Chapter 30: The Divine Kingdom
Compared to the intense battle on Xi's side, Su Xiao was much more at ease inside the Divine Ceremony Hall. However, he had a problem: his main quest was stuck.
The main quest required him to reach the Divine Ceremony Hall and determine whether the Space-Time Hub Device was located there. Su Xiao had already searched the hall thoroughly, finding nothing but scattered rubble and three skeletons.
Realizing this, Su Xiao suddenly thought that the fat giant from earlier was likely some kind of "guide," someone who could provide key information from his mouth.
Unfortunately, when that fat giant saw Su Xiao, he got up and fled, and by now, he had no idea where he had run off to.
Standing beside the three skeletons, Su Xiao considered another matter: where did these structures come from? Judging by their architectural style, these buildings, including the Divine Ceremony Hall, seemed to have suddenly appeared within the Abyss. Some structures were even torn in half.
Thinking this over, Su Xiao walked out of the Divine Ceremony Hall and looked toward the steep cliff wall to the west. The top of the cliff was shrouded in black mist.
After observing for a while, Su Xiao returned to the Divine Ceremony Hall and crouched near the three skeletons to examine them. On the stone floor, there was a circular engraving, about six meters in diameter. This engraving had a different style from the Divine Ceremony Hall, as if it had been carved by someone after the hall appeared in the Abyss.
Su Xiao took a silver semi-fluid from his storage space and poured it onto the engraving. The silver liquid flowed along the grooves, quickly filling them.
Hiss~
Vapor rose. Su Xiao hesitated for a moment but didn't touch the array on the ground. Yes, this was an array—a type he had never encountered before.
At times like this, it was the giant war boar's turn to step up.
The somewhat bewildered giant war boar stood on the array. Unsure of its properties, Su Xiao took out a Soul Crystal (Medium) to power it. It was a bit wasteful, but he had no other choice.
As soon as the Soul Crystal landed on the array, it burst into brilliant light. Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha all stepped back.
When the light faded, the giant war boar had vanished.
"A spatial array."
Su Xiao muttered to himself, then began pondering where the coordinates on the other side of the array led. Unfortunately, with too few clues, he couldn't deduce anything.
At most, about ten minutes later, Su Xiao heard a whistling sound from above.
Thud!
A heavy object hit the ground. Su Xiao quickly walked out of the Divine Ceremony Hall. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw a massive crater in the distance.
Approaching it, Su Xiao initially thought the crater contained a giant hedgehog, but in reality, it was the giant war boar, now nearly turned into a hedgehog.
At this point, the giant war boar had at least several hundred arrows stuck all over its body. These arrows were cyan-blue, slender, and had exquisite feathers on their tails.
The craftsmanship of these arrows far surpassed that of the Sera Empire and the Northern Alliance, and their power was astonishing—they had one-shot the giant war boar!
The giant war boar, bought with an Apollo, had completed its scouting mission, confirming for Su Xiao that the teleportation array was a trap. The boar had likely been killed the moment it arrived. Remember, this was a war-beast-type boss, tough enough to ram city walls.
If such a war-beast boss could be one-shot, Su Xiao would at least be severely injured if he teleported there, especially since he'd be ambushed right after arrival. As for Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha, their chances of survival were slim. Bubu Wang, in particular, had no defensive abilities; if hit in a vital spot by an arrow, it would likely die on the spot.
"Is this... one-shot?"
Baha looked at the giant war boar. If the boar hadn't scouted ahead, the one turned into a hedgehog might have been him.
"Bury it."
"Alright, cremation then."
Baha and Amu gathered nearby building debris and lit a fire.
After a moment, Amu swallowed his saliva. In the end, Su Xiao decided to take some time to dig a large pit and bury the giant war boar. The boar smelled more and more fragrant as it roasted.
