Gates of the Myriad Realms Chapter 558

Bottom of the Abyss of Destruction.

Dark flames of destruction gathered, transforming into rune-covered bricks and stones, attempting to patch up the chasm into a flat plain.

But the magnificent, glorious Eternal Light was tireless, constantly destroying everything in the abyss.

A wound.

Forever unhealable.

But the eternal power maintained a baseline, neither rising nor falling.

This achieved a delicate balance.

—Most of the power of the Abyss of Destruction had to be continuously used to heal its wounds.

It could not recover its peak strength.

But due to its efforts—

The Eternal Art also couldn’t completely penetrate it.

This situation lasted for an immeasurably long time, until one day—

Augustus, in his own self-destructive way, barged in here.

Boom!!!

Blazing eternal light shot up into the sky, forming a giant pillar that obliterated all surrounding darkness into ash.

Augustus was hiding behind a rock not far away.

He had gone through countless hardships and finally found this equilibrium point where destruction and eternity clashed.

In this position, he wouldn’t be affected by either force.

Only here was temporarily safe.

“Damn it…”

He gasped, looking down at the large and small wounds on his body, finally despairing.

—This was the World of Destruction!

There was no way to return to the World of Truth from here.

Unless he became a servant of destruction.

But his consciousness belonged to the truth creation, the Rod of Withering—

He was “Withering Truth”!

“Withering” and “destruction” were at odds.

—Unlike that ship, which could smoothly “evolve” into destruction.

At this point, there was no other choice.

He could only use that art.

Augustus sighed inwardly, slowly raising his hands, and began to form hand seals for the art.

—”The Withering Tree.”

People usually only notice the falling leaves, lamenting the inevitability of withering.

But withering is actually for the “roots” to better conserve strength, to get through the harshest natural environments.

Augustus held the seals, unable to cast this art for a long time.

Because once he cast “The Withering Tree,” he would die himself.

Only the Rod of Withering could gather all power, like withered branches and stones having no effect, sinking deep into the ground, quietly waiting for the changes of countless years.

Perhaps one day—

When this abyss was completely destroyed, the Rod of Withering would awaken to see how things stood.

Finally.

Augustus sighed.

He began to infuse power into the hand seals, preparing to activate this “Withering Tree.”

Just at this moment, which would decide his fate, something suddenly appeared in his hand.

—It was a black cell phone.

Beep!

The phone screen lit up.

A cold, emotionless electronic voice came from the phone:

“If you wish to speak with Baxter, this is your only chance.”

“You can forfeit this opportunity, or you can call him. The decision is yours.”

Augustus’s eyelids twitched.

—This was a truth treasure.

Why could a truth treasure appear in the Abyss of Destruction?

Logically, it could only reach wherever its owner could reach.

That’s right.

The other party had a special ability.

Augustus sneered.

It had come to this.

Was he supposed to beg for mercy?

No.

Absolutely not.

But at this last moment, he could actually cause some trouble for him.

—Trouble enough to make him regret it!

With this thought.

He answered the phone.

“Beep… Hello? Augustus?”

Shen Ye’s voice came from the receiver.

“It’s me. I have something to tell you. Listen carefully,” Augustus said.

“Please speak.”

“The Abyss of Destruction is an extremely important manifestation of power during the Catastrophe of Destruction. If its main god is defeated, other main gods of destruction will come to deal with and devour it.”

“In this way, the Abyss Lord, who actively invaded the World of Truth, will have completely failed.”

“Our world will get a turning point.”

“If you’re not lying to me, then this information is indeed valuable—are you trying to exchange something with me for this information?” Shen Ye asked.

Augustus snickered coldly.

—He had just made that up on the spot.

What came next was the most important thing.

“I saw that Eternal Art. It was actually only a hair’s breadth away from piercing through the abyss.”

“—I only have powers of withering.”

“Perhaps you can try?”

Augustus said.

