Chapter303-Two Paths
One blood-stained name after another appeared before Owen and his companions, causing their hearts to
tremble slightly.
God of Light Apollo!
Lord of Stars!
War Goddess!
Thunder God!
Some of these gods, Owen recognized; others he did not. All their names were carved here, glaring as blood, like a silent oath-or perhaps a voiceless protest.
An atmosphere of relentless defiance permeated the space.
These ancient gods, some still alive, others long dead in battle, left only their names. Just gazing upon this endless array of names made Owen’s blood surge and filled him with a deep, solemn sadness.
So many mighty deities joined forces, yet they still met with utter defeat, their
numbers decimated.
The path against The Celestial was truly a road paved with blood!
After a silent pause, the group’s
expressions grew solemn.
Soon, under the guidance of Lord of Stars and others, Owen and his companions crossed through an ethereal gateway, arriving in a chaotic and peculiar realm.
This space was filled with countless shadows, a crimson mist as fine as dust swirling in every corner, thick with the stench of blood.
Steadying himself, Owen looked around. Though he knew some things about the Gate of Gods and Demons from legend, this was his first time truly entering.
In the distance, through the rolling mists, he saw two massive stone monoliths, dark and imposing like mountains.
Before them, Owen felt incredibly small, his mana seemingly suppressed, its flow slowing.
On the left monolith was an ancient engraving. It depicted gods raising cups in
celebration, surrounded by enchanting music, feasts, and endless revelry.
Yet this scene of joy was tinged with an eerie strangeness because of the ominous eye hovering above them. It seemed these gods, despite their revelry, were mere
puppets under control.
Behind the monolith lay a distorted void
passage lined with flowers.
Seeing this, Owen immediately recognized
it as the famous Divine Path Stone from the
legend.
Those who submitted to The Celestial would receive The Celestial’s blessing but, in doing so, would also become its puppets.
With this in mind, Owen quickly shifted his attention to the stone next to the Divine Path Stone.
The second dark monolith bore another
eerie carving. Here, gods’ corpses piled
high, forming a path of blood and bones that stretched endlessly into the unknown.
Chaos Stone!
Beyond this monolith lay the void that led
to war with The Celestial.
Here was the point of no return in the
battle against The Celestial.
Further ahead, there was no turning back.
Owen’s gaze grew grave as he looked at
Lord of Stars and War Goddess, asking,
“When will you return?”
“We don’t know. If we don’t return… then
we don’t,” War Goddess replied with a carefree smile, though the fire in her eyes blazed even fiercer.
Lord of Stars paused, seemingly reflecting on his life, and then spoke slowly: “Some things are our duty. This is our
destiny. Perhaps it was determined the day we were born.”
“But I am glad to have met you in this stand against The Celestial!”
The other gods present looked at Owen with complex expressions.
Owen’s talent and strength were greatly
valued by them, giving them a glimmer of hope.
“Let this be our final stand. If we don’t
come back, the road forward will be up to you.”
The God of Light took a deep breath and gently patted Owen’s shoulder. Seeing this, the other gods quickly followed, seizing their chance to enter.
As they watched Lord of Stars and the others leave, Madelyn, Rachel, and the others felt a heavy weight in their hearts. They wished fervently for Lord of Stars and the others to succeed, yet deep down, they sensed this was a road of no return.
And yet, they went without hesitation, creating a chance for those who came
after.
While Madelyn and the others were
immersed in worry and sorrow, they
suddenly saw Owen step forward to the immense Divine Path Stone.
They froze for a moment, and then saw something that shocked them.
Owen reached out, wrapped his arms
around the Divine Path Stone, and began lifting it with all his might!
Today, he was not only here to bid farewell
to Lord of Stars and the ancient gods in their fight against The Celestial and witness this event that would shake the
planes, but he also had his eye on the Divine Path Stone.
The stone was infused with immortal
power, able to protect an entire domain! With the looming Millennial Cataclysm, he and Leslie had a fair chance of survival, but
the people of Azure Kingdom didn’t stand a chance.
With the Divine Path Stone’s protection,
surviving would be more feasible, as the
stone contained part of The Celestial’s power.
“Holy…” gasped Madelyn and the others, their mouths agape.
What was Owen doing, lifting the Divine Path Stone to take it with him?
The Divine Path Stone was incredibly heavy and radiated a powerful, domineering pressure. They could hardly get close to it,
let alone take it away.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the entire space trembled as
Owen exerted force, lifting the mountain-like Divine Path Stone slightly. The pressure emanating from it was momentarily suppressed by the primal chaos aura he exuded.
Madelyn and the others felt their astonishment deepen.
The Divine Path Stone radiated a domineering immortal power, as heavy as a world!
Yet Owen had managed to lift it.
What terrifying physical strength was this?
And what incredible courage? Leslie stared at Owen, amazed, wondering
why he had his sights set on the Divine Path Stone. Yet soon, she prepared to help him, knowing that if Owen was determined
to claim it, it must hold great benefit for their future.
But as she stepped forward, she saw Owen,
who was lifting the Divine Path Stone, drip
a drop of his blood onto the stone, slowly
weakening its resistance to him.
As Owen gained control over the stone, its
massive form gradually shrank from mountain-sized to fist-sized, resting in his palm like a small black stone slab.
“Bold!”
Just as Owen was about to study the Divine
Path Stone closely, a thunderous shout echoed across the space!
The familiar voice startled Leslie and the
others, and they quickly looked in its direction.
The passage to The Celestial twisted like a
vortex, and soon, a black spider with eight
eyes and legs as tough as iron appeared. The God of Trickery, Loki!
The moment Madelyn and the others saw
Loki, their pupils shrank, and they took a few steps back.
This god of trickery had been a fierce
opponent of Lord of Stars, War Goddess, and God of Light. Though he had later been severely
wounded by God of Light, his power still theirs!
far surpassed
As they watched in horror, Loki’s eight
eyes of various colors all focused on Owen, gleaming with satisfaction and surprise: “Well, well, we meet so soon! Without Lord
of Stars and God of Light here, I wonder you plan to save yourself!”
how
Loki laughed wildly, his spider legs secreting thick white webbing that spread
like white mold across the entire space, covering everything.
The gateway, still open a moment ago, closed within the encroaching waves of white, vibrating the void with a booming
resonance.
Despair flickered through their hearts.
Just then, they heard Owen’s voice, cold as
ice:
“A mere rodent under The Celestial’s banner, barking here? Do you think that
without Lord of Stars, you can do as you
please?” Hearing Owen taunt Loki, Madelyn, Rachel,
and the others immediately felt a surge of hope. “Owen’s right. He’s just a rat lurking in the dark. God of Light injured him before-if we join forces, we might still have a chance!”
Madelyn’s eyes glinted with a faint red
light..
