Warhammer: Open the door! Human League players!

Chapter 148 The Gate of Eternity

"A living saint, be careful with your words."

The commander of the Imperial Guard stood atop the high platform, his gilded armor gleaming with an unfading, chilling light. His voice was deep and resolute, each word carrying the unique, piercing vigilance of the Terra Imperial Guard, instantly making the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.

"You are now presumptuously verifying the identity of a complete stranger and seeking an audience with the Holy Emperor. Such an overstepping of authority is surely a betrayal of your own millennia-old faith and a betrayal of the human emperor who sits upon the golden throne?"

He pinned the most fatal suspicion of rebellion on the shoulders of the living saint Selene.

Anyone who acts as a guarantor for an unidentified foreign power or helps them obtain an audience with the emperor is considered to be committing a serious crime of colluding with foreign enemies.

Even living saints who have experienced countless life-and-death battles, undergone several divine rebirths, and made great contributions to the survival of the empire are not exempt from this.

Faced with the cold skepticism and wariness of the audience, Celestine's holy face showed no anger or resentment. She simply lowered her eyes slightly, shook her head gently, and said in a calm but firm tone, "I have never betrayed my faith."

However, such a simple rebuttal seemed particularly pale and powerless in the eyes of the deeply entrenched imperial nobles and imperial guards present.

Everyone had already tacitly agreed that this living saint, who was always considered sacred and just, must have deviated from the sacred principles he had upheld for thousands of years.

The tense atmosphere of confrontation intensified, and on the high platform of the palace, the two forces representing the highest order of the empire were locked in an irreconcilable stalemate.

"Our court absolutely does not condone this action!"

In a side hall of the palace, a group of high-ranking officials of the court suddenly stood up, their eyes sharp and their emotions running high.

Upon learning that this mysterious human alliance intended to enter Terra Palace and meet the Supreme Emperor, all the high-ranking officials of the Imperial Law Enforcement were enraged.

In their minds, Terra is sacred and inviolable, and any foreign forces venturing into the Holy Palace are a desecration and provocation against the entire human empire.

"Our state religion also vehemently opposes this and will absolutely not allow it!"

Several high-ranking members of the state religion, dressed in magnificent robes, stood solemnly, their expressions both pious and stern, as they vehemently rejected the idea: "To allow outsiders to pay homage to the Holy Emperor is a heinous crime that desecrates the sacred ground and shakes the very foundation of the Empire's faith!"

Selestine slowly raised his eyes, his holy light gently sweeping over the group of state bishops who were loudly opposing him.

Are you questioning me?

As the only living saint remaining in the empire, Celestine held a supreme position in the state religion system, second only to the Pope.

Those eyes, which had witnessed countless killings and holy baptisms, carried their own holy might and pressure. In just a moment, their gaze caused the bishops, who held high positions and governed their respective faiths, to instinctively feel awe and take a half step back. No one dared to speak loudly anymore.

"You think you can question me?"

"You are not worthy."

"Get your boss here!"

Those who jumped out to vehemently obstruct at this moment were merely voices of the imperial power system.

The high lords who truly held the highest authority in the empire all hid behind the thick walls of the Terra Palace, avoiding coming out and only sending their subordinate nobles to challenge and question the decisions of the living saint.

Everyone knows that Celestine has always been concerned for the common people and loyal to the emperor, but no one dares to ignore that she holds a pivotal and unshakeable position at the core of imperial power.

Before Fang Yun, she was a devout and pure believer who followed the light; but in the turbulent center of imperial power, she was a living saint who could balance the various forces and influence the direction of the empire.

The conflict raged within the palace, while the situation on the battlefield outside had reached a critical juncture.

The countless Khorne demons that had previously besieged Terra and ravaged the Holy City perished one after another under the absolute crushing force of the Human Alliance's 50,000 mechanical humanoid legions.

With each fall of a demon, its scattered demonic essence and chaotic malevolent energy would break free from the shackles of the void, penetrate the smoke of the battlefield, cross layers of spatial barriers, and continuously converge and settle towards Fang Yun's location.

The Doom Slayer module within Fang Yun's body is constantly operating.

The massive amount of demonic essence, which was violent, violent, and filled with destructive killing intent, was precisely filtered, transformed, and assimilated by the module. The chaotic and corrupting ferocity was removed, leaving only pure primal power, which slowly flowed into Fang Yun's limbs and bones, filling his naturally empty and incomplete soul foundation bit by bit.

As the pure demonic essence continued to fill his body and soul, the innate holy golden spiritual energy that had long surrounded him was being gently suppressed and subdued.

"Indeed, war is the best way to solve problems."

"We've become stronger, but we're now restricted."

