm far beyond Ashe's reach at the moment.

Sorcerers were seekers of truth, people who rejected falsehood. Naturally, they refused to call these pseudo-deities gods. Yet referring to them merely as pseudo-deities felt disrespectful, so they coined a new term: Grand Law, denoting a being that wielded immense law.

Grand Laws shared one trait with true Divine Spirits, which was that neither possessed self-awareness and were driven only by pure instinct to expand their own existence.

The web of the Heaven of Omniscience wasn't merely a supporting mechanism. It existed because the Gospel Divine Spirit possessed an instinctive drive to spread, extending the Gospel system into every corner of the kingdom.

Grand Laws were no different. The instinct driving them was the singular ideal their mortal selves had pursued, for only saints whose conviction and faith remained absolutely unwavering could become a Grand Law after death.

The Blazing White Tiger slumbering within this steam room had once been a sorcerer predecessor of the Temple of Calamity Flame. Even in death, its ideals remained unextinguished and its faith unbroken, allowing it to become a Grand Law that continued to protect the temple.

Standing before a saint-like sorcerer conquering death through the sheer force of conviction, Ashe and the others could not help but feel genuine respect, regardless of whether they agreed with its cause. Every sorcerer understood that they stood upon the shoulders of those who came before them. Inheriting the accumulated knowledge of countless predecessors through these lingering projections was what enabled them to achieve everything they had today. They were grateful to every sorcerer who had devoted themselves to the pursuit of truth, just as future generations would one day be grateful to them.

"The Temple of Calamity Flame traces its origins to the greatest age of the Fire Cat Gods," the red-robed priest declared confidently. "Every Grand Law shares the same aspiration: to restore the glory of the Fire Cat Age, pluck the fruit of the sun, and claim the power of the Virtual World. The Temple of Calamity Flame will one day overcome the Calamity of Ignorance, ignite the Flame of Knowledge, and return the light to the Myriad Continent."

"The Fire Cat Age?" Harvey managed to ask, seemingly unaffected by the searing steam.

The red-robed priest's face filled with longing. "It was the greatest era of the gods. The Grand Law of Knowledge-Keeping Fire, alongside the other True and Benevolent Laws, purified the land and ruled over the Myriad Continent. Then, all living beings united to fulfill the sacred mission of Knowledge-Keeping Fire, allowing ordinary people to wield the power of spirits. Since the Grand Law of Knowledge-Keeping Fire took the form of a fire cat, that era came to be known as the Fire Cat Age."

Allow ordinary people to wield the power of spirits?

Ignoring the burning discomfort in his throat, Iger hurriedly asked, "Did they succeed?"

"Of course. Once even newborn infants could receive the blessings of spirit entities, the Grand Law of Knowledge-Keeping Fire successfully transcended and ascended as a true deity, entering the Divine Kingdom together with countless followers. Besides the Grand Law of Knowledge-Keeping Fire, there was the Grand Law of the Circle Cicada, seeking eternal life, and the Grand Law of Chasing Light, wishing to conquer death itself and resurrect the dead... One after another, the three Grand Laws fulfilled their missions and ascended alongside their followers, leaving behind countless precious legacies for the Myriad Continent."

The searing currents of hot air could not burn away the solemn weight in the red-robed priest's voice. "It was a wonderful age. But it ended a thousand years ago."

Ashe, Iger, and Harvey exchanged glances. They had learned far more than before, but their questions had only multiplied.

If the priest was not exaggerating, the Myriad Continent truly had once experienced a golden age with a level of civilization surpassing the Gospel. In the Gospel, ordinary people could only enjoy the indirect benefits of spirits. Yet the Myriad Continent had apparently accomplished the monumental feats of eternal life and resurrecting the dead. Extraordinary conditions applied to those miracles. The Gospel had achieved neither, while the two Blood Moon Holy Clans[3] had merely prolonged their lives rather than attained true immortality.

Fast-forward to the present. The Myriad Continent had been ravaged by the Four Pillars Cult. It felt like watching an innocent, lovable young maiden fall into ruin after her family collapsed.

What exactly did it mean for the followers and the Grand Laws to ascend? Why had the Fire Cat Age come to an end? If becoming a Grand Law was the second fate awaiting sorcerers after death, why were there only three Grand Laws during the Fire Cat Age? Clearly, now was not the time to press further.

The red-robed priest turned toward the Blazing White Tiger. "The Grand Law of Eternal Calamity Flame is the strongest Grand Law in our Temple of Calamity Flame. As long as you, Gospel's First, can unleash one hundred percent of its power, the Four Pillars Cult will be nothing more than a minor nuisance."

"The strongest?" Iger immediately caught the implication. Coughing twice, he asked, "Does the temple have other Grand Laws as well?"

"Indeed. The Temple of Calamity Flame is one of the greatest sects in the Myriad Continent. We have five sacred temples, each devoted to one Grand Law: the Grand Law of Eternal Calamity Flame, the Grand Law of Slaughtering Calamity Flame, the Grand Law of Passing Calamity Flame, the Grand Law of Dust Calamity Flame, and the Grand Law of Nether Calamity Flame." The priest straightened proudly. "We stand one step away from attaining the Divine Throne of the Myriad Continent!"

"And yet the Four Pillars Cult has already come knocking at your door," Iger replied mercilessly. "The other temples have all fallen?"

