Gates of the Myriad Realms Chapter 355
by“Welcome back, Brother Paige.”
An unremarkable-looking man emerged from behind a tree.
“Ah, it’s you!” Shen Ye was surprised.
—Isn’t this the person in charge of the Shadow Brotherhood on the human race’s front lines back then!
The first time he met him was in the tent of the Hand of Shadow.
He even sold a fake death kit of horses and daggers.
“Brother Paige, please follow me.”
The man turned around and walked deeper into the forest.
Shen Ye immediately followed.
“The situation is very tense recently. It is said that the Undead might launch an attack at any moment, firing the first shot of the war,” the man said.
“Do we have any corresponding arrangements?” Shen Ye asked.
“The king has just ascended the throne and is overwhelmed with many matters, but he always keeps the front-line affairs in mind, and preparations in all aspects are being intensified.”
“—I’m here today to prepare a Shadow Ritual for you.”
The man said.
Shen Ye listened carefully, but felt a bit puzzled.
A Shadow Ritual… he hadn’t heard of it before…
But it wasn’t a good time to ask now.
He remained silent, following behind the other person, until they reached deep within the jungle.
There, a small encampment was found.
Several assassins, clad in close-fitting leather armor and with short knives and daggers at their waists, had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing Shen Ye approach, they all simultaneously made a “love you” gesture and spoke:
“Paige.”
“Young Paige.”
“Brother Paige.”
“Hello, seniors,” Shen Ye greeted them.
“No need for further words, let’s perform the ritual for him immediately,” the man commanded.
Everyone immediately got busy.
They took out various spellcasting materials from the tent, as well as rune array components that had already been engraved, and began to set up a rudimentary altar on the ground.
“Is there anything I should be aware of?”
Shen Ye couldn’t help but probe.
The man who led him into the camp seemed to be the leader, and he replied, “You are the Holy Paige personally appointed by His Majesty. You will surely be able to communicate with the Immortal Kingdom and receive exclusive blessings.”
Shen Ye tilted his head, silently watching the others set up the altar.
—He hadn’t heard of this before.
“What if I fail?”
Shen Ye probed again.
“Many people only gain power after several attempts at communication,” the assassin leader smiled at him, “Relax, it doesn’t matter if you fail.”
“Alright,” Shen Ye said.
The altar was quickly completed.
Several assassins stood before the altar, performing a set of extremely complex and graceful movements.
Shen Ye even thought they could debut as a group.
“Here it comes!”
The assassin leader suddenly shouted.
A faint light appeared on the altar, and energy began to condense into a wind that blew all around.
“Brother Paige, quickly! Go up, stand in the middle of the altar!”
Everyone urged.
Two lines of faint glowing text also appeared before Shen Ye’s eyes:
“With this ritual, the Immortal Kingdom has sensed the keyword ‘Meeting under the Moonlight of Yao Terrace’ and the Dharma Aspect ‘Guanghan Palace’ on you.”
“You need to stand in the center of the altar for further confirmation.”
Alright.
Let’s do this then.
Shen Ye walked to the center of the altar and stood still.
The other assassins gathered around, making “love you” gestures with both hands, and whispered:
“May the shadows protect you, brother.”
The light in the void grew brighter and brighter, all falling upon Shen Ye.
At this moment, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
In fact—
The Nightmare World itself originated from the Great Tomb Immortal Kingdom’s Hun Tian Skill.
Perhaps this was the real reason why the Nightmare World could communicate with the Immortal Kingdom and receive its blessings.
Suddenly.
The light in mid-air grew stronger and stronger, and the infusion of energy condensed into a gigantic white pillar of light visible to the naked eye.
Standing within this light pillar, Shen Ye felt his entire being filled with power.
In an instant.
Shen Ye felt a surge of joy.
Faint text quickly appeared:
“Innumerable eons ago, the Queen Mother of the Swarm, who occupied the Immortal Kingdom’s tomb, was defeated by you and your companions. Your companions took the Hun Tian Skill, and you remained, guarding the Dead Planet until this moment.”
“The Immortal Kingdom has sensed your presence.”
“Through further contact, your keywords and Dharma Aspects have resonated with the Immortal Kingdom.”
