Chapter 404

Those who treat others as fools are fools themselves; how could a lich who has lived for centuries be a naive, stupid sweetheart?

When both sides are evenly matched in intelligence, victory often depends on the information they hold; if Locke had previously witnessed the opening of the Divine Realm, Nagelis's self-satisfied trick would have been easily exposed.

Nagelis, embarrassed by being tricked, growled in anger: "Aren't you afraid we'll kill you?"

Locke made a gesture as if cradling something invisible, then said: "Not afraid. Look at my Shield Barrier—if I block the door, none of you can get out."

As she spoke, a semi-transparent shield emerged around her, tightly protecting her.

Du Luo Ken couldn't help exclaiming: "Huh? The Shield Seal is with you?"

"You know the Shield Barrier?" Locke asked in surprise.

The God of War and Peace has been gone for over a thousand years; few still remember it. How could two undead from Desert Town recognize it at a glance?

An Ge suddenly reached out, grabbed her semi-transparent shield, tore it off, then opened his palm upward and held it out—a divine seal of dual-handed protection appeared in his palm.

Nagelis and Du Luo Ken were stunned; Locke was stunned too. Instinctively, she crossed her arms over her chest, as if suddenly naked—An Ge had just stolen her Shield Barrier?

Staring blankly at An Ge, then at Nagelis, Locke crouched down, clutching her head and shouted: "Don't kill me! We made a vow—you can't kill me! Fine, I'll let you beat me up instead!"

The Shield Barrier was her trump card; as its name implies, its defense was planar-level—no one had ever been heard to break a Barrier.

Of course, mainly because she had little experience; An Ge, in his transformed state, could shatter the Heavenly Realm's Barrier with bare hands.

Locke once stood still while several Sword Saints slashed at her—none could pierce her Barrier. Her earlier claim about the Necropolis Council sending people was mostly bluff; she didn't even know which way the Necropolis Council's door opened.

It was precisely because she carried this turtle-shell that others dared not bother her, and no one recognized it as the Mark of the Peace God.

But these two undead, without even opening a book, recognized the Shield Barrier at a glance—and snatched it away instantly. What kind of situation is this?

Though she didn't understand, she knew her trump card was gone—she had to surrender quickly.

Seeing her so quick to give in, Nagelis laughed bitterly. Is this some child's game?

Now he couldn't reasonably torment a little creature cowering with her head in her hands. But then—how would he vent his frustration from failing to outwit someone?

An Ge slapped the Shield Seal onto his chest; the seal sank into his body and imprinted itself onto his Divine Core. Instantly, the Mark of War and Peace appeared across his body—identical to the bas-relief on the door.

This—was the complete Mark of War and Peace.

But Locke, crouching with her head in her hands, didn't see this. When she looked up again, the seal had vanished.

An Ge walked toward the corner. As he approached, faint ripples emanated from his Divine Core—so subtle that unless one was within a few meters, they might not sense them at all.

But the Divine Realm sensed them. When An Ge drew within five or six meters, an opening appeared in the ordinary corner—and widened as he neared.

By the time he stepped into the revealed area, the opening had expanded into an entire wall of rock, fully exposing what lay within.

Empty. Nothing at all. A flat, white floor stretched endlessly into the unseen horizon—but there was nothing inside.

An Ge scanned it once—no dust could be seen. The few specks near the opening had only drifted in when the gap opened.

Nagelis flew over and slapped the book pages against Locke's head: "Get up. We won't kill you. Tell us about the Divine Realm. Also, your name matches someone we know—henceforth, you'll be called Locke Si."

Locke Si immediately jumped up, shouting: "No! 'Boned Locke' is the name etched into my soul—I'd rather die than change it!"

"Alright, Locke Si, when you first saw the Divine Realm, was there anything inside?" Nagelis asked.

"Call me Bone-d Locke!" Locke Si shouted back.

"Alright, Locke Si, you saw the Divine Realm back then—surely you didn't open it yourself. That means when you found it, the Divine Realm hadn't fully closed yet, correct?" Nagelis continued.

"C-A-L-L M-E B-O-N-E-D L-O-C-K!!" Locke Si enunciated each syllable.

Nagelis flapped his book pages and flew away, saying to Du Luo Ken: "Can't get anything out of her. Kill her, then bury her under a tombstone: 'Here lies Locke Si.'"

"Fine, I'm Locke Si," she surrendered—she couldn't tell which threat was worse: death or a tombstone.

"When I first found this place, the Divine Realm still had a gap this big. I went in and moved out everything inside. Sixty years later, the gap vanished." Locke Si said.

"What did you move out?" Nagelis asked.

Locke Si drew her sword with a sharp click: "This."

"Uh… why is it only half?" The sword in her hand was broken—its blade less than thirty centimeters long.

Locke Si said: "I don't know. I found it already broken." As she spoke, she tilted the scabbard outward, pouring out the other half of the blade.

The two pieces could be fitted together into a complete sword.

"You still use a broken sword?" Nagelis asked, puzzled.

"Even broken, it's stronger than any weapon I've ever found. A normal longsword shatters at a single swipe from it," Locke Si said proudly.

"Then why didn't you get it repaired?"

"I tried. All the craftsmen said only a Master Alchemist could fix it. Where would I get the money to hire a Master Alchemist?" Locke Si sighed.

Du Luo Ken suddenly interjected: "Let me see."

"Just look—don't break it." Locke Si handed the broken blade to Du Luo Ken. As they chatted, they entered the Divine Realm.

Locke Si continued: "During those sixty years, I nearly turned over every inch of the Divine Realm's floor—but found nothing. After the gap vanished, I couldn't get back in. When you kept emphasizing 'everything,' I realized you'd found the Divine Realm."

Nagelis silently cursed himself. Some things simply aren't for just anyone to do. Anthony manipulated people as easily as drinking water—why did he always fail when it came to him?

Forget it. I'm the God of Knowledge, not the God of Deception. Nagelis consoled himself.

Not only could Locke Si find nothing, neither could An Ge. After circling the entire space, An Ge returned empty-handed to the gap.

"Nothing at all?" Nagelis asked, disappointed. He'd expected to find something valuable in a Divine Realm—if it were like the Redemption Goddess's Divine Realm, they'd be rich.

An Ge shook his head, then nodded. Even Nagelis couldn't tell what that meant.

An Ge ordered everyone out, then stood at the gap, plunged one hand into the floor, and pulled outward with force.

The white ground of the Divine Realm rapidly retracted toward his hand, finally collapsing into a single ball.

An Ge opened his palm—floating above it was a faint image: the complete map of the Divine Realm.

He clenched his fist—the image vanished.

"You've taken the Divine Realm?" Nagelis gasped.