Chapter 1175: Section 1176 Nameless Scroll
Sanders stared at the dark passageway ahead, where a faint light slowly began to shine through, and a mysterious fluctuation emerged, seemingly about to engulf him.
Sanders was momentarily taken aback, as if he had discerned the true nature of this fluctuation.
He raised his eyebrows slightly and murmured softly, “Interesting.”
He didn’t resist the fluctuation, or rather, he couldn’t resist it in the cramped passageway.
As the fluctuation enveloped his entire body, a majestic voice echoed in his ears.
“In my name, seek my traces.”
With the sound falling, he saw that within the distant dark passageway, a multitude of “treasures” precious to him were slowly materializing.
Manuscripts of the Legendary Wizard’s knowledge, lost experimental equipment, mysterious Alchemical creations, and valuable materials.
A covetous red gleam flashed in Sanders’ eyes, but it soon faded, giving way to contemplation.
Perhaps noticing Sanders’ prolonged immobility, the doors at the end of the passageway slowly began to close. When the doors finally shut, Sanders heard a sigh near his ear, seemingly regretful of Sanders’ decision to stop rather than move forward.
After the sigh, Sanders was greeted by a flash of light, returning him to reality.
He was now standing atop the Void Tower.
Not far away was Aoluxiya, who appeared to be sleeping while suspended mid-air. Around Aoluxiya, many people were trapped in madness, dancing wildly.
Clearly, they too were experiencing the previous “temptation.”
Sanders took a few steps back, knowing that if he continued to approach Aoluxiya, he might also become engrossed in that illusion. Although the illusion contained many falsehoods—something an Illusionist like him could see through instantly—the voice echoing in his ear could block all memories and weave a fictitious dream.
That voice was irresistible. Even Sanders, if he continued to be mired in it, might end up dancing along with the others.
Therefore, Sanders retreated.
“Indeed worthy of being called the Illusion Master, to have returned to reality so swiftly,” Monty’s voice came from behind. “What do you make of that illusion?”
Sanders turned around to see Monty, who had been one of the first to reach Aoluxiya’s side but also one of the first to withdraw. Clearly, he too understood the difficulty of the illusion.
Sanders briefly recounted his earlier experience, then said, “The ‘Temptation of Treasures’ is an illusion; the level of Illusion Technique is just about True Knowledge Level, with many flaws. However, accompanied by that strange whispering, it would be difficult for anyone ensnared to escape. Compared to the illusion, though, I’m more curious about the pitch-black passageway I closely observed. That passageway itself doesn’t seem to be an illusion.”
“Of course it’s real,” Monty’s eyes held an inscrutable gleam. “Passing through that pitch-dark passageway leads to the Nest of True Spirits.”
Suddenly, a succession of screams came from afar.
Sanders turned to look and saw several wizards exploding as their physical bodies burst open. But the end did not come with the death of their flesh; their souls were also sucked into the mysterious Phantom Shadow emanating from Aoluxiya.
“This is the fate of those who intrude into the Nest of True Spirits,” Monty murmured regretfully.
The strange light and shadow appearing on Aoluxiya were in fact the True Spirits of the Demon God’s descendants. Although they seemed to exist in the present reality, in truth, they did not, existing instead in another dimension.
And that dimension was the domain of the Lord of the Flameless. Aoluxiya, as its descendant, was bestowed with the right to gather True Spirits within it.
“As for the voice speaking in one’s ear, it is Aoluxiya’s power of the True Name,” Monty continued. “The power of the True Name rob wizards of their ability to judge their surroundings, luring them, bewildered, into the Nest of True Spirits, where they are killed by the True Spirits lurking inside, which then absorb their soul energy. This is, at present, Aoluxiya’s modus operandi.”
“Activating the True Spirit and the True Name at the same time?” Sanders frowned. “It sounds, like an unbreakable cycle.”
If one were to attack Aoluxiya or draw near to it, they would inevitably be pulled into the passageway leading to the Nest of True Spirits. Even if one managed to resist the temptation of the True Name, one would simply be cast out, still unable to confront Aoluxiya.
“It’s not entirely without solution.”
Sanders looked over, “Can you break this situation, Monty?”
Monty nodded and then shook his head, “I can’t break it, but someone can. As long as we can suppress its True Name and not be tempted by it, destroying all the pathways that enter the Nest of True Spirits, it will have no strategy left. Moreover, by suppressing the True Name, we can also prevent being detected by the Demon God behind it.”
Sanders’ eyes flickered, recalling the words Floria had said before coming to the Abyss.
More than thirty years ago, Floria had received a message from a heretic who had escaped from the Song of the Deep Sea, claiming that the deep sea chant seemed to have obtained a secret treasure. According to the information disclosed by the heretic, the secret treasure was related to the true names of demons.
After Sanders arrived at the Abyss, he had gotten some hints from Samantha that the Song of the Deep Sea indeed possessed a secret treasure related to true names.
