From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

"As long as you save him, you agree to all my demands?"

Lilian didn't believe a word the other party said. How could there be such a good deal? Besides, the very idea of "being able to fulfill all demands" sounded unreliable.

Could this elusive character really help the great Lord of the Lost make a full recovery?

Impossible!

Clearly, that was not something that could be done.

However, in order to gather more information and get out of the current predicament, Lilian continued to ask:

"How do you want me to save you?"

The elderly voice continued to respond.

"Quite simple, all you need to do is perform a ritual... Come, cut your own flesh, let the blood linger on your body, and then recite a spell with me."

It was a deep, hoarse, and ancient voice, sounding like a whisper from the depths of hell.

It was full of temptation and malice, chilling to the bone, each syllable carrying an irresistible lure, echoing like a call for the fallen lurking in the darkness.

However, Lilian, experienced in the art of manipulation, couldn't help but chuckle coldly after hearing this and said calmly, "I won't do something so absurd, especially a ritual that might invite uncertain consequences."

"Your promises are too much like a scam. How could I possibly take them at face value?"

The old man seemed to be angered, and a snort came through the voice.

"Hmpf, then stay in this bottomless pit forever, never to escape!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Soon the voice disappeared, leaving Lilian feeling as if she was the only one remaining.

She took a deep breath, trying to step around, but still felt a strong sensation of weightlessness and couldn't see any other members of the Fischer family.

What exactly was going on?

Lilian always felt something was very off. It didn't seem like she had actually fallen into a bottomless pit; instead, it felt like she was trapped in a peculiar and wondrous state.

"What in the world is happening?"

The darkness gradually filled Lilian with a sense of confusion and loneliness, as if she were in a bottomless and distant abyss, creating a profound sense of oppression.

----

Byrne suddenly realized that everyone around him had disappeared.

It seemed like he was still falling continuously.

All around him was boundless darkness, as if he was in the quiet ceaseless void of space, where all light seemed to have been swallowed by this darkness, time appeared blurred, and there was no sense of direction.

He remained calm, not succumbing to fear, and cautiously used his "Mirror Deflection" from his extraordinary powers to protect himself, then used "Full Concealment" to become invisible, and finally summoned a Body Double to cushion beneath his feet.

With "Body Double Byrne" and the "Deflecting Mirror" underfoot to absorb the impact, Byrne felt that even if he were truly to crash hard to the ground, he wouldn't be the first to endure the damage.

As long as he wasn't the first to sustain fall damage, he could use his ability to teleport to solve the problem of impact.

Byrne's Body Double stood emotionlessly as a "stepping stone."

However, a long time passed again, and Byrne in the darkness still had no perception of hitting the bottom.

"Am I going to end up on the other side of the world?"

Faced with the strange situation, he quickly began to contemplate how to break the deadlock, deep down not believing that this was truly the so-called bottomless pit.

"Something's not right, could it be..."

Byrne frowned slightly, trying to use his Deconstructive Perspective to analyze the composition of everything around him.

Suddenly, he pinpointed the source of the anomaly, realizing that his senses had been led astray; the so-called sensation of weightlessness was merely an illusion, in fact caused by being surrounded by various "Mysterious substances."

Under the Deconstructive Perspective, the true nature of these "Mysterious substances" gradually came into focus.

"So that's it."

Byrne, who had read many books, immediately looked up and through his "Profound Memory," recalled details about it.

Turned out the surrounding darkness was actually a substance mentioned in the books as "Black Condensed Cloud." They appeared no different from ordinary dark clouds and would often gather in the dark depths underground, inducing hallucinatory effects upon anyone who approached.

They had actually arrived at the bottom of the island, but because they fell into the "Black Condensed Cloud," they got the sensation of perpetually falling.

"The books record that this material fears fire."

Byrne took a deep breath and then extended his hand to release a flame.

Letting the surrounding darkness dissipate.

The light from the flame passed through its flickering body, gradually illuminating everything around, under the fascinating glow, the darkness was no longer a lengthy curtain, but retreated like frightened Specters, and the incessant light and heat from the fire acted as if it were life force battling the darkness finally causing the darkness to collapse without an attack.

The sensation of weightlessness vanished in an instant, and he quickly saw the dark clouds around him, retreating as if alive.

And when the dark clouds were completely gone, the faces of the few people trapped inside were revealed.

Chris calmly stood in place and looked at the other three around him.

Lilian took a deep breath and immediately looked at her father, asking, "What on earth is going on? It felt like I just fell into a bottomless pit."

Yeager, who was squatting on the ground, also stood up and asked with a frown, "What exactly happened just now?"

"The situation is like this."