On the other end of the line, Shen Ye fell into thought.

If the abyss were pierced, the power of the Abyss Lord of Destruction would surely be greatly diminished.

The World of Truth would gain a moment of respite.

But was Augustus telling the truth?

—Actually, it didn’t matter whether it was true or false.

The most crucial point was—

The truth phone could not be suppressed.

Because it would only activate and appear under the premise of “possibly changing destiny.”

Before this, Augustus had no idea it would appear.

So.

Its appearance meant that the “conversation between the two parties could very likely change destiny” was true.

Regardless of whether Augustus was telling the truth or not—

This point was certain.

“So, Augustus, after all you’ve said, what do you hope to gain?”

Shen Ye asked.

“I want to return to the World of Truth,” Augustus said.

“Alright,” Shen Ye replied.

Augustus was stunned for a moment.

Logically, after several encounters and conflicts, the two had already become mortal enemies.

Why would the other party kindly let him go?

He clearly only had this one method to trap himself in the Abyss of Destruction, putting himself in a death trap.

Once he returned, it would be like a dragon re-entering the sea.

Shen Ye would no longer be able to kill him!

However—

He had agreed to let him go!

Ridiculous.

Did he think that just because he had subdued that ship, he could subdue him too?

Once he returned to the World of Truth—

He would personally kill him!

“You agree?”

Augustus asked again.

“Provided you help me,” Shen Ye said.

“Help you?”

“Yes, help me do one thing. Only when that is done will I have the opportunity to assist the Eternal Art in piercing through the abyss chasm.”

“What is it?”

“Sign the contract first, then you’ll know.”

A contract appeared before Augustus’s eyes.

He fixed his gaze on it, seeing only concise content written on the contract:

“The Rod of Withering and its owner, Augustus, must fully assist Baxter in capturing a primordial spirit of destruction.”

“Once Augustus achieves this, Baxter will immediately open a path for him to return to the World of Truth.”

“However, if Augustus violates the terms agreed upon in this contract, he will suffer a backlash from the contract, forfeiting his life.”

A primordial spirit of destruction?

The World of Truth also had primordial spirits of truth.

Primordial spirits are spirits born with the world, possessing the inherent power of the world.

They can be considered the pinnacle of spirit arts.

—They are extremely rare and precious existences, possessing various incredible powers.

Augustus first sneered, then became somewhat curious.

He sneered because the contract was covered in a familiar power he had dealt with many times before.

That damned ship!

It had a unique knack for contracts.

For it to create and monitor this contract meant he couldn’t lie about its contents!

As for his curiosity—

“Why capture a primordial spirit of destruction?”

Augustus asked.

“I’ll tell you after you sign the contract,” Shen Ye said.

Augustus didn’t hesitate much.

After all, if he used “The Withering Tree,” his physical self would die.

And his consciousness would return to the Rod, lying deep underground in an endless slumber, not knowing if it would ever see the light of day again.

But now, there was a chance to fight!

“Sign it then.”

Augustus said.

He signed his name on the contract.

The contract immediately vanished, reappearing before Shen Ye.

Shen Ye signed it too.

—Contract established!

“Look up.”

Shen Ye said.

Augustus looked up and saw Shen Ye standing on a protruding rock on the cliff.

Damn it.

Augustus cursed inwardly.

This was the bottom of the abyss, where the forces of destruction and eternity constantly collided, and the resulting fluctuations masked all movement.

He soared, flying to Shen Ye’s front.

“Let’s be clear, this is just a transaction between you and me. Once we’re back, we go our separate ways.”

Augustus said.

“Of course.” Shen Ye nodded in agreement.

“Now, you should tell me why you need a primordial spirit of destruction,” Augustus said.

“Look at me,” Shen Ye said.

Augustus looked at him, only to see him enveloped in a faint layer of destructive flames.

He himself had to painstakingly release the power of truth to contend with the omnipresent destructive power to ensure his safety.

