The Giant Serpent of the Night, the Mother of Monsters, the Faceless King.
In a short span of time, these three primordial titans with quasi-divine power were successively sealed away. Under the combined assault of numerous deities and the alien dragon legion, other primordial beings with similar strength found themselves unable to survive on the prime material plane.
Realizing that the Dawn War had become a hopeless battle for them, these powerful primordial beings were unwilling to face death or sealing. Desperation drove them to seek escape from the prime material plane, avoiding direct confrontation with the gods.
Yet, now when they faced such battles alone, they often confronted not just a god of their own rank but multiple deities working in concert.
While besieging the primordial beings, the gods also sealed off spatial planes, cutting off any potential escape routes for these ancient powers.
Except for a few particularly formidable primordial entities, most had no chance to flee from the prime material plane under the relentless onslaught of the gods.
After the sealing of the Giant Serpent of the Night and the Mother of Monsters, the Goddess of White Night paused briefly before re-engaging. She reappeared during the chase between the Celestial Emperor and the Ancient God of the Deep. Wielding the Silver Jade Disc, she cast a brilliant light that illuminated the seas of all realms. No matter where the Ancient God of the Deep fled, he was instantly located and then subjected to the devastating attacks of the pursuing Celestial Emperor.
Soon, the Ancient God of the Deep retreated back to the Abyss, hiding in the Shadow Sea. Within the prime material world, the unique abilities of the Ancient God of the Deep allowed him to contest with the Celestial Emperor. However, once he left the prime material plane, losing the suppression of the plane, the Celestial Emperor could unleash his full might as a supreme deity. This forced the Ancient God of the Deep into complete hiding, not daring to reveal himself in the Shadow Sea.
With the defeat of the Ancient God of the Deep, the Dread Lord naturally could not escape a similar fate. The Nine-Faced Dragon God, the Celestial Emperor, and the slightly less powerful Goddess of White Night, armed with the Silver Jade Disc, joined forces to besiege the Dread Lord on the prime material plane.
Caught between the attacks of the Nine-Faced Dragon God and the Celestial Emperor, the Dread Lord found himself in a desperate situation, barely able to defend himself.
If it had been only the Nine-Faced Dragon God and the Celestial Emperor, the Dread Lord might still have had some capacity to fight back, enough to avoid being completely overpowered. In previous stages of the Dawn War, even after the Ancient God of the Deep was beaten by the Celestial Emperor, the Dread Lord could still contend with both the Nine-Faced Dragon God and the Celestial Emperor for a while before being forced to retreat.
However, with the added threat of the Goddess of White Night, the situation changed dramatically. Although her own power had not fully returned to its peak, preventing her from directly engaging in battles of the highest caliber, the Silver Jade Disc she wielded could inflict serious damage on the Dread Lord.
While retreating under the relentless attacks of the Nine-Faced Dragon God and the Celestial Emperor, the Dread Lord also had to fend off the strikes from the Silver Jade Disc, rendering him nearly defenseless.
This was only the beginning. As other quasi-divine primordial beings were defeated, more powerful deities became free to assist in the battle against the Dread Lord, one of the mightiest primordial beings.
Soon, the Dread Lord faced over six deities with great divine power, including Garon, the Eternal and Time Dragon, who, although not a god of great power, was stronger than most deities in the prime material plane.
"Aio, you cowardly wretch! Face me alone if you dare!"
"If it weren't for these meddling insects, I would cut you down and shred you a thousand times over."
Clang! With a powerful swipe of his dark-red flaming hand, the Dread Lord shattered a green hurricane spear conjured by the Queen of Wind Elements, roaring in defiance.
"During the First Dawn War, if it hadn't been for the many primordial beings arrayed against me, you would never have had the chance to kill me!"
"Erik, our roles have simply reversed now, but back then, I did not rage powerlessly like you are."
The Nine-Faced Dragon God smiled slightly, enjoying the sight of the Dread Lord's helpless fury. His usually calm and composed heart felt a rare moment of joy.
