Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

Blood splattered everywhere, bones and flesh shattered. Kant watched as the ancient people fought and fled.

Under the continuous attacks of the church, they continued to pay blood and sacrifices as they moved deeper.

On this path of death, there were people who constantly suffered fatal aberrations due to excessive use of energy elements. Some rushed into the black beasts the moment they lost their minds, while others silently accepted the end of the flag bearer.

Those who did not have the time to end their lives attacked everything around them in endless pain and madness. Their bodies swelled, their armor shattered, and their backs were filled with deformed eggs. Their arms became incomparably swollen, and sticky venom sprayed from their mouths. They swung their tentacles and whips. In such a terrifying mutation, they lost their original appearance and glory, becoming incomparably ugly monsters. Finally, they died of exhaustion.

.. Just like that dragon.

Kant looked at the people who were advancing into the darkness.

Purple light flashed and weapons were brandished. Even though the tragic death of their companions was about to become their future, these warriors were fearless. The dazzling purple light shone as usual, without any hesitation or retreat.

A thought flashed through his mind.

These people…It was different from the few dragons that had barged into this place out of greed.

Why did they come here? He was willing to pay such a price to continue moving forward. Was he hiding from something, or was he looking for something, or…Wait for what?

Kant stood up and wanted to give chase. The next moment, a dazzling blue light shone before his eyes. The scenery around him faded instantly. The world changed. Light and shadow disappeared like flowing light. A dreamy crystal world appeared before his eyes.

Faint blue light, magical glowing plants, and countless crystal clusters.

The scenery he saw in the flashback of time was not what it looked like now.

Lily returned. She and Ah Xing watched him worriedly. They were relieved to see that Kant’s eyes were moving and his expression was normal. Lily asked,” Again?”

Kant nodded.

He glanced at the twisted dragon corpse on the ground and told the Dragoness what he had seen.

” These ancient people didn’t master the technique of using the mysterious elements harmlessly. They only mastered the ability to forge and use them. It’s like a bottle of poison that can quench thirst.”

Kant’s heart felt heavy as he recalled what had happened earlier.

” Absorbing and forging mystical elements to strengthen their own supernatural powers and forge excellent weapons and protective equipment. They obtain powerful combat strength through this, but it’s not without a price.”

” Using the mysterious energy will corrode their own bodies,” he said quietly.” They might have techniques to suppress and delay the process of corrosion, but after exceeding a certain limit, they will lose control. Their bodies will accelerate their mutation, and their minds will fall and lose. In the end, they will become wild beasts that have lost control and die of exhaustion.”

“Just like him.”

At this point, the Fire Stealer glanced at the dragon corpse on the ground.

” This demon’s gift isn’t free.”

Lily was silent for a while, digesting the news.

“Then…” She asked,” These ancient people willingly accepted this mysterious element and sacrificed themselves to achieve a certain goal. As a result, they lost control and became monsters, but he…”

She looked at her compatriots lying on the ground.

The second dragon that had fallen, starting from Ochwil, had died in an even more miserable manner. This made her feel even more uneasy. What had happened to this dragon before it died? Where were the other dragons?

Kant understood what she meant.

“Then we’ll have to investigate it ourselves.” He replied,” In the time and space flashback, the completely mutated individual will release its power violently before death, turning into a bloodthirsty beast that attacks everything. In other words, before this dragon dies, it must have done some brutal destruction and behavior. Since it’s not here, it must be somewhere else. Let’s take a look around and see where it came from.”

Lily pointed in a direction that was further and deeper than the glittering crystals and the blue weeping willows. The cold light was half bright and half dark.

” The traces are very obvious. Fresh blood, purple mucus, scales, and flesh.”

” By the way, it’s not an illusion,” Mother Long said softly.” When the contaminated and corrosive dragon blood drops onto the ground and is absorbed by the soil, the light of the nearby glowing plants becomes even more enchanting and bright. I’ve tested it with my own blood. It’s not the blood of a giant dragon that caused this phenomenon.”

She looked around and saw the sea of crystal flowers around the dragon corpse. The ferns and the beautiful glowing flowers were shining brightly. It was because of the brilliance of the sea of glowing flowers that she noticed the dragon corpse lying on it at first glance.

