Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 1290 The Successor of Truth

The remaining flesh and blood of the Geometry Celestials, under the increasingly radical shock of the magic, finally began to shatter into pieces and turn into nothingness.

—At this moment, Hassan and Haina's souls had not even departed.

Both of the descended Celestials chose the strategy of preserving the soul of the vessel within their bodies. They allocated a portion of their power to protect the soul of the sacrifice, allowing it to temporarily remain within the Celestial's body... just as the Blood Celestial had done.

This was a gift, especially for Hassan.

Or rather, aside from the Fallen Angels who were so enraged that they directly destroyed the souls of the sacrifices who summoned them... the other Avatars weren't so hostile towards their sacrifices. Even without protection, they at least safely escorted the souls into the River of Dreams.

Contrary to his seemingly cold and ruthless appearance and his absolutely rational behavior, Geometry is unusually gentle towards mortals.

—For a monk, "knowing" is power.

Just like an apprentice learning a new skill, the simplest way is for the master to teach them step by step. And now they are personally experiencing this Celestial-level power... this is also a kind of inheritance.

Passing on the torch.

Wei Zhe kept the secret for the sake of all people, and the Geometry Celestial was ready to become a pillar god; but now He will surely perish here, but the apostles of the "Serpent's Vortex" cannot simply be scattered to various places... They are the souls of all the wise men collected by the Geometry Celestial. If they fall into the Source River, it would be a waste... and if they are taken away by other celestial authorities, it would be unfair to these wise men.

Their work still needs to be sustained.

Cracking the "108,000 ultimate formulas" will allow us to reach the limit of the river of truth and prove the truth of all things.

Therefore, His best successor is Hassan, who has now briefly reached a consensus with the Geophysical Strategist!

—The Geometry Celestial has already calculated the optimal solution the instant it descends.

The most important reason He maintains Hassan's physical body is to preserve Hassan's senses.

He hoped that Hassan could learn more about the source river from him... This was the final lesson that the Geophysician God prepared for his successor.

Admittedly, Gray Sky Chief's words were captivating—

It is undeniable that even just getting close to Wei Zhe, Geometry Tiansi inevitably began to be eroded by nothingness.

Within those 108,000 layers of truth, there already lies a portion of knowledge that has become nothingness. In other words, the Geometry astronomy itself is no longer pure.

So, offering up the self that is now beginning to be eroded by nothingness to ignite the flame of victory... seems like a more realistic plan compared to the "final formula" that seems to be only achievable in the infinitely distant future.

But Gray Sky Chief is, after all, a Sky Chief of Lies. How much truth and how much falsehood can be in his words?

Should "they" abandon their own "Truth Plan" and instead implement the Gray Sky Division's plan?

Therefore, the Geometry and Astronomy Division conducted a round of expert voting.

Unexpectedly...

The vote was 50% to 50%.

One vote is not too many, one vote is not too few.

A perfect balance has been reached between supporters and opponents, radicals and conservatives.

Conventionally, it would seem appropriate to launch a nationwide referendum at this time—that is, to let those wiser individuals who have less information and are less intelligent than "experts" vote as a group.

However, Geometry did not do so.

Without additional voting or resetting the voting results.

But He chose to act.

Perhaps it was the influence of the Gray Celestial Master around me that caused the Holy Number to vanish into nothingness; or perhaps it was the influence of the Riding Celestial Master that caused miracles to follow me—

Even He Himself didn't know if He could win the bet.

But the ancient inheritors chose to take a step forward.

"...But does this make sense?"

Hassan's soul uttered a questioning voice within the Geometry Celestial.

If nothingness is defeated, the transmission of truth can naturally be purified; if nothingness is not defeated, then the efforts of the Geometry Bureau seem to be nothing but a mirage.

Although Hassan wasn't entirely clear on what "nothingness" truly meant, he could imagine it as an "incomparably powerful benevolent ruler." While this benevolent ruler remained in power, all acts of charity, admonition, and effort against his tyranny were futile.

And at the same time, thousands of ethereal voices rang in Hassan's ears, like wind chimes:
“If it were meaningless, we wouldn’t have persisted this far.”

"If we hadn't persisted, we wouldn't be in so much pain."

"However, if one knows why one lives, one can endure suffering."

“Ill-fated happiness means nothing to me; all I pursue is the truth.”

……

After the sound faded away, a clearer sound rang out:
"Perhaps it's for no reason at all, but simply because we're still curious."

