Chapter 511: Inter Planetary Teleportation Runes

“Trial Challenger, we are here…” the parrot spirit announced, its voice eerily calm, floating in the suffocating darkness.

As the words fell, the space around Max abruptly began to twist and distort. A strange pressure surged through him, followed by a wave of vertigo that made his vision blur for a moment. The sensation was like being pulled through a whirlpool of space itself.

Then, in the very next instant, he was no longer in the dark. Max found himself standing on a vast, elevated platform that stretched endlessly in every direction.

It was circular in shape and easily ten miles in diameter, suspended in an unknown realm, neither sky nor stars above, only swirling mists and faint golden strands of energy drifting through the void.

The surface beneath his feet was smooth, cold, and etched with countless ancient runes. They glowed faintly with a pale silver hue, pulsing rhythmically like a living thing.

Max knelt down and brushed his fingers against one of the marks, eyes narrowing as he examined the complex patterns. ‘Runes…’

But the more he looked, the more confused he became. These weren’t ordinary formation runes.

He had spent years studying runes, absorbing knowledge from both traditional texts and modern runes—he prided himself on his understanding—but the symbols carved into this platform were like nothing he had ever seen.

Some resembled pieces of known formations, while others were so alien in structure that he couldn’t even tell where they began or ended.

Max’s brow furrowed. ‘Is this… a rune formation created by the Black Dragon Palace?’ he wondered, a flicker of awe and confusion mixing in his chest.

If so, then it must have been crafted during their most ancient age, possibly by beings who had long surpassed what the Lower Domain now understood.

The sheer complexity and age of it made even him feel like an amateur staring at divine scripture.

“What are these runes?” Max muttered, turning toward the parrot spirit with a puzzled expression, his gaze sweeping across the massive circular platform beneath his feet.

“It’s a teleportation rune formation,” the parrot spirit replied calmly, its voice as casual as if it were talking about the weather.

“What?!” Max’s eyes widened in shock, his calm demeanor shaken for a moment. A teleportation rune formation? That enormous array, spread across a platform ten miles wide—was meant only for teleportation?

He had seen teleportation formations before, even used them multiple times, but none came remotely close to the scale of this one. The largest he’d ever glimpsed was the formation used to travel between the Valora Continent and the Lost Continent, and even that had been no more than a few hundred meters in size. But this… this was in another league entirely.

‘It’s like it was built to transport an entire army,’ Max thought, his eyes tracing the glowing silver runes. The thought sent a chill down his spine.

Something this large could effortlessly send thousands—maybe tens of thousands—across worlds.

“It’s big for a reason,” the parrot spirit said with a knowing smile. “This transmission circle leads directly to a place far, far away… a different planet altogether.”

Max nodded slowly, realization dawning in his eyes. Of course—interplanetary teleportation. The distance between planets would demand such a vast and intricate formation.

Anything less would collapse under the strain of spatial instability. This wasn’t a simple portal—it was a grand gateway, one that defied the natural limitations of the world.

“How long will it take me to complete the Trial of True Inheritance?” he asked suddenly, his voice steady but edged with urgency. The image of the Citadel’s looming descent flashed through his mind.

He needed to be there when it happened—he had to be. No matter how powerful the inheritance was, it meant nothing if he missed the battle that would decide the fate of so many. “I need to know if I’ll be able to return at any time if the situation demands it.”

“Trial Challenger, I cannot guarantee when you will complete the Trial of True Inheritance,” the parrot spirit replied. “The Trial of True Inheritance is considered one of the core legacies of the Black Dragon Palace. It is divided into several stages, each more demanding than the last. You may only proceed to the next stage after successfully completing the current one.”

He added. “Once you complete the first stage, you will have the option to return temporarily. But as for how long it will take you to finish even that… I cannot say. It varies for every challenger, and depends entirely on your comprehension, your potential, and your willpower.” The spirit’s words hung in the air like ancient law, impersonal and absolute.

Max narrowed his eyes slightly, mind racing through the implications. If he could leave after the first stage, it gave him some leeway, but there was no telling how long that stage might take. He needed to be sure. He couldn’t afford to be stuck here when the Citadel descended.

“What’s the fastest time that a genius of the Black Lotus Guild completed the trial?” he asked quickly, then added, “And why have you started calling me ‘Trial Challenger’? You were far more informal before—what caused the sudden change in tone?”

“The fastest was… seventy-seven days,” the parrot spirit stated, its voice steady but carrying a weight that hadn’t been there before.

Then, as if sensing Max’s growing curiosity, it continued with a calm explanation. “Previously, you were nothing more than a member of the Black Lotus Guild—yes, one who reached the seventh floor of the tower, possessed a bloodline beyond the Source Bloodline, and carried potential—but still, in the eyes of the tower’s laws, you were beneath me in status.”

He added. “But the moment you passed the trial qualifying you for the True Inheritance, your position changed. From that point on, your status within the system of the Black Dragon Palace inheritance surpassed mine, and so I can no longer address you with familiarity or casualness. I am bound to show respect.”

Though the parrot spirit’s nature was rooted in neutrality, even indifference, there was no denying the subtle shift in tone. That number—seventy-seven days—was no simple record. It was a legendary feat.

“Seventy-seven days… I understand,” Max said quietly, his gaze sharpening with resolve. If someone had once completed the entire True Inheritance trial in such a short span, then it was possible. Maybe he wouldn’t match that number exactly, but three months? That was within his reach.

‘And this status thing…’ Max mused silently, his eyes scanning the massive teleportation platform once more. ‘It seems the True Inheritance is more than just a reward. It’s a gateway into a realm of experts that few ever touch.’

“Alright, let’s go then,” Max said with quiet determination, turning to face the massive teleportation platform, his heart calm yet filled with anticipation.

“As you wish,” the parrot spirit responded, its voice echoing faintly in the still air.

The moment those words left its beak, the skies above the ancient platform began to shimmer with soft, glowing light. From the swirling void overhead, hundreds of fist-sized crimson crystals began to descend slowly, like stars falling in silence.

They sparkled with a brilliance that made the air itself pulse with energy, and one by one, they gently slid into the deep grooves carved into the ancient altar at the center of the teleportation formation. Each crystal clicked into place with a hum of resonance, activating layers of runes that flared to life like a slumbering beast awakening from centuries of rest.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!