novelraw Chapter 1594: 1595: Purpose
Chapter 1594: 1595: Purpose
Chapter 1594: Chapter 1595: Purpose
The straight avenue extends from the bridge, spanning the immense moat straight into the castle’s interior. On either side of the massive gate, armored stone statues stand tall along the road. Whether it’s an illusion or not, everyone feels as if those towering statues gripping the sword hilts with their blades pointed down are carefully observing them.
“Crystal coating? Indeed, it’s incredibly strange.”
Examining the brick walls beneath the crystal barrier reflecting a peculiar glow, Feng Yuan frowns slightly. This thing isn’t merely for show; he can sense the distinct energy coursing through that crystal barrier, an energy potent enough to deflect most ultimate moves.
“Even the gate has it; perhaps it’s to prevent us from breaking it open by force~”
Staring at the tightly shut gate, Veronia speaks with amusement. At this moment, the group halts in front of the bridge, although the stone statues flanking the bridge appear as mages, the group wouldn’t mistake them for mere decorative pieces.
“Hmm, what if we try the Resurrectors?”
Pinching his chin, Feng Yuan turns to inquire with the group behind him. Dou Yanlan surveys the surroundings without a reply, while officials examine the area, even knocking on those statues before saying,
“We can try it, but first, prepare your defenses. That thing has joints.”
“Mechanical defense stone statues? I thought they were the animated kind.”
Letting out a small laugh, Feng Yuan speaks as he begins to release the Resurrectors he had trapped. However, no matter their attempts to ram the gate with them or use them otherwise, they had no effect. Seeing this, Feng Yuan has to store the Resurrectors again. He doesn’t believe these things are completely useless; he just doesn’t know where to use them now.
“I’ll go and see what happens if I attack the gate. You all wait here for me.”
While the group considers their next actions, Feng Yuan suddenly speaks up. However, a commander promptly grabs Feng Yuan’s arm, shaking his head and says,
“No need, you probably don’t have much fighting capability left now. Leave this to us; you’ve already helped us enough.”
“This isn’t a joke. I’m seriously wondering if that guy would do something nasty here.”
Breaking free from the other’s grip, Feng Yuan calmly speaks as he looks at them. Since dealing with the Resurrectors, he’s had an inkling that the other party seems to be forcing him to act. Those Resurrectors aren’t something the Divine Beasts can easily handle, not to mention the influence on a soul level, which makes judging life and death quite tricky.
“I’m curious about the fun of opening the gate; do you object?”
Blocking Feng Yuan’s way, Veronia waves her parasol proudly with her head tilted back and speaks. The group is taken aback by her change, and before Feng Yuan can say anything, Veronia strides towards the gate, a long blade manifesting in her hand, which she swings at the gate, producing the sound of metal clashing. The gate remains unscathed, though the group isn’t surprised.
If it were that easy to destroy, they’d instead suspect a trap waiting beyond. Attempting a push, Veronia finds the gate immovably fixed. Walking to the gate’s edge, she discovers the hinges are crystal-sealed shut, making it almost impossible to open without breaking that crystal layer.
“Interesting, a sealed gate, perhaps this isn’t the way in? Hmph, let’s see if it’s truly like that dragon.”
Veronia speaks while swinging the long blade again, changing shape. A crystal behemoth appears before the castle coated in crystal. If one wasn’t aware of Veronia’s situation, many would likely mistake it for a creature of the Xuanching Heavenly Kingdom.
Ultimate moves continuously bombard the castle gate, spreading energy that emits colorful luminescence, making it difficult for the group to discern what’s happening. After a while, Veronia ceases her actions, reverting to her original form, she says,
“Can’t breach it with force, but how to pass then? Hold on… what’s this?”
At this point, Veronia notices the shallow relief on the gate, narrowing her eyes. She realizes it’s the scene before the castle, yet the statue’s posture differs from these uniformly arranged ones. Perhaps… recalling the statues are mechanical with movable joints, Veronia feels she’s pieced the truth together.
