Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 988 [Horizon Initiative]

The Kingdom of Peace, First Layer - Abelio - Far East.

"Huhuhuhu~~~~"

The gale, like thousands of sharp blades, howled in from the depths of the snowfield, whipping up clouds of ice powder that slammed against the windproof cloak, making a rustling sound.

Xia Xiu's figure appeared and disappeared in the blizzard. He was wrapped in a set of silver-gray extreme cold mountaineering gear—a thick windproof jacket, a close-fitting thermal inner layer, and waterproof snow pants on top. His goggles reflected the halo of light on the snow, and in his hand, the [Lever of Heaven] that had once flowed with divine light had now transformed into a perfectly shaped mountaineering axe, its sharp icy teeth deeply embedded in the ice wall.

He took each step steadily, and the force and angle at which the axe tip pierced the ice wall were almost perfect—like an experienced mountaineer surviving in an extreme environment.

But if someone truly understood him, they would realize that with his abilities, he didn't need any of that equipment or climbing skills to walk on flat ground in such a blizzard.

He was just... experiencing it.

"call--"

He exhaled a puff of breath tinged with white mist, sheathed his axe with one hand, and smoothly climbed the last piece of ice. Standing atop the snow line, he pushed his goggles up to his forehead, facing the biting wind, and whispered:
"This is the location of the Storm King's fortress in the Court of Four Symbols."

At the edge of the horizon, a towering black fortress stands on the edge of the day-night sphere, surrounded by ever-churning clouds.

Amidst the churning sea of ​​clouds, silver lightning occasionally tore through the sky, like a giant beast baring its fangs in the clouds.

According to the information provided by the Queen Ant, Abelio's four Storm Kings each control the clouds, wind, rain, and thunder.

They work together to create weather and storms that operate according to the law—when they act alone or in pairs, it is the normal weather of this plane; but when three or even four come together, a real "storm" is generated.

Once this storm forms, it will not only engulf the entire Abelio, but will also create a mapping effect between planes—even if a flash of lightning appears somewhere in another world, it may be the shadow of this storm on the other side.

Storms operate according to ancient laws: they never last more than 24 hours, and the interval between two storms is at least three days and no more than a week.

Each Stormlord resides in a towering fortress on the outskirts of the day/night sphere—where weather elements surround the walls, forming an invisible barrier.

Anyone attempting to enter will be shut out by the local climate.

Even powerful adversaries cannot freely wield their power in the sky above the fortress.

Xia Xiu stood atop a snow-capped mountain in the far distance, with ice rocks sculpted by the wind into sharp, blade-like shapes beneath his feet. Cold currents, like transparent long knives, swept in from the valley below.

But his gaze was drawn to a scene in the distant sky.

In the very center of the sky, a gigantic sphere floats high in the air, its size almost covering the entire horizon.

Those were not ordinary sun and moon, but a dimensional wonder—a day-night sphere.

One half of the sphere is as bright as the blazing sun, its golden light cascading down upon half the world, the ice and snow reflecting a dazzling silver-white brilliance. The other half, however, is as dark as a moonless night, the stars like jewels set in the boundless deep blue, radiating a cold and distant glow. Day and night are precisely divided at the center of the sphere, without the slightest blurring or gradation, without the dawn and dusk on the horizon—only absolute light and absolute darkness.

It rotates slowly and steadily, each turn like the meshing of gears in a precision instrument, so precise it's breathtaking—twenty-four hours, not a minute off, twelve hours of daylight, twelve hours of darkness.

"It's truly magnificent," Xia Xiu murmured, his golden eyes reflecting the perfectly divided sky.

This is the creation of the Abelio plane to replace the sun and moon in the ordinary world—a wondrous order that transcends nature.

"Pfft-"

A wave of energy rippled out from his side, and Amond's figure appeared.

Even this well-traveled demon king, when he looked at the Day and Night Sphere, had a rare look of admiration in his eyes.

“This thing is an ethereal wonder of the [order] element,” Amund’s voice carried the solemnity of explaining a treasure. “Time, light, rhythm, all are strictly regulated here, no wonder this place has withstood the corruption of the Fifth Church for so long.”

