Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 134 The Old Testament Era
(Actually... the author writes slowly so that you guys can save money! It won't even cost a dollar a month, isn't that great? You should understand the author's good intentions... earnestly.)
“My Father in heaven, you have already punished mankind for my rebellion and that of Adam and Eve. Do you intend to punish mankind a second time because of the rebellion of my descendants?”

That eerie voice was familiar not only to God, but also to the demons, and even to the archangel Gabriel, because the owner of the voice should have long since vanished, dying in the cave after giving birth to that young baby girl.

There is no such thing as hell in this world, because the earth itself is hell, and humans live in hell. After death, the soul simply dissipates naturally, or enters heaven because of the many good deeds performed in life.

Such is the order of life and death in this world: either go to heaven or vanish, there is no other way. But now, the voice of this progenitor of mankind has rang out once again.

From the air, Gabriel, looking down at the humans before him, stared at the phantom and then understood.

"An obsession?"

The woman named Lilith was indeed dead. What she was showing now was a strange obsession, a lingering obsession that had been attached to her descendant because she had unfulfilled wishes. This obsession was so faint that it was almost nonexistent, but when only a handful of humans remained, it gathered together and became stronger than ever before, to the point that it was able to speak.

This obsession was so weak that Gabriel could have destroyed it with a single action, but Gabriel did not act, because this was an admonition to God, not a direct address to Him. God only spoke of destroying the world, not of destroying this obsession; it only needed to act in accordance with God's will, without needing any other thoughts.

Inside the underwater temple, the dark creature clearly realized this as well, and then sneered.

"How foolish."

The deep voice spoke, mocking the naive woman who was as foolish as she had been in life, before closing its eyes again.

In a nearly ruined underwater city, a stunningly beautiful woman with an alluring figure stood amidst the ruins. The numerous surviving marine creatures around her all bowed down to her, but she paid them no heed. She simply looked up in shock, her gaze piercing through tens of thousands of meters of ocean, as if she saw the figure that had only appeared in her dreams...

"Mother……"

The woman murmured and tried to move upwards, but then a strong arm gripped her tightly.

"do not go!"

A calm, warning voice rang out. The woman turned her head and saw a handsome man behind her, shirtless, with clearly defined muscles that exuded a unique kind of beauty. He didn't say anything more, just frowned.

"But……"

The woman was about to say something more, but the handsome man simply spoke again.

"Don't go, stay here, it's dangerous."

His meaning was clear: God was watching that place, and if they were to appear rashly, who knew what the consequences would be?

Seeing the hesitation on the woman's face, the man spoke calmly again.

"I beg you."

The man never asked for favors. He was always proud and arrogant. Even when facing that god, if he were only willing to plead with the god, he wouldn't have to endure this infinite lifespan, yet never be able to taste the deliciousness of food or feel joy, and would continue to suffer the torment of endless desires, forever forced into this state of a dazed, living dead. But he still preferred to be a living dead man devoid of any emotions rather than ask that god for help.

But now, for the woman in front of him, he took the initiative to ask her for help.

A complex expression crossed the woman's face. She looked up at the sky, then at the handsome man behind her. She could only sigh in her heart, and finally nodded silently.

Is a dream just a dream after all?

A sense of melancholy lingered in her heart, but then a force came from behind, pulling her abruptly into that cold yet familiar embrace.

Above her head, the taciturn, cold figure gently sniffed her hair, his arms wrapped around her, unwilling to abandon her.

The slight sadness in my heart was immediately dispelled, replaced by a feeling of warmth.

"Okay, okay, I won't leave..."

The woman smiled, speaking as if comforting a child, then nestled into the man's arms, before glancing once more at the deep sea above...

She knew in her heart that if she missed this opportunity, it might be forever.

Inside the Crystal Palace, the god gazed silently at the world in his palm, as if deep in thought.

……

On the large ship, trembling humans huddled together, trying to find some warmth in this world on the verge of destruction.

They were just mortals, unable to see the phantom beside them. All they could see were the five towering pillars at the edge of the sky, seemingly about to close in, as if they were about to obscure all the light in the world and plunge the entire world into eternal darkness. And they could do nothing about it...

After all, they were just mortals, just human beings, insignificant and powerless. What could they do in the face of God?