Byrne explained the situation to everyone, and after listening, everyone turned their eyes towards the periphery of the black clouds that were gradually dissipating before taking note of the environment inside the island.

Yeager exclaimed in shock, "What a vast space!"

The underground space inside the island was wide and boundless, seemingly extending to the dark abyss at the end. The towering vault supported the entire space, with a faint light from the outside world emanating from the hole in the middle.

The light cast mottled shadows through cracks and holes from unknown depths, painting the walls a pale and mysterious hue.

The ground was covered with ancient stones and decaying ruins, mercilessly showcasing the ravages of time.

The members of the Fischer family felt a desolate presence permeating the air as if time had stood still in the underground space, forever imprisoning this area in the distant past.

Occasional faint echoes nearby, like ancient murmurs, spread out and reverberated throughout the immense underground space.

In the distance, one could vaguely see some blurry structures, seemingly relics buried by time or unknown buildings from a distant era. This vast and open underground space appeared like a frozen ancient legend, filled with many unsolved mysteries.

Yeager took a deep breath and said, "This seems to be a relic, right?"

He immediately turned to Byrne with excitement and said, "Congratulations, Your Excellency Byrne! You may very well complete the promotion ceremony right here!"

Lilian also showed joy, while Chris had a less obvious reaction, though happiness still seeped through the depths of his eyes.

Every member of the Fischer family hoped that Byrne would continue to live, and they certainly didn't wish for that man to leave just like that.

Lilian immediately said, "This is indeed a relic, and it is also one that is well known to people, the remains left by the so-called false gods. Just now I heard a person who claimed to be 'Time Stasis Stone' say so."

Upon hearing about the existence of the "Time Stasis Stone," Byrne was immediately taken aback and said:

"Wait, did you just say 'Time Stasis Stone'? You heard the voice of 'Time Stasis Stone' here?"

He had a strange feeling as if the people from the Alchemy Council were suddenly connected to the other people in reality, a sensation of unreality.

Lilian nodded seriously, noticing that her father's mood wasn't quite right.

"Hmm."

She quickly recounted her recent experience.

After listening, Byrne took a deep breath and quickly said, "You might have all forgotten, but I have told you before that the 'Time Stasis Stone' is a member of the Alchemy Council."

"Back then, Viscount Bast was also a member of that Alchemy Council..."

"He used to sell extraordinary materials from the Aphotic Sea and the Spectral Sea, I never thought that he would be trapped here... Although I have known him for a long time, I still don't know whether the 'Time Stasis Stone' is actually a person."

Byrne fell into deep thought. The people from the Alchemy Council were not to be trifled with, and suddenly encountering the "Time Stasis Stone" here, he didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing.

However, regardless, the goals they absolutely had to accomplish now seemed to be only two.

The first thing was to find the treasure that the Lord of the Lost wanted.

And without a doubt, the second thing was to complete his own promotion ceremony.

"Let's go, to find what we are looking for."

The group continued on their way. The black clouds would immediately recede when they met the flames, like living creatures.

The ancient ruins were grand and empty as if slumbering in the arms of time. The majestic remains of the old walls lay across the ground, exuding the aura of ancient years. The four members of the Fischer family could feel the glory and grandeur of the past from within the towering ruins.

Old stone pillars were embedded with symbols of ancient cultures, displaying the splendor of bygone days. The silent stones showed dazzling marks of civilization, along with numerous totems and murals eroded by wind and sand, allowing a glimpse into the prosperous scenes of the past.

Byrne looked at the squares and streets hidden among the ruins and couldn't help muttering to himself, "It's like a city."

"Why would they build a city here?"

The faint winds that continuously echoed within the ancient ruins broke the tranquility, as if transporting the four back to an ancient and mysterious era.

Soon they saw a massive crystal wall blocking the way, on which were depicted two incredibly large gods.

The first deity had an androgynous appearance, holding a sword and shield in each hand, clad in powerful-looking full armor.

On the other side of the wall, there was another god, weaponless, with eyes emitting a silver-white glow and a frail body aflame with fire.

Lilian immediately exclaimed in astonishment, "Those are the images of two false gods... Order and Redemption!"

Byrne analyzed, "It seems like the two false gods are confronting each other. Could it be they once fought here? Or did the people in this ancient city witness their battle?"

Everyone was startled upon hearing this, suddenly feeling that it was a possibility.

Could it be that this ancient city was indeed once a battlefield for gods?

Just then, something that stunned the four members of the Fischer family happened—the two massive murals started flickering with light, and finally, two silhouettes of the gods emerged in mid-air.

Their colossal figures, towering a hundred meters high, stood facing each other in the air, and they even began to speak!

"You know, the end is coming…"