blueteamnovel Chapter 432 - 343: The Old Gods Abdicate, The New Gods Are Crowned (Happy Lantern Festival!)
Chapter 432 - 343: The Old Gods Abdicate, The New Gods Are Crowned (Happy Lantern Festival!)
Chapter 432: Chapter 343: The Old Gods Abdicate, The New Gods Are Crowned (Happy Lantern Festival!)
"So that’s what happened."
Seeing the intangible yet invaluable Rank in his hands, Byron immediately understood what had transpired with the Demon Dragon.
The Promotion Ceremonies for Giant Dragons and Night Demons all require the precondition of being a ’Profiteer, exploiter, Bloodthirsty’; the higher one’s Rank, the purer the bloodline in the Dragon Vein.
Just as Byron, through multiple ’Crown Prince’ Ranks, managed to successfully exchange them for a [Prince of Night Demons] racial template in the Promotion Ceremony, it must have been the same for the former Emperor of the Taya Empire, Itzamna.
As his Rank plummeted, a crucial part of the Ritual Witchcraft was also missing.
The result was that this Incarnation of a [Heavenly God], already devoid of a significant portion of Dragon Blood and corresponding forbidden knowledge, could no longer be sustained.
It devolved into a lizard Demon Monster.
Of course, if that ancient Emperor of the Taya Empire were still alive, his contributions would certainly not be comparable to Byron’s. And it wouldn’t have been so easy to strip away his Rank.
Unfortunately, now, thousands of years after Itzamna’s death, only a Guardian Spirit equivalent to a Sacred Relic remained.
Essentially, it was a more advanced Spiritual Body that had shed its animal form and approached an abstract concept.
Its Divinity, inclined towards Order, was able to protect its people like the [Silver Law], closer to an object rather than a living being.
No longer was he that supreme Emperor, but instead became part of the property of the Empire.
In Byron’s previous life, there was a saying: "Only instruments and titles must not be delegated to others, for they are the prerogatives of the sovereign."
Only imperial regalia and noble titles should not be entrusted to others; they should be controlled by the Monarch.
It perfectly describes what had just occurred.
To lose the ’instrument’ was to lose identity and Authority.
The moment Itzamna lost his Rank as [Lord of All Gods], the half-human, half-dragon Number One Crystal Skull at the pinnacle of the Pyramid was shrouded in darkness.
Then it rapidly lost its crystalline texture and reverted to an ordinary skull. With a gust of wind, these millennia-old remains turned to dust in an instant.
That’s when Byron suddenly thought of a key issue:
Wait! With his Rank gone, what about the mission to collect all thirteen Crystal Skulls, declare the prophecy of the Empire’s heir, and form a [Zero-Level Sacred Relic]?! With one of the thirteen skulls missing, wouldn’t the task be forever impossible to complete?
Just as he couldn’t help but beat his breast in grief over the loss of a ’Zero-Level Sacred Relic,’ the Rank that had transformed into a divine Crown had quietly merged into his body.
The next moment, Violet suddenly covered her mouth in surprise, pointing at his head and exclaiming, "Byron, your head!"
Byron was startled and quickly took out a mirror from his Snake Skin Bag to look at himself.
He found that his whole head was glowing like a light bulb. More precisely, it was the bones beneath his skin that emitted a bright white light, and they were undergoing some profound essential transformation within the white glow.
And on the Sailing Logbook, behind the line with the exclusive title [Father of Immunology], more titles like Lord of the Celestial Kingdom, Master of Night and Day... and so on appeared.
Byron, seeing this transformation on himself, was struck with a realization:
Have I now completely replaced Itzamna and the Number One Crystal Skull in the position they held within Taya civilization?
The Dragon-shaped [Heavenly God] Itzamna held the highest Rank among the gods worshipped by the Taya People, as he was the chief of the Taya pantheon.
He was also Lord of the Celestial Kingdom, Master of Night and Day, and the protective deity of Priests; in addition, he was the creator of writing, science, and medicine.
Now, Byron had not only stolen the Rank of [Lord of All Gods] but also, leveraging his Authority in the field of medicine, fully assumed the other’s historical position.
That is to say, Byron was no longer the self-proclaimed [Father of Healing] but was indeed, more genuine than the original.
It perfectly matched the saying, ’He may be taken and replaced!’
And because of this, Byron’s head didn’t turn into the fourteenth Crystal Skull in the hands of the Taya People.
Instead, without having been offered, Blood-Sacrificed, and while still alive, he replaced the Number One skull among the thirteen Crystal Skulls, becoming the ruler over all the Crystal Skulls.
More importantly, the entire Taino People’s belief system was facing an unprecedented major upheaval this year.
The entire Divine System of the Aztec Empire: ’Sun God Tonatiuh, Moon Goddess Mayahuel, Milky Way Goddess Mixcoatl, War God Huitzilopochtli...’
Had already been completely annihilated by themselves during their God Killing Banquets, leaving their faith in a vacuum.
Even the [Tyrannical God], which should have been like the Creator at the core of the Law Network, was devoured by the descended Old God, the Thousand-Faced Serpent.
This caused the Golden Law to remain incomplete due to the lack of a core like that of the Creator.
As for the Taya Empire, which was already in a state of division both territorially and spiritually, it was anxiously hoping that its thirteen Chief Gods could unite as one once more to restore the Empire’s glory.
Tracing back to the origins, the entire Extraordinary Power system of the present-day Bantaan Archipelago originated from the [Heavenly God] Itzamna.
Having obtained his Rank, Byron was now fully entitled to be called a god among the entire Taino Group.
The two – one lacking a core and the other lacking expansion – were a perfect match!
Just as Byron had predicted.
