Chapter 266 – The Twelve Faces of the Fate Stone
“My rune array isn’t permanent. We’ll need to find the sealed treasure before the array’s energy runs out and the altar gets resubmerged by the water.
As he spoke, Aiolos sported an extremely excited expression. They had walked to this point and was just a step away from the final rewards.
Quickly, the coffin flew toward the altar.
Constructed of some unknown material, the altar radiated with a dense aura of energy. Faint rune patterns akin to tiny fishes in an aquarium appeared and disappeared from view along the altar’s surface.
“Over there!”
Yet this picturesque scene couldn’t hold a single trace of the trio’s attention as they were quickly dominated by the something within the altar.
Present was a golden-coloured stone slab, about the size of an ordinary book. The pressure radiating from the altar made the slab appear exceedingly ordinary. Even so, the occasional flash of golden light from its surface was enough to enrapture the hearts of the trio.
“That’s it!”
“Be careful!”
Mu Zi and Aiolos made their way carefully toward the altar, both ready to unleash their different sets of skills. This wasn’t the first time the two had collaborated when dealing with situations. The altar before them, however, was a bit above their expectations. Nevertheless, neither held thoughts of retreat. They were willing to brave the unknown and face dangers, a courage that pushed them forward.
Everything had actually gone rather smoothly, making them feel elated. w.a.n.g Zhong blindly followed behind Mu Zi and simply stepped where he stepped.
This continued until Mu Zi lowered his head to examine the rune patterns that were like fishes within the altar. He was instantly shocked and shouted, “Don’t get close—”
But he was too late. Aiolos had already made his final step and was exactly ten meters from the center of the altar.
An endless torrent of black rune patterns shot into the sky from the bottom of the altar, like rain falling in reverse to fill the sky!
In but an instant, the surrounding sky and myriad lifeforms that had previously surrounded them, became nihility.
“Not good, hurry up! Let’s go!” Mu Zi was shouting as he explained, “Aiolos, this is a Dimensional Mayfly’s Den!”
Only when he spoke did w.a.n.g Zhong finally understand how serious the situation was. The trees, soil, rocks, lake water, birds, and fishes; everything had warped and distorted before transforming into enormous dimensional mayflies. It seemed that the moment they had stepped into this s.p.a.ce, they had actually walked into a True Illusion realm made by these dimensional mayfles. Of course, it could have also been a False Illusion, but the difference between them wasn’t important. These mayflies weren’t like those tadpoles from earlier. What they faced now were truly terrifying dimension lifeforms.
In the air, large dimensional mayflies converged together and radiated with a dazzling light. At a glance they seemed to form a kind of glowing light bridge…
Like the Milky Way!
Akin to combat-type s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps, this astonis.h.i.+ng crowd of enormous dimensional mayflies began to surround the low altar. Innumerable strands of energy radiated from each of the beings, wrapping the air around the altar into something similar to a coc.o.o.n.
It was then that the tip of the pyramid began to give off beams of golden light. The brilliance of this light ignited the blood-coloured pyramid’s runes. When all of the runes along the pyramid’s body was lit, it formed a ma.s.sive rune array that surfaced up from the ground.
Mournful cries pierced the air as the myriad lifeforms surrounding the pyramid outside began to collapse and wither. It was as though their vitality were being devoured by the pyramid. This consumed energy then made the pyramid light up, and the countless rune patterns connected together to form a single whole, activating the pyramid. This wasn’t just a few rune patterns, nor was it pieces of one. Instead, the pyramid itself seemed to radiate with every bit of the energy contained since its construction.
A pillar of light shot straight up into the sky.
When that happened it could be seen throughout the vast and endless higher dimension. At the Frontlines of the Freedom Federation, numerous alarms from various surveillance outposts and adventurer bases began to ring.
“Someone just triggered a Rank S secret realm!”
“It’s been over 20 years since the last time. Which expert do you think did it?”
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem to be anyone from our Federation. I’m afraid it might come from the empires’ side.”
A number of soldiers on the Frontlines stared up at the sky at that s.h.i.+ning pillar of light. The pillar looked as though it desired to pierce through the clouds and out of the hyperdimension.
The Federation’s overall control and level of exploration in the hyperdimension was quite rudimentary, but the theoretical foundation was quite rich. To them, the hyperdimension wasn’t a location, but a pa.s.sageway. It was a pa.s.sage that processed the transition between a lower dimension to a higher dimension. At the same time, it might also be a pa.s.sage from the higher dimension to a lower one.
Regardless of what the higher dimension wished from the lower dimension, it might not be something the lower dimension could endure.
While treasures were no doubt filled with enticement, at the same time it possessed a price that was hard to imagine.
A few of the top-level experts hiding in the hyperdimension, those existences that stood at the very peak strata of mankind’s might, also ‘awoke’. They were obviously curious of the ident.i.ty of those that had triggered this secret realm. Even people at their level wouldn’t dare trigger such a high rank by themselves. If they wished to try, they would do so as a group. Just that, there hadn’t been any news recently pertaining to such a case.
As for the trio on the altar, they had lost all ability to resist. This gigantic, cataclysmic rune array was completely out of their realm of resistance. It was like a terrifying water pump that took in all of the soul power and energy surrounding the pyramid they were in and endlessly funneled it to a higher level.
w.a.n.g Zhong and Simba seemingly collapsed in an instant, while Mu Zi and Aiolos merely lasted a few more seconds. In the face of such might, the tiny difference in strength between them wasn’t of much use. Their consciousness quickly slipped away, but they were unable to leave the hyperdimension.
Perhaps these laws of the higher dimension was actually bait meant to lure humans of great power into triggering the mechanisms…
Those enormous dimensional mayflies hovering around the altar appeared very happy. Their bodies grew in size and the various shades of colour on them became increasingly pure. They were evolving!
As the brilliant light poured into the altar, it seemed to erupt with even greater power.
w.a.n.g Zhong had lost control of his body, but his consciousness was in the process of recovery. It was the ‘summons’ of the higher dimension acting up again, and it grew increasingly stronger. Only, the Fate Stone was unable to break free of w.a.n.g Zhong as his physical body still existed. Having completely fused with w.a.n.g Zhong, the Fate Stone simply activated its self-preservation ability. w.a.n.g Zhong’s mind began to clear as the Fate Stone worked its magic, his eyes slowly turning.
For the first time ever, w.a.n.g Zhong looked upon the true image of the Fate Stone; an existence possessing twelve faces.
From w.a.n.g Zhong’s body, an even purer energy began to rush out and crazily suck in all of the energy from the large pyramid’s activated rune array. To the Fate Stone, this enormous source of energy was the best replenishment. It entered this Changjing-like river of energy, devouring the astonis.h.i.+ng, world-shaking torrent instantly. In fact, it had even sent an unsatisfied feeling to w.a.n.g Zhong afterward.
Not only did its grandiose devouring force sweep clean all of the energy that had gathered from around the pyramid, it had also stolen energy from the gigantic dimensional mayflies close by. They transformed from s.h.i.+ning specks into nihility and shrank back down to their original states.
Only one large dimensional mayfly continued to fight and struggle with all of its might. It forcibly shrank its enormous body to the size of a rubber ball, its bright, creamy light condensed around it. Even so, it was still full of despair.