amaotonovel Chapter 887 All-Desert
Chapter 887 All-Desert
The cold darkness enveloped the clouds, with only the distant "seed" pulsating like a heart, emitting an ominous light, continuously draining Mendisius's life energy and also stealing away the last glimmer of hope from the clouds' hearts.
He has to go.
The thought pierced through all his resistance and fear like a cold needle. He didn't want to go, not a thousand times over. That was the Pantheon, the lair of the Titans, the land of his mortal enemy with whom he had fought for countless years, a place he considered his sworn enemy. He could almost foresee his arrival there—there would be no dialogue, only Aggramar's holy sword burning with the flames of vengeance, and Aman'Thul's colossal hand capable of tearing through time and space.
“Going there would probably just be suicide…” Yun muttered to himself, his voice barely audible against the backdrop of Mendisius’s agonizing groans. He clenched his fists so tightly his nails almost dug into his flesh. What right did he have to go? For the Titans who had tried to kill him countless times? For this universe, which he saw as filled with malice and exploitation?
He recalled the Firstborn's final, helpless yet hopeful whisper, and Mendisius's bewildered yet tormented consciousness. If he didn't go, the Seed would continue to drain energy, Mendisius would die, and when the "energy depletion" foretold by the Firstborn spread throughout the universe, Azeroth, Draenor, everything he knew, perhaps even that distant, unreturnable home in his memory... would vanish in silence.
"But... what good would it do to go?" another voice roared in his mind. "Would they believe me? They'd only see me as an intruder, a heretic who must be purged! They wouldn't listen to a single word I said!"
Reason was frantically sounding the alarm, telling him he was walking into a trap. But something deeper—perhaps the influence of the lingering will of the newborn, perhaps the last vestige of pity for "life" itself deep within his heart, or perhaps simply because he couldn't stand idly by and watch a catastrophe unfold that would affect countless innocent people—was pushing him, forcing him onto the path he least wanted to take.
“We have to… try…” Yun gasped for breath, each word seemingly dripping with blood. He knew how foolish, how naive this decision was, but he had no other choice. Lishwim was nowhere to be found, the Firstborn had vanished completely, and he was the only one who knew the truth, the only one who might have had access to the top powers outside. This responsibility, like an invisible mountain, weighed him down, leaving him nowhere to escape.
He closed his eyes, recalling the fragmented information left behind by the First Being before its dissipation, detailing how to forcibly open the passage. It required burning one's own power, especially chaotic energy, to tear an extremely fragile and fleeting crack within the unstable chaos within Mendisius's body.
"Damn it!" Yun suddenly widened his eyes, his pupils filled with bloodshot veins, like a ferocious beast driven to the brink of madness and desperation. He gritted his teeth and growled, "Fine, fine, just consider it me going crazy!" Before the words were even finished, he unhesitatingly mobilized every ounce of power in his body.
In an instant, the gray chaotic power that had been dormant deep within his body suddenly awakened like an ancient behemoth, surging and converging rapidly around his body like a raging torrent. Then, Yun, without hesitation, used a cruel and resolute method bordering on self-destruction to forcefully slam this incomparably powerful chaotic energy into the empty space in front of him!
A deafening hiss resounded throughout the space, like the piercing, shrill sound of a brand-new piece of silk being torn apart. Simultaneously, a long, narrow rift of light, extremely unstable and constantly twisting and dissipating at its edges, appeared in the endless darkness. From the other end of this mysterious rift emanated an immense, chilling, and terrifying aura, imbued with a sense of strict order and overwhelming pressure—undoubtedly, this was the legendary location of the Pantheon!
