Neither God nor Human

In many people's minds, the Upper Planes is a wonderful place, or at least a place that looks wonderful. Here, everything should be joyful and harmonious. However, when they see this place locked up by heavy chains, will those who once had any beautiful fantasies about the Upper Planes have a new perspective?

On the vibrant and life-filled Mount Celestia, only this place is shrouded in darkness. The solid black shadows are like the most conspicuous ink stains splashed on a white cloth, startling and terrifying. In fact, even angels, upon seeing this darkness, would feel a sharp jolt in their hearts, as if a giant hand had gripped their souls tightly, filling them with dread.

In fact, no one is allowed to come here.

Apart from one person.

The God of Justice walked along the dark path, his holy light flickering around him, barely resisting the encroachment of darkness. Then, he arrived at the sealed cave. Faced with the arrival of this deity, the surroundings were eerily quiet; not a breath of air moved. Even sound vanished completely. This place didn't seem like the domain of a benevolent god at all; rather, it resembled the territory of demons and devils.

Faced with the silence before him, even the God of Justice remained silent. Finally, after an unknown amount of time, a heavy sigh rang out.

"What brings you here, Your Excellency?"

Although the voice was unfriendly, even carrying a hint of mockery, the God of Justice clearly didn't care. He knew what he was facing, and he knew he would succeed this time. Although this person wasn't friendly, the God of Justice was very confident that he could obtain the other party's assistance. And with his help, dealing with the Magic Empire would be much simpler and easier.

Of course, this isn't easy to help either. The God of Justice understands this, so he really doesn't want to deal with this guy unless absolutely necessary. But now it seems that it's time for him to step in.

I've come to ask for your help.

He got straight to the point.

"You need my help?"

Upon hearing this, the voice revealed a faint sneer.

"So, you've already done that?"

I'm trying.

When asked about his actions, the God of Justice spread his hands.

"The revolution is not yet complete, comrades must continue to strive. However, I have already found a way, and solving your problem is only a matter of time."

"I don't believe you, you little brat who hasn't even grown all his feathers yet."

The other party clearly did not soften their stance because of the words of the God of Justice.

"That's how you tricked me into coming to this godforsaken place, and then I waited for hundreds of years. And now? You made me wait for hundreds of years, and all you say is 'still trying'? Do you really think I'm an idiot?!"

With this roar, the dark figures suddenly began to tremble. They began to devour the divine light surrounding the God of Justice, while slowly advancing inward.

I wasn't lying.

Faced with this scene, the God of Justice's expression changed slightly. He then reached into his robes, took out something, and waved it.

"Look, this is the result of my research."

As the God of Justice made this move, the darkness that had begun to stir suddenly stopped. It slowly condensed, rotating and examining the object, before retreating back to its previous position. When the voice sounded again, it was no longer so furious and evil.

Are you sure?

"I'm sure."

The God of Justice nodded seriously.

"Give me enough time, and I can absolutely help you achieve your wish. If I could possess Supreme God..."

Hahahaha...

The God of Justice was interrupted by the other party's loud laughter before he could finish speaking.

"Supreme God? What do you think you are? You dare to dream of possessing Supreme God? Are you really a god now? The great God of Justice? Hmm? Don't think I don't know what kind of person you are, look at how you're putting on this act... Hmm? What was that line you said before? 'A virtuous facade, but a scoundrel at heart.' I think that description fits you perfectly. God of Justice? How did you even come up with that..."

"Power is justice!"

Just as the God of Book Meaning interrupted the other person with a stern face.

"I am justice, what's the problem? I'm not here to talk about these boring past events. I need your help. Will you help or not? If you don't help, then I will never assist you in fulfilling your wish again. Don't forget, in this world, only I have the ability to help you achieve your wish!"

Upon hearing the words of the God of Justice, the voice remained silent for a moment before asking a question.

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"I hope you can travel to the Prime Material Plane."

The God of Justice relaxed a little; since the other party had said that, it meant he was already interested.

Help me eliminate an enemy.

"Prime Material Plane?"

Upon hearing this, the voice hesitated slightly.

"What? Isn't that your territory? Is there something you can't handle?"

"The Magic Empire has returned."

The God of Justice spoke with a grim face, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter.

