Chapter 4546: I Want Freedom
The Golden Supreme recounted the events of the past with the Calamity Supreme and explained what he wanted Lin Moyu to do, making everything clear to him. The Golden Supreme was incredibly powerful an ancient powerhouse from ages past, master of the Bug Stele, and not weaker than the Calamity Supreme himself.
Had he not permitted it, the Calamity Supreme never could have set up a great array here, nor could he have connected the formation to the stele.
But the Golden Supreme was bound. As Golden Sun Sovereign in ancient times, he'd killed the Ancient Wilderness Progenitor Bug and the Chaos Heavenly Bug, fusing their bloodlines and corpses to craft an artifact. This treasure's function was to base itself on those two bloodlines, mix in rare artifacts and his own blood, and thus evolve the bug race creating a new lineage of beings, a power to sweep through the ancient chaos if successful.
Such were the conditions of that era. But at the final stage of forging his treasure, an enemy arrived. He was killed.
Before dying, he sent his soul, bloodline, and all into the near complete Bug Stele, and with his last strength, escaped with the stele.
He lost consciousness; the stele drifted through unknown void for ages luckily, it wasn't discovered by another powerhouse and refined, or he'd have been truly annihilated.
When he finally awoke, he used his soul as fire, blood as the lead, and finished refining his creation.
The stele was completed; he became its master, and, rooted in it, regained a physical form.
But he awoke to find the world's rules had changed. A hidden overlord, the "Dao," now controlled things. He realized his age was over the ancient wars ended, all other powerhouses perished, and he alone, a shattered remnant, survived.
Perhaps it was thanks to merging with the artifact that the Dao did not notice him, and naming himself "Gold," he steadily grew stronger through the Bug Stele.
Along the way, he killed many others, blending their bloodlines into the stele, evolving it as he planned until it became the bug tribe itself, and he was the Golden Supreme.
Later, others discovered traces of the Dao, but all died without exception.
The Dao always worked behind the scenes. No one knew what it was doing; none dared pry too deeply. Golden Sun Sovereign was especially cautious, hiding out of fear of being found.
Then the Calamity Supreme noticed the Dao, but instead of acting immediately, he spent countless years arranging a plan.
The Calamity Supreme found him in the Southern Pole, asking to use the Bug Stele's might for a grand array.
He refused, even clashing with the Supreme. The result he gained a slight advantage, especially before the stele where even the Calamity Supreme couldn't force his way.
Killing the Calamity Supreme was no easier, though.
The Calamity Supreme then offered a condition the Golden Supreme couldn't refuse: once the formation was set, someone would come to carry on his will a person who could help Gold break free from the Bug Stele.
After becoming a Supreme, what Gold wanted most was to be free from the stele.
The stele had made and saved him it let him survive but after losing his freedom, escaping it became his one true desire.
The Calamity Supreme hadn't made empty promises he had sought out the quasi supreme best at fate, even though that one would suffer calamity for it, and truly prophesized the event.
Gold believed it. He agreed, letting the Calamity Supreme set the array.
Countless years have passed; he at last welcomed Lin Moyu.
If Lin Moyu cannot fulfill the Calamity Supreme's promise, he will not hesitate to kill him.
A useless man why keep him around? That was Gold's honest thought, though he hadn't expected Lin Moyu to see through his identity.
For a moment, he did panic a bit, but he was steadier than he seemed.
He pretended otherwise, wanting to see how Lin Moyu would react to his killing intent.
Had Lin Moyu flinched, Gold would have gained the upper hand.
But Lin Moyu had no reaction at all, rendering all his efforts meaningless.
Lin Moyu asked, "Did he ever say how you'd be freed from the stele?"
Gold shook his head. "He only said the inheritor would know."
"You believed that?" Lin Moyu was surprised. The Calamity Supreme's words, even with a fate master's prophecy, sounded less than reliable to him. Fate was always changing even what happened the next day could be totally different, let alone after countless ages.
But Gold disagreed. "It's not the Calamity Brat I believe in, but that Fate quasi supreme. His calculations were never wrong and if anyone sensed my identity, it was him.
Besides, the Calamity Brat's schemes were exceptional. I was also curious to see if he could one day kill that guy...
Freedom, that may be true freedom."
Freedom has many forms. Escaping the stele is one but the Dao's presence is a sword hanging overhead; only if the Dao perishes is there true freedom.
That's what Gold really wants, which is why he agreed to set up the grand array.
Gold said, "This is what I can tell you now. If you can help me break free, whether you knew my identity or not, I will spare your life.
If you cannot, I'll still kill you. Only the dead can keep secrets."
Lin Moyu thought a little. "Let me take a look."
Gold agreed with a grunt: "Go ahead."
He slapped the Bug Stele, which emitted a gentle radiance as the markings upon it lit up then faded. All the stele's aura withdrew; it seemed to fall into a slumber, and the void fell completely still.
All sound ceased, and even the bugs' soul communications stopped.
Even the bugs at the front line in combat froze, unmoving allowing themselves to be killed but not fighting back.
The stele was the bug tribe's heart; stopping it stilled them all.
Control the stele, control the tribe.
Gold said, "Take a look, let's see what you can find."
He spoke with a double meaning he refined the stele, knew all its secrets; he doubted Lin Moyu could see anything new.
Lin Moyu probed the stele with his soul; inside, it was unfathomably deep, and would take time to inspect.
As he investigated, he asked, "Have you asked anyone else for help over the years?"
Gold replied, "They're not worthy to help me."
Lin Moyu wore a strange expression "In your state, you're still so proud? That's something, all right."
His soul delved deeper... and Lin Moyu suddenly discovered something...
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