Gates of the Myriad Realms Chapter 358
byThe battle situation changed dramatically in an instant.
Eudelia keenly seized this opportunity!
Although she didn’t know what was wrong with the opponent, the fact that their strength quickly declined was apparent.
“Starfall,” she whispered.
The entire world suddenly turned into night, and countless stars, like streams of light, shot towards Joseph, crashing into him.
— The power of star collision!
Thousands of blows were delivered in an instant, without a moment’s respite.
Joseph’s body flew high into the air.
After a while—
His corpse fell from the sky, hitting the ground with a thud, and lay still.
A moment of silence.
“He’s really dead,” Big Skeleton said in a hushed tone.
Shen Ye relaxed.
Joseph had fought for a good half-day, endured anal fissure, weapon theft, and possession, and was already greatly depleted. Then, he suddenly faced Eudelia’s full-force attack—
The outcome was already destined.
However.
What exactly was going on?
For now, it seemed relatively safe.
Shen Ye couldn’t help but pour his psychic energy back into the 法相.
By the sea.
The ship had docked.
The Four Kings stood in a row, hands on their hips, looking up, admiring their spoils of war.
— That three-meter-tall, misty yellow crystal.
If one looked closely, they could see a faint human figure within the crystal.
A specimen?
Or something else?
A faint light appeared around it,
and gathered into words beside the crystal:
“Soul-Traversing Resonance Crystal.”
“Rare crystal from the upper-dimensional universe, multi-universe shuttle medium, special parasitic shell.”
“Description: A soul sealed within the crystal, capable of traversing multiple universes and parasitizing the target’s 法相. Through a cycle of devouring, it completely transforms the target’s soul and body into its own.”
“Each devouring requires a ten-minute interval.”
Shen Ye read it all in one glance and nearly swore.
Fortunately, there was a ten-minute cooldown!
Otherwise, wouldn’t the other party try to possess him?
— Too dangerous!
But then again…
He carefully observed the crystal, seeing that the figure inside seemed somewhat bewildered.
This fellow also didn’t know what went wrong!
Indeed, who would have thought someone would secretly steal things from another’s 法相?
My lord, I’m truly sorry.
You were going to kill me, but I ended up stealing you instead!
As Shen Ye was thinking, lines of faint luminous text suddenly appeared in the void:
“The current trial has ended.”
“Shen Ye, Xiao Mengyu, Nangong Sirui, and Guo Yunye all engaged in battle with the enemy.”
“Trial passed!”
“Furthermore, if you offer this crystal to the Celestial Kingdom as payment for this trial, the Celestial Kingdom will upgrade your reward by one tier!”
“The Celestial Kingdom needs this crystal?” Shen Ye asked in surprise.
An invisible will descended into the 法界, forming words before his eyes:
“Very much needed!”
“This parasitic entity possesses immense power beyond the undetermined cosmic layer. The Celestial Kingdom has a way to fully extract all its power to repair the Celestial Kingdom’s damage!”
“—Then what is my reward?” Shen Ye asked.
He had to ask carefully!
Such a large and rare crystal, plus that ‘nerve’ inside, wouldn’t it fetch a good price?
The Celestial Kingdom’s reply came:
“Your advanced profession will be elevated by another tier.”
Alright!
Shen Ye was now deeply aware of the importance of professions.
“Deal.”
He said.
As his voice fell, the three-meter-tall crystal suddenly trembled, and several vertical cracks appeared on its surface.
The figure in the crystal spoke:
“Baxter… is that you?”
Shen Ye’s body shook.
Who exactly was this guy?
Why did it know his name as a vampire?
The figure began to speak in a soft female voice: “I am… Sophie… Nancy’s friend, Baxter!”
Sophie.
That was Nancy’s best friend in childhood.
Nancy had always yearned for her to be alive so they could ride a Ferris wheel together.
But that’s not right!
It could absolutely not be Sophie!
Charlotte had vanquished the Demon of Fear, integrated all personalities, and her power was unprecedentedly strong, she would no longer be confused.
She would surely ensure everything was taken care of for Sophie.
— This fellow hidden in the crystal was testing him!
He/she/it didn’t know if he was really Baxter, so it deliberately said a name just to see his reaction.
Sophie was just a little girl; how could she possess the terrifying ability to traverse multiple universes and parasitize others?
If she could.
Why wouldn’t Charlotte tell me?
