SOGE Chapter 2 – Shattered WorldIn a dusky dried up cave, a one foot long crack appeared on the empty air.
Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui
An Eight Trigrams drawing spread out. Numerous tadpole-sized rune moved around!
Soon after, as the Eight Trigrams drawing flickered, something heavy dropped down. Accompanied by a “peng” sound, that thing smashed onto the ground.
“Cough cough… It hurts so much.”
Lin Hao woke up, coughing a mouthful of dust, feeling pain on his whole body.
So pain!
He couldn’t help but grimaced in pain. However, it only caused his pain to worsen, as if he had been dismembered by five horses before. The skin on his body were distending, as if it could crack at any moment.
What is this place?
He stood up with the support of the rock wall, gazing at the cave filled with cobwebs, dumbfounded.
Currently, his memory was still stuck in the past.
He was in the pyramid where he found strange bones and what was suspected as the vestige of China’s forefathers. Afterwards, he came across a bizarre situation where the old professor and the rest of them turned into piles of dried-up bones right in front of him.
“Could it be this is the place where Egyptians referred as souls’ final destination? The one and only paradise?”
“But… if that’s how it is, where are the old professor and the rest? Moreover…”
Looking at the shabby cave in front of him, his suspicion grew. If this was really the so-called ultimate paradise by Egyptians, this paradise’s poverty was indeed over the top.
Moreover, this cave had been sealed up, making it extremely murky. Had it not been for the light from the top of the cave, most likely he would be unable to see his fingers after stretching his hands nor his surroundings.
Abruptly appearing on an unfamiliar place, even though he had traveled to numerous unknown sites, he still blanked for a moment, but became clear-headed soon after.
“Could it be… that I didn’t die and came here due to that star map?”
The more he thought back at the bizarre scene caused by the star map, the more he found it probable. Maybe he really didn’t die and was transferred to another place by the star map.
Then… what is this place?
He took in a deep breath then looked at the top of the cave. The height was several zhangs high, yet there was only a small hole, If he was really thrown in from there, even if he wasn’t stuck at the hole, he would be smashed to death.
As for the cave entrance, it had been sealed long ago. Hence, it was impossible for anyone to come in.
d.a.m.n, how did I enter in the first place!
“AHH!!!”
Thinking this, he felt as if his mind had exploded. Holding his head, he screamed loudly. His eyes were widened as round as a ball, threads of blood filled his eyes!
He felt as if his mind was splitting apart, his whole body perspired heavily. He felt like as if he was being hammered countless times, cracking his mind!
Right at this moment, his vision abruptly became ashen and became normal again moments later. This state persisted for quite a while. In the end, numerous cracks appeared, making it appear like the s.p.a.ce itself had shattered!
After quite a while, his vision finally became normal again, before putting down his hands which were clutching his head before. Fear lingered within him.
What is exactly happening here!!!
Barely escaped from death yet encountering something like this straightaway made him almost collapsed. From his vision just now, he even saw that this world had shattered, just like a vase with numerous cracks. He even suspected that there was something wrong with his mind, otherwise, how could he see those absurd scenes.
However, if those were real…
Just when he had these thoughts, he somewhat hesitated then looked at his hands.
In an instant, the ashen world seemed to fuse with the normal world. He immediately saw his hands which had been covered with cracks, similar to a porcelain with cracks, which upon touching would break into pieces!
He inadvertently used the other hand and pressed lightly on one of the cracks.
“Ouch ouch ouch!”
With a burst of pain, he promptly loosened his hand.
Looking at that hand again, his complexion changed.
Though it wasn’t exactly like porcelain which would break into pieces with one touch, but the place where he pressed just now had swollen badly. It even revealed a red scratch which coincided with the crack, obviously the injury was too severe.
One had to know that he only pressed lightly and didn’t use too much of his strength, yet the result was this terrifying!
As he thought on, his sight landed on the rock wall next to him.
He extended his hand, pressing down a piece of rock lightly.
Soon, his brows jerked. As there was no response from the rock, he continued to press it down with added strength. After increasing his strength by half, suddenly along with a “kacha” sound, the rock split into two parts along the lines of the crack, falling down to the ground.
This…
His eyelids palpitated. Though the rock was covered in dust, it wasn’t something that could be crushed by ordinary people.
Even if it was just a common mountain rock, how could it be possible for an ordinary fist to crush it? The one to be wounded should be the fist!
Moreover, he had only used half of his strength and managed to split it apart by pressing against it. This was simply too shocking!
There was even more absurd thing!
“The crack isn’t exactly a crack. It is merely an image I saw. Every objects have their own energy distribution. Maybe what I saw are their weak spots which break easily upon touching.”
Seemingly sunk in his thoughts, Lin Hao finally calmed down.
It wasn’t that Lin Hao had great strength nor the rocks were fragile. Even fragile rocks were hard solid, so the problem could only lie within those cracks. Moreover, the cave was sealed up and only had a little hole. Wanting to escape from that hole was undoubtedly a fantasy. If it was before, he simply didn’t have any way out. But now with the a.s.sistance of those cracks, he could give it a try.