The instant the passage opened, Mendisius suddenly let out a howl even more agonizing and terrifying than before! The sound was like a sharp sword piercing the sky, seemingly tearing the entire world apart. At the same time, an indescribable pain surged through Yun like a tidal wave, making him feel as if his soul had been forcibly ripped in two! This excruciating pain caused his vision to suddenly go black, and his body swayed involuntarily. If it weren't for his tenacious willpower holding him up, he would probably have already collapsed unconscious…
Despite this, Yun gritted his teeth and refused to succumb to the immense pain. He mustered all his strength to steady himself and struggled to raise his head, his gaze slowly sweeping over the mysterious place before him, which shimmered with an eerie light and seemed to contain endless destructive power—a "seed" capable of destroying everything was being nurtured there. Then, his gaze slowly moved down, finally settling on the chaotic space beneath his feet, which had become increasingly disordered and filled with torment because of his arrival.
Faced with this situation, Yun felt a complex mix of emotions: fear of facing an unknown fate, but more than anything, a resolute determination to go all out and face death, and a deep self-mockery about the outcome of this life-or-death gamble... He clenched his fists, a tragic yet ironic smile playing on his lips, and then, without hesitation, took a step forward and resolutely leaped into the extremely unstable passage that could collapse at any moment!
As his figure completely disappeared into the passage, a deafening roar erupted, and the passage began to tremble violently at an alarming rate. In the blink of an eye, the once spacious passage rapidly contracted until it completely closed and vanished... Undoubtedly, this adventure was a desperate, life-or-death gamble for Yun! He wasn't simply betting his precious life; more importantly, he was placing his tiny, even illusory, hope—the hope of saving the entire universe from annihilation—on this journey! However, Yun knew perfectly well that what awaited him was likely a treacherous path fraught with danger and hidden traps, a path of no return where a single misstep could lead to utter destruction! Even so, he resolutely chose to embark on this perilous journey, because in his view, even a sliver of hope was better than sitting idly by and watching this beautiful universe crumble.
The sense of spatial distortion gradually dissipated like ripples, but the indescribable sense of immense oppression did not diminish; instead, it surged in from all directions with increasing intensity, like Mount Tai crushing an egg, almost suffocating Yun. The next moment, he found himself in a strange place beyond imagination.
This vast expanse is so magnificent that human language cannot accurately describe it. Looking down, one sees a smooth mirror beneath one's feet, as if woven by countless stars themselves, crystal clear and shimmering, stretching to the horizon as if without end. Looking up, one sees a dazzling, radiant band of light traversing the sky, seemingly containing the most fundamental laws and mysteries of the universe, endlessly flowing and shimmering with mesmerizing brilliance.
The place was bitterly cold, solemn, desolate, and empty—undoubtedly the location of the legendary Pantheon. Just as Yun's figure became clearly visible, a cold, emotionless voice suddenly rang out: "Intruder! Abnormal fluctuations! Lock on!" This voice, like a tangible shockwave, slammed into Yun with overwhelming force. Immediately afterward, several colossal, mountain-like rock guardians appeared out of thin air. These guardians were not made of flesh and blood, but rather forged from pure energy and some mysterious, living metal. At this moment, their eyes suddenly flashed with dazzling light, and their enormous fists, imbued with terrifying power capable of easily crushing stars, began to bombard Yun from all angles without hesitation!
Wait! I really didn't come here to fight! Yun shouted anxiously, but his thin voice seemed to be swallowed up by the empty temple, sounding incredibly small and fragile.
Faced with the relentless and fierce attacks, Yun could only dodge left and right with all his might, looking quite disheveled. Just then, a cold light flashed, and Ashbringer appeared out of thin air in his hand, swinging a sword with lightning speed, just blocking the opponent's powerful blow that was strong enough to split mountains and shatter rocks.
A crisp, melodious clang rang out: Clang! In an instant, the entire space seemed to tremble, the echo lingering in the air.
After being struck by such a tremendous force, Yun felt a surge of blood and qi in his chest, and a metallic taste rose in his throat. At the same time, his entire right arm became sore and numb, almost losing all feeling.