A fierce wind whipped up large swaths of snow and mist, whistling past their shoulders. Xia Xiu stood atop the snow-covered ridge, his gaze never leaving the distant sky that divided day and night.

“According to the information from the retrievable memories,” he said calmly, as if reiterating a confirmed death, “one of the four Storm Kings has already been corrupted and mutated. And the intelligence from the Ant Clan indicates that the operation of the storms in Abelio has become uncoordinated—the ancient laws have been broken, and cracks have appeared in the web of order. The entire Abelio is facing a storm of disorder.”

Xia Xiu's voice was as clear as a knife's edge in the wind and snow:

"Our mission is to find the corrupted Storm King and use him to ignite the already unsettled situation in the entire peaceful kingdom."

Amund turned to the side, his shadowy figure swaying slightly in the snow, a not-so-gentle smile playing on his lips: "Using total war to force the Fifth Church... in Terra, that would be an absolutely terrible idea."

The Demon King paused, then looked up at the sky divided by the sphere of day and night;

"But here—none of that matters anymore."

"The Ant Clan has already begun operating according to the plan deployed by our Reverse Mother Clan. They will collect abnormal information about the Fifth Church throughout the Kingdom of Peace. And through them, we will spread the panacea. Next, they will spread the pills and related fighting ideas through missionary work."

Not just the "ant tribe," but all groups exposed to this trend will be swept up; your initiative will take root and flourish throughout this peaceful nation.

At the summit of the snow-capped mountain, the gale cut through the air like a knife, and snowflakes clung densely to the cloak, making a soft, pattering sound.

Xia Xiu slowly exhaled a puff of white mist, his golden eyes slightly narrowed as he gazed at the distant sky where day and night were separated, his voice low yet as steady as a mountain:
"In peaceful countries where the belief in deities permeates the very fabric of society, no secular appeal can shake the foundations."

Here, order, law, and even interpersonal trust are all maintained by a belief system. The only way to combat the Fifth Church and penetrate the depths of the people's spirits is to use another religion—to fight faith with faith.” His voice echoed through the wind and snow, carrying an undeniable, chilling logic:

“In this plane, reason can only influence the mind, while faith can devour the soul. The Fifth Church relies on spiritual colonization and cognitive plunder—so I will fight against it with divine authority and narratives of salvation, and curb its spread through religious self-discipline and fanaticism.”

At this point, he turned around, his gaze piercing through the wind and snow, as if he were looking at a chess game spanning the heavens.

"Moreover, if I want to try to take over the entire universe in the future, I must establish a localized revolutionary group under the existing enlightened autocracy of the Administration Bureau, according to the national conditions of each plane."

"Just like in the mortal realm, revolution must start from the current state of the plane. Here, religion is the only bond that can penetrate social classes and transcend blood ties. Religious revolution is the blade of peace, the key for me to unlock this plane."

Xia Xiu raised his eyes, his golden pupils piercing through the swirling snow mist, gazing at the distant sky where day and night separated. His voice was deep and steady:
"In this plane, what I want to promote is not only a religious revolution, but also the establishment of an organization that spans peaceful kingdoms and all the worlds."

"It will be called the Horizon Initiative."

“The horizon,” Xia Xiu said slowly, gazing at the day-night sphere ahead, “will be the boundary between day and night, the watershed between light and darkness. It is not a static place, but a boundary that extends forever, forever in the distance.”

"The horizon signifies connection—connecting different dimensions, connecting different beliefs, connecting worlds that were once isolated from each other."

"The Horizon Initiative will use faith as a vehicle to bring together all ethnic groups and factions into a unified spiritual and order framework."

On the surface, it is a religious alliance against the Fifth Church; in essence, it is a transdimensional spiritual sovereign institution. It will operate simultaneously at the levels of faith, information, and physicality, ensuring that no matter what form the Fifth Church, this monster, takes infiltrating, we can establish a defensive line at the first point of invasion.

