Chapter 655: Chapter 655: Return

Zen's punch was infused with great power. After it hit the giant stone, a soft, muffled sound rang out.

Peng!

The sound seemingly came from inside the stone. It was not very loud, but everybody heard it clearly.

Soon after, multiple cracks began to appear on the huge stone, making it look like an egg with cracks on its shell. As the cracks continued to appear on it, the giant stone began to collapse. A loud rumble accompanied that, and soon enough, the huge boulder was turned into dust.

Then, a gust of wind blew past.

Huff, huff.

Zen was immediately engulfed by the surging dust. After what seemed like an eternity, the dust finally dissipated and settled down, and the huge stone in front of him was no more. The only thing left was dust.

Shock appeared on the faces of many green-skinned creatures who were on top of the city wall. It was only then did the creatures understand that the warrior in front of them was not someone they could underestimate. Immediately, they started screaming out words that Zen could not comprehend.

Even Malcom could not hide the shock on his face. If it was him in Zen's position, he would have had to use the forceful energy before he could easily turn such a large stone into such fine dust.

But then the rules of this small world were different. Everyone was forbidden to use their forceful energy and life vitality no matter what happened. So basically, Zen just relied on his physical body's force to do what he did. 'What kind of vicious beast is living inside Zen?' Malcom thought, as he felt a bead of sweat stream down his forehead.

Yolande understood Zen's intentions, so she turned to one of the green-skinned creatures on top of the city walls and said something. After the creature told her his reply, she turned to Zen and said, “Let's go inside.”

They then entered the city. Its style was very different from that of the human race's city. Green-skinned creatures on the streets, who were all holding long spears in their hands, started surrounding them, but no one dared attack them. It seemed that Zen's punch had left a deep impression on them. In their eyes, a powerful master like Zen would be virtually undefeatable.

After a few minutes, the green-skinned creatures made way for Zen. Three of them walked in front of Zen. The one in the lead wore a scarlet-gold crown on his head, and held a brocade box in his hands.

After some thought, Zen concluded that the one with the crown on his head was the land's emperor. This emperor signaled to Zen to come closer, and they talked. After their conversation, he raised the brocade box high up in the air.

Yolande, who was standing beside Zen, interpreted what the emperor said for him. At one point, she whispered to him, “He said that they are willing to give us the sacred object, but on one condition.”

“What condition?” asked Zen.

“We have to help them kill a race in the north,” Yolande replied.

“I'm not interested in doing that,” Zen said, shaking his head.

He did not want to participate in any dispute between any races in this small world. There was no time he was willing to waste.

Yolande immediately told the emperor about Zen's decision. When he heard that, disappointment was evident on his face. Despite that, the emperor still handed the brocade box over to him. Perhaps he understood that this sacred object was not something that his race could keep, and even if Zen didn't go there to take it, the members from other races would take it away from them.

Zen took the brocade box from the emperor's hands and gently lifted the lid of it. Immediately, what he discovered wasn't what he was expecting. It was a long and narrow crystal, but it looked incomplete. Despite that, it was emitting a magnificent aura.

When Yolande and Lavender saw the crystal, their eyes burned with passion. They knew about the existence of the Heavenly Fragment, but this was the very first time they had seen it!

Slowly, Zen reached out to grab the fragment. The moment he touched it, it felt ice-cold. “Is this the Heavenly Fragment? It doesn't seem to be much different from any other ordinary crystal,” he said flatly.

However, all of a sudden, Zen heard an intense rumbling sound. Confused, he looked around to see if anyone else was hearing it, but it seemed that no one but him was able to perceive it. Once again, he looked at the Heavenly Fragment and it hit him—the sound was coming from it. By touching it, the aura from the entire universe seemed to rush into his head.

“This... this is...”

Zen's eyes widened. At that moment, it was as if the entire evolution of the universe that had happened over a period of a billion years flashed before his very eyes. All the secrets of the world were slowly being revealed to him, one by one. ŕ𝘼ＮŏꞖÈ𐌔

Bam!

Yolande raised her hand and knocked the Heavenly Fragment from Zen's hand onto the ground. Immediately, Zen snapped out of his trance, and started breathing heavily, as if he had just run a marathon. After he caught his breath, Yolande said flatly, “While your soul is indeed very, very powerful, it still can't handle this kind of object. Better be careful.”