Even if Charlotte didn’t tell me, why would the person Sophie possessed try to kill me?
Shen Ye instantly understood everything, frowned, and said:
“Are you the girl from the elf village?”
“I’m Sophie,” the gentle female voice continued to echo from the yellow crystal.
Shen Ye cleared his throat, and in an awkward yet polite tone, said:
“Sorry, I have too many contact names for elf girls—why don’t you elaborate on when and where we met? That way, perhaps something might come back to me.”
The shadow within the yellow crystal gradually faded, then suddenly deepened into a somber black.
It remained silent.
But Shen Ye didn’t want to drag out the time any longer.
Once ten minutes were up, it could parasitize him.
Or even replace him.
“As you’ve said, deception is useless. I vaguely remember all the girls I’ve been with, and you are not one of them,” Shen Ye finally said.
“Wait a moment!” The voice hurriedly continued: “Don’t come after me, I can bestow upon you power that surpasses the nine layers of the 法界!”
“Right now! It can be achieved instantly!”
“—I swear by the laws of the endless universe, let the 法界 witness this moment. If I deceive you in any way, let me die under the gravest curse of the 法界!”
As the voice rang out, the sky turned blank.
Innumerable laws, piled up within the blankness, formed a gigantic mountain hovering above the crystal.
This was a true oath!
However, Shen Ye glanced at the magnificent phenomenon in the sky, a slight sneer playing on the corners of his lips.
This guy still hadn’t given up on figuring out his identity.
However.
He had grown.
He wouldn’t expose a weakness so easily.
Charlotte once said that her strength surpassed the nine realms of the 法界 and she couldn’t stay in the “Undetermined Layer” of the cosmic strata; she had to ascend.
If this guy fulfilled his oath and imbued him with power beyond the ninth level of the 法界—
He would immediately ascend.
But!
The universe is multi-layered!
To which direction would he ascend, and who would receive him? Wouldn’t that be entirely up to the other party’s arrangement?
By then, he would be unable to escape and would inevitably be captured by the other party!
— Do you really think I’d be obsessed with power?
“I have a dream.”
Shen Ye spoke.
“What?” asked the figure in the crystal.
“I dream that one day, the nightmare world will rise up and truly realize that self-evident truth: all people are created equal.”
He made a “take out” gesture.
A faint light appeared as small text: “The Celestial Kingdom has confirmed your choice and is beginning to collect the current Soul-Traversing Resonance Crystal.”
“Warning: While you were speaking, the entity had already begun to corrupt your 法相. Please find a solution quickly.”
Shen Ye’s gaze sharpened, and he continued:
“I dream that one day, by the cooling river, the descendants of the deceased and the descendants of humanity will sit side by side, as brothers.”
He looked around.
The mountain.
The towering, treacherous mountain within the 法相 had transformed into a writhing, hundreds-of-meters-tall cocoon of flesh and blood.
Lines of faint text reappeared:
“Discarded items can be contributed to the Celestial Kingdom; there will be no reward, but the Celestial Kingdom can help you—”
“No need.” Shen Ye said.
He suddenly opened a door in the 法相.
— The Gate of Dimension could still link to the nearest world.
Panda Agency had been destroyed by nuclear explosion.
So, the nearest world was—
Dusk Star.
“Feline!” he said.
Big Skeleton jumped up and rushed through the door, directly arriving at Dusk Star.
It was still within the 法相, yet had reached Dusk Star, and then ran wildly across the plaza.
The entire plaza was deserted.
At this moment—
Dusk Star was in the abyss zone of the End Star!
Big Skeleton leapt high.
“Buddy’s going all out!”
It roared.
Shen Ye’s mind stirred.
Future spell—
“We’ll meet under the moonlight at Yaochi!”
At this moment, Big Skeleton was essentially an extension of the 法相, its purpose being to allow Shen Ye to calmly throw the flesh-and-blood cocoon out of the 法相!
In an instant.
The massive flesh-and-blood cocoon was thrown out, plummeting towards the End Star below the plaza.
The cocoon of flesh and blood seemed to sense some kind of danger.
It erupted in extremely violent squirming, as if wanting to break free.
But it was too late!
A long tongue suddenly appeared in the void, wrapping around the flesh-and-blood cocoon and dragging it down quickly.
Big Skeleton, on the other hand, was pulled back by “We’ll meet under the moonlight at Yaochi”!
It and the dimensional gate vanished together from Dusk Star.