Hopefully I can get out from here.
He didn’t wish to be trapped to death alive after making his narrow escape from the pyramid.
No matter what was this place, if he could get out from here, there would always be ways for him to stay alive.
Right at this moment, a “gu lu” sound could be heard from his belly.
His whole body felt weak at this moment. He moved his sight towards the center of the cave. That was the only place where light shone in the cave.
He had to find something edible. There was a skeleton kneeling in the center of the cave. From how the skeleton looked, that person shouldn’t be too big before death. The skeleton was gripping a square cauldron, seemingly in wait of something but had died already.
This small cauldron…
His expression revealed nothing but amazement. Though he wasn’t exactly strong, but he was at least an adult, both hands had at least a strength of hundred pounds, yet he was actually unable to lift it up!
Not only unable to lift up, he was even unable to shake it by the slightest bit!
The square cauldron was but as big as a clenched fist, yet it seemed to be thousand pounds in weight. It was so heavy that it was unbelievable. It makes one wonder what were exactly the materials used to craft it.
What kind of place have I came to?
He felt quite apprehensive. Based on his impression, even densest diamonds in nature, with the size of a clenched fist, wouldn’t weigh as heavy as a thousand pounds. The materials for crafting this small cauldron had really crumbled his worldview.
In addition, there was a red liquid in the cauldron which emitted a strange scent. To someone whose belly was rumbling with hunger, this was a fatal temptation. Moreover, this red liquid didn’t have any cracks on it. This was the first time he saw something without cracks. Even he himself wasn’t much different from a porcelain filled with cracks.
He had wanted to gulp down this red liquid initially. After all, he didn’t have any other choices in this cave. But the moment he thought of that he was unable to lift the cauldron up, could it be that he had to lick on it like a pup?
The thought of kneeling down in front of the skeleton and licking the liquid inside the cauldron like a pup made his hair stand on end and felt unwell. Not to mention he didn’t even know whether that red liquid was edible or not.
Could it be…
Seemingly thought of something, his complexion suddenly became unsightly.
“Sorry, I meant no offense.”
He looked at the skeleton apologetically, saluted it with hands folded, took a step forward, and grabbed out a piece of bone.
He weighed it on in his hands. His expression changed. After quite a while, he released a breath, seemingly relaxed by a lot.
Though the bone was quite heavy, but it was still within the limits of ordinary people. Thinking this, he involuntarily smiled.
What he was thinking just now was that when he saw how heavy the square cauldron was, he wondered what kind of people who could use this small cauldron. Then he thought of that kind of human in pyramid whose a single piece of bone weighed over hundreds of pounds. They were simply humanoid tanks, colliding with them would be equivalent to be crushed by a war chariot. If it was that kind of human, then everything would make sense.
But when he thought that he was probably sent to the era where those abnormal humans lived, his mind became complicated. Though he yearned for this kind of mysterious world, but to really send him into this kind of world, he wasn’t prepared yet…
As for what had he exactly prepared, he himself didn’t know too. Probably it was a kind of Lord Ye’s pa.s.sion for dragons1 contradictory mentality.
But he seemed to have worried too much. Though the bone was heavy, it still hadn’t exceeded the limits of ordinary people. It was far different from the ones he found in the pyramid. Obviously, they belonged to different category.
Up till this moment, his belly was still rumbling. He started to feel dizzy, as if he was about to lose consciousness.
I don’t care anymore!
Though he was certain there was n.o.body else in the cave, he subconsciously glanced around. Finally, he turned around, facing the skeleton with complicated expression.
A skeleton which was like a devout believer, gripping the square cauldron on his hands, knelt in the center of the cave as if praying for something. Standing in front of it was a youth. The only light within the cave shone on him, giving of a saintly feeling.
Yet… the youth stretched out his tongue, licking something…
This kind of scene was strange, no matter how one looked at it. Thinking this, his hair stood on end. Shaking his head, he decided not to think those things anymore and put behind those complicated feelings. Gazing at the pair of skeleton eyes which as if looking at him, he leaned forward and stretched out his tongue…
There was very little red liquid, only a shallow layer much. Lin Hao only licked twice and he had reached the end of it. Yet, it was like aged wine which scorched him from the throat all the way to his lung. It made him feel so comfortable that he let out a moan. His face was burning as well.
When he landed his sight on the small cauldron again, he was surprised. The bottom of the cauldron was like a mirror with a few decorative designs on it. Lin Hao actually saw a sneaky fat in the mirror who was looking around sneakily, as if he was doing something that couldn’t be seen by the others.
Could this be the scene outside the cave?
He blanked out for a moment because he could see a collapsed cave in front of that fatty. Though he couldn’t see the cave’s cracks through the mirror, but from its external form, it was exactly the same with the cave he was residing in!
This small cauldron… Could it really see things outside the cave?