Chapter 1342 Preserving the Treasures and Remembering
When Amber fell, all the "preservation techniques" established in the entire material world became invalid in an instant.
The ancient buildings in Wanning that had existed for thousands of years, the royal palaces in Avalon and Xingti, and even the giant trees in the Eternal Church, all faded at the same time, like the dim yellow color of old photos, and lost the protection of the preservation technique.
Under the influence of preservation, these things can resist "change" and thus ignore the decay brought about by a long period of time - whether it is insect infestation, moisture, wind erosion, or the impact of external forces such as scratches and earthquakes, none of them can bypass the preservation technique and cause damage to the building itself.
Because of this, there are so many ancient buildings in this world that are thousands or even tens of thousands of years old and still look as new as they did before. This is why immortal species like dragons and elves are not forced to repeatedly rebuild their cities and houses throughout their lives.
——If all preservation methods fail, what will be the most significant impact?
There is only one answer.
That is the Ziggurat.
The predecessor - now the former predecessor, Matthias Grünewald, is the only lich in the world.
His life box was kept in the storage room of the Spirit Tower, and the overflowing power formed a special barrier that could freeze and preserve everything.
Just as the fall of the Supreme Heaven signified the destruction of the warrior's way, the fall of the Silver Crown Dragon symbolized the loss of power in the transcendental arts centered on law and magic. If one did not lower one's energy level by half and join the new path... one would immediately lose all power.
Just like the giant prince who was once imprisoned in Avalon, or like the sea monsters in the deep sea.
For ordinary transcendents, this wasn't really a problem. After all, it wasn't just them who had dropped half a level; everyone had. If everyone had dropped, it was the same as if no one had dropped at all—at most, it would only have had an impact of "this path collectively weakened."
It's like a political fight at the top of a company; it doesn't really matter to the workers at the bottom. No matter who wins in the end, they are still just cattle and horses.
——But this is not the case for liches.
Liches are the spirits of those who have long since died, and only rely on preservation magic to remain in the material world for a long time.
The denial of the art of preservation itself means that the cornerstone of the lich's existence is also denied!
At this moment, the preservation room has become a mess.
Two little thieves were squatting next to a huge treasure chest. One of them was flipping through gold coins, watching them drop through his fingers with a look of joy on his face; while the other was carefully wiping a pure ruby the size of a quail egg with a handkerchief.
A hooded man with a low presence took a step forward, realizing something was amiss. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the shadows, mimicking the Shadow Fiend's stealth.
A female Moon Child with silver-white hair suddenly showed a look of astonishment when she appeared, and she fell to her knees weakly on the ground, strangling her throat.
She felt as if she had lost all her strength out of thin air, and the blood and energy in her body were constantly evaporating and dissipating... An intense feeling of suffocation surrounded her, making the Child of the Moon feel as powerless as a fish that had been brought ashore.
A white-haired old wizard was chanting an unknown spell.
The surrounding mana manifested as a physical entity, flowing in the air. The boiling mana could even be seen with the naked eye, and the skin would show signs of burns just by hearing the spell.
A strong sense of death instantly enveloped everyone in the preservation room. Everyone looked at the old wizard who was casting the spell. Half of them were shocked at when he appeared, while the other half were amazed at when the stone statue came to life.
Those who dare to enter the Spirit Tower... especially those who can get into the storage room, naturally there will be no fools or losers.
They soon realized the truth: frozen time had been restored.
They themselves may have been frozen in time by the preservation technique, and they didn't even realize that they had become larvae in amber.
In order to stop the old mage from chanting, the assassin suddenly appeared behind him. But then, a huge arrow of light, like a siege crossbow, pierced the assassin from behind, along with the old mage, and flew into the wall.
The hunter who shot the arrow was hit and flew away by the hammer the next moment.
These fourth and fifth energy level warriors fought without any scruples, and the storage room suddenly fell into chaos.
But at this moment.
An invisible and colorless wave swept past.
——【Breath of Exhaustion】!
These once-powerful warriors seemed to have lost their souls. Their hair turned white, their faces wrinkled, and their knees gave way to the ground.
When their bodies fell heavily to the ground, their flesh had already dissipated, turning into withered skeletons.
Without any ability to resist, his life was easily taken away by this instant death spell!
“…noisy.”
The old lich Grunewald spoke slowly, and instantly appeared at the door of the storage room, accompanied by a vortex that twisted and swirled like a black hole.
His tattered black robe fluttered in the wind, and his skull, which had been burning with a dim yellow flame, now glowed with a faint blue light.
An extremely powerful oppressive force swept over - Miss Moon Child could easily feel it. This power was even obviously stronger than the great Red Phase!
"Lord Black Phase! That, that is..."
The only surviving lady, the Moon Child, was immune to this instant death spell thanks to her strong vitality and lifespan.
She stared at the old lich in extreme fear, and uttered an indescribable scream in disbelief: "Sixth energy level?!"
