Chapter 100: Zi Ke’s Scheme, An Unexpected Discovery
Mysterious Tomb.
This was the common name used by the original Messengers of the Doomsday Messengers when they first discovered this place. They didn’t know its origins back then, but the pervasive will of Silent Demise was enough to indicate that countless people had perished here, almost completely devoured by nothingness, leaving no trace behind.
Coupled with the gloomy layout and the grotesque and terrifying statues, they called it the Mysterious Tomb, even after their long investigation revealed its true name to be “Valhalla.” To avoid unwanted attention, they still called it the Mysterious Tomb.
Actually, besides the three original Messengers, the other Doomsday Messengers didn’t know about this “Valhalla.” Zi Ke and Chou Ke, for certain reasons, practically erased all related information.
After entering the Mysterious Tomb, the Twelve Hours of Doomsday were mostly restricted to the meeting room and the area with the grotesque statues, unable to explore further.
Only Chou Ke and Zi Ke conducted the most in-depth research on the Mysterious Tomb.
Chou Ke focused on the hidden ancient records within the Mysterious Tomb, including the name “Valhalla” and the former Valhalla’s plan, all gradually uncovered through his research.
Zi Ke, on the other hand, focused on exploring “Valhalla” itself. This ancient ruin was quite vast, after all, it was the former Valhalla’s plan to escape Doomsday, and based on a rough estimate from the records, it could accommodate at least tens of thousands of people.
Unfortunately, most areas were restricted. Forcibly entering them might damage “Valhalla” itself.
The “Pilgrimage Path” was one of these restricted areas. The former Valhalla somehow obtained a trace of the true Doomsday and, with all their effort, sealed It within the “Sanctuary,” the room at the end of the Pilgrimage Path.
The former Valhalla had discovered this trace of Doomsday’s characteristics. If one’s consciousness briefly contacted It, it could grant certain qualified Awakened Ones powerful abilities, namely the Doomsday path.
These Awakened Ones who successfully awakened the Doomsday path were called Saints. The rooms on both sides of the Pilgrimage Path were their residences.
They spent day and night comprehending the true meaning of Doomsday, trying to fully master the corresponding abilities, hoping to protect their people when Doomsday arrived.
The “grave keeper” concept within the Doomsday Messengers was derived from this, but judging from the subsequent results, these Saints likely couldn’t even protect themselves. None of them could become Doomsday Godchosen by comprehending Doomsday.
Otherwise, when the former Valhalla was attacked by the remnants of Doomsday, “Valhalla” wouldn’t have been completely annihilated, without a single survivor.
Of course, whether it was because comprehending Doomsday didn’t allow for further progress, or because it would lead to unpredictable consequences, was unknown.
What was certain was that, in either case, it wasn’t a good thing.
Therefore, Chou Ke improved the former Valhalla’s method in this aspect.
This trace of Doomsday was only used for initiating new Doomsday Messengers, awakening their aptitude, not as a method of becoming a Doomsday Godchosen.
And the ultimate goal of “grave keeper” was only self-preservation, not the arrogant goal of protecting others.
The leader of the original Messengers even creatively developed a method of progressing further on the path of Doomsday: using their own abilities to cause a territory to fall to Doomsday.
This method was very effective. After a few casualties in the initial operations, almost all the remaining original Messengers reached the level of being able to use Doomsday Authorities, albeit at a price.
—Except for Xuanyuan E.
Luo Ling also learned this from Chou Ke’s memories. Initially, Xuanyuan E was indifferent to the Doomsday Messengers’ actions. As a member of the Xuanyuan clan, not intervening and simply observing was already her limit. She couldn’t possibly aid and abet them.
Only after her friend’s death, when Xuanyuan E decided to take on the role of “grave keeper,” did she truly become Yin Ke, the executioner.
The biggest difference between Xuanyuan E and the other Doomsday Messengers was that, most of them, upon encountering Doomsday, suffered mental breakdowns, believing that the world’s future held only despair, and after Doomsday arrived, everything would be gone.
Including Zi Ke and Chou Ke, they never had the intention of saving the world.
And Xuanyuan E, because of the Xuanyuan clan, knew about Doomsday’s existence from the beginning. After encountering Doomsday, she only felt pessimistic, not truly despairing.
In any case, from then on, the Doomsday Messengers embarked on this path of no return. Besides Columbia, several territories in Great Xia Imperial City also fell at their hands.
Columbia’s case was a bit of a mishap. The Doomsday Messengers who didn’t evacuate in time became Puppet Ballad’s puppets, ultimately annihilated along with Columbia, so the Doomsday Messengers didn’t gain much from this incident.