Meanwhile.
The figure in the crystal at first listened intently as Shen Ye spoke, but then the flesh-and-blood cocoon was thrown out right in front of it.
Shen Ye’s voice followed:
“I hear the abyss region of the Ending Star is very hospitable, much more so than myself.”
“Whatever you’ve done with my mountain, this place is too barren compared to the lively Ending Star.”
“—That cocoon deserves a better future.”
“You wouldn’t mind, would you?”
As he spoke, black mist erupted all around, completely enveloping the crystal.
A faint, extremely despairing and unwilling “No” echoed from within the crystal.
With a sound like “whoosh”—
The crystal vanished!
As soon as the crystal disappeared, lines of faint text immediately appeared before Shen Ye’s eyes:
“Your resonance with the Celestial Kingdom is infinite. On this basis, the Celestial Kingdom has further recognized you.”
“Recognition +1. Current total recognition: 1.”
“Furthermore—”
“As an examiner, the four professionals you selected have all passed the trial.”
“As previously agreed, the Celestial Kingdom will provide you with an advanced profession.”
“You have lost the Celestial Kingdom of the Great Tomb’s beginner profession ‘幽冥斥候’ (Underworld Scout) and are about to be appointed to a new profession:”
“幽冥靈使 (Underworld Spirit Messenger).”
“Celestial Kingdom Combat Profession.”
“This profession possesses the following powers:”
“1. 太陰魔令 (Lunar Devil Command): Retains your original profession skills ‘Starfall’ archery and ‘Yearning Blade’ swordplay. Each attack will summon Underworld ghostly deities to assist you in battle.”
“2. 幽冥震懾 (Underworld震懾 Shock): You can transform into an Underworld body, becoming immune to damage for 3 seconds, and absorb vitality from enemies to replenish yourself (once every ten minutes).”
“3. 惡鬼纏身 (Evil Spirit Possession): As battle time extends, you will be able to summon more Underworld ghostly deities simultaneously, and their power will continuously increase until they reach the ninth level of the 法界.”
The first skill’s summon, “ghostly being,” had become “ghostly deity.”
The second skill now included life drain.
The third skill allowed multiple “ghostly deities” to participate in battle simultaneously, and their power would gradually increase.
— The profession “Underworld Scout” had become “Underworld Spirit Messenger”!
An unprecedented improvement.
But a lingering doubt remained in his heart, one he wondered if the Celestial Kingdom would answer for him.
“It—I mean, what exactly was that thing in the crystal just now?”
He asked.
Lines of faint text quickly appeared:
“Rest assured, you have perfectly dodged its probe. Its other avatars will no longer target you as a primary objective.”
“—That soul entity just now was called a world-destroying experience avatar.”
Shen Ye’s heart jolted.
So it was that!
Annie had said before—
“The fate of this world is not dictated by artificial intelligence, but by a being called the ‘World Destroyer Experience Avatar’.”
The world where Charlotte grew up was controlled by such things.
It was actually that kind of thing!
No wonder it knew Sophie!
It probed him, constantly trying to confirm his identity, perhaps intending to capture him and control him—
Then use him to threaten Charlotte?
“Can you take it out?” Shen Ye asked.
Lines of faint text reappeared:
“Anything that reaches the Celestial Kingdom without its protection will thoroughly collapse, leaving not a single trace.”
“Please believe this.”
Excellent.
Shen Ye relaxed, withdrew his attention, and tried his best not to show any anomaly.
The others were still staring at Joseph’s corpse.
A great knight voluntarily stepped forward to examine the corpse.
“The corpse is completely dried up, like hard, fragmented pieces, with no possibility of revival.”
He announced loudly.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
That scene just now was too strange; everyone sensed a hidden, unsettling implication.
Eudelia said, “I suggest we set off immediately, cross the Cold Stone River, and reach Rottenburg!”
“Let’s go!” Shen Ye said.
The group put away their weapons, mounted their horses again, and galloped towards the Cold Stone River.
Not long after they left.
Big Skeleton appeared silently, squatted down and looked at the corpse.
“Tsk, I would have liked to resurrect you as an undead, to obey my commands… but he’ll definitely ask you for some information first.”
It collected the corpse, then itself vanished.
A few hours later.
The group stopped at Cold Stone River for a brief rest.
This river was famous for its abundance of stones that were almost as cold as ice, and it was known for this.
“Lady Eudelia.”
Shen Ye spoke.
