Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  "When Fate tells us to walk forward, we will have to take that step without hesitation and without question, even if its a mountain of blades, a sea of fire, or a bottomless abyss. After we take that step, the mountain of blades might turn into steps, the sea of fire into flowers, and the bottomless abyss into a proper road.

  "However, if we were to falter and miss that fleeting Fate, everything might be completely different by the time we make up our minds!"

  Sofia and Snowlotus listened to Alice's words with solemn expressions. The fact that Alice had been able to defeat the two of them during the Fate's selection must have meant that she had incomparable understanding and knowledge of Fate.

  The two deputies of the Fate Witches couldn't help but betray bitter expressions after listening to Alice's teachings and reflecting upon their circumstances.

  The Battle of the Tower of Fate, in the end, hadn't been a matter of them having less favorable conditions compared to Alice. In fact, they had been vastly superior to Alice in many aspects. However, they were still defeated and killed!

  Why?

  The reason for their defeat was them preparing too many things for themselves to rely on!

  They were believers of Fate. The only thing they needed in their lives was faith in Fate. Even in abject poverty, even in utter helplessness, and even surrounded by hyenas and coyotes, as long as they believed in Fate within their hearts then fate would not cast them aside. Fate would guide them toward a path of escape and survival!

  They hadn't believed sufficiently in Fate. Instead, they had superstitiously clung to their power and the magical equipment, scrolls, and potions they had prepared for themselves. When danger finally descended upon them and fate guided them upon a seemingly dangerous path that would actually turn into a safe one at the most crucial moment, they had chosen not to believe in fate. Instead, they had chosen their fists and believed in their own magic.

  And what was the result?

  Berserk Witch Sofia, who possessed powerful physical strength, died. Snowlotus, who possessed incredible frost magic, was defeated. Even the clone of the previous Witch of Fate, who then held in her hand all the advantages, had dispersed. Only the weakest one of them all, Alice, had become the victor and the new leader of the Witches of Fate.

  The feeling behind this was not known to outsiders, but as Witches of Fate themselves, Sofia and Snowlotus immediately understood the meaning behind Alice's words. They had finally obtained some semblance of enlightenment!

  The reason Alice had been improving so drastically upon the path of Fate had much to do with her determination and resolution!

  She had given up all her powers and abandoned all things that she could rely upon, placing everything she held within the grasp of Fate. Perhaps that was why Fate had chosen to favor her over everyone else!

  As for themselves…

  Sofia lowered her head and looked at her strong, massive fist. She sensed the unending savage strength within her body and shook her head helplessly. Her powerful Physique and natural strength had long since taken over her soul. She could only feel at peace and in control while she had these things.

  If she was made to exchange such practical powers for the intangible favor of fate, in all honesty…she couldn't do it!

  Icelady Snowlotus was the same.

  The powers of ice and snow coursing through her body and vessels were her life. To abandon all this in pursuit of Fate's pity; she couldn't bear to part with it!

  It was their hesitation and doubt that caused their progress down the path of fate to be so slow and delayed.

  Alice looked at the somewhat enlightened expressions of her two companions and smiled, "Fate told me that my hope for advancement is here and that is why we have come! Fate tells me that this rescue operation might not allow me to obtain the Staff of Divination directly, but it will create an excellent chance for our future operations. That is why we have no choice but to participate, regardless of how dangerous the situation might be!"

  "If you believe so much in Fate, why do you still borrow the strength of that male adept?" Sofia was a straightforward person and spoke her mind, bringing to light the question that had stuck in her heart for so long.

  Snowlotus intended to stop Sofia from running her mouth, but she hesitated for a moment. In the end, her eyes landed upon Alice as well. In truth, this was a question whose answer she had also been seeking!

  The smile on Alice's face grew even wider.

  "We believe in Fate, but we cannot wholly rely on fate." Alice saw the confused expressions on the girls' faces and sighed sadly, "What is Fate? It is a type of rule that subtly formed from the movements and trajectories of worlds! It has no mind of its own, no emotions and certainly no pity for others!

  "As believers of Fate, we are often privileged by its powers in many matters and moments. This can easily give us the illusion that Fate favors us, that we can always divine the future before it happens, and that we hold the very pulse of Fate's development within our grasps.

  "This is, in fact, no more than an illusion!

  "We are not the masters of Fate, and certainly not its rulers! In the end, we are simply diligent servants prostrating before Fate. Our duty is to protect the world and allow it to move according to a fixed trajectory of Fate. We are to think of ways to deal with those powerful individuals who attempt to alter its direction."

  "In this process, the blessings of the powers of Fate might make you temporarily uncontested, so much so that you could even toy with the most powerful of supremacies within your palm. However, as servants of Fate, we must know perfectly our own identity. We are still weak and humble individuals. Without the blessings of Fate, we are weak and powerless!

  "When Fate needs us, we bask in glory, able to compete and stand side by side along those who stand at the peak of the plane. Yet, when Fate no longer requires us, do you think it will arrange for us a chance to retire and live out our lives in peace?