Whoosh! Seizing the moment of the Dread Lord's anger, the silver dragon unleashed a breath of temporal disintegration.
This intangible, unseen breath shattered space-time, rushing towards the Dread Lord.
"Hmph!"
The Dread Lord let out a heavy snort. He raised the Dark Axe and cleaved downwards.
Crash! A fierce, black-red axe beam cut through the breath of temporal disintegration and continued onwards, slashing towards the silver dragon.
Garon ceased his breath attack, his wings fluttering as he narrowly evaded the deadly axe beam, almost grazing it as he teleported away.
The black-red axe beam left a long, fractured trail in space, slicing across nearly the entire prime material world, leaving a conspicuous scar that might never heal completely.
If that hit me, I would be dead. Compared to the Dread Lord and the Nine-Faced Dragon God, I'm still far too weak. Garon thought to himself quietly.
Even under the prime material plane's constraints, the Dread Lord was exceedingly formidable.
This primordial entity was reckless, brutal, impulsive, and somewhat dim-witted, but his raw power was undeniable.
Garon estimated that even a deity of minor power, if fully unleashed in the prime material plane, would likely be outclassed and slain by the Dread Lord or the Nine-Faced Dragon God.
Meanwhile, the Nine-Faced Dragon God stood tall, surrounded by the prime material plane's rules. These rules coalesced around his form, becoming tangible, visible to the naked eye, resembling chains of divine iron, covered in intricate patterns and symbols, formed by the plane's laws.
If a common spellcaster could glance at these rules, they would either die instantly or experience a transcendental leap in their understanding.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dark clouds gathered, stirring the rules that summoned countless dangerous, azure lightning bolts from the sky, continuously striking the Dread Lord, turning his location into a hellish realm of thunder.
At the Dread Lord's feet, a towering mountain was hit by the smallest of these lightning bolts, instantly disintegrating and disappearing without a trace.
The Dread Lord's body was engulfed in layers of black-red flames, clawing and roaring, fiercely resisting the onslaught of lightning.
The Celestial Emperor, gripping the Heavenly Sword, appeared stern and imposing, his amethyst-golden eyes emotionless.
He swung his arm, and the Heavenly Sword cut a deadly arc through the air.
A line of sword light flashed, carrying an aura of indomitable power, slashing towards the Dread Lord's neck.
Hovering behind the Celestial Emperor, the ring of celestial realms slowly rotated, sealing off the space around the Dread Lord, making it hard for him to maneuver.
Sizzle! At the critical moment, the Dread Lord ducked his head, narrowly avoiding decapitation, but his demonic horns were severed.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Several lightning bolts broke through the Dread Lord's protective flames, striking his head, shoulders, and back, leaving severe burn marks and causing agonizing pain that made the Dread Lord grimace in pain.
"Aio! Celestial Emperor!"
"You…"
Before he could finish, the Silver Jade Disc reappeared, glimmering with cold, clear moonlight, and struck towards the Dread Lord's face.
The Dread Lord raised his arm, flames of black and red raging, trying to block the disc.
But as soon as it touched his arm, the disc turned ethereal, passing through it.
Boom! The Dread Lord's face caved in, blood spurting.
The Queen of Wind Elements, the Master of Fire Elements, the Elven Chief God, the Undefeated War God, the Fairy God, and Garon, the Eternal and Time Dragon, launched their massive assaults together at the Dread Lord.
Under the relentless, storm-like barrage, the Dread Lord was nearly overwhelmed.
Cracks spread across the Dread Lord's body, and his skin began to melt like wax in a fire. His entire form bore scars and marks, looking extremely pitiful.
"You all deserve to die!"
A deep, enraged roar echoed.
The Dread Lord could no longer withstand the combined assault of so many powerful deities.
He felt a profound sense of impending doom. If he didn't retreat now, he would be forever trapped in the prime material plane by the gods.
Boom! Black-red flames surged upwards, burning intensely.
