Chapter 223 221: Shadow Valley

Chapter 223 221: Shadow Valley

After entering the Shrine Of Evil, Val sat down on the Throne Of Bones.

Sitting on a throne, he looked quite regal, and it seemed like he was always meant to sit on it.

He crossed one leg over the other and sat with his face resting on his arm, looking a bit vexed. A trace of bewilderment could be seen swirling in his black eyes of bottomless depths.

Sensing Val's confusion, Gruul stepped closer and raised an eyebrow.

"You look puzzled. Maybe I can help clarify it for you?"

"Will you?" Val was surprised yet pleased at the offer.

"My duty is to help you," Gruul nodded affirmatively.

Seeing this, Val felt encouraged to continue.

With a half-smile, he spoke up, "Why wasn't I allowed entry the first time I used Levare? It felt like something was blocking me from entering the shrine."

Gruul's eyes narrowed in thought.

No one could stop the Devil God from entering the shrine.

No!

Actually, there was one thing that could.

"I believe it was the shrine's doing." After realizing who it could be, Gruul provided an answer to Val.

As a result, Val was intrigued.

"What do you mean by that?" Val asked.

"The shrine is called 'evil' for a reason. It enjoys playing tricks on people, particularly when they're at their most desperate. Not even the Devil God is exempt from being tricked by it," Standing upright, Gruul explained.

Val's eyes widened slightly as he absorbed this information.

"Is there no way to counter this?" he asked after a moment.

Gruul looked directly at Val, his expression turning serious.

"There is a way: grow stronger. The stronger you become, the firmer your connection with the shrine will be, allowing you to better tame its capricious nature."

"I see."

As a Devil God still in the earlier stages of his development, Val simply didn't have enough strength or influence to make the capricious shrine completely subservient to him.

Heck, even Gruul wasn't completely loyal to him.

Gruul was only following the will of the previous Devil God, serving the new one with all his heart.

However, he would question Val whenever he would do something not befitting a Devil God.

For example, back then when Val asked Gruul to save Eliana, Gruul's first reaction was expressing his reluctance and questioning his master. He was initially unwilling to follow his order. Only after Val exposed a part of what Eliana meant to him did Gruul follow through with his order.

'I need to gain more control over it if I want to use it as a trump card that won't fail me when I need it the most.'

To gain more control over it, he had to grow stronger.

Val vowed he would not let the shrine look down on him for long.

He then attempted to see the outside world from the shrine using the fortified version of his Heavenly Eye, which cost 100 units of his soul power but still, he couldn't see anything beyond the shrine's boundaries.

Gruul spoke up to clear Val's confusion.

"The shrine is surrounded by divine laws. Those on the outside can't look in, and those inside can't look out unless their gaze is strong enough to penetrate the divine barrier."

"No wonder my Heavenly Eye doesn't work as it is supposed to when I use it from inside the shrine," Val mused.

"Master, given the situation, you'll have to rely on your own intuition and common sense," Voidslayer advised, his voice ringing in Val's mind.

"I know," Val said.

Val was genuinely perplexed by Voidslayer's indifference.

This was the first time he had brought it to the shrine, revealing his true identity and status as a Devil God with a shrine to boot.

Despite this, it hadn't asked any questions, making him feel intrigued.

"You don't seem surprised by any of this. Why?" Val asked.

"In truth, Master, I've always suspected that your reservoir of secrets ran deep," Voidslayer replied. A note of awe had crept into his voice by the time it continued, "But to find out you actually bear the legacy of a God? It's more monumental than I'd ever imagined. I finally realized when you claimed your divine status to the Shadow Drake Variants, you were speaking the unvarnished truth. Even I was fooled."

"So you're fine with it?"

"More than that. I find it immensely gratifying to serve a master who not only is extraordinary but also carries such a significant legacy."

Val realized he was worrying too much.

'A naive sword spirit like Voidslayer won't betray me unless I do something unforgivable.'

And when he was about to do something extremely vile, he would just put it away so as to not dirty its eyes and undermine their relationship.

...

After patiently waiting for half an hour to ensure it was safe, Val cautiously stepped out of the shrine. He found himself back in the familiar surroundings of the mountain range.

