The ten groups of
Unlike before, when they would need to surrender and be treated as lesser even after giving their allegiance, thriving under Liu Shu was rather easy. Follow the law, don't try to aim for too much power, and you're set.
Therefore, many beastkin and underwater races, who had secret Level 99s in their ranks but chose to stay away from worldly affairs, surprisingly became a significant force within Ceperet.
The over 300 people gathered in front of one of the many new portals were all over Level 100, each of their strengths was carefully developed, and their coordination was nothing but incredible.
In the Explorer Association, parties could have ranks, and these 10 parties were among the best. Just the fact that they were whole even when they were "front line" explorers spoke volumes of their abilities.
Moreover, these groups included some of the envoys, which meant their worldview was not closed in the slightest. Among the 250 envoys that came under Elyne and the others, most chose to integrate into Liu Shu's society. Since they were good at combat, they decided to make a temporary living as Explorers at first.
Some of them become entangled in social ties, eventually being absorbed into local Explorer groups and serving as leaders. After all, their strengths were far above the locals when they arrived, giving them an edge.
The top three Explorer groups among them were the following:
The leader of the Azure Horizon group was a crowkin, with purple-black feathered wings behind him and elongated eyes. His neck had purplish, glowing veins running through it, showing that his ascension had given him a significant evolutionary boost. His species was that of a Void-Touched Crowkin.
Kaelen spoke calmly. "Alright, as we planned, our group will take the lead. Once we are inside, we won't move and wait for the others. We'll wait for one hour, or at least until we are attacked. If you don't see the group that entered before you, then you should expect to be alone inside and take it as an
By his side, a woman with similar features to his hugged his arm softly. Clearly, she was his wife. Ashylle spoke with a smile. "Don't repeat things so much, Kaelen. They all know it already and are probably going to snap if they hear you repeat it again."
Kaelen paused, looking around, only to see everyone glancing over with annoyance. Kaelen cleared his throat. "My bad. It seems that nerves have gotten to me."
A female figure with antlers and leafy, windblown hair spoke in a gentle tone. She was the leader of the Verdant Pathfinders, a Verdant Dryad. "Alright, Kaelen. Go ahead. We will follow right behind."
A massive man with broad shoulders and tusks moving past his lips nodded, his voice higher-pitched than one would expect, but still within the baritone spectrum. "As Elowen said, we will go right after. You can trust this Rovan to cover your back!"
The Stonehide Boarkin slapped his sturdy chest in a sonorous bang. He was the second in command in the Verdant Pathfinder group.
Kaelen didn't wait anymore, and together with the rest of the
"Get moving, Rovan! You know how time moves in
Rovan snorted with his throat, a low, porcine, but menacing sound leaving him. "I don't need a reminder, Darian."
Darian was a draconid, someone who had a minuscule portion of dragon blood in him. However, even if the Ascension purified and awakened part of his draconic heritage and gave him incredible strength, a great level of arrogance also appeared in him.
By his side, a woman with a serpentine lower half hissed softly. "Darian, stop it. We are not here to fight."
The lamia beauty had roots and flowers entangled along her serpentine half, while her hair was like damp weeds, giving her the presence of a beauty who just took a bath. Darian looked at her and slung an arm around her willowy waist. "Shalora, you are far too gentle with others."
The woman hissed a sigh, her eyes looking at Darian with a bit of disapproval.
Arven didn't interrupt their squabbles. It was more than normal for top-tier groups to have friction between them. After all, they were competitors for the highest-ranked jobs. Them being on good terms would be far more uncommon.
Soon, the 300 people disappeared into the portal, and Arven crossed his arms. "Good luck."
Meanwhile, Kaelen and the others couldn't help but gasp when their blurred vision focused. They were currently not in an open field, not in a random forest, but inside a magnificent cathedral.
This cathedral was large, vast enough to easily accommodate over 10,000 people and still feel spacious. The gargantuan marble column, tangled up by climbing roots, gave the place a feeling of timelessness and history.
When Kaelen appeared, he noticed that they weren't alone. Quite a few other groups stood around them with crossed arms. He instantly frowned. "What are you doing here? Didn't the
His voice boomed out, bouncing inside the massive cathedral.
A Sylvan looked back, her eyes cold, and snorted. "And who gives you that right? The
Kaelen frowned. "You know me?"
"Who wouldn't? The uprising genius of the crowkin clan, a sensation that reached Level 130 just a few decades after Lady Heavenly Willow opened our world's limiter. Whoever doesn't know of you in our trade has either been living under a rock or ignoring every piece of information whispered in the halls of the association."
Kaelen was going to continue speaking when the other groups that jumped into the portal appeared behind him, one after another.
The Sylvan and the others raised their eyebrows, noticing the number of famous people appearing one after another.
Shalora tilted her head, her serpentine lower half rustling as she slithered forward. "Kaelen, who are they?"
