Adrian's theory left Rozi utterly stunned. She had lived in Partingia for many years, completely unaware that beneath the land lay an enormous meteorite. This might reveal the origins of Partingia.Gazing at the craters at their feet, Rozi fell into deep contemplation. After some time, she said, "Everything you've said so far is possible, but do you think the Partingians were involved in Wonder's plan? And if that is so, my father never told me about it. I didn't even know we were coexisting with meteorites." Adrian smiled, thinking that things were getting interesting. It was like a game of chess among the people of the ancient era. And now, he was walking down a path based on the board.He explained, "I thought he was the one who brought the meteorites into existence so that we’d live our lives according to his wishes. But now that I know he had nothing to do with them, I'm more certain that everything that has happened revolves around these meteorites." Rozi thought that Adria
After hearing Adrian's words, Rozi's face lit up with a realization. She was unable to refute Adrian's theory as everything was very plausible. She asked, "Do you mean all these catastrophes were caused by the meteorites and that they've existed since ancient times?""Everything we've seen so far indicates that he's after the meteorites, which means they’re precious to him." "What makes you say that?" "Simple. There were meteorites in Wonder's world, and he used them to forge many artifacts. The Creator also uses them to control the monsters, which proves how multi-functional the meteorites are."Rozi agreed with everything Adrian had said thus far. "If all of this is true, then what role does Partingia play in this?""We’ll have to look up your ancestors for this answer. But at the moment, we don’t have any evidence to make up a solid theory. One thing is for certain though. Your father was one of the people who was guarding this secret. In other words, the Partingians were p
"Looks like my guess about Partingia being built on top of meteorites was correct." Adrian could now verify his first deduction.He said, "It's all very clear now. Partingia disappeared because he found out about the meteorite's existence, so he conjured an entire snowy mountain to bury the country.""But why didn’t he take the meteorites instead? Why did he only freeze them within the mountain?" Rozi asked curiously. Adrian shook his head, not knowing the answer to her question. Still, he speculated, "There are two possible reasons. First, he did want to take the meteorites, but couldn't. So, he buried this place using the snowy mountain as he didn't want anyone else taking the meteorites. The second possibility is that he had tried to reset Partingia but failed because of the meteorites' powers. Hence, he could only seal this place.”Rozi wanted to find answers as soon as she could. She stood up from the altar and said, "Speculation is of no use to us right now. You should inste
The sounds reverberated, sounding like eerie cries and wolf howls. The pair tightened their limbs around them as they slid downward, but there was no end in sight. After about half an hour of sliding, they had yet to reach the bottom."Rozi, something's not right," Adrian said as he felt his surroundings.However, Rozi did not reply."Rozi?!" Adrian called out again. He was again met with silence.He continued to slide downward, and it seemed like he was in an endless loop. On top of that, Rozi had disappeared. No matter how much he tried to sense her, he could not feel her presence."Dragonbane!"Adrian extended his hand but realized he could not summon the sword. No matter how hard he tried, it was like Dragonbane had disappeared. He screwed his eyes. He calmed himself as he searched for answers.He knew he could not stop his descent as the inside of the tunnel was incredibly smooth like it had been artificially polished. "There's something wrong with this place. I've probab
There was no response. The tunnel remained eerily silent, and Rozi's increasing worry was reflected on her face. She would have heard Adrian sliding down since the sounds he made would have been clearly audible. Adrian had only jumped down seconds after her, so he should have arrived by now."Adrian? Adrian!"Rozi called out several times, but it was as if Adrian had vanished into thin air. This unnerved her greatly. She then attempted to enter the tunnel opening but found that she could not use any of her abilities. Her sword could not be summoned, and she felt no different from an ordinary person. She was unable to enter the meteorite opening as if it repelled her efforts. Gravitational pull seemed stronger here too."Adrian… A…"Something strange was happening to Rozi as she continued to call out. Her vision started to blur, and she felt drowsy as if an irresistible sleepiness was taking over. She felt as though she had been hit with anesthesia. The drowsiness would not go away
Remy had also revamped Drogoton. The city’s economy was slowly recovering as artificial greenhouses were built on a large scale. Crops were being cultivated, and the planted flowers and trees released oxygen. He had pioneered a team to expand farmlands outside of Drogoton, with the city as the center.In another city, Sylvia was also working on rebuilding her own city.The people held a common belief that Adrian would bring hope. Everyone in their own cities, including the generals, waited for Adrian to return.Time flew by, and five years passed in the blink of an eye. They had lost track of Adrian for five years. No one knew where War Legate Draco had gone. Some of them began to lose hope, thinking that he had died. Some started to think that he had even defected to the Creator’s side and had abandoned them. There were all sorts of speculations, but there was no changing the fact that Adrian had disappeared for five years.The world was facing a growing crisis. Food was becoming
