Whispering Images
Thanks to their familiarity with the black market's terrain and 'Shadow' (Zero)'s skillful guidance, the group escaped potential pursuit without serious danger and found a relatively safe temporary hideout—the interior of an abandoned cargo container.
"That was close!" The doctor patted his chest, still shaken. "That detector was amazing; we almost gave ourselves away!"
“The Order’s technology is more advanced than we anticipated.” The fox analyzed the newly acquired intelligence data with a grave expression. “They seem to have mastered a new detection technology based on ‘annihilation’ energy, which is highly sensitive to the forces of the Order. We must be more cautious in our future actions.”
'Shadow' (Zero) inspected the purchased "Advanced Cognitive Interference Agent" and "Space Beacon Disruptor," and nodded: "With these things, we can interfere with their detection and tracking to some extent. But it's only a temporary solution; the key is to improve our strength as soon as possible."
He looked at Jiang Yu: "'Blade,' how does it feel?"
Jiang Yu (Ren) slowly removed his mask, revealing his true face, his eyes deep and unfathomable: "I'm fine. I've remembered that leader." He paused, then continued, "How's the intelligence analysis going?"
The fox inserted the data crystal into her portable terminal and quickly scanned the information: "The information on 'The Fallen God Realm' confirms the previous rumors. It was the final battlefield of the ancient divine war, where the rules have been severely broken. Space is fragmented, the flow of time is unstable, and there are also numerous 'divine abominations,' 'cursed lands,' and 'law storms' formed after the fall of gods. Conventional navigation methods are basically ineffective; we can only rely on... well, some kind of sensing of divine remnants, or, like us, having clear coordinates to guide us." She pointed to the key fragment in Jiang Yu's hand.
"Regarding the 'Order of the End,'" the fox's tone grew even heavier, "intelligence indicates that their rise has been incredibly rapid, seemingly gaining the strength to conquer the main city overnight. Their upper echelons are extremely mysterious, known as the 'Order of the End,' and are said to possess the ability to communicate directly with the 'Will of Annihilation.' The lower echelons consist of 'Purgers' and 'Preachers' composed of brainwashed or lured players. Their goal is clear: to eliminate all remnants of order and prepare for the so-called 'End of All Things.'"
“And what’s most disadvantageous for us is,” Fox pulled up a wanted poster with a portrait of Jiang Yu (though somewhat blurry) and an alarmingly high bounty, “the Order has already issued wanted posters to almost all known player gathering places and dungeon entrances. Once we show our faces in public areas, we’ll likely face endless hunting down.”
The situation was extremely dire. They were practically at odds with the entire mainstream player community.
“There’s no turning back.” Jiang Yu stood up, her gaze sweeping over everyone. “No matter how dangerous the ‘Fallen God Realm’ is, it’s our only hope right now. Get ready, we’ll set off immediately.”
Using the newly acquired spatial beacon disruptor, they initiated a directional teleportation to the coordinates of the "Fallen God Realm" in a secluded corner. This teleportation was extremely unstable, as if sailing through a raging storm, surrounded by shattered fragments of spacetime and distorted light and shadow, and they could even hear the echoes and wails of ancient gods and demons battling.
After an unknown amount of time, the tearing sensation of teleportation finally ceased. Everyone felt solid ground beneath their feet, and a desolate, tragic, and endlessly destructive pressure instantly enveloped them.
Before me lay a scene of devastation beyond description:
The sky was dark red, riddled with enormous, scar-like spatial rifts from which burning meteorites and fragments of divine weapons occasionally fell. The earth was shattered, floating in the void, forming countless suspended landmasses of varying sizes. On these landmasses, one could see everywhere the massive skeletons of gods, the collapsed splendor of temples, and dried-up lakes of divine blood radiating terrifying energy.
The air was thick with death and resentment, and the laws of nature were chaotically intertwined here, causing gravity to malfunction and time to become disordered. In the distance, some twisted and terrifying creatures (divine abominations) born from divine corruption could be seen wandering around, emitting chilling roars.
