Alex realized that the reason he couldn't see the Four Direction Purgatory Dungeon was due to the presence of the Tower of Wrath. The tower's existence was interfering with his vision. The dungeon was actually pressed beneath the massive tower, hidden from his view. Strangely, the tower seemed to possess some form of consciousness.
It didn't obstruct anyone who could only perceive the dungeon and wished to enter, but it specifically affected those, like Alex, who could see the tower's true form.
"This tower... Just what is it?"
Alex glanced at the giant Tower of Wrath and started thinking.
[Replication Failed! The Originator doesn't have enough Soul Force!]
[Replication Failed! The Originator doesn't have enough Soul Force!]
As expected, Alex was unable to replicate either of the two treasures. His Soul Force was not enough to even replicate a False Treasure yet, let alone a Universe Treasure and an unknown level of treasure.
Taking a deep breath, Alex calmed his thoughts. He had already anticipated that his current Soul Force wouldn't be enough to replicate such high-level treasures, but seeing the notifications still filled him with frustration.
"This is way beyond my current abilities," he muttered under his breath. "But I can't just leave this place without gaining anything."
He stared at the tower once more, feeling the faint but overwhelming consciousness that seemed to reside within it. The fact that it didn't interfere with those who couldn't perceive it made him uneasy.
Why was it targeting only certain people like him?
Is there a special reason only he can see this tower and others can't?
Has there been anyone capable of seeing this tower aside from him throughout all these years?
It is said that the Four Direction Purgatory Dungeon fell from the sky even before the appearance of the Valley of Death. In other words, this fact was true for the Tower of Wrath as well.
The Valley of Death was formed after the catastrophic event that shattered the original world, dividing it into two separate and independent worlds. However, that terrifying war responsible for the world's division had no impact on the area where the Tower of Wrath was located.
This region remained untouched, preserving the tower's hidden presence and Four Direction Purgatory Dungeon's mysterious presence amidst the chaos.
There must be something special about the area surrounding the Tower of Wrath.
The Tower of Wrath felt alive. It may be the tower itself taking action, shielding this land from the destructive forces that tore the world apart. While the rest of the land was ravaged and reshaped by the war, this particular place remained intact.
Shaking his head, Alex gestured for Aurelius to enter the Four Direction Purgatory Dungeon.
He knew thinking too much would give him no benefit. He might as well as the Heavenly Spirit Stone about this tower. But he held back, at least for the time being.
The priority was to enter the Four Direction Purgatory Dungeon and find out about Asna's situation.
He could only perceive spatial energy fluctuation and could hardly determine the location of the entrance. But Aurelius could see it directly. It is better to let Aurelius lead him to the entrance to the dungeon.
Aurelius led Alex to the base of the Tower's wall.
To Alex's astonishment, Aurelius walked straight through the solid structure of the wall as though it didn't exist. Alex watched this scene in shock. The tower was invisible or simply nonexistent for Aurelius. Aurelius was completely unaware of the colossal tower's presence, treating the space before him as just an ordinary path, bypassing the wall easily without any physical obstruction.
Hesitating for a while, Alex raised his hand. He wanted to see whether his hand would pass through the wall just like Aurelius or face obstruction of a physical structure.
Surprisingly, his hand easily passed through the wall as well. It was as if the tower in front of him was nothing more than a projection.
However, that was not true.
Alex knew this tower was not a projection but a real thing. As for why he was unable to touch the tower even though he could clearly see it, it was unknown.
Maybe, he was not strong enough to qualify to touch the tower.
This mere thought ignited a strange fire within Alex's heart.
Looking up at the towering structure that seemed to pierce into the sky, Alex's eyes burned with determination. In a low, but powerful voice, he muttered, "One day, I'll be strong enough to make even 'you' bow before me."
Saying that, Alex stepped forward, passing through the wall without obstruction.
Unknown to Alex, the instant he spoke about making the tower bow before him, the top of the tower flashed with piercing light that shot straight into the unknown space.
This is a vast void filled with darkness, where time and space seem to have no meaning. Floating silently in the boundless dark was an ancient being shrouded in a mysterious aura. The light from the tower reached this being, causing its eyes to slowly open. An eerie gleam flashed across its gaze as it murmured, "So, someone dares challenge the Tower of Wrath? Who is it?"
Suddenly, a tinge of regret flashed in this ancient being's eyes. It extended a hand, and the darkness responded, swirling into a chaotic mass before calming once more. "Unfortunately, I don't where the Tower of Wrath has drifted to after that incident. Even now, I cannot see where it resides."
Aurelius and Alex were standing in front of a huge vortex.
For some mysterious reason, Alex could see this vortex now that he passed through the physical structure of the tower.
Through the vortex, he could vaguely see a huge silver space in the depths. This was the space inside the dungeon, also known as the Four Directions Purgatory World. Unfortunately, it was just an incomplete miniature world that had now crumbled.
Yes, this world was no longer intact. Alex could only see the ruin of a small world inside this silver space through the vortex.
According to the information he saw through the system, once someone successfully completes all the trials, the source energy sustaining the miniature world will deplete, causing the world to crumble entirely.
It seems someone has successfully completed all the trials already.
Alex's heart throbbed hard.
He recalls the next part of the information he had seen. It was said that a secret passage leading to the "sanctuary" would open upon completing all trials. Afterward, the passage will permanently close, never to be opened again.
Doesn't it mean if Asna went to the "Sanctuary" through the secret passage, he'd be unable to meet her?
Coming this close to her but not being able to see her will surely make Alex regret not meeting her earlier.
His heart was beating rapidly.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the vortex with Aurelius. In the next moment, they appeared in a silver hall filled with lightning pools.
Bolts of lightning as thick as buckets thundered toward them the instant they appeared.
Alex casually shattered a few bolts of lightning and felt the strength of the lightning. He realized that the lightning here was very strong, strong enough to easily kill a Divine Lord and heavily injure a Divine Emperor.
However, there are a few exceptions. Aurelius was one of them. Having the Lightning God's Body and Bloodline, he not only withstood the bolts of lightning here, but he also devoured them, feeling satisfied.
Alex ignored the lightning and walked straight into the depths of the silver hall, leaving Aurelius to obverse the surroundings and do whatever he wanted.
"Where's Asna? Is she truly gone?"
Alex quickly walked to the end of the silver hall, but he did not find any traces of Asna. This made him very uneasy.
"That's not right… Even if something really happened to Asna or she truly went to the "Sanctuary", it's impossible for there to be no traces left behind."
He suddenly realized that something was wrong. The entire incomplete miniature world had fallen but this silver hall where he appeared stood intact. This didn't seem like the world had crumbled at all.
He carefully scanned the silver hall bit by bit. Suddenly, he discovered a crystal the size of a glass bead in a corner of the silver hall.
With a flash, he appeared beside the crystal and picked it up. The moment Alex picked up the crystal, Asna's figure appeared in front of him.
Alex was stunned for a moment before he looked at her emotionally. He was feeling a mix of joy and sadness.
"I don't know who you are, but I have a message that I hope you will relay to the Heavenly Ice Palace. I'm sure the Heavenly Ice Palace will reward you greatly"
This was a recorded message that Asna had left behind before her disappearance. She didn't know who was holding the crystal, but she smiled and said, "Mom, Grandpa, don't worry; nothing has happened to me. I'm fine."
"Actually, there were several dangerous trials in the Four Direction Purgatory Dungeon, and I passed all of them. Instead of becoming the owner of the world inside according to the rumors, that world crumbled. Now, there is no fortune to be found in coming to the dungeon."
"My reward for passing the trials is to go to a place called Sanctuary."