If God wishes them to live, they live; if God wishes them to die, they die. All humanity can do is accept it.

However, the five towering pillars did not fall; instead, they stopped, as if pondering something.

After a long while, Noah and his family heard a great voice from the sky.

"Come here, person."

With that grand sound, the environment around the humans on the ship changed, transforming into a magnificent palace, where they were nestled in the palm of a god's hand bathed in light.

God showed no anger or displeasure, but calmly looked down at the tiny creatures in His palm, looking at these fragile and powerless little lives. At this moment, humanity was no different from the two ignorant lives that had once been born from His palm.

In the past, He was God, who created the first humans and held them in the palm of His hand. Now, He is still God, and He holds these last humans in the palm of His hand as well.

There is no difference between this moment and now.

"You come."

Then Noah heard the God shrouded in light speak again.

However, this was not said to him...

In the sky, on the earth, and in the sea, countless souls who perished in the great flood drifted towards the sky, towards the highest crystal heaven, the place where the primal force of the universe resides.

The billions of souls, dressed in various styles of clothing, both human and animal, represented thousands of garments, tens of thousands of kingdoms, and trillions of living beings. All the people and creatures of these myriad kingdoms on earth bowed down before the god in the palace, worshipping the god who created the world, the absolute god who gave life to all things and also took it away from all things. Then they fell silent, witnessing everything that was about to happen.

"You come."

Looking around at the myriad beings of the land, the god remained unmoved, and simply spoke again.

Accompanied by a grand sound, countless cracks appeared all around the void in an instant. In those numerous cracks, one could vaguely see primitive tribes with grass and trees as houses, battlefields where weapons clashed, bustling cities with traffic and people, and space battlefields where spaceships crisscrossed... The endless space and time of the past and future all opened their doors at this moment.

From those countless gaps emerged countless human phantoms: some with bare left shoulders; some with bare right shoulders; some carrying weapons; some carrying books; some wearing crowns; some without crowns; some in tattered clothes; some in fine clothes; some naked, muscular barbarians; some with enormous brains, yet whose muscles were maintained entirely by machines…

Under God's will, all humans and animals of the past, present, and future have gathered together. Humans and animals from all eras, regions, and times have come to this era to listen to the divine will that is about to be spoken, which is closely related to all living beings of this era.

However, from those countless gaps, countless equally grand sounds also emanated.

"Gods of the past/future, you must not interfere with the affairs of the future/past." Countless grand voices resounded deafeningly, causing even the crystal sky to tremble.

Then, countless hands reached out from countless gaps. These were gods from the past and future, absolute deities with omniscience and omnipotence. These gods intended to interfere with things that had already happened in the past and things that had not yet happened in the future. How could we allow them to do so?

However, faced with these countless divine obstacles, the absolute god shrouded in light didn't even glance at them, but simply extended a hand as well...

Gently wave it down.

Immediately, countless screams echoed throughout countless time and space. Countless equally omniscient and omnipotent gods in those countless time and space were easily defeated, and countless outstretched arms turned into specks of light and dissipated.

There was no violent explosion or colorful light and shadow; all that was present was a hand gently waving down.

Humans have limitations, and therefore assume that gods also have limitations. However, an absolute deity, transcending logic, is incapable of concepts like strength or weakness, life or death, quantity or scarcity, existence or non-existence. Logic is merely a tool He used in creating the world; it allows humanity to define the world, but it cannot define this omniscient and omnipotent God.

Noah and his family could not see the clash between the gods, nor the souls of the many dead, nor the phantoms of humans coming from countless times and spaces past and future. They could only see the gods shrouded in countless rays of light before them.

Grand, vast, incredible, indescribable...

Noah could not see the true face of God, because God was shrouded in light. The light beside God was like the sun, dazzling and brilliant, yet far more profound than the sun's radiance. It was empty, dark, and lifeless, like the universe, without good or evil, simply operating according to some mysterious law.

Noah opened his mouth wide, wanting to say something, but found that he could not say anything.

In his anger, he once cursed the god who destroyed the world, believing him to be an evil god. But when he actually saw the god, he realized just how big a mistake he had made.

This god who created the world is neither an evil god nor a good god, but a mysterious law, as silent as the heavens.

Is Heaven benevolent? No.

Is the heavens evil? No.