“Are you saying we need to pose these statues as on the relief on the gate? That could be possible.”
After hearing Veronia’s explanation, Feng Yuan gazes peculiarly at those statues, casually nudging one. The stone statue’s left foot shifts slightly, floating? The group is stunned since they hadn’t tried, they assumed these statues stood naturally on both legs. But if that were true, Feng Yuan certainly couldn’t move the statue’s leg; given their apparent weight.
“Interesting, let’s try what you mentioned.”
Rubbing his chin, Feng Yuan speaks, glancing at the crystal replica of the relief made by Veronia. Though some in the group feel worried, it’s their current viable attempt. As the final statue’s posture aligns, those statues suddenly come alive.
“Tsk! So it indeed needs to be taken down, huh?”
Holding the sickle in front, Feng Yuan comments disdainfully, but those statues don’t attack the group. Their weapons lift towards each other in pairs. Before the group does anything, space twists, and Feng Yuan instinctively grabs Xiao Ji beside him, silently observing the spatial shift.
Brilliant auroras envelop everything; as the light gradually dims, Feng Yuan finds himself seemingly standing in a strange space. In the distance are all kinds of auroras, Xiao Ji huddles in Feng Yuan’s arms, trembling with anxiety, having thought they would be separated earlier.
Now, the figures of others are nowhere to be seen, and although there’s nothing beneath his feet, Feng Yuan feels as if standing on solid ground. An illusion? Feng Yuan is somewhat skeptical, but even after using a clarity-inducing ultimate move, nothing changes around him. Wandering aimlessly, he discovers there’s no concept of ground here, or rather, any foothold could serve as ground.
If pausing, the space beneath transforms to support his feet. As he wanders here and there, Feng Yuan realizes he’s utterly lost his sense of direction, not distinguishing where’s up or down, or perhaps, here, such concepts don’t exist.
“A space resembling chaos? Strange, how do you resolve it?”
Nine small shields morph into nine small daggers flying towards the surroundings. Feng Yuan notices those objects shatter upon distancing from him, not due to exceeding a valid range, but colliding with an absolute barrier. Perplexed, he heads in a direction, discovering no matter how he travels, the absolute barrier’s distance remains constant.
“Interesting, wait, is that thing meant for here?”
Realizing the other party’s intention, Feng Yuan voices his thoughts to himself. Xiao Ji, transformed into a eggshell chicken perched on Feng Yuan’s head, peeks out inquiringly, locking eyes with him. Nudging Xiao Ji to sit securely, Feng Yuan releases a Resurrector resembling Qi Chen. Here, it undergoes anomalous changes, with a special flame instantly devouring it. Soon, only ashes remain, scattered by a mysterious wind.
“Troublesome indeed.”
Unleashing all the Resurrectors, watching them vanish within the flames, Feng Yuan, standing close, feels no heat. Yet he’s more aware that those Resurrectors are likely keys. Without consuming corresponding Resurrectors, escaping this mirage chaos normally isn’t feasible. However, the Resurrector matching him was already eliminated by him, not to mention, coupled with Xiao Ji’s…
Just as Feng Yuan prepares to act again, an eerie voice echoes.
“I’m waiting for you in the great hall.”
As the voice fades, the surrounding light gradually diminishing reveals the original reality. Seeing Qi Chen and others looking at him worriedly, Feng Yuan scratches his head and says,
“What’s up with you all?”
“Why did you take so long to appear? Did you dispel the mirage?”
Qi Chen stares at Feng Yuan, both anxious and worried, as the latter smiles and says,
“Of course, Resurrectors are the keys. I lost my key, so it’s a bit troublesome.”
“Are you… alright?”
“Of course I’m fine, let’s go to the great hall; I’m curious about what he’s up to.”
Feigning indifference, Feng Yuan speaks, yet Dou Yanlan and the others notice the fleeting shadow in his eyes.