Chapter 183: Taking The First Relic...
A loud boom resounded, and the surroundings caved in rapidly, turning into sand…
With the sound of the loud boom, a voice, cold and devoid of emotion, resonated from thin air, encompassing the entire platform.
"Welcome, inheritor, to the Crucible of Relics. Prove your worth. Within this arena lie Nine Core Relics, each imbued with a fragment of the true inheritance."
Instantly, the terrain began changing slightly. The solid ground started to dissolve into sand, turning the entire platform into a vast desert in an instant. The skies also twisted to a burning red, and in the blink of an eye, the whole world had been altered.
Although the exact locations of the relics weren't fully described, everyone could feel a peculiar pull in different directions within their hearts. It was as though they could sense the whereabouts of the relics.
Kranos glanced at Kathryn and Kevin, who stood nearby.
They also felt the same strange sensation.
Kathryn turned to Luka and said the same words as in the previous timeline with a smile, "Why don't you come with us?"
Luka was momentarily stunned by the invitation but quickly nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." At Luka's agreement, Kathryn looked pleased.
Aurora was already standing beside them, so they took it as her agreement to take the treasures with her.
"How do we go about this? There are only nine relics. Should we join hands and search for them one after the other? Or should we individually go to find our own treasures?" Kranos asked curiously, his attention turning to a few God Realm cultivators not too far away.
These were the same words he had said in his past life; however, only he and Aurora knew of the previous timeline, so it seemed natural that he would ask such a question.
Kathryn didn't even think for long and immediately decided. "We will, of course, go together. Do you think it will be that easy to get the relics? Besides… one of the relics is a soul treasure." She glanced at Kranos with a knowing look when she reached this point.
However, Kranos just sneered internally. Of course, he knew that one of the relics was a soul treasure.
His thoughts spun rapidly within his heart.
'It seems it was when Kathryn collected the treasure to break the seal that she tampered with it, causing her to make me her puppet.'
Kranos thought with a frown. He wanted the soul treasure.
Kranos was preparing for the worst.
He had a feeling of imminent death. Kranos didn't know if he would encounter someone more dangerous than Kathryn who would push him to the brink of despair and desperation.
He never wanted to experience that feeling again, so he had to be prepared for such situations at all times.
This time, when he got the relic, he wouldn't hand it to Kathryn, instead keeping it to himself.
All these thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, and he cast a profound look at Kathryn.
She smiled, seeing Kranos got her point.
'Soon, Kranos, soon. You will be my puppet. By then, will you regret trusting me? Your expression will be truly amusing to see.'
Kathryn thought internally.
Just as Kranos finished studying everyone, a loud noise resounded. The sound shook the atmosphere, and a second later, the ground caved in.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the place as they noticed that just a few meters ahead of the man, a relic had appeared.
It radiated a mysterious, profound aura and emitted an intense, blinding light that drew the attention of everyone who saw the treasure. Immediately, a greedy light flashed through everyone's eyes.
Seeing the mysterious relic, most of their desires became hard to suppress.
In the next moment, many figures began rushing toward the relic. They were mainly in the God Realm, their movements creating explosive sounds as they shattered the air in their wake.
Kranos glanced toward the others, and their gazes were also fixed on everyone else. Then Luka nodded.
"Let the fight for the treasures begin, haha!" Luka's carefree laugh rang out as his figure slowly faded, leaving behind a series of afterimages in his trail as he quickly approached the location where the battle for the relic was ongoing.
Kranos nodded and smirked internally. The moment had begun.
Everything from now would decide if he would get the soul treasure, kill Kathryn, Aurora, and everyone else, and emerge as the ultimate victor of everything.
Seeing Luka rush toward the location of the relic, he too used his Heaven and Earth Movement Technique, quickly turning into a series of afterimages and rushing in the direction.
Aurora took a step forward and also lunged with Kranos.
Her speed was drastic, and she could keep up with Kranos despite him using the Heaven and Earth Movement Technique.