The priest nearly ground his teeth together. "Yes. A traitor emerged from one of the other temples. She defected to the Four Pillars Cult together with her Grand Law and became one of their fiercest champions. She is almost certainly leading this assault as well!"

Iger blinked. "She defected with a Grand Law? Is the Grand Law not supposed to belong to the temple?"

"It does," the priest replied. "Ordinary people may borrow a Grand Law's power, but they could never shake its will. However, that traitor was the finest Calamity Flame Seed the temple had produced in recent years. She earned the complete approval of her Grand Law, so it willingly allowed itself to reside within her."

His voice trembled with anger. "Not only that, I heard she led the Four Pillars Cult in attacking the other temples as well, using schemes and deception to seize the other Calamity Flame Grand Laws!"

Ashe blinked. For some reason, this plot sounded strangely familiar.

"Hold on," Harvey interrupted. "Does that mean the traitor now possesses the power of four Grand Laws?"

"There is no need to worry," the red-robed priest said confidently. "I do not know how she managed to deceive the Grand Laws, but no one can wield more than one Grand Law's power at a time. Taking all four does not enable her to bear the strength of four gods simultaneously."

"But she can still wield the power of at least one Grand Law..."

"It does not matter," the priest remained utterly certain. "The Grand Law of Eternal Calamity Flame is the oldest of all the fire-attribute Grand Laws. Its power far surpasses the others. That is precisely why the Four Pillars Cult saved this temple for last. They fear the divine might of Eternal Calamity Flame!

"Besides, the traitor is far from capable of releasing the full power of the Grand Law. An ordinary Seed can only unleash about thirty percent of a Grand Law's full power. At most, she could reach fifty."

"No one in all of the Myriad Continent has ever achieved a perfect Divine Possession. Gospel's First, you are invincible!"

Iger asked, "If the Grand Laws are beings so close to true Divine Spirits, can an ordinary sorcerer really wield such power?"

"They can. Divine Possession consumes the Grand Law's very essence. It has nothing to do with the sorcerer's own strength. Every use weakens the Grand Law until it eventually fades away entirely. Many sects vanished because their Grand Laws were exhausted.

"But the Grand Law of Eternal Calamity Flame is still at the height of its power. Gospel's First, use it however you wish. Reducing the Four Pillars Cult to ashes would be no problem."

This was bad. Ashe could not think of a single excuse to refuse. Perhaps because of the heat, the three of them felt drenched in sweat. Staring at the Blazing White Tiger, their scalps prickled.

"How is the Divine Possession Ritual performed?" Harvey suddenly asked. When the priest looked toward him, Harvey continued, "Can we try it too?"

The red-robed priest hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Ashe offered no objection, he nodded. "Certainly. The ritual is very simple. Touching the Grand Law of Eternal Calamity Flame means you have succeeded."

Harvey glanced at the others before walking toward the Blazing White Tiger without hesitation.

After two to three steps, his entire body looked as if it had been boiled alive. White steam burst from every pore. Another red-robed priest rushed forward, caught him, and carried him out of the room.

Outside, a loud splash echoed through the hall.

"His convictions are far too different from those of the Grand Law of Eternal Calamity Flame," the priest explained calmly. "Followers of the Calamity Flame must observe strict taboos in daily life, obey the teachings without fail, and never allow the flames of Calamity Flame to burn recklessly within our hearts. Only after entering the Silent Spiral and becoming a Seed can we approach the Grand Law and pray for Divine Possession. For ordinary people, touching it is simply impossible without convictions in complete harmony with the Grand Law."

Ashe's eyes flickered. Convictions in complete harmony...

He placed a hand on the fraudster's shoulder, signaling no need for hypnosis, then strode confidently toward the Blazing White Tiger.

Watching Ashe advance beyond the point of Harvey's collapse, Iger unconsciously held his breath.

Harvey could fail. He could fail. But Ashe absolutely could not, as failure would expose the truth that he wasn't the Gospel's First. More precisely, whether Ashe was the real Gospel's First or a counterfeit didn't matter. He had to succeed if there was to be any sliver of hope for survival. Rather than a fancy title like the Gospel's First, what the Temple of Calamity Flame truly needed was a savior capable of completing the Divine Possession Ritual.

Here's the catch. Divine Possession required identical convictions. Not even knowing what the Blazing White Tiger's belief actually was, how could any of them share the convictions of a saint with such firm faith? Short of being a universal adaptor, accomplishing Divine Possession seemed impossible.

The red-robed priests were every bit as tense. They drew deep breaths of scorching steam as if their airways were forged from steel.

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Ashe crossed the line where Harvey had collapsed.

One step... two... and three... Nothing happened.

He reached the Blazing White Tiger with effortless ease. Reaching out, he gently patted the white flames atop the great fiery cat's head.

1. In the original Chinese text, True Spirit Language (Shùlíng Zhēnyǔ, 术灵真语) uses the characters 真语 (Zhēnyǔ), which literally mean True Speech or True Language. Here, the word True indicates that this is the authentic, uncorrupted tongue spoken directly by spirits, rather than a human adaptation, translation, or secondary dialect. ☜

2. In the original Chinese text, the room is labeled 棋牌室 (qípái shì). While literally translating to Chess and Card Room, this term typically refers to a commercial establishment or parlor dedicated to high-stakes table games like Mahjong, Poker, and Chinese Chess, making it the Chinese equivalent of a gambling hall or card den. ☜

3. Blood Saint and Moonshadow Clans ☜