The Great Rift, Fog Abyss Fortress.
Jia Meng stood in the silent corridor, with stone pillars supporting the dimness. Beyond the pillars lay the rolling Sea of Mist, its dense fog occasionally surging like ocean waves, creeping onto the corridor and submerging Jia Meng’s feet.
He walked to the edge of the corridor and looked down at the murkier Sea of Mist below, as if he were high in the sky. But he knew well, this was not the sky; on the contrary, it was the deep underground.
The Shield Guards called this place the Fog Abyss Fortress, a secret fortress located in the Lower Section of the Great Rift, almost entirely submerged in the Sea of Mist.
It seems that the Shield Guards secretly constructed this place. The hidden Void Realm shielded it, along with the cover of the Sea of Mist. Since the secret war, they have been lurking here, undetected by anyone, not even the Order Bureau.
Jia Meng had fantasized about the scene beneath the throne, but his experiences of late left him feeling dreamy, as though trapped in a dream, unable to distinguish between illusion and reality.
Sometimes Jia Meng felt as if he had returned to the Pillar of Royal Authority. The ambiance of this building was eerily similar, with deathly silence and quietness amassing schemes.
But he quickly cast aside these chaotic thoughts, leaving the edge of the corridor and proceeding deeper into the fortress.
Jia Meng was no longer the King’s Secret Sword; he now served as a Shield Guard under the Shadow King. He needn’t doubt anything; he only needed to loyally execute orders until the King he served touched the true throne and reclaimed the usurped royal power.
Stepping into the deep darkness, Jia Meng once again arrived at the area where he first met the Shadow King. But this time, under the glass dome, the presence of the Shadow King was absent. Instead, it was the Third Seat waiting there, his head lowered, gazing through the glass at the Sea of Mist below.
Looking at that familiar figure, the Third Seat’s posture was unchanged from the memory, even though seven years had passed.
His body was covered in cold Iron Armor, his face obscured by the shadow of his helmet, but the trajectory of his gaze could still be observed.
Gazing at the Sea of Mist.
Inside the Fog Abyss Fortress, Shield Guards could often be seen staring at the Sea of Mist. Initially, Jia Meng didn’t understand what was so fascinating about it, but since he learned what lay beneath it, he couldn’t help but stare as well.
His gaze carried a hint of curiosity, but mostly it was fear—a fear of being so close to such things, even having to feed on its flesh.
Thinking of this, phantom pain emerged in Jia Meng’s hand, a reminder of his lost limb.
He remembered the bizarre flesh he once fished out of the Sea of Mist, unimaginable that such things could be hidden beneath the Great Rift.
Jia Meng lowered his head slightly and spoke in a deep voice.
Upon hearing the call, the Third Seat retracted his gaze, turned, and looked at Jia Meng, listening to his report.
"The Gray Trade Association is gathering inside the Crossroads of Hesitation, preparing to hold an auction to acquire more value, paying taxes to the Tyrant."
Jia Meng recounted the intelligence in his mind. Every time he grasped such information, he felt an overwhelming sense of insignificance and fear.
Once, Jia Meng was quite arrogant, having become a Prayer Believer and bestowed with a Secret Sword. In his eyes, the world was no longer vast and grand but rather small and within reach.
However, as he served the Shadow King, more and more knowledge, considered forbidden, flooded into his mind. Only then did Jia Meng realize the world was far more magnificent than he had imagined. The former him was like a prisoner inside a cave, mistaking the shadows cast from outside as the entirety of the world.
"It’s confirmed that the Gray Trade Association obtained the ’Immortal Heart,’ the Holy Relic of the Scarlet Rot Sect, and those cultists have also infiltrated the Great Rift, intent on reclaiming the Holy Relic."
Observing the Third Seat’s reaction with peripheral vision, Jia Meng continued.
"The Order Bureau has already noticed traces of the Scarlet Rot Sect, but they are not yet aware of the existence of the Immortal Heart. Once they find out, they will undoubtedly launch an extensive operation, even purging the Great Rift."
After a brief silence, the Third Seat’s voice sounded.
"Naturally, the Order Bureau will never allow the Immortal Heart to fall into the Great Rift. Even approaching the Great Rift is not allowed," the Third Seat’s gaze hidden in the shadows, "in the end, our conflict is nothing but differing interests. However, if the Immortal Heart awakens that thing, it will lead to absolute destruction."
"Those lunatics from the Scarlet Rot Sect will never miss this opportunity... They probably never planned to reclaim the Immortal Heart but to release it on the spot," Jia Meng said. There was no need to guess; those lunatics would certainly do just that.
"Should we tip off the Order Bureau?" Jia Meng tentatively asked.
As the Third Seat mentioned, often conflicts between different organizations were merely about interests. When interests aligned, they didn’t mind lending a hand to the other party.
"No need, our target is also the Immortal Heart. Informing the Order Bureau would only attract their attention," the Third Seat stated.
"They are already paying attention. The outpost of the Fourth Group is entrenched right at the throat," Jia Meng remarked.
"The Order Bureau knows about the appearance of the Scarlet Rot Sect, but anyway, they never guessed that the Immortal Heart would also be here, let alone in the hands of the Gray Trade Association."