"They have begun to attack my people, and my people are powerless to resist that evil. Although I could go myself, however..."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the God of Justice overlooked the fact that he had suffered a crushing defeat when he descended upon the Prime Material Plane.

"... However, as you know, the Prime Material Plane is far too taxing for gods, so I don't want to take that risk. Therefore, I hope you can go down there and lead my people to destroy that evil and dangerous empire."

"The Magic Empire?"

This time, the voice was much more alert.

"Didn't you say you destroyed it? I remember you were really smug about it in front of me back then."

"I don't know what happened either. In short, the Magic Empire does seem to have been resurrected, and they possess an absurdly powerful undead army. My people cannot fight them alone, and those guys are indeed very strong. Although I have sent an archangel there, the situation is still not optimistic."

"... Who leads the Magic Empire...?"

"I heard he's an Arcane Mage."

The God of Justice had initially intended to gloss over the matter, but the voice immediately tensed up upon hearing those words.

"Arcane Mage? Which one? Do you know that mage's name? What type of Arcane Mage is he?"

All I know is his name Li Lin.

The God of Justice answered casually, clearly not wanting to mention the Arcane Mage, after all, it represented an unprecedented defeat for him since becoming a god.

"As for what type of Arcane Mage he is, I have no idea."

"Not sure? Hmm... let me think. None of the thirteen Arcane Mage seem to have this name. Could it be an alias? Right, if it's controlled by undead, then it's very likely that guy... no, no, besides him, there's another Arcane Mage... kid. Does that guy have any distinctive features? Or what weapon does he have? What spells does he specialize in? What does he look like?"

The barrage of questions from the other party left even the God of Justice somewhat bewildered. Distinctive features? The Arcane Mage did indeed have distinctive features, but those were things the God of Justice was unwilling to admit. As for weapons? He did possess several strange weapons, but they didn't seem like something a mage should use. Proficient spells? That damned bastard fought him bare-handed; the God of Justice hadn't seen him use any spells! Moreover, these questions made the God of Justice uneasy. Even this guy was so nervous; things seemed likely to be tricky. Originally, the God of Justice hadn't planned to give the other party too much information; his intention was to say nothing and simply lure the guy to the battlefield. However, it seemed things weren't that simple. But the God of Justice also understood that if he didn't reveal some useful information, this guy would absolutely not help him.

He possesses a weapon called the 'Seven Ring Spirit Envoys'.

The God of Justice answered honestly.

I've heard it's very powerful.

Upon hearing this, the voice abruptly stopped, then immediately rose eight octaves, its shock escalating into panic.

"The Seven Ring Spirit Envoys? You mean Luoxia? That damned 'Dominator' is back?!"

"I don't know anyone named Luoxia or Luoxia."

The piercing sound made even the God of Justice take a half step back, staring at the dark cave before him with displeasure.

"So, does he look like this?"

Accompanied by an urgent question, a blond man appeared in the God of Justice's mind. He carefully compared the two, then shook his head.

No, they're completely different.

"I see... That's good. I never expected the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys still be around... So, that Arcane Mage must be the new Arcane Mage they found? These Weapon Spirit are really troublesome. I didn't expect them to still be here after all these years. Oh well, as long as it's not that damned guy, I still have a way... Hmm, as long as it's not that guy."

Upon hearing this, the voice seemed to have a huge weight lifted off its shoulders, letting out a long sigh. This puzzled the God of Justice. He had known this guy for many years and had never seen him so distraught. He couldn't understand why he would be so panicked in the face of an Arcane Mage. Even when facing Greater God, this guy had never shown such strong emotions.

"What are you so nervous about, buddy? Are those Arcane Mages that powerful?"

"Impressive? Impressive?"

Upon hearing the question from the God of Justice, the voice chuckled coldly a few times, then revealed utter disdain.

"Based on that statement, you call yourself a god? Heh, I should be thankful I'm not a god yet, otherwise hearing you say that would make me ashamed of you, so ashamed I'd want to smash my head against a wall to atone for my sins! What did I tell you? Don't go looking for trouble with Arcane Mage, don't meddle in the affairs of the Prime Material Plane. Arcane Mage have their rules, and what happened? Not only did you disobey me, but you actually..."

