Chapter 692 - 435: True Atonement

Chapter 692: Chapter 435: True Atonement

"Let me do it."

Suddenly, Danika’s voice sounded in his ear.

Danika had said she came here to atone... A thought crossed Zhou Chen’s mind. He switched his weapon to a Magic Staff and struck the ground.

WHOOSH—

A terrifying gale instantly erupted from where he stood, spiraling into an ever-expanding disk of wind. The miasma from the dragon corpses in the area was immediately blown away, and his vision cleared.

Danika appeared, her pale white hair dancing in the fierce wind. A hint of melancholy and sorrow filled her eyes.

"A long, long time ago, the Desecration Church actually found that Divine Hall," Danika explained softly, walking ahead on her own. An aura of grief enveloped her.

’Isn’t the Desecration Church an Abyssal Sect that appeared just over eighty years ago?’ Zhou Chen’s expression flickered slightly as he followed her.

Danika’s next words answered his question. "The history of the Abyssal Cultists is as long as the Black Sun has existed. In the very first year of the Black Sun’s birth, dozens of Heretics appeared on Gaia. They formed the very first Abyss Church, a lineage that has continued intermittently to this day.

Although the Desecration Church was founded over eighty years ago, its true history can be traced back to the first Church of the Black Sun Era. The Church not only preserves a vast collection of legends, books, historical records, and research materials... but even has direct descendants of the original founders among its upper echelons. That’s why they know many unknown ancient secrets and historical mysteries."

"But it seems they don’t know they ever found the Divine Hall," Zhou Chen said.

"Of course not."

Danika stopped and turned around. "Because only one person discovered the Divine Hall, and he was my ancestor."

Zhou Chen simply met her gaze calmly, not making a move just because she had revealed her identity as an Abyssal Cultist.

"After he discovered the Divine Hall, he tried to open it. The result was obvious—without the key, not even the King of the Abyss could open the Divine Hall. So he chose to use Magic to sink the Divine Hall deep into the earth, erasing all traces of its existence to prevent it from being found by others."

Danika continued, "For various reasons, he didn’t tell anyone about this, only revealing it to his son on his deathbed. His son kept this secret his entire life, telling no one, and then told his own son on his deathbed...

And so, our bloodline has guarded this secret for generations."

Danika turned back and continued forward. After a long pause, her voice grew somber.

"I had a younger sister. When we were children, we both showed remarkable talent for Magic. I was a bit stronger than her and also more mature, so my father chose me. When I was seven, he led me to join the Desecration Church.

I knew the Desecration Church was no good, but if I didn’t go, my father would have made my sister go. I didn’t want her to be harmed, and I certainly didn’t want her to become the kind of Demon who could kill without batting an eye, so I had no choice but to stay.

When we grew up, one of us became an Abyssal Cultist who had to live in the shadows, and the other became a Light Chaser of the Holy Hall Church. Heh, there’s probably nothing more ironic in the world.

But I don’t regret it. As long as I could see her smile, I felt it was all worth it.

Later, I received a mission. The High Priest wanted me to use my relationship with my sister to infiltrate the Holy Hall Church and act as a mole. They knew my sister was my weakness, so they threatened to kill her if I refused.

I had no choice but to fake a chance encounter and join the adventuring team she was on."

Danika sighed softly. "Yes, Laurie was on that team."

And so, the sequence of events became clear.

’So that’s why Danika knew Laurie’s story. The Witch he fell in love with was likely her sister, and she knew Laurie herself...’ Zhou Chen understood now. "So, what sin are you trying to atone for?"

The two had now reached the edge of a cliff. Danika lowered her gaze, looking down at the barren land below.

"During our travels, I fell in love with Laurie.

He was a brave, powerful, and confident man. With him around, any difficulty could be easily overcome. In just a few years, he became a Quasi-King and a Legendary Hero. I couldn’t help but fall in love with him. And so did my sister, Mara.

I chose to hide my feelings and leave the team, because someone like me didn’t deserve love. Seeing them happy was the greatest happiness for me.

But... but..." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Danika’s lips trembled as violent emotions surged within her. "But in the end, they both died because I kept my secret..."

"...Laurie led the team on a journey to find the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings. At that time, I already knew the location of the Divine Hall. If I had just told them, let them prepare, with Laurie’s ability he surely could have reached this place with ease. He would have definitely obtained the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings. But I didn’t...

The Valley of Miasma is extremely dangerous. The team suffered heavy casualties while exploring it. After leaving the Valley of Miasma, they were ambushed and slaughtered by the Desecration Church. In the end, only Laurie survived. He killed all the ambushing Abyssal Cultists, but every other team member, including Mara, was sacrificed."

Danika closed her eyes in anguish. "All of this happened because I kept my secret. If I had told them the truth, Mara wouldn’t have had to die, Laurie wouldn’t have gone mad, he wouldn’t have had to suffer such pain and fall to become a Dark Stalker. None of them would have had to die... This is all my fault."

"I must atone."

A crystalline tear slid down her cheek, falling toward the ground below and dissipating in the wind.

A moment later, she opened her eyes again, looking at Zhou Chen with a determined gaze. "Along the way, I have witnessed your abilities. I firmly believe you are the one chosen by fate to lead Gaia out of its predicament. Next, I will help you obtain the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings. I also implore you to fulfill Laurie and Mara’s final wish and lead Gaia out of its predicament."

