The Spirit Realm had been accessible for over twenty years, and by now, many on the Ouden Continent had mastered stable methods of entry. However, the methods varied greatly in quality, with some even resulting in death upon entry. It seemed that entering was possible, but not always necessary.
Viscount Bast stood before the black mirror in the cellar space of his mansion, which radiated an eerie power, allowing people to travel directly from reality to the world of dreams.
He slowly glanced at the crowd and led the way through the black mirror into another world.
"Follow me, everyone. Our voyage through the Spirit Realm is about to commence.”
One by one, the crowd followed Viscount Bast’s lead into the all too familiar landscape of Dreamland Forest.
Among those headed for the dreamland, there was a man wearing a dog-faced mask who silently watched Byrne’s figure and lowered his head to follow the others inside.
Then the old viscount took out a mystical, ancient bronze pointer, constantly fiddling with and adjusting it, till he determined a location. He then led everyone through the illusory dreamscape towards the bounds of the Spirit Realm.
Everyone was curious. What exactly was the pointer that Viscount Bast held?
Only Byrne knew in his heart that it was a Spirit Realm secret treasure obtained through trading “Spirit Essence” with the Alchemy Council, specifically used to locate “objects whose positions and shapes were already known.”
In fact, similar treasures from the Spirit Realm were becoming increasingly common.The Spirit Realm seemed like a massive and terrifying trap with its own consciousness, always craving explorers, luring them with the promise of great opportunity. Yet, they were more likely to find death or even fates worse than death.
The crowd dared not lift their heads as the cross of black light in the sky hung ominously, each person filled with reverence towards Its presence.
"What exactly is that?”
"No one knows. Perhaps it’s a great deity…”
"Even the church is silent about Its existence, but fear can always be seen in many people’s eyes.”
Extraordinary Exponents from all over the world had long known about the black cross luminance in the sky of the Spirit Realm, all holding certain reverence towards It.
"That is…”
My God, Byrne silently prayed to the Lord of the Lost deep in his heart.
He believed that the Great Lord of the Lost would protect him just as it had always favored the Fischer family, a deity deserving of profound and genuine veneration.
Eventually, the expedition led by Viscount Bast entered the Spirit Realm.
"We’ve arrived!”
Viscount Bast took a deep breath and slowly said,
"Next, we just need to pass through the Gates of Nature, World Order, and Authority, and then we have a thirty percent chance of reaching the amethyst palace!”
Nature, World Order, Authority… a thirty percent chance…
Byrne silently memorized the route, noticing that the others had also memorized it; clearly, Viscount Bast wasn’t at all afraid of them doing so.
Why is that?
Was it because under normal circumstances, a lone Transmutation Extraordinary Exponent wouldn’t stand a chance of adventuring in the palace on their own?
Soon, they encountered monsters within the Spirit Realm, but the expedition’s strength was sufficient, and they dispatched the creatures with relative ease.
Without much obstruction along the way, they soon found the first gate, the Gate of Nature.
It was a gate encircled by deep green vines, its inner “vortex” brimming with the vibrant essence of spring, appearing full of vitality and renewal.
"Incredible, this is my first time seeing the Gate of Nature.”
"Really? I’ve seen it more than once. Encountering the Gate of Nature in the Spirit Realm is a great fortune!”
The members of the expedition became especially excited in front of the Gate of Nature, chatting animatedly, and they also noticed the other two gates that appeared alongside it, the Gate of Shadow and the Gate of Revelation.
They particularly wanted to avoid the Gate of Shadow, with its sense of despair almost tangible and devoid of any hope.
"Let’s go!”
Viscount Bast led the way through the Gate of Nature.
Every person who passed through the Gate of Nature felt completely at ease, as if any exhaustion from dealing with monsters or any accidental injuries had vanished.
The power of the gates in the Spirit Realm was always extraordinarily miraculous.
The next gate was the Gate of World Order.
This gate was completely different from the others; it wasn’t a vortex but rather a rectangular door made of metal and gems, emanating a very majestic aura.
One of Viscount Bast’s brothers, Chief Renzo, fell into contemplation.
"Is this the Gate of World Order? Such a rare gate.”