Who answered was a human man among their group. He was an envoy under Orwen previously, who ended up joining the Obsidian Vanguard. "They are probably rogues who disobeyed. We shouldn't bother them. If they want to throw away their lives before we map out this place, that's up to them."
Shalora nodded and looked around, her tongue flickering in awe. "I must say… this place is magnificent."
Elowen looked at Sylvan nearby and smiled. "Miss, could you tell us what this place is?"
The Sylvan's cold expression softened slightly when she saw Elowen. If anyone was famous for her gentleness, it was this dryad. As a Dryad, who was usually attached to a main tree body, she managed to evolve into a fully humanoid after her Ascension. With her nature as a tree and healer, her personality naturally leaned toward gentleness and generosity.
"Of course. We are in a place called
When she said that, everyone couldn't help but remember that one outside. Elowen blinked, and the Sylvan smiled. "Look around with more detail."
The 300-plus Explorers did so, and they instantly noticed the similarities with the one outside. A Sylvan in the group exclaimed. "That… Now that I see it, aren't these roots like Lady Heavenly Willow's roots?"
The roots sneaking up the pillars and coiling in and out of the walls pulsed with powerful energy, blue veins glowing softly and giving the place its luminosity.
Ashylle flapped her black wings in surprise. "... Does this
A rogue explorer spoke aloud. "That's about right. From what we've gathered, this
Everyone who had not heard about it frowned gravely. "If that's the case… We might be in trouble."
"Indeed. We must tread carefully, or we might not even understand how we died."
Someone else in the explorer group added, his tone analytical. "From the information, we know that this place is a trial space. Therefore, there must be something to test us."
The indifferent Sylvan at the side smiled, her eyes flashing with hidden intent as she leaned against one of the massive pillars. "There is indeed a trial. Just stand at the circle over there."
The 300 people followed Sylvan's gestures and finally noticed the giant Runic Field at the very front of the vast cathedral. In the place where the priest would give their sermon, a gorgeous circle with complex runes glowed pristinely. In the entire ancient cathedral, only that circle looked untouched by time.
Kaelen didn't rush. Instead, he asked. "What about the windows? Is there anything outside?"
One rude rogue explorer snorted. "Don't you have legs? Walk and look."
Kaelen didn't take offense and did as he said. The group moved together, just in case. While they were rivals, they weren't stupid enough to separate when things were unknown.
Kaelen flew up to the tall window, his black-purplish wings flapping gently. Once he reached them, he gasped.
The outside was, to put it mildly, chaotic.
They were on a floating, shattered island. Giant chunks of land, rivers, and mountains floated as if gravity decided to switch off, while the empty space had become a flickering purple.
Black streaks crashed against the very space, creating large rifts that gave a dreadful aura.
It looked as if some kind of divinity decided to strike the location, and everything but the insides of the cathedral collapsed within the river of time itself.
Everyone stood there, awestruck at the cataclysmic atmosphere outside the cathedral.
Kaelen floated to another window, and those on the side showed the same spectacle. His face became grimmer with each window he observed. East, West, and South windows all showed the same, leaving only the ones on the north side of the cathedral.
Kaelen was absorbed with his observations, but as he was about to fly, Ashylle grabbed his arms. "Kaelen, be careful."
Kaelen blinked, confused. Noticing his wife looking elsewhere, he followed her gaze. Kaelen quickly noticed that he was about to step into the shimmering white pillar of light surrounding the runic circle that soared to the very ceiling of the Cathedral.
His heart thumped with a chill. 'Thankfully, Ashylle stopped me.'
The crowkin decided to observe the north side of the cathedral once more. "Eight sculptures surrounding half the circle." He muttered, confused. "Each figure seems to look like one entity. The one to the very left is like… a feline? A large feline like a lion."
Ashylle nodded. "Some are humanoid, others beastly, and others…" Ashylle looked at the second-to-last sculpture, and her heart somehow squeezed. "...abstract."
Kaelen smiled wryly. "That's a good way to describe that one. Is that… a mass of something entangled in a ball of something? I can't understand."
Elowen spoke, her voice trembling slightly. "The last three sculptures. The two female figures and that strange one… They are dangerous. Especially that mass of something and that regal female figure. Just looking at the sculptures makes me feel as if the sky is about to collapse on my head."
Hearing the dryad's thoughts, nobody mocked her. That was because everyone could feel it. Those sculptures gave everyone chills.
Carefully, Kaelen finally managed to fly around the circle and ignore his palpitations when flying past the giant statues of the eight figures.
When he arrived at the north-side window and looked out, his eyes widened.
In front of him, the World Tree that everyone in Ceperet adored stood in the distance. However, instead of lush and powerful, the massive being was shattered like everything else. The roots down below pierced the void, stretching out as if desperately trying to keep reality from collapsing. However, everything seemed futile as her body cracked with each passing second, her regeneration barely keeping a balance.
"What is… this place?"