Chapter 694: Return to the Heavenly Realm
In the multiverse, there are many oceans—ancient and mysterious worlds hiding countless treasures and unfathomable dangers. The most representative of these is the Star Ocean, which is not like an ordinary ocean. Similarly, the deep seas of the Bottomless Abyss, akin to the seas of the main material world, are just as perilous.
Long ago, in the distant past, the Bottomless Abyss took shape in its primitive form—far more terrifying and complex than it is now. That era predates the birth of the new generation of demons, long before most mortal life appeared in the main material plane, and even before most gods were born.
As the universe’s garbage disposal area, the primitive Bottomless Abyss was not entirely lifeless. Through countless negative and corrupting forces interacting and entangling with each other, the first abyssal race—the ancient demons—emerged. In the oceans of the Bottomless Abyss, life thrived even more vigorously, becoming even more evil and corrupt.
In Donald’s previous life, the theory that oceans are breeding grounds for life held true, and this applies here as well—indeed, over half of the ancient demons were born in the abyssal seas. At that time, most ancient demons avoided the deeper layers of the Bottomless Abyss due to the extreme harshness of those environments, which even they found unbearable.
Over half of the ancient demons flocked to the lowest layer of the abyss, later known as Pazunia, where they fought and reproduced in the endlessly vast Plain of Endless Abysses, contributing to the growth and expansion of the abyss. Those ancient demons who proved their strength became the first lords of the Bottomless Abyss—including the Cyclops Kapiri、Barchard the Vast、Screaming Pazuzu，and the desire-worshipping Uposa。
That ancient chaotic realm was ruled by these demon lords, who waged wars among themselves. The most powerful among them was Obox Obos, the original demon sovereign. Yet, in the even deeper, endless oceans of the Bottomless Abyss, other ancient demons lurked.
It was an era when chaos gave way to rule over the abyss, and the deeds of this powerful female ancient demon lord were beyond the imagination of her peers. As a great creator, the Mother of Demons, Cangye, remained hidden deep in the abyss, conducting her experiments with little contact with the outside world. At a certain special time, her desolate yet focused gaze pierced through the entire Bottomless Abyss, reaching the very bottom of the universe.
And unexpectedly, in the worlds of various layers of the universe, some incredible things were discovered. In those unknown distant worlds, life had already begun to flourish. When Cangye induced these lives to fall into the Bottomless Abyss, it allowed the ancient demons to quickly discover a way to reshape souls—by intensifying the chaos and evil within them to suit the laws of the abyss, she created the first generation of new demons. Yet to the other ancient demons, these creatures were merely crude imitations of themselves, barely fit to serve as slaves. As the ancient demons gradually discovered other dimensions, the Chaos Empress decided it was her duty to bring destruction to them. She gathered the ancient demon lords who obeyed her under her banner and killed or imprisoned the rest. From then on, Kapiri was imprisoned in the Well of Darkness, Bachard was left to rot on its strange beaches, and Uposa was banished from the Bottomless Abyss and imprisoned in another dimension. Finally, in a battle that nearly shattered the Bottomless Abyss itself, the Chaos Empress Cangye killed Obox Obos and bestowed his title upon Miska, a new generation of demon lord chosen by her as a consort. The damaged Bottomless Abyss not only did not decline but, under the influence of negative forces, formed an even larger world composed of countless dimensions. With the death of Obox Obos, the remaining ancient demon lords quickly joined Cangye’s cause. However, in the realm of endless black waters surrounding the abyss, that ugly and strange giant shadow alone refused the Chaos Empress’s call. After the ancient demons uncovered the abyss’s plot to steal all life forces within it, the abyss launched the largest war in history, affecting the entire multiverse and dragging even the ancient gods into the vortex of war. That was the origin of the First War between Gods and Demons! In that war, the Chaos Empress and Mother of Demons, Cangye, perished, and the ancient demons were nearly wiped out by powerful races from higher realms and star systems like the Aici Tian clan. Only a small group of ancient demons survived by hiding deep within the endless abyss. As for that shadowy existence in the Sea of Abyss, it merely observed and waited throughout all this.
The era of the ancient demons has ended; the Bottomless Abyss is now ruled by the new generation of demons. Ostasius, the first demon of this new generation who was once abandoned by the Mother of Demons, was favored by the Will of the Abyss and became the new Demon Overlord. Thus, the Destroyer Monarch ruled over the Abyssal world.