But this guy—

“I need to be covered in destructive flames to avoid being accidentally harmed,” Shen Ye said.

“Where did you get destructive flames?” Augustus pressed.

Shen Ye didn’t speak.

But a gigantic black silhouette subtly appeared behind him, looking like an abyssal monster.

—The Ship of Destruction.

It had completely pledged allegiance to destruction, its core essence altered to “Destructive Evolution,” and all its power had transformed into destructive energy.

“A cunning and fickle fellow.”

Augustus scoffed.

“Nevertheless, with destructive power, I am safe here,” Shen Ye said.

“I understand that—but what does that have to do with a primordial spirit of destruction?” Augustus asked.

“I received reliable information that only a primordial spirit of destruction can go deep into the Eternal Art,” Shen Ye said.

“Is that even possible…” Augustus murmured, “Even a primordial spirit of destruction can’t be immune to the Eternal Art.”

“I can’t tell you that much,” Shen Ye said cautiously, as if afraid of letting something slip.

“Alright, then let’s begin,” Augustus said.

“Follow me,” Shen Ye said.

The two soared, flying towards the towering cliff face.

They flew for a full fifteen minutes.

Shen Ye’s speed subtly slowed.

“Almost there.”

Augustus looked up and saw a cave in the cliff.

“Go.”

Shen Ye called out.

The immense black shadow behind him was the first to soar up, diving into the cave.

Waves of fierce arcane fluctuations emanated from within the cave.

The battle quickly reached a stalemate.

“Last time we came, we couldn’t subdue this primordial spirit of destruction. Now it’s your turn to help.”

Shen Ye said.

Augustus glanced at him, then looked towards the cave, his expression somewhat grave.

The Ship of Destruction couldn’t take down the opponent?

—Then this primordial spirit’s combat power was quite strong.

Not to be underestimated.

And it was clear that there was some secret the other party wouldn’t tell him.

Then I’ll go see for myself!

Augustus flew up, holding the Rod of Withering, and cautiously descended into the cave.

He looked back.

Baxter stood not far away, his entire body protected by black flames, his expression a little tense.

Tense…

Was he afraid of failing to capture it?

A powerful and unmatched attack surged from within the cave.

Augustus immediately wielded his staff, unleashing a protective spell.

The attack was instantly blocked.

But the power contained within this attack was something he had never encountered before.

—Extremely powerful destructive energy!

It was like a mountain of immense power, pressing down on him with an overwhelming force.

“Hmm—ahhh—”

Augustus cried out, waving his staff, and reinforced the protective spell again.

But the next instant.

The overwhelming destructive power transformed into an endless sea of energy.

“Impressive.”

Augustus excitedly uttered two words.

Generally speaking.

Primordial spirits possess various strange abilities, but their combat prowess isn’t necessarily strong.

There’s a saying.

—A primordial spirit that is also strong in combat must be stronger than ordinary primordial spirits!

Why was Baxter so insistent on getting this primordial spirit?

Augustus was thinking when he suddenly heard the Ship of Destruction’s cry from deep within the cave:

“It’s trying to escape!”

“Catch it, don’t let it get away!”

Augustus calmed himself, wielded his staff, and spread a web of truth magic in place.

The next instant.

A black duck suddenly appeared in front of him.

This duck—

Was it a primordial spirit?

Augustus didn’t dare to be careless and immediately brought out his true abilities.

“Myriad Withering.”

He murmured, pointing his staff at the duck.

The black duck instantly froze in mid-air, unable to move an inch.

“Well done!”

Baxter shouted excitedly, pulling out long shackles, and rushed directly towards the duck.

A look of despair and sadness, similar to a human’s, appeared on the duck’s face.

At this moment.

Augustus calmly watched the duck, watching the special shackles raised in Baxter’s hand, predicting the imminent outcome.

One second later.

The duck would be captured.

Baxter would get this primordial spirit.

