At this moment, within the secret chamber, Jacob reappeared in front of the altar where the ceremonial chalice lies.
After thinking about it for a while, Jacob thought about another method to retrieve the ceremonial chalice with minimum risks.
Although he doesn’t know whether this method would be feasible, Jacob had no choice but to try, for he didn’t want to use his lifespan on such a low quantity of the Godly Faith Nectar.
Jacob gazed at the Trace Faith Idol of the Holy Justice God, and his Eyes of Judge began to flare up, turning into a brilliant, white-golden hue, like a raging sun.
Without holding back, Jacob activated his Eyes of Judge at full power while also activating the Judgment Gaze towards the Trace Faith Idol.
Jacob’s method was straightforward, as the Trace Faith Idol lacked consciousness and could only act on artificial instincts. He aimed to deceive the Idol with the Eyes of Judge by presenting himself as the Holy Justice God.
Although this method was flawed, as Eliza also seemed to possess eyes like the left eye of the Holy Justice God, Jacob still wanted to give it a try, since Eliza wouldn’t dare to touch the Godly Faith Nectar.
Furthermore, Immortika had already told him that he could resist the Trace Faith Idol counterattack for a little while. As long as Jacob could grab the ceremonial chalice, he would instantly retreat into the infinite space.
The moment Jacob activated the Eyes of Judge, all of a sudden, he felt something profound stirring within the depths of his soul, and what happened next was even more shocking.
Under the Judgment Gaze, the Trace Faith Idol started to shimmer in holy brilliance, and something completely unexpected unraveled itself under Jacob’s gaze.
Initially, the Trace Faith Idol appeared flawless. Yet, now that Jacob had unleashed his full power, utilizing the Eyes of Judge with the Judgment Gaze, something seemed to have triggered within the Trace Faith Idol.
The right eye of the Trace Faith Idol, which represents the Eyes of Judge, suddenly shimmered with an unseen profundity.
Then, without warning, Jacob felt something unimaginable. An invisible thread, ethereal and cold, lanced out from the idol and intertwined with his Eyes of Judge.
Before he could resist, his vision contorted, his sense of self twisting, and in the blink of an eye, his awareness was dragged away, cast into the depths of the unknown!
Furthermore, despite Jacob trying to resist and escape into the infinite space, he couldn’t do anything!
When Jacob’s senses returned, he found himself standing still...yet his body wouldn’t move. No matter how he struggled, he had no control over anything. It was as if he had been bound inside someone else’s flesh, only his vision was under his control, nothing else!
Jacob quickly calmed his agitation and focused on what was before him, and he saw a sight beyond mortal comprehension unfold.
An ethereal void expansion, a realm where everything ceased to exist and nothing but despair and emptiness reigned supreme. But even more strange was that behind this ethereal void expansion lay a golden realm filled with drifting runic clouds and swirling strands of profound power.
It was impossible to imagine how these two completely opposite powers could coexist within the same time and space. The void in front of him felt heavy and endless while the realm behind him was filled with ancient power—so oppressive that even Jacob’s felt an ant.
Yet for some strange reason, those godly forces around him were completely harmless against him, and he could witness everything that should’ve been impossible.
Jacob became confused and suddenly thought that it might be related to Immortika and probably one of the cursed book’s tricks to protect him from the Trace Faith Idol.
However, he soon realized how wrong he was because all of a sudden, the pitch-black void in front of him stirred as if opening its maw, and the next moment, a lone cloaked figure walked out from the void.
He was tall, dignified, and utterly unfathomable—his face hidden by folds of dark robes embroidered with incomprehensible dark patterns that seemed to shift and realign themselves like living worms of the void.
The figure’s very presence radiated an aura of absolute dominion—so overwhelming that Jacob’s thoughts quivered. He wanted to speak and question, but he couldn’t move a single muscle; he could only watch.
A gravelly voice, which seemed to overlap between a male and female, sounded from the cloaked entity, and the language it spoke was utterly unknown to Jacob, yet at that moment, Jacob understood it as if it were his mother tongue.
"Kekeke...I hope you have prepared the price; my services are not cheap, O’ hypocrite of Light!" The cloaked entity sneered in mockery and amusement.
Jacob was astounded when he heard those ambitious words, and they were clearly addressed towards the person who Jacob was currently ’trapped’ inside.