“What is it?” Eudelia asked.
“Joseph was a man of Viscount Weiss. In your opinion, was this his personal action, or was it a pursuit ordered by Viscount Weiss?” Shen Ye asked.
“Hopefully it’s personal action, otherwise the Empire will be in trouble,” Eudelia said.
“Is Viscount Weiss very strong?” Shen Ye asked.
“That’s not the issue. It’s been a long time since there’s been a lord’s rebellion, and with the impending movement of the undead, it’s truly worrying,” Eudelia sighed.
Shen Ye glanced at his 法相.
He saw that Big Skeleton had already brought Joseph’s corpse back into the 法相, placed it on the ground, and was waiting for his inquiry.
Shen Ye took a sip of water and, using his psychic power, activated “Whispers of the Underworld,” directing his inquiry at the corpse:
“How did you get involved with that World Destroyer Experience Avatar?”
With a tremor.
The entire corpse exploded into a towering blood mist, which gradually dispersed with the wind.
Big Skeleton, drenched in blood, let out a strange cry:
“Damn it! His corpse was cursed and couldn’t reveal anything!”
“Not even ‘Whispers of the Underworld’?” Shen Ye asked.
“It’s recorded in the Book of the Dead that if the ‘Whispers of the Underworld’ spell is of a high enough level, it can override such curses,” Big Skeleton said.
Shen Ye understood then.
His Whispers of the Underworld needed further leveling up.
He couldn’t help but sigh.
Indeed, every aspect of himself needed rapid improvement.
The enemy was too terrifying.
“Lady Eudelia, I have an idea.” Shen Ye said.
“Speak.”
“From now on, we’ll split into two groups and head to Rottenburg separately.”
“Nonsense! What about your safety?” Eudelia frowned.
“It’s fine,” Shen Ye waved his hand, gently saying, “I have a way to connect with the Great Tomb, which allows me to avoid some external dangers, but it’s limited to myself alone.”
“When did you acquire this ability?” Eudelia asked.
“I just made contact with the Great Tomb—look at these outsiders I’ve chosen, though young, they too have gained contact with the Great Tomb,” Shen Ye said.
Eudelia didn’t believe it and looked towards Xiao Mengyu and the others.
Xiao Mengyu, Nangong, and Yunye all nodded together.
Eudelia was a Archmage who could detect lies, and seeing that it was indeed true, she finally felt relieved.
“Peiqi, this is truly one of the few good news lately. His Majesty will surely be pleased.”
Eudelia said with joy.
“Norton—no, honored Majesty also wishes to go to the Great Tomb?” Shen Ye asked.
“We all want to know what exactly happened with the origin of our world,” Eudelia said.
“Alright, once I reach the imperial capital, I will certainly discuss it thoroughly with His Majesty.”
“In that case, I will make a grand entrance to Rottenburg, you all take care, I’ll wait for you at the castle.”
Eudelia said.
“Two great knights will accompany you,” Shen Ye said.
“Alright.”
Eudelia, accompanied by the two great knights, each mounted their horses, identified their direction, and then rode upstream along the river.
Only Shen Ye and the three others remained at the spot.
“It’s really strange, I don’t know why the Great Tomb chose us, but I actually made contact with the Great Tomb.”
Shen Ye intentionally said.
“Me too,” Xiao Mengyu said.
“This is amazing!” Guo Yunye shouted excitedly.
“The Great Tomb requires me to dig up soil from beyond the dead planet and transport it to the Great Tomb. Only then will I be transferred to a profession of the Great Tomb Immortal Kingdom. What about you guys?”
Nangong Sirui asked.
“My mission is to collect ice crystals from the universe,” Xiao Mengyu said.
“It seems mine is simpler—I need to collect various knowledge,” Guo Yunye said.
The three looked at Shen Ye.
What about you?
Shen Ye sensed for a moment and found that the Celestial Kingdom invited him to enter it.
— Strictly speaking, he was both an examiner and had participated in the trial, and now, having successfully passed, he could accept missions from the Celestial Kingdom of the Great Tomb.
But going into the Celestial Kingdom like this couldn’t be openly discussed.
It would cause a sensation.
— Currently, everyone could only enter the nightmare world; no one had yet been able to enter the interior of the Celestial Kingdom!
Once it was said, trouble would surely follow.
“The Celestial Kingdom requires me to temporarily stay in the nightmare world to help the humans here.”
