Chapter 522: The Cards
“Omnipotence created two rules when establishing the Abyss Realm.”
“One is the acknowledgment of no rules, meaning the Primordial Deities cannot enter the Abyss Realm.”
“The second rule in the Abyss Realm is that the only two powers are Omnipotence and me. In other words, even if deities descend, they can’t wield their own powers.”
Nian Nian sighed, “I have to admit, Omnipotence’s idea is good.”
“The only two powers in the Abyss Realm are me and Omnipotence, and we are representatives of the First Deity/Demon.”
“This means that the only one who meets the conditions to enter the Abyss Realm is the First Deity/Demon.”
“Most likely, it’s thinking that once I find the true soul of the First Deity/Demon and bring it into the Abyss Realm, and once it regains its omniscience and omnipotence, it won’t fear the seven deities and demons anymore.”
“But this idiot calculated everything except the fact that it tossed me into the Abyss Realm too.”
Nian Nian was gritting her teeth as she spoke.
“Ominpotence’s initial approach was merely a stopgap.”
“Rules, like the Primordial Deities, cannot be destroyed. Even if Omnipotence breaks itself apart, it will gradually recover over time.”
“When it fully recovers to the state of Omnipotence, the rules it set up for the Abyss Realm will disappear. The long-awaited Primordial Deities will descend into this realm, completely usurping Omnipotence’s rule power.”
“I have no choice but to take a step back and focus on gathering Omnipotence’s power.”
“If the Abyss Realm doesn’t open, while people outside can’t come in, those inside can’t get out either. It’ll become a deadlock.”
I see…
Though the whole process is a bit nonsensical…
At its core, it’s still a rather clichéd and conventional plot, huh?
“So,”
Young Master Sang said softly, “If I want to protect the Abyss Realm, I need to find a way to gather Omnipotence’s power first, that is, the Heavenly Treasure and Earthly Abode.”
“If I can obtain Omnipotence’s power before the deities and demons do, then I can drive them out again?”
“Pretty much,”
Nian Nian adjusted her glasses. “But if we really go down this path, the real test is yet to come.”
“The true soul of the Primordial Deity is outside the rule spectrum, meaning no matter how omniscient or omnipotent, it won’t provide the host much help.”
“I will no longer be able to provide the host with information about the Primordial Deity, and any random deity can flip the table.”
“This duel is quite unfair for the host.”
Young Master Sang looked at Nian Nian’s uneasy expression and merely smiled.
“…It’s not that bleak.”
“I’m not completely empty-handed, which is already enough.”
“Perhaps I don’t have many cards, but I can make do.”
Nian Nian blinked in slight confusion, but Young Master Sang straightened up and earnestly spread his hands.
“Since we have some time, why don’t we evaluate the cards each side has for this duel?”
First off,
The opponent’s cards are all face-up.
Or rather, there’s really no need for the Primordial Deities to hide their cards.
They are the Primordial Deities, the supreme existences of this universe. Their undying true souls and their rule powers allow them to easily dominate a realm.
To them, the Abyss Realm, while a minor domain created by Omnipotence, is a subpar imitation compared to a true realm, complete with incomplete rules.
Even so, some of them, like Ancestral Cang, still possess the power to flip tables.
They could even forcibly destroy the Abyss Realm, but the cost would equate to losing Omnipotence itself, a trade-off that’s not worth it for them.
“The opponent has powerful cards; if it weren’t for the Abyss Realm, they wouldn’t even need to think about squashing me.”
“But thankfully, it’s in the Abyss Realm,” Young Master Sang murmured, “Here, we have our own cards to play.”
First off,
My biggest, most reliable trump card is always Nian Nian.
Even if omniscience can’t affect the deities or gather information about them,
Nian Nian’s existence means everything to me, and I know it very well.
As long as I have Nian Nian, I will always have a chance to turn the tide.
“Secondly, I’m grateful for the rules laid out by Omnipotence.”
Young Master Sang said nonchalantly, “At the very least, it has locked down one thing for us.”
“That is, within the Abyss Realm, they can flip the table.”
“…And so can we.”
Even though every deity possesses the ability to flip the table,
None of them dare to truly flip the table.
After all, flipping the table means losing everything. If they were to destroy the Abyss Realm before gaining omniscience and omnipotence, all their previous efforts would go to waste.
To the deities, all living beings within the Abyss Realm are just fleeting mayflies; even if every last one of them dies, they wouldn’t compare to the value of a single Earthly Abode treasure.
Thus, flipping the table is purely a negative return for them—a foolish gamble to drop gold for an ant. Even if a deity might want to throw caution to the wind, the others might not agree.
Since I also hold this button in my hand, both sides are negotiating at the same table.
Like a zero-sum game during the Cold War.
There’s no possibility of peace, yet both sides are wary of each other’s nuclear button, making none of them truly dare to flip the table.
“Now that I’ve acquired all the Earthly Abodes, and even possess the Earthly Abode Core, which is equally capable of flipping tables,”
“Then, the deities will have to play on the same table as me.”
“As long as we’re at the same table, we can consider ourselves equals.”
Young Master Sang said leisurely, “It merely depends on whose cards are numerous and whose cards are played better.”
Nian Nian tilted her head slightly, “Are you that confident, host?”
“Having cards to play is already a stroke of luck.”
Young Master Sang suddenly let out a bitter laugh, “The most despairing thing is when you have no cards to play.”
When you truly can’t do anything and can only watch everything head towards the worst outcome.
Nian Nian said nothing and just blinked again.
“Aside from that, we also have the home-field advantage.”
Young Master Sang raised another finger, “Establishing the Taixu Alliance was indeed a stroke of genius. Before the deities and demons arrive, we already possess an organization that can almost influence the entire realm of cultivation in the Abyss Realm.”
“This means that we are genuinely fighting on our home turf; the entire Abyss Realm is our trump card.”
“We decide how to play with them.”
“And then, we’ve already taken the lead and obtained the Earthly Abode treasure.”
“The Earthly Abode treasure is a part of Omnipotence, which is the true rule of the Abyss Realm. Even if the true souls of the deities aren’t affected, nor can they be killed in the Abyss Realm, as long as their physical forms descend, the Earthly Abode treasure in my hands will become effective.”
“Lastly, the deities aren’t a united front.”
“They’re competitors among themselves, and there are even entities like Huo Longyuan existing in a grey area between friend and foe.”
It sounds like, in the face of absolute power, all these don’t matter.
But minor cards also have their uses.
Even a three can beat a king. How well you play, and how effectively you can exploit your small cards depends ultimately on the player.
“Having so many cards is already a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.”
Young Master Sang said deeply, “I’m satisfied.”
Nian Nian fell silent for a moment, then quietly mumbled.
“…What an easily satisfied guy.”
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