Chapter 207: Encounter Again
Darkness receded like a tide. The first sensation Li Wen felt was the burning pain lingering on her wrist. She suddenly opened her eyes, only to find herself standing in the center of a pitch-black palace. Countless pale candlelight hung high in the dome, casting the surroundings in a ghostly glow. She hadn’t returned to the Amber Temple as expected.
Li Wen’s heart sank.
“Snap.”
A crisp snapping sound came from behind her. The moment Li Wen turned, the Bone of Vantnirgen suddenly flew from her hand and shattered into dust in the air. The gray dust outlined a human figure, finally congealing into that dark, viscous form.
“This is truly unexpected.”
A familiar voice echoed from the shadows. The “impurity” that was entirely black was slowly emerging from the gloom. Its furnace-like pupils were brighter than when they were in Leicester. With each step it took, asphalt-like ripples spread beneath its feet.
“I thought it would take at least another hundred years,” its voice vibrated with the friction of metal. “As expected of the Chosen Apostle of Twilight.”
Li Wen instinctively clenched The Emerald Tablet. The emerald gem plate grew warm in her palm. She suddenly understood something, her gaze chilling instantly: “You’ve been using me from the very beginning.”
The black entity let out a low chuckle. The laughter contained no emotion, merely mimicking the behavioral patterns of normal life, yet it caused the candlelight on the palace walls to sway in unison.
“Transactions are inherently about mutual exploitation.” It extended an arm made of viscous liquid, its voice calm, “Hand over The Emerald Tablet to me, and I’ll let you leave alive.”
Li Wen took half a step back, her Emerald Star Cloak billowing as if in a wind. She finally saw the truth of the palace—the so-called pillars were all solidified black liquid, and what hung from the ceiling were not candles, but spiritual flames trapped within pale crystals.
“You seem to have forgotten our transaction,” she said calmly, her voice echoing in the vast palace. “The Heavenly Stairway of the Holy See has not yet been delivered to you.”
The black entity let out a low chuckle, the sound like countless tiny metal shards scraping against glass.
“The Heavenly Stairway?” It tilted its head, its furnace-like pupils flickering with mockery. “Do you think I actually need such a thing?”
As expected, this entity born from the Sage’s furnace could never be deceived by Moriah’s rhetoric.
“You cannot enter the Abyss of Dettor, let alone face the remains of that Offspring of the Sun,” Li Wen suddenly said. “That’s why you needed me to take this ‘key’ to retrieve The Emerald Tablet for you.”
She should have realized it sooner. The “impurity” was a mythical being transcending the hierarchy of life. It might not know the location of the Abyss of Dettor, but it was impossible for it to forget it, especially since it held the “key.”
“Indeed, that ‘key’ was a part of myself. No matter where you travel, I can use it to lock onto your location. No existence can prevent a part of me from returning to me.” It nodded appreciatively, its movements as elegant as a nobleman’s. “The commandment He carved at the bottom of the furnace still binds me—’Vantnirgen shall never set foot in the City of Dettor.’ But the commandment never forbade me from having others act on my behalf.”
Li Wen gazed at the dark entity before her, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the cool surface of The Emerald Tablet. The runes on the gem plate felt warm in her palm, as if silently reminding her of its preciousness and danger.
“Lacking the courage to face the divine remains themselves, you can only plot against mortals like a rat in a gutter?” Li Wen said coldly. “The fact that I obtained The Emerald Tablet is itself in accordance with the will of the Witch, and the Sun of Xi, among other deities. Are you sure you want to defy their wishes?”
“Merely two deceased gods. Even that one couldn’t completely kill me in the past, only seal me within a stone egg. Compared to the importance of The Emerald Tablet, they are nothing to fear. Moreover…” Its voice remained calm, and the face made of viscous liquid creased into a mocking arc. “Do you think that fallen divine child would generously bestow it? He already saw the mark on the key, yet he still allowed you to take the original text… divine mercy is always more venomous than arsenic.”
Li Wen’s pupils contracted slightly. The burning pain on her wrist suddenly turned into a needle-like chill—so this entire transaction was a scheme within a scheme.
It made sense. The deceased god was willing to let Li Wen take The Emerald Tablet, but never promised she could keep it. Whether she could protect it was entirely up to Li Wen herself.
If she couldn’t even do this, how could she assist in the grand plan to murder pillar gods? Ultimately, Xi Zhi’s Sun only needed a helper. Whether this helper was Li Wen or the “impurity,” did it really make a difference?
“Then there’s nothing more to say.”
Li Wen took a deep breath. The Emerald Tablet was crucial for the advancement of The Path. Let alone some mere “impurity,” even if the Sage himself appeared, he wouldn’t get her to hand over the original text meekly.
“You’re right, I talk too much.”
The moment her voice fell, Li Wen lost control of her body. She tried to activate Witch Form, but there was no response. All the mana within her was instantly sucked dry by some unknown power, leaving no room for resistance.
The “impurity’s” pupils flickered in the darkness like an expiring furnace flame. It reached out and grasped empty air, and The Emerald Tablet naturally detached from Li Wen’s hand. The prophetic runes on the surface of the emerald gem plate lit up one by one, illuminating the entire palace with a shimmering green light. Li Wen could only watch helplessly as the gem plate fell into the other’s hands. It held The Emerald Tablet, its furnace-like pupils bursting with terrifying light. The runes carved on the surface of the gem plate began to flow, climbing its arm like living creatures.
With just a thought, the “impurity” could crush Li Wen to death, but it chose not to. Perhaps it was wary of Li Wen’s status as a Chosen Apostle, or perhaps it was because of its earlier promise to let Li Wen leave alive if she handed over The Emerald Tablet.
The green gem plate’s light gradually faded in the “impurity’s” hand, as if the power contained within was being absorbed by it. “Perfect… so perfect…” it whispered, entranced and excited. “It’s like it was made for me.”
In contrast, Li Wen’s mood was remarkably calm. The vast disparity in strength between them prevented her from feeling any frustration or despair. After all, the “impurity” was a mythical being born at the same time as the Sage, and in terms of their Tao, it was at least a divine existence of Stage Nine.
Facing such an existence, let alone Li Wen, any mortal Saint still alive in the Mortal Realm would have no possibility of protecting The Emerald Tablet.
But… was this it?
Li Wen would not give up so easily. She resolutely abandoned futile struggles, concentrated her mind, and entered a meditative state.
