Chapter 325 — The Nest of the Congregation of All Things' End
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 3
Beneath the ground lay the palace, and the road that led to its deepest level.
The endless stairs seemed to descend into an abyssal hell. The ancient, deep-black stone walls seemed to seal away the world's primal malice. Row upon row of mana crystal lamps were set along both sides of this downward-sloping staircase, yet their bright light seemed powerless against the darkness entrenched in this passage. The glow of the magic crystals could illuminate only a small stretch of wall and steps; wherever the lamplight could not reach, there was always the same fearsome darkness.
A rustling of vines and roots echoed between the stairs and the corridor. Beiyila walked unhurriedly along this passage leading to the Abyss of Flesh and Blood. Faint, mad whispers reverberated in her mind. Her figure moved forward through the feeble radiance of the mana crystals, while the darkness kept closing in behind her.
The staircase leading to the deepest part of the palace was divided into several tiers. Essentially, after every long sloping ramp there came a more level corridor—these gentler corridors seemed to provide some kind of buffer for the ceaselessly descending stairs, allowing those who walked the ramps to rest a little and ease the psychological pressure that was enough to drive a person mad. But in truth Beiyila knew very well that the best way to pass safely through this staircase was to stop nowhere at all.
Each level corridor had two stone doors. Every time one passed through such a "pair" of stone doors, the traveler was subjected to a deeper layer of influence: the maddening whispers and that fear of being ceaselessly swallowed by darkness would grow ever stronger. Every extra minute spent on this road meant one step closer to madness and death.
A particularly heavy and ancient stone door appeared before Beiyila. Its surface depicted twisted flesh, plants, and a mysterious starry sky that did not exist in this age at all: this was the final barrier leading to the "Secret Chamber."
Before the stone door, two tall figures bent slightly at the waist and silently bowed in salute to Beiyila.
They were two fearsome creatures—though human features still lingered upon them, they could hardly be called "human" any longer. They had swollen, malformed heads covered in growths; their eyes and ears had severely degenerated and transformed into writhing, tentacle-like structures; their limbs were thicker than a human's and wrapped layer upon layer in bandages, to prevent the runaway flesh from separating from their bodies. They were the "Wardens" of the underground palace.
These Wardens could not speak, could not see, could not hear—even their manner of thought and perception had mutated into something inhuman.
Before becoming Wardens, they had all been the most fanatical and loyal members of the Congregation of All Things' End. They had paid a price beyond human imagination, even mutating into this chilling state, all so that they could guard the deepest secret of this subterranean palace over the long term—because ordinary human guards could not last long at all in this passage.
Thinking of the Great Pontiff who had remained in the "Secret Chamber" since seven hundred years ago, even Beiyila could not help but feel a faint shudder. She nodded to the Wardens, then walked forward with a solemn expression.
The heavy, ancient stone door—built by who knew whom—opened automatically before Beiyila, and a small hall with three branching paths appeared before her.
The middle branch led to the true "Abyss of Flesh and Blood," the left to the "Sacrificial Ground," and only the right led to the Secret Chamber where the Great Pontiff resided.
Beiyila walked forward. The instant she stepped across the threshold, countless mad whispers abruptly intensified, echoing in her mind as though to devour her whole. The female Pontiff could not help but frown, then, entangled in the mad whispers, made her way toward the Great Pontiff's Secret Chamber.