He felt a natural affinity toward the Gate of World Order because the order in Fein City was gradually deteriorating due to the excessive population spike in the past twenty years. It seemed like nearly all the farmers from the East Coast Province were flocking to the city, causing law and order to spiral out of control. Even with the police working themselves to the bone, they couldn’t cope with it all.
"Alright, we’re almost there!” Viscount Bast spoke again.
After passing through the Gate of World Order, many fell silent, but others burst into laughter.
Because the moment they left the Gate of World Order, they saw all the sins they had committed. Some with troubled consciences cared, while others didn’t in the slightest.
Byrne saw much as well, falling into a long silence, while Viscount Bast remained cheerful, seemingly completely unaffected by the Gate of World Order.
He looked at Byrne and said,
"Don’t mind those illusions, Byrne, you must have realized this long ago.”
Then came the third gate, the Gate of Authority.
It was a gate inlaid with many gems, and the “vortex” was as smooth and transparent as a mirror, reflecting everyone who approached.
Anyone who came to the Gate of Authority would see in the “vortex” all the temptations reflected there, in which they would gain immense power, enjoying countless treasures, strength, and beauties.
Many stopped and looked at the Gate of Authority, unable to resist watching more.
They all knew those were false, but they couldn’t help wanting to dream.
"Stop looking!”
Viscount Bast’s voice suddenly resonated in everyone’s ears, causing each person to startle. The old viscount’s voice seemed to hold a magic power that sobered many up.
"The longer you look, the greater the impact you’ll experience after passing through the Gate of Authority! It’s just a dream, nothing more! Don’t overthink it!”
People stopped watching and passed through the Gate of Authority one after the other.
As long as one passed through that Gate of Authority, each would randomly receive a curse. The ones who looked the longest received the most severe curses, while those who looked briefly merely ended up with a toothache.
Thankfully, because of Viscount Bast’s reminder, the majority didn’t feel much impact.
Soon, Byrne saw a palace appear before his eyes, feeling immense shock!
"Is this the palace we’re looking for?”
A palace made of purple crystal stood in a tranquil valley. Its walls were made of countless pieces of transparent purple crystal, each glittering faintly. It exuded a mysterious and majestic aura as if hiding many unknown secrets.
The palace’s main gate consisted of two huge purple crystal doors. Through the cracks of the doors, one could see the interior space filled with a faint purple glow.
The entire palace seemed to leap out of a fairy tale, making people marvel at its grandeur and mystery, inspiring desire and awe.
Viscount Bast couldn’t help showing his excitement, raising his hands high, shouting with an infectious voice,
"Hahaha, we’re here! We came in following that path and arrived here in just one go! Lucky, aren’t we? You all see it, don’t you? This purple crystal palace is our goal! There are various palaces in the Spirit Realm, and each hides a vast amount of forbidden knowledge and Spirit Realm secret treasures!”
Each palace contains a vast amount of forbidden knowledge and Spirit Realm secret treasures?
Byrne couldn’t help but recall the crystal palace, as well as the Spiritual Dragon egg Baron Leander obtained from it.
He could feel that the standards of that crystal palace were even higher than this one! The power and secrets it contained were probably at least a level higher!
But the Fischer family currently didn’t have the power to explore it…
Viscount Bast suddenly stopped talking and stared at the purple crystal palace in silence, his face filled with immense excitement and joy, his eyes brimming with greed.
The next moment, he turned to look at Byrne Fischer.
"Byrne, the time has finally come.”
Byrne nodded slightly, then listened as Viscount Bast continued.
"Let me be clear, you’ll need to act as the ‘key’ to open the palace doors.”
"First, I must tell you outright that becoming the ‘key’ will consume your lifespan, and only by doing so can you open the doors to this purple crystal palace.”
"It won’t take your life, but it will certainly affect you, and I didn’t want you to be unaware of this.”
His tone was very calm, without the slightest hint of coercion, leaving the choice entirely to Byrne.
"If you’re unwilling to be the ‘key,’ you can leave now. I will not stop you, nor will I take my anger out on your family. The Fischer family will still be an ally of the lion!”
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