This divine spiritual energy, born from within him, is gentle yet domineering. It does not cause him any physical harm, but it subtly erodes and assimilates his mortal nature at all times, attempting to completely reshape his personality, shed his mortal nature, and ascend to godhood.

The chaotic essence absorbed from slaying demons is precisely the only power that can balance divinity and stabilize one's true nature.

For Fang Yun, whether he can stand firmly in this universe with his mortal body, guard his original heart from being devoured by divinity, and live on in the world for a long time depends entirely on the number of demons he kills.

Only by constantly slaughtering chaos and devouring the essence of evil can he forever retain the bottom line of "humanity".

On the high platform of the palace, Celestine continued to argue his case, while the Mechanical Sage Caul listed the achievements of the Human Alliance in protecting Terra and severely damaging the Chaos Demons, trying to persuade the Imperial Guard and the Imperial high command to allow them to pass.

However, the Imperial Guard Marshal was resolute and unyielding, adhering strictly to the ancient sacred rules and refusing to budge an inch.

Just as the various forces were locked in a stalemate and endless disputes, all sounds in the entire palace suddenly ceased.

The wind stopped, the voices fell silent, the arguments ceased, and the world seemed to fall into a deathly stillness in an instant.

A mysterious golden figure quietly appeared above the palace dome, hovering not far above everyone's heads, bathed in the sunlight of Terra, standing silently.

His entire body was enveloped in golden holy light, his figure was upright and transcendent, and his aura was unfamiliar yet carried a trace of extremely familiar divine pressure.

Who are you?

The Imperial Guard Marshal's eyes narrowed sharply, his muscles tensed instantly, and his holy weapon silently gathered power in his hand. His gaze was fixed on the golden figure in the void, filled with extreme vigilance and alertness.

But when he saw Fang Yun's almost perfect, flawless face and figure, and felt that familiar yet boundless divine power, his resolute and cold face was instantly filled with extreme shock and disbelief.

"My lord!" Cyrustin bowed.

The flawless figure, the warm yet powerful golden light, and the ancient and vast sacred aura—countless strange phenomena intertwined and overlapped, heavily impacting the perceptions of every Imperial Guard soldier, causing doubts to surge in the marshal's heart and his mind to be in great turmoil.

Extreme panic and suspicion instantly overwhelmed his mind. The Imperial Guard Marshal retorted sharply, his gaze towards Celestine turning icy cold, suspicion reaching its peak: "It was you! You betrayed the Emperor!"

"All troops, move out!"

A furious shout echoed through the palace.

Thousands of Golden Guards responded to the call, their gilded armor clanging, their sacred weapons glowing faintly, as they marched forward in perfect unison, carrying the unwavering belief of protecting the Holy Palace to the death, directly encircling Fang Yun beneath the dome.

Faced with the overwhelming pressure of thousands of imperial guards, Fang Yun remained calm and slowly raised his eyes.

In an instant, a powerful and overwhelming spiritual energy pressure swept across the entire imperial palace platform, precisely enveloping the leading Imperial Guard Marshal!

Without raising his hand, exerting any force, or adopting any offensive posture, he relied solely on the intangible aura inherent in his physical body to transform into a mountain-like and sea-like pressure, crashing down with a deafening roar.

With a dull thud, the Imperial Guard Marshal, a man of extraordinary combat prowess and steely will, suddenly lost his balance, his legs buckled, and he collapsed heavily to his knees on the sacred ground of Terra, unable to move.

The terrifying psionic pressure did not dissipate; it spread out like an invisible wave, encompassing all three thousand-plus Golden Guards who were arrayed and stationed there.

The rows of Imperial Guards guarding the Holy Palace trembled and their bones were pressed down by this sacred power that far exceeded the comprehension of ordinary people. One after another, they fell to their knees with a thud. They were all completely suppressed, and no one was able to get up or break free from their confinement.

In the deathly silence, among the kneeling ranks of the Imperial Guards, someone lowered their voice, their tone trembling with extreme fear and confusion, and uttered two words: "False God—"

Celestine stood quietly to the side, watching the scene before her that overturned the Empire's millennia-old understanding, her expression complex and unreadable, her heart filled with a myriad of emotions. She knew perfectly well that from the moment Fang Yun revealed this supreme power, all verbal arguments and legal debates were futile. This opportunity to meet the Holy Emperor was no longer in the control of anyone in the Empire.

On the vast and sacred imperial palace platform, Fang Yun's calm and peaceful voice rang out, clearly reaching everyone's ears, clear and firm: "I am not a god."

With his own power and with his pure and unparalleled divine power, he suppressed three thousand Golden Guards who had protected Terra for ten thousand years, causing all the most elite royal guards of the empire to kneel down and be unable to move!