His contract with Baxter would be completely fulfilled.

—Baxter had to open the door and send him back.

But—

Why did it have to be this way?

Was there no other benefit in this matter?

Clank!

The shackles were flung out, missing their target, failing to ensnare the duck.

“What do you mean?”

Baxter looked over, his face grim, and demanded.

“Don’t worry, we have a contract, and I’ll certainly give it to you—but I want to understand what this primordial spirit is all about,” Augustus said with a smile.

He seized the opportunity to observe the duck in his hand.

The duck—

It was indeed a primordial spirit.

And it was indeed a creature of destruction.

He had never seen it before!

Furthermore.

Primordial spirits have self-awareness and reason.

Instead of asking Baxter, why not ask it directly!

“What are your abilities? Tell me quickly—otherwise, if this person catches you, you’ll never be free.”

Augustus transmitted his voice.

“Quack! I can take other beings and freely travel between eternal power and destructive power.”

“Please save me!”

The duck flapped its wings in a panic.

So that’s how it is.

Augustus understood, but felt a little disheartened.

If that Eternal Art was just a hair’s breadth from piercing the abyss—

Then Baxter’s approach was correct.

Catch this duck, have it take them into that Eternal Art, and exert full effort to pierce the abyss.

This could indeed save the World of Truth.

But!

He was lying to him.

Who knew what lay deep within that Eternal Art!

Augustus was about to throw the duck away when he heard the duck’s voice again:

“Please, you must save me.”

“If you save me, I’ll take you deep into that Eternal Art.”

“There is an ultimate destructive armor there.”

“The Abyss of Destruction is only able to resist the Eternal Art because of that armor!”

Augustus’s heart trembled, and his expression changed.

It had only been a bluff.

—Who would have thought there was actually something there!

Thinking about it carefully, it made sense.

If there was nothing below, and the Eternal Art had been attacking for an immeasurably long time, this abyss would have been pierced long ago.

A treasure!

To be able to withstand the full force of the eternal world, that armor must be an extremely important treasure!

Although his own compatibility with the destructive side wasn’t that high—

Augustus looked at Shen Ye.

Absolutely.

Cannot.

Let.

Him.

Get it!

He was his mortal enemy. If Shen Ye got that armor, plus the power possessed by the Ship of Destruction—

Then he would be in trouble!

Moreover, with this primordial spirit, he would be safe in the abyss.

Instead of putting his hope in the contract jointly created by Baxter and the Ship of Destruction, it was better to tightly grasp his own life!

What if they were willing to pay the price of a contract backlash to kill me?

In that case.

Once they left, he would be left alone in this endless abyss of destruction.

He would die!

But—

As long as he had this duck, he was safe!

So.

Survive first.

Then look for an opportunity to return to the World of Truth later.

This was the reliable choice!

It sounds slow in narrative, but what kind of person was Augustus?

In just a few breaths, he had thought the entire matter through.

“Thank you very much, and you must also thank me.”

Augustus said.

“What do you mean?” Shen Ye asked, his face sinking.

Augustus gripped the black duck’s long neck and said proudly:

“Baxter, this incident will also serve as a lesson to you.”

“Never trust your enemy—”

“He might very well have a way to withstand the backlash of violating the contract, and he definitely wants to seize the initiative!”

Before the words finished.

Augustus’s figure flickered, and he swept towards the bottom of the abyss with the duck.

“Helping me is helping you.”

He said to the duck.

The duck “quacked” twice, obediently flapping its wings.

A mysterious power fluctuation subtly emanated.

Threads of dark and light radiated from the duck’s wings, encircling Augustus.

At this moment.

No destructive power approached, and no other force attempted to harm Augustus.

It worked!

He had obtained this primordial spirit, and it could indeed guarantee his safety!

The whole thing started with a small lie.

—An enemy who is too naive is also boring.

Augustus ignored the curses from behind him and the spells that tried to strike him down.