That is a lofty energy level that only the Eternal Pope can reach!
It is the highest goal her "father" pursues throughout his life!
Being able to reach this level undoubtedly means that one has become the king of the world——
But for some reason, the old lich seemed a little annoyed when he heard her yelling.
"O dust of the past... return to a time when miracles did not exist."
He raised his bony fingers and gently tapped the Son of the Moon with long, silver-white curly hair.
No chanting is required, and no runes appear.
A stream of light, about as thick as a willow branch and with a greenish black tint, instantly hit the Son of the Moon without making any sound.
She didn't even get to say a word before she disappeared out of thin air!
It was like a stick of incense, burning out at hundreds of times the speed, turning into countless snow-white ashes.
A thick aura of death spread out, staining the surrounding floor black, just like the walls after a fire.
“…You have enough to be proud of.”
The old lich murmured, slowly retracting his fingers: "A ghost that lags behind the times..."
——That is [Everything is dead].
This is Matthias Grunewald's most powerful spell.
With the help of the Spirit Tower, this attack can even break through the Fallen Angel's defense and severely injure him instantly!
When this spell was cast by Grunewald, a fifth-level spell, and landed on the Fallen Angel, it could punch a volleyball-sized hole in the chest of the Fallen Angel... But when it was used against the Moon Child, a mere fourth-level spell, it reduced her to ash without her even feeling any pain.
Even if the Son of the Moon has a strong resistance to instant death spells, it is meaningless in the face of absolute power.
Now, with the changes in the rules of the Veil of Balance, Grunewald has broken through to the sixth energy level.
Spells that once required chanting for a long time can now be cast with just a flick of his fingers.
Except for a few owners of the Tiansi fragments, no one else in the world could withstand his casual pointing.
From this perspective, Grunewald has indeed become the king of the world.
only……
The old skeleton waved his hand, and his life box flew over.
It was a small box made of emeralds, with three keyholes on it, corresponding to the three keys hanging on the old skeleton.
He gently touched the life box with his skeletal fingertips, which were yellowing and drying up at a speed visible to the naked eye, and fell into a long silence... or perhaps he was lost in memories.
Now, the twilight path has ended.
In its place is the Path of Winter.
Winter's principles are silence and deadness, and it also encompasses remembrance and the end. It is quite similar to the concept of dusk, but with a slightly lower status, becoming more intuitive and superficial.
The Ninth Source River used to be the path with the most Tiansi, but now only Dongtiansi and Yantiansi are left.
Gan Tiansi's mission is to be the ultimate weapon of this world. Or in other words, a self-destruct switch.
If all else fails, then, as the "anti-civilization," Iwao will be responsible for restoring the world to its factory settings. He will destroy all order, all truth, all civilization, all difference, and completely reduce the world to a wilderness without wisdom or life.
——It’s like the Earth where there was no life before.
——Just like the countless ordinary planets in the vast universe.
At the very least, we must never allow nothingness to devour and assimilate this world - if it is destined to end, then this world will choose to die rather than surrender.
It is better to perish together than to become a puppet!
Therefore, if Gan Tiansi cannot take the position, the only choice for the pillar god is Dongyusi.
However... Dongtian Si still lacks the merit to become a Pillar God.
This means that even if she is pushed to the position of Pillar God as a Heavenly Official (a candidate for Pillar God), without any other Heavenly Official competing with her for the position, she will still need a relatively long transition process before she can slowly master the power of the Ninth Source River.
It is like the long transition from the path of beasts to the path of love.
As the former master of the Psychic Tower, Grunewald has long known that as the designated successor of Amber and the inheritor of the "memory" and "treasure-digging skills" of the Amber Master, the Winter Girl will eventually become the new "Pillar".
That's why they chose the Winter Division and asked students to gradually replace the foundation of their necromancy with the Winter Division system.
Everyone has made preparations in advance.
The only exception is Grunewald -
He alone could not prepare.
As a "lich" who relies on the power of amber to maintain his life, Grunewald will also meet his end along with the amber.
The technology of the "Life Box" comes from the Star Crystal People created by the Scaled Ones; and the Star Crystal People can achieve immortality because Ai Shiping borrowed power from "Amber" and created a preservation technique that can preserve the soul in a gem.
And now, as the foundation of the preservation technique collapses, his power will gradually collapse.
"The era of preservation...is over."
Grunewald sighed silently, pulled the keys from his chest, and inserted them into the phylactery one by one: "We have left too much legacy to future generations... After the legacy era ends...
"...It is the time of exploration and excavation."
It’s just… there’s no era for old guys like us anymore.
All three keys were inserted and Grunewald opened the box.
Inside the emerald box, a small pomegranate was placed upright.
It has not been specimend or preserved in crystal, yet it is still alive.
It feels like it was just picked, with a refreshing fragrance.
But after the box was opened, it began to shrink and turn yellow at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Grunewald held the pomegranate in his bony hand.
This was a gift from his son...and also his legacy.