  Both the rough and muscular Sofia and the intelligent and pretty Snowlotus were completely befuddled upon hearing Alice's words.

  This was this something that a believer of Fate should say?

  As a believer of Fate, shouldn't every word that came out of Alice's mouth be 'I love Fate' or 'I will always believe in Fate'? Shouldn't she be a zealot of Fate? How could such blasphemous words of doubt in Fate come out of her mouth?

  Alice started chuckling when she saw the stunned expressions of the two girls.

  "I already said earlier; Fate has no mind of its own and no emotion. It won't push you toward death simply because you curse it, and it won't arrange a life of luxury and success simply because of your praises. That is why Fate is a type of power– an unfeeling, world-class power!

  "And we are the servants that fate has chosen to protect its body and functions.

  "Under ordinary circumstances, fate wouldn't mind us using our identities to strengthen ourselves. After all, the more powerful we are, the better job we can do to protect the functioning of the world! However, once we grow to a certain level, our existences alone would become obstructions and tumors to the day-to-day functions and trajectory of the world.

  "When that happens, it would be time for a new champion of Fate to appear!

  "If we were to place all of our strength in Fate, we would not have a single shred of power to defend ourselves with when Fate finally abandons us."

  Snowlotus couldn't help but pursue the issue, "What does this have to do with that male adept?"

  Alice betrayed a grim smile.

  "If that day befalls us, he might be my only hope of living. Because he, to all of us and to this world, might be the only outsider!"

  "Outsider?" Sofia and Snowlotus frowned at the same time. They were clearly unfamiliar with this term.

  However, despite how much they asked, Alice simply smiled without another word.

  …………

  Greem was utterly ignorant of the three witches' discussion of Fate. He was currently focused
on arranging the expedition of the flying ship.

  Large amounts of resources were slowly transferred onto the now repaired flying ship.

  After the many witches had boarded the ship, it once again took the skies and flew toward Garan under cover of night.

  Garan at night was so peaceful and quiet.

  The dark shadows rose and fell along the mountainous geography, stretching into the distance with no end in sight.

  Sharp cries of apes and roars of wild beasts could occasionally be heard from within the dense forest, but it was all pitch-black when one leaned against the deck and looked down.

  The flying ship had been heading north along the coastline since it had entered Garan.

  Alice had a thin robe draped over her body as she wordlessly stood in the shadows of the deck. Her brilliant blue eyes were silently observing the weightless clouds crashing against the ship's forcefield.

  "Don't forget that on this trip I must find out the location of that pegasus magic spring. Otherwise, the cooperation between my Dark Witches and you will come to an end!" An intangible voice softly reverberated by Alice's ear.

  The owner of the voice only left after an imperceptible nod from Alice.

  It was only now that Alice could genuinely enjoy the beautiful scenery before her.

  The flying ship was like a metal vessel breaking the waves under the curtain of night, sailing above all else while carrying the adepts within itself!

  Chapter 686 The Death Scar

  Mary's situation was perilous!

  She had taken a significant risk to dispose of that elven diviner. This decision had undoubtedly allowed the vampires to shake off the pursuit of the elven army. Unfortunately, it didn't help them get rid of the Third Grade Druid Elder Antoril!

  The might of an enraged Third Grade powerhouse was something that the vampires could describe to you in detail with their personal experience.

  Mary had as many as twenty-seven vampires with her when she left the previous day. Today, that total had been sharply reduced to a mere sixteen. With that other wave of lightning from the depths of the forest, the number once again fell to thirteen.

  Mary stared into the distance and cursed as she saw the green smoke rising from the silent valley in the distance. She could only dive into a gorge within the forest with her remaining subordinates.

  This gorge was a seemingly bottomless fissure that led underground. The widest spot in the crack measured one and a half kilometers, while its narrowest location could barely fit a person. The fissure was one kilometer deep and was always filled with a cloud of acrid yellow smoke. It was the thick smell of sulfur.

  Below the fissure was a massive underground cavern that connected multiple caves for a total of several hundred hectares. Big caves engulfed smaller caves, and every cave connected to another within the cavern. It was a small underground world of its own.

  The things that lived here were odd magical beasts and magical plants that were rarely found on the surface of the earth. Hundreds and thousands of strange species and mysterious creatures even formed a unique ecosystem of their own in this underground world.

  The harsh environment beneath the fissure, and the ferocity of the magical beasts here, caused the place to become an infamous land of hazard and death in Garan. Only elves and druids that specifically wanted to hone their abilities would enter this place in an attempt to find rare resources not available elsewhere.

  Now the desperate vampires had no choice but to enter this underground world under Mary's lead. It was the only way to avoid that berserk Third Grade druid elder.

  Fifteen minutes after Mary and her vampires dove into the fissure, a crackle of thunder burst out in the air. That bearded druid elder, Antoril, appeared from a door of thunderlight, draped in clothes woven from leaves and wearing an eagle helm upon his head.

  The thick smell of sulfur caused the druid to frown. The wrinkles on his forehead increased when he looked upon this vast gulf that spanned for fifty kilometers.

  The Death Scar; to think it would be the Death Scar!

  Fweet!