So what?

The God of Justice clearly didn't value this much.

"Rules are meant to be broken, aren't they? Besides, those idiotic Arcane Mage didn't even notice what I did, and I still destroyed that Magic Empire, didn't I? Furthermore, the very existence of mages represents inequality and injustice. Their use of those unknown powers to oppress others and make themselves superior is the very source of evil!"

"Then why don't you go to the slums and eat mud instead of living a leisurely life here in Mount Celestia?"

The voice turned cold.

"Indeed, I admit those little tricks you used back then had some effect, but that was only because the Arcane Mage didn't notice! And now? Since you could handle the Magic Empire back then, why don't you try the same thing now? Why do you need my help? Don't think I don't know your little schemes, great god. What you did back then was against the rules! I know you've always disregarded the rules, but I still have to remind you, those who break the rules will be punished. You just haven't suffered the consequences yet..."

"It's the people who follow the rules who are wrong."

The God of Justice clearly didn't care about this.

"Fools follow the rules, smart people use them. You have to learn to be flexible, don't you think?"

"I don't want to argue with you about this, and I think you should go live in the Abyss instead of wasting your time in this damned Mount Celestia. Don't underestimate Arcane Mage; only when you truly face them will you realize how powerful order and rules are, like that... well, you wouldn't understand even if I explained. But if your information is correct, then we're only facing a newly appointed Arcane Mage, so things are relatively simple. If that guy Luoxia comes back..."

"So what if you're back?"

Seeing his companion so serious, even the God of Justice couldn't help but ask with some caution.

"Then I advise you to pack your bags and run, kid. You won't be a match for him even in a thousand years. Even if you conquer the entire Lower Planes and Upper Planes, as long as that monster reappears, I'm telling you, in less than a hundred years, you won't even know how you died. He's an extremely rule-abiding monster! He can't tolerate anyone disrupting order and rules, so you're definitely doomed!"

"Using a dead person to intimidate me is not funny at all."

The God of Justice shrugged indifferently.

Let's focus on what's in front of us.

"Foolish fellow."

The sound gradually faded away.

"If the original God of Justice knew that the one who received his divine power would be this kind of guy, he would probably be restless in the Astral Plane even in death..."

"Now is not the time for nostalgia."

The God of Justice interrupted the mocking voice once again.

Will you help or not?

"Since I promised you, I naturally won't go back on my word. Although I don't know which Arcane Mage it is, as long as it's not one of those freaks from before, I'm still confident... Are you sure that Arcane Mage really isn't Luoxia?"

"I'm sure."

The God of Justice was getting tired of the other party's relentless requests for confirmation.

"And I can assure you, that person is definitely not one of those Arcane Mages from before. I think I know his background."

"Oh? Is that really true?"

Although the voice still seemed somewhat doubtful, it didn't question the veracity of the matter any further.

"In that case, I'll help you. However, I hope you won't push me to the front as cannon fodder while you cheer me on from behind."

"Of course not."

The God of Justice had long been prepared for this; he knew what kind of being the "guy" he was facing was.

"I have already dispatched an archangel to the Prime Material Plane. All you have to do is lead her and my people to destroy those evil mages. I think that shouldn't be a problem for you."

"An evil mage? It's truly ironic to hear that from you... I understand, I'll do it, you don't need to worry about that."

"Then I'll leave it to you. I think my research should be completed by the time you return, and then you can fulfill your wish..."

"I'm not an idiot, you don't need to repeat these words to me over and over again."

The words of the God of Justice seemed to strike a nerve, causing the previously calm voice to turn cold.

"Now you may leave, great deity. I will go as soon as I am ready."

Having obtained a satisfactory answer, the God of Justice lingered no longer. He nodded towards the dark opening and turned to leave. At that moment, the God of Justice was filled with smug satisfaction. No matter how powerful that mage was, he couldn't possibly have guessed that he possessed something like this. Although he had lost, his helper was an absolute monster. Even the Greater God were powerless against him, let alone a mere Arcane Mage ... This time, he would taste defeat and vanish from this world forever. After all, this helper was not much weaker than himself in his avatar on the Prime Material Plane.

At least, the God of Justice is so certain of this.