Yet in the Abyssal Sea, it remains the domain of the Deep Sea Kings. Even the Destroyer Monarch instinctively avoids entering its territory. Knowing that this era will eventually end, Tiamat patiently waits, maintaining its strength. It has no great ambitions nor seeks to kill deliberately; instead, as a devourer, it feeds on the accumulated cosmic debris.
This Deep Sea King is convinced that when the current demons decline, it will still remain, just as it did in the era when most gods had not yet been born. Occasionally, when bored, Tiamat—being the only demon monarch not controlled by the Abyss—carries out minor actions that affect the structure of the multiverse. This time, the Deep Sea King simply turned over, either intentionally or not, interrupting the efforts of the Abyssal Lords to prevent the Fallen Monarch Mathius from escaping the Abyss. It then returned to the endless Abyssal waters, causing a massive tsunami large enough to destroy a small universe.
After the waves subsided, the scene was in chaos. The anger of the Will of the Abyss and the roar of the Destroyer Monarch spread throughout the Bottomless Abyss. Yet they could do nothing to Tiamat, the Deep Sea King. Not only because of its role as a cosmic scavenger, but also because of its enormous size—larger than most small universes and comparable to cosmic beasts—it is almost invincible. Only a higher god willing to sacrifice its life might have a chance to destroy this oldest of cosmic monsters.
For the first time in the endless years since it became a Demon Overlord, someone had ignored it so completely, and it could not regain its dignity—this drove Ostasius utterly mad. Although the Destroyer Monarch was known for its madness, this time it was enraged to the point of nearly destroying an adjacent Abyssal universe. The lords and demons of that universe were undoubtedly the most innocent victims of this catastrophe, suffering destruction out of nowhere.
Taking advantage of the momentum from the Deep Sea King Dagun, Matthews, Donald, and the Fallen Kingdom completely broke free from the Bottomless Abyss. Without lingering in the lower realms, they directly crossed the highest level of those realms—the Netherworld—and ascended toward the upper realms. Seeing this, all beings guessed that Matthews intended to ascend to a divine kingdom and become one of the true gods. Logically, Matthews’ return to the heavens should be good news for the gods, as it meant a weakening of the Abyssal forces and a strengthening of the heavenly forces! However, many of the true gods who had once coveted the power of evil and forced Matthews to descend into the Abyss still existed. Whatever their motives, they certainly did not want Matthews to return to the Pantheon and rise again. “I wonder how many true gods will come to stop him. I can’t wait to see that scene!” Hearing Donald’s mocking tone, the Fallen Monarch, who had always appeared sad, couldn’t help but smile. Although his most powerful force was still the Fallen Domain, a faint yellow glow was slowly emerging from its once dimness—this was the light of dusk! “It seems that His Majesty Matthews has begun to master the Dawn Domain deeply. I believe it won’t be long before he regains his status as a supreme god!” Hearing Donald’s congratulations, Matthews nodded and said, “This is also thanks to you for showing me the power of the Book of Doom. In terms of the end of all things, the powers of doom and dusk share many similarities. It truly is a powerful domain that can at least elevate one to a half-step god!” The Dawn domain might seem like a realm under the sun, but dusk, with its connotations of decline and endings, is even more powerful than mere solar authority. Whether its ultimate achievement could reach that of a true god, Donald didn’t know, but reaching a half-step god status was likely. Besides, the power of the solar domain hadn’t been abandoned; instead, the sun was used as a subordinate deity to support dusk. Without the rise of the sun, how could there be the setting of dusk? Donald’s hints pointed out a new direction for Matthews, allowing him to discover a completely new realm.
Since Desolation can be attributed to Dusk, the deity of Dusk possesses the potential to rise to the rank of an upper god or even a near-god. Dusk is no longer merely a minor branch within the realm of the sun; it has even transcended the realm of light, becoming a force of twilight that brings about the end of all things. This is quite similar to the power of Donald’s Doomsday Mantra—one represents the outcome of the end of all things, while the other seems more like the process itself. Therefore, after eliminating the threat of the Abyss and realizing this, Donald immediately demonstrated the power of the Book of Doom to Matthews. He wasn’t afraid that Matthews might have strange thoughts upon seeing him wielding a higher-tier artifact. Without such magnanimity, Matthews wouldn’t be the incarnation of the Glorious Lord who, under pressure from the gods, would rather break than bend and choose to embrace the Fallen Abyss rather than compromise! Now, all that remains is for Matthews to fully transform the power of Desolation into that of the God of Dusk and then absorb the consciousness power of his true self. Once done, he can at least regain his status as an upper god and have the confidence to face the gods’ attacks alone.