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墨書 Inktalez
Warden slowly pulled the scythe, drawing Cui Ming closer. Toad hopped over and spat, sending the wind flying into Warden's domain like a cannonball, mouth agape, drooling as it awaited Cui Ming's arrival.
"Fate." Cui Ming uttered a single word and instantly vanished from Warden's domain. Half a month ago, after nearly a year of training and meditation, Cui Ming's Fate Card finally broke through, allowing him to teleport to any location within a ten-kilometer radius. However, once used, the Fate Card could not be drawn again until he remained still and meditated for thirty minutes to recover it.
Ten kilometers is quite a distance; the three were startled by Cui Ming's ability. But Wraith, sniffing the air, pointed out, "Eight kilometers."
"There's no rush; let's deal with this first." Warden gazed at the wind. "Let him run for a bit; I enjoy the thrill of hunting my prey."
The wind's presence still lingered in the domain but was in much better shape than Cui Ming. With a spin of his Katana, he created his own wind domain, deflecting the incoming scythe. Toad remarked from the side, "Not bad at all."
"Hmph." Warden sneered as the spikes around the perimeter of his domain turned inward. The green light within began to swirl faster, launching waves of green light toward the wind itself. The wind's Wind Wall held for a moment but was eventually breached; each strike of green light felt like ice against the wind's Force, causing it to shiver involuntarily.
At that moment, Wraith frowned. "It seems there's a new presence."
"Is it human?"
"I don't know," Wraith replied quietly, using his spiritual sense to scan the area.
Just then, about a hundred meters away from everyone, a Sand Soldier stood up. They all turned to look at the Sand Soldier, which suddenly transformed into Zhir. Zhir silently observed the three. Confused, Warden retracted his domain and leaped up. The scythe struck the sand near Zhir, who did not dodge but instead enveloped himself in a new domain in an instant.
The scythe flew out and struck Zhir. In response, Zhir turned into a pile of quicksand, scattering throughout the domain.
"Who is this?" Warden asked with concern, unable to gauge the depth of their opponent.
The other two replied, "We don't know." They had never heard of anyone who could transform sand.
Suddenly, a resonant horn echoed through the sky, and the ground trembled. Dune coalesced into a towering pillar of sand, rising upward until a magnificent wall, ten meters high, enveloped all four of them. Zhir floated silently in mid-air, holding a long spear. A golden aura of Force flowed around him.
At the sight of the golden Force, the three nearly fell over in shock. In the Eternal Sphere, they only knew one person whose Force was golden, and that was Lich.
Zhir pointed his spear, and a fungal team appeared on Dune, wrapped in Force—a Sand Soldier Fungi Team. With a sweep of his spear, the fungal team charged at the three. Warden exclaimed urgently, "Toad, we need to go."
Toad replied anxiously, "I can only take one person."
"Wraith, take me with you," Wraith said.
Countless arrows flew from behind the fungal team as Sand Soldiers emerged from all sides of the sandy ground, pressing toward the three.
Realizing the danger, Wraith prepared to fly out of the wall but was struck by a beam of energy from a watchtower atop the wall. It felt like being severely injured as he crashed to the ground. At that moment, Toad swallowed Warden whole and burrowed into the sand, disappearing without a trace. This teleportation technique could only be used once a month; having used it twice for his own survival meant that Force would surely backlash against him. Not only would he suffer pain, but this teleportation ability might also be rendered useless.
Zhir paid no mind to the two fleeing individuals. The army surged toward Wraith as he split into dozens of clones, scattering in all directions. However, beams of light shot out from each watchtower, shattering each clone into pieces. Despair filled Wraith as he watched his clones disintegrate while he collided with the fungal team.
Dust swirled around them before settling into silence. Zhir lowered his spear, causing both the soldiers and the wall to vanish. If Wind hadn't witnessed everything firsthand, he would have thought it was merely a dream. He looked at Zhir; this guy was not just a practitioner but incredibly powerful. Among the three villains, two had escaped while one lay dead.
...
Beneath the Moonlight Oasis, Cui Ming and Wind sat on either side while Zhir recounted his story.
Over a thousand years ago, three hundred miles east of Pearl Lake, there lay a vast oasis inhabited by the Desert Tribe, which revered the sun as its totem. The tribe gradually grew stronger, and through the efforts of generations of chieftains, the oasis began to expand, providing more living space. The population swelled to eight thousand, officially establishing it as a kingdom.
However, disaster soon struck. The king's eldest son was exceptionally intelligent and kind-hearted, but the kingdom's Mage insisted he was the source of calamity and claimed to have received a revelation from the Sun God. The people's fear of the divine led to the unjust exile of the innocent Eldest Prince, who left his kin and took refuge by Pearl Lake. The following year, the young prince ascended to the throne. During his coronation ceremony, the Mage killed him from behind at the altar while welcoming the Sun God. After offering the prince's blood as a sacrifice, the Mage gained immense power but became an energy entity due to its overwhelming nature. At that moment, the kingdom's priest and General of the Kingdom intervened to stop the Mage. Seizing the opportunity when the Mage could not control his newfound strength, the High Priest sealed him within the Royal Tomb.
