Chapter 168: The Twelve Star Palace

Chapter 168: The Twelve Star Palace

"Speaking of which, Zuo Dan, as the lord of the Port of Freedom, has been holed up in the City Hall for decades without showing his face. Even if he has the bloodline of the God of Death's Embrace and loves to sleep, his personality must be quite eccentric..."

As Karl entered the inner city of the City Hall, he slowed his pace.

"My bird puppet lost its senses here. There should be a very fast legendary creature hiding nearby."

"Hmm..."

"Strange!"

"The architectural style of the inner city is completely different from the outside, and the roads are overly complex."

He muttered softly, shaking his head and putting away the map in his hand.

Whether it was Melun's investigation or his own exploration, they only had the terrain information of the outer city of the City Hall.

The inner city—

Only the outer regions had been explored.

However, based on the existing architectural layout, the real treasures should be in the core area of the inner city.

"Pachi..."

The sticky ground caused Karl to lightly lift off the ground and float forward.

Thunder Wings!

Thunder Wings was an evolved version of the Flight Spell.

This meant that mastering Thunder Wings naturally led to mastering the ordinary Flight Spell as well.

As he flew forward, several corpses appeared on the ground, both human and legendary creatures.

Most of them were human.

The items on the corpses had already been scavenged clean.

Hmm?

Karl's eyes flickered.

"This is the advantage of coming late; others have cleared the dangers ahead, making the journey less troublesome."

With this thought, he sped up, flashing like lightning, and flew swiftly along the passage.

The inner city had winding roads, but no matter which path he chose, they all led to the same plaza.

"It's quite lively here."

Seeing the crowded plaza, Karl raised an eyebrow.

"Why is everyone here?"

As he entered, whispers arose among the crowd.

"Karl!"

"The mysterious potion master from the City of Death!"

"It's him!"

"It's Uncle Karl." Matthew, hiding in a corner, also spotted Karl, and his eyes lit up.

"He's here too."

"Be careful." The shell at his waist gently swayed, and a faint voice reached his eardrums:

"This person is formidable."

"I know." Matthew nodded.

"He's a legendary knight."

The shell was speechless.

There were quite a few legendary knights here, but those it deemed 'formidable' were no more than five.

However, it didn't say more.

With so many people around, it was hard to guarantee that no one would notice its presence, and it couldn't leave Matthew yet.

"Mr. Karl."

Aeliana from the City of Death bowed from a distance:

"We meet again."

"Miss Anna." Karl nodded.

"Hello, what's the situation now?"

Although they were all here for the treasures of the City Hall, basic courtesy was still necessary before finding the items.

"You've seen it too."

Aeliana pointed,

"The path we came from has disappeared, leaving only these twelve pillars and twelve doors leading to unknown places."

"Someone chose one of the doors and never returned."

Karl turned back.

Sure enough!

The passage they had come through had vanished at some point, leaving nothing but emptiness around the plaza.

Startled, he quickly sensed the Divine Domain Fragment and only relaxed when he realized he could leave at any time.

"Miss Anna."

At this moment, a short and stout man, wiping sweat from his forehead, approached. Compared to the others, he had a scholarly air about him.

Coming closer, he spoke in a low voice:

"After investigating, it should be the Twelve Star Palace!"

"The Twelve Star Palace?"

Aeliana's expression darkened.

…………

Under the twelve giant pillars, Aeliana from the City of Death searched for half a day, eventually sighing in resignation.

"A wonder—the Twelve Star Palace!"

She muttered, her eyes complex:

"No wonder the City Hall has been besieged by the Demon God for so many years, yet Lord Zuo Dan still had a chance to survive. It turns out this thing was protecting him."

"Miss Anna." A knight in a blood-red cloak bowed his head and asked in a low voice:

"Can we enter?"

The others remained silent, all ears to the conversation between the two.

After all, up to this point, only the people from the City of Death had some understanding of the bizarre situation.

"Yes." Aeliana nodded.

"The Twelve Star Palace is a wonder passed down in the Divine Domain. It's said to be capable of trapping deities, but the one here is definitely not the legendary artifact. It's probably just a replica."

"Unlike the complete version, the twelve doors before us lead to two different places. Six of them lead to Hell, and the other six to the Divine Domain. Hell represents death, and the Divine Domain represents life."

"In other words..."

"We can enter, but there's a fifty-fifty chance of life or death."

Everyone's faces changed, looking at each other in dismay.

"A fifty percent chance?" Blood Knight furrowed his brows.

