Chapter 852
The Key of God
Yang Fan then asked his most pressing and final question: "Is there any way to safely advance to the demigod level while bypassing the cage?"
He had thought that the consciousness of the secret realm would take this opportunity to bargain.
After all, the other party is arrogant and pragmatic. The previous cooperation was based on mutual benefit. Now that he is asking for such crucial information, the other party will most likely propose new conditions, requiring him to sacrifice more powerful beings to nourish the remains of ancient gods in order to reach a new deal.
But what happened next took him by surprise.
Above the sky, the colossal black eyeball with a diameter of nearly two hundred kilometers suddenly descended considerably. The figure that was originally suspended high in the sky was now only tens of kilometers away from the Gobi Desert.
A huge shadow enveloped the entire area, completely obscuring Yang Fan's figure.
Those cold and majestic pupils stared straight at Yang Fan below, their gaze sharp as knives, as if trying to see right through him.
An invisible sense of oppression washed over him, causing Yang Fan to subconsciously tense up and feel a strange chill run down his spine.
What surprised him even more was that, for some reason, he could detect a completely different emotion in that expressionless black eye.
It's a playful and curious "teasing," as if watching a clueless child who is holding a treasure without realizing it.
Time ticked by, and several seconds passed.
There was no sound in the desolate wilderness except for the whistling of the wind as it swept past the stone sculptures. The consciousness of the secret realm seemed to be deliberately whetting his appetite, or perhaps scrutinizing him closely.
Just as Yang Fan was about to press for more information, the voice of the secret realm's consciousness finally entered his mind once more.
His voice was still old and hoarse, but with a hint of barely perceptible mockery: "You clearly already possess the key to the true gate of God, so why are you asking me this strange question?"
Yang Fan was completely stunned.
He subconsciously frowned, repeatedly recalling the sentence in his mind, his heart filled with questions: Have I already mastered the method to advance to demigod?
Why don't I know this myself?
What exactly is this so-called "key of God"?
Over the years, in order to advance to demigod, he searched for secret realms, killed powerful beings, comprehended the laws, and even obtained the secret method of forging primordial artifacts from Saru's soul, but he never felt that he had mastered any "key to the gods".
The way the consciousness of the secret realm spoke remained cryptic and difficult to understand, offering no clear explanation and leaving only a vague hint, which only made him more confused.
The voice of the secret realm's consciousness rang out again, still concise and subtle: "The path you are traversing is the most difficult path, but also the most correct one. There is absolutely no need to forge any more primordial artifacts."
Yang Fan was filled with questions.
What is meant by "the most correct path"?
His current path of cultivation is nothing more than systematically comprehending the laws and accumulating power, which is no different from other peak Venerable experts, and is even more difficult than theirs.
He wanted to ask more questions, to get the consciousness of the secret realm to explain, to know what the so-called "key of the gods" really was, and to understand what made his path so special.
However, the consciousness of the secret realm clearly had no intention of providing a detailed explanation, nor did it give Yang Fan a chance to ask further questions.
Above the sky, the enormous black eyeball began to blur rapidly, and the oppressive feeling it had been exerting gradually diminished.
Yang Fan opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to call out to the other person and get to the bottom of things, but in the end, he closed his mouth.
He had dealt with the consciousness of the secret realm many times and knew its nature very well—arrogant and stubborn. Once it made up its mind, it would never change it. It was impossible to get any more information out of it.
Don't be fooled by the fact that this thing is just a fragment of a divine body and doesn't even have a complete consciousness; its pride is exceptionally strong.
The more you press it, the less willing it becomes to speak, and it may even completely cut off all responses.
But Yang Fan also knew that today's conversation was not without its gains.
At the very least, he figured out something crucial—he wasn't on the wrong path of cultivation, and if he persevered, he would eventually break through the fourth barrier and become a demigod.
soon.
The enormous eyeball has completely disappeared.
Yang Fan gently shook his head, suppressing his doubts and no longer dwelling on the truth of the "Key of God".
The next second, his figure gradually blurred, surrounded by a faint halo of spatial laws, and disappeared without a trace.
