Chapter 2681: Chapter 2682: Luring the Enemy
"Why are they exploring the void?"
Dox âcorpse runsâ back, only to find that Angel and Kaier have gone to roam the void. The âangerâ act he had prepared earlier is temporarily useless; he can only suppress his emotions and ask the others about Angelâs reasons for doing so.
Vay shook his head: "I donât know, the Lord only said it was an attempt..."
Vay didnât hide anything and roughly explained the prior situation.
After hearing this, Doxâs doubts were not resolved but rather deepened.
The act of exploring the void itself is very strange. Because the Hanging Jail Stairway, also located in Other-dimensional Space, is separated from the real void and is filled with artificial traces, it generally doesnât hold much exploration value.
Moreover, if one truly wanted to explore the void, why choose here? This area is rife with Space Rifts, clearly indicating a spatially unstable region. Knowing the risks, why intentionally put oneself in danger?
"The only reasonable explanation is that he perhaps discovered a clue that compelled him to take this path." Dox shared his speculation.
After speaking, his gaze deliberately or inadvertently shifted towards the Wise Sovereign. His words were intended for the Wise Sovereign, as he was the only one who would know about the situation in the void.
Initially, Doxâs glance was subtle, merely a "suggestion"; later, seeing that the Wise Sovereign was completely ignoring him, he became bolder, the "suggestion" turning into "clarification", nearly questioning him right to his face.
Annoyed by Doxâs increasingly "obvious" gaze, the Wise Sovereign finally spoke: "Other than the perpetually fleeting Space Rifts, I donât know if thereâs anything worth attention there."
"So thereâs nothing there? Only danger?" Dox cupped his chin, murmuring: "Thatâs peculiar."
Itâs not just Dox feeling puzzled; everyone present was equally confused. Even the Sage found it odd that Angel suddenly decided to explore this void area, clearly a high-risk zone with Space Rifts where itâs unlikely anything valuable exists.
Amidst the myriad questions among the crowd, Kaier, seated not far away, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Why did you wake up first? What about Gold?" Dox approached immediately upon seeing Kaier awakened to ask.
Kaier took several seconds to gather his thoughts, yet instead of looking at Dox, he glanced toward Angel on the other side.
Seeing Angel still not awake, Kaierâs expression was complex, filled with concern, lingering fear, and urgency.
"What are you thinking?" Dox again opened his mouth, prompting Kaier to finally turn to look at him. Dox promptly asked, "What about Gold?"
Kaier shook his head: "We fell into a perilous area rife with emerging Space Rifts. The Lord shielded me and withdrew, but didnât depart with me, opting to re-enter the danger zone solo."
"So persistent? Could there be something in that danger zone attracting him?" At this moment, the previously silent Black Earl also raised his voice to inquire.
Kaier still shook his head cluelessly: "I donât know; the Lord didnât tell me anything, only instructed me to lead him around the Space Rifts as far as possible."
Black Earl: "He wouldnât venture deep into a danger zone without reason; surely, some external force is driving his advance."
But what this "external force" could be, Black Earl currently doesnât know. For most others, external forces can largely be deemed âinterestsâ, but when applied to Angel, mere interests may not suffice to captivate him.
Yet if indeed something in the danger zone is drawing him, was the Wise Sovereign lying earlier?
As Black Earl silently speculated, Kaier suddenly shouted: "Heâs back, the Lord is back."
Black Earl turned to see that Angel had indeed opened his eyes, though his complexion appeared pale, his gaze evidently fatigued.
Black Earl: "Your spiritual power... was damaged?"
Angel nodded: "Unlucky encounter with some peril, no choice but to forgo a segment of Spirit Tentacle."
No sooner had Angel spoken than Kaier and Vay looked at him with worried eyes.
Kaierâs concern likely stemmed from guilt; as for Vayâs, Angel couldnât quite decipher it, but thereâs no doubt both expressions were sincere.
Thinking of this, Angel added: "Donât worry, Iâll be fine soon."
When Angel mentioned "soon," it truly meant soon; within two minutes, his complexion gradually regained color.
Recovery of complexion indicated that Angel was now unharmed, no longer suffering from dizziness due to spiritual power loss.
However, the lost spiritual power couldnât be retrieved; in effect, even though he felt overall restored, his skills technically declined.
Yet, this minimal spiritual power loss to Angel is negligible, the drop in capability barely noticeable, and even with just two or three hours of daily meditation, he might completely recover within a week.
So when Angel said "donât worry about him," it was truly unnecessary to worry.
"Why did you explore the void?" Once Angel was recovered, Dox immediately closed in, curious.
"Just attempting something." Angelâs response remained as dismissive as before.
Unrelenting, Dox persisted: "What are you attempting?"
Angel didnât respond immediately; instead, he signaled Kaier â they could leave. He then turned around, heading back and explaining to Dox: "Attempting to explore the void here."
"Why explore the void, and why not do so elsewhere?" Dox promptly followed.
Facing Doxâs inquiry, Angel remained calm, seemingly well-prepared: "The areas rife with Space Rifts have lower magical energy restraints, revealing more information. Thus, I chose a danger zone, hoping to uncover some clues."
Angelâs intention was already clear; he aimed to analyze the underlying rules of the Hanging Jail Stairwayâs Magical Energy Array.
This explanation seemed reasonable enough; most accepted it, witnessing Angelâs formidable mastery of the Magical Energy Array throughout their journey, making his intent to scrutinize the bottom-level rules reasonable.
Furthermore, deemed this way, Angelâs actions seemed justifiable.
Nonetheless, while they accepted this answer, the Wise Sovereign couldnât. Itâs not that he doubted Angelâs Magical Energy Array skills, but he couldnât fathom why Angel wanted to dissect the Hanging Jail Stairwayâs array?