Shen Ye lied without changing his expression.
The three listened and didn’t suspect him.
After all, everyone’s mission was different, and the contents were all very strange.
“Then how do you ensure your safety?”
Xiao Mengyu asked with concern.
“The Celestial Kingdom has granted me several teleporter evasion spells, so my safety is assured,” Shen Ye said.
“Not lying?” Xiao Mengyu pressed.
“Really, besides, I can open space with my hand and escape danger,” Shen Ye said.
He wasn’t lying about that.
Xiao Mengyu finally relaxed and said:
“You can’t go back for now, so we’ll go back and report the situation to see if we can send more people to help.”
“We should go back and report this. The appearance of a transcendent cosmic being in the nightmare world is an absolutely earth-shattering event.” Nangong Sirui also agreed.
“So tired, it’s a good time to go back and rest,” Guo Yunye added.
Everyone agreed.
Then let’s go back!
The way back was simple enough.
Pull out your personal Tower of Tarot identity card, silently think of Xirang High School, and the transmission will quickly begin.
After a few breaths.
Xiao Mengyu, Nangong Sirui, and Guo Yunye disappeared.
Only Shen Ye remained.
“Now what? Go directly to Rottenburg?”
Big Skeleton asked.
It jumped out of the 法相, ready to transform into a mount at any moment.
Shen Ye looked at it, but fell into contemplation.
“Feline, you are my spirit, how can I improve your strength?” he asked.
“The cultivation methods are all in the Book of the Dead—once I take you to Rottenburg, I’ll immediately start to break through to the fifth level of the 法界,” Big Skeleton said.
“You start breaking through to the fifth level of the 法界, I won’t go to Rottenburg for now,” Shen Ye said.
“Then what about you—”
“Gather some intelligence.”
“Alright, then I’ll really go into seclusion.”
“Hmm.”
Big Skeleton’s voice vanished.
Shen Ye, however, drew out a golden long spear with a flick of his hand.
— This was Joseph’s weapon, taken by the puppet, and then sent to him.
“The matters of the upper universe… must not be taken lightly, I must understand them clearly!”
Shen Ye thought to himself.
Charlotte had gone to the upper universe!
He wondered how she was doing now, and if she was struggling.
Alas.
Lately, he was always prone to overthinking.
Shen Ye patted his head, slowly gathered his thoughts, and stood still, holding the golden long spear in both hands.
The corpse exploded.
— This golden long spear wouldn’t explode, would it?
In the void.
A faint light suddenly appeared as small text:
“Will you use the golden long spear as a spatial-temporal artifact to open a door to the spacetime it has experienced?”
“Open the door,” Shen Ye said.
Rumble—
A heavy gray door descended from the sky and landed before him.
A golden long spear was drawn on the door.
— This was Shen Ye’s latest door ability: Gate of Dimension!
He placed his hand on the door.
Something miraculous immediately happened—
The golden long spear on the door disappeared, replaced by a few brief images.
The first picture was of the spear being forged;
The second was it being passed around among several professionals;
The third picture showed it entering the Viscount’s mansion and being placed in the armory;
The fourth picture showed Joseph on one knee, receiving the weapon in a bestowal ceremony.
There was no fifth picture.
It seemed the fourth picture was not long ago.
“Wait,” Big Skeleton suddenly reappeared, looking uneasy, and whispered, “Don’t you think that guy is a bit terrifying?”
“Indeed, a little,” Shen Ye said.
“It’s looking for you everywhere, and you’re just going to walk right into its trap,” Big Skeleton said.
“Whether it’s coming for me or trying to get to Charlotte through me—I can’t tolerate it,” Shen Ye said.
“Can’t beat it,” Big Skeleton said softly.
“First, gather information. Besides, I’m not a reckless person,” Shen Ye said.
Big Skeleton thought the same.
Shen Ye rarely went head-to-head with others.
He was quite slippery.
“…That guy doesn’t seem to be from our level of universe. I’m afraid it has some incomprehensible abilities,” Big Skeleton still worried.
“I know, that’s why I need to understand its abilities even more—no more talk, let’s go test the waters first.” Shen Ye said.
Shen Ye’s mind stirred, and the dimensional gate immediately opened.
Lines of faint text quickly appeared:
“Initiating temporal travel.”
“Please note, every action you take in the past may affect the future.”
“Not even deities can perfectly manage such entangled destinies.”
“Seek your own blessings, mortal.”
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