Hearing the Third Seat say this, Jia Meng fell silent, then asked.
"What’s next? During the Gray Trade Association’s auction, should we raid the venue and seize the Holy Relic?"
"I’m still contemplating," the Third Seat pondered, "those guys from the Gray Trade Association have brought a lot of good stuff this time, reportedly even a precious ’fruit.’
"Fruit?" Jia Meng queried, intrigued.
"I don’t know for sure either. Our intelligence network struggles to penetrate the Gray Trade Association, but one thing is certain: these wandering merchants must have brought exceedingly expensive goods to offer to the Tyrant as tribute... or perhaps as tax."
The Third Seat quickly settled on a plan and instructed Jia Meng.
"I can’t act directly. It seems like the Order Bureau doesn’t regulate the Great Rift, but for a Defender like me, evading their surveillance is still too difficult."
"Most importantly, we cannot be exposed," Jia Meng said.
"Yes, my power is too recognizable. The Order Bureau would easily figure out what’s going on, even... deduce who he is."
The Third Seat deliberately emphasized "he," and Jia Meng knew who he was referring to.
As a member of the Shield Guard, Jia Meng understood who was hidden beneath the Shadow King’s robes.
He had long been mentally prepared, but when it was truly confirmed, the intense shock still swept through his heart, first with daze and confusion, followed by an almost overwhelming joy.
He was still alive and was plotting an attack to reclaim the usurped power.
"I understand." Jia Meng responded.
Every time he thought about this, Jia Meng’s heart was engulfed by an inexplicable sense of fervor, feeling that even dying for that person wouldn’t be bad.
"Don’t worry too much, Nade will take care of everything. With a Negative Power User involved, there shouldn’t be any mistakes," the Third Seat said.
Upon hearing Nade’s name, Jia Meng nodded with greater determination.
Led by a Negative Power User, accompanied by several Prayer Believers and Condensers, such a force had reached a certain level of strength, and in some small countries, they could even overthrow a regime overnight.
Just then, a wailing sound arose, and a blood-soaked figure was dragged over, as if deliberately abused, the skin of the man had been evenly cut open, countless wounds covered his body, blood constantly seeped out, but none of the wounds were enough to be fatal, keeping the man alive.
Jia Meng knew what was about to happen next, he slowly retreated, standing at one side of the glass round bottom, while the Third Seat gestured to the other Shield Guards, who dragged the man bit by bit to the Third Seat’s feet.
The winch slowly turned, an iron hook dangled from above, fitting seamlessly through the round center opening of the glass bottom, appearing to be the true fishing tool.
"It likes them alive, don’t let him die too easily." The Third Seat said.
The Shield Guard nodded, directly taking out a syringe and injecting it into the man’s body, he groaned again, his face flushed red, his life force fully awakened.
This potion had very severe side effects, but for the man, the side effects were unimportant, after all, he wouldn’t survive long enough for them to manifest.
The Third Seat dragged over the iron hook, mercilessly impaling it through the man’s abdomen; amidst the intense pain, the man’s eyes were bloodshot, fresh blood dripped down.
Afraid the iron hook might tear the man’s body apart midway, he was bound with iron chains, tying up his limbs and then hanging him on the hook’s chains.
The man barely made this sound, unable to utter a complete sentence.
"A pity, if you were a Condenser, you would be far more appealing to it." The Third Seat shook his head regretfully, then lowered his arm, the winch spun rapidly, and the man plunged into the dense Sea of Mist.
The sensation was akin to falling from a building, but the man’s experience was far more painful than that; as he descended into the Sea of Mist, his vision was completely obscured by iron-gray dense fog, followed by a burning sensation spreading from his skin.
The corrosive mist bit into the man’s body, scorching the skin, his sight began to blur, and the toxic gas filled his throat, leaving him unable to make a sound.
Under the potion’s effects, the man still maintained a robust life force, these pains weren’t enough to kill him completely.
Under the pull of the hook’s chain, the man fell for nearly forty seconds, breaking through the Sea of Mist.
Through blurred vision, he saw the iron-gray ground, then after a dozen seconds, the hook’s chain extended to its limit, the man’s figure swayed in mid-air before stopping just about a meter above the ground.
The momentum of the fall caused the iron hook to tear apart his internal organs, but the chains bound him, keeping his body intact without shattering it in mid-air; the remaining consciousness was sustained by the potion, allowing him to observe his surroundings with the limited vision.
He couldn’t see, nothing was visible, there was only a pervasive grayness, like the world after death.
Absolute silence persisted for a while, then a rustling sound emerged from beneath the man, soon the noise became lively, as if all things were coming to life.
The man didn’t know what was happening; at the last moment of his life, he only saw blinding scarlet stretching out from the darkness, like blooming flowers, engulfing him in the heart of the blossom.
Scarlet, writhing vine-like tendrils resurrected from beneath the earth, they stretched out, creeping over the man’s corpse, the surface of the flesh dotted with tiny mouths, devouring the fresh flesh ravenously.
Slight vibrations came from all directions, soon more scarlet broke through the soil, emerging from their slumber, in an instant, the rugged depression of the dark rift was filled with a tidal wave of scarlet.