Almost every plan devised by the Doomsday Messengers was related to the former Valhalla, but even until the Doomsday Messengers’ near demise, many mysteries about the former Valhalla remained.
Who could control this trace of Doomsday, and who created this strange Mysterious Tomb…
Chou Ke, studying the records, didn’t know, and neither did Zi Ke, exploring the Mysterious Tomb.
However, unlike Chou Ke, who would immediately share his research results with the other two original Messengers and ask for their opinions, Zi Ke concealed many of his findings about the Mysterious Tomb.
Chou Ke noticed this to some extent, but he didn’t mind. Everyone had secrets, he was just willing to share his. As long as Zi Ke’s actions didn’t endanger the “preserving civilization” plan, it didn’t matter.
And among Zi Ke’s hidden findings, the most important one was…
Entering the Mysterious Tomb with his main body.
The Mysterious Tomb, “Valhalla,” was the former Valhalla’s attempt to escape Doomsday by existing as consciousness, a plan that ultimately failed.
From the beginning, the original Twelve Messengers entered as consciousnesses, accidentally stumbling into it while exploring a withered ruin in the present world.
Therefore, the original Messengers didn’t even know Valhalla’s true location, let alone entering it with their main bodies. They had searched, but found nothing.
However, exploring “Valhalla” with consciousness was quite dangerous. Besides the legacy left by the former Valhalla, there were also many remnants of Doomsday’s disaster, and the original Messengers suffered quite a bit in this aspect.
Fortunately, they later discovered “Valhalla’s” backdoor, allowing them to enter as consciousness projections after leaving their imprints. It was probably used by the Saints to contact the outside world back then, after all… the place where they left their imprints was a meeting room.
The former Valhalla also needed to hold meetings.
After the Doomsday Messengers underwent a major change, Zi Ke gained significant power, becoming the leader of the Twelve Hours. He could thus devote more effort to exploring “Valhalla.”
Finally, by chance, Zi Ke discovered “Valhalla’s” true location, and after studying it for a while, successfully entered.
Only after truly entering “Valhalla” did Zi Ke discover some of its secrets.
Countless Saint corpses, all kneeling within the pillared hall, facing the Pilgrimage Path. This was a scene not present in the consciousness form of “Valhalla.”
Examining these remains, Zi Ke was shocked to discover that the Saints’ bodies were somewhat mutated, capable of containing pure nothingness.
Although none of them reached the level of Doomsday Godchosen, they were completely different from the Doomsday Messengers.
After all, the Doomsday Messengers only used Doomsday’s power, they weren’t crazy enough to use it to modify their own bodies.
He collected these Sacred Relics as fuel for his reincarnation while carefully studying them, finally confirming that it was achieved through the trace of Doomsday at the end of the Pilgrimage Path.
These Saints back then all entered “Valhalla” with their main bodies, intending to burn themselves to protect the tens of thousands of spirits within, but unfortunately, they failed.
However, at least it proved one thing: compared to progressing further on the path of Doomsday through annihilation, comprehending Doomsday’s changes affected their very existence. They were two different ways of practicing the Doomsday path.
In other words, perhaps through this method, they could overcome the Doomsday Messengers’ long-standing predicament and give birth to the first grave keeper.
The reason Zi Ke didn’t share these findings with the other Messengers was because, unlike Chou Ke, he didn’t care about creating more “grave keepers.” Even if he was the only one who succeeded, it didn’t matter.
More importantly…
Zi Ke didn’t intend to just comprehend Doomsday like those Saints. He wanted more.
What if… what if he could successfully contain this trace of Doomsday?
A mere “grave keeper,” what was that?
By then, he would be Doomsday’s God’s Favored, the deity Doomsday’s spokesperson in this world.
After this bold idea was born, Zi Ke encountered a problem. His main body could barely move on the Pilgrimage Path, almost unable to reach the room at the end.
If it was just his consciousness approaching, it was pointless. Zi Ke wanted to contain this trace of Doomsday with his physical body, just like the deceased Saints.
Until the recent attack on headquarters, when the three Messengers died instantly, their power seemingly returning to the Doomsday at the end of the Pilgrimage Path after their complete annihilation, weakening the restrictions on the Pilgrimage Path and allowing Zi Ke to move forward, seeing the distant door.
These restrictions were likely set up by the former Valhalla, probably worried that this trace of Doomsday’s power would completely dissipate, so when the power wasn’t sufficiently strong, they used restrictions to prevent the Saints from approaching.
As Doomsday’s power grew, these restrictions would gradually be lifted, allowing them to approach and comprehend Doomsday at a closer distance.
