toybunovel Chapter 362 -362-Chessboard and Pawns, Life-and-Death Crisis
Chapter 362 -362-Chessboard and Pawns, Life-and-Death Crisis
Dustin took a long time before he barely managed to accept this suffocatingly cruel reality.
For those demi-sage rank beings who were just about to become Divine-grade powerhouses, this blow was simply too great!
"In the name of the gods... I was clearly only a little away. Just one step away from becoming a sage..."
His voice was filled with bitterness.
"Why did this disaster have to descend at this exact moment?"
He forced himself to gather his collapsing emotions.
"I must tell Faustus about this immediately and have him prepare... A storm is coming, and no one can stay out of it."
...
Within the Astral Realm.
Many demi-sages were preparing to advance to Divine-grade, only to suddenly discover that their Rank had been firmly locked by an invisible barrier.
It was as though a mysterious layer of energy had appeared before them, separating them from the hall of Divine-grade.
One after another, they reported their encounters to the forces behind them, and at almost the same time, they all learned that chilling piece of news:
The Chaosverse had already become the chessboard of an Eternal Sage!
The chess player had begun placing pieces, and every living being standing upon the board had now entered the game.
Unless another Eternal Sage interfered, they could only leave their fate to the heavens.
...
Deep within the Astral Realm.
Daniel flew out from the core plane with a grave expression.
"I just received a message from Dustin. He said there is something we need to discuss."
His brows furrowed slightly.
"It’s most likely related to advancement."
He had noticed that he was not the only one preparing to advance. Many demi-sages had already polished their sage ranks to completion and were only missing the final step.
For Dustin to gather everyone so urgently, it had to be because of this strange matter.
At that moment, the Ivahpin Scroll in Daniel’s arms suddenly grew slightly hot.
He hurriedly sent in his mind power and entered that world between reality and illusion, where he received the urgent message left for him by Chanelle, the Oracle-grade of the Golden Holy Mountain.
"...What? The Chaosverse has been locked down by an Eternal Sage?"
His pupils suddenly contracted.
He had spent a full thirty years and poured in countless resources to construct his sage rank, only for this sudden move by an Eternal Sage to make him unable to advance his Rank at all?
This was truly terrible!
"Lord Chanelle of the Golden Holy Mountain left too little information. But the Myriad-Star Cosmos is not the universe directly involved, so it is understandable that they know only so much."
"However, the forces within the Chaosverse should have much more information."
Following the agreement, he arrived at the gathering point.
Daniel swept his gaze across the area.
Everyone was present.
"My lord."
Camille bowed in greeting.
"Boss Faustus."
James and Mosi looked somewhat solemn.
"Lord Faustus, you’ve finally arrived."
Dustin’s expression was solemn, his gaze steady.
"Everyone is here. We can begin."
Daniel nodded and sat down in the center.
Dustin was the first to speak.
"The upper ranks of the Order Faction have already thoroughly investigated the situation."
Daniel’s eyes lit up.
As expected, the local forces of the Chaosverse still had a natural advantage!
Everyone’s gaze fell on Dustin at once.
"Right now, the Chaosverse is firmly confined by three layers of shackles."
Dustin said, "The first layer: no advancement. No living being can cross the threshold of their current Rank!"
"The second layer: no crossing. We are trapped in our respective galaxies and can no longer return home!"
"The third layer: no energy absorption. This means that every bit of Strength within our bodies is being consumed. Use a little, and you lose a little."
Hiss—!
The powerhouses felt as though a basin of ice water had been poured over their heads.
The situation was far more serious than they had imagined.
Unable to advance meant that all demi-sages would forever be trapped at demi-sage rank, like birds imprisoned in cages.
Unable to cross galaxies meant they could not return. Their homelands were now unreachable.
Unable to absorb energy meant that every spell cast and every battle fought from this moment onward would burn away their own foundation.
Aside from Daniel, deep despair surged in everyone’s heart.
"The existence behind this upheaval is an Eternal Sage."
Dustin continued explaining, "An Eternal Sage has descended into the current space-time and is carrying out a major scheme."
Eternal Sage!
Above Oracle-grade was Eternal Sage, an existence that could walk through the Time River and dance upon the threads of fate!
Daniel could not help but recall the supreme-grade existence he had summoned during the battle against World Zone No. 1213.
Although that existence had never shown himself, he had personally said that he was an Eternal Sage!
He had also said that if Daniel wanted to meet him, he would need to unseal the Chronoverse Prologue Codex!
Perhaps there would still be a chance to meet him then.
But now, if Daniel could not break through to Divine-grade, he would be unable to obtain the final mission reward.
And that reward was precisely the final two elemental cores of Thunder and Metal, the last keys needed to unseal that codex.
At this moment, the situation had fallen into an absurd deadlock.
It was like a dragon-slaying warrior who needed to slay a dragon in order to obtain dragonscale armor, but without the dragonscale armor, he could not slay the dragon.
This was the current deathtrap!
"According to legend, Eternal Sages can freely travel between the past and future, leap beyond the Time River, and even create a universe out of nothing."
James’s tone was filled with helplessness.
"If such an existence personally designs a scheme against the Chaosverse, then before He achieves His goal, we may only be able to wait."
"That’s right."
Dustin also lowered his shoulders in dejection.
"My Chaos Humans only managed to establish ourselves in the Chaosverse by relying on a T8 Oracle-grade Forefather, barely stepping into the ranks of quasi-first-rate forces in the Endless Starsea."
"And an Eternal Sage can swiftly cultivate the most powerful and massive forces. To such an existence, destroying a universe is no more than raising a hand."
"Destroying the universe should not go that far."
Camille shook her head.
"There are too many living beings in the Chaosverse. Destroying the universe would draw an unimaginably enormous amount of karma. An Eternal Sage should not go that far."
"But we will still be affected by this storm. It will be an influence powerful enough to change the future. When an existence like that lightly places a chess piece, for insignificant beings like us, it becomes a mountain we cannot move."
Everyone voiced their own opinions, yet Daniel alone did not speak.
As if by tacit understanding, everyone turned their gazes toward him.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Daniel’s mouth. His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear.
"For now, ignore our current predicament."
"The galaxies have already been sealed off. The Astral Realm can be considered an independent galaxy, which means we cannot leave the Astral Realm."
"And at this moment, the Astral Realm has gathered a group of the most elite powerhouses in the entire Endless Starsea. Among them are demi-sage ranks, sages, and even Oracle-grade beings."
His eyes flashed as he analyzed the situation piece by piece.
"Below Oracle-grade, we have nothing to fear. But if some Oracle-grade beings go mad and start slaughtering at will, how should we deal with them?"
"What does Boss Faustus mean?"
James looked at him in confusion.
"We must ensure our own safety."
Daniel looked around at everyone.
"Do you not think our current situation is extremely dangerous?"