The Dread Lord's aura surged as his bat-like wings flared with a blood-red glow.
Gripping the Dark Axe tightly, he twisted his body, gathering all his strength, and slashed heavily at the plane's barrier.
Simultaneously, various patterns and symbols appeared faintly on the plane's barrier—dragon scales, flames, wind motifs, holy swords, and shields—all means used by the gods to reinforce the prime material plane's barrier.
Crash! The barrier shattered like a struck mirror.
The prime material plane had been severely damaged by the prolonged warfare between the gods and the primordial beings. Its barriers were no longer as stable as they once were. While dimensional anchors and space locks could hold against ordinary powerful beings, they couldn't keep the Dread Lord confined within.
"You will all remember my name, the name of the one who will kill you all someday—Erik, the Primordial Demon God, the Dread Lord!"
Barely finishing his threat, another wave of fierce attacks came his way. The Dread Lord ducked his head, turned abruptly, and fled through the planar rift, leaving the prime material plane.
"I'll be back!"
Only the Dread Lord's bitter and impotent roar echoed through the skies of the prime material world.
The Silver Jade Disc hovered calmly, spinning and emitting dense moonlight, locking onto the Dread Lord across planes.
"He has fled into the Silent Mountains of the Fourth Layer of the Fiery Hell."
"Aio, Celestial Emperor, shall we pursue him?"
"In the Fiery Hell, the Dread Lord will grow stronger."
The Goddess of White Night spoke softly.
The power and abilities of deities and quasi-divine beings were not static but could fluctuate significantly depending on their alignment with the plane they occupied. In a plane harmonious with their nature, they could exhibit greater power, sometimes even beyond their limits. Conversely, in a plane discordant with their nature, their abilities could be somewhat diminished.
The prime material plane was neutral, accommodating all, thus providing an equal footing.
But in the Fiery Hell, with its environment steeped in evil, chaos, doom, and disaster, deities aligned with order would be at a disadvantage, while the Dread Lord would gain some augmentation.
In the past, when the Dread Lord retreated to the Fiery Hell, the Nine-Faced Dragon God often refrained from pursuing further. With numerous primordial beings still at large, pursuing deep into lower planes posed risks. The possibility of ambush by other primordial beings, or even interference from bold demon lords or devil princes, was a significant deterrent.
However, circumstances were different now.
The primordial beings were no longer a unified threat. Many were dead, sealed, or in hiding.
The moment the Dread Lord fled to the Fiery Hell, the Nine-Faced Dragon God and the Celestial Emperor exchanged a resolute glance and spoke in unison.
"Lady Surya, keep tracking the Dread Lord and guide us."
"Understood."
The Goddess of White Night nodded.
A beacon of moonlight appeared, guiding the way through the planar barrier, pointing directly to the Dread Lord.
The two supreme deities, joined by two principal gods from different pantheons and the elemental lords of wind and fire, pursued into the Fiery Hell.
As the darkness and terror receded, the clouds cleared, and dawn broke over the prime material world.
The Undefeated War God and the silver dragon Garon exchanged glances.
"Lord Garon, it has been an honor to fight alongside you."
The Undefeated War God smiled warmly.
"There are still some primordial beings left to deal with in other worlds. We'll meet again at the Pantheon."
With that, the Undefeated War God rode off on his triumphal white horse to battle the remaining primordial beings in other prime material worlds.
He relished these final stages of a foregone victory, where he could display his unrivaled martial prowess and gather glory for his title as the invincible god of war.
"Such a cunning war god, with such a calculating heart…"
After the Undefeated War God departed, the silver dragon Garon shook his head slightly.
This war god had chosen not to pursue the Dread Lord, seeing it as too risky and uncertain. Instead, he preferred to stay in the prime material world where he could secure solid victories and gain tangible achievements, thus increasing his worship.
Buzz!
Garon's body trembled, and light and shadow separated, forming two identical silver dragons. One exuded potent dragon might, while the other radiated divine majesty.