"You're a liar, Nova, just like your father!"Miguel and a few young boys surrounded Nova, pointing and shouting at her. They were not the first to make such claims. Many had speculated that Adrian was swayed by the Creator and was secretly enjoying his life somewhere. They painted him as a traitor. Otherwise, why had he not shown himself for five years?"Get lost!" Nova grew angry and tears streamed down her face. She had never seen her father, but she did not want anyone talking bad about him either.Nova shoved Miguel aside and ran out of the classroom, crying.Elayne, who was late to the scene, called out, "Nova! Wait!" But the little girl did not stop and ran out of the school gates. Elayne scowled at Miguel and the others."How could you do such a thing to Nova? Her father isn't a liar. He's a hero.""My father said her father's a liar who tricked all of us into being hopeful. Why haven't we been able to contact him if he isn’t a liar?" Miguel retorted."What?!" Elayne c
Samantha's heart ached when she saw this."What happened, Nova? Was it something I did?"Samantha reached out to wipe Nova's tears, but Nova slapped her hand away."You're a student now. You shouldn't be lashing out like this. Now, how about you tell me what happened?"These words seemed to strike a chord with Nova, who strove to be a good girl in her mother's heart. Nova sat up and tearfully said, "They’re saying Dad's a liar, Mom. Where is he? Is he never coming back? Does he not want me anymore?"Samantha froze.Disaster still loomed over the world, and Nova had not seen her father since she learned to talk. Samantha seldom spoke to her about him and had never even shown her a picture of her father. She did not want Adrian to be a burden on their daughter as she grew up."Do you miss him?" Samantha gently asked.Nova nodded and cried, "I do, but he doesn't want me anymore. He lied to everyone. He lied to them, so they're now calling him a big liar. I hate Dad!" Samantha
The Daemon Emperor was startled."What is happening? This power..."Formless energy was surging forward, pressuring his nerves and senses.Below, Andy and the others trembled uncontrollably."Who is it?" Finnian stared into the crimson mist.Even Andy was horrified, his gaze locked on the unfolding scene in disbelief, and asked, "What is this? What exactly is happening?" At this moment, Adrian abruptly opened his eyes.Apparently, the Daemon Emperor had once conspired with Adrian's subordinates to ambush him.However, Adrian had managed to annihilate the traitors and sealed this Daemon Emperor. Now, fate had brought them together again."If I killed you once, I can kill you again." Adrian stood tall, his white robes fluttering in the air.The Daemon Emperor was stunned into silence."This is impossible! You're not that mortal boy!""Is that so? In this life, your end has come, and so has the era of the daemons." Adrian's voice was calm yet resolute. He stretched out his han
Adrian's face hardened at the words. He despised threats above all else. While he understood what the mysterious entity desired, he couldn't yet fully comprehend its implications or find a way to counter it. His only choice was to focus on growing stronger.Within the hot spring, waves of raw, terrifying power surged and crashed violently against Adrian's body.The force, though beneficial, was brutal and overwhelming. Adrian's body struggled to endure, cracking as though it were disintegrating."Arghhh!"A heart-wrenching scream echoed as Adrian's flesh was torn apart and his aura gradually dimmed."Ahhh!"His agonized cries echoed once more. He could no longer withstand the pain.In the distance, a towering figure appeared and sneered. "What's this? Can't take it anymore? Pathetic. Humans are truly the epitome of stupidity."Suddenly, Adrian erupted with an explosive surge of energy, and in that instant, he broke through to the pinnacle of the Void Stage."Hmm? He actually b
At that moment, the crowd was speechless.Adrian had ascended as if it were the easiest thing in the world.Faced with such a sight, no one could say much beyond admiration. Even if the Holy Son claimed Adrian had cheated, many secretly wished they could cheat the same way.Lacking Adrian's means, all they could do was envy him.Finnian chuckled. "Haha! You really caught us all by surprise, kid. Still, I'll count this as you repaying me a favor."For Finnian, the outcome couldn't have been better. With a broad smile, he seemed to have achieved his desired result. Adrian's successful climb was all that mattered to him.Once Adrian had vanished, the focus shifted to the rest of the group and their trials.When Adrian opened his eyes again, his entire body ached, but an oddly comforting sensation flowed through him. Surveying his surroundings, he realized he was now in a pond."Where am I?" he asked.Though uncertain about the place, Adrian knew he had cleared the trial and arriv
