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n687 Gaining Immortality

nLumian raised his eyebrows and returned Hisoka’s gaze with a radiant smile.

nThe two individuals in different scenes exchanged glances through the blurry void, each casting their eyes in opposite directions.

nReaza, Iveljsta, and the man and woman who had just arrived in Tizamo had clearly seen the people in the other scene. They were astonished and dumbfounded by this incomprehensible, bizarre situation, but they couldn’t interact with each other.

nThe gravekeepers in the same scene as Hisoka appeared to be praying, oblivious to the changes in their surroundings or treating them as if nothing unusual had occurred.

nLumian surveyed the area and vaguely comprehended the situation.

nRegardless of how real this place seems, various encounters will mirror reality to different degrees. At its core, it remains a dream. And under the influence of the black ancient tomb or the cold corpse within, this area has fragmented into multiple dream shards. Each time a new group arrives, a fresh fragment is generated…

nIf not for Amandina’s or my arrival triggering some abnormality, it would be impossible for people in different scenes to interact. They wouldn’t be able to attack each other, nor could they see, hear, or detect one another’s presence.

nThis must be why the gravekeepers vanish every time the Dream Festival commences.

nThey don’t disappear. They’re simply in different dream fragments from the Dream Festival participants.

nBased on the results of the previous spirit channeling, is this some kind of concealment?

nBut the black ancient tomb hasn’t been unsealed yet…

nAs Lumian’s thoughts raced, Amandina’s voice grew increasingly shrill, filled with terror.

n“He’s right in front of me! Save me! Save me!”

nLumian stared at Amandina, who was retreating in an attempt to evade the invisible creature, but he couldn’t perceive the figure she described.

nIn the brief span of more than ten seconds since Amandina’s panic attack, Lumian had used his Spirit Vision, Weakness Investigation, Luck Observation, and other abilities, but he hadn’t detected anything unusual.

nHe was on the verge of taking out the Mystery Prying Glasses and the Eye of Truth.

nLumian reached into his Traveler’s Bag. Without a rough grasp of the situation, he didn’t know how to rescue Amandina, who had broken down from fright.

nJust as his fingers brushed against the Mystery Prying Glasses, Amandina was suddenly taken aback.

nAfter a moment, she turned to Lumian and said in bewilderment, “He—he turned and left. He seems to have recognized me…”

n“Recognized you?” Lumian felt compelled to confirm Amandina’s mental state.

nAmandina replied in confusion, “Yes, he nodded at me and left.”

nIs this why, after the Dream Festival begins, anyone who wishes to approach the black ancient tomb must be guided by someone who has received the boon of the ancient tomb or the corpse? Robert and Padre Cali likely played the same role in similar scenes, but they don’t belong to the Evernight pathway and lack dream-related abilities, so they didn’t notice… Did the people in the other dream fragments also receive the boon of the black ancient tomb or the cold corpse? Lumian’s heart stirred as he asked Amandina, “Where did he go? Where did that figure go?”

nAmandina’s gaze shifted to the periphery of her surroundings.

nHer eyes widened with lingering fear and excitement. She raised her palm and pointed at the dream fragment where the man and woman were.

n“He went there.

n“He’s gone through! He’s gone through!”

nAmandina’s explanation made Lumian and the others feel the black ancient tomb solidifying and becoming heavier. The entire area shook even more violently.

nSimultaneously, Lumian sensed a familiar burning sensation on his left chest, but he didn’t hear any ravings that seemed to come from an infinite distance.

nIn a daze, he saw a huge aqua-colored vortex, a dim village shrouded in gray fog, and figures within the village.

nShepherd Pierre Berry, who believed in Inevitability, and Lumian’s friend, Azéma Lizier, raised their pale-white arms, as if silently shouting.

nLumian also spotted his semi-subterranean two-story house and Aurore, sitting quietly on the orange roof with her arms crossed.

nLumian no longer resisted the illusion.

nHe roughly understood what was happening.

nAs the figure entered other dream fragments, the black ancient tomb’s abnormality intensified. It contained the power of the Death domain, “awakening” the Cordu villagers within the seal.

nThese villagers were already deceased, with only soul fragments remaining. Naturally, they would be affected by the power of the Death domain.

nThis realization made Lumian feel pain, sorrow, and bitterness that he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

nHe “watched” Aurore, clad in a light-blue dress with thick, long blond hair and light-blue eyes. She didn’t attempt to resist the invisible power of death.

n“He walked to that woman,” Amandina continued dutifully.