At this moment, Yun's heart was filled with endless bitterness and helplessness. Sure enough... things had developed to this point, completely exceeding his original expectations. It seemed that trying to have a proper talk with his opponent was simply a pipe dream, because from the very beginning, they hadn't intended to give him any room for explanation.
Despite the dire situation, Yun gritted his teeth and persevered. While desperately dodging the relentless onslaught of attacks, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "I have extremely important news to convey! This matter concerns the life and death of the entire universe! Listen to me!"
Immediately afterward, Yun took a deep breath and roared with all his might: "A strange change has occurred inside Mendisius's body! A mysterious and unpredictable entity is frantically absorbing the surrounding energy. If this continues, it won't be long before it affects everyone, dragging us all down with it! Therefore, please calm down, everyone, and let's sit down and discuss a solution in a peaceful manner!"
His shouts seemed to have some effect. The rock guardians' attack paused slightly, but the wary glint in their eyes did not diminish, and they continued to surround him tightly.
Immediately afterwards, an even more vast and irresistible will descended.
Space seemed to freeze, and time itself seemed to thicken. Yun felt his thoughts were about to be frozen. He struggled to lift his head and saw several magnificent beings, beyond measure in size, like the embodiment of the laws themselves, suspended before him like stars. Aman'Thul, the Father of the Gods; Eona, the Guardian; Norgannon, the Guardian of Magic and Knowledge… and Aggramar, who had clashed with him many times and wielded the burning holy sword.
Aggramar's gaze, like the core of the hottest star, instantly locked onto Yun, filled with undisguised hostility and scrutiny.
"It's you." Aggramar's voice boomed like thunder in Yun's consciousness. "The bearer of chaos. How dare you set foot in the holy land of the Pantheon?"
Yun suppressed the metallic taste in his throat, forcing himself to stand up straight and face his former mortal enemies. He knew this was his only chance.
"I mean no harm." Yun tried to keep her voice calm, though her heart was filled with helplessness and anxiety. "I bring a warning. Mendisius, the being you have always regarded as a threat, has something far more dangerous within it—a 'seed' that is frantically draining energy, not just from Mendisius, but soon from the entire universe! If it is not stopped, all worlds will be depleted of energy!"
He raised his hand, attempting to summon a wisp of chaotic energy; the gray, unique energy swirled around his fingertips. "Look, this is the evidence! Only this energy can temporarily resist that extraction, and only I can approach the core of that 'seed'! But I need information, I need to know how to fundamentally solve it, or… or at least I need you to provide temporary energy support to stabilize the situation!"
He almost completely abandoned all pride and past grudges, exposing his greatest secrets and weaknesses to these adversaries who had once wanted him dead. He only hoped that, faced with the fate of the universe, these self-proclaimed guardian Titans could temporarily set aside their prejudices.
However, what responded to him was Aggramar's even sharper gaze and a sudden increase in the pressure of his sword.
"Absurd!" Aggramar roared. "Is this Mendisius's trickery, or a new corruption by the ancient gods? Your chaotic energy is itself a desecration and threat to order! Your very existence is original sin!"
Norgannon's silver body, seemingly composed of countless runes, turned slightly, as if performing some kind of calculation. But soon, he uttered a cold voice: "Unable to analyze. This individual's energy composition violates fundamental laws, and its statements are unreliable. Recommendation: Imprisonment, deep purification."
Yun's heart sank deeper and deeper. Looking at these high and mighty Titans, at the pure, intolerant light of order in their eyes, a tremendous sense of powerlessness washed over him like ice water.
He risked his life to come here, setting aside his grudges to issue a warning, only to be met with deep-seated suspicion, a cold judgment, and a declaration of "purification."
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but found that any words seemed so pale and ridiculous at this moment.
What else could he say? What else could he do?
A profound sense of helplessness, like the heaviest shackles, bound him tightly. He felt like a mute shouting at a deaf person; all his efforts, all his struggles, seemed so futile, so... ridiculous at this moment.