Chapter 1069 Mengke's Perseverance <TOC> Chapter 1071 The Void Obelisk
Translator: SumTLMan
Above the Gloaming Mountains, a massive glacier continues its languid drift, a slow ballet played out in the chill of the celestial expanse.
Upon penetrating the boundary of these mountains, the countenance of every wizard contracted gradually, their visages hardening. They were drawing near to La Sutherland, the battlefield where conflict could ignite at any moment.
At this juncture, Sanders stood at the forefront of the glacial formation, an imposing presence. Virtually all high-end combat forces, Mengke included, were gathered here.
“Sanders,” Canter — who originally positioned himself on the other side — had surreptitiously sidled over. “I was on the windward side over there, and it was so chilly that my nose turned red. It’s much better here.”
Canter’s nose was vividly scarlet. His typically flat nose seemed even more pronounced now, evoking the image of an old brewer from a fairytale, his nose reddened from too much sampling of his own spirits.
“You could have activated your defenses.”
“If I activated my defenses, it would be too draining on my energy,” Canter lamented, the expression of woe etched across his face. “I’ve rescinded all my physical defenses except for the most basic mental barrier. I shouldn’t have chosen that side. It would be truly embarrassing if I ended up catching a cold.”
The truth of the matter was that the energy required to maintain physical defenses wasn’t considerable at all. Canter had brought this predicament upon himself.
For Sanders, Canter’s eccentric behavior was more amusing than anything, an oddity to be acknowledged with a mere smile.
After taking refuge by Sanders’ side and taking a moment to rest, Canter finally leaned in to whisper, “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you, where’s Lord Rhine? Why hasn’t he accompanied us?”
“Lord Rhine has his own choices to make, and it’s not my place to question them,” Sanders replied. Although he voiced these words, he himself was unsure of the real circumstances. Lord Rhine’s whereabouts were indeed somewhat nebulous to him.
Bruce, otherwise known as Rhine’s acquaintance on Sky Island, possessed the duality of prophetic and soul-based aptitudes as a wizard.
Rhine, having departed from the Savage Grottoes several days prior, was now aware of the taut tensions reigning within the Grottoes. His absence, being the mastermind, could potentially trigger chaos. Consequently, Rhine sought Bruce’s assistance for a prophecy.
The final outcome remained elusive to Sanders, as Rhine had hastily absconded from the Abyss.
“Had Lord Rhine been present, our operation might have been safer,” Canter mused, “After all, we are about to face La Sutherland, the never-falling demonic city in the void.”
Within La Sutherland, a multitude of Greater Demons would undoubtedly reside. Extracting the Descendent of the Demon God from the demon city, guarded by a host of these Greater Demons, would be a herculean task.
Contemplating the possible predicaments they might encounter, Canter couldn’t suppress his palpitations.
In the midst of the silence, when the floating ice in the sky drifted towards the middle of the Gloaming Mountains, Sineva’s voice unexpectedly echoed in their ears, “Get ready, once we pass the snow-capped middle of the Gloaming Mountains, we are set to plunge into the void!”
For the demons, their entry and exit to La Sutherland were made through the islets of Lake Nemin.
However, they were on a mission to hunt the Descendent of the Demon God, so they certainly could not march brazenly into Lake Nemin. Instead, they chose to enter the void from a distant plane, and then trace La Sutherland through space-time anchor points.
Soon, they passed the mid-section of the snow mountains.
Including Sineva and Samantha, the Frost Moon wizards jointly exerted their powers. In the space before them, a whirlpool emerged. Behind the vortex lay an abyss of darkness, which was the inner void of the Abyss Plane. If there were anchor points, it could even lead to the innermost layers.
In the vast emptiness, although enveloped in darkness, it doesn’t signify that it is devoid of life.
Numerous demonic entities are inclined to reside in this void, such as the ‘Void Demon’ Seamus. Furthermore, numerous demons frequently roam the void within, and even… in the deepest Abyss of the void, many Demon Gods slumber. Their power is so immense that an unguarded moment can disrupt the cosmic laws; only the void can accommodate their formidable forms.
As they steer the iceberg into the void, it signifies their expedition no longer has a path of retreat.
From now on, the only distinction is triumph or defeat.
When Canter ventured into the void, his initial unease gradually subsided. For others, the void signifies darkness, solitude, and the unknown.
However, for Canter, who carries the Nocturne Bloodline, his strength was considerably weakened in the perpetual darkness of the Abyss. Yet, in the pitch-black void, his power has been significantly enhanced. Bolstered by his newfound strength, Canter’s inner turmoil naturally diminished.
“Eh?” As Canter’s heart settled, he naturally turned his attention to Sanders beside him, only to find Sanders’ expression suddenly transformed, his eyebrows knitted tightly together.
After a considerable pause, Sanders regained his senses, his face reflecting confusion.
“What’s wrong?” Canter asked with curiosity. As long-standing friends, it was rare for him to see Sanders in such a state.
Sanders was silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts, then spoke after a while, “I don’t know why, but upon entering the void, I’ve had this faint and strange feeling. But when I tried to grasp it, it vanished.”
Canter frowned, “Could it be some sort of omen?”
Sanders shook his head, on the cusp of delving deeper into his thoughts, when the figure at the forefront, Mengke, began pinpointing the location of La Sutherland.
The methodology used by Mengke for tracing was invariably through the eye he had implanted on Morgheim.