As the visions of the past unfolded before Hassan's eyes:
A group of incredibly handsome winged beings gathered in a place that resembled a small lecture hall.

These winged beings, their language corrupted, were unable to fully express their thoughts. They were engaged in a heated, passionate discussion, each word spoken in a primitive language.

However, these discussions were silenced by the Geometry Archon—because He did not want Hassan to inherit any corrupted knowledge from Him. Even the Geometry Archon himself did not know which knowledge had been corrupted. Therefore, all He could transmit was technology and will.

"Curiosity is everything to us; meaning is just an excuse we make for ourselves."

"Perceiving the world is meaningless in itself, so the meaning of acquiring information is curiosity itself."

Hassan heard a sense of care and warmth, like that of a parent or mentor, in the cold and ruthless voice of the Geophysician.

This made him feel like crying.

But he couldn't cry.

—Because at this moment, even Hassan's last physical body had disintegrated.

The geometric astronomy has been completely transformed into a complex geometric shape.

Layer upon layer of crystals were piled up, accompanied by the still-sharp incantations, forming a bizarre structure that looked like a giant cannon barrel.

He knew that he was no match for Yuan Tiansi.

Not just myself... even if we add the Celestial Knights and the Gray Celestial Knights, it's impossible.

That's why they used this trick, letting the Crimson Calamity and the Heavenly Division wear each other down, thus preparing a decisive force.

Just like every mage—

Their physical bodies are weak, and the magical power stored within them is no more than that of other extraordinary beings.

Yet they often rely on this point, using their knowledge to unlock the power of miracles.

Finally, the power accumulated by the Geometry Bureau has reached its limit.

Even the "Grey Hole" of the Grey Sky Division, a space capable of concealing all secrets, could no longer contain His existence.

—That was the "Analysis Cannon," which was formed by the convergence of 63,000 final formulas and was analyzed by the Geophysical Analyst and the sages!
Composed of more than 60,000 rune crystals, this crystal cannon flows with iridescent light and is like the most exquisite work of art.

Countless points of light flow through the intricate patterns, like glowing chips, outlining an incredibly beautiful picture.

The unique ability of mages is that they can transfer and exchange magical power.

By converting wind-attribute mana into earth-attribute mana, one can gain an amplification or enhancement. Similarly, by transferring earth-attribute mana into fire, one can also gain new benefits.

Every drop of magic power from the Geometry Celestials operates within the final formula, gaining more power through continuous circulation and replacement... endlessly drawing upon the power of the Source River.

Each final formula represents the possibility of achieving miracles with a mortal body. If one could unravel the myriad formulas and protect knowledge from being tainted by nothingness, the Geometry Master could truly use this to prove his path, moving from omniscience to omnipotence, and thus to miracles!
Now, it's merely a matter of temporarily exchanging the part of "truth" that I've already deciphered for the purest form of power.

The chain reaction continues, and every drop of magic will give rise to countless new possibilities.

While it is possible to continue, the truths that have already been revealed have been exhausted.

If it continues to operate, the Geometry Astronomy Bureau will be unable to control the power of this shot within a manageable range.

"More than half of the truths have been revealed."

The inorganic voice of the Geophysician God resounded in Hassan's mind: "The rest of the work is up to you."

The next instant after the cannon muzzle sparked and flashed with light.

Hassan's consciousness suddenly spun around him—

When he awoke again, he had already arrived in the underworld.

That is the "preparation area for the River of Dreams." The souls to be buried were supposed to be sent here after the funeral.

Seven days later, the soul will be cast into the River of Dreams.

These seven days are the final margin of error left for the Resurrection and Treasure Hunt spells.

Once you enter the River of Dreams, there is no turning back. If you fail to become an Apostle, you will be utterly shattered.

"……finally."

Hassan's soul murmured, with a hint of melancholy: "Is it over after all... my life?"

But now, he is not grieving for his own death.

He was saddened by his inability to witness the supreme mystery of the Geodesic God.

It's as if the miracle I, too, was a humble witness and insignificant participant in is about to be unveiled, yet I will never have the chance to witness it—

...It's like a mentor you greatly respect is about to pass away, but you can't attend his funeral.

　Update complete, meow!

　　I accidentally fell asleep again last night, meow. I'll get up and write quickly...

　　I'm writing, I'm writing, I can't finish writing.jpg
　　My health has completely collapsed recently, so the update time will be very random, and there may be one or two days less of updates. I won't ask for leave. Anyway, I'll post it as soon as I finish writing!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)