Chapter 1247: The Mysterious Veil of Lantis! (Bonus Chapter)
Alice's eyes were filled with deep worry!
(๑･᷄～･᷅) "You can ask me any questions you like! A lot of my memories were sealed by Haitang before!"
"The energy ripples from the Origin Staff broke the memory seal!"
Jiangnan suddenly understood—no wonder Alice no longer seemed so messed up.
(๑•̌～•̑)ˀ̣ˀ̣ "What exactly is going on with Lantis? Can that Origin Staff really give people the power to break through?"
Alice shook her head.
(˘◠˘｡) "No! It's evolution! Under the radiation of the Origin Stone, species accelerate their evolution rate, rapidly adapting to their environment."
"It breaks the original limits of the species! Be it intelligence, physical fitness, learning ability, or comprehension—all aspects improve!"
"The ancient kingdom of Lantis relied on the Origin Staff to achieve its peak glory in the last era!"
Jiangnan exclaimed: (*ﾟﾛﾟ) "Accelerating evolution? Is it really that miraculous?"
"Then if Lantis was so glorious, how did it sink? And why did everyone turn into fish-head monsters?"
Alice smiled bitterly: "Because of the heaven-sacrifice ceremony a thousand years ago! King Atlas was not satisfied with the current situation and wanted more Origin Stones to push Lantis civilization to its peak."
"The Origin Stones resonate with each other. But unexpectedly, that heaven-sacrifice ceremony provoked the wrath of heaven!"
"Heavenly fire rained down, sinking the continental shelf and dealing a devastating blow to the ancient kingdom of Lantis. Only the clansmen inside the Ling Xu survived!"
Jiangnan got goosebumps all over. Good grief!
The mural in the church of the Yu Guo royal palace—it was actually true?
What exactly is the origin of this Origin Stone?
Alice was full of melancholy: "Ironically, Lantis was not destroyed by the gods' strike, but by its own hands."
"However, that heaven-sacrifice was not completely fruitless. It really summoned the Origin Stone, which fell with the meteor. The blue gem placed on the altar was exactly that."
"Lantis sank, and seawater poured into the Ling Xu. At first, the clansmen could still rely on tide clams and pearls to survive. But under the radiation of the Origin Stone, they began to evolve!"
"They evolved into what they are now, fully adapted to life under the sea—but this path of evolution went astray."
At this moment, whether it was Haidi or Yao Hong, they were all stunned.
The mermaids really did evolve from humans? All because of the Origin Stone?
Jiangnan scratched his head: ୧(·•᷄ࡇ•᷅) "That doesn't add up? Since the Origin Stone has the power to evolve species, and you've been bathed in its light for a thousand years, shouldn't you have already produced beings beyond Dao Heaven?"
Alice shook her head: "No. After the heaven-sacrifice ceremony a thousand years ago, the era came to an end."
"The spiritual energy completely disappeared, and the space gate of the Ling Xu closed. The clansmen were trapped inside the Ling Xu, unable to leave, breeding generation after generation."
"The ancestors turned to dust long ago. It wasn't until about twenty years ago that spiritual energy gradually reappeared in the Ling Xu."
"But the total amount of spiritual energy was not much, only enough for some fish to cultivate. Shak is the highest level, and the sparse spiritual energy limited his achievements."
"Just a few months ago, the Ling Xu's space gate reopened."
Jiangnan winced. The end of the era had sealed them inside the Ling Xu for a thousand years?
The period when the Ling Xu regained spiritual energy coincided with the current spiritual energy revival on Lan Xing?
And the reopening of the Lantis space gate also matched the timing of Holy Star's Heaven Slaughter Project and the large-scale opening of Ling Xu in the uninhabited areas?
Igor's wave of Heaven Slaughter accidentally opened Lantis's space gate?
That's how the ancient kingdom of Lantis saw the light of day again?
Jiangnan's eyes flickered.
"What about your blue blood? And how did you end up getting caught by Pang Badi after escaping?"
Alice pressed her finger to her brow: "This is King Atlas's bloodline! It's the bloodline bestowed by the Origin Stone!"
"Only the purest blue blood can control the Origin Staff and enhance the radiation of the Origin Stone."
"I was the Holy Maiden of this generation, with the purest bloodline, the highest authority in Lantis."
"But this reopening of the space gate, coupled with the depletion of the Origin Stone, has caused panic throughout Lantis."
As Alice recounted, Jiangnan understood.
It turned out that after the space gate opened, Alice planned to gradually make contact with the outside world, integrating into this era in a gentle way, trying to avoid conflict.
But before she could implement it, the large Origin Stone began to deplete inexplicably.
And the power of the Origin Gem on the Origin Staff also weakened.
Shak, unwilling to lose this evolutionary power, ignored Alice entirely, rebelled with his men, arrested all the members of the Lantis Supreme Council, and declared himself king.
Alice, under the cover of many subordinates, managed to escape, originally intending to seek help from humans.
