487 What Is Humanity (1/2)
Ye Qingxuan thought he was dreaming.
First, Ludovic, the pope who would be crowned tomorrow, had come to eat lunch with him. He had treated Ye Qingxuan like a filial son and then gave him titles and wishes. He wanted to help Ye Qingxuan create a great world and future where he would become rich and powerful.
Then, the future pope had confessed that he was the incarnate of Hyakume…
Was this a f*cking joke?
”Ahaha, so funny.” Ye Qingxuan plastered on a trembling smile. ”That's a good joke. I'll give you ten points.” And I'll keep the remaining ninety points so you don't get too proud, he thought.
”Try making sure your legs aren't shaking when you say you don't believe me, Ye Qingxuan.” Ludovic shook his head and looked at him with pity. ”Or do I have to take you to the abyss for you to believe me?”
The scenery outside the window became the dark abyss to suit the conversation.
Ye Qingxuan fell silent.
Hyakume—the source of all evil, the most powerful of the natural catastrophes, and one of the three pillars. Different from the Holy Cauldron and Silent Moon, it was the only one that had a true conscience and tangible existence. He had countless natural catastrophes under it, known as the dark followers. He controlled the uppermost core of the aether world and used the abyss to control the entire Dark World.
He was too big to easily pass through the aether world and descend into the material world. Otherwise, there would be no room for humanity in this world. Now, one of his nine incarnates was right before Ye Qingxuan? And it had the face of Ludovic?
Ye Qingxuan's head hurt. It did not seem right but one of the countless strands of thoughts had somehow connected and pointed to the truth. But he still could not believe it. He had once seen one of Hyakume's incarnates. It was the Dark Sovereign who had descended into Avalon. The sight was earth-shattering. Ye Qingxuan could barely fight back against the terrifying aura, even using the enchantment of Avalon's Shadow.
Ye Lanzhou was the most well-versed of the demons and natural catastrophes of the world. After being modified by moonlight, Deva's blood had become extremely sensitive to auras from the abyss. Even if Hyakume's incarnation had come, he would not be able to hide his identity. The moonlight should be able to feel the aura even from thousands of miles away.
But now, Ludovic was right in front of Ye Qingxuan and yet he could feel nothing.
This was the most terrifying part.
To Hyakume, the incarnation was a part of his existence. It was even more important than his body; it was a projection of the source. They were like different images observed from different angles. Some were large, some were odd, some were eerie, some were terrifying, some were wild… They all contained a characteristic of Hyakume. That was why there were nicknames like the Dark Sovereign, the Source of all Evil, and the Cunning Spider. They were all parts of Hyakume but could operate individually.
To Hyakume, these nine incarnations were his most important limbs. If one was hurt, it would affect the entirety.
Hadn't he prepared for so many years in Anglo just so he could pull Anglo into his control after letting the Dark Sovereign descend? For this, he had made an elaborate plan and used more than a century but still failed at the last moment.
He had been hurt gravely.
According to calculations, he would not be able to affect the material world within seventy years. However, Ludovic was now right before him in his glory.
What it signified went without saying!
This meant that not only was Hyakume able to cast his power into material world at any time, he could even personally come through the aether world with his abyss? In the past, the abyss was just a legend to humans.
But now this terrible legend was about to become reality… The entire world would be upended.
”Don't be scared, Ye Qingxuan.” Ludovic smiled mockingly. ”This incarnate was once just a regular human. As you can see, you're still okay.”
Hyakume's incarnate expressed the true essence of the deep abyss. It was a terrifying reality that humanity could not understand. Merely witnessing it would make someone break down and die. However, Ye Qingxuan was still alive. He did not feel any discomfort or hurt and did not discover the abyss from Ludovic.
”See, I'm just a regular person.” Ludovic shrugged and smiled. ”Are you shocked? How can Hyakume transform into a man?”
”Man?” Ye Qingxuan sneered. ”You're just a demon with human skin.”
”Oh?” Ludovic's mocking smile deepened. ”Then, please tell me what the requirements for a human are? What counts as a human? Let's chat, Ye Qingxuan. Tell me, a natural catastrophe and Satan, what exactly a human is.” His eyes were curious.
”According to biology, humans are just something close to apes. Sure, you aren't covered in hair and have ten agile fingers. You walk on the ground and have great intelligence. Now, you can even communicate with aether… But if I find a hairless monkey, give it intelligence, make it speak a human tongue, and even help turn it into a musician, does it count as a human?”
”Do you think that's possible?” Ye Qingxuan retorted. ”Monkeys are monkeys. No matter how similar it is to a man, it's still a monkey. If you think monkeys would work, why don't you turn yourself into one?”
”Then what is the nature of a man?” Ludovic's expression grew more taunting. ”I've heard that there's a foolish natural catastrophe who wanted to become a man and have a human's soul. He abandoned his power, status, and even his immortality. He willingly fell from the heavens… Does he count as a man?”
Ye Qingxuan was silent.