Chapter 1 What to Do With Power

"Zhu Zhou?"

When Alan heard this word, he felt an extreme sense of familiarity in his mind for some reason. He showed a troubled expression, which caught Elias's attention. [What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this name?]

"No, not really, I just feel very familiar..."

Alan touched his head. He seemed to vaguely remember that when his father was a merchant, he had also told some stories related to 'Zhu Zhou'... It was said to be an ancient god who had fought against the God King of Time. Although the God King of Time eventually won, he suffered irreparable damage, which led to the end of the Overture Era and the beginning of the Resonant Era.

But these were, after all, wild histories from unknown places. After all, in many myths and legends related to Zhu Zhou, there was also the saying that Zhu Zhou shone upon the earth, causing all things to revive and plants to flourish in the daytime, and causing all things to fall silent and wither in the night.

Isn't that the authority of the Twin God Kings now? Could this Zhu Zhou be the parents of the Twin God Kings, having such similar authority?

That's definitely not true.

Shaking his head, banishing these thoughts from his brain, Alan knew that Zhu Zhou was also a true god in this world. The unknown god in front of him claimed to be Zhu Zhou, perhaps he was indeed related to it.

[Now, with power, what do you want to do?]

Elias noticed Alan's attitude, nodded thoughtfully, and then asked with a smile. The boy answered without thinking, "I want to go back to the village, save Eve, and tell the village chief and the others that their actions... may not be wrong."

He said this word with some difficulty, and Alan sighed, "But we definitely have better methods than using human pillars, right? My god, I want to tell them about the power you have given me, the law and morality, and spread it to them."

[That is good.]

Elias nodded slightly, comforted.

While Alan examined what kind of power the divine imprint on his body could bring, Elias also fell into contemplation: [It seems that before me, Teacher Su Zhou had already invited others?]

[The God King of Time won... Haha, how could Teacher lose? Rather than saying that the victory has been decided, it is better to say that this battle runs through the eras of time and has not ended even now, right? And other scattered legends of Zhu Zhou are probably the results of other 'Zhu Zhou' battles like mine.]

Although he had just arrived, Elias already had a very good understanding of the special system of the Chapter Universe because of Su Zhou's message.

The melody of the chapter had obviously been distorted, which could be seen from the fact that Zhu Zhou had become 'one of the true gods' and could be mentioned openly without being regarded as a heresy.

[Interesting... intertwined time and space, mutually influencing past and future? A unique system that does not exist in my hometown.]

The god who had been unemployed for a long time finally stood up, stretched, and then muttered to himself with great spirit: [And I will also become one of them.]

He lowered his head and looked at Alan.

The beginning of all this starts with Alan.

...

The village.

The village located on the edge of the continent has no name, because no one knows whether it can continue to exist in a few years.

However, with the use of the human pillar method, this nameless village has survived for many years. Generation after generation, the villagers also call this small village next to the high mountain wasteland Gray Hill Village, because the hills next to the village are mostly composed of gray chalk, which is also one of the village's usual sources of income.

At this moment, it was dusk. Half a day had passed since Alan went to Mount Ona alone. If it were in the original movie, he would have fought with the villagers and died in the wilderness for several hours by now.

So, from now on, all the destinies are brand new, never seen before, and no one knows how they will unfold.

At the edge of the sky, a gray sandstorm was about to strike, and all the villagers returned to their houses.

Gray Hill Village is not prosperous, but it is indeed peaceful. Alan's father chose this place to retire and spend his old age. Naturally, he did not choose a place to abuse himself. Although it looks unremarkable on the outside, this small village is complete with everything, with wine, meat, and various craftsmen. No wonder it can be safely located in a remote corner.

At this moment, in the center of the village, the big bell at the top of the temple was ringing loudly. The loud bell rang throughout the village. Everyone who could hear the sound knew that this was a sign of disaster. All they needed to do was return to their houses and pray that everything would pass quickly.

And a dim phantom turned into a streamer, like a shadow river winding in the wind, and merged into the village chief's mansion.

The village chief's mansion is the largest building in the entire Gray Hill Village, except for the temple. The village chief's family is the founding family of the village. No one knows the village chief's family name, but everyone guesses that they may be descendants of nobles who were demoted and exiled here, because they have a family heirloom poem, *The Road to Andusias*, which can display miracles of the six major elemental systems and control plant growth.

If they were not nobles, it would be impossible for them to inherit the poem miracle, because the melody, rhyme, and singing method of each miracle would lead to different effects in the end. This is a skill that needs to be learned and corrected through generations of inheritance.

At this moment, because of the sandstorm and dusk, the sky and earth were filled with yellow and purple. The sun was setting in the west, and dim light lingered between the sky and earth, causing the shadows to spread.

And the village chief, a middle-aged, fat man with gray-yellow hair, who should have been staying in the mansion, was respectfully bowing to a black shadow that was condensing and whose face could not be seen clearly.