As the High Priest led the people to welcome back the Eldest Prince, a great upheaval occurred. The Mage unleashed a dreadful curse that manifested as an enormous sandstorm, which ravaged the kingdom for seven days and nights, erasing all traces of it from the desert. In return for his actions, the Mage paid a heavy price; he would forever exist only as an energy form in this world—without a body or limbs—merely a mass of energy permanently sealed beneath the sands in the Royal Tomb.
The Eldest Prince received powers bestowed by the Sun God, who chose him as king of this land. Upon returning to his kingdom, he found it utterly vanished without a trace. Only the High Priest remained, using magic circles to withstand the sandstorm's fury. The aged High Priest explained the calamity and informed the Eldest Prince that they had been forsaken by the Sun God, who had transferred all power to him due to his unjust treatment.
Since there was no coronation ceremony, the Eldest Prince would possess a lifespan equal to that of this desert. Finally, the High Priest revealed that he was a descendant of the Sun God and must guard this desert until he ultimately ascended to godhood; leaving without permission would result in death.
This tale lingered in Wind and Cui Ming's minds for quite some time. Whether there were gods or not remained uncertain for Cui Ming. However, regarding Lich, it was clear he had made a pact with Death itself to guard Shadow Island. Zhir had also entered into a contract with the Sun God to protect this desert. An island and a desert—what was so worth protecting? It seemed like deities needed representatives; otherwise, people might forget they existed.
Undoubtedly, Lich and Zhir were masters of equal caliber; while they gained power, they were also bound by their contracts. For such god-like beings in this desolate expanse of desert, was longevity a blessing or a curse? Take Lich for instance—guarding Shadow Island for generations where no one ever set foot—what good was immense power if it went unrecognized?
Cui Ming recalled something: "There is an elder in Silent City known as the Prophet who shows great interest in Lost Civilization."
Zhir asked, "Does he wield Void Power?"
Cui Ming replied earnestly, "Based on his background information, he is a practitioner of dark magic who has comprehended Void Power."
"Void means emptiness; when Mage was sealed away, he existed as an energy entity—the very essence of Void Energy. The Prophet sensed this energy and could even communicate simply with him," Zhir explained. "He intends to break Mage's seal; unfortunately for him, once he does so, he will only become Mage's servant rather than his benefactor."
Wind inquired, "How powerful is Mage?"
"How strong?" Zhir pondered for a long time before saying, "In your eyes, I am strong. If I could leave the desert, I wouldn't be much stronger than you. Void Power sounds terrifying, but it is not much different from your Force; it's just another form of energy. However, as a Mage, the amount of energy I possess is something that no human can endure."
Cui Ming seemed to contemplate this: "There are many interpretations of strength. The most intuitive is the equivalent of Force. A Mage's energy body can be considered an inexhaustible source of energy."
Zhir continued, "There are still some differences between Void Power and Force. For example, if a person can endure 100 units of Force, then by mastering Void Power, they could endure 200 units of Force. Mages are too greedy; the power granted by the Sun God is beyond what their flesh and blood can withstand, which is why they become energy bodies. They do not need to eat or drink; they have no survival needs. All they want is to end their own existence, and the only way to do that is to destroy this world."
Feng Dao remarked, "And you are the one ensuring he cannot leave the desert."
Zhir replied, "That is my only mission. If it weren't for the Sun God's command, how could I endure a thousand years of solitude? I would have left the desert and taken my own life long ago."
Cui Ming questioned, "Do you know of a giant insect?"
"I not only know about the giant insect, but I also remember you," Zhir said. "I thought one warning would be enough, but I didn't expect them to return to this land. I was no longer polite and killed them all."
Strictly speaking, Zhir was an enemy; Xiao Jiang's death was caused by Zhir. Yet at the same time, he was also his savior. It was better not to count such debts; being too serious would ruin the fun. Cui Ming asked, "Has the Prophet been here?"
"I don't know who the Prophet is. Eight months ago, two humans with Void Power came to the Old Kingdom Site. Their strength was quite impressive; although I defeated and injured them, they still managed to escape using a void magic circle."
Cui Ming understood now; Zhir guarded only the Old Kingdom Site, where sealed Mages were located. He could move freely throughout the desert without restrictions, but Zhir could not leave the desert; otherwise, he would die on the spot. The sealed Mages communicated through Void Power with practitioners who had cultivated it in hopes of saving themselves. Guided by the Prophet, they began searching for the location of Lost Civilization and engaged in a series of employments and attacks. The Prophet firmly believed that once he unsealed the Mages, he would gain immense power. However, Zhir believed that if the Prophet unsealed them, he would only become a slave to the Mages.
(Note: This chapter will be updated with 550 monthly votes.)
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