Chapter 1219 The Land of Darkness <TOC> Chapter 1221 Cold Ancient City
Translator: SumTLMan
Before them laid a veil of unyielding obscurity, a plane devoid of discernible features.
Nonetheless, in that moment, Vaudeurs casually tossed his lantern.
The lantern found its resting place in the heart of a hillock formed from countless bleached bones. Its dim, flickering light revealed the shadowy silhouette of a towering throne not far away.
Is this the Land of Darkness? An accumulation of skeletal remains paired with a decrepit throne?
As Angel mulled over this puzzle, Vaudeurs gently tapped the void with his bone staff. A gust of cold wind swept through, carrying the lantern’s flame further into the distance.
The wafting luminescence painted a stroke of light against the encroaching darkness, piercing a hole in its shroud.
With the flame’s departure, Angel began to perceive outlines of what seemed to be man-made structures within the darker depths of the Abyss.
While he pondered these glimpses, the inconsistent dim light suddenly burst into brilliance, like a sun illuminating a domain of darkness!
The radiance banished the profound darkness, revealing an imposing cityscape that took all but one present by surprise!
The city bore similarities to the architectural styles seen in the towns they had encountered previously, yet the structures here were far from dilapidated. Towers upon towers stacked up densely, the streets were narrow but paved smoothly. Each street boasted vivid sculptures that were stunningly lifelike. The intricate carvings were colored with a variety of hues, the city also featured ancient towers, and towering city walls that seemed to connect to the darkness itself!
The city was littered with glistening white bones! A multitude of ghosts darted between the high rises!
Yet, that still wasn’t the full extent of its grandeur. What truly struck Angel with awe was the spectacle above the city!
Suspended in mid-air was a gate — monumental and grandiose to an extreme, built entirely of bones!
In terms of height, it easily exceeded fifty meters.
The gate was currently shut, its surface etched with a formation of mysterious patterns. The frame, however, was overrun with piles of white bones, each of different shapes.
From a distance, objects were continuously dropping from the gate frame. On closer inspection, these were the bones clinging onto the gate, falling like a flurry of winter snow, creating a scene of chilling eeriness.
Among the fallen was a skeletal figure, landing not too far from them. A closer look revealed it to be the skeleton of an Abyss Alligator. After hitting the ground, a chilly, haunting red light flickered within the bleached eye sockets of the Alligator.
Its resentful gaze swept over Angel and his companions.
However, as the Alligator skeleton noticed Vaudeurs, it paused, refrained from approaching further, and instead, turned away. In a few leaps, it disappeared into the darkness of the city.
“The Tan Continent is just recovering from its upheaval, so this once-inoperative gateway has started reestablishing its spatial coordinates. This process is what causes fluctuations, leading the clinging bones to fall,” explained Vaudeurs.
As Angel still marvelled at the grandeur of the ghostly city and the terrifying bone gateway, Greaves, standing behind him, seemed to have a sudden realization. Pointing towards the floating bone gate in mid-air, he ventured, “Could this be a Phase Gateway?”
Phase Gateway? Angel quickly turned his head to look at Vaudeurs.
Vaudeurs nodded, “Indeed. As expected of a descendant of the demon nobility — the lineage of the Rune Fire Demon, your knowledge is impressive. This is certainly a Phase Gateway.”
Caught off-guard by the unexpected praise, Greaves, still in a state of awe, jumped. A blush unconsciously spread across his face as he stammered, “I’m not a Rune Fire Demon yet, so I won’t feel happy if you compliment me now.”
Angel paid no attention to the clear emotional changes written all over the delighted Greaves. Instead, he stared intently at the gigantic gate in the sky.
This was a Phase Gateway recognized by Vaudeurs!
Fafnir had once enlightened him that the Abyss was home to several Phase Planes, each one similar to the four domains in the Wizarding World, possessing an unfathomably vast expanse of space and distance. Therefore, the only way to reach another Phase Plane would be through a Phase Gateway!
Given the monumental importance of Phase Gateways as essential hubs of passage, they wouldn’t possibly be left to the control of common demons.
Generally speaking, Phase Gateways are protected by Demon Lords! Moreover, those who own Phase Gateways are essentially Demon Lords whose powers rival those of the Demon Gods, or Lords with a powerful background.
Therefore, based on Angel’s own judgement, he figured he would not be able to encounter a Phase Gateway anytime soon.
Yet, to his surprise, there was one right here?!
Could it be that Vaudeurs was… a Demon Lord?
Angel suddenly remembered that while Vaudeurs had introduced himself earlier, he had not revealed his true identity. Since they were in the Cold Ancient Ruins, Angel assumed Vaudeurs to be a native. Could he, in fact, be a demon?
Perhaps sensing the confusion in Angel’s eyes, Vaudeurs explained, “I once was indeed a native of the Abyss.”
“The establishment of the Phase Gateways originally came from the Gazing Abyssal Eye, which had inherited the Will of the Abyss and forged the first few gates. They were given to the dominating rulers of the Abyss at that time, monopolizing the passages to other Phase Planes. Later, some mighty Demon Gods were also able to create Phase Gateways, gradually leading to their proliferation… However, even though they became common, there were still not many. A single Phase Plane wouldn’t have more than ten gateways at most.”