Phew~

Scanning the area and seeing no sign of the three-headed monstrous dog, Val let out a sigh of relief.

Assured that the immediate danger had passed, he proceeded further into the mountain range, resuming his journey.

In the remote outskirts of the Wysmire mountain range, a waterfall of enormous proportions cascaded from a cliff that soared high into the sky. Its sheer size and volume outclassed any waterfall on Earth, setting it apart as the largest in the vicinity. This grand waterfall was famously known as the Serpent's Veil. Its waters plunged downward, creating a thunderous sound reminiscent of an audience's applause, before they disappeared into a beautiful, shimmering pond at the base.

Nestled discreetly behind this awe-inspiring waterfall was a lesser-known secret: a hidden shortcut leading directly to Shadow Valley. It was a secret known only to wizards.

'Let's get to it.'

Standing on the edge of the cliff, taking in the grandeur of the Serpent's Veil, was a young and dashing man named Val. With muscles tensed and eyes focused, he took a powerful leap. Sailing through the air, he crossed the expansive pond below, broke through the curtain of cascading water, and landed gracefully in a small chamber carved into the wall of the cliff behind the waterfall.

The centerpiece of this hidden chamber was a magical circle. Intricate runes and patterns were etched into the ground.

'This must be it. My key to the Shadow Valley.'

This runic circle wasn't just decorative artwork; it was a teleportation circle, designed to whisk anyone who stepped onto it away to a corresponding circle located in the Shadow Valley.

'I should engrave a picture of it inside my soul using the Soul Archive skill. It might prove useful later on.'

Val's soul power decreased by 300 units as he activated the Soul Archive skill, capturing a vivid mental image and storing it safely within his soul for future reference.

Satisfied, Val took his position at the center of the magic circle.

'Time to teleport to the Shadow Valley.'

After that thought crossed his mind, he began to channel his soul energy into the runes underfoot. Almost immediately, the etchings lit up, glowing more and more intensely until they were almost blinding.

Then... He was swallowed by the light.

Within a split second, a sensation of weightlessness overcame him.

When his feet touched the ground again, he found himself standing on an identical circle in an identical place.

However, the roaring of the Serpent's Veil was now conspicuously absent, replaced by a haunting silence.

If not for that singular change, he might have doubted that the teleportation had worked at all; after all, the new location was almost identical to the first minus the waterfall.

"Host has successfully teleported to a small cave in Shadow Valley." The system notified Val, further confirming his belief.

The small cave was shrouded in darkness.

But Val was able to see his surroundings clearly thanks to his Noctune Vision Trait.

He took a deep breath and stepped out of the dark space where not a trace of light could be seen.

'More than gloomy, it looks like a paradise.'

It was only when he exited the cave that he beheld the true face of the Shadow Valley, and he had to admit he was awed by its beauty.

The sky above was a blend of dark purples and blues.

As a result, the entire valley seemed bathed in a haunting twilight,

Gnarled trees and rugged, craggy rocks dominated the landscape and a surreal luminescence was cast on them by the lights in the sky.

'It holds an enigmatic beauty, but I can't let my guard down. The more beautiful a thing found in nature, the higher the chances it's dangerous. This saying can be applied to terrains as well in this world.'

Maybe he jinxed himself, but just then, mournful cries and high-pitched shrieks echoed through the valley. The noises were unsettling, filling the air with an air of dread and foreboding. Any other person would have been shaken to the core, but Val remained impassive and unimpressed.

"Why is it so noisy? Are the ghosts of the valley playing an Opera?"

Before Val could even ponder why the ghosts were crying their hearts out, apparitions began to coalesce out of the thin air in front of him.

'These are no ordinary spirits,' he realized after they came into his view.

The bodies of these apparitions were ethereal, almost mist-like, but it was their faces—or lack thereof—that truly unnerved him.

Each of them had a swirling vortex of pure blackness in the place where their face should be.

Although Val was disturbed by the sight, he wasn't afraid. He stared them down with a fearless expression.

'Are they here to haunt me?' he wondered.

The answer was 'yes' as the several appariations that appeared began to float towards him in a twisted manner in the very next moment.