“Currently, your resonance with the Immortal Kingdom has increased to infinity.”
“Congratulations.”
“You have gained recognition from the Immortal Kingdom, which has injected energy into your Dharma Aspect.”
“—You have gained a secret mission bestowed by the Immortal Kingdom, thereby acquiring its title:”
“Deeply Hidden Selector.”
“Unique.”
“Description: You can initiate the ‘Immortal Kingdom Trial’. Among those who pass the ‘Trial’, if someone is recognized and recommended by you, they can gain the trust of the Immortal Kingdom, enter a relatively safe area within it, receive the reconstruction tasks assigned by the Immortal Kingdom, and earn the opportunity to grow slowly.”
“Reward: Each time you recommend a certain number and quality of professionals to the Immortal Kingdom, the Immortal Kingdom will provide some power to help you switch to a higher-level profession or acquire relics of the Immortal Kingdom.”
“—For the reconstruction of the Immortal Kingdom of the Supreme High-Dimensional Universe, everything is necessary.”
In an instant.
All light vanished.
The altar returned to its original state.
“It seems to have succeeded!”
The assassin leader said excitedly.
“Mm, yes,” Shen Ye nodded.
“As expected of the Holy Paige—you don’t have to tell me, the blessing of the Immortal Kingdom is your own secret, I’m just happy for you!” the assassin leader said.
“That’s right, our Hand of Shadow’s power has grown stronger,” an assassin said.
“With every additional brother, we’ll be more adept at dealing with the Undead,” another assassin said.
Shen Ye glanced at his Dharma Aspect.
The energy reached 3000 points.
He could do a lot of things!
The Immortal Kingdom was truly generous!
It was not convenient now; he would study it carefully when he had free time.
“Thank you all, truly thank you.”
Shen Ye said sincerely.
After all their hard work just now, he really should have bought them a drink.
But he was busy now.
Later.
“Wait a moment,” the assassin leader said.
He ducked into the tent and returned to Shen Ye a moment later, holding a letter in his hand.
“A letter from His Majesty for you—he said he couldn’t get in touch with you recently and didn’t know what happened, so he entrusted us to deliver it to you.”
“…Thank you.”
Shen Ye took the letter, broke the wax seal, pulled out a letter, and quickly read it.
He couldn’t help but sigh.
Norton was urging him to attend the Imperial Military Academy for advanced studies.
Damn it.
He wanted to go last time too, but there was no chance!
What about this time?
“Everyone, I might have to go to the Imperial Capital,” Shen Ye said.
“Everything depends on His Majesty’s orders. By the way, I remember you haven’t been in the army for long. Do you need any assistance along the way?” the assassin leader asked.
“No need—ah, yes, I need—can I choose for myself?” Shen Ye asked.
The assassin leader pulled a document from his怀, quickly signed it, and then stamped it.
“Here, with this transfer order, you can mobilize a small team to protect you.”
“Thanks, I’ll treat everyone to a drink when I get back,” Shen Ye said.
“No problem, no problem, go handle your urgent business first.”
The assassin leader leaned in and whispered, “Beware of those outsiders. Although they are also human, they only seek glory and the right to enter the Great Tomb—do not trust them.”
“Yes!” Shen Ye said.
Outsiders.
Those are people from outside, right.
He had arrived early enough, and at that time, the human race in the Nightmare World wasn’t so vigilant, allowing him to successfully establish a reliable identity, and then he was knighted “Paige” by Norton, which led to his acceptance by everyone.
Others probably wouldn’t have this treatment.
Shen Ye thought silently as he left the camp.
Now it seems—
Aside from the matter of outsiders, the Nightmare World was essentially still on its original trajectory.
But who was in power in the Undead Empire now?
Why did they want to start a war?
The Big Skeleton was still eagerly waiting to go back and see his mother!
No, he had to thoroughly investigate this matter.
Shen Ye thought to himself, returning to the bustling human encampment on the front lines.
“Paige!”
Someone shouted.
Many soldiers turned their heads to look at him.
“That’s Holy Paige, who killed the Undead assassin and saved His Majesty’s life.”
“It’s him, he looks so young.”
“But he’s really formidable.”
Everyone whispered.