This epic and magnificent scene left the Eldar, who were hiding in the shadows of the void and silently observing the battle, feeling as if they had never been in another world, and their minds were shaken.

so similar.

Whether it's the aura, the imposing presence, or the earth-shaking posture, it's exactly the same as the miracle from ten thousand years ago.

Ancient imperial records and surviving ancient documents clearly state that ten thousand years ago, the human emperor, alone, relied on his supreme and boundless spiritual power to subdue an entire unruly Astartes legion, shaking the world.

Now, the scenes overlap, the spirit remains the same, and the picture spanning thousands of years is perfectly replicated, impacting the hearts and minds of all witnesses.

Fang Yun turned slightly, and golden light slowly rose around him. His tall figure gradually grew taller under the light of the sky, appearing otherworldly.

The Imperial Guard Marshal behind him could no longer suppress the regret and pain that had accumulated in his heart for thousands of years, and let out a hoarse roar that pierced his heart.

puff--

Endless bitterness, guilt, and despair instantly shattered his hardened mental defenses.

During the Horus Rebellion ten thousand years ago, they, as the Emperor's most loyal guards, failed to protect him and watched helplessly as the Holy Lord was severely wounded and fell silent on the Golden Throne.

Ten thousand years later, they still failed to uphold the sacred path, protect the sacred palace, and even stop a stranger from a foreign land who seemed to be carrying a special destiny.

The dereliction of duty and incompetence that spanned millennia were being reenacted in this moment. Overwhelming pain and self-reproach swept over the hearts of every soldier in the Imperial Guard, and the solemn Holy Palace was filled with a desolate and heavy atmosphere.

Just as this heavy, deathly silence enveloped the palace, the majestic and solemn Eternal Gate of Terra Palace, which had been closed for millennia, suddenly trembled and then slowly opened!

The power that caused the final gates of this imperial residence to tremble and open did not come from a forceful external attack, but rather from the deepest part of the palace...

The most sacred core area slowly surged forth, autonomously breaking free of its restrictions.

The Gate of Eternity is the highest-level sacred barrier in the human empire's defenses. The entire gate is forged from the purest adamantite, inlaid with the empire's top defensive technology, and equipped with layers of top-tier anti-psychic energy restrictions and void isolation arrays. It is the last barrier of the Terra Holy Palace, standing for ten thousand years without ever being shaken by any external force.

An ancient, ironclad rule dictates that the Gate of Eternity can only be opened by those with internal authority; any external assault, whether brute force, psionic energy, or technological advancement, is utterly ineffective. And the sole authority to open the gate rests with the Marshal of the Terran Guard.

At this moment, the Imperial Guard Marshal, who was completely suppressed and unable to move, had no way to control the palace gates.

All the high-ranking officials of the empire knew that the Gate of Eternity was opened proactively from the inside out.

The earth-shattering event instantly gripped everyone's hearts, and countless suspicions and panic surged wildly in everyone's minds.

Could it be that the imperial guards stationed within the palace have harbored treacherous intentions and secretly defected? This speculation crossed almost everyone's mind, and everyone was certain that a traitor who had betrayed the empire was lurking deep within the sacred heart of the palace.

The Imperial Guard Marshal's eyes were bloodshot, his mind was collapsing, and he let out a hysterical roar. He preferred to believe that there was a traitor within the Imperial Guard rather than consider the most shocking and unbelievable truth.

In the next instant, dazzling, supreme pure golden spiritual energy surged forth from the deep opening of the Gate of Eternity, its vast and sacred power sweeping across the entire Terra Palace, purifying all the surrounding gloom and malevolence.

Everyone instantly recognized the origin of this aura: it was the supreme divine will unique to human emperors, the purest holy energy that had protected humanity for ten thousand years.

It was completely different from the sacred golden light surrounding Fang Yun. Although both belonged to the divine realm and possessed extraordinary aura, they had different foundations and unique characteristics, belonging to two completely different supreme powers.

"By the Emperor! By my Lord!"

Celestine was the first to bow her head and kneel, performing the most sublime and devout holy ritual of the Empire. Behind her, thousands of battle nuns clad in holy armor followed the sacred site, all bowing their heads and kneeling in utmost devotion towards the Gate of Eternity and towards the direction where Fang Yun was.

The Imperial Guards, struggling to their feet, stared in disbelief at the spectacle that defied millennia of understanding and surpassed all imagination.

The ultimate being who opened the Gate of Eternity is none other than the supreme ruler who has remained silent for ten thousand years, sitting on the golden throne, and protecting the human empire for ten thousand years—the only emperor of mankind!

"This is impossible—"

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