Chapter 2002 – One Last Pure Land
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“It’s really you…” After confirming Lin Ming’s status, the Ancient Elysium Seal seemed filled with emotion. “You’ve returned…”
“Yes, Senior, junior has returned…”
Lin Ming respectfully bowed. In the past, he didn’t know just what was sealed beneath the Ancient Elysium Seal. He only knew that the artifact spirit of the Ancient Elysium Seal had guarded this land for 3.6 billion years, and that was far too shocking a time.
But now he knew that the soul of Famine was being sealed and suppressed beneath the Ancient Elysium Seal, the soul of an extreme True Divinity level demon. Now, besides shock, Lin Ming also felt a reverent respect.
In the past, Empyrean Divine Seal as well as the Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit had paid far too great a price in order to obtain victory in the great calamity.
“Mm… you are already…”
The Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit looked at Lin Ming with some surprise. It had just noticed Lin Ming’s cultivation boundary – a half-step Empyrean.
To become a half-step Empyrean after 6500-6600 years, although this was an extremely fast cultivation rate, it didn’t shock the artifact spirit too much. After all, it knew that Lin Ming had the Magic Cube.
But when it tried to probe Lin Ming’s inner world just now, it discovered something amazing. The artifact spirit was completely unable to understand his inner world, as if everything was encompassed within, possessing a complete set of advanced Laws and an extremely terrifying and mysterious power.
This youth was not just any ordinary half-step Empyrean. As for his true strength, it was hard for the Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit to estimate. It was like a Divine Dragon was slumbering deep within his body, and as long as he wanted to he could erupt with a strength that would destroy the heavens and sunder the earth.
“Junior has already learned about many things, and as for the great calamity that Senior mentions, it has already erupted…” Lin Ming explained.
Deep from the void, a quiet sigh reverberated outwards. “Everything is fated… what will come, will eventually come.”
The Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit said. Then, the void in front of Lin Ming twisted and pure black runes appeared, slowly gathering into the appearance of an old man’s face.
This face seemed carved from metal and it was filled with the ice-cold sobriety of reality. The eyes were deep and profound, as if this face had no pupils but black holes instead.
Lin Ming knew that this metallic face was the true form of the Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit.
At this time, Lin Ming could feel constant waves of weakness emanating from the Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit. Compared to 6000 some years ago, it didn’t seem to possess even half of its previous strength.
This left Lin Ming puzzled.
“What has Senior experienced in these years that has used up so much energy?”
“This is all because of… Famine.”
The dark eyes of the artifact spirit flashed with a mystical light. “Famine has come. I felt it, but it also did. The faint connection that exists between its soul and body as well as its natural instinct caused it to begin stirring once more, almost approaching consciousness. I did everything in my power to suppress it once more, but I ended up using far too much origin energy… of course, it didn’t get off any better.”
The Ancient Elysium Seal’s artifact spirit sounded exhausted. The ‘it’ that it referred to was naturally Famine’s soul.
When the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign came to the Divine Realm, Famine’s soul desired to break out of the seal. The deeply slumbering Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit had awakened and they had engaged in a great battle where both parties had been grievously wounded.
But if this were to continue, the Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit felt that the first one to be unable to last any longer would be itself.
“I cannot seal it for much longer… at least 4000 years or at most 10,000 years. The day it breaks the seal is also the day that I perish in dust. At that time, Famine’s soul will return to its mortal body and the consequences of that will be inconceivable.”
Although the artifact spirit was what it was, it had still lived for 3.6 billion years. The Ancient Elysium Seal was far too old and didn’t have much strength remaining.
“I fear that Famine’s soul will not return.” Lin Ming suddenly said.
“Mm?” The Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit was startled.
“Senior likely doesn’t know, but Famine’s flesh and blood has already been subdued by the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign and made into an avatar. And, humanity’s great calamity was also all planned by the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign.”
“Subdued?”
The Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit was stunned. It hadn’t thought that the ever-powerful Famine would manage to be subdued by someone.
“That’s right. This is likely related to a divine tool that the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign obtained. The reason junior came to look for Senior is because of Famine’s soul!”
“Mm?” The Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit was dumbfounded. “What do you want to do?”
“Junior wants to undo the seal, and from Famine’s soul, find a method to turn the battle against the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign!”
Lin Ming’s words were stunning. For a time, the Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit was left speechless.
It looked at Lin Ming with amazement in its eyes. Undo the seal and find a method to turn the battle against the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign through Famine’s soul?
“Do you understand what you are saying?”
“I know. But, I still want to attempt it!”
Lin Ming firmly said. For this day, he had made far too many preparations.
“And you understand the consequences of this?” The Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit’s voice turned grim and serious.
“If I am defeated, then my soul will be swallowed by Famine. Then, Famine’s soul will also escape. It may choose to return to its body and fight with the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign. Although I would like to see both of them harm each other, I have a feeling that the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign has already expected this might happen and is even prepared for it. At that time, Famine’s soul which has been weakened over 3.6 billion years will lose and be made into nothing but a gift for the Good Fortune Saint Sovereign…”
Listening to Lin Ming’s words, the Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit’s complexion turned solemn. It stared deep into Lin Ming’s eyes. It was clear that Lin Ming had already considered every aspect of this decision.