Realizing this, Zi Ke decisively devised a plan to eliminate the other Twelve Hours of Doomsday. Coincidentally, it was after the internal strife, and coupled with the truth Zi Ke discovered at the edge of the world, he smoothly executed this crazy plan.
Chou Ke, until his death, thought that Zi Ke wanted to devour the other Messengers to reach the level of Doomsday Godchosen, but he didn’t expect Zi Ke’s true purpose.
The successive deaths of all the Twelve Hours of Doomsday exceeded Zi Ke’s expectations. He had prepared for a long-term endeavor, gradually comprehending Doomsday here, ultimately aiming to contain It within his body.
Not to mention the speed of the Twelve Hours’ defeat, allowing Zi Ke to directly reach the door, not even needing to wait before attempting to contain this trace of Doomsday.
Even if he ultimately failed, with his reincarnation technique, Zi Ke had many chances. He believed he could become Doomsday’s God’s Favored before Doomsday’s arrival.
Most importantly, no one would disturb him.
The method of entering the “Valhalla” ruin with consciousness had been moved by Zi Ke. Only he knew its true location, not even Chou Ke or Yin Ke, completely eliminating the possibility of anyone reaching this Mysterious Tomb through the ancient ruins.
Almost all Messengers had died in that battle. This was an undeniable fact. Otherwise, Zi Ke wouldn’t be able to reach this point, and even their consciousness projections wouldn’t appear.
Without a Messenger’s consciousness projection leading the way, the Pilgrimage Path couldn’t be opened.
This was a foolproof plan, a clear path towards becoming Doomsday’s God’s Favored. Zi Ke was ambitious, aiming to reach a height no one could imagine.
Until…
He suddenly sensed a consciousness imprint in the meeting room being activated, a new consciousness projection descending into “Valhalla.”
“This… how is this possible…”
Zi Ke’s shock was imaginable. Besides him and Yin Ke, all the Twelve Hours of Doomsday were dead, and Yin Ke erased her own consciousness imprint before him and Chou Ke.
Who else could enter through a consciousness imprint?
Could it be a ghost?
Ghosts did exist. Some individuals with powerful souls could linger in this world for a while after their bodies perished.
But Zi Ke didn’t believe that any of the Messengers could leave behind their souls…
Without the protection of a body, and not being an ability user of the Nightmare path of Oneiric, even if their souls remained, they would be fragile remnants, easily dispersed.
Those who besieged the Messengers wouldn’t be stupid enough to let a fragile soul escape.
And even… have the chance to activate a consciousness imprint and enter “Valhalla”?
Without a sufficiently safe environment, having a consciousness projection descend into “Valhalla” was almost suicidal.
After a moment of hesitation, Zi Ke’s expression turned serious, and he quickly made a decision.
Regardless, he would see for himself.
“If it’s Elder Chou or Little Sister Yin, they shouldn’t be restricted. If it’s someone else…”
Zi Ke focused his mind, and a consciousness projection appeared beside him, his main body sitting down cross-legged.
He didn’t dare enter the rooms on both sides of the ancient corridor. Although these rooms were once used by the Saints, they now emitted a dangerous aura, and he didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks.
Anyway, sitting in the ancient corridor was the same.
“Let’s see… who this is.”
Zi Ke’s eyes flickered, and his consciousness projection took a step forward, leaving the Pilgrimage Path.
He was once again in the darkness, but perhaps because he now knew the truth about the Mysterious Tomb from Chou Ke’s memories, Luo Ling’s perception was completely different this time.
Although still as cold as before, she could now sense… a hint of sorrow.
The former Valhalla’s final struggles and efforts, facing Doomsday, were all here.
It should have been drifting in the endless darkness and nothingness, until completely forgotten, but it was obtained by the Doomsday Messengers, starting another story.
“‘Valhalla,’ it truly lives up to its name in myths and legends…”
Luo Ling raised her hand slightly. She could faintly sense the omnipresent ashes of consciousness within “Valhalla,” all those who perished in Doomsday.
“Why is my consciousness still like this… after being repaired?”
A childish voice, carrying a hint of frustration, echoed beside her.
Luo Ling turned and saw that Mao Ke was still in her young girl form and couldn’t help but smile faintly.
“I just strengthened your consciousness so it wouldn’t be weaker than an ordinary person’s. I didn’t change it drastically, so it still retains the appearance my sister created when she saved you,” Luo Ling explained.
“Sigh, since I’ve already taken your form, why not be more thorough, more… drastic? Change it completely.” Mao Ke propped her chin on her hand and murmured, “I feel like your aesthetic sense is better than Sister Su Wan’s. Linna is quite nice, and Xuanyuan E is also decent, at least not too… childish.”