nThat woman? Camus, Rhea, and Lugano turned their attention to the corresponding dream fragment.

nHaving just arrived in Tizamo that night, the lady in the light-colored dress didn’t hear Amandina’s words. She only knew that the patrol team was looking at her.

nHer spirituality gave her a sense of foreboding. She hurriedly turned to her companion and asked, “Devajo, do you sense any malice?”

nThe man named Devajo, dressed in a dark gray suit, slowly shook his head and said, “Nothing.”

nIn the dream fragment where Lumian and the others were, Amandina explained in high spirits, “He… The figure… extended his hand! He pressed his hand… on that woman’s head!”

nJust as Amandina finished speaking, Devajo saw his companion, the lady in the light-colored dress, suddenly collapse to her knees. Her expression was stiff, and her face was abnormally pale-white.

nOoo!

nIn all the dream fragments, an ice-cold wind howled.

nLumian “saw” Aurore standing up on the orange roof, her expression dazed as she gazed into the sky, as if sensing something.

nShe opened her mouth and spoke almost instinctively.

nLumian didn’t know the corresponding language, but he had heard something similar before.

nIt was the language used by Armored Shadow Chen Tu, a language that Franca occasionally uttered a word or two of!

nAlthough he couldn’t understand, Lumian vaguely grasped what his sister was talking about, perhaps due to the connection between them at the soul level.

nShe muttered to herself, “An immortal blessed my crown, bestowing upon me the gift of eternal life.

nIn the dream fragment where Devajo was, the light-colored lady’s hat, which had unconsciously fallen to her knees, suddenly flew off.

nOn her neck, the backs of her hands, and the surface of her face, pores opened one by one, producing white feathers tainted with faint yellow stains.

nDevajo observed this scene with a solemn expression. He didn’t attempt to interrupt his companion’s abnormality and instead took a few cautious steps back.

nHe couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Although he hadn’t sensed any malice directed at him, he prudently distanced himself from the anomaly.

nThe lady in the light-colored dress’s azure eyes had lost focus, appearing abnormally vacant and lifeless.

nIn the blink of an eye, the white feathers, tainted with light-

nyellow oil stains, seemed to possess a consciousness and life of their own. They frantically emerged from the gaps in the fabric of the dress.

nWithin moments, the lady in the light-colored dress was enveloped by white feathers tainted with light-yellow oil stains.

nHer body grew light and gradually floated, becoming increasingly illusory.

nHer azure eyes fixed on Devajo as she shouted in a hollow and agitated voice, “I’ve become a god! I’ve achieved immortality!”

nThe white-feathered monster hovered above the black ancient tomb, incessantly shouting, “I’ve become a god! I’ve achieved immortality!”

nIn another dream fragment, Lumian heard Aurore change her words.

nWith a fearful expression, she whispered, “Immortal Ascension…”

nIn the next instant, the ethereal monster, covered in white feathers, flew towards the black ancient tomb in the dream fragment.

nShe passed through the stone wall on the tomb’s surface and vanished.

nSuddenly, the frigid wind ceased, freezing.

nThe black ancient tomb shook visibly, and the tomb door, outlined by hair-like cracks, emitted the sound of dull rubbing, as if someone was trying to push it open from within.

nAurore, “in front” of Lumian and the “surrounding” Cordu began to fade, as if erased by an eraser.

nLumian glanced at the slowly opening tomb door and turned to “Hisoka” Twanaku, who was in another dream fragment.

nThe dream projection wasn’t surprised by the abnormality, nor did he show any fear. Instead, the silent gravekeepers around him rose to their feet.

nAmidst the illusory sound of water, the tomb door of the black ancient tomb opened completely.

nAccompanied by this change, all the dream fragments that appeared in the blur seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, fusing together.

nDevajo, Reaza, Iveljsta, Hisoka Twanaku, and the gravekeepers materialized in front of the black ancient tomb, near Lumian and the others.

n“Hisoka” Twanaku smiled, as if he had anticipated that one of the outsiders would transform into a “god” and that the ancient tomb’s door would open at this very moment.

nHe retrieved a golden mask from his black robe.

nThe mask appeared to be crafted from pure gold, its eyes and face smeared with white and black paint, giving it an unsettling appearance.

nTwanaku donned the golden mask and, unlike the other gravekeepers, didn’t retreat. Instead, he sprinted towards the black ancient tomb and the open tomb door.

nThud! Thud! Thud!

nLumian heard a distinct heartbeat.

nIt emanated from within the black ancient tomb.

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