owlsbooks #221 - Chapter 31: The Remains of God
#221 - Chapter 31: The Remains of God
Liu Yuan stood before a bronze door, the seventy-second illusion he had passed through. Originally, the illusions triggered his memories. But later, the scenes he saw became more interesting, likely fragments of memories belonging to this unknown entity.
Among them were glimpses of the world's truth. The specific timeline was unclear in these illusions. All that was known was that there were once two moons in the sky, and the land was inhabited not only by humans but also countless mythical races.
Then, one day, a streak of azure light flashed across the sky. That light suppressed the entire world, and countless chains of light surrounded it. Inside was an azure bead, and then the countless chains shattered, and the bead pierced the red moon. The blood moon began to collapse, resulting in a massive explosion, with the largest part becoming a red comet that flew away. The remaining debris was partly drawn to the white moon, forming a halo. The other part transformed into fiery rain, falling upon the earth, plunging the entire world into a cataclysmic disaster.
Volcanoes erupted, earthquakes shook the land, and floods raged. It was unknown how many years it lasted, but the shattered earth eventually revitalized. Many innate deities had ceased to exist; most of the previous innate gods had perished, leaving only a few. Later, the God of Nature discovered the bead that caused the world-ending cataclysm, only to be attacked by the combined forces of the God of Fire, the God of the Sea, and the God of Frost. The God of Nature was obliterated, his divine body annihilated, and only a trace of divinity escaped. The second to die was the God of the Sea, who lost all his divinity and became a massive black stone that sank into the sea. The God of Frost was severely wounded and fell into the Arctic, while the God of Fire was suppressed by the bead's unleashed power within a volcanic range. Even the master of the illusion had his body shattered. The age of gods was over!
The light twisted, and the illusion vanished, leaving only an empty room. Liu Yuan looked around, "That's it?" He pushed against the bronze door, but it didn't budge. Upon closer inspection, he found a tiny word beside the door knocker: 'Pull!'
Liu Yuan's face darkened. "Creak! Creak!" Behind the door was a corridor, with a group of men wearing robes adorned with beads. They looked at the suddenly appearing Liu Yuan with some surprise. These men had pale skin and deep blue lips, and most of them held heavy books. In fact, male witches and scholars were somewhat similar, both pursuing deeper knowledge.
The most famous male witches were known as the Immortals, their mystery revered throughout the Eastern world. The Immortal's room was at the end of the corridor, a small but exceptionally dark room. A long stone table almost filled the room, above which floated something that looked like a human heart. It was rotten and swollen, with a bruised color, but it was still beating. With each beat, it emitted a deep tremor, scattering waves of deep blue light.
Thirteen Immortals sat on either side of the stone table, their bodies withered and shrunken, their skin a full blue-purple. One could barely see them breathing, and before they even opened their mouths, a deep voice echoed in the air: "Mortal, what is your request in the Immortal Temple? As long as you offer your piety and wealth, the great Immortal Lord will grant your wish." Then, the thirteen zombie-like Immortals slowly turned their heads, their eerie blue eyes staring at him, sending chills down his spine.
"My wish? Let's start with a small goal! I hope to advance to the fourth rank, or to become a god, as you would say. If you can't do that, give me that thing," Liu Yuan said, pointing to the dark purple, wriggling heart.
"Bold! Mortal, you dare covet the grace of the gods!"
"Die, mortal!"
Azure light flashed in the eyes of the Immortals, and arrows composed of smoke-like substance appeared out of thin air, like shadow arrows in a game. Liu Yuan raised his hand, and an invisible barrier surrounded him. All the magical arrows that struck it scattered like snowflakes.
The originally arrogant Immortals all stood up, chanting spells to summon more shadow arrows, continuously attacking Liu Yuan. So many spells didn't even create a ripple.
Although Liu Yuan possessed substantial mental power, he didn't know any spells and could only use some simple techniques. "Is this all you've got? It's useless. Die!" With a flip of his left hand, the thirteen Immortals were pinned to the wall by his telekinetic power.
"Creak... creak!" The crisp sound of bones twisting. "Splatter!" As the pressure increased, they were squeezed into a pile of blueberry jam.
Liu Yuan beckoned, and the heart flew over. The moment it landed in his hand, a wave of eerie blue light rippled out. A string of text appeared before his eyes:
〖Heart of the Lord of Mysteries〗: Orange Legendary Item, the heart of the fifth-order native deity, the Lord of Mysteries, born in a low-level fantasy world. It contains a small amount of divine fragments that can be used to extract divinity or to master corresponding rules.
Lord of Mysteries? So, it wasn't the Immortal King. These male witches even worshiped the wrong god! Liu Yuan saw the disgusting slime on the wall and used his telekinetic power to scrape off the blueberry jam, putting it in an opaque glass container. As for the Heart of the Lord of Mysteries, he still needed to study it to see how to extract the divinity within.
Liu Yuan left the Immortal's House. The male witches he encountered on the way only glanced at him before going about their own business. Entering the Immortal's Hall was troublesome, but leaving was easy. A doorway above was inscribed with a conspicuous 'Exit'. In fact, with the Heart of the Lord of Mysteries, which served as the core of the formation, gone, the illusion formation had already failed, and the other formations would dissipate within three days.
Liu Yuan left the Immortal's Hall and saw the guards waiting anxiously there. Huh! Isn't that old man Daenerys' blood sworn protector? Why is he here? He glanced at the sky; it was still early, but the little girl couldn't wait.
Aggo hurriedly said, "Khalakka, a major event has occurred. This afternoon, enemies attacked the guards left behind. Twenty of our brothers died, and the Khaleesi's three young dragons were stolen."
Liu Yuan: "I know. Let's go! We'll return to the camp. Jhogo, you stay here and keep an eye on the entrance to the Immortal's Hall. If anything unusual happens, come back and notify me immediately."
When he returned to the camp, it was already on high alert. Sean, in full military attire, was standing beside Rickon. The Dothraki were very nervous, and his guards were also fully armed.
Liu Yuan asked, "Where's Dany? What's the situation?"
Sean: "I'm sorry, sir, this is my dereliction of duty. We don't have enough manpower now. After this place was handed over to Daenerys, their people were responsible for security. After our people's investigation, it should be internal personnel colluding with outsiders."