Kranos didn't need to think too much about it.
From the start of his meeting with Aurora, he had already guessed that she too had mastered a divine technique.
Kevin decided not to head directly into the dangerous battle. Instead, he kept his distance as he took out the divine bow from his storage.
The bow gleamed with a celestial light, and in the next moment, it emitted a strange sizzling aura.
As Kevin drew back the string, a mysterious arrow appeared, glowing faintly with ancient runes etched along its length.
"Sister, if you need any help, just indicate," he muttered, squinting his eyes as he spoke to Kathryn through their soul connection.
Meanwhile, using her terrifying spell, mana surged through Kathryn's verdant immortal vein, and in the next moment, her figure faded completely, joining Kranos, Aurora, and Luka.
In a blink, all four of them reached the terrifying battle.
Glancing at the relic, Kathryn shook her head. It wasn't yet the soul relic that could cure Kranos, so the battle this time didn't need to be as intense. It was powerful, yes, but not worth anyone dying over.
Her thoughts moved rapidly, and she quickly informed Luka and Kranos.
"Quick. While I send out an attack, swoop in and take the relic. It doesn't matter who ends up with it. We will definitely get a relic for everyone, so there's no need to fight among ourselves."
Kathryn's voice appeared in the minds of Kranos and Luka, and they both nodded at the thought, increasing their speed slightly.
Ahead of them were three young men who were in the God Incarnate Realm. However, they had been surrounded by different creatures and hostile cultivators. Their faces were pale, and blood stained their robes.
Kranos noticed something and turned to look at his surroundings and noticed that the ten from the Scarlet Moon Organization hadn't made a move yet.
'It seems they are not interested in the soul treasure but only in killing Kathryn.'
Kranos thought and no longer paid attention to them, instead turning his gaze to the young men ahead.
One of the young men trembled fiercely as he unleashed a torrent of crimson flames from his hand, aiming it toward a cultivator in front of him.
The flames screamed through the air like a tide of burning serpents, but the enemy simply dodged with a sneer.
"Young kid, hand over the relic if you want to leave this place safely!" a man from the crowd of cultivators shouted fiercely. His voice reverberated across the battlefield like thunder.
At the same time, the man clenched his fist, and the ground cracked apart, a web of destruction spreading rapidly beneath the young man. The earth threatened to swallow him whole.
Fortunately, because the young man was in the God Incarnate Realm, he could fly. He wasn't restricted by the terrain, and his body slowly levitated above the collapsing ground.
Hovering slightly above the air, the man's expression twisted grotesquely, and he said maliciously, "Don't force my hand. If I unleash my domain, I will definitely be able to take a few of you with me!"
At the mention of a domain, those below the Monarch Realm instinctively took a step back. They knew only those who had stepped into the God Realm and above could condense a domain.
Everything was playing out exactly as it had in his previous life, and there was little to no change…
Kranos faintly sighed and waited for the perfect moment when Luka would take the relic.
Just then, a sharp whooshing sound pierced the air.
All anyone could see was a streak of light flashing close to the purple bronze man. In an instant, the relic in his hand vanished.
"Courting death!" the man bellowed in rage. Immediately, his suppressed pressure at the peak of the God Incarnate Realm exploded forth.
But Luka didn't even turn to glance at the man. He only grinned with a smirk as he fled at breakneck speed, clearly unwilling to engage in battle.
His speed increased dramatically, and the next moment his figure split into seven distinct forms. Each one looked identical to the real him.
The man frowned and glanced at the 'Luka' closest to him. Taking a deep breath, he punched out with full power.
Instantly, space collapsed, and a large fist imprint appeared in the sky. The heavens seemed to ripple as though a chunk of the sky itself had fallen toward Luka.
In a blink, the 'Luka' was crushed to dust. It had been one of the afterimages.
Kranos was amused.
He really had to increase his comprehension of the Heaven and Earth Movement Technique!