*****
Time flies, and half a month has passed in a flash.
The world of the Sand Sea civilization is still shrouded in the heavy darkness of the laws of the Night.
These days, the people of the Desert Civilization have been working hard to restore the oasis, hoping that the Desert can get rid of its current predicament and usher in new life.
But fate had other plans, and a new crisis was quietly approaching.
Among the remaining oases of the Sand Sea Civilization, the largest one—the Catu Oasis—suddenly showed signs of being infected by the Netherworld Corruption.
The two great masters of the Sand Sea Civilization, Chitara and Eladi, immediately rushed over upon hearing the news.
The two were standing in front of a tall green pillar in the center of the Cato Oasis, their faces extremely grim.
The surface of the green pillar is now covered with countless tiny black dots, which are traces of the Netherworld Corrosion Poison, gradually eroding the green pillar's vitality.
According to the experience of the people of the desert, once the first plant infected with the Netherworld Corrosion Poison appears, even if it is immediately and completely removed and burned, the toxin will still spread rapidly and eventually spread to the entire oasis.
Before long, this last hope of the desert civilization will be completely turned into a desolate wasteland.
Chitara stared intently at the black spots on the surface of the green pillar, his tone stiff and heavy: "There is no time to lose. Immediately organize manpower to evacuate all personnel here to other oases as soon as possible."
Elady nodded slowly, his face full of helplessness and exhaustion: "This is the only way."
He paused, then lowered his voice, his tone filled with worry: "But the people of the Sand Sea don't have much space left. In recent years, affected by the laws of the Night and various disasters, our oases have been destroyed one after another. Now, the remaining oases are all overburdened. If this continues, we may not even have a place to evacuate."
Chitara remained expressionless: "The people of the Sand Sea must endure, no matter how difficult, until a turning point appears."
Eladi sighed softly, a bitter look on his face: "I understand this, and I know we have no way out, but I'm really worried that the people of the Desert won't be able to hold out for much longer."
Chitara slowly raised his head, looking at the solidified, inky night sky above, a resolute and determined glint in his eyes: "The Sand Sea Civilization has become an arena for demigod-level competition, which is a misfortune for the Sand Sea people."
"We were forced into the conflict between top-tier experts, and suffered hardships we should not have had to endure."
"But this is also the good fortune of the Sand Sea people. If the Sand Sea civilization had not been chosen and had not received the protection of the God-Slaying Venerable, the only way for the Sand Sea people to survive would have been to migrate to the Primordial World as a whole, just like the Tiangui civilization."
The so-called "Tiangui Civilization" is another Venerable Civilization belonging to the same world group as the Sand Sea Civilization.
The most important staple crop of the Tiangui civilization is a herbaceous plant called "Tiangui flower". This plant is drought-resistant and high-yielding, and it is the foundation upon which the Tiangui people depend for survival.
Just ten days ago, the last Tian Gui flower of the Tian Gui civilization withered completely. Not a single seed planted by the Tian Gui people with countless efforts sprouted, and the entire Tian Gui civilization completely lost its source of food for survival.
With no other options, the Tiangui Civilization was forced to announce that its entire people would relocate to a dangerous place called "Wanlong Qingyuan" in the primordial world.
As everyone knows, the foundation of a civilization is always the world that nurtured it; to abandon one's own world means to abandon the nourishment of the most fundamental laws.
As outsiders, the Tiangui civilization will pay a heavy price and may even face annihilation if it wants to gain a foothold in the perilous primordial world and continue its civilization.
Eladi was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I hope the Godslayer will send good news soon, and that he can help us get out of this predicament as soon as possible, so that the people of the Sand Sea will not have to experience the tragedy of the Tiangui Civilization again."
Chitara turned her head and nodded heavily, her tone firm: "Yes."
As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them suddenly shuddered, keenly sensing that an indescribable and eerie change had occurred in the surrounding space.
The feeling was as if this space had been forcibly ripped from the world of the Sand Sea civilization by some unimaginably powerful force, completely isolating it from the rest of the Sand Sea world.
Chitara and Eladi exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and wariness in each other's eyes. (End of Chapter)