"Before we enter, is it possible to distinguish which doors lead to dead ends and which lead to a way out?"

"Yuni," Aeliana waved her hand. "You answer."

"Yes."

An elderly, scholarly-looking short and fat man stepped forward and said, "In theory, it's possible, but in practice, it's not."

"Setting aside the fact that we lack the knowledge required to decipher the Twelve Star Palace, and based on our speculations, even if we knew the method, only someone of Lord's caliber could pull it off. So... we can only take our chances."

"Take our chances?" Blood Knight's expression darkened. "A fifty percent chance of survival?"

"Cough, cough!" The short and fat man coughed lightly and spoke in a low voice, "We can send someone to scout ahead."

"The Twelve Star Palace here is just a replica and cannot completely block our perception. With your abilities, you should be able to sense whether the person who goes in is alive or dead."

"Oh!"

Blood Knight raised his eyebrows and quickly scanned the crowd, his somber expression gradually relaxing.

"Then let's send them in first."

"Why should we?" someone in the crowd roared. "I don't want to go in at all; I just want to go back..."

"Pfft!"

Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes suddenly burst open, and two jets of blood shot out from his eye sockets.

The corpse wobbled and fell to the ground.

"Swish!"

Those near Blood Knight quickly retreated, their faces filled with terror as they stared at the corpse on the ground.

Controlling blood!

This was the unique ability of the first legendary knight of the City of Death.

However, even from such a distance, for a grand knight to lose control of the blood in his body and die on the spot was indeed a chilling sight.

"Go back?" Blood Knight's voice was not loud, but it was sharp and cold, carrying an air of dominance. "Do you think you have a choice?"

The others turned pale, trembling with fear as they looked at Blood Knight, whose blood-red eyes were scanning the entire crowd.

The crowd fell silent.

"Don't be afraid."

A sinister voice rang out from within the crowd.

"So what if it's the City of Death and the Blood Knight? They're just a few people. With all of us here, we can take them down together!"

"That's right!"

Someone chimed in, "If they don't die, even if we enter the core area of the inner city, we won't gain anything either."

Their voices echoed in the hall, moving unpredictably from east to west, making it difficult to pinpoint their exact locations.

"Who?" Blood Knight narrowed his eyes, scanning the crowd. "Who said that?"

"If you have the guts, come out!"

No one spoke up, but a few people's eyes flickered with hesitation before quickly suppressing their impulses.

If they acted together, they wouldn't need to fear the people of the City of Death. But who among the crowd could they truly trust?

It was impossible for them to unite as one! The person who was trying to incite them had no chance of success.

"Hmph!"

Blood Knight coldly snorted, extending his hand to summon the corpse on the ground. It immediately burst forth with streams of blood that fell before him.

The blood streams converged into a blood ball and exploded with a boom.

Countless streams of blood rained down from above, avoiding a few shadows and falling directly onto the heads of the others in the crowd.

Those who avoided the blood were all legends.

"Swish!"

"Swish, swish!"

The crowd darted and dodged, moving swiftly to avoid the blood, although they didn't know what Blood Knight was planning. But no one wanted to be stained by the blood.

However, the space in the hall was limited, and no matter how they dodged, they couldn't avoid getting some blood on themselves.

Once the blood had fallen to the ground, everyone stopped and glared at Blood Knight.

"Those with three drops of blood on their bodies will go first, followed by those with two drops, and so on. The fewer bloodstains you have, the further back you'll go."

Blood Knight's voice was icy as he pointed at the crowd. "You! You, and you..."

"The more bloodstains on your body, the weaker your strength, so you'll be the first batch to scout ahead."

"..."

Those who were pointed at looked terrified, while the others quickly moved aside to let them through.

It was better to have someone scout ahead.

As for resistance...

This group had the weakest strength, and they weren't even grand knights. They didn't have the courage to resist.

Choosing a door to enter still gave them a fifty percent chance of survival, but if they chose to resist, it would be a dead end.

"Damn it!"

One person's eyes flickered with hesitation, and then he burst out in anger.

"I'll take the risk!"

He stomped towards a door, and as soon as he touched it, a white light flashed, and he disappeared.

Hmm?

Karl's eyes flickered.

The white light didn't obscure his vision, so he saw everything clearly.

At the moment the person touched the door, it turned into a white mist, and the person vanished within it.

With someone taking the lead, the others followed suit, entering the door with hesitation and uncertainty.