"You said there was a mistake..." The black shadow, whose face could not be seen clearly, was wearing a hooded robe and leaning on a staff, looking in the direction of the temple where the bell was ringing.

His voice was old and steady: "Baiji, what mistake?"

"Sir, there is a problem with the cultivation of the human pillar." Baiji, who was also the village chief, the middle-aged man with gray-yellow hair, said in a low voice.

This village chief, who was usually quite majestic, swallowed nervously, but still braced himself and stated: "Someone accidentally broke the chaotic state of mind of the human pillar. I... I have never encountered this situation before. I don't know what impact it will have on the temple's plan..."

The old man with a cane formed by the condensation of shadows lowered his head and remained silent, watching Baiji. Before the other party began to tremble, he gently opened his mouth and said, "Tell me in detail."

"Yes!"

Relieved, knowing that he would not be held accountable, the village chief wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and then explained in detail the relationship between Alan and Eve and the previous abnormalities when fighting against the wraith disaster.

"I see, I understand."

The old man raised his eyebrows. Unlike what Baiji thought, he was not even surprised by this.

Gray Hill Village is a stronghold of the 'Shadow in the Water' faction under the God of Dark Night, one of the God Kings of Light and Darkness, hidden on the edge of the God of Daylight's sphere of influence, a lurking dark piece.

And the so-called human pillar sacrifice method of 'all evil in the world' is also a miracle method cast by the Shadow in the Water faction. If successful, after the human pillar dies, the soul mixed with all the resentment and darkness absorbed in the past can instead be fused into the most peaceful 'Child of the Dark Moon' without any curses or negative emotions, that is, the messenger of God with demigod power.

In the past hundreds of years, Gray Hill Village has successfully accumulated more than nine Children of the Dark Night and received awards from the cult faction. This is why Baiji's family was able to receive the poem *The Road to Andusias* as a reward.

And with one more Child of the Dark Moon, Baisen can leave this place and use his accumulated merits to enter the real core of the cult.

Therefore, after knowing that Eve had sensed happiness, he was so anxious, fearing that Eve's shaping would fail and she would not be able to become a Child of the Dark Moon.

"Don't worry."

After the shadow old man knew all this, he laughed instead: "Although the pure and peaceful Child of the Dark Moon is strong enough, that doesn't mean it's the highest perfection... On the contrary, compared to naturally sensing darkness because they have never seen light, what we need is actually an existence who has seen the brilliance of light and still chooses shadow."

"In other words, it is best to let that girl feel a trace of happiness... and then make her fall."

Saying this, the old man was about to go to the prison under the temple, and the village chief followed closely behind.

"But this is still my mistake."

When the middle-aged man said this, it was not a polite remark. He was sincerely sorry for the cult he belonged to: "After all, my task is to cultivate the Child of the Dark Moon, but I really didn't expect that the mercenary who settled here a few years ago would have such a powerful son... He does have extraordinary potential."

The village chief felt that even he could not steadily defeat that young man, so he asked the Qingqiu cult headquarters for help and asked for this shadow messenger.

"What are you talking about? We are all brothers and sisters. A few mistakes are nothing."

The shadow old man did not take it seriously. Although he was fierce and vicious to outsiders, the Shadow in the Water cult was really gentle to its own people. After confirming that Baiji had not made any major mistakes, such as exposing the cult's secret plan to the Daylight cult, he even comforted him: "Over the years, you have cultivated nine Children of the Dark Moon for the cult, working diligently and never making any mistakes. This is already a great achievement."

"After so many years, there should always be an accident, otherwise, wouldn't I have nothing to do? I would be directly unemployed."

The shadow messenger is the supervisor of the Shadow in the Water cult who contacts dark pieces in various places, deals with traitors, and confirms whether the various spy believers are working normally. Within the cult, it is considered a relatively high position.

Arriving in front of the temple, the old man turned his head and looked at the sandstorm behind him. He could not help but sigh: "It is really hard to live in this place. Your youngest son was just born recently, right? When I return to the headquarters later, I will take his blood back and register it in the cult's general register, allowing him to learn the 'Poem of Tranquility'."

"Thank you, messenger!"

Hearing this, Baiji was overjoyed. This was a disguised way of saying that their family had entered the inner circle of the Shadow in the Water cult - the Poem of Tranquility is the best magic for building a foundation for this cult, and even Baiji himself is not qualified to learn it!

"Yes, you deserve it."

The old man nodded, he seemed to suddenly remember something: "By the way, the young man you mentioned named Alan... is only a teenager, right?"

"A teenager who can make you feel棘手?" Saying this, the shadow messenger laughed: "Such a good seed cannot be wasted. How about this, I will turn him into a moon shadow puppet and hand him over to you to control."

"Thank you, thank you!"

Hearing this news, what else could Baiji say? He could only be overjoyed and say thank you again and again.

