Chapter 519 (1): World Famous Painting—the Goddess of Darkness, Newly Married

Sun shone on a deep blue sea. Waves lapped gently at the shore, carrying a cool breeze. Across the fine white sand, Dream Gods moved about in light fabric as waitstaff, while a malicious act of bullying was in full swing.

This was the Heart of Supreme Darkness, the twelfth level of the Divine Realm of Darkness. Ines, the master of the Divine Realm, had organized a gathering. This was the seventh day of the honeymoon; every single day of the past week, She had invited Her mortal enemies to watch Wayne.

Her mortal enemies were the Goddess of Death and the Holy Maiden of Darkness. She had thrown in the Darkness Knight as a bonus to make them a trio of losers, giving them VIP seats so that they could watch the newlyweds from a close distance.

For the past seven days, the three losers had been forced to follow the newlyweds around. They were absent only in their most intimate moments. The inhuman treatment had driven even the fiercely loyal Darkness Knight to complain in private about the sunlight on the beach.

If Vichy was pushed to the limit, there was no need to ask about Aztimor. The Goddess of Death radiated resentment so thick that it was visible from a distance.

Anastasia, by contrast, remained serene. She showed no hint of jealousy, and there was no crack in her composure. Every time she looked at the shameless couple, she even showed a hint of satisfaction. Thanks to her effort, the goddess had gotten competitive enough to lower Her pride for Wayne.

As a fellow vassal, Aztimor felt not just yearning for Her faith, but also a burning resentment for Ines. She would never approve of the union—unless She was recast as the female lead.

Anastasia had no plan to fight because she knew that Wayne craved knowledge and needed Darkness. That was why she had been summoning the goddess to clean up the table and have the scraps all this time.

Wayne’s white moonlight was a paragon of virtues. She treated everyone with proper manners—Senna, her rival, being an exception. Thus, she had only been targeting Ines because she needed to provoke Her prideful heart. To make the goddess make the first move when the goddess was a scheming master, playing tricks under the table wouldn’t be effective; an open manipulation was necessary.

Of course, Anastasia was merely playing a supporting role. The one who made the decision was still Ines. If She was unwilling, She would never fall for anyone.

In addition to the three losers drinking beverages on the sandy beach, two other women in swimsuits were kneeling on the sand, building sandcastles.

Briar and Kaya.

Their swimsuits were childish; the behavior of building sandcastles, even more so.

With all the Dream Gods hovering nearby, this was obviously an attempt to manipulate the two subordinate gods. Ines was toying with their shame, determined to desensitize them.

Briar found her swimsuit embarrassingly childish, so much so that her toes curled in and mapped out a palace on the sand. Kaya didn’t share the sentiment. She was lost in the act of building sandcastles, becoming obsessed.

Soon, she completed a massive fortress.

“What do you think of this sand sculpture, Briar?” Kaya asked expectantly. “Amazing, eh?”

Briar stared at Kaya impassively. “The sand in your head is more amazing.[1]”

Not far from them, Ines lay on a beach lounger in a form-fitting black swimsuit that hugged her attractive curves. The black fabric was in stark contrast with her snow-white skin. Red lips, black sunglasses, and long curvy locks of hair—the holy trinity of attractiveness had assembled.

She seemed to be dozing, recovering the energy She had lost in the vigorous exercise last night. When She woke up, She adjusted Her sunglasses and looked around.

“Where’s my husband?”

“Here.” Wayne climbed out of the sandcastle and demolished Kaya’s prized creation. Sensing her disgruntled glare, he looked her in the eyes and kicked the last part of the structure still standing.

“Kekeke—”

“Hahaha—”

Two voices laughed together. Kaya dared not throw a tantrum nor say anything. All she could do was stare down at the rubble in silent mourning. Briar, witnessing everything, stepped back rather than offer her fellow subordinate god a comforting hug.

This was the Divine Realm of Darkness after all. There used to be only one mistress, but now, there was a master, too. Who knew what the pair of degenerates were up to? It was necessary to exercise double the caution.

Wayne laughed with one hand on his hip. When Kaya said nothing, he, feeling dull, wandered toward Ines.