The [Golden Law], which had integrated the whole Taino Group, automatically emerged in mountains, rivers, city-states, forests, followers... among other things.
And connected layer by layer to Byron himself from all directions. The foundational oath of the Golden Law’s creation resounded above Tayapan, this time in Byron’s own voice:
"By divine right of kings! The Emperor is my Divine Son, and I will make you rulers and Kings over every place in the world!"
This oath signified that he possessed the Authority of the heavens.
"The army is my Scepter! I shall grant the Nobility and Priests the power to manage the cities, the armies, and the Wilderness!"
This symbolizes the power over people.
"As the supreme deity, I shall rule over Heaven, the Mortal Realm, and the Underworld, possessing the power to communicate with and placate the deceased, granting them rebirth!"
This symbolizes the power over land.
The will of the gods represents the legitimacy of the imperial Authority; military strength is the cornerstone of the rule of Kings; the power to communicate with the ancestors and govern the deceased tames the people.
Together, the three form the foundation of this Law.
And finally, they truly completed the founding ceremony that the ’Conqueror’ Cortes and the ’Versatile Enchantress’ Beatrice did not finish.
At this moment, Byron, in theory, also became the only ’deity’ worshipped by all the Taino People.
He was the Divine King, the Emperor, the bond of faith for all, and the core of the Golden Law.
Although he only possessed an empty Rank and was far from obtaining Power that matched his position, from the outside, it was enough to bluff and intimidate others.
Immediately after, a vast golden light pierced the sky and enveloped Byron, as if draping him in a brilliant golden Crown and robe.
The figures of the natives appeared around him, shouting:
"Lord of the Celestial Kingdom!"
"Master of Night and Day!"
"Guardian Spirit of the Priests!"
"Deity of Medicine..."
That represented the collective subconscious acknowledgment of the natives towards Byron. He completed the ’clothing in the golden robe’ without even giving them a chance to refuse him three times.
Of course, as the bearer of the ’Halo of the Great Benefactor,’ Byron ultimately did not forget to recite the lines he had prepared for some time under Violet’s somewhat contemptuous gaze:
"If this is indeed the will of Heaven, then now that it has come to this, I can only reluctantly accept it. However, I am but an interim ruler. Should there ever be a sage fit for this position in the future, I shall abdicate in favor of the sage, never going back on my word, hahaha..."
Well, even if he agreed to abdicate, whether his zealous followers and loyal supporters would agree, no one could tell.
The commotion here had long attracted the attention of countless natives within and outside the city.
There is an innate spiritual connection and Anchoring between the believers and the object of their belief. With just one glance, they realized with heartfelt blessings that the ’Father of Healing’ had truly descended.
Reflecting on the three streaks of light that had just stripped away the Demon Dragon’s Power, their faces became even more frenzied as they cried out:
"Lord of the Celestial Kingdom! Lord of the Celestial Kingdom!..."
The ’divine title’ they chanted naturally evolved.
From the somewhat soft-sounding Father of Healing to the more awe-inspiring and authoritative Lord of the Celestial Kingdom.
Combined with the ’Halo of the Great Benefactor’ that automatically prompted their imaginations, the natives truly believed from the bottom of their hearts that the Father of Healing was the real [Heavenly God], and the big lizard in front of them was just a Demon Monster that had usurped a Divine Position.
The shouting was like a mountain roar and a tsunami, equally signifying the mighty Mind Wish Power for ’Transformation,’ almost becoming tangible.
It’s just a pity that as a living being, Byron had not yet learned how to use this Power that could be called the very essence of the world.
However, he wouldn’t miss this rare opportunity to demonstrate a miracle.
WHOOSH!
Violet, making use of the sky full of golden light, flashed to the side, while Byron himself leaped into the airspace above the battlefield. As that resplendent golden light dissipated, Byron used the Night Demon’s innate Shapeshifting to assume a different appearance.
His tall stature and black hair hadn’t changed; his deeply lined features became softer, like those of the Taino People, and his skin turned to a bronzed color that radiated golden light.
He was the very image of a bona fide native. It just so happened to slightly resemble his former life.
Only, above his head, he wore an exquisite golden light crown.
Byron looked down at the battlefield, where the ’Demon Dragon,’ though still of the Fourth Order, had degenerated into the most ordinary lizard Demon Monster, completely losing the racial bonuses of the Dragon Vein.
Under the attack of a dozen Nature Spirits and over twenty Third Order warriors, it was already on its last legs—its five heads, half-human, half-lizard, were vomiting blood profusely.
The blue lizard, with the [Coiled Nose King] Teotihuacan growing on its neck, struggled to raise its head, frenziedly roaring at him:
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. The Luanyan Epoch is upon us. My Lord had clearly promised me that I am to be the future Emperor of the Taya Empire and the Savior who leads the Taino People to Evolution, not you, absolutely not you. Thief, return the Crown to me!"
Byron knew this guy was just a polluted madman and a puppet, lacking the interest to exchange a few more harsh words; he raised his hand to summon the ’Sure-hit Spear, Gungnir.’
Pumping most of his Spirituality into it, his divine muscles bulged perfectly.
The air in front of him exploded, Heaven and Earth turned white, and the Spear of Divine Punishment, as if cleaving through the last of the night, descended from the sky with a sudden burst of Divine Light, piercing from the back to the front chest of the lizard Demon Monster.
It also blasted a heart to pieces on the spot.
BOOM!
The gigantic five-headed lizard, like a golden pillar in the court, crashed to the ground with a thunderous fall, dust billowing; an era of the [Heavenly God] Itzamna came to an end.
Just then, the first streak of golden dawn light conveniently shone from behind Byron, as if symbolizing a brand new era belonging to him in the native civilization, that was slowly unfolding.