If one could cultivate to a half-step Empyrean in 6600-6700 years while possessing strength that far outstripped other half-step Empyreans’, the artifact spirit knew that it was impossible for this youth to randomly make such rash decisions. Otherwise, he would have long since died.
“Very well! Since that’s the case, I’ll join with you on this one final bet!”
The artifact spirit slowly said after an incense stick of time.
This seal contained far too much meaning. It was a seal that its master had laid down at the cost of his life, and protecting this seal was the reason for which the Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit existed.
Now it would personally undo the seal.
Of course, if it didn’t do so then once another expanse of years passed, the seal would eventually be shattered from within. If so, then the artifact spirit might as well take this bet!
The Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit’s face vanished. At the same time, the massive violet sun crystal mountain in front of Lin Ming began to melt away. Within the crystal mountain, a cave opening appeared, allowing Lin Ming to walk in.
Lin Ming didn’t immediately enter. He composed his breathing and entered an optimal fused martial intent state. Then, he stepped into the tunnel leading inside the crystal mountain.
Step after step, Lin Ming’s pace was slow and measured.
As he walked into the depths of the violet sun crystal mountain, he suddenly saw shimmering writings appear all around him on the crystal walls.
Each character was written with strokes as heavy as a mountain range. They emitted an ancient and boundless aura.
These were writings from Empyrean Divine Seal. They contained the mysteries of the Divine Seal Art as well as Concepts of the Asura Heavenly Dao.
Just this tunnel alone had tens of thousands of seal characters. If so, then in the massive violet sun crystal mountain, there would be trillions upon trillions of seal characters.
Lin Ming could feel that each seal character contained the condensed bravery and heroic spirit of Empyrean Divine Seal.
He couldn’t help but gently trace his fingers along these seal characters. People were like their words, and from these curved characters, Lin Ming could feel the gallant and epic bearing of Empyrean Divine Seal in the past.
After several hours, Lin Ming finally arrived at the center of the Divine Seal Array. This place was like a temple. The temple was lit up with brilliant lights, and at the central point of this temple was a great floating bronze seal!
This great bronze seal was engraved with numerous images. And on the top of this seal was a great yellow dragon that served as the handle of the seal.
This was the Ancient Elysium Seal’s true form.
However, what caught Lin Ming’s attention was not the Ancient Elysium Seal, but everything else in the temple.
There were skeletons here!
These skeletons were arranged around the great array and there were dozens in total. Their arrangement was like petals of a sunflower, and each skeleton glowed with rainbow-hued lights, opalescent and shining. Although billions of years had passed, they still emitted a dignified and holy aura.
Without a doubt, these were skeletons left behind by peerless powerhouses.
“This is… these remains are…”
Lin Ming could faintly guess what had occurred. His heart began to fill with awe.
The Ancient Elysium Seal artifact spirit’s face suddenly appeared in the air. Its icy cold metallic face revealed sorrow and a trace of disappointment.
“These are the remains of blood sacrifices that were used to stabilize the Divine Seal Array. Each one was a famed elder of the human race…”
Lin Ming’s mind shook; he was left speechless.
“The Divine Seal Array used to suppress Famine’s soul had to be arranged ahead of time. This array formation itself took ten years to create, and at the time, Famine was at least an extreme True Divinity. With Empyrean Divine Seal’s strength, it was impossible for him to create an array formation powerful enough to completely seal away an extreme True Divinity. He could only draw support from the blood sacrifices of human powerhouses. The runes at the core of the array formation were all written in the blood of these famed elders, and as for the array heart of the array formation… that is a sealing black hole, created from the collapsed inner worlds of numerous powerhouses…
“This is a great sealing array formation that was laid down using the blood and pain of innumerable peerless human powerhouses.”
The Ancient Elysium Seal’s voice was slow, but the words it spoke left Lin Ming bewildered.
He looked at the runes around this great array. And indeed, these runes were a mottled dark red, written using the blood of these human masters that weren’t willing to resign themselves to destruction.
Lin Ming silently walked to a skeleton. This skeleton was a bit bent; it was clearly left behind by an old man. Lin Ming didn’t know who this skeleton had been before either. Neither his name nor history had been recorded.
No one knew that this was a heroic soul who had sacrificed himself to resist the great calamity 3.6 billion years ago, and here he died in obscurity…
Lin Ming straightened his clothes and deeply bowed.
Then, he moved, walking to each skeleton and bowing to them, feeling the auras that these seniors of humanity left behind. His eyes began to turn wet and he remained silent throughout.
It could be imagined that in the past, humanity had run into a similar dead end. And they didn’t have the wild universe as an escape route; they could only risk their lives on a final bet.
In order to create this sealing array formation, these human powerhouses sacrificed themselves, all in order to capture a result that they would never see. This kind of tragedy left Lin Ming’s heart shaking.
Lin Ming continued until he bowed to the last skeleton. Then, he saw some words carved into the ground near that skeleton.
“I am willing to have my hundred million years of life be reincarnated into an enchantment. To suffer 10,000 lives of loneliness, to suffer 10,000 lives of tribulations, to suffer 10,000 lives of hardships, all I wish is to shelter my race and create this last pure land for them!”
