parentshiftbook Chapter 196 A Three-Year Scheme
Chapter 196 A Three-Year Scheme
Chapter 196 A Scheme Spanning Three Thousand Years
The being at the center of the pale flames seemed to hear this faint sound. Its gaze slowly swept over the broken barrier below, and the tiny, ant-like, bewildered creatures behind it.
"Ants in the wizarding world? — Heh."
Looking down at the people below, the voice sneered.
"It seems the plan has been delayed by three thousand years, but there are still no problems."
As he finished speaking, his gaze suddenly fell upon the Dark Canyon!
"I see----"
Deep within the dark canyon, the black flames burning around Hick became more solid and profound than ever before, as if they were no longer flames, but rather flowing, living darkness itself.
The fragmented memories from the "Fire of Death" reassembled within his soul, revealing a shocking conspiracy spanning three thousand years.
His gaze pierced through the layers of shadow in the canyon, colliding with the ancient gaze from the center of the pale flames outside. Instead of fear, he revealed a knowing, cold smile.
"They really went to great lengths to infiltrate this place."
He whispered, his voice carrying the deep hum of a dragon's transformation, yet it echoed clearly throughout the canyon.
"To split the complete primordial flame in two, giving it completely opposite attributes, and even at the cost of sacrificing two powerful souls as vessels—what a grand gesture."
He sensed the gaze cast upon him by the ancient being named Zhang Tianbei, a gaze that was a mixture of scrutiny, greed, and a hint of surprise.
The other party had clearly also noticed the "deathly fire" on him and recognized this power that was of the same origin but opposite.
"Unfortunately, the fool on this side, who was supposed to die, didn't make it through. But the remnant soul on this side, who was supposed to be immortal, managed to awaken by the folly of Renlke and the sacrifice of the entire Tower of Eternity."
Hick's voice was filled with undisguised mockery, as if he were speaking to himself, and also as if responding to that gaze from afar.
"You want to merge with the One Who Dies," to complete the mission left unfinished three thousand years ago, and to tear apart the barriers of this world from within?"
The black flames around Hick suddenly surged, emanating a chilling aura of annihilation and end.
"What a coincidence—I also need your eternity."
"
His eyes became incredibly sharp and greedy.
"Your Eternity" represents infinite energy, creation, and undying vitality—it is precisely through neutralizing and fully controlling the annihilation of "Death" that I ascend to a higher level, even—to glimpse the key to the legendary "Fifth Level" realm!
"You want to come in? Sure."
Hick's smile widened, forming a grin full of ambition and madness.
"Then become a part of me! With your eternity, fulfill my vow of death! Your coming will be the best ladder for me to ascend to God!"
He no longer concealed his presence.
boom!
A pressure far more terrifying and profound than Mochamo's or even Ronker's before, mixed with the authority of pure annihilation and shadow, suddenly erupted from the dark canyon and soared into the sky!
This force did not attempt to repair or strengthen the "Eternal Night Barrier," but instead, with a clear will, it actively confronted the pale existence outside, bringing with it a naked challenge and—a desire to devour!
At this moment, Mochamo, Lilith, Sean, and all the survivors below clearly felt the collision between these two equally terrifying but completely different forces!
It is no longer a simple matter of defense and offense, but a clash between two primal desires that both yearn to devour each other and merge into one!
Mochamo's expression changed drastically. He instantly understood Hick's intention—not only did he want to resist the calamity, but he also wanted to hunt it down!
Turn this terrifying existence, capable of destroying the world, into resources for your own advancement!
"Everyone!" Mochamo's voice trembled slightly, a tremor he himself didn't even realize, not from fear, but from extreme shock and fervor. "Stabilize your minds! Maintain the barrier with all your might! Hick—Lord Hick—the hunt is about to begin!"
The news exploded like a thunderbolt among the survivors.
hunting?
That pale calamity?
The existence of the Dark Faction was initially met with disbelief, but then erupted into even more fervent shouts, as if they had witnessed a miracle.
The white wizards, whether Monet, half-elves, or those driven to madness or despair, were all stunned, their brains barely able to process the information.
The ancient consciousness that had possessed Ronker's body for three thousand years—the world-ending calamity that had just made them utterly despair—had now become someone else's prey?
The collapse and reshaping of worldviews are happening in the most intense and brutal way at this moment.
As for the pale flames outside, the being named Zhang Tianbei, after sensing Hick's undisguised devouring will, first fell silent for a moment, and then erupted with a raging fury!
"Insects—how dare they covet the fire of the gods!"
The roar shook the entire world, and the pale domain surged wildly once more, crashing into the "Eternal Night Barrier" even more violently than before!
But this time, its goal is not just to break through, but to completely crush that audacious being who dared to regard it as prey—the being in the shadows!
"Insects—how dare they covet the fire of the gods!"
Zhang Tianbei's roar was like the screams of millions of wronged souls, mixed with the booming of the laws, impacting everyone's soul.