Promptly, Mengke discerned the whereabouts of La Sutherland. Simultaneously, during the anchor point determination, he obtained fresh intelligence through Morgheim’s left eye.
“New intelligence?” Upon dissemination of this message, all the wizards turned their eyes towards Mengke in unison.
Sanders too swept aside any stray thoughts, considering the clarion call of combat was imminent. The more understanding of the opponent, the more advantageous for oneself.
“The direction of La Sutherland remains in the grip of a mysterious shop hidden deep within the whispers of rumors,” Mengke, organizing the freshly gathered information, spoke measuredly, “That shop named ‘Phantasmagoria’ trades in a peculiar experience.”
“And this experience is tied to the Abyssal Awakening that recently sent shockwaves through the demonic domain of La Sutherland.”
At Mengke’s words, a shadow seemed to pass over the faces of the assembled.
A clandestine shop, giving birth to demons of Abyssal Awakening caliber? Did this not signify that the future might witness the birth of more Demon Lords?
Demons and humans are natural adversaries. If more lords were to be born, wouldn’t it make their future foothold in the Abyss even more precarious?
“What exactly is this experience that the shop offers? Do we stand a chance to obliterate it on our upcoming journey to La Sutherland?” Sineva asked with a hint of worry.
“Effacing it is a Herculean task,” came the assessment, echoing the intel they had received, “Even the Greater Demons refrain from casting the die against that establishment. Our mission to La Sutherland should focus on swift and silent appropriation of our target — the smartest course of action. It’s in our best interest to avoid stirring the hornet’s nest that is an entity of such inscrutable power.”
Mengke’s aim was the Descendent of the Demon God, provoking a formidable adversary at this juncture would be a fool’s errand.
After a beat, Mengke added, “As for what experiences that shop offers, rumor has it that one can experience the rhythm of water and melody of the sea. Yet the specifics elude us.”
The rhythm of water, melody of the sea? The assembly of wizards was left in the fog, at a loss as to what it all meant.
Only Sanders, his brow furrowed as though a thought had snagged his attention.
“Melody of the sea?” Sanders murmured softly, an image inexplicably surfacing in his mind’s eye.
Mengke’s narration had concluded, and their icebound vessel continued its soundless voyage through the inky void.
“What are you thinking?” Canter inquired. Since Mengke’s discourse ended, over an hour had passed, and Sanders was still lost in thought, his brow furrowed. “Are you still mulling over that strange feeling from before?”
Sanders shook his head, “No, I’m contemplating the melody of the sea.”
“The sea’s melody?” Canter took a moment to process this. It seemed like an experience offered by the shop Mengke had mentioned, “Is there something odd about that?”
“Do you remember the first Magnum Opus that Angel crafted?” Sanders counter-questioned.
“I do. Wasn’t it said to be created in the Devil’s Sea? It shook the alchemical world of the Southern Region to its core.” Canter eyed Sanders with a mix of confusion and curiosity, “Does this have any relation to the sea’s melody?”
Sanders shook his head, his brow furrowed with uncertainty, “I’m not entirely sure if there’s a correlation, but that Magnum Opus belonging to Angel, it was aptly named the Rhythm of the Ocean.”
Canter stared, surprise etched on his features, “Could it merely be a twist of fate, a coincidence?”
Sanders fell into a pensive silence. In truth, he was also grappling with this sudden association of Angel. Logically speaking, sharing a similar name was not an extraordinary occurrence, merely a semantic coincidence.
However, the prophecy of Bruce had revealed to Sanders that Angel resided in the third layer of the Abyss, sparking an extra spark of curiosity within him.
“It should be a coincidence,” Sanders concluded aloud, but his internal sea of doubts remained uncalmed.
He was suddenly steeped in regret. He wished he had previously explored the Rhythm of the Ocean crafted by Angel; having that experience might have given him an additional insight now.
The primary issue was, when Angel had initially mentioned the Rhythm of the Ocean, he seemed reluctant to discuss it further and was quick to brush it aside. Even when Sanders attempted to bring it up, Angel had artfully avoided the subject.
Having never seen or experienced the Rhythm of the Ocean, Sanders was currently unable to determine whether the small shop Mengke mentioned had any relation to Angel.
…
In the farthest reaches of the Dark Void, at an unfathomable spatial-temporal distance from La Sutherland, there lay a place.
It was an eternal abyss, an unending pitch-black darkness where nothing could be seen or heard. It was akin to a mythic realm of oblivion.
Suddenly, a radiant gateway burst into existence.
A slender silhouette, its large wings beating against the backdrop of chaos, soared into this void.
“Flameless Lord, your devoted servant calls upon your awakening.”
With the drone of an elongated whisper, within the stygian realm, a colossal eye gradually opens.
This enormous eye flickers with an eerie emerald glow, like an ethereal flame smoldering in the obscurity.
None could envision that within this previously perceived barren darkness, such a monumental entity existed. Judging by the magnitude of the eye, its full size is, without doubt, unfathomably vast.
“Giallar, I discern your intentions,” emanates a ripple-like transmission, seemingly capable of reaching unfathomable distances.
The figure prostrated before the tremendous presence in the shadows bows its head further, “I await your command.”
“The goal of Olucia is Asgard, she will inevitably reach there, discovering her own path.”
Chapter 1069 Mengke's Perseverance <TOC> Chapter 1071 The Void Obelisk