The two subordinate gods and the Dream Gods moonlighting as waiters here had all been tamed by Ines. They were ready to be used out of the box, giving him no satisfaction in ordering them around.

Wayne sighed. As expected of a goddess. What a dowry She had brought to the marriage. Setting aside the handmaids, there were also all twelve levels of the Divine Realm of Darkness and the Church of Darkness. The demigod servants alone numbered more than a hundred.

Moreover, She had prepared the flowers and the ring.

What could Wayne do other than take good care of the domineering disciplinary teacher?

Seeing him approach, Ines shot a pointed, provocative look at the three defeated rivals before flipping onto Her stomach on the lounger, gesturing at Her dry skin. She needed some loving attention.

The degenerates understood each other on a spiritual level. Ines didn’t have to explain for Wayne to understand what he should do. He reached for the sunscreen on the table and started applying it to the piece of art before him with care. His solemn expression made it seem like he was performing a sacred ritual, or, even more so, like he was defending justice.

Ines squinted in contentment. For one, She enjoyed such attentive care from Wayne. For another... the jealousy in the air was deliciously thick and intoxicating. It was perfect for someone with a strong possessive tendency like Her.

The last time Wayne applied sunscreen for Ines had been in Hell. Back then, She was using Anastasia’s body, and because Anastasia had received the treatment, She had to have it, too—at a higher quality and greater frequency.

Whether it was an important or a trivial matter, and whatever the matter at hand was, the same principle applied!

Thus, Wayne had spent the seven days of the honeymoon emptying himself. He looked like he had lost weight.

After he was done applying sunscreen, he turned to the two idiots making sandcastles with disapproval. He pointed at them and said, “Ines, don’t you think those two sand diggers are ruining the atmosphere?”

What ruined the atmosphere wasn’t the two subordinate gods per se, but the childish swimsuits they were wearing. Both were mature, aloof ladies with top-tier looks and figures, yet Ines forced them to play idiots.

If that was meant as a warning that the two subordinate gods were kids, and that he shouldn’t make a move on them, Wayne would like to say that he was also a kid.

Ines rolled Her eyes at the two idiots. There was a hint of softness to Her mature, languid tone, scratching the listeners like a cat’s paw. “I asked them to choose between redemption and surrender. They chose surrender.”

“Isn’t that wonderful? That means they’re loyal!”

Wayne stroked his chin. Since ancient times, it had been true that one couldn’t appeal to both the older brother and the sister-in-law. Since Briar and Kaya had chosen the older brother and rejected the fickle sister-in-law, they should be considered to have passed the test.

Ines huffed. “I’m pleased that they passed the test, but their disdain for you, I don’t like.”

“Tell me more.”

“You’re the man I chose. What right do they have to turn you away? It’s their honor to be teased by you.”

What kind of twisted mindset is that? I think you’re just reaching for an excuse to torment them.

Wayne rolled his eyes. “Are you sure, Ines? They heard all that. The next time I tease them, they will do as you said and not resist.”

“They won’t dare!” Ines glared at the two eavesdroppers, making them shudder in unison. “They’re in the wrong. They shouldn’t look down on you. There are many ways to express loyalty. They could simply drop dead when you tease them.”

You’re so right!

Wayne looked at the two unlucky souls clinging to each other with trembling arms, figuring out the unspoken message in a second. As he had suspected, Ines was warning him not to fool around in the Divine Realm. Whoever he touched would die, the subordinate gods included!

He shrugged and took Ines’s delicate hand, pressing it to his chest. All the secondhand sweet words he hurled at Ines made Her beautiful eyes soften and warm. She put Her arms around his neck and pressed their chests together, their beating hearts in proximity.

At that moment, the jealousy in the air thickened further.

More. Keep it coming.

Ines enjoyed getting it on right in front of Her romantic rivals. With her questionable moral compass, She was not content with tormenting Her own people; She wanted to torment Her rivals, too.

Good news: Aztimor was practically radiating jealousy, Her expression twisted. Bad news: Anastasia’s smile never wavered. It felt like punching a ball of cotton, with no impact or harm.