The Pale Domain surged with unprecedented ferocity, no longer a tentative collision, but a destructive torrent composed entirely of pale flames, crashing violently into the "Eternal Night Barrier"!
This time, the goal is clear—to crush that arrogant ant hiding in the shadows!
However, just as the destructive torrent was about to engulf the barrier, the "Eternal Night Barrier" did not resist as expected. Instead, it seemed to have a life of its own, actively caved inward and rotated!
The endless shadow energy that formed the barrier circulated at an unprecedented speed, no longer a simple defense, but under Hick's will, it transformed into an enormous vortex!
A gaping, greedy maw of darkness leading to the deepest part of the dark canyon!
"What?!"
For the first time, Zhang Tianbei's ancient face showed obvious astonishment.
The power of that pale torrent, capable of annihilating everything, was not rebounded or neutralized the instant it touched the vortex of shadow. Instead, it was cleverly deflected and guided, and then—
They were torn apart and swallowed up by that bottomless, dark maw!
I could feel the power I unleashed flowing uncontrollably toward the target that I intended to crush!
"Foolish! How dare you devour my power directly! Even if it's just a remnant soul, my Eternal Flame is no match for it."
Zhang Tianbei's astonishment quickly turned into cold mockery.
He had an excellent understanding of the nature of his power, which contained the eternal characteristics of infinite activity and creativity. It was the most deadly poison to any power that was not of the same origin. Forcibly absorbing it would only lead to the collapse of his own energy structure and being assimilated in the opposite direction!
But his mockery froze on his face the next second.
Through the loss of power, He clearly sensed that the "Eternal Flame" that had been swallowed into the depths of darkness had not raged or assimilated as expected.
Instead, it was as if they had fallen into an abyss of absolute zero, where boundless vitality was being extinguished by an extreme "annihilation."
Forcibly suppressed, stripped away, and analyzed by the will of "End"!
"impossible!"
Zhang Tianbei lost his voice; his indifferent demeanor shattered completely for the first time.
"That level of deathly silence"—is it a death knell?! No—even a complete death knell shouldn't be like that—"
Deep within the dark canyon, the body of the Sikrond was completely enveloped by expanding black flames, forming a giant black cocoon.
On the cocoon wall, countless shadowy runes appeared and disappeared, operating wildly and digesting the surging pale torrent.
Pain? Yes, even for Hick, forcibly absorbing the full force of a level four being's attack was by no means an easy task.
His soul felt as if it were being pierced by millions of scorching needles at the same time, and then frozen at absolute zero in the next second.
But his will, empowered by the "Flame of Death," was like the hardest shadow crystal, firmly guarding the core.
"Analysis — Neutralization — Control"
His cold will reverberated within the black cocoon.
"Your 'eternity' is mine now!"
Meanwhile, outside...
Mochamo was deeply moved. He immediately understood Hick's tactics—not a head-on confrontation, but a high-risk, high-reward "digestion" battle using the "Eternal Night Barrier" and his own characteristics!
"Now!"
Mochamo roared, his voice hoarse with excitement.
"All units! Maximum power! Inject energy into the barrier! Support the vortex structure! Buy time for Lord Hick!"
The dark creatures responded frantically, squeezing themselves dry without any regard for the consequences.
Even the white wizards were stunned by this unexpected way of fighting.
The instinct for survival, coupled with the awe of witnessing a mythical battle, made them temporarily set aside their factional biases and subconsciously inject their remaining magic into Node One, even if it was just to avoid being torn apart by the energy aftershocks that might erupt next.
The half-elf stared, mouth agape, at the shadowy vortex that was swallowing the pale torrent, unable to utter a single word. Monet, meanwhile, clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, oblivious to the pain.
Zhang Tianbei felt resistance, and even more so, he felt the frenzied refining of his power from the depths of darkness.
In a fit of rage, he tried to withdraw his power, only to find that the torrent of flames he had unleashed seemed to be caught in a black hole, and he could not easily pull it away!
"Damn thief!"
He roared, and more pale tentacles lashed wildly at the edge of the vortex, trying to destroy its structure from the outside.
The entire "Eternal Night Barrier" trembled violently, with shadows and pale energy clashing wildly, emitting destructive light fragments and shockwaves that further reduced the surrounding land to nothingness.
The situation reached a brief stalemate, but the initiative was quietly shifting.
Deep within the canyon, Hick endured immense pressure and pain, yet he also rapidly analyzed and adapted to the properties of the "Eternal Flame."
Zhang Tianbei possessed immense power, yet he was temporarily restrained by the opponent's bizarre devouring tactics and the restraining "death confession" attribute. His anger burned, but for the first time, he also felt a trace of fear stemming from the very essence of power.
The roles of hunter and prey become blurred at this moment.
This clash has become a battle of will, foundation, and understanding of the laws!