After burying the Iron-Head Vanguard War Boar and cleaning up the traces nearby, Su Xiao approached the towering cliff wall. He planned to climb it. The quest clues had hit a critical dead end, but he had already confirmed that the Space-Time Hub Device wasn't in the Divine Ceremony Hall, which was enough.
Skipping a step in the mission chain was something Su Xiao had done many times; he was experienced at it.
A layer of crystal formed on Su Xiao's hands, and his fingers pierced into the rock layer as he began climbing upward. A rope hung from his lower back, with the other end tied to Bubu Wang.
Su Xiao climbed at the front, with Amu behind him. Baha, meanwhile, hung from Amu. The black mist prevented flight, causing disorientation.
Based on Su Xiao's estimate, the Abyss's cliff walls were about 4,800 meters high—at least, the wall he had come from was that height.
As soon as Su Xiao climbed into the height shrouded by black mist, he noticed that the mist felt "heavy," as if it were putting an invisible suit of armor on him. Though unseen and untouchable, a sense of weight pressed down on his entire body.
Su Xiao continued climbing. For every meter he ascended, the weight on him grew stronger.
About half an hour later, Su Xiao found that this cliff wall was already at least 6,000 meters high, and there was still no end in sight. The weight on his body had reached an astonishing level.
Clatter~
Gravel fell from between Su Xiao's fingers. The higher he climbed, the smoother his breathing became. The oxygen content in the air increased, and there was even a faint, sweet taste.
After climbing 8,000 meters, Su Xiao used 76 pitons to anchor himself to the cliff wall. He lit a cigarette to rest, sweat dripping from his chin.
"Moo~"
A call came from below—it was Amu.
"Keep going, don't slack off! At your current weight, if you fall, you're dead!"
Baha flapped his wings, each claw holding a rope tied to Amu, helping him climb upward.
When jumping into the Abyss, the black mist only caused disorientation. But when climbing the cliff wall, the mist increased the pressure on the climber as they ascended.
Hanging on the cliff, Su Xiao tugged the rope around his waist. This rope was tied to Baha to prevent him from losing his sense of direction while flying.
After resting a bit, Su Xiao continued climbing. He could feel the rock layer his fingers pierced becoming more brittle. It wasn't that the rock's strength had decreased, but that the pressure on him had increased.
As Su Xiao's hand pierced into the rock, there was a sharp crack, and the rock he was gripping shattered.
Su Xiao's other arm plunged fully into the rock layer, sending gravel flying. He slid down dozens of meters before stopping.
Seeing this, Su Xiao pressed his hand against the cliff wall. A layer of crystal quickly spread upward to reinforce the rock's strength.
Using the holes left in the crystal layer, Su Xiao continued climbing.
After a full three hours, the black mist above Su Xiao began to thin. After climbing another few dozen meters, he emerged from the mist.
As soon as he left the black mist, Su Xiao felt a momentary sensation of weightlessness—an incredibly light feeling.
The cliff wall had reached its end. This wall was over 14,000 meters high, far above the ground level of the Eastern Continent.
Su Xiao placed his hand on the edge of the cliff and observed the area above.
The area near the cliff was a flat, moss-covered plain. Not far away, there was a river. The river was wide but very shallow, at most 30 centimeters deep. The water was clear and swift. Dozens of green lotus leaves clustered together, and small green-leafed plants drifted along with the current.
The sky was blue, but the sun was nowhere to be seen. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if something was blocking the sun, making it appear white. Strangely, the area wasn't dim; it was quite bright.
[Tip: The Hunter has arrived at the ultra-high-risk area: Divine Kingdom (Sixth to Seventh Rank).]
[Warning: The Hunter must act cautiously. The danger level of this area exceeds the limits of this world!]
[Tip: Main Quest: Fifth Ring (Completed).]
[You have obtained Soul Crystal (Complete) x4.]
[Main Quest: Sixth Ring cannot be activated. The Hunter must find the key guiding figure, Obo, and obtain clues.]
[Tip: Obo is extremely timid and kind-hearted. The Hunter must negotiate amicably.]