“This particular Phase Gateway, known as Bones, was one of the initial gates forged by the Gazing Abyssal Eye. It was given to one of the rulers among the natives——Kansamovic. He was the original Emperor of the Cold Ancient Ruins, whose power could rival that of the strongest Demon Lords.”
“Kansamovic established the Gate of Bones within an outpost of the deeper layers of the Abyss. However, as the Cold Ancient Era gradually concluded, this gateway was moved to the original Tan Continent before his death and ended up staying in the Land of Darkness.”
“Due to this gateway, numerous prying and covetous gazes, driven by malicious greed, have come one after another. This even led to several battles, forcing countless native inhabitants to abandon the Tan Continent. Peace gradually returned only when a new Phase Gateway was created by a Demon God.”
After hearing Vaudeurs’ explanation, Angel reached an understanding. “So, this Phase Gateway belonged exclusively to the native inhabitants?”
“Exactly.”
Angel asked, “If I wish to leave this place, do I need to pass through the Phase Gateway?”
“If you wish to visit other Phase Planes, I could use the Phase Gateway to aid your departure. However, as the continent is recovering from its upheaval and spatial energy is stabilizing, the Phase Gateway may need to recalibrate its coordinates. This might take a while.”
The prospect of visiting other Phase Planes intrigued Angel, for it presented an opportunity to explore different planes in the Wizarding World such as the Western Lands, Eastern Realms, and Northern Territories. Rumor had it that one could encounter the Source World in other planes of the Wizarding World.
The Source World housed the pinnacle of magical forces in the Wizarding World and was the most coveted destination among wizards. Unfortunately, the pathway from the Southern Region of the Wizarding World to the Source World had been destroyed intentionally. Hence, any wizard who had broken through the legendary realm in the Southern Region would eventually depart, all due to the absence of a road to the Source World.
Despite Angel’s longing to explore other planes in the Wizarding World and Source World, the timing was not right to leave the Southern Region. Not to mention that the situation with Jon was still unstable, making it impossible for him to leave. Also, Toby’s curse had not been lifted yet. Although the doom curse was barely shielded by the domain green rune, it didn’t mean the curse was lifted. Assistance from Odeklaes in Ice Valley was still needed.
The most crucial point was that the journey through the Abyss had further highlighted the importance of power to Angel. Until he acquired a stable level of strength, he did not plan to venture into dangerous territories again.
Passing through the Phase Gateway to other Phase Planes would inevitably lead him to different Abysses. It’s said that the Wasteland Plane in the Abyss is one of the weakest levels among all the Phase Planes. If he ventured into even stronger Abysses without the capability to protect himself, how would he find the way to other Wizarding Worlds?
With these thoughts, Angel mused, “I don’t have any plans to visit other Phase Planes for now. But can I go to the external Cold Ancient Ruins from here? I mean, that area on the surface of the Abyss.”
The external Cold Ancient Ruins are very close to Ice Valley. Even without using Gravity Lines, and just riding the Gondola, he could reach there in about half a day.
Of course, going directly from the Tan Continent to external Cold Ancient Ruins would be the best scenario.
Angel also believed that if one could travel from the external Cold Ancient Ruins to this part of the original Tan Continent, there must also be a pathway to depart.
“Are you intending to venture to the Moliere Land? It is often mistaken as the Cold Ancient Ruins in the external plane.” The realization dawned on Vaudeurs.
“May I?”
Vaudeurs pondered for a moment, “Venturing there is not an issue per se, for our location is indeed linked to the Moliere Land. However, we must await the awakening of Garm.”
“And what might Garm be?”
“He’s the gatekeeper of the Plane of Death, a servant to the Dark Prison Queen.”
From Vaudeurs’ description, Angel got a broad understanding of Garm, a Purgatory Hound sleeping in a frosty citadel.
Purgatory Hounds were not uncommon, but their master was indeed terrifying.
The Dark Prison Queen, a commanding figure over the Dark Death Prison, was an Elder and powerful being, and even Kurland served her. Garm, who had been with the Dark Prison Queen for many years, boasted a formidable power that was nearly legendary.
However, two thousand years prior, the Dark Prison Queen dispatched Garm on a secret mission. He returned gravely injured.
As a result, Kurland brought Garm to the original Tan Continent to recuperate, drawing on the power of darkness abundant there.
Coincidentally, Garm’s chosen resting place was the Gateway to the Moliere Land.
“So, Garm blocks the passage? To depart, one must wait for its awakening?” Angel inquired.
Vaudeurs nodded in confirmation.
“But I remember outsiders sporadically entering the original Tan Continent from the surface planes. How does that happen?” Angel furrowed his brow, his mind flashing the image of Gusia.
“Garm is a proxy of death, its awakenings aren’t infrequent, but these periods of lucidity often last for a fleeting moment. Each time Garm awakens, it subconsciously emits a wave of death intent. The unfortunate souls who end up falling from the surface planes into the original Tan Continent are often those who were hit by this wave of death.”
Chapter 1219 The Land of Darkness <TOC> Chapter 1221 Cold Ancient City