“Hmm?”
Luo Ling turned to her with a puzzled look.
“I mean, none of the girls around you have a figure like mine now!”
Mao Ke said, hands on her hips, clearly dissatisfied with her current childlike form.
As for Delusion, Mao Ke knew her origins and didn’t include her.
Or rather, Delusion’s current form was also created by Su Wan, so this older sister’s preference was quite obvious…
“If you’re talking about someone with your current figure… there is one…”
Luo Ling stopped mid-sentence, suddenly recalling that Elsa, before disappearing, seemed to have grown up in an instant.
Oh no, could it be that little Elsa was gone, and she would only see the adult Elsa from now on?
Although that wasn’t bad, she still felt a strange sense of regret…
“Who?”
Mao Ke blinked, her eyes curious.
Seriously, did Miss Luo Ling have other… romantic interests?
So many?
Wouldn’t she run out of people to ship?
She thought the blonde, athletic older sister, the gentle and dark older (not really) sister, and the cold and aloof swordswoman were already the limit, but there were more?
“You’ll know later.”
Luo Ling replied vaguely, because she truly didn’t know if the current Elsa was big or small…
However, Luo Ling didn’t doubt that she would see Elsa again. Both she and Elsa would do their best to return to each other, there was no need to worry.
Now… it was best to deal with the matter at hand.
“However, will Zi Ke be here?”
Luo Ling thought, walking towards the meeting room with Mao Ke.
But… besides the meeting room, with Mao Ke’s limited access, they couldn’t go anywhere else.
Needless to say, the meeting room was empty, Zi Ke nowhere to be seen.
“Let’s modify Mao Ke’s consciousness imprint permissions first.”
Since leaving an imprint required being physically present in the corresponding ancient ruin, Luo Ling couldn’t leave her own consciousness imprint here, but with Chou Ke’s memories, she basically understood most of “Valhalla’s” operations.
The meeting room was “Valhalla’s” control center, where one could control the entire “Valhalla,” although due to limited permissions, this control was very restricted.
If “Valhalla” was a company, the chairman could control everything, while Chou Ke’s research and deciphering only granted him the authority of a small team leader within a single department.
Limited it was, but still usable.
Using the cracking method from Chou Ke’s legacy, Luo Ling bypassed part of “Valhalla’s” system permissions, modifying it at the base level.
“Hiss…”
Reaching the base level, Luo Ling saw countless consciousness imprints and couldn’t help but gasp.
“Did your Doomsday Messengers have so many people qualified to enter ‘Valhalla’?”
“I don’t know.”
Mao Ke looked puzzled.
“Elder Chou and the others never told us anything about the Mysterious Tomb, but… only Messengers should be able to leave consciousness imprints.”
Chou Ke’s legacy also said the same.
If they weren’t Doomsday Messengers…
Then they could only be people from the former Valhalla.
“There are… at least tens of thousands of consciousness imprints here.”
Luo Ling sighed softly. These were all remnants of the past. The former Valhalla was long gone, and the owners of these consciousness imprints… were probably also annihilated by Doomsday.
The new Valhalla was just a group of survivors after the remnants of Doomsday, and they didn’t even know anything about the former Valhalla, a complete cultural discontinuity.
“Let me modify yours.”
Luo Ling sensed Mao Ke’s consciousness imprint and modified her permissions.
Now, Mao Ke’s consciousness projection could move freely within “Valhalla.”
Of course, most areas were restricted. With the methods Chou Ke researched, they couldn’t fully access all areas.
Just as Luo Ling was about to leave the control center and search for Zi Ke within the Mysterious Tomb, she suddenly sensed a familiar aura among these countless consciousness imprints.
“Wait…”
Luo Ling paused, frowning slightly.
“What’s wrong? Did you… break the system or something?” Mao Ke, about to leave, turned and asked, noticing Luo Ling’s strange behavior.
“No, I… seem to have sensed my own consciousness imprint?”
As Luo Ling spoke, she searched for it.
Upon finding this familiar consciousness imprint, Luo Ling’s expression turned even more puzzled.
“When did you leave a consciousness imprint in the Mysterious Tomb? I don’t remember.”
Mao Ke looked as if she had seen a ghost. Only the Twelve Hours of Doomsday were allowed to leave their consciousness imprints in the ancient ruins.
Could Miss Luo Ling be a hidden member of the Twelve Hours?
Or perhaps…
“It… doesn’t seem to be mine either…”
Luo Ling carefully sensed this consciousness imprint. It was indeed similar to hers, but not entirely…
Like… a copy?
Luo Ling reached out and touched the imprint with her consciousness projection.
