Bizarre Realm-Chapter 318 - 9: The Pathway of the Gate! Gate of the Abyss!
Ethereal Plane.
Shawn re-entered the Ethereal Plane much more calmly than before. Previously, he was just a small fry, easily swept half to death by the Chaos Wind. Now, while he couldn’t claim to be a formidable leader, he was at least a notable figure. Even in the Outer Plane, a High Tier Mage maintained prominence. In some low magic civilizations of the Otherworld, a High Tier Mage was a prominent character across the continent, where even warriors above Extraordinary Level ten could become City Lords.
A faint grey mist shrouded the view ahead, and as the Chaos Wind blew, one could see pairs of eyes emerging in the void.
Eye of the Void.
One of the slumbering ancients of the Ethereal Plane, it was a mass of pitch-black energy, covered on the surface with thousands of eyes. Part of its body resided in the Ethereal Plane, while another part wandered the Star Realm. Many powerful ancient bodies did not reside on a single plane; they transcended the boundaries of spatial planes, manifesting their grand forms in indescribable ways across multiple layers.
The deep voice of Sealed Object No. 1 sounded: "Master, prepare to summon."
"It will come to you."
Shawn slowly closed his eyes, and as he extended his palm, a peculiar silver Door Key imprint appeared in its center. At the core was a black eyeball resembling a bubble. This was a non-physical imprint, a manifestation of the Door Key’s authority, as well as the law governing the portal.
The mist before him began to surge, as if some colossal being was about to cross through space and descend upon this location.
The next second.
The swirling mist in the void surged like a tide, and in front of Shawn’s view, the void gradually became real. The change between reality and illusion was the Extraordinary Divine Power of "Change Reality," for which he was currently unqualified. The minimum threshold to wield Extraordinary Divine Power was at the demigod level. A magnificent black fortress emerged in the mist, its lustrous black exterior crystalline in a diamond-shaped polyhedral form, seamlessly smooth with no visible entrances or exits, unexpectedly transported before Shawn.
It was still that familiar, exceptionally bright hall.
Sealed Object No. 0 - the Heart of All Things, transformed into a sphere of light, appeared before Shawn. Its voice carried a hint of surprise: "Have you become the master of Sealed Object No. 1?"
Shawn nodded slightly and said, "Yes."
Sealed Object No. 0: "..."
"Do you want to inherit the Artificial Divine Format?... With your current strength, mastering the Artificial Divine Format would be somewhat challenging! I suggest you ascend to Destiny Legendary before returning!..."
Shawn gently shook his head and said, "I don’t need the Artificial Divine Format."
"To become the master of Sealed Object No. 1, I made the concession not to format it."
The light sphere of Sealed Object No. 0 flickered in surprise: "You want to forgo the Artificial Divine Format?"
Shawn nodded and said, "To me, the Mechanical Brain and Heart of All Things are more valuable. Merely relying on one Artificial Divine Format can at most create a false god."
Sealed Object No. 0: "..."
"Then why have you come here?"
Any sentient being possesses a survival instinct, and Sealed Object No. 0 - the Heart of All Things, is no exception. Although it accepts the fate of formatting, the possibility of survival is undoubtedly a better choice. Its mechanical voice conveyed an inadvertent sense of delight.
—Sealed Object No. 0 - Heart of All Things [Elementalization Armor][Energy Body] (Challenge Level 30)?!
Shawn did not plan to have Sealed Object No. 0 recognize a master now. Anyone who wasn’t a fool could tell it was more powerful than Sealed Object No. 1. Its completely energy-based form alone exceeded the limits of mortal objects. The natives could imprison Sealed Object No. 1, but they couldn’t even find Sealed Object No. 0. Strictly speaking, Sealed Object No. 0’s strength was not inferior to that of other demigods.
Shawn said calmly, "I want to take the Door Key."
Sealed Object No. 0 remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, "Aemon still intends not to give up?"
"He will die!"
Though it had never left the Ethereal Plane, Sealed Object No. 0 was aware of many things in the real world because it possessed the ability to perceive across planes, capable of observing everything in the Otherworld directly in the guise of an ’Observer.’ It held extraordinarily powerful prophetic abilities, having predicted the future when the offspring of the Moth Mother descended.
Shawn said mildly, "No one can persuade him."
"If he truly perishes because of it, that too is a destiny he chose for himself."
Aemon will die.
More than once, Aemon’s death had been foretold. Lady Hecate, the Sealed Object No. 0 - Heart of All Things, both predicted that Aemon would perish after forcibly opening the law of the portal.
Yet Aemon persisted, and Shawn was powerless to stop it.
The light sphere of Sealed Object No. 0 flickered, its cold mechanical voice saying, "You may take the Door Key."
"But you must first pass the test."
"Are you ready?"
Shawn took a deep breath and said, "What is the test?"
Sealed Object No. 0 shook its head and said, "I don’t know. The demigods left shadows of history. It could be a challenging battle or a simple question."
"No one knows what the final authorization of the Door Key requires?"
"But you should not be in mortal danger."
Shawn nodded silently and said, "Then send me in."
A curtain of light slowly opened.
The cold voice of Sealed Object No. 0 said, "If you cannot pass, you may return here."
Shawn nodded gently, stepping resolutely into the curtain of light.
The next second.
His figure appeared in the void, present before him were ethereal ladders, the Celestial Ladder in the void, leading straight to the edge of the sky. Surrounding him were altering phantoms, flourishing towns, cities from the age of enlightenment, ancient villages, and numerous visions resembling historical echoes.