He didnât believe the notion of turning passive into active. Even with the Hanging Jail Stairway arrayâs complete diagram, Angel couldnât turn the tables, given how the array here connects with the outside; unless Angel controlled the entire Underground Aqueduct array, heâd have no grounds to reverse roles.
Also, Angelâs goal is to find the Wood Spirit. However, the Wood Spirit has no direct connection with the Magical Energy Array, so even if Angel controls the Magical Energy Array of the Hanging Jail Stairway, it doesnât mean he can find the hidden Wood Spirit.
Similarly, even the Wise Sovereign can barely control the Magical Energy Array of the Hanging Jail Stairway, yet every time he enters, he has to start looking for the Wood Spirit from scratch.
Therefore, hearing this, the Wise Sovereign does not believe Angel is telling the truth.
But if heâs not telling the truth, then why is he going to the danger zone?
As Dox summarized: thereâs only danger at the end, no opportunity.
In this situation, unless Angel seeks death, he has no reason to go to the danger zone.
The Wise Sovereign is eager to ask about the doubt in his heart, but he wonders if perhaps heâs overreacting. Maybe Angelâs true purpose is to deceive him and disrupt his mind?
Thinking this, the Wise Sovereign still holds back his thoughts, maintaining observation as his primary focus.
In the Wise Sovereignâs view, the answer derived from observing oneâs behavior patterns and thinking mode is often more trustworthy than answers obtained from others.
The Wise Sovereignâs silence takes Angel by surprise. He was ready to reveal everything, as itâs not a big secret anyway.
At most, heâd be mocked for being deceived. Additionally, if he spoke out, Angel could openly ask the Wise Sovereign what resonates with the staff.
After all, this time, he still hadnât explored the end. Without Kaierâs spatial perception, Angel could only rely on luck to move in the danger zone. Luck wonât always favor Angel, and ultimately, he was crushed by a new Space Rift at the end.
But whatâs more unexpected for Angel is that the Wise Sovereign actually restrained himself from asking, and the others believed his falsehood. This made Angel ponder: has his lying ability improved? A casually thrown lie can deceive everyone?
Since no one questioned his words, Angel lost the will to explain.
He doesnât mind being mocked, but he still wants to save face if he can.
Back at the fork. Previously, they chose the left side; this time, they can only choose the right side.
"If the Wood Spirit is really on the right, your staff pointing in that direction was quite accurate." Dox stands in the middle of the fork. Not long ago, Angel stood right here and tossed out the staff. Although the staff pointed to the right, Angel chose the left.
"Why did you choose the left side earlier? The staff clearly pointed to the right."
Angel turned back to glance at the path, confirmed the staff didnât heat up or resonate again, and said, "Because I donât quite believe in fate."
"???" Dox looks puzzled.
"Thatâs why I chose to go left first." Angel shrugged.
Dox was stunned for a long time before realizing Angel meant that the direction the staff fell was a âguidanceâ from fate, but he chose not to believe in fate, so he went the opposite way.
Dox understood, but couldnât comprehend. Thereâs no logic in it, and it sounds like a rebellious child challenging their parent.
"Are you brushing me off?" Although itâs a question, Doxâs tone is very sure.
"Guess?" Angel neither admitted nor denied, bypassing Dox and heading directly into the depths.
Angelâs âdisobedienceâ successfully reminded Dox of the anger previously dominated by Angel, transforming Dox into a roaring Sandworm, nagging in Angelâs ear, accusing and criticizing him.
But Dox only nagged for a minute before realizing he couldnât speak.
To be precise, it wasnât that he couldnât speak, but his voice seemed to pass through a thin membrane, unable to reach Angelâs ears.
However, Vay, the Black Earl, and the Wise Sovereign could hear him loud and clear.
And Doxâs voice no longer varied in pitch or tone with distance, but directly exploded into their ears, as if Dox were speaking right beside them.
...not as if, itâs true, Dox is speaking beside them.
Even in the live Illusion, although Dox was far away, in reality, he was right by their side.
Which meansâ
"He stripped your sound illusion node, now youâre speaking directly in reality, not in the Illusionary Realm." The Black Earl paused and warned Dox in the Mind Ribbon: "Youâd better shut up; I donât want to hear you yelling in my ear. Or do you want to try being Silenced in reality?"
Facing the Black Earlâs threat, although Dox felt indignant, he could only endure it.
Since he couldnât speak, Dox started bombing with the Mind Ribbon. However, whether it was the Black Earl or Angel, both blocked the Mind Ribbon at this time, and even the Wise Sovereign, who eavesdropped on their conversation, found the Mind Ribbon noisy and voluntarily exited.
Now, the only ones Dox can grumble to are Vay and Kaier.
Still, Dox may be noisy, but he knows his boundaries. He can be indiscriminate with Angel and others, but when talking to apprentices, he needs to be restrained.
After all, the Wise Sovereign is still nearby, and he doesnât want Vay and Kaier to expose more information because of him.
Still, Dox feels unwilling, canât talk, so he simply runs to Angelâs side, staring at him like a staring fox.
Initially, Angel felt a bit awkward, but later completely ignored it. After all, itâs just an Illusion that canât physically touch him, like a live accessory.
With this mindset, Angel directly ignored Dox and pondered other matters on his own.
The staffâs initial resonance position was to the left, now confirmed to be a danger zone where Space Rift constantly forms and dissipates.
If this was the Wood Spiritâs scheme, does it mean the Wood Spirit initially intended to lure him into the trap, hopefully perishing there in the Space Rift?
If true, why did the Wood Spirit later change its mind, moving the resonance position to the right?
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