Shen Ye had to force a stiff smile and greet everyone.
Two field inspectors ran up and asked:
“Paige, where’s your identification? Which army are you with?”
Shen Ye handed over the transfer order to the other party.
The inspector unfolded it, looked at it, and nodded, “Please proceed directly to the third tent ahead, the military deployment command center, where arrangements will be made for you soon.”
“Thanks,” Shen Ye took back the order and strode forward.
He arrived at the destination shortly after.
Entering the tent, he saw a line of soldiers standing inside.
An officer sat behind a desk, legs crossed, looking at these soldiers with an amused expression.
“Sir, please give us a chance.”
A soldier said earnestly.
“Why wouldn’t I give you a chance?” the officer snorted. “I ordered you to stay on the front lines and fight well, but you kept making excuses, and now you want me to assign you other tasks?”
“Report!” Shen Ye shouted.
The officer turned his head, immediately stood up, and laughed:
“Paige? Why haven’t you left for the Imperial Capital yet?”
“I’m about to go. Please take a look at this,” Shen Ye handed over the transfer order.
The officer looked at the order, verified the seal, then patted him on the shoulder with a smile and said:
“Alright, you go pick people. Anyone you choose is fine. The squad limit is six people. Come find me once you’ve picked them all.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Shen Ye waved to the officer and turned to leave, but heard a “wait a moment” from behind him.
He looked back and saw the entire squad of soldiers staring at him.
“Did you call me?”
Shen Ye asked.
“Do you think we’re suitable? We’re all quite strong and can certainly protect you on your journey to the Imperial Capital,” the leading soldier said.
Shen Ye hadn’t noticed earlier, but now, looking closely, he realized these men were not young, and each of them exuded a powerful energy fluctuation.
—Roughly at the level of stage five or six in the Dharma Realm.
“With your strength, you’re only soldiers?”
Shen Ye asked in surprise.
The officer quickly tugged at his sleeve and said, “These are outsiders, not to be trusted.”
Outsiders?
When Nine Aspects was still around, Shen Ye was at least a “Heavenly King” level professional on the Dead Planet.
Although he wasn’t a “Heavenly King” this time, he recognized almost all of the powerful professionals.
But these people were quite unfamiliar to him.
—They must be people from other planets.
Xu Xingke had also warned him to be careful of these people.
Shen Ye mused, then spoke:
“You haven’t established merits on the battlefield yet you’re thinking of going to the Imperial Capital. I suspect you have ulterior motives, so I cannot use you.”
The soldiers looked at each other.
One of the soldiers stepped forward and snapped, “You brat, you’d better listen obediently, otherwise—”
“Presumptuous!” the officer roared. “Guards!”
Before he finished speaking.
The entire tent was immediately surrounded.
Two squads of heavy armored knights entered the tent, drew their weapons, and pointed them at the soldiers.
The leader of the soldiers quickly pulled that man behind him, with a fawning smile on his face, and said:
“Gentlemen, my man was just joking with that half-grown lad, it’s not worth making a big fuss.”
He emphasized the words “half-grown lad” particularly heavily.
—In fact, it would have been better if he hadn’t said that; as soon as he did, all the knights’ swords were pointed at him.
“Are people who bear the name of Holy Paige to be insulted by you?”
The officer said coldly, making a beheading gesture.
Kill?
A thought suddenly flashed through Shen Ye’s mind.
Should I try the “Immortal Kingdom Trial”?
Even if they survive, he just needs to disapprove their passage.
He had to see how this “Selector” worked.
“Activate the trial—survive if you can.”
He silently recited in his mind.
The next instant.
As soon as the officer completed his killing gesture, dozens of great knights attacked simultaneously.
“Damn it, with just you guys—”
The soldier leader shouted, bringing his subordinates with him to resist.
A violent wave of sound suddenly erupted in the void.
Buzz!
All the great knights simultaneously unleashed a sword technique called “Sonic Slaughter Slash.”
The invisible slashes instantly pierced through the tent.
Limbs scattered across the ground!
Those soldiers were all killed on the spot before they could even manifest their Dharma Aspects.
Shen Ye stood by, clenching his fists tightly, not uttering a sound.