But she was wounded by sea beasts in the Boiling Flame Prison. She barely escaped with all her strength but fell into a severe coma.
Then she was fished out by someone and eventually fell into Haitang's hands, cruelly interrogated, and had her memory sealed.
Now, Alice stood on the cannon barrel, gazing at the bustling city, her eyes distant.
"A thousand years... this is no longer the era we knew."
Jiangnan winced. So he spent ten billion to buy back the king of Lantis?
Smooth!
"What is Shak planning to do?"
Alice was full of worry: "He wants to replicate King Kateras's operation from a thousand years ago—use the Origin Staff to summon new Origin Stones to fall."
"He will destroy everything!"
At this moment, Jiangnan and Craig both widened their eyes.
━=͟͟͞͞(Ŏ◊Ŏ‧̣̥̇)(•'口'•۶)۶
What the hell? Not possible?
This guy wants to summon a meteor shower to strike Lan Xing? And one that can sink the continental shelf?
Damn! That's so destructive!
They would be safe hiding in the Ling Xu, but a meteor shower of that scale falling into the sea would trigger a super earthquake and a giant tsunami!
If he actually succeeds, Yu Guo would be wiped out in one wave!
Craig was anxious: "This operation is trying to flatten Yu Guo!"
Alice urged: (งᵒ̌口ᵒ̌)ง "We must stop him! I have to reclaim my authority! Adopt a gentle external policy and gradually integrate into this era! Only then..."
Jiangnan said flatly: (￢д￢。) "Not to scare you, but you're being too naive. Lantis is strong—it has Shak, it has Leviathan, and its civilization is advanced—"
"But given the power currently held by various countries, Lantis will be utterly destroyed."
"When interests are at stake, who doesn't want Lantis's treasure? Weak nations have no right to diplomacy. The power of the state machine is terrifying."
"Lantis possesses treasures that everyone covets. It will inevitably be devoured by various countries."
"The only way out is to attach to a powerful nation and seek protection. It's easier to cool off under a big tree. Only then can Lantis qualify to integrate into this era—instead of being torn apart by tigers and wolves."
Alice's face turned pale: "Is... is it really that terrifying?"
Jiangnan shrugged: ╮(•́~•̀)╭ "Leviathan is strong, but among the people I know, at least three or four can take it down."
Craig said seriously: "Jiangnan is not exaggerating. That's the reality. If this continues, the only outcome for Lantis is destruction."
"But Yu Guo will do its utmost to help you. After all, Yu Guo is part of Lantis—the Atlas royal family is the descendant of Lantis from a thousand years ago."
"Haidi's blue blood is the best proof. You can trust us completely! Yu Guo is the big tree that will give you shade!"
Alice's eyes lit up as she looked at Haidi. She had already noticed this!
Haidi's bloodline was even purer than her own!
She never expected that the survivors of that heavenly wrath had developed like this.
(๑ớ﹏ờ) "Can you really help Lantis resolve the crisis and protect us from being devoured by various countries?"
Craig smiled slightly, about to nod.
But Jiangnan rolled his eyes.
(꒪ั~꒪ั*) "Yu Guo can protect nothing? What are you going to protect with?"
"Counting the Sea King, you only have three Dao Heaven—including one useless Void Kun—so only two that can actually fight. You don't even have a space-type!"
"If things get real, can Yu Guo withstand it? Don't drag yourself down with them!"
"Once news of the Origin Stone gets out, who wouldn't be tempted? The ones coming will be ruthless characters."
Craig's face darkened. What the hell is a useless Void Kun?
Don't speak of our Sea King that way!
Jiangnan continued: "Last time at the Abyss, just two resource layer cores were fought over like that. Yu Guo didn't even qualify to enter the game."
"This time it's Lantis's treasure—something that can evolve species and break limits! The fight will only be fiercer than last time."
Craig rubbed his forehead, full of worry.
(´-﹏-`(ヾ) "Then what do you suggest?"
Jiangnan looked smug.
(๑¯ิٹ¯ิ๑) "Hua Xia enters the game! Yu Guo and Hua Xia join forces! Your Yu Guo and Lantis are connected by blood—it's legitimate!"
"Hua Xia helping its ally through difficulties is also beyond reproach."
"As for Hua Xia's strength and high-end combat power, I don't need to say more, right? You know better than I do."
Craig's mouth twitched. Hua Xia has always only shown three Dao Heaven to the outside world.
But only a fool would believe they have only three! Those hidden families have a few tough guys, plus Dao Heaven beasts, and even a Bose body...
Fierce as hell. The uninhabited zone calamity alone was enough to show Hua Xia's strength.
"Conditions?"
Jiangnan grinned: "Of course, resource sharing! Complete sharing of Lantis's inscription technology, advanced weapons, and all other knowledge—no hiding or holding back!"
"Three-party common prosperity, mutual benefit and reciprocity, deeper cooperation."
"This era is unpredictable. Holy Star's moves are becoming more frequent. Having multiple allies is never a bad thing, right?"