Rain falls on the righteous and on the unrighteous; thunder will strike down the saints who take shelter under a tree, but will spare the wicked who hide in their homes. Obey Him and you will prosper; disobey Him and you will perish.

Those who follow the trend prosper, those who resist perish; it's all there is to it.

If we had to give this absolute deity a definition, we could only say that... He does not follow the ideas of mortals, but rather the ideas of gods.

Before this magnificent and incredible deity, Noah even felt a faint sense of inferiority.

Looking down at the tiny life in the palm of his hand, God said.

"I make a covenant with you."

God does not refer to Noah's family, who are in the palm of His hand, but to all living beings of the past, present, and future. He does not make a covenant with Noah's family, but with all living beings of the past, present, and future.

"A contract...what contract?"

Noah, bewildered, couldn't help but say.

A grand voice resounded within the Crystal Palace, etching this moment—the dialogue between humanity and divinity—into the very core of the universe. Countless phantoms of the past, future, and present, countless humans and animals, also heard the words of the god and witnessed this covenant between God and humanity.

"Humans, I make a covenant with you. The oldest humans have already lost the eternal Garden of Eden of happiness because of their rebellion against me, and have been subjected to birth, aging, sickness and death. Therefore, I can no longer punish humans because of your rebellion against me. Therefore, I make a covenant with you."

“I make a covenant with you and with your offspring. I will never again curse mankind because of mankind, nor will I ever again do what I have done, destroying every living creature.”

“I make a covenant with all the living creatures that are here—the birds, the livestock, and the wild animals—every living creature that came out of the ark. I make a covenant with you that no one of flesh will ever be destroyed by the flood again, nor will there ever be a flood to destroy the land.”

In many legends of later generations, there are different views on the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some people believe that the Old Testament is the covenant between God and Moses, and the Ten Commandments hidden in the Ark of the Covenant. But in fact, the oldest covenant between man and God is the covenant that God made with all living beings after the Great Flood.

No longer will the behavior of earthly creatures be restrained, nor will the ideas of God be used to restrain mortals on earth. From now on, what belongs to Caesar will be given to Caesar, and what belongs to God will be given to God. The connection between heaven and earth will be severed.

The king of heaven is ultimately just the king of heaven; the king of earth is the king of earth.

"But...but you are a god, possessing immense power, how can humans restrain you?"

Noah, whose mind was in complete chaos, suddenly had an idea and spoke up.

"My covenant with you is eternal, marked by the rainbow. The rainbow is in the clouds. When I see the rainbow, I remember my covenant with all living things."

"However, in exchange for this, humanity will no longer have a lifespan of a thousand years. Humanity will no longer be threatened with the destruction of the world, and will only have a lifespan of a hundred years. This is also part of the agreement."

He said it in a calm voice.

Noah opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

This was the greatest effort he could make, and the best result that a tiny human being could achieve by betting his own life. He had done everything he could.

From then on, humanity would no longer have to endure the unspeakable suffering of world destruction like he did, and that was enough...

But he could not see that the gentle phantom that had always been protecting them with outstretched arms had now released its grip, bowed to the deity before it, the Heavenly Father who had created it, and then vanished into thin air.

……

In a daze, before they knew it, Noah and his family had returned to the ship.

The sea was calm, the sky clear and blue, a breathtakingly beautiful sight that soothed the soul, as if nothing had ever happened. But Noah and his family knew that just moments before, they had made a covenant with a god, an eternal covenant.

"Is it finally... over?"

Behind them, Noah's wife, Nia, murmured in disbelief.

The sea breeze gently blew past his ears. Noah raised his head and looked at the clouds in the sky, where a rainbow was faintly visible.

The storm may have been fierce, but the rainbow that followed was just as beautiful.

"Yes...it's all in the past, it's all in the past."

Noah gazed at the rainbow, murmuring to himself, his wrinkled face relaxing with a sense of relief. The burden of one hundred and twenty years had been lifted in an instant, and he felt so light.

A smile played on his lips, but suddenly a weight pressed down on him from behind, and two hands wrapped tightly around his waist.

As they whispered sweet nothings to each other, Noah closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and only one thought came to mind.

"It's so good to be alive... It's so good to have you."

At the seaside, the sun slowly rises, illuminating the people on the sea.

A new era has arrived.

(End of this chapter)