49: Broken hanging mountain, bronze door marks
The Void Realm is boundless; loneliness is Eternity.
Liu Qingtian's massive tree body was enveloped in starlight, constantly approaching the Shattered Continent that radiated an aura of desolation and protection. The closer he got, the more he could feel the grandeur of its scale and the tragic nature of its ruin.
This was not a naturally formed floating island, but rather a massive fragment that remained after an entire great world had been shattered by some unimaginable force.
The edges of the continent were jagged, exposing the fractured mountains and dried-up riverbeds within. The energy of the Void Realm eroded its boundaries like a tide, causing this fragment to slowly shrink and disintegrate.
On the continent, one could vaguely see countless collapsed temples, broken giant pillars, and weathered statues... The style of these buildings was ancient and peculiar, full of the charm of order and solemnity, but at this moment, they were all covered in the dust of decay and deathly silence.
The pulsation of the star key imprint became increasingly intense, like a wanderer returning home feeling a call.
Liu Qingtian landed cautiously on the edge of the Shattered Continent, his roots digging into the cold, hard ground as he sensed his surroundings.
The air was permeated with an extremely thin, yet exceptionally pure energy. It was different from Spiritual Qi; it was more like a kind of... power of order? Or perhaps the remnant of some kind of Law.
Everything was silent, save for the wailing sound of the Void Realm wind blowing past the ruins.
He restrained his aura and slowly "walked" toward the interior of the continent. Along the way, apart from ruins, he did not discover any signs of life; even the traces of microbial activity were minimal, as if all vitality here had been completely wiped away in the distant past.
Through those remaining buildings and statues, Liu Qingtian could vaguely infer that a highly developed civilization had once existed here, its power system seemingly closely related to order, protection, and Law.
Although many murals and runes were incomplete, they depicted the starry sky, orbits, and... blurry giant gates?
Could this be the civilization where the Gatekeepers once resided? Were those "gates" what they were protecting?
Liu Qingtian speculated in his heart and continued to go deeper. The guidance of the star key pointed to the very center of the continent.
The closer he got to the center, the more obvious that aura of order and protection became, even beginning to generate a faint sense of repulsion toward Liu Qingtian, this Demon Willow that represented "Reincarnation of Life and Death" and "Return to Void". Fortunately, the star key imprint emitted gentle starlight, neutralizing this repulsion and allowing him to proceed smoothly.
Finally, he arrived at the center of the continent.
This was a relatively intact, massive square paved with a kind of silvery-white metal. After endless years, it remained as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the gray sky. In the center of the square, there was no magnificent building, but rather a huge, bottomless pit!
The edges of the pit were incredibly smooth, as if something had been forcibly dug out from the depths of the earth.
What attracted all of Liu Qingtian's attention was not this pit, but the half-piece of a massive, twisted bronze fragment embedded in the ground at the edge of the pit!
That bronze fragment was immensely huge; even though only a small part remained, it was a hundred zhang high. It was covered with incredibly complex and unfathomable patterns. Those patterns were not carved but seemed to be naturally formed, containing indescribable spatial Law and the power of order.
The star key imprint deep within Liu Qingtian's tree soul burst forth with unprecedented heat and light at this moment, resonating strongly with that bronze fragment!
These patterns... this aura... came from the same source as the "bronze great gate" he had first heard about in the intelligence from the Jade Dream Realm and later mentioned in the star key information!
This fragment was very likely a part of that legendary "bronze great gate"! And the giant pit in the center of the continent was very likely the place where the great gate had originally stood!
Who was it? Possessing such great power, to be able to destroy such a great gate that clearly contained supreme might, and even forcibly dig away its main body?
Was it an Annihilation Beast? Or... some other more terrifying existence?
Liu Qingtian was shocked and slowly approached the massive bronze fragment. The closer he got, the more he could feel the majestic power of Law contained within it, as well as a tragic, desolate, and unwilling will.
He cautiously extended a willow branch and gently touched the cold bronze fragment.
Hum—!
As if triggering a switch, the bronze fragment shook violently, and the mysterious patterns on it suddenly lit up! An incomplete stream of consciousness, filled with chaos and despair, rushed into Liu Qingtian's tree soul like a flood breaking a dam!
"...Cannot hold... cannot hold any of it..."
"...The 'primal gate' has been contaminated... the 'path' has been distorted..."
"...They came from within... traitors... it is the traitors..."
"...The 'myriad phenomena star disc' has shattered... the 'key' is scattered across the heavens..."
"...Run... run quickly... protect the last spark..."
"...Wait for... the 'Returning Watcher'..."
The stream of consciousness was intermittent, mixed with countless screams, roars, and the rumbling of Laws breaking, eventually returning to complete deathly silence.
Liu Qingtian's tree body shook violently; it took great effort for him to digest this remnant of consciousness with its massive amount of information.
primal gate? Path? They who came from within? Traitors? The myriad phenomena star disc shattered? The Returning Watcher?
One astonishing term after another impacted his cognition.
It seemed that the civilization of the "Gatekeepers" had not been completely destroyed by external forces; had there been traitors within? And the source of the disaster seemed to be related to the contamination of that "primal gate"? Had "they" even come from within the gate?
