Chapter 3297: Chapter 3297: The Boiling Blood
A peak in blood-red color stood towering into the cloud. This was where the star ring of the human race was located.
The circle of light in the middle of the star ring quivered, and two figures suddenly appeared in its vicinity.
Once Zen's eyes adapted to the environment, he looked around and was instantly stunned.
On that peak, there was a circular platform with about seven or eight star rings at its center. The ones ascending to this place weren't limited to the human race; other races also ascended to this place. Dozens of Souls of Light crowded around the circular platform.
These Souls of Light had different forms. They belonged to various races, but for some reason, none of them belonged to the human race.
When they saw Zen's and Elvinia's corporeal bodies, their eyes lit up.
“These two people... They have corporeal bodies?”
“How do they do that?”
“That human girl seems to be an Other Shore creature?”
Since they could see Elvinia's features clearly, they naturally took her as an Other Shore creature.
Ignoring these Souls of Light, Zen walked to the edge of the round platform and looked around.
There were many blood-red peaks in the Constant Glory Stage. They were quite far away from each other and were surrounded by abysses. A lava-like red liquid flowed at the depth of those abysses.
“From Stage Twenty-nine to above, the Other Shore will be extremely dangerous,” Elvinia, who stood beside him, spoke. “As you can see, the bottom of the Constant Glory Stage is filled with red liquid known as 'boiling blood', Any creature that comes into contact with it will completely melt away.”
“But it isn't dangerous, is it?” Zen's gaze had already shifted from the bottom to the side of the peak. Paths that looked endless had been built among these peaks. As long as they didn't seek death and jump into the boiling blood, they would naturally be able to pass through safely.
Moreover, Zen could fly in the air, so it was naturally easier for him to pass through.
“Human friend, the boiling blood at the bottom isn't a big deal, but don't forget that there are still those Garudas in the sky!” A Soul of Light almost thirty feet tall suddenly came towards them.
“Garudas...”
Zen looked up.
Vaguely, shadows of giant birds could be seen flying about behind the clouds. However. Those birds seemed to do nothing else except circling around high in the sky.
“According to the information I've checked, we indeed have to be wary of them,” Elvinia said as she nodded. “The Garudas are the most powerful creatures on the Constant Glory Stage. Even the Other Shore creatures are prey for those birds, let alone the Souls of Light.”
Souls of Light were much more fragile than corporeal bodies. Even if one had entered Soul City, they would still be powerless—that was unless they could completely pass the test of Soul City, become a Colorless Soul, and enter the Holy Soul Realm.
“Yes, yes, yes! That's correct.”
The thirty feet tall Soul of Light came over and said, “The situation on the Constant Glory Stage is too dangerous. We've been staying here waiting for a chance to go to the Soul City. Since you two have corporeal bodies, could you please escort us there?”
“I'm from the Wild Lion race. As long as you two are willing to escort me through, you just need to name your price...”
“……”
A hint of curiosity appeared on Zen's expression when he heard this. “Are you trapped here?”
“Yes! Those Garudas are cunning. We're safe only when we stay on this round platform. Once we step onto those paths, we'll be targeted by them,” the member of the Wild Lion race said with a nod. ṘἁɴỘꞖÈȘ
A smaller Soul of Light beside him had already come to the edge of the round platform. He quietly took a step towards the path and said, “See for yourself if you don't believe us!”
The Soul of Light had just stood on the path for a short while when a gust of wind swept down from above. A huge winged shadow rushed down at an incredible speed and then landed next to the path.
Nevertheless, the short Soul of Light managed to take back his foot before the Garuda rushed down.
“Chirp!”
The Garuda let out an angry cry. It then directed its beak fiercely towards the short Soul of Light to peck him.
However, the moment its beak crossed the edge of the platform, a streak of blood-red lightning emerged out of thin air along with sizzle noises. The Garuda let out a miserable cry, quickly flapped its wings, and rushed back to the sky, leaving behind a lingering burnt smell in the air.
“That's how it is,” the short Soul of Light said.
The thirty-foot tall Soul of Light chuckled and said, “Jairo, the Garuda will certainly bear a grudge after you teased it like this. When you walk through the path, you'll be its first target.”
Jairo said nonchalantly, “These birds are guarding this place all the time anyway. At worst, I'll just have to stay here for the rest of my life.”
When Zen heard their conversation, it finally dawned on him that these people had probably been trapped here for quite a long time.
If the Constant Glory Stage had always been like this, it was theoretically impossible for them to get through.
He pondered the matter for a while and then said, “No, this is strange. If those Garudas have always been here, how did the others go to Soul City before?”
“Everyone can only wait for an opportunity,” Elvinia said. “I heard that as long as there is blood fog, the Garudas will never want to come down. That being the case, when the blood fog spreads, everyone will quickly rush to the Soul City where they'll thus be safe!”
“Then how often does the blood fog occur?” Zen asked.
“We've stayed here for a long time, but we've yet to see the blood fog,” another Soul of Light replied.
The appearance of the blood fog was completely random. Sometimes, the blood fog could spread for more than half of the Constant Glory Stage. Sometimes, even though there was blood fog, it could only cover a portion of the area, so they still couldn't go to the Soul City.
“Then do you want us to fight against those strange birds?” Zen asked.
“Exactly!” the short Soul of Light said.
“It's too dangerous,” Elvinia vetoed the idea. “Those Garudas are the most powerful creatures here. If they swarm over, you won't be able to defend yourself against them!”
Although she was confident in Zen, she didn't want him to take risks.
Elvinia's objection made those Souls of Light disappointed. One after another, they went back to their original positions. Some of them even chanted the Illusion Breaking Rune and withdrew from the Other Shore.
Right at this moment, the voice of the Primeval Lord of Heaven suddenly rang in Zen's mind. “This is really strange. Has the Blood Fog Spell already gone extinct in the Constant Glory Stage?”
“Blood Fog Spell? What is that?” Zen asked.
“Well, it seems that the Element Spirit race have worked hard over the years to erase a lot of things,” the Primeval Lord of Heaven said with a helpless smile. “The Garudas on the Constant Glory Stage are indeed powerful. Even the ruler of this stage is a Garuda. This is indeed a rare occurrence.”
Generally speaking, the creatures in the Dark Region were much more powerful than the creatures in the Light Region. However, it was indeed rare that both the Dark Region and the Light Region of the Constant Glory Stage were dominated by Garudas.
Fortunately, the Garudas were very arrogant.
No matter how hard the Element Spirit race tried, they had never been able to win them over. Although these birds were dangerous and cruel, they didn't listen to the Element Spirit race.
The Garudas that stood on the top of the Constant Glory Stage were most afraid of the boiling blood in the abyss. In fact, most of the Other Shore creatures on the Constant Glory Stage relied on the boiling blood to survive.
After the Primeval Lord of Heaven told Zen the origins of the gigantic Garudas, he continued, “Long ago, someone had discovered that the blood fog could drive the Garudas away. Using the Blood Fog Spell to summon the boiling blood fog was practically the necessary means to pass through the Constant Glory Stage. I never expected that no one knows about it now.”