Danika’s eyes turned completely pitch-black. A flash of light appeared in her hand as she grasped a Magic Staff. She pointed it toward the ground far below, and a vast, dark Magic Array took shape in the air.

RUMBLE...!!!

For a moment, the mountains shook and the earth trembled as if a Level 12 earthquake had erupted. The ground within the Ancient Dragon’s Eye suddenly split open. Bottomless fissures spread out as the land collapsed with a thunderous roar, fragments of earth falling like the bones of a Giant Dragon into a bottomless Abyss.

The tremors grew more and more violent. Before long, Zhou Chen saw a colossal ancient city, wreathed in surging, explosive molten lava, slowly rise from the depths of the earth. The entire city was stained a brilliant crimson by the lava, with scarlet torrents of magma flowing down it like waterfalls.

On the entrance gate of the Divine Hall, a massive and complex Dark Magic Array appeared. It was a sealing Barrier. Only by destroying it could the one who obtained the Divine Hall’s key use it to open the door; otherwise, they would be blocked outside.

A look of grim determination, as if she were facing death, appeared on Danika’s face. But in the next second, Zhou Chen’s hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her. "You plan to use your own life to break the seal?"

"This is my atonement."

"That’s not right, Miss Danika."

Zhou Chen said quizzically, "How can simply dying be called atonement?"

"You yourself said that Laurie and Mara’s final wish was to see Gaia freed from its predicament. If you want to atone, you should follow their wish and dedicate your life to Gaia’s liberation. Although suicide doesn’t conflict with that, in my opinion, a more meaningful atonement would be to teach more people Magic and kill more Abyssal Cultists, rather than just dying so simply."

Danika shook her head slightly. "That Barrier Array is a very high Level. I can only break it by burning my life force."

The next second, Zhou Chen let out a crisp snap of his fingers.

[Wish Value -30,000]

With a CRACK, the Dark Magic Array at the entrance to the Divine Hall shattered.

Danika froze.

"Now, you couldn’t die even if you wanted to."

Zhou Chen patted her shoulder. "Get ready to fight for Gaia for the rest of your life. That is the path of atonement you should walk."

Danika was silent for a long time before she nodded. "I understand."

[Quest "White-haired Witch" complete. You have gained Danika’s trust and favor.]

[Quest "Path of the King" updated: After a series of adventures, you have finally arrived before the legendary Divine Hall. Go and obtain the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings.]

Spending thirty thousand Wish Value points in one go, Zhou Chen honestly felt a slight pang of regret, but he was even more unwilling to see someone die right in front of him.

"Honestly, you would have been better off just dying."

At that moment, the Nameless Ghost’s soft chuckle sounded out. "Dedication is a far more terrifying thing than death," it mused.

"I’m not afraid. I just want to atone for my sins," Danika said.

"Alright, get in the ring for now. I see a bonfire spot down there." Zhou Chen’s sharp eyes had spotted a bonfire.

Danika slowly faded away. Zhou Chen flapped his Phoenix Fire Feathers and flew straight toward the bonfire.

A few seconds later, the save was complete.

"Next is opening the Divine Hall, and then another boss fight."

Legend says that a descendant of the Ancient Dragon King slumbers within the Divine Hall, responsible for guarding the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings.

However, judging from the scale of the Divine Hall, the Giant Dragon guarding the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings shouldn’t be too large. Of course, a Giant Dragon’s power can’t be judged by its size alone.

"If you’re fighting an Ancient Dragon, you can use Laurie’s blade. It’s a Dragon-Slaying Blade that has been steeped in Dragon Blood, and it deals extra damage against the Dragon Race," Danika reminded him.

"That works. I happen to be a Tachi user myself... In that case, why don’t I go to the Magic Academy for some cat-cooked food before starting the show."

"What does that have to do with eating cat-cooked food?" Danika asked, confused.

"The food those cats make is delicious, it provides Attribute bonuses, and most importantly, it’s part of the ritual. Plus, I’m hungry," Zhou Chen gave his plain and simple reasons.

Igniting the bonfire to teleport back and forth only took a few seconds, so Zhou Chen directly teleported back to the Magic Academy, ate a cat-cooked meal, and completed that damn ritual of his.

Teleporting back to the entrance of the Divine Hall, Zhou Chen walked up to the great doors, took out the key that had been combined from two halves, inserted it into the keyhole, and gave it a gentle twist.

CLICK.

RUMBLE...

The doors of the Divine Hall, which had been silent for countless ages, slowly swung open, and a gust of stale, ancient air billowed out.

With the [Silver White Sun Unrivaled Blade] on his back, Zhou Chen was just about to step into the Divine Hall when his feet suddenly stopped. He looked up at the sky.

The storm had blown away the miasma in the Ancient Dragon’s Eye, so the sky was visible and sunlight could shine down. But now, the blue sky that had been bright and sunny just a moment ago was suddenly veiled by a faint black sheen. The heavens dimmed in an instant, turning gray.

An evil Power began to grow and spread.

Zhou Chen activated Emotional Outburst, materializing an Emotion Avatar and sending it into the sky to observe.

He saw that the malevolent Black Sun had grown even darker. The solar disk spun, releasing a tyrannical Eternal Dark Radiance.

This radiance held no warmth, like a deathly cold wind sweeping over all things, spreading a bone-chilling evil into every Soul.

"The King of the Abyss is about to make a move," Danika said in a low voice.