Chapter 233: The Decision Three Hundred Years Ago, Tiandu

At that time, after luring away the three ancient dragons who had fallen into mutual suspicion and gone searching for the Stone of Power.

They finally had a period of rest and recuperation.

But the peace did not last long — only three short years.

A being shrouded entirely in radiance appeared before them.

It was a scene she knew intimately, for the black-robed being who had once granted her power had appeared in exactly the same way.

But unlike that black-robed being, who had radiated not the slightest fluctuation of aura, this one emanated a terrifying presence as deep as an abyss, as heavy as a prison.

It seemed to be a great existence whose level of life was countless times higher than theirs.

Just as she was wondering whether this was the true body of that black-robed being, the mysterious existence, without a word, directly cast a mind-controlling Technique upon them.

In an instant, nearly all of their elite remnant humans on the island were controlled by this being who had appeared so abruptly.

It was only because she had been extraordinarily fortunate — having once received a gift from that black-robed being — that even though her power was now lost, her strengthened Spirit still barely managed to resist this mind-controlling Technique casually cast by that great existence.

But at the time, because the situation was critical, she did not reveal herself directly. Instead, relying on the memories granted by the black-robed being, she pretended to be controlled just like the rest.

Because she wanted to see what was really going on.

And after a period of cautious probing, she finally understood the truth: these beings who had appeared so abruptly were not the living creatures of their world!

Yes — beyond this world, there existed another vast and boundless realm!

And the being who had controlled them back then had come from the other end of the World Passage in Tiandu Feixu — a Spirit from that strange, foreign world!

Not only that, in this moment of sudden clarity she even guessed that the black-robed being from before was also a Spirit from that world!

And the purpose of their entry into this world was to turn this ownerless primordial world they had happened to discover into their pasture, to take from it as they pleased!

In an instant, upon learning the whole truth, she felt as though she had been dealt a crushing blow.

Only now did she understand what a foolish thing they had done — colluding with Spirits from another world, betraying the world that had given them life and raised them, and attacking the native young Spirit of this world!

Yes, a young Spirit.

According to what They said, every world has its own guardian — and that guardian is a Spirit!

Yet they, in their ignorance, had attacked the world's still-young Spirit — the Ancient Dragon of Flame.

And had left it gravely wounded, fallen into slumber.

This was what led to the later opening of the passage, with no guardian left to defend.

Allowing those Spirits to walk in and out as if through an empty realm.

At this moment, even she, no matter how dull, understood.

What fate awaited this world, and what their past actions truly represented.

Though she had once been the Empress of a dynasty and had never cared much for court affairs, under her husband's constant influence she still understood what one powerful dynasty would do upon encountering another strange, weaker dynasty.

If even dynasties behaved so, how much more so between worlds.

The strong devour the weak — once the weak are exposed to the eyes of the strong, they will be devoured whole.

There is never a second choice.

Therefore, to avoid being discovered and destroyed by other powerful beings, one must either grow strong oneself, or hide so thoroughly that one is never found.

Yet back then, for the sake of humanity's brief stability, they had actually taken steps to prevent the world as a whole from growing stronger.

For a moment, she — who in days past had only known the petty scheming of noble houses within her small dynasty — was struck by the sheer flood of information into doubting her very life.

Now, only two paths lay before her: either betray this world completely, win the favor of the foreign Spirits, and thereby escape destruction —

Or choose to aid the Ancient Dragon, already gravely wounded and missing, and drive these foreign beings out of this world.

Two utterly different choices, of difficulty on entirely different levels.

The former meant abandoning this world, with no need to fight those incomparably powerful Spirits; the latter meant siding with the native Spirit — gravely wounded, missing, and not yet grown — while facing a host of incomparably powerful foreign Spirits.

Any sensible person would know which to choose, especially since they had only recently thoroughly offended that Flame Ancient Dragon, and now enjoyed the favor of the Lord of Radiance.

So, what would she choose?

Back then, she laughed, and decisively chose the Spirit of her own world.

Having already committed one mistake, how could she commit a second?

Especially one made in full knowledge of what she was doing?

Perhaps this choice would plunge them into an abyss from which there was no return — after all, they were about to face a host of Spirits!

Worse still, they would end up despised by both sides, for that great Ancient Dragon must hate them beyond measure at this moment.

But a person must have some faith.

How could she, for the sake of a momentary survival, keep erring again and again, and drag the people of this world — present and future — into an abyss from which there was no return?

Her husband had already, due to unequal information, committed one foolish mistake that nearly caused an irreparable disaster.

Then let her be the one to atone for it.

In matters of great right and wrong, even as a mere woman, she could tell them apart.

When the deed was done, she who had committed such an unforgivable act would take her own life.

……

Meanwhile, Baichuan, who had now left the Black Tide, after half a month of wandering, finally caught sight of Tiandu.

Yet what met his eyes was a scene utterly unfamiliar.

Even from such a great distance, he could see the enormous, red, transparent-barrier-like thing that shrouded the horizon.

This colossal object was like a giant transparent bowl covering this corner of the planet. Across the top of the "bowl," dense mysterious runes flowed and flickered without cease.

These runes were of a strange, mysterious kind he had never seen before, and from them emanated wisps of a destruction-like aura.

Even from such a great distance he could sense it — once triggered, it would surely unleash a world-shaking force.

And because of the "bowl's" confinement, this force would almost entirely be released within the world inside the "bowl" without the slightest leakage, dealing a devastating blow to all life within, while affecting the environment outside the "bowl" not in the slightest.

This was unmistakably a Cage that sealed heaven and locked the earth.

"What is going on?"

At this moment, Baichuan stared at such a strange scene and could not help muttering to himself.

This doubt was not only directed at this strange "big bowl," but even more so at his Juanzhu, the Primordial Dragon, and the other ancient dragons.

During the Time he had been asleep, had that group of powerful beings from another world already descended?

And his Juanzhu were actually at a disadvantage?

And who was it that set up this "big bowl"?

His Juanzhu? Or that group of beings from another world?

Baichuan was not sure, because he could not only sense a familiar aura from above — it was his own power.

He also sensed that atop a power similar to his own, there existed a great number of incomparably mysterious and unfamiliar runes.

Such exquisite and mysterious runes could absolutely never have been born in this supernatural yet utterly primitive world!

So, was this his Juanzhu gaining the upper hand? A product born from learning the knowledge of another world?

But it didn't seem like it either. Baichuan, who knew his Juanzhu the Primordial Dragon well, knew deeply that unless something special happened, the Primordial Dragon would absolutely never leave this place.

Therefore, if they were gaining the upper hand, such a "Cage" would absolutely never appear!

After pondering for a long while, Baichuan, unable to figure out the situation, shook his head and decisively gave up thinking about it.

No matter how much he considered it, it would be better to just go and take a look directly.

With this thought, he swung his dragon body and rapidly approached that Cage.

In an instant, accompanied by a strange sensation like passing through a thin Membrane, Baichuan directly entered this Cage.

Of course, the reason he dared to enter was also because after he approached, he had detected that the transparent barrier of this Cage was something he could control.

But just at this moment, he suddenly widened his dragon eyes in shock and gazed toward a certain place.

"Th-this, what is this?!"

……

I posted an explanation, but it seems to have ended up in the work-related section……

(End of this chapter)