Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 598: History of Verdantis III: Fate & Incentive

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"Through my partial comprehension of the Supreme Law of Destiny, I discovered that Gu Mo’s deeds had unleashed a devastating tribulation on Verdantis."

"Should it go unstopped, our entire plane would perish."

"A destiny spelling the world's annihilation and the wipeout of every living soul within," Old man One Heaven went on.

"I swiftly assembled every Emperor-level powerhouse in the plane—those at the Seventh Circle—to challenge Gu Mo before he fully drained away the plane's Fate and Fortune."

"Given the pressing emergency... and the scant time available... We merely warned the false deities about the dire outcomes of their deeds."

"We also dispatched our followers to keep watch over them."

"Then, leveraging my status as the plane's mightiest entity, I seized the Heavenly Mandate. Armed with it, I stepped into the Heavenly realm—the Soul Space housing our plane’s consciousness—to face Gu Mo head-on."

In that instant, turbulent emotions swept over the old man’s normally serene face.

Fury, sorrow, and an emotion even more profound... tougher to pinpoint.

"One by one... Emperor-level powerhouses perished. Gu Mo and his allies showed no mercy."

"Even worse, the sudden rise of Deity cultivation had plunged the plane’s consciousness into chaos."

"It couldn’t grasp this unfamiliar path, nor figure out defenses against it."

"No protections existed yet, turning that flaw into a vulnerability."

"A vulnerability Gu Mo seized right away."

"He breached the Heavens and approached the Will of the Plane."

"His goal was obvious—to taint it. To dominate from the core..."

"And thereby guarantee Verdantis's total collapse."

A profound quiet settled in.

"When I arrived at the Will—alongside my surviving comrades—the corruption was already underway."

His tone deepened further.

"With no alternatives left... I chose my path."

"I fused with the surviving fragments of the plane’s Will."

"Harnessing the united Providence—along with the core essence of the Emperor-level powerhouses beside me—I shattered the Will of the Heavens, cutting it off from the plane.

"Afterward, I stood in temporarily, blocking Gu Mo’s progress."

Pure fury blazed in his eyes for a fleeting second.

"Yet those false deities, drunk on their newfound might, disregarded our cautions entirely.

"Worse, they intentionally scattered Gu Mo’s corruption seeds throughout the plane."

"As that corruption proliferated, it tainted the fundamental core of our world."

"Sorcery itself."

"To stop Sorcery from being wholly defiled, I had to pull back some power from holding Gu Mo at bay... and channel it to isolate the corruption from Sorcery’s Providence."

"That choice carried a steep price."

"Sorcerers could no longer cast spells in their old ways."

"I had to invent a fresh spellcasting technique—"

"Hand signs... or more precisely, Seal forming." Alex suddenly understood.

"Yes," Old man One Heaven affirmed with a nod.

"But before I could share that insight with the remaining sorcerers, the false deities struck first."

"They proclaimed that Sorcery was powerless against the plague, insisting salvation lay only in their worship."

"They exploited the disaster to grow their faith?" Alex’s eyes flared with rage.

"Exactly," One Heaven verified steadily.

’These leeches have no limits...’ Alex mused to himself.

"That wasn’t the end," the elder pressed on. "They also convinced the Combat Warriors—born from the Heavenly Venerable’s technique—to betray the sorcerers and battle for them."

"Thus, Sorcerers were pushed back... confined to the Minor Heavens under each Holy Land’s domain."

"In my last effort for the Sorcerer realm, through my link to the Heavens, I modified those Minor Heavens’ access rules."

"I blocked entry to any being tainted by even a hint of divinity."

’That’s why the Sorcery Holy Lands endured to this day...’ Alex pondered silently. ’Not just the false deities’ clergy, but Combat Warriors and their offspring were shut out by that one stroke.’

’Their forms bear corrupted genes from berserk beasts, ultimately stemming from Gu Mo’s divinity.’

By now, the truth stood crystal clear.

The berserk trait was truly Gu Mo’s divinity in disguise.

’Meaning... the elder couldn’t eliminate Gu Mo back then,’ Alex concluded.

"Regrettably," Old man One Heaven proceeded, "all the steps I took to keep Verdantis from the false deities’ grasp—an end as bad as handing it to Gu Mo—left me without power to destroy him outright."

"I had to seal him instead."

His voice turned graver.

"Yet I knew such a seal would merely delay the inevitable."

"With the Heaven’s Will corrupted and his taint sown by the betrayers, Gu Mo’s return was certain."

"Thus, I resorted to bolder actions."

"I obliterated the four continents fully overrun by corruption, repurposing their remnants to enlarge the sole surviving continent."

"On that last bastion, I erected the Heaven–Earth Concordance Formation."

"I linked this array straight to the plane’s Heaven. Then, fueling it with the plane’s Fortune, I placed a beacon into the Destiny flow...

"A summons... designed to draw a figure worthy of becoming the new era’s Legatee, finishing our unfinished task."

"To test such a candidate’s merit, I used my Heaven ties to safeguard the echoes of my fallen allies."

"Phantoms of those Emperor-level powerhouses who sacrificed everything for this plane..."

"They’d act as judges for the rightful heir."

"That’s why a specter like me—a echo from ancient times—appears before you to reveal history’s hidden truths."

Alex’s gaze tightened a fraction.

"So... you claim my group’s arrival on Verdantis wasn’t pure chance?" he inquired.

"Not completely," Old man One Heaven answered, shaking his head.

"I didn’t plan for the summons to bring outsiders, nor do I grasp how such foreigners breach our guarded plane amid its tribulation...

"But one fact I know for sure."

"Destiny’s hand guided you somehow—in answer to the beacon I set in its current."

Alex grew quiet.

He paused to absorb the revelations.

Their immense burden...

Their vast scope...

Their far-reaching consequences...

At last, he responded.

"Should I take up your legacy, what precisely would you demand of me?"

His voice turned matter-of-fact.

"I trust you don’t expect me to battle a Class Eight Transcendent... plus multiple Class Seven Navi."

A subtle, bitter smile curved his mouth.

"You know I’m merely Class Two, right?"

Old man One Heaven shook his head.

"The war against the betrayers and the intruder demands more than brute clashes."

"Even at Eighth Circle like I was, victory would elude you."

"First, claim the Heavenly Mandate."

"Only then can you enter the Heavenly realm and link with the plane’s renewed consciousness."

"And solely via that link can you command the Will of Heaven to crush these enemies."

Alex crossed his arms, face turning neutral.

"And why," he questioned, "should I bother with all this?"

"Just because Destiny led me here?"

He shook his head lightly.

"I’m no hero, I’m afraid."

"I’ve observed your true nature," Old man One Heaven stated evenly. "And I’m not demanding you become one."

"Rather..."

"I propose a deal."

"Rewards in return for claiming this legacy."

Alex’s eyes sharpened subtly.

"What rewards?" he pressed.

"Firstly," the elder started, "I’ll teach you the technique I crafted for Sorcery’s Seal-Forming Spellcasting system."

Alex’s face stayed mostly impassive.

It didn’t move him much.

He doubted its real value to him.

"Secondly..." One Heaven went on, "The Legacy gathers multitudes’ strength... into a single bearer.

"Through it, facing an Eighth Circle foe might prove feasible, even at Second Circle."

Now, Alex’s eyes widened faintly. But he quickly masked it.

Old man One Heaven noticed.

A subtle spark lit his gaze.

He cast the ultimate lure without pause.

"Minor perks exist too... But this one should captivate you most."

Smiling, he disclosed,

"Accept the legacy—and bond successfully with the plane’s consciousness—and the whole plane...

"...will bend to your rule."

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