He didn't even dare to touch it, because just a slight touch would destroy it.
Grunewald could only sit there motionless and watch it quietly.
Watch it turn from bright to dry, from dry to withered, and finally turn into powder.
At this time, a day and a night had passed outside.
He just stood there... motionless for the entire day.
Then Grunewald slowly walked to the window.
He didn't teleport or float, but instead walked slowly and clumsily, like a skeleton soldier.
At his will, the window opened of its own accord, and he raised his hand, letting the wind blow the pomegranate dust into the lightless night sky.
“It would be nice if there was sunshine.”
Grunewald stared at the dark sky and suddenly spoke.
Alone, talking to myself.
By this time, the Spirit Tower had long been emptied by him. Apart from him, there was no living creature in the tower—if he could be considered a living creature.
And at this moment, the energy core of the Spiritual Tower...that is, the huge spines of Yuan Tiansi and Lingbo Tiansi, began to glow like the dawn.
The Tail Ring ritual array that he had already carved on the wall of the Spirit Tower also roared and started at this moment.
"I wonder if I can meet the requirements..."
Grunewald murmured softly: "The way of stillness...
"...I, who have always lived in the past, can become the greatest sacrifice?"
I am on the verge of death.
I am falling apart.
Is it also possible to... become part of a greater destiny?
The so-called necromancy is actually the art of excavating treasures, which is the art of making use of waste.
And now he is undoubtedly that "waste".
...It would be great if he could become the carrier of Huan Tiansi.
Using this decaying body that could die at any moment... to bear all the evil in this world.
That is the greatest treasure-digging technique.
But... the ritual of the Tail Ring could not be responded to.
"...Failed?"
Grunewald whispered.
Because he lacks "love"... Even though dusk is very similar to stillness, he still lacks a little motivation to move forward.
But at this moment, Grunewald's own voice emerged in his mind:
[——Do you plan to be an angel in the future, Aiwass? I mean, after you can become an angel and have done everything you want to do... do you plan to be an angel, or a pillar god?]
The words he had once asked Aiwass suddenly echoed in his heart.
"I don't know. Because from the very beginning, I felt that becoming a celestial official wasn't a good career path. It's fine after death... but if I could live, I think I'd rather live and enjoy life."
At that time, Aiwass replied.
[——Then if this world needs you to become a celestial priest, are you willing to give up everything in the material world?]
"That's natural."
Aiwass said without hesitation, "At most, I'll die. I've even prepared for death, so why would I be afraid of entering the dream world early? These two things are essentially the same... But why do you ask?"
[——Someone asked me to get an answer from you.]
The old lich Grunewald replied.
That person was Grunewald himself.
[——If you were to become a celestial priest, what would your honorific name be?]
"... [Shine]... Be it, Yao Tiansi. Bright, shining, radiant... It must be brighter than all the surrounding lights, more dazzling than the sunlight people are accustomed to, so that people can see the shining light.
"I... want attention. I want people to see me glowing."
Aiwass replied at the time.
Grunewald sighed.
He was so jealous of the energy of young people.
I am so jealous of these fresh souls who hold hope and ideals.
So jealous... to be able to be so shiny.
So jealous that Aiwas can walk on the path of being recognized by everyone.
“I believe He is jealous of you too.”
Grunewald murmured, "I believe... he will be jealous of you too.
"So bright...shining like the sun..."
——The Grunewald family is a family that inherits forbidden magic.
That's why he became the only necromancer in the world who mastered the lich's phylactery.
The name of this surname means "green forest".
Because their ancestors were elves who lived in the giant tree area and were in a period of war.
In order to seek more forbidden spells, these elven wizards went to the ancient Parthian Empire to settle down and used this surname to commemorate their noble origins.
And later.
The owner of this surname committed an unforgivable act.
That was Grunewald's youngest son.
Of course, what exactly he did... Grunewald no longer remembers.
All he knew was that he was ultimately wiped out of existence.
No one knew what he looked like, and no one remembered his name.
Even his surname, his voice, his creations, and the words he left behind are gradually disappearing...
In order to fight against the White Punishment, Grunewald studied the "Amber Condensation Technique" and tried his best to remember the erased memories.
——He succeeded.
Grunewald, with the boundless power of death, successfully engraved the information that should have been annihilated deep within his blood. Thus, each generation would bear a striking resemblance to him, inheriting his gifts and talents.
Grunewald wants to resurrect his erased son, no matter the cost.
Fortunately or unfortunately, his descendants managed to escape from their mad ancestor before the experiment was successful. They fled to Hrasil and changed their surnames to suit the local language. Although Grünewald later pursued them, he could not find any trace of their hiding place.
From a "green forest" to a "white fortress".
This new surname is still being passed down in the Iris region today and is called...
——Vendôme.
"Add to that this jealousy—"
The old lich raised his head, motionless, allowing the purple sacrificial circle to swallow him up.
——Can it make me fall into nothingness?
(End of this chapter)
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