Chapter 3376: Chapter 3376: The Heavy Stone
It had always been difficult for a newcomer to gain a firm foothold in the Grand Plain Stage.
The powerful masters that had built the Other Shore had considered this problem and as a solution, had provided a protection period of a chaotic era for the new creatures from the chaos.
The new races were often able to gain a firm foothold after a chaotic era had passed.
While this kind of protection only lasted for a chaotic era, this was enough for the new races to develop and grow.
Even when facing the Element Spirit race and the Nihility race, a number of Other Shore races were able to protect themselves by using the many rules of the Grand Plain Stage that were in place to protect the weak.
“I'll choose this Chill Rope!”
Libby jumped back and forth before she spotted a long, thin rope.
Athemar smiled faintly as he remarked, “You have really good sight, Libby. This Chill Rope will be of great help to you if you can use it properly.”
Most Other Shore Tokens in the lower stages of the Other Shore were of the strengthening type and the auxiliary type. But the ones in the higher stages of the Other Shore were more of the mysterious type.
All the Other Shore Tokens of the mysterious type functioned in weird, mysterious ways, which was probably what gave them their name.
This didn't mean that they were powerful. Some weird functions were of little value, but some others were extremely powerful, like the one Libby had chosen.
Once used, the Chill Rope could automatically track the opponents and effectively trap them.
This trap wouldn't cause their opponents to become immobile. Instead, their locations would begin to be recorded.
The most important detail was that if Libby were to inflict hurt on an opponent, the rope would triple the damage at the very least.
This meant that if Libby were to attack the opponent with her sword that contained twenty thousand divine megatons of force, her opponent would have to bear an attack of sixty thousand divine megatons of force. In a battle between powerful warriors of the Holy Soul Realm, such a powerful sword strike was fatal.
If Libby had been stronger, her sword strike could have contained close to one hundred thousand divine megatons of force, which was enough to contend with even a powerful warrior of the Eternal Realm.
“Zen, are you really not going to choose an Other Shore Token?” Athemar looked questioningly at Zen, a small smile playing on his lips. “Or is it that we older guys can't tempt you with them?”
Athemar, Pearce, and the others were desperately hoping that Zen would choose an Other Shore Token to bear.
After all, Zen had given the Oneness Sky Palace a lot.
Zen had always been a part of the Oneness Sky Palace and represented it. But the Oneness Sky Palace hadn't gotten too many chances to return his favors, which was why they were now hoping that Zen would accept a gift from them. 𐍂𝐚𝐍ΟВЕ𝐬
“Are all of them used to carry the Civilization Artifacts?” Auden teased, smiling.
They could not tell how many Civilization Artifacts Zen had in his body.
Zen had activated the Inheritance of World when he had been in the Chaotic Source World and had later swallowed the Evil God and taken back the Rebirth Land.
These things had happened in Zen's inner world, but outsiders could, to a certain extent, deduce the result.
Zen smiled and didn't deny what he was saying. Instead, he asked, “I know that a Light Stone is needed to enter the second volume of the Grand Plain Stage. But what is needed to enter the first volume?”
The reason he had entered Stage Thirty-two of the Other Shore was to reach the Eternal Realm. He needed the answer right now.
“You will also need a stone when you enter the first volume. It is similar to the Light Stone and we call it a Heavy Stone,” said Pearce. “I've already told Winchell and the others to fetch a Heavy Stone for you. We will be able to send you to the Eternal Scroll Painting once we have it.”
There were several necessary conditions to enter the Eternal Scroll Painting. Obtaining a Heavy Stone was one of them, and it was also the simplest.
Since it was possible for Zen to reach the Eternal Realm, Pearce and the others had made preparations in advance.
At this, Zen folded his hands in respect and acknowledged what Pearce was doing for him. “Thank you so much, sir.”
“It's not a big deal. You're welcome,” Pearce said. He thought for a while before continuing, “Getting a Heavy Stone isn't very difficult. Considering the time when they set out, they should have come back already.”
“It's probably because the Heavy Stones haven't been picked up for many years. And Winchell and the others have never done this before, so it's normal for them to spend more time in the stone forest,” said Auden.
Just as the two of them were talking, a ray of white light shot down from the sky to the ground before the temple.
Swish!
The white light had barely touched the ground when a figure walked out of it.
Harland Zhu, a powerful warrior of the Holy Soul Realm from the Golden Mountain. He had gone to get the Heavy Stone together with Winchell.
But as he walked out, Harland's soul aura showed signs of decline. It was obvious that he was seriously injured.
He called out to them loudly as he entered the temple of the Oneness Sky Palace, “Elder Pearce! Elder Auden! Something has happened!”
Pearce's face darkened at this.
Winchell had led a group of people of the Holy Soul Realm on a quest to look for and fetch a Heavy Stone but they hadn't come back for a long time. This had filled Pearce with worry.
Now that Harland had returned in such a state, he realized that they must have fallen into big trouble.
Zen and Libby frowned. Pearce hurried forward and asked, “What happened? You failed to get the Heavy Stone?”
“Yes! And it's not just a failure! Many powerful warriors of the Holy Soul Realm from our Oneness Sky Palace are trapped in the stone forest. Kendal and Dante of the Ivory Mountain have already been killed!”
Harland had entered the Holy Soul Realm a long time ago. He was the second strongest warrior and part of the backbone of the Golden Mountain, only second to the leader of the mountain. But now, he looked close to tears as he spoke. It was obvious that he had encountered something unusual.
“How can it be?” Pearce said worriedly. “Did the Element Spirit race attack you?”
“The Element Spirit race didn't attack us personally, but they must have been the driving force behind the Other Shore creatures. There were about a thousand Ghost Cicadas blocking us in the stone forest. And now, Winchell is trying to keep everyone sane enough to struggle to hold on!” Harland reported anxiously.
“Why didn't you seal the painting?” Auden asked reproachfully.
“I know we were careless. There has been no conflict in Stage Thirty-two of the Other Shore for a long time and we didn't expect them to make a move this time either,” said Harland, shaking his head.
The second volume of the Eternal Scroll Painting was divided into a number of regions, with no way to pass between them.
For example, the temple of the Oneness Sky Palace was one region, and beside it was a region belonging to another race on the Other Shore. If one wanted to enter the region of that Other Shore race, they would first have to retreat from the region where the temple of the Oneness Sky Palace was located.
After entering a region, one could temporarily seal the region.
Once a region was sealed, no one could enter it by using a Light Stone to release the light. This operation was known as “sealing the painting”.
The price of sealing the painting was extremely high. Even though the Oneness Sky Palace had been operating in Stage Thirty-two of the Other Shore for so long, they would still hesitate to use this method.
Winchell and the others had thought that it wouldn't be difficult to get a Heavy Stone.
But the moment they entered the stone forest, a number of ferocious beasts rushed at them in attack.
“So many seniors are trapped. What should we do?” Libby exclaimed anxiously.
Pearce frowned as he thought. He finally seemed to come to a temporary solution and said, “Let's go to the stone forest first.”