This is the Fallen God Realm. Just standing on its edge makes one feel one's own insignificance and fragility.
"The coordinates on the list point to the depths of the Divine Realm, to the largest floating continent—'The Pinnacle of Fallen Gods'." Jiang Yu sensed the pull of the key fragment and pointed to the largest landmass in the distance, shrouded in a storm of dense divine energy. "The third fragment should be there."
However, to get there, they must traverse this perilous, shattered divine realm, facing countless unknown dangers.
The real test is just beginning.
Moving through the Fallen God Realm is like dancing on a knife's edge. The chaotic laws make even the simplest actions risky. One second gravity might be normal, the next you might suddenly lose weight or be crushed to the ground by several times the force of gravity. The flow of time is also extremely unstable; sometimes it feels like a long time has passed when only a few minutes have actually elapsed; other times, taking a single step feels like several hours have gone by.
They had to remain constantly vigilant, relying on the stabilizing force field emanating from the key fragment in Jiang Yu's hand to barely carve out a relatively safe path amidst the chaos. The fragment seemed particularly active here, subtly resonating with the residual divine energy in the environment.
The sights along the way were horrifying. They saw the remains of a Titan, pinned to a mountain peak by a massive spear; even after countless ages, the skeleton still exuded a chilling aura. They passed a frozen battlefield where the two sides (seemingly angels and demons from two different pantheons) remained in their final, lifeless poses, their expressions incredibly realistic. They also discovered an abyss completely swallowed by darkness, from which a soul-chilling sucking sound emanated, as if something was devouring light and hope.
"Are these... all ancient deities?" The doctor's voice trembled as he looked at the skeleton of a dragon larger than a mountain.
“I’m afraid so.” 'Shadow' (Zero) said solemnly, “The scale of that war far exceeded our imagination. It seems that the struggle between 'order' and 'chaos,' between 'creation' and 'annihilation' has been going on for a long time. The Supreme God and the 'Core of Annihilation' may just be the current manifestation of this eternal war.”
Just then, a faint whisper, filled with sorrow and resentment, drifted into everyone's ears on the wind:
"...Unwilling...Why do we...fight..."
“…betrayal…it’s betrayal…”
"...Those who come after...beware...of the...dagger in the shadows..."
These whispers did not originate from any specific direction, but rather permeated the air, like the collective lament of the remaining wills of countless fallen deities throughout the divine realm. These whispers carried a powerful spiritual influence, easily plunging people into endless sorrow and despair.
"Guard your mind!" Jiang Yu whispered, and the light from the key fragments expanded, forming a pale golden shield that kept the whispers away. "These remnant divine wills are filled with negative emotions; don't let them affect you."
Suddenly, from the ruins of a shattered temple ahead, came the sounds of fierce fighting and bursts of energy.
Is someone there? In a place like this?
The group immediately concealed themselves and cautiously approached to observe. They saw two groups locked in fierce combat on a relatively intact plaza! One side consisted of the "End Order" Purgers, clad in black uniforms with purple trim! The other side comprised several individuals dressed in various styles, clearly players, who appeared to be protecting a dilapidated statue in the center of the plaza.
"They're from 'Dawn of Light'!" Fox recognized the players' insignia. "A small guild with similar ideals to our 'Dawnbreaker' and also resisting the 'Cult of the End'! What are they doing here? And fighting with the cult?"
The battlefield situation was extremely unfavorable for "Dawn of Light." They were outnumbered and clearly at a disadvantage, and were on the verge of being annihilated by the Purgers.
"Do you need any help?" Pan Shi asked Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu's sharp eyes surveyed the battlefield. He noticed that the Purifiers' focus wasn't on the "Dawn of Light" players, but rather on the dilapidated statue they were desperately protecting! The statue seemed to be holding something in its hands, emitting a faint energy fluctuation that subtly resonated with the key fragments!
Could it be...?
Jiang Yu's eyes sharpened: "Do it! Save them, the target is the protected statue!"
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