As the Last Judgment arrived, the gods would reveal miracles to Their believers; martyrs would ascend to heaven, and apostates would fall into hell.
—Revelation
Above the temple, the tumor-like fruit beneath the golden flower was the vessel of the new god. It possessed a god's flesh but not a god's soul, making it the ideal container for the Ancestral God's spirit.
An unseen attraction was about to form when a new disruptive factor appeared at the last second. The [Taboo Scholar] Identity Card was clearly a better fit, and Vede's soul was nearly torn in two, one half dragged toward the tumor by a powerful pull.
"Ha, interesting. Am I about to become a god without even getting up?" The lingering fear of surviving disaster and indignation at being coerced vanished from Vede's face, replaced by a frenzied fascination. Whether it was his nature or contamination from another force, he did not know.
He scrambled toward the tumor on all fours, while the [Taboo Scholar] underwent another change. The black figure on the card, hideous as a scar, visibly faded. Its connection to the authority of time and space rapidly weakened before instantly shifting to the Ancestral God's path.
The force drawing spirit and flesh together abruptly snapped. Vede seemed to lose his sight and turned in circles where he stood. Fine white threads reconnected the tumor and the Ancestral God's phantom, but the brief delay had been enough. Qi Si thrust the Divine Chisel into the tumor, driving his entire arm deep into its flesh.
A miserable shriek echoed beneath the dome as golden blood erupted. The life force of the newborn god's body was instantly drained by the old god. The Ancestral God swiftly withdrew the threads that had captured the tumor and turned toward Vede.
Vede