The onlookers stared in bewilderment, their faces etched with confusion as they struggled to grasp the unfolding events.Meanwhile, Adrian seethed with barely contained rage. This wasn't his first encounter with such torment. Every few steps he ascended, another trial awaited.To Adrian, the relentless punishments felt suffocating. Yet he pressed on—this was the final stretch of the climb. "Adrian, hang in there!" Andy shouted, urging him to conquer the last step. To Andy, reaching that final step symbolized Adrian's growth. He had witnessed Adrian's remarkable resilience countless times and held unwavering faith in his potential. In Andy's eyes, Adrian was destined for greatness. Adrian's expression turned cold as he locked his gaze on the steps ahead. Determination flickered in his eyes. "If reaching the top guarantees a reward, it doesn't have to be me up there. As long as someone makes it, that's enough." With that, he shifted his focus to the void above and formed
Adrian felt as if every nerve in his body was beyond his control. A deep sense of grievance filled his heart as the divine thunder from the void relentlessly crashed down.Rage surged within him, but under the onslaught of endless forces, he felt weak and constrained.Still, he had no choice but to press forward. He knew victory was within reach if he could endure a little longer—giving up now would mean death.If he fell, the shame and humiliation would crush him.Below, the Holy Son and others waited, eager to see him fail and mock him. This left Adrian no option but to push forward, striving toward the void above and his ultimate goal.The violent forces continued to bombard him from the sky.With every step, the thunder's impact intensified tenfold. His soul, already battered from a fierce battle with a horde of beasts, now felt as though it was dragging his exhausted body forward.Anyone else would likely have succumbed to despair. After all, under such immense pressure, ev
The oppressive forces descending from the void seemed determined to halt Adrian’s ascent up the staircase.Yet he refused to yield. To him, these overwhelming challenges were merely obstacles to conquer.He pressed forward with relentless determination.Thunderbolts continued to rain down, but the ominous red light from before did not return—a relief, as he never wished to endure its crushing weight again.The memory of that light still haunted him, leaving a lingering sense of helplessness. Its suffocating pressure had drained his strength, reducing him to a gasping, powerless state.Despite the toll on his body and mind, Adrian remained singularly focused on reaching the final step. His burning desire for greater power drove him forward, unwavering and resolute.Step by step, he ascended, reaching the 95th step in what felt like an instant.Only five steps remained. His gaze locked onto the summit, and a wild glint lit his eyes. A daring idea sparked within him, consuming his
Adrian pondered his situation, his cold gaze reflecting simmering frustration. Yet deep down, he recognized that whoever had designed the staircase was far from ordinary.Creating such a formidable trial required unimaginable power.Even a pinnacle Void Stage expert—or perhaps someone of the Multiply Stage—might bow in reverence before the ladder's creator."He won't last much longer. The divine lightning in this void is utterly destructive. In moments, he'll be reduced to ashes," sneered the Holy Son, his sharp eyes gleaming with malice.To the Holy Son, Adrian's demise was inevitable. Adrian had dared to offend him, and he was certain such audacity could only lead to death.Adrian caught the Holy Son's words and cast him a frosty glare. His intent to kill was unmistakable, though now wasn't the time.The staircase was no place for personal vendettas—eliminating him here would require careful planning.He also knew the Holy Son carried seals of immense power. A reckless move co
Finnian's sharp gaze reflected a hint of admiration. "Kid, you owe me a big favor this time. You'd better treasure this opportunity."Adrian remained silent, unsure how to respond. His cold eyes revealed no emotion, though he fully grasped the challenges ahead.Fear was a luxury he couldn't afford—he'd come too far to back down now.Suddenly, a streak of red light surged from the void, hurtling toward Adrian with terrifying speed. His eyes widened in shock as the crimson beam struck him, slamming him against the staircase.Caught off guard, Adrian collapsed, sprawled helplessly on the steps.The crowd below watched in astonishment. No one had expected his seemingly indestructible body to be overwhelmed so easily.The Holy Son sneered. "Haha! It seems he's triggered some kind of taboo. Let's see how arrogant he is now!"His voice dripped with schadenfreude, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction as he relished Adrian's struggle.Despite the crushing force, Adrian refused
"What exactly is up there pulling me so strongly?" Adrian's expression hardened as he pondered the mysterious force drawing him upward.A surge of violent energy erupted across the sky, crashing down like a raging storm.Adrian advanced cautiously, each step deliberate and precise.Gone were the reckless strides of before—now he moved with steely determination, fully aware of the lurking dangers.He'd learned that the void's formidable forces seemed to target him directly, compelling him to proceed step by step. Any attempt to bypass its unseen barriers would provoke a devastating strike."Ridiculous," Adrian muttered. "If I've chosen to climb, nothing will stop me."The void's relentless power intensified.Bolts of thunder hammered down mercilessly, battering Adrian's body. Yet fear never crossed his mind.What was there to be afraid of?To him, the divine thunder wasn't an obstacle—it was a crucible, a tool to temper his body and strengthen his resolve.Despite the storm, A