The shadow messenger listened to the other party's gratitude with a smile. In the final analysis, it was just a small mistake. People who do not make mistakes are worth guarding against. Baiji was loyal and willing to guard the frontier. Even if he did not have merit, he had worked hard. How could the cult treat him badly?

As for Alan and Eve's thoughts...

Who would care.

On the other side.

In the sandstorm.

A team wearing dark yellow uniforms, advancing in the wind along the violent sandstorm, was quietly running.

The leader was a woman with deep blue eyes and long brown hair. Her close-fitting combat uniform was covered with scriptures of poems, and a sacred halo protected the entire team from the storm.

They moved lightly along the gale, avoiding fierce sand and dust blades, with soul fluctuations passing back and forth in the squad.

"Be careful!"

The leading woman emitted a cold soul fluctuation. She emphasized: "Gray Hill Village is a hidden stronghold of the Shadow in the Water cult. Although it seems that there are no strong people stationed there, it secretly cultivates 'Lonely Moon Demon Sons' who are comparable to demigod heroes."

"The power of each Lonely Moon Demon Son is different. We cannot take risks, so as soon as the sandstorm reaches the destination, we will immediately chant the great miracle 'Emunash Hymn' together, calling on the Great Holy Fire to descend and completely destroy the entire Gray Hill Village."

"Captain, everyone?" Because the plan was too secretive, even the team members did not know the details of this secret mission. So someone could not bear it and said: "I know Gray Hill Village. Our temple has also bought chalk from them... Most of the villagers are innocent."

"You are more innocent than those villagers. They are protected by the magic of demons and are inherently guilty." The female captain was not angry. She just explained concisely: "Gray Hill Village is dispensable. I don't want you to die for those villagers who may or may not be members of the demon cult."

When things were said to this point, who could refute it? So the plan was finalized.

"Wait!"

However, just as this elite decapitation team of the 'Fire in the Water' cult was about to arrive at the target location, the female captain suddenly called to stop: "Something is wrong ahead!"

In her deep blue eyes, dense runes gathered. The female captain gently chanted the ancient primitive song 'Eagle Totem'. Immediately, her eyes were like an eagle, and she could see the overall situation of Gray Hill Village in the distance.

The female captain took a deep breath and said in shock: "Shadow Messenger?! There is a Shadow Messenger in that village!"

"What?!" "Shadow Messenger?!" "Why would their inspector run here?!"

Even the other team members were stunned. Don't look at them as an elite team, they can fight against demigods, but if they encounter a Shadow Messenger who is originally amazingly strong and extremely mysterious, they may at most end up with both sides suffering!

"Shadow Messenger and Lonely Moon Demon Son, our strength is far from enough." The deputy captain, a thin man who had been silent until now, said in a low voice: "To fight against two demigods, four special action teams are needed, and it is best to have miracle chanters at the temple high priest level to be dispatched... What about the mission?"

"Call for support!"

The captain spoke simply and decisively, but even so, she frowned and looked at the village with worry: "Shadow Messenger and Demon Son... What is the demon cult planning? We cannot retreat, everyone, we must stay here and watch the situation. If an accident happens, we must inform the temple as soon as possible!"

Saying this, she whispered: "Light is eternal, the holy flame never goes out."

"Light is eternal, the holy flame never goes out." All the team members in the team repeated in unison, and they naturally had the determination to die.

The sandstorm swept across the sky and covered the small village.

Within the village, Eve, who was quietly staying in the prison cell, suddenly raised her head.

She had no joy, no sorrow, no yearning and expectation, and naturally no loneliness and boredom.

The golden-haired human pillar girl waited quietly in the prison cell. The dark environment and the narrow cage made her feel at ease, because this was both the place she was most familiar with and her 'home'.

She could stay like this until after a long time, the curse she endured reached its limit and she completely transformed into a Child of the Dark Moon.

But now... Eve could not maintain that peaceful state of mind.

Since being named by Alan and learning the words, the girl who could feel what happiness was suddenly sensed loneliness and boredom.

She began to feel uneasy and could not continue to wait.

Especially at this moment.

In the dim sky and earth where the sandstorm was about to come, it had already fallen into a state of absolute chaos and dimness.

--Why... exactly?

The girl could not understand.

Why did she have a feeling that was out of control? It was as if the originally prescribed path was deviating from its trajectory... a feeling of panic and lack of security...

And this feeling of uneasiness... seemed to complement happiness, the two were opposed to each other, but also achieved each other...

She did not understand all this.

And at this very moment.

Outside the house, in the dark sandstorm, a light suddenly lit up, illuminating the village covered by shadows, overwhelming the smoke and dust that dimmed the sky and earth.

Just as the shadow messenger and the captain of the special action team raised their heads in shock and looked at the other side of the road that should have been uninhabited, the light spread, illuminating this small world.

As if it were daytime.