“What is the use of the Heavenly Fragment?” Zen asked exasperatedly.

With hesitation in her eyes, Yolande looked at Zen and said, “You will know when the time comes. I hope you make the right choice.”

At this, Lavender rolled her eyes and coldly smiled. With a smirk, she remarked, “Why don't you just say that you want Zen to stand by your side and on the side of Lord of Oracle?”

Yolande belonged to the force of Lord of Oracle.

Paying no attention to Lavender, Yolande said faintly, “Zen, you are fated to lead the great world of chaos. You have your own life and goals, and no matter which side you stand on, you will eventually take the correct path and live the life you are meant to live.”

Lavender once again rolled her eyes. She couldn't be bothered by whatever Yolande was saying, and so she just turned her head to the side and stopped talking.

The brocade box didn't only contain the Heavenly Fragment. It also held a small array plate.

“What is this?” Zen asked.

“We'll need it when we leave the Fog Array,” Yolande replied.

Hearing Yolande's words, Esther and the others couldn't help but be surprised, and their eyes suddenly lit up. They couldn't care any less as to what the Heavenly Fragment was, but the array plate was extremely important to them as they would only be able leave the Fog Array with its help.

After obtaining those two items, they no longer wanted to stay where they were. Because of that, they immediately packed up, and left the green-skinned creatures' city, returning to their original path.

“How can we ever leave the Mad Scorpion's body?” Esther asked, sounding curious and hopeless at the same time.

“The way we came in is the way we'd be able to get out,” Yolande answered flatly, confidently taking the lead.

“If we are able to escape the Mad Scorpion's interior world, then the creatures of this world should also be able to leave, right?” Zen suddenly asked. It was a thought that had been sitting inside his head for quite a while.

Yolande laughed loudly and started shaking her head. “The creatures, who are born inside the Mad Scorpion and follow this world's rules, would not be able to see the exit of this world. We, being outsiders, are being suppressed and rejected by the governing force of this world, and so we are presented with a chance to leave!”

Hearing this response, Zen couldn't help but be shocked. It was just as Zen had guessed before—if the entire universe was inside some giant beast, then the masters in that universe would have to follow the world's rules, whether it was how to use or how not to use their life vitality, their forceful energy, and all kinds of Law Power.

Would this mean that even they, the masters of the world themselves, would not be able to perceive the exit of this whole world?

To learn the answer to this question was tempting, but now was not the time for them to think about such things. Their mission was to leave the Dark Nether Cave first, and that was what they were going to do.

Time went by quickly.

The fog in the entire Dark Nether Cave started to gradually dissipate. In the blink of an eye, a month had already passed.

All of the top-level war lords of the Demon Night and the human race gathered on the top of the tower. They all looked upset and worried.

Elder Mei waited by the exit of the Tower of Sin every day, but there was still no sign of Esther and the rest.

“It's already been a month. If Esther and the others still don't return, the Dark Nether Death Light will fill the entire Dark Nether Cave again!” a top-level war lord of the Demon Night said.

Once the Dark Nether Death Light's intensity reached its full force once again, the warriors in the Dark Nether Cave would definitely die. It had been like that since the Tower of Sin opened its doors, and there had been no exceptions.

“Zen might be fine...” a top-level human war lord muttered.

In actuality, the person the war lords of the Demon Night and the human race cared about the most was Zen, not Fabian or Esther.

The reason why the Demon Night members were worried about Zen's condition was because Lavender stayed closely with him. They did not want the queen of the Demon Night to perish in the Dark Nether Cave like this. As an extra level of precaution, Elder Mei had sent his race members back to the Heavenly Feather Sacred Place to check the queen statue of the Demon Night. As the statue was still glowing with a faint red light, which meant that Lavender was still alive and well, Zen might also still be alive!

On the other hand, the humans were concerned about Zen for a very simple reason—Zen was currently the controller of the Tower of Sin. If he died, it would be easy for the ogres to come back to the tower. Even the Heavenly Feather Sacred Place wouldn't have a good excuse to stop them from going back!

If that time ever came, the seats at the top of the tower delegated to the human race would undoubtedly be taken away, and all the humans in the Tower of Sin would be expelled. It wouldn't matter which kind of war lord they were—weak, ordinary, or high-ranking, and every human being would be expelled from the Tower of Sin!

It was something that humans would never want to see. They'd rather die than let that happen.