Blood Knight's eyes remained tightly shut, and he didn't utter a word from start to finish, as if silently sensing something.

"Those with two drops of blood on their bodies will go next!"

Matthew looked at the bloodstains on his body and smiled bitterly. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he took a step forward.

He had only three drops of blood on him.

What now?

Let's try!

Gritting his teeth, Matthew's thoughts stirred, and three golden-yellow venomous snakes slowly slithered out from his sleeves.

The snakes hissed, their forked tongues flickering.

At Matthew's urging, each snake chose a door and slithered inside, disappearing from sight.

Three snakes, three doors—there was a fifty-fifty chance that at least one would be the right choice.

If they all led to dead ends,

Then his luck was truly terrible.

The others with three drops of blood on them paused, their faces filled with hope as they watched Matthew's actions.

If someone could find the safe path, then they wouldn't have to take the chance of choosing the wrong door.

The next moment,

Matthew's face turned ashen.

It's gone!

The distinct aura he had sensed earlier completely vanished after the snakes entered the doors.

"Pfft!"

One person scoffed:

"So much for your excitement!"

Those with three drops of blood on them, who had been waiting for Matthew to choose the correct door, now looked on with disappointment.

Matthew opened his mouth, his expression bitter.

"Hmph!"

One person strode past him, choosing a door and entering, while the others followed suit, each selecting a door.

At the urging of the others, Matthew trembled and slowly approached the doors. The shell hanging from his waist suddenly vibrated.

'Choose the left door!'

Matthew's body stiffened, a glimmer of elation flashing in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and moved step by step towards the left door.

Just like the others, he struggled for a while before choosing a path he believed to be 'safe'.

Hmm...

Karl, standing behind, looked puzzled, his gaze lingering on Matthew's waist for a moment, deep in thought.

'Why is this kid here, too?'

'The special bloodline within him has been activated, and his strength has increased so quickly in less than a year?'

'That shell...'

His thoughts turned, but he didn't dwell on it. Everyone had their secrets, and so did he.

However, a familiar aura in the area caught Karl's attention.

Ana!

The blasphemy knight who had followed him for so long was also present, but what she was doing here was unknown.

I wonder if Black Sword Melia is here? The person from Death City spoke up again: "Those with two drops of blood can enter!"

"Hmph!"

Someone snorted and strode forward.

This time, without anyone's urging, those with one drop of blood or even no blood on them also entered the doors in an orderly manner.

Karl stroked his chin and headed towards the door Matthew had just entered.

"Wow..."

His vision blurred, and before him was a void, with six long stone steps leading to a light gate.

"This is a rare artifact related to space!"

Karl's eyes lit up:

"It seems the most precious item in the City Hall is this Twelve Star Palace. I wonder if we can get our hands on it?"

The six stone steps were covered in bloodstains, likely left by the merfolk who had passed through.

Karl casually chose one of the stone steps and walked upon it, his figure gradually disappearing into the light gate.

"Second Elder."

The masked knight watched as Karl entered a stone door and asked in a low voice:

"Should we follow?"

"No need." The white-robed elder from the Holy Temple shook his head lightly:

"It's not convenient to act inside the Twelve Star Palace. We'll deal with it after we get out. Let's take the second stone door on the right."

"Are... are you sure?" The masked knight hesitated:

"Choosing wrong means certain death."

"You can wait." The white-robed elder smiled faintly:

"The people from Death City won't make a mistake."

The masked knight shrugged.

The person from Death City would definitely be the last to leave. Even with his confidence, he wouldn't dare provoke the Blood Knight.

...

"My goodness..."

Matthew's figure appeared before a huge palace filled with various gold, silver, and jade artifacts.

Of course,

There were even more corpses!

"Don't get distracted. These are all useless trinkets. But hidden here is a fire-breathing lizard. Just run past it quickly." The shell vibrated:

"The Twelve Star Palace, a wondrous arcane construct, can actually connect different spaces together..."

"Run through the palace to the next scene, quickly find a bloodline suitable for you, and then leave immediately."

"This place is too dangerous for you!"

"Dangerous?" Matthew smiled bitterly:

"You're just realizing that now?"

"Roar!"

Before he finished speaking, the ground piled high with gold, silver, and jewels suddenly shook, and a giant dragon head appeared.

"Run!" The shell shouted:

"I know!" Matthew yelled:

"I'm running, didn't you say the bone staff in my hand would make legendary creatures dare not touch me?"

"There are always exceptions." The shell urged:

"Stop talking, just run!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end