The dragon’s deformed and swollen body was so ugly and distorted, but the surrounding sea of dreamy flowers was so brilliant and eye-catching.

Beauty and ugliness, life and death, liveliness and decay, the strong contrast made people extremely uneasy.

Withered life turned into dust and fused with the earth, becoming nutrients for the plants. This was originally the cycle of nature, but the brilliance of the sea of flowers did not come from the death of the dragon. This was the source of Long Niang’s unease.

Lily slowly exhaled.” Do you understand? The strange ecology of this underground world, the glowing plants that have never appeared on the continent, the magical and beautiful dreamlike landscape…” What exactly is it using as nourishment? You said that many years ago, this place did not have such a beautiful scenery.”

Kant was silent.

He thought of the ancient people who had fallen here. Their bodies had been completely corroded and were about to undergo complete mutation. They were buried here, and no one knew. Their companions were still fighting bloody battles, and their chances of survival were slim. No one had collected their dead bodies, so they could only stay here. The entire underground world was their tomb. Many years later, this place was already filled with a brilliant blue sea of flowers.

“Let’s go.” He stood up.” We need more answers.”

Long Niang was a little surprised. The giant dragon was still corroded and distorted, and had not returned to its normal state.

“This…” she asked. Don’t care?”

“There’s no cure. Let’s go.” Kant said calmly,” There’s no difference.”

If the righteous man can only bury his bones in the green mountain, then the thief dragon has no virtue to have a mausoleum after death.

It is your honor to die here.

He followed the direction Lily pointed at.

That path was also the path that the ancient people had taken to advance through blood.

The scene he saw in the space-time flashback made him more concerned and persistent. He felt that it was not a coincidence that he encountered the space-time flashback. The flag holder also gave him an inexplicable familiarity and intimacy.

It was as if they had known each other for a long time.

Just like what he said to Lily… He also needed an answer.

He wanted to know why these ancient people went deep into this place at all costs. They did not hesitate to pay a huge price, and they did not hesitate to face the pain and despair of mutation.

“Do you see it? Traces of movement.”

Lily kept an eye on the ground. The giant dragon was huge and it crawled all the way here. It only died when it reached the sea of flowers. It should have crushed countless flowers and plants along the way, but there were no obvious signs here. It was not that there were no signs. It was just that the dragon’s blood was injected along the way, and the glowing plants grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, covering the traces of the dragon’s crawling.

However, the deeper they went, the harder it was to hide the traces.

Because in the process of crawling, the dragon’s strength would gradually weaken. The further away he was, the more strength and vitality he had. The marks caused by his movement would become more obvious.

In this blue crystal maze, they searched in the opposite direction from where the dragon had crawled.

Traces were easy to notice because the glowing plants were denser and more brilliant in the direction where the dragon crawled, because the rotting flesh and tissues of the dragon nourished them.

Lily bit her lip as she walked, because they had been walking for a long time.

This long journey was proof of the dragon’s tenacious vitality and extraordinary memory.

It wasn’t until just now that the Dragoness suddenly realized that the dragon had returned along the original path.

This was also the path they had taken. They passed through the stone forest and river in the underground world and arrived at the collapsed cave. They opened up the gravel and followed the long tunnel to the blue crystal world. Then, they advanced.

And this dragon was returning the way it came.

At first, it was flying. Later, when it could no longer support itself, it landed on the ground and walked. When it could no longer support itself, it crawled and moved until it reached the sea of flowers. It no longer had the strength and could only look up weakly at the cliff that was dozens of meters high. In the past, it could reach the distance with a flap of its wings and a leap. Now, it was like a valley. It could no longer cross it and could only close its eyes regretfully.

Kant said that creatures that had completely mutated would lose their minds…But this was a dragon, wasn’t it?

But why did he turn back?

Kant’s Phoenix Vision discovered a stone in a mountain rock that was covered in clusters of crystals.

Lily rushed forward, her eyes trembling.

“Echo Stone.”