Another dangerous repercussion of Zen's death, if that were to happen, was that Lavender, the queen of the Demon Night, Zen's sword spirit, would also disappear, much like a wisp of smoke. If that happened, the Purple Heart Sacred Place would lose the protection of the Heavenly Feather Sacred Place. Now, if that happened and the Purple Heart Sacred Place was forced to fight against the two ogre sacred places, its only outcome would be the Purple Heart Sacred Place being totally destroyed by the ogres. And if that happened, the human race would be gone for good.

Because of this, many human beings began blaming Zen for the uncertainty they were feeling. Despite understanding that without his appearance, the human race would still be at the brink of death and that he had brought their race temporary glory, they couldn't understand how it could all be taken away just like that. He gave the Purple Heart Sacred Place a glimmer of hope, but if that hope would be destroyed in less than a year, how could they be so willing to accept it?

Apart from the humans and the Demon Night, the other races were still maintaining a neutral attitude towards this whole debacle. However, the top-level war lords of the Night Group were secretly rejoicing. As the time of the closing of the entrance at the top of tower slowly approached, the probability of Zen's death in the Dark Nether Cave also increased.

The Night Group members continuously sent this information to the two ogre sacred places.

Because of this, the top-level ogre war lords in the two ogre sacred places were already getting ready to reenter the sacred place's transmission array. They were also getting ready to head towards the Tower of Sin. And as soon as the entrance at top of the tower closed, they would begin to drive the human warriors out of the tower.

Several days later, the red dot at the center of the Dark Nether Cave suddenly became flared up, and became a thousand times brighter than before!

The weaker creatures that were lurking around started spreading out in all directions. Those weak monsters would not be able to resist the power of the Dark Nether Death Light and would only be able to move around the edges of the Dark Nether Cave. Only the truly powerful monsters could live in the inner layer of the Dark Nether Cave! The core area, on the other hand, was completely devoid of monsters. Except for the Heavenly Immortal Root, none of the other monsters would be able to survive there!

The moment someone stepped into the Fog Array, they would be slowly pulled towards the abyss. No creature could get close and resist the Dark Nether Death Light.

“Close!”

Bam!

On Elder Mei's order, the entrance at the top of the Tower of Sin finally closed.

Although there were news from the Heavenly Feather Sacred Place that Lavender's statue was still flashing with a faint red light, Elder Mei did not believe that Zen and his fellows would be able to return. After all, after the Dark Nether Death Light had already recovered, no one would be able to return from the Dark Nether Cave any longer.

Because of this, the majority of the warriors had concluded that Esther had also perished in the cave. Esther's death would surely be a great loss to the Demon Night. After all, she was the strongest master among the seat owners. Without Esther to take charge of the situation, it would be difficult for the Demon Night members to fight against Maurice of the ogre.

If Maurice returned to the Tower of Sin right now, the Demon Night would be in a very sticky situation.

“Well, it's over. It's all over!” a top-level human war lord screamed with a sullen face. “Death is already knocking on our doors! Someone helps us!”

All top-level human war lords looked scared and disappointed. Among the humans, only Fabian and Jarrod were in charge of the overall situation. The other warriors who held seats in the tower simply couldn't be in charge of anything as they weren't that powerful and remarkable. Most of the top-level war lords didn't even have the qualifications to become seat owners before, and they only passed the time on the fourteenth floor of the Tower of Sin!

How would the human race survive the ogres? What would happen to them now?

In the Cursed Land, there was a transmission array and all sorts of majestic patterns were engraved around it. There were even sculptures of birds and beasts around it, which appeared extremely mighty and domineering. This was the ogre's transmission array!

Since the ogres used to control the Tower of Sin, their transmission array proved to be a lot grander than those of the other races.

With a flash of white light, a figure as large as a small mountain appeared. He was Maurice, the top-level war lord of the ogre!

After leaving the Tower of Sin, many ogre top-level war lords chose to break through. Since they had accumulated plenty of Lucky Light after fighting for so many years, it wasn't difficult for them to break through and reach the war sage level. However, even though it was easy for them to break the bottleneck and achieve a breakthrough, Maurice decided against it.

The moment he was forced to leave the tower, he already planned a counterattack scheme. The moment Zen entered the Dark Nether Cave, Malcom and Rehaan would be able to kill him!

