Chapter 889: The Watchman
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In the white halo, it was like another world. Luxurious buildings were everywhere, all in the Vestigial Tribe’s style. Nonetheless, these buildings were all empty, without a single inhabitant.
The Three-headed man and the giant tortoise both endured the massive gravitational force. They were unlike Merlin, so they had to bear the huge pressure while Merlin was not bothered in this aspect. His body of Mind Power was unaffected by the gravity.
“This was the Vestigial Tribe’s city?”
Merlin walked around casually, discovering that in the white halo was the Vestigial Tribe’s city. These buildings were tall and crowded together, possibly able to house more than ten thousand Vestigial Tribe members.
However, everything was empty now as if somewhat had completely vacated the city.
“You both have been here before. What happened exactly?”
Merlin immediately questioned the Three-headed man and the giant tortoise. Both of them had come previously, enduring the immense pressure before finally facing a threat, and thus running away.
Nevertheless, now it looked as if everything was calm and quiet. Where was the threatening force?
“That’s not right. The last time we came here, it wasn’t like this.”
The Three-headed man and the giant tortoise glanced around suspiciously. When they had come here the previous time, the situation was one of unparalleled chaos. Countless powerful beings were battling. The Gray Light Warriors, Black Star Warriors, and so on, from the Vestigial Tribe, along with third-grade and even fourth-grade Emperor-level existences from foreign civilizations, had all appeared.
They had felt that it was too dangerous, and so they fled, not expecting that upon their return now, this would be such a calm and peaceful place. If it were not for the imprints they had left behind which they could distinctly sense, they might even suspect that they came to the wrong place.
“You’re saying that the last time you came here, it was incomparable chaos? In the midst of war?”
“That’s right. The last time we came here, we were even injured somewhat, so we left in a hurry. It wasn’t like this.”
A strange glint appeared in Merlin’s eyes. Although the Three-headed man and the giant tortoise had come here before, it seemed like they had not ascertained the situation. In other words, they did not know what this place was.
“Even if you had been away for a long time, it couldn’t change so much all at once. Even if it did, these buildings can’t be repaired in a short time, and they require people who are familiar with the Vestigial Tribe’s architecture and living habits…”
Merlin closed his eyes lightly. His Mind Power started to spread outward. Upon touching these buildings, he did not find anything strange. This was not an illusion.
If it was a Hallucinating spell, what spell could fool Merlin?
“It’s peculiar indeed.”
Merlin did not know what this place was hiding, but it was certainly connected to the Vestigial Tribe.
“What are you guys looking for here?”
Merlin suddenly questioned the Three-headed man and the giant tortoise.
“Looking for hope!”
“Hope?”
Merlin did not quite understand.
“Hope. Only the ultimate fourth-grade Emperor-level can understand the secrets of the entire Void Zone. We’ve already reached the ultimate third-grade and stalled there for who-knows-how-long. So, we came here to look for hope.”
The giant tortoise and the Three-headed man went through such trouble to come here, all for that small sliver of hope. Back when they were here, they had witnessed the power of the fourth-grade Emperor-level, prompting them to come here again.
Worried that they were not strong enough to reach this place, they had dragged along Merlin who had the Golden Ray Armor.
Merlin became pensive. Of course, he knew about the changes that happened at the ultimate fourth-grade. It was just as the giant tortoise and the Three-headed man said. Only at that point could one learn of the Void Zone’s secrets.
Even so, this place was empty and desolate. How could there be secrets to the ultimate fourth-grade?
Merlin’s Illusory World started to expand, and its ability to interact with the material plane was displayed too. He had an uneasy feeling that every movement they made was observed by someone.
“Destroy!”
Merlin immediately used his power to wreck all the buildings here. Swathes of buildings collapsed, looking like the apocalypse had arrived.
“Boom.”
Suddenly, a terrifying presence was awakening, causing the Three-headed man and the giant tortoise to feel unprecedented fear. Even Merlin’s heart skipped a beat.
“Are you crazy? If you don’t want to die, then leave quickly!”
A soft, breezy voice came into their ears.
“Who’s there?”
Merlin looked up. In the white halo, an incomparably skinny man who held a black smoking pipe had appeared at an unknown time. He was so wizened he looked like a piece of dry wood.
Nonetheless, it was this shriveled, ugly old man who stood calmly in the midst of the storm in the white halo, unaffected in the slightest.
“I’m the watchman. You fellows are too bold. Do you know what this place is?”
“The watchman? You’re an ultimate fourth-grade Emperor-level existence, right?”