“Can we really enter that Eternal Art?”

He asked.

“Quack, a piece of cake,” the duck said.

“Let’s go!”

Augustus and the duck rushed into the blazing light pillar formed by the Eternal Art.

The magnificent and surging light instantly enveloped them.

But it seemed to have been assimilated by the power emanating from the duck.

He and the duck stood in the light, completely unharmed!

Correspondingly—

The attack spells released by Baxter and the Ship of Destruction struck the pillar of eternal light, causing not the slightest ripple!

—He was safe!

“Hahaha!”

Augustus couldn’t help but laugh.

“Shall we go get that armor?”

The duck transmitted its voice.

“Let’s go!” Augustus elegantly bowed to Baxter outside the light pillar, then descended with the duck.

Amidst the furious curses from Baxter and the Ship of Destruction—

Augustus delved deep into the chasm.

He and the duck went further down into the deepest part of the chasm.

They descended quickly.

A few seconds later.

Baxter and the Ship of Destruction outside the chasm were no longer visible.

But it didn’t matter.

The duck continuously released both destructive and eternal powers, enveloping itself and Augustus, ensuring their safety.

The man and the duck continued to descend.

Several hours later—

They finally landed at the deepest part of the entire Abyss of Destruction and even the Eternal Chasm.

There was a lake here.

It was called a lake, but it wasn’t an ordinary lake.

Because the eternal power here was so concentrated, they gathered together, manifesting as a perpetually undiminished lake of light!

The power emanating from this lake was no weaker than that of the Abyss of Destruction!

“Truly amazing…”

Augustus sighed with emotion.

—He had originally been lying to Baxter, but he hadn’t expected there to actually be something unusual down here.

“Quack!”

The duck also let out a low cry.

—He had originally been lying to Augustus, but he hadn’t expected there to actually be something unusual down here either.

Perhaps this was why the truth phone was activated?

“Where’s the armor you spoke of?”

Augustus asked.

“At the bottom of the lake—that’s the legend, but as you can see, this is my first time here, and I’ve never seen such a magnificent lake of power either,” the duck transmitted its voice.

—Its voice was sincere, with a hint of gratitude.

“Is that so… Then I’ll wait here, and you go down and look.”

Augustus said.

At this moment, he still maintained the most cautious attitude.

—Never take risks in unfamiliar places!

He tried to cast a forbidden spell, wanting to put a restraint on the duck.

Actually, he shouldn’t have done that.

It would lower their mutual trust.

But in the face of life and death, trust didn’t matter.

Augustus’s spell quickly congealed—but soon, his power was dispersed by the endless supply of eternal energy.

—The eternal power here was too strong; he couldn’t cast truth spells!

Augustus sighed, annoyed.

He possessed the twenty-first-tier truth spell, and he could cast it if he absolutely had to.

But the power here was too terrifying, and if it triggered some bad reaction, it would be over.

Forget it.

He comforted himself.

There was only a lake here.

The duck couldn’t escape even if it wanted to!

“Quack, alright! I’ll go look!”

The duck quacked, flapped its wings, enveloped Augustus in eternal power, temporarily protecting him, and then flew towards the lake.

This made Augustus feel a little more at ease.

The duck landed on the lake, dove into the water, and quickly disappeared.

The entire lake emitted a dazzling bright light.

It was impossible to detect what was at the bottom of the lake.

—Only such a two-element primordial spirit could possibly probe it.

Augustus thought silently.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Just as a hint of unease crept into his heart, the duck suddenly surfaced.

“I saw the set of armor!”

The duck cried out loudly.

Augustus inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Bring them up.”

“No, they’re too heavy—they’re in a box.”

The duck shook its head.

“…Let me see,” Augustus said.

He walked to the edge of the lake, dipped only his head into the water, and looked in the direction the duck pointed.

Indeed, there was a large box at the bottom of the lake.

It was a rectangular metal box, and the metal lid was also rectangular, tightly locked.