The formidable woman has only good traits and no shortcomings. No wonder the bastard likes her so much.

Even I want a piece of her!

Ines’s hostility toward Her own Holy Maiden intensified. She blew at Wayne’s ear and vanished with him.

It was time for their daily exercise.

When they reappeared, the sun and moon had retreated, and the stars were shining brightly. On the beach, it was now star-bath time.

(›´ω`‹)

“Bastard, stop pretending,” Ines said with a click of Her tongue. Wayne only looked human on the outside, while he bore no resemblance to a human whatsoever. The exhausted look would make the three losers bad-mouth Her in private.

Wait, isn’t that a good thing?

The wicked woman’s eyes lit up. Animosity from Her rivals would mean She was doing something right. She reached over and pinched Wayne’s face, making him look even more gaunt.

They watched the stars for a while. Ines lay in Wayne’s embrace and said, “Why haven’t you mentioned the information of Darkness? Given your greedy desires for knowledge, I didn’t expect you to go seven days without bringing it up.”

Wayne hissed in surprise, inhaling the fragrance of Ines’s hair. “Oh, right. The knowledge of Darkness. Damn it. You’re so stunning that I’m completely lost in your beauty and gentle embrace. I’ve forgotten all that.”

Sweet-talking bastard!

Ines narrowed Her eyes, voice low. “The Final Judgment will be upon us at any moment. You must be anxious about wasting seven precious days with me.”

Wayne hissed again in shock. “Final Judgment? I’d been thinking about nothing but you and completely forgotten every plan I had. Damn it, why must you be this captivating?”

Ines’s heart soared. She knew he was acting, but She couldn’t help but believe the act. Pleased, She pressed Her fingers to his chest, about to hand over all the knowledge She held.

Wayne grabbed Her hand and lifted it, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure? If you hand me the knowledge, and I walk away like nothing has happened, you’ll be left empty-handed.”

Ines smiled. “Remember that you owe me a proper honeymoon. You’ll make it up to me later.”

“Of course. I’ll give you whatever you want.”

Wayne leaned in and kissed Her, receiving the knowledge through the exchange.

An infinite amount of Darkness information flooded into his body, all devoured by the Book of Greed. On its cover, the eyeball of Darkness gleamed with the pattern of Darkness, signifying that his evolution had resumed.

Heaven, Hell, Death, Darkness, and the eighty percent full Nature. He had claimed almost all knowledge in the Chosen Land save for Sun and Moonlight.

The divine fire... There was still no sign of it!

Wayne sorted through the filtered information of Darkness, then gave a perfect replica of everything back to Ines to free Her from insanity.

Ines’s beautiful eyes glinted. “What is the ultimate truth of the universe? Is it the pure knowledge that we gods have been pursuing, or the paleness of the Astral Plane? Is the pursuit of purity doomed to fail?”

Wayne frowned for a silent moment. “From where I stand, the pure, unsullied you are fundamentally incompatible with the Astral Plane. The more lucid you become, the further you are from the true universe. Only by opening yourselves to corruption can you walk on the path of eternal evolution and understand everything.”

Ines shook Her head. That sounded reasonable, but She couldn’t do it. None of the gods could. Wayne was an exception.

Considering his words, Ines frowned in displeasure. “By that logic, isn’t that wretched Aztimor ahead of me? And I was the one who led her to the path of eternity?”

Wayne said nothing. From the perspective of an existence like the ancient gods, Aztimor was indeed ahead of Ines. Their learning capacities existed in different classes, and the gap would only widen further.

“Don’t overthink it. I have no intention of making you my vassal. With me sorting knowledge for you, you’ll soon surpass Aztimor.”

“That’s unlikely.”

Ines closed Her eyes and shook Her head. As much as She would like to deny it, the facts were clear: Death ranked higher than Darkness. It would be difficult for Her to surpass Aztimor.

1. The word used here is 沙雕 (sha-diao), which originally means sand sculpture, but is later used to insult someone’s intellect because 沙雕 is pronounced like 傻屌 (sha-diao), only in different tones. ☜