—It was completely different from before!
The strength of these great knights, each at the sixth stage of the Dharma Realm, and even one at the seventh stage, was formidable.
Their battle experience was ample, they fought without mercy, and with their coordinated attacks, killing those individuals was naturally effortless.
However—
When did the human army become so strong?
Could it be the blessing of the Immortal Kingdom?
Or did the Nine Aspects not destroy this world’s defenses, causing the world to become even stronger?
“Clean up! The others disperse!”
The officer ordered.
Immediately, several personal guards entered the tent and began to clear the bodies.
The others gradually dispersed.
Seeing Shen Ye still there, the officer smiled and patted him on the shoulder:
“Brother Paige, pay no mind to these boorish outsiders. His Majesty personally sent a letter asking about you, urging us to expedite matters—you should go pick your people quickly.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Shen Ye bid farewell to the other party and walked out of the tent.
Outside, a squad of spearmen had just arrived and were resting on the spot, and a dispatch rider hurried over to confer with the unit’s officer.
This busy and lively scene brought Shen Ye back to his senses.
“Spearmen…”
He observed carefully, noticing that even the most common soldiers on these front lines had strengths ranging from the first to second stage of the Dharma Realm.
In just a few days, the Nightmare World had become so powerful?
Shen Ye strolled forward.
Lines of faint glowing text rapidly appeared before his eyes:
“This Immortal Kingdom Trial has concluded. All tested individuals have failed; none have passed.”
“The expenses for this operation will be settled from the tested individuals.”
“You have received a portion of their supplies, which the Immortal Kingdom has directly transferred to your Dharma Aspect.”
“Other supplies have been collected by the Immortal Kingdom to replenish the energy used to initiate the trial.”
Shen Ye froze.
This Immortal Kingdom was quite something, very good at managing its resources.
And from its characteristics, it, like him, could freely place things into its Dharma Aspect.
—”Meeting under the Moonlight of Yao Terrace” and “Guanghan Palace” both originated from it.
Without these keywords and Dharma Aspects, cooperation with it would be impossible.
No wonder he was the “unique” selector!
Shen Ye slowed his pace and walked to the slope by the roadside, looking down at the training ground below the camp.
Normally, for someone as idle as him to appear on the front lines before a major war would be problematic.
The field inspector immediately walked over, but seeing it was “Holy Paige,” he smiled and turned to attend to other matters.
—He had indeed obtained His Majesty’s permission to select people to return to the Imperial Capital.
Besides, this was the young man with the name “Holy Paige.”
From a human territory already annihilated by the Undead, loyal and pure, and he had saved the King’s life.
Why would anyone give him trouble?
No one bothered Shen Ye.
However, several mess hall soldiers passed by him, and incidentally, slipped a small tin flask filled with grape juice into his hand.
“Thanks, brothers.”
Shen Ye nodded in acknowledgement to them.
“Brother Paige is too kind,” the mess hall soldiers grinned and walked away, carrying their things.
Shen Ye observed the professionals on the training ground while sipping his grape juice in small mouthfuls.
After watching for a while, he placed his mental energy into his Dharma Aspect.
Inside the Dharma Aspect, there was indeed a large box, two meters by two meters, neatly placed.
“Shall I open it?”
The Big Skeleton asked.
“Open it and see,” Shen Ye said.
The Big Skeleton found a twig and poked the large box from a distance, trying to pry open the lid.
“You’re being too careful,” Shen Ye teased.
“I have to be careful! I’ve read through the Book of the Undead, and the runes on this box constitute an ancient defensive spell. We don’t have the corresponding opening runes,” the Big Skeleton said.
Shen Ye thought for a moment and asked, “How many Books of the Undead does your Undead Empire have?”
“How many!” The Big Skeleton glared at him. “Only an Undead Monarch can gain the authority to rule all Undead, and thus be passed down this sole Book of the Undead by the Lord of the Underworld.”
“But you haven’t become a monarch yet,” Shen Ye said.
“I am the proper heir! Now that my mother is resurrected, do you think I can become a monarch when I return to the Undead Empire?” The Big Skeleton said proudly.
Shen Ye remained silent.
The situation in the Undead Empire was still unknown; he wouldn’t tell it for now, lest it worry.
