Read Novel Full Chapter 595: Battle
Chapter 595: Battle
Another long corridor lined with chambers entered Liora’s sight.
As she and Elaouthr ventured deeper into it, they soon came across several open rooms.
They looked exactly like the ones they had encountered before.
Yet when Liora collected the items stored inside from afar, she couldn’t help but reveal a trace of surprise.
The knight puppets she had been expecting did not appear this time.
Instead, several lights flashed through the air, converging into a single beam of silver light that fired straight toward her.
Judging from the light’s aura, the attack had reached the threshold of Rank 10.
It was enough to kill any Venerable almost instantly.
Fortunately, Liora reacted immediately.
The Battle Fury Hammer materialized in her hand as demonic energy surged into it.
Then, she swung it in the space before her without any hesitation.
The space itself cracked at the point of impact.
When the aftermath finally settled a few seconds later, the beam was nowhere to be seen, while Liora had seemingly been forced to retreat several steps.
No further attacks followed.
Apparently, the formations inside the chamber could only sustain a single strike before completely exhausting their energy.
Or at least, that was how it appeared on the surface.
Liora, however, held a different opinion.
“It seems my earlier guess was correct. Someone really has altered the palace’s defensive mechanisms. Are they deliberately testing every intruder?”
“Or is this a way to make them let down their guard before finally taking action?”
Despite that thought, Liora’s pace never slowed.
Not long afterward, the peculiar pair arrived at another intersection.
A new statue appeared in front of them, accompanied by thousands of converging corridors.
Everything was familiar, yet subtly different.
They didn’t linger.
Under Elaouthr’s guidance, the two soon entered yet another corridor.
Again and again.
The same sequence repeated several times.
The only thing that constantly changed was the defensive mechanisms within the chambers.
Puppets. Formations. Conscious Weapons.
Liora encountered every type of attack.
The palace seemed less like a residence and more like an endless labyrinth from which escape was impossible.
Yet the reality proved otherwise.
Slowly but surely, the number of corridors branching from each intersection continued to decrease.
From originally being countless, they turned into thousands, hundreds, until eventually, only dozens of them remained.
—
Before long, Liora and Elaouthr stepped into yet another intersection.
This time, the statue before them was far grander than the ones they had seen before.
At the same time, it was obviously quite different.
Part of its appearance remained intact.
It depicted a man.
Although his facial features were still completely blurred, it was clear that he wore a long purple robe embroidered with elegant dragon patterns.
Even after billions of years had passed, the statue still emitted a faint aura that subtly oppressed everything around it.
Liora observed it for several seconds.
She doubted the incomplete erasure was a coincidence.
Most likely, the individual before her had once possessed enough strength to resist part of the mysterious force that had erased everything.
Of course, even he had ultimately failed.
At best, he had only managed to preserve his silhouette and clothing.
“A Rank 10 Awakener shouldn’t possess such power.”
“These statues probably don’t depict the cultivators governing this district. More likely, they represent the people those City Lords answered to.”
“Their true residence is not here, but in the true ancient city.”
Liora didn’t dwell on the matter for long.
Moments later, her attention moved from the statue toward the surrounding corridors.
The difference from the previous intersection was obvious.
Only eight remained.
At the same time, the pressure hidden within them had grown stronger than ever.
Unlike before, when her consciousness could at least enter the corridors before losing all feedback, this time it was severed instantly.
It felt as though some powerful being slumbered within, casually cutting off the portion of her consciousness whenever it ventured too far.
For the first time, Liora’s calm expression became noticeably more serious.
Even so, she had no intention of turning back.
She strongly suspected that both the palace and the city fragment had appeared under the guidance of someone.
If she wished to prepare for whatever changes lay ahead, she needed greater strength.
More importantly, she needed information.
The cultivation civilization—a forgotten power whose unfathomable experts had vanished with time—could provide both.
With that in mind, Liora looked toward Elaouthr.
She didn’t even need to speak.
After a brief hesitation, the demon pointed toward one of the eight corridors and, together, they entered it.
—
The moment Liora stepped into the corridor, she sensed something change.
As she extended her consciousness, she immediately discovered what it was.
Her perception had been suppressed.
Outside, her consciousness could sweep across several galaxies with ease.
Within this corridor, however, it could only extend for a few hundred kilometers.
To ordinary beings, that was an immense distance. But for someone like Liora, it was almost nothing. Nearly ninety-nine percent of her consciousness had been suppressed.
Moreover, Liora also noticed something else.
Turning around, she discovered that the intersection they had just left from had vanished.
In its place stood a thick curtain of dense, black mist that completely sealed the passage behind them.
They had been trapped. There was no turning back to where they came from.
From this point onward, the only path they could take was forward.
To this, Liora was only mildly surprised.
After everything that had happened, she had long accepted that someone was manipulating the palace from behind the scenes.
Recovering almost instantly, she ignored Elaouthr’s visible unease and continued deeper into the corridor.
A few minutes later, however, her footsteps slowed down until they finally reached a stop.
Not because she had encountered another open chamber she wanted to investigate, but because a sound suddenly reached her ears.
The sound was familiar. It was of people engaged in battle.
Only a few hundred kilometers away, a fierce battle was unfolding.
Blood splattered through the corridor while fragments of shattered space drifted through the air.
Had Liora been present to witness the scene, she would have immediately recognized both sides.