GDK 562: Walking on Thin Ice
They found themselves in a valley meant for giants, obscured by a blanket of thick mist. Han Shuo had no clue why there would be such a valley inside the Void. But from the expressions of Manticole and Leviathan, they seemed to have become very excited upon arriving at this place.
Han Shuo unfolded his consciousness and very easily discovered the locations of the other two Demon Kings. It appeared that although their opposers had arrived before them, they weren’t too far ahead.
As Han Shuo silently observed the surroundings using his consciousness, he suddenly discovered an aura of destruction emerging from the darkness overhead. However, the aura disappeared right after Han Shuo’s consciousness caught wind of it.
“Bechymos has descended,” Han Shuo confirmed in a deep voice.
Leviathan and Manticole suddenly exchanged glances with each other and silently nodded, indicating that they understood Han Shuo’s words. Han Shuo looked at them with a puzzled expression when he saw the two Demon Kings pondering with creased brows. He couldn’t help but ask, “So, where should we go now?”
Their eyes gathered on Han Shuo’s face at the same time. Leviathan thought for a moment before he forced a smile and explained, “This place that we are in, it is technically inside the Void. However, if we want to discover more secrets of the Void, we must explore it ourselves. The center of this great valley contains too many dangers and secrets. During our two previous explorations, we only trailed around the perimeter. My magical ring was discovered here as well.”
Han Shuo took a deep breath. He discovered that in this valley, elements of all kinds were abundant. The thick hazy mist covered the valley like a layer of cloud. Although it wasn’t completely dark like the dark tunnel they had come from, the sight was nevertheless greatly affected. For some reason, the coverage area of Han Shuo’s consciousness was greatly limited in this place. The thick mist that lingered in the valley seemed to possess some bizarre resistance properties that caused Han Shuo’s consciousness to be unable to deploy to the fullest.
It was precisely for this reason that after Bechymos entered the Void, Han Shuo’s consciousness had merely sensed for a moment before losing track on him. Besides, Bechymos was flying at great speeds and flew to another place in just an instant.
“Based on my many years of experience, I reckon that this place used to be a battlefield between gods. Based on what I observed on the two occasions I came here, I discovered that this place occupied an area so huge it was beyond my imagination. The great battle that must have taken place between powerful gods back then had left behind too many boundaries and dangers. We need to be cautious and prudent. If we recklessly charge into some chaotic boundaries, we could all perish,” Manticole said with his brows furrowed.
“Erm, you previously mentioned that the interplanar transportation array was in the Void. Could it be here as well?” Han Shuo asked Manticole while he used his consciousness to sense the changes in his surroundings as best as he could.
“The interplanar portal is indeed in this place. However, as to its precise location, I have no clue. I have only learned of it from Bechymos. He said that he had previously seen the interplanar transportation array, but because he didn’t have the planar coordinates and had no knowledge on how to operate it, he dared not to touch it,” Manticole explained.
At those words, Han Shuo silently cursed him in his heart, and thought, If you had told me the truth about Bechymos knowing where the array is located earlier, I would be able to find and communicate with Bechymos. Now that he is outside of my detection, it’s gonna be a big trouble to find him again.
Han Shuo knew in his heart that although Manticole and Leviathan appeared to value him a lot, they in fact, from the very start, didn’t give a damn about the fact that he needed an interplanar transportation array to leave this world. The duo probably took Han Shuo as one of their own Demons, someone that they could take advantage of. Perhaps the only trait setting him apart from their Demons was that this target of exploit could trouble the other two Demon Kings. During critical moments, the three joining forces would give them the upper hand.
Ever since he obtained the information about interplanar transportation array from the skeletal staff, Han Shuo knew that to operate one of those arrays, one had to not only know how to activate the machine, but one also needed the proper set of coordinates of the destination. If the procedure wasn’t done right, they could be teleported to some empty space within the vast and boundless universe, and they would be trapped there for the rest of their lives, condemned to solitary deaths.
Han Shuo swallowed his grief. He did not say anything but continued to look at Manticole and Leviathan with a smile on his face, waiting for the two to devise the plan.