The box was pried open.
A powerful spell rushed out of the box, but flashed in the void and then completely disappeared.
“Eh? Is it that bad?”
The Big Skeleton said, confused.
Shen Ye glanced at the small text in the void:
“The Dharma Aspect absorbed the energy of this spell.”
“Current energy: 3050.”
A defensive counter-spell provided 50 points of energy, which was quite a lot.
Once these matters are handled, I’ll immediately begin building the Dharma Aspect!
“Let’s see what’s inside!”
The Big Skeleton walked forward, rubbing its hands, and peered into the box.
Inside, neatly arranged, were identical black bottles, and above all the bottles, there was a token-like object.
“It’s a magic bomb!”
The Big Skeleton cried out and slammed the box shut.
“You’re so scared, is it that powerful?” Shen Ye asked.
“Nonsense! Any one of these bombs is comparable in power to a Soul Shock Bomb, capable of blowing your soul to smithereens,” the Big Skeleton said.
Soul Shock Bomb?
It was quite powerful; he had relied on it to save Norton and defeat the enemy back then.
Shen Ye suddenly remembered the scene in the tent earlier.
If the Great Knights were a little weaker, or their attacks a little slower, allowing the “outsiders” to use those bombs…
Unimaginable.
“Don’t be afraid, there’s also an iron-like thing inside, take it out and let’s see.”
Shen Ye said.
The Big Skeleton had no choice; trembling, it opened the box and pulled out the iron piece.
The iron piece had some writing on it that Shen Ye had never seen before.
The Big Skeleton glanced at it and said:
“This is the script of another branch of human civilization, tending towards depicting the forms of all things; the calligraphy is very beautiful.”
It casually picked up a Nightmare Crystal, infused the knowledge of the text into it, and then crushed it within the Dharma Aspect.
Shen Ye immediately received the transmission of knowledge.
—The Lord of the Underworld choosing the Big Skeleton as an heir might be partly because it replenishes what it consumes, and partly because it is indeed knowledgeable.
“Look at the words on it.”
“Okay.”
The Big Skeleton raised the token.
The token read:
“Order: Join the Nightmare World, spare no effort in finding a way to enter the Immortal Kingdom of the Great Tomb, and you must find information about the ‘Hun Tian Skill’!”
“Failure will not be tolerated. Those who disobey will die.”
Hun Tian Skill.
It could turn reality into a dream, allowing it to perish at will.
Just this one point possessed unimaginable power.
Not to mention it could also turn dreams into reality.
—It should be a relatively important, high-level core spell within the Immortal Kingdom.
However, Charlotte had already taken this spell.
Charlotte had long foreseen the current situation, fearing that too many, too powerful, and too crazy people would go to the Dead Planet.
If these people couldn’t find the Hun Tian Skill, perhaps they would slowly stop coming.
Shen Ye thought silently, then suddenly spoke:
“Hey, Feilun.”
“You suddenly call my name, I’m a bit unaccustomed to it,” the Big Skeleton responded awkwardly.
“Because I need to tell you something serious—I’ve found that the Nightmare World has become much stronger. Any random soldier now has the strength of the first or second stage of the Dharma Realm.”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie to you!”
“Then the Undead…”
“Exactly. So you really need to cultivate well recently, otherwise, when you go back to the Undead Empire, your strength will be the weakest among your mother’s sons, and that won’t look good, and might even be dangerous, you understand,” Shen Ye said in a serious tone.
“That makes sense… it really does. It seems I need to cultivate seriously for a while!” the Big Skeleton muttered.
“Keep it up.”
“Mm, you mustn’t go back to the Undead Empire just yet. I need to improve my strength.”
“…Keep it up.”
Shen Ye retracted his attention and looked back at the training ground below the slope.
The matter was settled.
Now, to select personnel and return to the Imperial Capital.
A sudden commotion erupted on the training ground.
It turned out that two groups of new recruits were arrayed against each other in battle, the intense clashing of weapons so loud that it drew the attention of other units.
“Hmm… how could I have forgotten them…”
Shen Ye muttered.
Yes—
To find trusted companions, of course, it would be Xiao San and Xiao Mengyu!
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