Chapter 414: Target
Chapter 414: Target
[Inside the Seonjeongneung Royal Tombs.]Far beneath the chaotic battlefield where Sovereigns and Aeons clashed, the atmosphere was suffocatingly still. The air in the cavernous depths of the corrupted cave was thick with ancient dust and the heavy, undeniable stench of primordial magic.
"So this is the ancient tomb on earth." Adira muttered, her silver hair casting a faint, ethereal glow in the pitch-black surroundings. She was staring at Mirabella, who stood perfectly still at the absolute center of the dark cave, staring intently at the only stone coffin before them. It was a massive sarcophagus carved from rock, covered in decaying runic wards, and heavily sealed shut.
"Finally, the second piece after months of searching." Mirabella walked smoothly towards the coffin, the hem of her dress gliding silently over the shattered stone floor, and gently placed her pale hand on the cold, rough surface of the lid.
"Master, why are you looking for these three gemstones?" Toxin asked, a bit lost. For the past five gruelling months, their Master had been hunting non-stop, moving covertly around the globe like a phantom. She had finally found the first gem hidden deep within the cursed ruins of Babylon located in Iraq; this was the second, buried right here on the other side of the planet.
"Master needs it to fully become one with Death." Adira answered in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, her unwavering eyes fixed on the coffin. Her words hit the damp air with the weight of a falling mountain, completely stunning Toxin.
"Become one with death? I don’t understand." He asked, a rare flicker of emotion breaking his usually flat expression.
Adira exhaled a soft breath, her breath visible in the freezing subterranean air: "In this universe, no one can escape Death, no matter how powerful you are, or will be. You will still die; even those cultivators who called themselves immortals, they all have flaws and weaknesses, which eventually leads to death. Master is searching for ways to cheat death, and also control it."
"Cheat death and control it." Toxin repeated, and for the first time since his creation, he was genuinely horrified. To defy the natural cycle was an absolute taboo, a violation that invited the wrath of the heavens. To think that the gemstones actually gave such heaven-defying powers, and that they were all carelessly hidden on a small, backward mutated planet like Earth, was mind-boggling.
"That is why Master is searching for these stones." Adira added, her absolute loyalty to Mirabella’s impossible ambition evident in her voice.