"I will use the name of the horizon to deliver medicines, knowledge, weapons, and ideas to every place where resistance is possible—so that believers, scholars, warriors, and researchers of the Reverse Mother can all be part of the same front."

Amond's phantom solidified slightly amidst the wind and snow, the silvery light outlining his seemingly languid yet profoundly powerful silhouette.

“Magnificent is magnificent…” His voice was low, with a hint of repression, “but you also know that Abraham, the horizon, is not just a name, it is a promise of a concept. And a promise, once it crosses a plane, becomes faith itself.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, carrying a coldness that seemed to see through the tide's course:

"Faith has the power to unite people, but it also has the instinct to devour them."

If you use it here to fight against the Fifth Church, it will grow fangs to fight against the Fifth Church; but when the Fifth Church is destroyed, this system may not be content—it may turn its attention to you, or the Kingdom of Heaven that you represent.

"The horizon symbolizes that it is always in the distance—and the believer's gaze will always be in the distance as well."

"They will follow you until one day you are no longer a distant place in their eyes."

Armand continued, “There’s one more thing; if you want to promote a cross-dimensional faith alliance in the Kingdom of Peace, you must allow it to exist in different forms in different dimensions. This means that you cannot completely control its doctrines in all dimensions. The seeds you plant may sprout in some worlds in shapes you don’t want to see.”

The Demon King said:

"At that time, the followers of Abraham will inevitably split into the Abrahamic religions, and then history will be like a teacher, teaching you again what you don't understand—the followers will repeat the endless struggles of the past."

After listening, Xia Xiu remained silent for a moment, as the snow wind howled in his ears.

Then, he slowly raised his head, his golden eyes reflecting the distinct light and darkness of the day and night spheres, a faint smile appearing on his lips:
"Faith can backfire, tides can recede, the horizon can keep moving forward... but that's precisely where its value lies."

“I don’t need it to obey me forever. I just need it to bite the target I’m pointing at when I need it—even if it bites back afterward.”

"Didn't you teach me that decision-makers only need to be responsible for civilization and pursue victory?"

"I will lead it to the next battlefield before it gets out of control. I will make it keep chasing the enemy in the distance, instead of turning around and biting me."

He raised his hand and pointed to the Storm King's fortress in the distance, his golden eyes gleaming like a flame about to explode in the wind and snow.

"As long as I live, the horizon will draw closer to me. Even if it is a monster pieced together from thousands of different faiths, I will let it walk in my shadow."

Amidst the wind and snow, Amond let out a soft chuckle; the Demon King was quite pleased with his successor.
"Heh... let's see how long you can walk with it."

Below the snow line, the wind gradually subsided, and the outline of Storm King's Fortress could be seen on the distant mountain ridge. The thick clouds seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand, and a breathtaking sense of oppression hung between the sky and the earth.

Armand's phantom walked beside him, a faint smile playing on his lips: "So, it's time to start building a new army? Go find your priests, your lambs, and your wolves?"

Xia Xiu did not answer immediately, but lowered his head and gently inserted the [Lever of Heaven] into the snow. His voice, carried on the wind, was steady and carried an undeniable authority:
"People's definition of God always contains the most primitive expectations. They always say that God is a bright lamp lit in the darkness."

In this dimension, I am that guiding light.

Whether they descend as prophets or priests, my anointed ones will gather their armies to fight against all forces that dare to touch the Pure.

"The Horizon Initiative, to be honest, is also part of the Courtyard Legion—in war, they will protect the lives of the loyal; in peace, they will become the refuge and the spark of life for the unfortunate."

He raised his hand, pointing to the fortress in the distance, faintly visible through the wind and snow:
"This is our mission. Hundreds of groups, thousands of believers, tens of thousands of interpretations... all will converge under the banner of the horizon."

Amund gazed at him silently, without speaking, only offering a meaningful smile.

He withdrew his gaze from the distance, exhaled a low breath of cold air, and spoke in a steady and clear voice, each word like a brand etched into ice:
"Now, it's time to go out into the world and spread the Horizons initiative."

Xia Xiu walked toward the domain of the Storm King, leaving a straight trail in the snow beneath his feet.