And because of that, Maurice prepared to return to the Tower of Sin the moment Zen entered the Dark Nether Cave. He really wasn't in a hurry to break through. After all, he still wanted to become the ruler of the Tower of Sin! And with that, within the two ogre sacred places, Maurice suppressed his own cultivation. He was waiting for this day!

Following Maurice, many top-level ogre war lords walked out of the transmission array, with malicious smiles on their faces.

The time they had endured being driven out of the tower had been enough, and now that their revenge was nigh, they were feeling good. The fact that their race was chased out of the Tower of Sin was an unbearable humiliation to them, and today, the time to take what was theirs had come.

The numerous top-level ogre war lords started to approach the Tower of Sin, and they all looked like hills on their way to tear the tower down. When they got close, the majority of the creatures inside the tower saw them, and all of their expressions changed. It was very clear that there was going to be a big commotion inside the Tower of Sin!

These creatures had watched the ogres leave, and now, they would witness their return!

At the door of the Tower of Sin, there were two giant guards. When they saw the group of top-level ogre war lords approaching them, fear became evident on their faces.

Maurice looked down upon these giant war fighters and couldn't be bothered to talk to them. And with that, he just bellowed, “Open the door!”

The two giant guards quickly pulled open the door to the Tower of Sin. Soon after, all of the top-level ogre war lords entered the first floor of the tower!

On the first floor of the Tower of Sin, many creatures were still fighting on the arena. However, the moment they saw the top-level ogre war lords coming, they were all startled and stopped.

“Zen has expelled the ogres already, right? How are they back here again?”

“You really have very little information as to what happened to Zen. Zen died during his exploration of the Dark Nether Cave!”

“Really? If that really happens, then wouldn't the human race be in trouble?”

“It's Zen's fault. He had just overestimated himself. He was just a war general, but he really dared to explore the Dark Nether Cave. Not only did he die, he even caused the entire human race great trouble! Who knows, they might be extinct the next day.”

Murmurs arose in the tower as the creatures from many different races started discussing among themselves.

There were many human war fighters on the first floor of the Tower of Sin and they were all scared and upset. Back then, the warriors of the Purple Heart Sacred Place had to become war generals before they could enter the Tower of Sin to practice. However, since Zen took control of the Tower of Sin, the status of the human race in the tower had greatly changed, and now, many human war fighters had got the chance to enter the Tower of Sin for cultivation without prior experience.

Now that these war fighters were seeing the return of the ogres with their own eyes, they obviously knew what had happened. Soon enough, all of the humans in the Tower of Sin would probably be punished. Because of that, the human warriors wanted to secretly leave the Tower of Sin. However, their legs had already turned to jelly, and had no strength to escape.

The top-level ogre war lords were still calm, but their bodies were already emitting a tyrannical aura as they entered the tower and as they went up the floors. Now that so many top-level war lords had entered the tower, they had attracted the attention of almost everyone.

Very quickly, Maurice had finally climbed up to the fifteenth floor.

He stepped into the hall at the top of the tower with his heavy metal boots. With a deep breath, he once again threateningly bellowed towards the small worlds in the depths, “All of you, the seats owners, come out!”

“Get out of the small worlds!”

“Come out right now!”

Many top-level ogre war lords who were staying behind Maurice also joined in.

After a while, the doors to the small worlds opened one after another. Many seat owners came out.

The Night Group members who held the seats came out first. After they got out, they stood beside Maurice. The Night Group was always controlled by and depended on the ogres, and even if the ogres were driven out of the Tower of Sin, it was a thing that would remain unchanged. After all, their Eternal Night Sacred Place was under the protection of the two ogre sacred places.

The top-level human war lords and the top-level Demon Night war lords were the last two to appear.

Maurice took a glance at the top-level human war lords and suddenly let out a loud laughter, “Top-level human war lords... You were the creatures pestering the fourteenth floor in the past, right? What qualifications do you have to become a seat owner? Hahaha!”

“Hahaha...”

All the top-level ogre war lords started to laugh. Even the top-level war lords of the Night Group started laughing with them.

The top-level human war lords were livid. They were angry, but there was nothing they could do about it. Strength was the only thing that mattered in the Tower of Sin, and they were nothing after losing Zen!

On the other hand, the members of the Demon Night were relatively calm. After all, they had the powerful Heavenly Feather Sacred Place backing them up. Suddenly, they heard Elder Mei say coldly, “What do you want to do?”