Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

Chapter 1152: The Hawk Does Not Bow to the Sparrow

As the scent of gray amber candles wafted through the air, Lumian sat with his eyes closed, sensing the malice welling up deep within his mind. It was as though he had entered the mists of history, embodying Devil Monarch Farbauti, indulging in wild, unrestrained acts, all while entering a Cogitative state.

Now, he no longer needed corpse wax candles to sense the City of Calamity. Through Cogitation alone, he could achieve a deep communion with it.

Soon, Lumian began to float. Before him appeared a mist tinged with an eerie black hue.

This time, he didnʼt enter the ”Shanghai” that Franca had described, nor did he see the trackless trams carrying heads with dangling spines or rickshaws dragging bloated women. Instead, what came into view was a stone well built of slabs and iron chains engraved with devilish faces.

The Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence? Now that Iʼve become a dual-pathway true god in the domain of calamity, initiating the secret deed brings me directly to the core of the City of Calamity, to the place where the malevolent dragon is sealed? If not for the seal, Iʼd likely be facing the malevolent dragon directly... Lumian nodded in understanding.

Wasting no time, he immersed himself in the mirror-like surface of the crimson well water. He traversed through familiar scenes he had previously explored and arrived at the gray- white plaza where he had once encountered the mirrored Alista Tudor. Outside the invisible barrier, he saw the massive black shadow occupying the bottom of the blood-colored sea, spanning the size of an entire metropolis.

He stopped in his tracks.

At the same time, outside the wooden tower binding the malevolent dragon, a figure materialized out of thin air, composed of countless ethereal, transparent entities.

Draped in a blue robe and crowned with a traditional high headdress, this figure held a horsetail whisk. His face was as flawless as jade but gaunt.

The Celestial Master of the current generation.

Now that the Mother Goddess of Depravity had captured the Brood Hive and begun fusing with it, He no longer needed to maintain the grayish-white fog.

Beside Him, two other figures gradually came into focus.

One was clad in yellow monastic robes wrapped in a red kasaya. His head bore tonsure scars, and his round face was adorned with a long white beard that reached his chest. He wore a perpetual, kind smile.

The other was draped in a dark robe adorned with strange patterns. His face was ashen and bloodless, with eyes so black they seemed to swallow all light.

The first was the manifestation of Buddha, a Holy Monk acknowledged by all sects of the monastic community. The second was the Underworld Daoist, head of the Haoli lineage. Ever since He had entered the River of Eternal Darkness to suppress the remnants of the Blood Emperorʼs soul, He had been as good as dead-His consciousness only partially merged into the River, allowing Him to act briefly but preventing Him from returning to the living world. This fate mirrored those of His predecessors and successors in the Haoli lineage.

”Your efforts are much appreciated,” said the Celestial Master, placing one hand on his chest and nodding slightly.

Before His words had fully settled, a shadow emerged from the depths of the dragon-sealing tower. Darkness condensed into a human form.

The figure wore a voluminous black robe, with long, flowing hair streaked with white. His gaunt face bore a smile as He stepped forward. ”How could you leave me out of this?”

The Celestial Master did not respond, as a sudden light illuminated the sky.

All four present figures raised their heads simultaneously. Through layers of white clouds, they saw a faintly discernible door.

At the door stood an immense figure, crowned with the high headdress of an emperor, its face concealed by overlapping beaded veils.

Without speaking further, the Celestial Master approached the stone tablet in front of the wooden tower and pressed His hand against it.

In the next second, the iron chains within the ancient well began to retract, producing metallic clanging sounds.

This caused the crimson well water to ripple and lose its mirror-like quality.

Standing on the gray-white plaza, Lumian immediately sensed that the barrier separating the blood-colored sea from this mirror world had loosened, leaving exploitable ”cracks.”