“The ‘someone who can break through’ you referred to, wouldn’t happen to be…” Sanders turned his head to look at Nereus standing beside Monty.
“That’s correct, it is me,” Nereus responded with an elegant smile towards Sanders, as if the viciousness that had once appeared in his eyes was all an illusion.
Monty nodded with a smile: “Nereus has an item that can restrain the true name of the Demon God. With his assistance, we should be able to break through Aoluxiya’s outer defenses.”
At this point, Monty added meaningfully, “However, if there’s an interruption or an accident during Nereus’s activation of the Nameless Scroll, restarting the Nameless Scroll for a second time will require a six-month buffer period. Thus, I hope that no errors occur in the plan because of personal reasons.”
By now, how could Sanders not understand what Monty was implying?
Sanders had been wondering why Monty, who had not paid attention to Aoluxiya, suddenly started a conversation with him. It turned out that Monty was worried that Nereus would be attacked by him while using that so-called ‘Nameless Scroll.’
A mocking smile curled up at the corner of Sanders’ mouth.
“If there were no precedents set by anyone, Lord Monty wouldn’t have to worry about the current situation,” he said.
Sanders’ point was clear, not only implicating Nereus but also subtly blaming Monty’s inaction during Nereus’s initial sneak attack.
The smile gradually faded from Nereus’s face, and although it was impossible to see Monty’s expression behind his mask, the aura emanating from him betrayed some displeasure.
Sanders wasn’t concerned about Monty’s happiness, for what he spoke was truth. Angel had provided Monty with quite a lot of intelligence and information, yet when Nereus attempted a sneak attack, Monty discovered it and did not stop it.
Sanders had no interest in discussing their stances; the fact remained before his eyes. Even if he wasn’t the one who suffered, Nereus’s attack on Angel was effectively a slap to his own face. Like a thorn in his heart, everything could seem calm on the surface until the issue was brought up, but once it was mentioned, Sanders was naturally not inclined to yield.
Monty said indifferently, “I will compensate Angel. The Frost Essence and the Moon Chapter—he will have one chance to enter each.”
Not only was Sanders taken aback by these words, but the surrounding wizards also showed surprised expressions, especially Rivetta, who immediately pulled out her recording tablet and quickly amended the previous information… Previously, due to Angel’s contribution, Monty directly stated he would grant Angel the highest reward of Frostmoon, which everyone knew was either the Frost Essence or the Moon Chapter. But now, Monty declared that both the Frost Essence and the Moon Chapter each held an opportunity, effectively giving Angel another highest Frostmoon reward!
And the highest reward of Frostmoon was incredibly tempting even to Official Wizards—Furthermore, even a True Knowledge Wizard could gain a lot from it!
Therefore, after the shock, people were filled with intense envy and hidden schemes.
After stating these words, Monty paused briefly: “Moreover, I can also overlook what you previously did.”
What he previously did? The crowd was puzzled, not understanding the implications.
However, Sanders knew that Monty was referring to the incident where he had secretly used the Light Shadow Nightmare to kill two Gravity Forest wizards.
“After all, Angel is now unharmed,” Monty glanced at the distant Angel, who seemed to be studying the True Spirits around Aoluxiya and was unaware of the conversation. In contrast, Fafnir beside Angel turned its head and gave Monty a cold glance with its blue and red eyes, as if to warn.
After weighing the situation in his heart for a moment, Sanders smiled, “Helping Lord Monty accomplish his plan is part of our agreement, why would I sabotage it? Just as Kanter and I came to offer help right away, didn’t we?”
Monty gazed deeply at Sanders, then turned to Nereus, “It’s your turn to step in.”
Nereus nodded and took out a sheepskin scroll bound by a golden thread from his embrace.
Sanders could faintly feel that the sheepskin scroll emitted a mysterious aura—it must be that ‘Nameless Scroll.’
Previously, he and Floria had speculated whether the secret treasure related to the true names of demons obtained by the Song of the Deep Sea was the Mysterious Object. Now it appeared to be true.
Still, a targeted Mysterious Object that only affected the ‘true name of the Demon God’ was rare. Or could it be that the ‘Nameless Scroll’ actually had some effect on everyone’s true names?
If it were the latter, it would be truly terrifying. Even if Monty had mentioned earlier that the ‘Nameless Scroll’ seemed to have a six-month buffer period, it didn’t diminish its brilliance.
As Sanders speculated, Nereus had already flown to the edge of Aoluxiya’s True Spirit’s influence. He unwound the golden thread binding the Nameless Scroll, and as the scroll was opened, a mysterious aura penetrated the boundary of the True Spirits and directly entered Aoluxiya’s safety perimeter.
Quickly, the mysterious aura flew back from Aoluxiya’s side and then merged back into the Nameless Scroll, disappearing without a trace.