“We need to explore around ourselves. We not only have to constantly be on the lookout for any danger that might come, but also pay extra attention to the surroundings. I can’t say for sure, but maybe, somewhere beside you, there could be a divine weapon or divine soul left by some perished gods. So, pay attention to that,” Leviathan was obviously very excited. He then pointed at that dark tunnel that they had all come through, and continued, “Remember, always pay attention to this tunnel that we came from. If it begins to sparkle, that means the stardust current is coming back. At that time, we must immediately drop whatever we are doing and leave this place as quickly as possible.”
Before entering, Han Shuo had learned from Bord and Zinia that this Void was not only hard to enter, leaving was no less of a challenge. After the stardust current began flowing from around the entrance, it would travel in a particular trajectory that surrounded the entire Void. When the tunnel began to glitter, the stardust current would start to fill from underneath. It would first rinse the valley once through, then travel up the path from which they came, and finally return to the entrance and block up the Void once again.
The stardust current could cover an enormous surface area of the Void, and spread at speeds that would far surpass any of them. If they did not leave as soon as the stardust current began to sweep the Void, it wouldn’t take long before they were buried by the stardust current and their consciousness annihilated. They would join those mighty gods that had somehow made their ways there, and perhaps transform into divine souls that were without any awareness.
Manticole and Leviathan repeated once again the dangers and what they need to pay attention to inside the Void. They then led the group of Demon guards and cautiously made their way towards an area shrouded with dense fog.
Han Shuo unfolded his consciousness. He could sense some awfully messy and extremely frightening boundaries and scattered magical matrices all around him. They contained twelve fundamental energies as well as some lesser known energies. Together, they formed an enormous system, no less complex than a giant spider web. Danger lurked in every corner. No one knew just how formidable the destructive power contained within was. It was no wonder Manticole and Leviathan were apprehensive and dared not advance without careful consideration.
“I have walked this path twice with Manticole. We have defused some of the dangers along this path. There, Manticole’s magical ring was picked up from right over there,” Leviathan pointed at a strange projecting rock and explained as they walked.
From the two, Han Shuo understood that the whole exploration process would be extremely challenging due to the dangers everywhere. Manticole and Leviathan had visited twice, but still had not managed to explore the whole valley. Furthermore, they even encountered the other two Demon Kings in the area, and fought over a divine weapon. In the end, because a seal near them suddenly shattered, all four of them lost many of their subordinates, giving them no choice but to end the fight.
All five Demon Kings of the Abyss realm gathered in this region. They grouped themselves into three factions, and explored the valley on their own. As it wasn’t the first time that they had entered the valley, they had naturally exhausted tremendous strength and lives before figuring out their own paths inside the valley. To follow on the path that Manticole and Leviathan made, Han Shuo could be considered as riding on their coattails.
The party walked instead of boldly zooming through the air. After walking for a while, Manticole and Leviathan abruptly stopped. They had surveyed their surroundings when Leviathan said in a low-pitched voice, “We made it this far the last time. We have yet to undo a boundary in front of us before we saw the tunnel glowing and had no choice but to immediately pull out.”
“Our journey on this path so far has been smooth because we had cleared away all sorts of obstacles before this for a high price. However, from this point onwards, we will face the true terror of this place. Over here, all of you could die. Even the three of us might die. Therefore, we need to be very, very careful,” Manticole added.
A round of speechless silence followed. Everyone seemed to have a high boulder pressing down on their hearts. Even Han Shuo was being very cautious. Han Shuo could sense all kinds of unknown boundaries around him, but had no idea just how dangerous they were.
Lub Dub… Lub Dub… Han Shuo’s ears were sharp. He suddenly heard a strange noise coming from a seal not far from himself.
He was confused. He did not understand why the seal was suddenly beating to a faint ‘Lub-Dub’. While Han Shuo puzzled over it, a Thunder Guard, whose first time it was there, suddenly covered his chest with his hand and in a terrified face, shrieked madly and miserably.
All the gazes immediately gathered on this Thunder Guard. When Han Shuo carefully looked at the Thunder Guard, he discovered that his heart was beating at the same frequency as the sound coming from that seal!
Han Shuo, who discovered this abnormality, was jolted, and hastily said, “That Thunder Guard’s accelerated heartbeat out of nervousness seemed to have triggered that seal. Tranquilize him immediately.”
“Damnit Bohr, calm the fuck down,” Leviathan hastily said. He was both furious and anxious.
Bang! That Thunder Guard’s body exploded. The few standing around him were splattered with his flesh and broken bones. The powerful explosion caused the few immediate injuries.