Merlin fixed an unwavering gaze at this old man. He had perceived the fearsome strength contained in the other person. This was a true Emperor-level existence.
Before this, Merlin did not know what difference there was between the third and fourth-grade. However, when he saw this wizened old man, he finally understood.
The fourth-grade was to take the subspace transformed from the power of the natural order one had accumulated, and gradually align it with the origin of the natural order. When the compatibility had reached a high point, this would induce a reaction from the incorporeal origin of the natural order of the Void Zone.
At that moment, the origin of the natural order in the Emperor-level existence would become a part of the Void Zone’s origin of the natural order, thus forming an avatar of the origin of the natural order.
They were intimately linked to the Void Zone, and the threads of the power of the natural order would vanish because they had merged with those threads, and were a part of the origin of the natural order.
Similarly, although in this manner they could obtain immense strength by mobilizing a portion of the power of the Void Zone, they had lost their chance to overcome the natural order forever.
“Everything comes at a price… Many people might not even have thought of overcoming the natural order. After all, this is considered a way to boost one’s capability. Perhaps this is what the Void Zone hoped for, not something like the Vestigial Tribe.”
Many thoughts flashed across Merlin’s mind. The Three-headed man and the giant tortoise, for instance, had dreamed of becoming an ultimate fourth-grade existence. Maybe this was their highest goal but it was not that easy. One had to transform the power of the natural order in oneself into a subspace, then linked it to the intangible origin of the natural order. This was highly challenging, with a low rate of success.
This shriveled old man before them was an Emperor-level existence!
The wizened old man was flabbergasted that Merlin could discern his actual situation in a glance, but as he observed Merlin, he could not sense anything special. Merlin was not even an ultimate existence. Therefore, he growled, “You’re really bold to barge in here. I remember the last time, it was you two who came in here. That should have taught you a lesson. How dare you come again?”
The Three-headed man and the giant tortoise were astonished, not expecting that they had been noticed by this shriveled old man the last time they came here.
“What’s this place?”
The Three-headed man asked.
“Rumble.”
Suddenly, the entire white halo began to shudder. Moreover, fine cracks appeared in their surroundings seemed as if it was a mirror. It broke and fell apart, and everything finally collapsed.
It turned out that everything they saw had been artificial.
“Illusory? How come I didn’t detect it at all?”
Merlin frowned. With his current Mind Power, if it was a Hallucinatory spell, it was impossible that he did not sense it at all.
“That’s the Vestigial Tribe’s greatest strength, a technique of the Golden Ray Warrior. Everything earlier was real, built up rapidly using energy. Now that this Golden Ray Warrior had fallen into sleep, we’re now in his dreamscape. Sometimes, his dreamscape will be manifested. A Golden Ray Warrior’s might isn’t something you can comprehend. However, your reckless actions earlier had awakened the Golden Ray Warrior from his dreams. There’ll be trouble. If you don’t go, you’d be in danger.”
This wizened old man hurriedly explained, and his tone was rather urgent.
“Golden Ray Warrior? This place imprisons the Vestigial Tribe’s Golden Ray Warrior?”
Merlin cried out involuntarily. At his stage, there was not much that could shock him, but the Vestigial Tribe’s greatest strength, the legendary Golden Ray Warrior that could rival the ancient Thirty-six Emperors was qualified to shock Merlin.
Everything before this was real, only it was manifested from the Golden Ray Warrior’s dreamscape. It was not surprising that Merlin was unable to determine that it was a Hallucinatory spell because it was real in the first place.
Nonetheless, this indirectly demonstrated how powerful the Golden Ray Warrior was. This was distinct from Merlin who had relied upon a program to control the Golden Ray Armor. Only the Vestigial Tribe’s Golden Ray Warrior was completely compatible with the Golden Ray Armor and thus, unleashed its full power.
Before this, Merlin had used up tremendous amounts of energy to barely reach the ultimate fourth-grade. The Golden Ray Warrior was a fearsome being comparable to the Thirty-six Emperors. Even in the fourth-grade Emperor-level, they were a preeminent existence.
Now that this white halo had imprisoned a Golden Ray Warrior, how could Merlin not be flabbergasted?
“To think that the Vestigial Tribe has survived, and it’s a Golden Ray Warrior at that!”
Merlin’s eager expression caused the wizened old man to frown, who then laughed coldly. “Soon, you’ll change your mind. I’m only ordered to watch over the Golden Ray Warrior. If you insist on staying here, whether you live or die is none of my business!”
The watchman’s tone was rather icy, following which he explained no further, turning immediately to leave.