"Go, bring light and warmth to those gripped by fear."
God Garon, with the Sun's authority, set off to different prime material worlds, dispelling the darkness and despair with brilliant yet gentle sunlight, bringing warmth to countless beings.
The true Garon, along with his draconic legion, focused on eliminating the remaining primordial beings.
God Garon's seraphim, subspace angels, and draconic apostles responded to their deity's call, descending upon the ravaged prime material world. They provided shelter, food, water, and healing to the suffering masses, while spreading the teachings of the great Eternal and Time Dragon.
Not long after, with the final primordial being sealed away in the prime material world, the Second Dawn War officially ended.
Dawn still belonged to the gods and the multiverse.
Yet, despite their victory, the gods had paid a heavy price to repel the primordial beings.
This was a costly triumph.
The names of the fallen deities in this Dawn War could fill an entire page, and the battles were even more brutal than those of the First Dawn War. The gods' overall strength had been significantly weakened.
While divine beings are not truly immortal and can be reborn and restored, this process requires a prolonged period.
Until the gods fully recovered, their dominion over the multiverse would undoubtedly be challenged.
Especially considering the severe devastation inflicted on many prime material worlds, with billions of beings perishing in the primordial invasion, including numerous followers of the gods. As a result, the gods' supernatural powers were expected to diminish.
However, unless unforeseen events occurred, this situation would not persist indefinitely.
The performance of the gods during the Dawn War had not gone unnoticed by the surviving beings. As peace returned and the prime material worlds gradually recovered and stabilized, there would likely be a resurgence in faith toward the gods.
Initially declining, then rising... the gods' power would fluctuate like a parabola opening upwards.
As long as they could endure the trough, the period of greatest weakness, they would eventually emerge even more glorious and prosperous than before.
Moreover, the pursuit of the Dread Lord yielded results.
Led by two supreme deities, a total of six powerful gods chased the Dread Lord. With the primordial beings fated to lose, and their ranks thinned, no other beings intervened.
Initially, the Dread Lord utilized the Fiery Hell's environment to his advantage, resisting the gods for a time.
The entire Silent Mountains were almost obliterated in the ensuing battle.
While planar environments and characteristics did affect the gods, these influences were not significant enough to enable the Dread Lord to hold his ground against both the Nine-Faced Dragon God and the Celestial Emperor, especially with more powerful gods joining the fray.
To prevent the all-out assault of the gods from causing irreversible damage to the Fiery Hell, the strongest being in the Fiery Hell, the General of Flames, led more demon lords to assist in the battle against the Dread Lord.
The Dread Lord, now facing betrayal, found his already dire situation even more precarious.
Desperate, the Primordial Demon God had no choice but to flee the Fiery Hell, escaping to the deeper Abyss. The General of Flames and the demon lords ceased their pursuit and quickly retreated, watching the gods with caution.
Meanwhile, the Silver Jade Disc maintained its lock on the Dread Lord.
Without much hesitation, the Nine-Faced Dragon God and the Celestial Emperor led the gods into the Abyss, determined to either kill or seal the Dread Lord, ensuring he would no longer pose a threat.
The Abyss, with its myriad layers, varied in stability.
Some layers, like the Endless Plains, were vast and stable enough to host the eternal Blood War between demons and devils. However, others were smaller, less stable, and often controlled by mid-tier or lower-tier demon lords.
In their pursuit through the Abyss, the gods and the Dread Lord fought across unstable layers that seemed to teeter on the brink of collapse. Demon princes and even lesser demon lords paused their conflicts, stabilizing their domains while avoiding involvement in the gods' pursuit.
Despite the Abyss's detrimental effects on the gods, much like the Fiery Hell, these influences were limited and could not deter the gods from their resolve to pursue the Dread Lord.
Ultimately, under the relentless pursuit of the gods, the Dread Lord, gravely wounded and on the verge of death, fled into the Shadow Sea, where the Ancient God of the Deep had hidden. The gods followed closely.
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