  Elder Antoril let out a soft cry that resembled the call of a small beast. An odd rodent emerged from his leafy clothes and leaped to the ground. The rodent stood upon its hind legs and used its slender snout to sniff its surroundings.

  The mouse changed directions several times and finally turned toward the fissure before letting out a sharp call.

  Antoril tilted his head and listened for a second before exchanging a few more words with the rat. It was then that he waved his hand and pulled the rat back into his clothes.

  With the help of this fantastic Larkrat, he was able to confirm that those vampires had indeed taken refuge underground.

  That meant that he would have no choice but to risk venturing into the Death Scar if he wanted to continue his pursuit.

  He might be both Third Grade and a child of nature, but he still maintained indescribable respect for the underground world beneath his feet. It didn't matter whether they were powerful magical beasts or unusual magical plants; all living beings inside that world were extraordinarily savage and ferocious.

  It was difficult for druids to converse with them, even with their affinity for nature.

  There were many times where a druid couldn't get away without a fight, especially when they ran into the more unreasonable creatures.

  There once was an elven diviner who had come here to explore. That diviner had said that a mysterious, sinister feeling clung to the air of the place, apart from the heat and sulfur itself. It was almost as if some oddly powerful being of evil hid within the depths of the underground!

  For this reason, several elven deities had even specially sent elite squads to uncover its secrets.

  Sadly, the three elven powerhouses that traveled together had all died mysteriously within the depths of the fissure. Their ranks had included a Fourth Grade elven messenger, a Third Grade elven messenger, and a Fourth Grade Storm Sword Saint. The reason for their deaths had never been discovered. Even the God of Luck, Visenna, had been unable to divine the truth.

  Such a secret was naturally unknown to people outside of the elves. Only the higher-ups had the opportunity to hear of this incident.

  As a druid elder, Antoril naturally possessed the power and qualification to know of this matter. That was why the fury and anger in his heart finally erupted as he stood before this infamous and threatening Death Scar.

  "Damned evil witches! You could have gone anywhere else, yet you still chose the Death Scar."

  Though the Death Scar had an infamous reputation on the surface, its insides were extremely wide and spacious, with plenty of tunnels leading in every direction. The chances of running into danger were still slim as long as he didn't venture too deep underground.

  Antoril hesitated for a moment. In the end, he gritted his teeth and stomped his feet before leaping down into that bottomless rift. A nature's mark had been left behind upon the spot where he had just been standing.

  The drifting smoke stirred and quickly devoured Antoril's body, causing him to vanish without a trace.

  Half a day later, the trees around the fissure swayed as a dozen elven warriors in green armor arrived on the scene. They quickly discovered the nature's mark left near the gorge. After a simple examination of the mark, they split up their forces. One group guarded the mark while the rest split up and headed toward different areas.

  Another half a day later, a large group of elves arrived from the central mountains riding flying magical beasts. They set up a basic camp around the nature's mark and sent groups of elves to break into the underground to search for the locations of Elder Antoril and the witches.

  This once unpopulated and desolate Death Scar turned lively once more!

  …………

  Greem and the rest only arrived at that location five days later.

  Along the way, the flying ship had to travel by night and make multiple detours to sneak into the vicinity without cat
ching the eyes of the elves spread around the place.

  Mary's aura had disappeared around this area.

  After hiding his flying ship, Greem led Alice and Witch Uzzah out of the vessel. The three adepts hid in the forest and slowly approached the Death Scar under the guidance of their spells.

  The Death Scar spanned several hundreds of kilometers. There was no way the elves could keep a close guard on every single part of the rift. Thus, after finding an unguarded spot, the three of them silently snuck into the fissure.

  Unlike what they had expected, the underground world was not a place of death where all life was void.

  The dark black soil, twisted plants, and the countless nameless beasts; for some reason, here in the Death Scar, the three of them felt as if they were back in the Black Forest of the World of Adepts.

  Crimson Demon Tree, Manhunter Vines, Three-Headed Hulks, Greenfeather Snakes, Twin-headed Lizards, Man-eating Lashers…

  The geography of this place and its ecology possessed a surprising similarity to the Black Forest.

  Still, the density of magical aura here couldn't compare to the World of Adepts. As a result, the magic-affected plants and beasts here were all comparatively weaker. They were not as ferocious or sinister as the magical creatures and plants of the World of Adepts.

  More importantly, the planar consciousness that had been suppressing them all this while weakened the moment they set foot in the caverns. It allowed them better control over their powers.

  An interdimensional space?

  The feeling that this place gave the three adepts was that of a miniature interdimensional space. Its aura was utterly different from the planar consciousness of Faen. In fact, it was directly contradictory to the natural powers of the forest elves. The common sense surrounding the development of a plane dictated that such an odd interdimensional location should not have been born in a planar space where such powerful deities resided.

  If this place hadn't formed naturally, it meant that an extraordinarily powerful source of foreign energy existed within the depths of the fissure. It was the constant corruption of this energy that had allowed the area to escape the grasp of the planar consciousness, turning it into an interdimensional space where the elves didn't dare enter.