“I can’t use my innate magic here, and I can’t move it with just my strength!”

The duck cried out.

Yes…

Even I can’t cast spells here.

A duck-like primordial spirit indeed couldn’t move such a heavy metal box.

Augustus raised his head and took out his storage ring.

But the spatial fluctuations of the ring were directly erased by the eternal power.

It couldn’t be opened at all.

“Looks like there’s no way,” the duck watched the ring on his hand, a hint of disdain in its eyes.

Augustus fell silent for a moment.

A duck dared to look down on him?

—You think I can’t do it, is that what you mean?

He buried his head in the water again, carefully observing the entire lake.

There was nothing in the lake.

Safe.

So—

If he were to appear before it wearing this armor in the future, that would indeed be interesting.

“I’ll go down myself.”

Augustus said.

“Be careful, the eternal power here is quite concentrated. I’ll imbue you with an additional eternal protection,” the duck said.

“Thank you,” Augustus replied.

After the duck finished imbuing him, he sank into the water, slowly swimming towards the box.

He held the Rod of Withering tightly the entire way, ready to cast spells at any moment.

But nothing happened.

—It was just him and the duck here.

Ultimately, nothing could survive long in such an intensely powerful force.

Augustus continued to swim forward.

The duck carefully guarded beside him, constantly looking out for any slight movement, no matter how small.

Augustus found it amusing and transmitted his voice:

“Don’t be nervous; that person can’t come down.”

“I’m afraid the Abyss Lord will return—this is its forbidden territory; no one is allowed to approach it,” the duck transmitted its voice.

Augustus nodded slightly.

Yes.

If he were the Abyss Lord, he wouldn’t allow anyone near here either.

But at this moment, the Abyss Lord was fighting with the Spirit Net.

Neither of them would yield to the other.

Last time, they didn’t go all out because of concerns for Earth’s existence.

This time.

They still had a while to fight.

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen for now. We’ll get the stuff and leave.”

Augustus said.

The duck, however, still seemed a bit nervous, constantly looking left and right.

Augustus no longer paid attention to this primordial spirit.

He had already submerged above the box!

Augustus took a deep breath, grabbed the rectangular lid, and forcefully lifted it—

A powerful surge of energy suddenly struck him.

Augustus couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

It was the contract backlash!

Why now of all times!

He tightly gripped the Rod of Withering, ready to cast a spell at any moment, but then quickly adjusted it to be held horizontally, as if preparing for a close-quarters attack.

—He couldn’t cast spells here!

“Are you alright? What’s wrong?” The duck’s voice came through.

The surroundings were silent.

Nothing.

Only the duck.

Augustus endured the soul-wrenching pain of the backlash, forcing a smile:

“Nothing, I’ll be fine after a little rest.”

A sudden change occurred—

The box suddenly jumped up—no, it was lifted by a giant, who then instantly put Augustus inside.

Augustus remained calm, immediately preparing to counterattack.

But everything around him changed in an instant.

He found himself in a realm of absolute dark void.

In the distance.

In the endless dark void, countless servants of destruction subtly appeared.

Terrifying auras emanated from outside the world.

—What is this place?

Augustus couldn’t help but wonder.

But there was no time to think any further—

Endless destructive rays swept over, just as they always did when purging life from the eternal world.

“Damn.”

Augustus uttered one word.

On the other side.

At the bottom of the Eternal Lake.

“Job’s done, Uncle Seven,” the duck said.

The giant, however, was still squatting on the ground, looking at the treasure chest.

“You’re too naughty. It’s clearly a door, but you made it into a chest lid—and you even tricked someone into thinking it was a treasure chest,” Uncle Seven said.

“I have to survive too, you know,” the duck defended itself.

It opened its mouth and spat.

A small object immediately floated in the lake water.

—This was the treasure of the Eternal Lake!

It had dived down and saw this amazing thing at first sight!