Chapter 1261: Cutting off the Future
"What is going on?!" Sorothom swore under his breath. His connection with the Stygian Anchors spread throughout the Imperial Graveyard was rapidly weakening.
Some were even trying to return the debt they were holding instead of passing it on to the cult. Sorothom's wrath only grew when the innumerable streaks of lightning diverted into the Centurion Base disappeared through invisible cracks. The next moment, his Inner World was inundated with Heavenly Wrath for a second round of punishment from the same wave.
Moro fiercely resisted the Eternal Laws as they sought equilibrium and repayment of Sorothom's debt. Its existence was already in defiance of the Heavens, and the desolates grew more severe whenever they encountered the Heart Curse's domain. Their fates being entwined, Sorothom had to endure his parasite's suffering on top of his own.
This much wasn't a threat. Sorothom had spent eons preparing for this day, and half a tribulation wasn't enough to leave a crack in his foundations. The problem was what the changes signified. This was only the second bolt of nine, and the Ascension Chamber was already fading. It should have worked.
No, it did work until something changed. Sorothom suppressed the calamity befalling his world, using Dao to subvert Law as he infused his will into his Daughter Array. There were some warnings of damage but nothing that could explain why the Imperial Sacrificial Rite he'd refined for so long had lost its connection with the base.
Without the rite to lessen the load, he'd have to face the full extent of Heaven's rejection. That would have been acceptable if there were only two or three strikes remaining. With more than two minor cycles remaining, there was no way. If he could pass this hurdle with just treasures and his foundations, he wouldn't have needed to go through all this effort and waste his golden years.
This couldn't go on. Thousands of tendrils burrowed deeper into the channels and circuits, trying to extract more power for the Ascension Chamber. It changed nothing. The ancient arrangement was like a punctured balloon. No matter how much Stellar Energy Sorothom dragged into its arrays, it barely managed to rouse a response.
"Alone, beneath this fairy work of sky," a gentle laugh echoed through the chamber.
Sorothom's eyes widened as he saw a familiar figure emerge from the treasury, holding a box he didn't recognize. It was ancient, and its aura matched the Centurion Star. How had he missed it? Sorothom was certain he'd sacrificed everything inside the Sagittarius Vault to kickstart the rite and trick the Ascension Chamber.