Chapter 158 : The so-called God appears, looking for the Eternals!
Inside the long, ancient stone chamber of the Forbidden Library, the suspended pale golden magic runes suddenly froze, their light seemingly congealed by an invisible force.
The moment the words "God Manifestation" fell, even the air seemed to solidify into cold stone.
"God Manifestation?" Strange's brows furrowed tightly, and beneath his deeply set eyes, the heavy dark circles couldn't hide the unprecedented gravity in his gaze.
He exchanged a look with Wong beside him, whose usually amiable face was now etched with confusion andalert (alertness).
"What is that? This term has never appeared in Kamar-Taj's scriptures."
Wong's voice carried a hint of imperceptible dryness, his gaze fixed on Li Yu, as if trying to dig an answer from his face.
Li Yu's gaze swept over their tense faces, finally resting on the projection suspended in the center of the stone chamber.
The towering six-eyed giant, the figure of the Celestials, radiated a suffocating sense of oppression amidst the golden light of the runic magic.
Li Yu's voice was calm, yet each word struck the two sorcerers' hearts like a heavy hammer.
"Of course you haven't seen it, because everyone who has seen it is already dead. That is the core secret of the Celestials, concerning the way their race propagates."
He raised his hand and pointed to the giant in the projection.
"The Celestials are not merely observers or interveners of the Universe, as you believe. They are planters and also reapers. Have you ever wondered how such a powerful race gives birth to new members?"
Li Yu paused, his gaze suddenly sharp as a knife, piercing the stifling silence of the stone chamber.
"Every newborn Celestial requires a cultivation vessel."
Strange's pupils constricted. He recalled some Hell demons' dying taunts before he devoured them.
"Strange, how long do you think you can live? Soon the Celestials will…"
Wong's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and a fine cold sweat seeped from his forehead. The scripture in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand catties.
"What exactly is a cultivation vessel?"
Li Yu's voice was as cold as ice, revealing the Celestials' most cruel truth word by word.
"The so-called cultivation vessel is a Planet with enough intelligent life, like the Planet beneath our feet."
"At the beginning of the Planet's birth, they will implant the Celestial seed deep within the Planet's core."
"The billions of living beings proliferating on the Planet—the life energy, sparks of wisdom, and emotional fluctuations generated by their birth, aging, sickness, and death—all of this is nourishment for that seed to grow!"
The air in the stone chamber seemed to be instantly sucked dry, and even the light of the runes dimmed a few shades.
Strange's eye twitched violently, and the magic around him uncontrollably dissipated, filling the entire chamber with the scorching aura unique to dark magic.
Wong, meanwhile, gritted his teeth, his knuckles white from the effort. Cold sweat streamed down his cheeks, dripping onto the heavy cover of the scripture and spreading a small wet stain.
"When the life energy on the Planet accumulates to a critical point…"
Li Yu's voice was like a doomsday pronouncement, devoid of any warmth.
"That is when God Manifestation occurs. A new generation of Celestials will hatch, and at the moment of its birth, immense power will tear through the Earth's crust, releasing destructive energy Impact. The entire Planet will completely disintegrate in its birth ceremony, turning into cosmic dust."
"All life on the Planet—humans, animals, plants, and even the Earth itself that you protect—will become its final sacrifice, vanishing into thin air."
Li Yu's gaze swept over the pale faces of the two, finally returning to the Celestial projection, his tone heavy.
"And the Earth beneath our feet is one of the chosen cultivation vessels. The Celestial Father who took the Soul Stone probably didn't just think the Stone was evil; a deeper reason is to prevent any force from interfering with his child's gestation in the Earth's core. They need to ensure sufficient nourishment until the moment of harvest."
Deathly silence!
Strange felt a chill run straight up his spine to the top of his head, colder than the dark magic tangled within him.
He had spent countless costs seeking to reverse life and death, even falling into darkness, yet he never expected that the entire Earth, along with six billion living beings, had long been designated as fodder for a higher existence.
Kamar-Taj's mission to protect the Earth from dimensional erosion seemed so small and ridiculous in the face of God Manifestation.
"Bang!"
Wong slammed his fist onto the stone table. The ancient stone platform groaned dully, and cracks spread across its surface.
His eyes burned with unprecedented fury and fear, his voice hoarse with extreme rage.
"The entire Earth civilization! It's just nourishment? To hatch a Celestial, these Celestials are more hateful than Dormammu!"
"The situation is infinitely more serious than we imagined."
Strange's voice sounded like it was squeezed from his throat.
He finally understood why Li Yu asked about God Manifestation. This was no longer Li Yu's personal soul hidden danger, but a doomsday scythe hanging over the Earth's head.
Kamar-Taj's millennium of guardianship seemed like a joke in the face of the Celestials' harvesting plan.
"What can we do to stop God Manifestation?"
Li Yu said calmly.
"Therefore, the six Infinity Stones need to be reunited. This not only concerns my soul hidden danger but is also the only way to stop God Manifestation."
His divine sense stirred slightly, instantly outlining a miniature Earth silhouette, surrounded by bands of light representing life energy.
"The Celestials are not uncommunicative, nor are they invincible. Their gardeners, the Eternal, are hidden on Earth. They are administrators created by the Celestials themselves, responsible for guiding human development, ensuring the quality and quantity of nourishment, and assisting in the birth of new Gods during God Manifestation."
"Find them!"
Li Yu's eyes flashed with sharp light, like a drawn sword.
"Use their ritual of connection with the Celestials to actively summon the Father who took the Soul Stone!"
Strange and Wong exchanged glances, instantly understanding the core of the plan.
Rather than passively await doomsday, it was better to take the initiative.
"You want to negotiate with the Celestials?"
Strange asked hoarsely, rapidly weighing the feasibility of this insane plan in his mind.
"Negotiation is the first choice."
Li Yu's voice was terrifyingly calm.
"I need the Soul Stone. In exchange, I can help the Celestials find an alternative solution to help the newborn Celestial be born without destroying the Earth."
"The Celestials, as a powerful species that existed since the beginning of the Universe, may think on a different dimension than us, but there may not be no room for negotiation."
Li Yu paused, and the aura around him suddenly turned bone-chillingly cold. An invisible pressure spread, even freezing the runes suspended in the stone chamber for a moment.
A pale golden Cosmo silently circulated around him, and faint frost subtly condensed and instantly melted in the air.
His gaze was as sharp as an ice pick, seemingly able to pierce through the void and lock onto the threat far in the depths of the Universe.
"But if he arrogantly refuses, insisting on using the Earth and six billion living beings as a sacrifice."
Li Yu's lips curved into an extremely cold arc, his voice carrying the unique pride of a Gold Saint.
"Then, I will personally execute him! He is just a Celestial, not an unkillable God!"
"Since he regards us as ants, then let him see what kind of destiny-defying power ants can unleash when pushed to the brink!"
"For the Soul Stone, and to cut off the sword of destruction hanging over your heads, this risk is worth taking. Time waits for no one. We must act immediately and find the Eternal!"
Strange took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart.
"I will immediately mobilize all of Kamar-Taj's informants to search for the Eternal's whereabouts."
Wong, meanwhile, tightened his grip on the scripture in his hand, the anger in his eyes turning into determination.
"I will notify all Kamar-Taj sorcerers to be on standby. Once we find a clue, we will set off immediately!"