Chapter 344: Gem Awakening

The primordial darkness faded, and Naimi Xisi and Ya Se Lie Ke returned to the library where time had stalled.

The condition to manifest the third gem came to mind, so Naimi Xisi walked to the old-looking computer and stroked the mechanical keyboard that was still typing automatically.

"Where is this place?" Naimi Xisi asked.

"A fissure in history, the resting place of all souls." Ya Se Lie Ke's voice echoed through the vast library: "Accept that Holy Relic, and you will see the true face of this place."

Naimi Xisi retrieved Vikna's Law Eye Demon Hand, summoned a sharp force‑field blade, and at some point had already restored his power here.

He cut off his left hand without hesitation; golden dragon blood spurted from the stump, and the adaptive ability of the Power Gem caused the flesh to regenerate so quickly that a new arm would grow in a few dozen seconds.

He attached the severed palm to his stump, black threads extending from the bronze‑colored palm and linking to the stump until they formed a new hand.

This is the only way to fuse the Holy Relic: using one's own flesh to adapt to Vikna's divinity, thereby gaining the power to wield the Relic.

Perhaps Vikna's divinity is tainted with evil; Naimi Xisi could feel a chilling whisper constantly emanating from the Holy Relic, guiding him onto a tranquil dark path.

However, the Mind Gem perfectly removed this mind‑affecting side effect.

Ya Se Lie Ke gave Naimi Xisi a meaningful glance; one reason he bestowed the Holy Relic upon the Juan Ce Long was his appreciation of the latter's potential—he hoped to influence Naimi Xisi through the power of the Law Eye Demon Hand and eventually set him on the Dragon Lich Path.

Unfortunately, it now seemed the other party possessed some protective power, rendering them immune to the Relic's side effects.

"Omega?" Ya Se Lie Ke whispered to himself, having mistaken the Mind Gem's ability for the patronage of the Lord of Knowledge. This beautiful misunderstanding caused Ya Se Lie Ke to raise Naimi Xisi's importance by several tiers and abandon some lingering thoughts.

Naimi Xisi integrated the Holy Relic into his body, even bypassing the Magic Net's synchronization period, and instantly mastered the immensely powerful Magic Item. He closed his eyes and activated the Relic's second ability—Demon Eye Heaven‑Piercing.

To command all Undead also requires a vision that sees through death. The world before Naimi Xisi instantly changed; he saw endless books on the library's shelves burning with green soul‑flames, emitting mournful wails.

"This is…" Naimi Xisi's pupils contracted, barely able to believe.

"This Crystal Barrier System is very special," Ya Se Lie Ke explained: "Here, the channels between souls and the outside are sealed; mortal souls cannot follow the ever‑present Nether River to Hell, the Abyss, or the Underworld. They are forced to remain among the living, constantly crowding the limited space."

"The library is the embodiment of this Crystal Barrier System's will within the Magic Net, the birthplace of all souls. Yet, as you see, without the Multiverse's Nether River Path, birth and death are indistinguishable here; the dead's souls return to the core of the Crystal Barrier System, crowding the space where new souls should arise."

Naimi Xisi found it unbelievable; this outright violated the universal rules of the Magic Net's Multiverse.

Soul are precious gems nurtured by the primary material plane, arising from nothing, their origins unknown. Countless Crystal Barrier Systems are like farms, raising endless mortals; when those mortals die, their souls flow along the Nether River to lower planes (such as Hell, the Abyss, the Underworld, and so on).

These souls are further sorted in the lower planes: devout believers are taken by the gods to the divine palace; neutrals are sent to the Mechanical Realm or elemental planes, becoming essences that nurture intelligent life; the wicked remain in the lower planes, transforming into demons or Undead.

It should have been so.

More than twenty Multiverses act like parasites, siphoning souls from the primary material plane, turning them into nourishment for themselves, allowing the universes to thrive.

But the world before him was different.

The ever‑present Nether River, greater than the gods, somehow does not bless this Crystal Barrier System? Is it forgotten, or

does this seemingly unremarkable Crystal Barrier System possess a peculiarity that even the Nether River cannot affect?

"Stagnant Reincarnation," Naimi Xisi mused, as if he had grasped something.

If the souls of this world cannot depart, what becomes of them?

【9】 Naimi Xisi voiced his doubt; Ya Se Lie Ke looked at him appreciatively, recognizing he had hit the key point: "As I said, the dead's souls occupy the places of the newly born."

Naimi Xisi voiced his doubt, and Ya Se Lie Ke looked at him admiringly, knowing he had grasped the key: "Just as I said, the dead's soul occupies the newborn's position."

"As the dead increase, they will fill the entire library."

"Newborns can no longer appear, yet the world's new life possesses only bodies, lacking the soul that serves as an engine. The will of the Crystal Barrier System therefore must toss these wandering lonely souls back into the world to act as the engine for new life."

"This planet hasn't produced a newly born soul for almost 200 years," Ya Se Lie Ke said oddly. "In other words, everyone in the current world has already died at least once."

"With each reincarnation their souls lose memory and wear down. Eventually the unusable souls are stored in this library, further burdening the already limited space."

Naimi Xisi frowned: "If so, won't the world's souls become defective after a few thousand or ten thousand years? And since they remain here occupying the spots of new souls, won't the world cease to produce new life?"

Ya Se Lie Ke nodded in agreement: "This is the disaster facing this Crystal Barrier System; without the Nether River's aid, the whole world will fall into decay."

"Buzz—"

The library's truth unfolded before Naimi Xisi; he felt a wave of excruciating pain again, along with the unstoppable buzzing.

A seven‑horned crown materialized above his head, and the orange radiance of the third gem illuminated the entire library like a great sun.

Surprisingly, Ya Se Lie Ke seemed to see nothing of the scene, merely staring oddly at the anguished Naimi Xisi lying on the floor.

"What's happening to you?" Ya Se Lie Ke's gaze darkened; as a Legendary Mage, he suddenly felt an intense pressure emanating from Naimi Xisi, making him want to kneel.

"But how could this be?! He had only felt such a sensation on his own body."

Ya Se Lie Ke promptly halted his heretical thought, looking at Naimi Xisi with complexity. The Juan Ce Long's secret was more bizarre than he imagined; a mortal who had not yet walked the path of a Legend could emit a pressure that compelled him to submit.

"Buzz—"

The booming sound grew ever louder, orange light shone from Naimi Xisi's eyes, and Naimi Xisi felt his soul within rapidly metamorphosing, his five senses degrading at breakneck speed, while his spiritual mind instead became ever more massive.

The third Infinite Gem awakened.

(End of Chapter)