"At least I’m not hiding like a gutter rat within the folds of Void while the entire &^%*# is hunting me down..." A gentle yet deep voice replied in derision.
Jacob felt it was he who had just spoken, and he knew this matter wasn’t as simple as it seemed. One word had suddenly turned into gibberish, indicating that rules were involved. Yet, this being could utter that name, and the other one could understand it.
Nonetheless, he was now entirely focused on this strange scene as he wanted to know what exactly was going on.
Just as ’Jacob’ replied, the cloaked entity in front of him emitted an icy aura, and the void behind the dark entity seemed to churn, as darkness crept out like inky liquid and rushed towards ’Jacob’.
"Hmph!" ’Jacob’ harrumphed coldly, and a profound light rushed towards the incoming darkness and collided with it. The light neither lost nor won, and it turned into a stalemate.
The dark entity seemed to be frustrated when it couldn’t get the upper hand against the light entity and warned, "Alright, you are great. But don’t be complacent, the day you stepped into the void, ’I’ will be there to personally ’greet’ you!"
"Heh, I have no interest in wandering in the Void, now let’s conclude our business. Oh, if you’re unwilling, you can always leave, and I’ll find one of your ’comrades’, I’m sure they’ll be jumped to this task with what I’m paying!" ’Jacob’ scoffed as ’he’ didn’t seem afraid of the dark entity’s threats at all.
"Hmph, let’s sign the %#^&*# and be done with it already." The dark entity seemed to be suppressing its raging fury as if it didn’t really want to give up on this ’deal’.
"I thought so..." ’Jacob’ snickered in mockery before ’he’ flipped his jade-like hand and something materialized above it.
However, under Jacob’s vision, the situation seemed blurry, and he couldn’t understand its purpose. But from what the dark entity said earlier, he mused that it was probably some contract to bind both parties.
The next scene of signing this unknown contract also appeared blurry to Jacob, and once it was concluded, Jacob could again see everything clearly.
The next moment, suddenly, ’Jacob’ flicked his jade-like finger. In that instant, a mass of mercury-like golden white power condensed out of the very light before him.
The power shimmered and danced, at once soft and terrifying, a pure essence of highest form. ’Jacob’s’ silent will guide this mercury; like a master sculptor, ’he’ commanded it wordlessly.
Before Jacob’s disbelieving view, the golden white power began to twist and shift, reshaping itself. Slowly—impossibly—the familiar contours emerged!
Familiar because it was an idol of serene marble, crowned by a single right eye flickering with the golden-white flame, while the left spiral eye seemed to be revolving endlessly.
It was the very Trace Faith Idol of the Holy Justice God—the exact same idol Jacob had just confronted moments ago!
Before Jacob could react, ’Jacob’s’ fingers flickered once more and from the light space itself, incomprehensible glyphs began to emerge—shining characters woven of unknown power, law, and authority.
They streamed through the void like living calligraphy, their brilliance searing themselves into Jacob’s vision.
Those glyphs spiraled, turned, and finally began to merge into the newborn Trace Faith Idol. One by one, the runes fused into the idol’s marble form, sinking into its core—until the entire statue pulsed faintly with divine luminance.
Jacob’s mind trembled in shock, ’This... this is the moment this Trace Faith Idol was born! But I’m witnessing it!? Could it be that the Trace Faith Idol itself is showing this memory to me!? But why!?’
His thoughts stirred wildly, unable to comprehend how his Judgment Gaze had been pulled into a vision so ancient, so secretive. But when he thought about the characteristics of the Judgment Gaze, which could unravel all truths, this also made eerily sense!
Yet before the shock could settle, ’Jacob’ flickered his finger and the Trace Faith Idol glided towards the dark entity, and the latter grabbed it with a sneer.
"Remember, delivered it to the Middle Plains of @%$#* and you shall get the promised reward. Break it and...humph!" ’Jacob’ impassively reminded with a hint of threat.
"Kekeke, I’m not like you hypocrites of Light!" The dark entity retorted furiously, "Alright, our business here is done!"
The next moment, the dark entity merged back into the ethereal void expansion as if an inseparable part of it.
At this moment, Jacob’s vision trembled, and the surrounding space began to fracture and collapse!