The star key was the key to finding the myriad manifestations star disk fragment and knocking on the Gatekeeper's gate. But the myriad phenomena star disc had already shattered, and the Gatekeeper civilization had almost been wiped out, leaving only this ruin and remnant of consciousness.
So, where should he go from here? Wait for that "Returning Watcher"?
Just as Liu Qingtian's thoughts were in chaos, the willow branch he was using to touch the bronze fragment suddenly felt that, deep within the fragment, there seemed to be a hidden, extremely weak, yet exceptionally tenacious "living" consciousness!
This wisp of consciousness seemed to be protected by the power of the bronze fragment, having fallen into the deepest slumber; the massive stream of information just now had failed to wake it.
Liu Qingtian's heart stirred, and he attempted to inject a wisp of the star key's gentle power, mixed with his own vitality, slowly into that sleeping consciousness.
Like a spring breeze bringing rain, that sleeping consciousness trembled slightly, seemingly showing signs of waking up.
Liu Qingtian patiently continued to inject energy.
Finally, that wisp of consciousness slowly "opened its eyes," transmitting a wave that was extremely weak, bewildered, yet carried a hint of vigilance:
"...Who is it?... Is it... the aura of the 'key'?... And... a strange... tree spirit?..."
Success! This wisp of consciousness might be the only survivor in this ruin! It could be the last "Gatekeeper"!
Liu Qingtian suppressed his excitement and tried to make his consciousness sound peaceful: "My name is Liu Qingtian. By chance, I received the recognition of the star key and followed its guidance here. Are you the last Gatekeeper? What exactly happened here?"
The wisp of consciousness was silent for a moment, seemingly digesting the information and judging Liu Qingtian's intentions.
After a long while, it transmitted information again, filled with sorrow and fatigue:
"...Gatekeeper... perhaps... I am just a remnant soul that luckily attached itself to the 'fragment of the gate' to survive... I do not remember much... I only remember endless battles... betrayal... and falling..."
"...The 'primal gate' was contaminated by the power of the 'Bottom of Nihility'... the path was reversed... countless 'cleaners' poured out... what is more terrifying is... some fellow clansmen... they actively embraced Nihility... became traitors... and tore the defense line from within..."
"...The 'myriad phenomena star disc' was shattered by traitors... the fragments were scattered... the 'key' also drifted to various places... everything is over..."
The remnant soul's consciousness was intermittent, filled with pain.
Liu Qingtian was horrified in his heart. The situation was worse than he had imagined; a large-scale betrayal had occurred within the Gatekeeper faction!
"What about the Returning Watcher?" Liu Qingtian asked further.
"...Legend... an ancient prophecy... when everything is on the verge of despair... there will be a first watcher who will return from Reincarnation... to reshape the star disc... and reopen the gate... but this is just a faint hope..." The remnant soul's consciousness became even weaker.
"What do I need to do?" Liu Qingtian asked in a deep voice.
"...Find... other fragments... gather the power of the 'key'... it can help you sense... be vigilant against traitors... they are also searching... they will... contaminate the key..." The remnant soul's consciousness began to become unstable, seemingly about to fall into slumber again.
"What are the characteristics of the traitors? Is it the Nihility Cult?"
"...Nihility... is the surface... they worship... the 'Root Nihility'... behind the gate... the aura... is cold... deathly silent... yet... twisted... crazy... be careful..." The remnant soul's consciousness became weaker and weaker, eventually falling into complete silence, and no matter how Liu Qingtian called out, there was no more response.
Liu Qingtian retracted his willow branches, his tree soul heavy.
The information obtained was crucial, but the outlook was also bleaker. The enemy was not only powerful but also hidden in the dark, and might even disguise themselves as allies.
He looked at the massive bronze fragment, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind.
This fragment contained powerful spatial and order Laws and was a part of the former bronze great gate; could he... refine it? Even if he only refined it preliminarily, perhaps he could gain unexpected benefits, or even gain an extra trump card?
This thought was extremely tempting.
He once again pressed his willow branches onto the bronze fragment, attempting to operate the Silent Origin Spirit Transformation Secret Chapter, guiding out a wisp of Annihilation Qi. It was not destruction, but rather, like a carving knife, he cautiously attempted to leave his own mark on that fragment.
However, the moment his Annihilation Qi touched the bronze fragment—
A sudden change occurred!
The bronze fragment suddenly erupted with a strong repulsive reaction, the light of order and the Death Qi of annihilation clashing violently!
At the same time, in the shadows at the edge of the square, several cold, twisted, and greedy gazes suddenly lit up!
A hoarse voice sounded with mockery:
"Tsk tsk tsk... what a moving discovery... a Demon Willow possessing the Power of Annihilation, a precious fragment of the gate, and... the aura of the star key!"
"It seems that this time, we have caught a big fish!"
Liu Qingtian's tree soul shivered; he pulled back his willow branches abruptly and looked vigilantly toward the source of the voice.
He saw three figures cloaked in black robes, their faces shrouded in shadows, who had appeared at the edge of the square at some unknown time. The aura they radiated was exactly what the remnant soul had described—cold, deathly silent, yet twisted and crazy!
Nihility Cult!