” This is a secret technique that dragons use to imprint their roars on solid objects to preserve their voices and memories,” she said.” It’s usually used to commemorate unforgettable memories, fleeting inspirations, and special insights from a certain period. It uses a sound and a soul fluctuation to imprint the mood at that time…”

As if she had thought of something, Long Niang’s eyes dimmed.

She was silent for a moment before she said in a low voice,”The price is not small…” It requires a small piece of soul.”

Long Niang gently caressed the stone. Then, the outside of the round stone shattered, and a hollow was formed. In the hollow, the dragon’s power restrained an even smaller stone to float in it.

Lily blew gently, and the stone vibrated.

The obscure dragon language was clearly transmitted from within.

Long Niang heard this and her expression changed a moment later.

” What are you talking about?” Kant asked.

“It’s the murmurs and ravings of someone on the verge of death. It’s filled with regret and emotion…”

Lily turned around and looked at Kant. After a moment of silence, she replied softly,”” He said,’I was wrong, we were all wrong. The scenes that Tricia saw were not the will of the Dimensional Dragon God, but the conspiracy of the Unknowns. What fell on Tricia was not the favor of Akatum, but the malicious gaze of the demons. The dimensional flashback was a vicious trap, just like the records that happened in history. It was a sign and the beginning of a disaster. Greedy and stubborn people often fell into it. Unfortunately, I understood it too late. Forgive me. Forgive us, Father, Your Majesty, and Mother. I want to go home, I want to go home…”

Her voice trembled as she spoke.

Spacetime flashed.

Dragon Tricia…He also encountered a space-time flashback.

The last words of the dead dragon said that it was a trap, a vicious trap.

It caused every greedy and persistent person to fall into it.

” What else?” Kant was silent for a moment.” What else?”

Lily shook her head and said bitterly,” No. If we didn’t miss it, this is the last Echo Stone he left. From his tone and soul waves, we can see that he was extremely weak at that time, and his soul was on the verge of dissipating. This should be the last message he left behind.”

Kant took a deep breath.” In other words, there might be more ahead?”

Lily hesitated and nodded.

“Then let’s continue searching.”

“.. Kant.” Lily suddenly said,” You…”

” What’s wrong?” Kant raised his eyebrows.

“I mean, we…Do you still want to continue?” Lily said uneasily,” I don’t think it’s good. If the space-time flashback is a trap as he said, then what you saw might be a picture or hint with ulterior motives. Should we think about it?”

Kant glanced at her and nodded.” Alright, you and Ah Xing go back the way you came. I’ll find the Echo Stone and use my spatial ability to teleport to your side. You can solve it yourself. It’s safer this way. If I encounter any danger, I can use my teleportation ability to leave…”

“.. That’s not what I meant!”

Lily said anxiously,” It’s not that I’m scared or that I want to leave. The point is not me and Ah Xing. It’s you. Kant, do you still want to continue?”

Kant frowned.” Tracis is deeper than us. He might…”

” The Echo Stone said that this is a trap. Tracis is probably doomed. Even if the worst case scenario happens, he’ll be corrupted and controlled by some demon, rushing to the surface and causing a disaster, the entire world will deal with it. You don’t have to fight alone!”

Long Niang’s face was a little red. Her usual calm and indifferent appearance was gone. She shouted in a low voice,”Think about that sentence!” You want the mysterious element as power, and you are obsessed with making Goethe a powerful country. You have both!”

She grabbed Kant’s arm and advised,”” Think about it carefully. We don’t have to monopolize it. This situation has already exceeded the scope of our current situation. Why don’t we seek the power of the other countries? Anyway, the news has already been leaked, and the cake has to be cut. You said that you cast a forbidden spell on the Broken Islands and have the ability to turn the mysterious elements harmless. You still have a huge advantage. At this time, you can propose cooperation to the other countries. It’s not considered bowing down. Isn’t politics like that…”

Kant listened to her advice and remained silent. His eyes were constantly changing.

He subconsciously looked at Ah Xing, only to discover that it had been looking at the path ahead. The underground world was deep and vast, winding back and forth, and layered. What Ah Xing was looking at was a path that led down a low slope. Before Kant could say anything, Ah Xing suddenly said,” There’s something!”

All of a sudden, the ground shook, and a painful roar came from the depths of the distance.

It was a dragon roar.