Instantly, her mind became disoriented, even her consciousness projection became unstable.
“Holy shit!”
Mao Ke was startled and quickly tried to support Luo Ling, but awkwardly realized that supporting a consciousness projection was useless. She could only watch helplessly.
Miss Luo Ling, you can’t have a problem now! What if Zi Ke is truly hiding in the Mysterious Tomb and suddenly appears?
“No, I’m fine…”
Luo Ling quickly recovered, her consciousness projection stabilizing, but her expression turned strange.
She pondered for a moment, then her figure instantly vanished.
Just as Mao Ke was confused, Luo Ling reappeared.
“It works…”
Luo Ling stared at this consciousness imprint, carefully trying to recall when she left it, but she couldn’t remember at all.
Although this similar yet different consciousness imprint was strange, it was usable.
Luo Ling previously entered the Mysterious Tomb by attaching herself to Mao Ke, but just now, Luo Ling severed the connection with Mao Ke and then entered the Mysterious Tomb by connecting with this consciousness imprint, and it… worked.
Moreover, the moment she entered “Valhalla” using this consciousness imprint, a vast and complex map appeared in Luo Ling’s mind. She quickly realized this was a complete map of “Valhalla”!
Chou Ke, after countless years of research, only explored about one-tenth of “Valhalla,” but Luo Ling now had a detailed map in her mind.
And…
Luo Ling raised her hand, made a few adjustments to the consciousness imprint, and Mao Ke exclaimed, “Holy shit, what is this?”
Her face was filled with shock and disbelief.
“It seems… I’m right.”
Luo Ling’s expression turned even stranger. She just tried granting Mao Ke some new permissions, and it… actually worked.
This complete map included all the restricted areas.
This meant that Luo Ling’s consciousness imprint had at least general manager level permissions in this “Valhalla,” not complete control, but almost.
However…
She couldn’t for the life of her figure out where this general manager position came from.
“I didn’t expect Elder Chou to have researched so much, that sneaky old man…”
Mao Ke couldn’t help but sigh. She thought this was all Chou Ke’s research, and Luo Ling, after some thought, didn’t reveal the truth.
She would leave this credit to the deceased Chou Ke.
He deserved it.
“Miss Luo Ling, I found Zi Ke!”
Mao Ke, fiddling with the complete map in her mind, suddenly said excitedly.
This complete map wasn’t just a map, it also displayed the current state of every corner of “Valhalla” in real time.
Of course, the premise was that the corresponding locations had “surveillance,” namely the corresponding mystical formations.
“Oh?” Luo Ling’s gaze sharpened. “He’s actually here…”
Luo Ling hadn’t actually held much hope for this, because “Valhalla” was ultimately a failure. Even Chou Ke, when utilizing its legacy, made drastic improvements.
It could be said that Chou Ke’s improvements were superior to “Valhalla’s” original plan, only because the Doomsday Messengers didn’t have the vast resources of the former Valhalla, the power of an entire civilization to build this magnificent fortress.
How could Zi Ke possibly value such a failure?
Then, Mao Ke shared Zi Ke’s location with Luo Ling.
Seeing where Zi Ke’s main body was, Luo Ling immediately understood.
“Good heavens, so that’s what you were planning…”
Looking at Zi Ke meditating at the entrance to the room at the end of the Pilgrimage Path, a cold smile appeared on Luo Ling’s lips.
She knew what was inside that room. Zi Ke, wanting to achieve a level beyond “grave keeper,” targeting It, was only natural.
However, was Its power… something anyone could touch?
Even Luo Ling didn’t dare approach it casually, although her reason was that she was worried about being irreversibly drawn towards Doomsday, unable to recover.
“Let’s sneak over and kill him before he notices us!”
Mao Ke made a throat-slitting gesture at Luo Ling, her expression ferocious.
Before Luo Ling could say anything, a cold snort echoed from outside the meeting room.
“Who is it? So it’s you, Mao Ke.”
A young man appeared, his gaze turning cold as he looked at Mao Ke.
“It seems… you are the traitor.”
Although Mao Ke was now in the form of a young girl, her appearance hadn’t changed much and was still easily recognizable.
Hearing Zi Ke’s accusation, Mao Ke didn’t react much, just scratching the back of her head.
She could see Zi Ke meditating in her mind, yet another Zi Ke appeared before her…
Could it be that the map had a delay?
Just then, Luo Ling, standing beside Mao Ke, ignored by Zi Ke, suddenly spoke.
She looked into Zi Ke’s eyes and smiled faintly.
“It seems, Mr. Zi Ke… you entered ‘Valhalla’… with your main body?”
