Chapter 610: The Void
The Justice League Debates
At the Justice League Headquarters, after months of rapid construction, the spacious hall now possessed a certain grandeur.
The overall layout of the headquarters was circular. The central part housed the Conference Room and the Data Center. The Living Quarters, Laboratories, Armory, Training Grounds, Archives, and Development Department were arranged clockwise from left to right.
The Living Quarters took up the largest area, nearly a quarter of the space, ensuring everyone had a private bedroom.
Barry was the first to move in, with J'onn following soon after. The others were still observing.
Today marked the fourth full meeting since the Justice League was formed. Luke recounted the story of the Age of Gods and the Council of Eternity in detail. When he finished, everyone was unsettled.
"There are really Gods in the world?"
Luke corrected them. "They weren't gods; they were merely special lifeforms with powerful abilities who, for some reason, were called gods."
J'onn sighed. "I never imagined the ancient Earth held so many secrets."
Linda asked curiously, "Are those gods still alive?"
"They're all dead."
"How did they die?"
Luke shrugged. "I'd like to know, too."
Clark hesitated. "I have a strange feeling about this."
"You suspect it's a trap."
Clark nodded, his expression serious. "That wizard, Shazam, has been in the Rock of Eternity for thousands of years. He clearly had the ability to leave, select a suitable successor, and even establish a new Council of Eternity. But he didn't. He lived there alone, only choosing a successor when his life was nearly over. Don't you think something is wrong here?"
Luke was stunned. Focusing on getting the Rock of Eternity, he had overlooked such an important point.
Diana also frowned heavily and couldn't help but say,
"Could the Rock of Eternity be suppressing something?"
At those words, everyone's face instantly changed. Luke felt a throbbing ache. Thinking about it, that was the only logical explanation. No wonder the old man agreed so readily—he was trying to unload a burden.
Barry whispered, "Should we reconsider?"
The atmosphere grew silent.
Everyone was weighing the feasibility of the whole endeavor. Undoubtedly, the Rock of Eternity was an unparalleled base: vast, fully equipped, and perfectly secretive. Obtaining it would eliminate the Justice League's worries. The problem was that the place was far more complicated than it seemed.
After a moment of silence, Luke slowly said,
"Regardless of the outcome, we have to try. Even if there is a monster, we need to know what it is."
Clark said firmly, "I agree with Luke."
The others exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
The Three-Part Challenge
Moments later, in the Council Main Hall of the Rock of Eternity.
Six fully armored individuals appeared. Luke stepped forward.
"We meet again, Mister Wizard."
The old man looked up, carefully observing the six. When he saw Clark and Barry, his eyes brightened; those two possessed pure hearts and could both have been successors.
A pity. It was too late.
While the old man observed them, the team observed him: a frail, extremely old man, holding a staff, wearing a tight suit with a yellow lightning bolt, and a heartbeat so faint it was barely detectable.
Barry whispered, "Is he dying?"
Diana raised her index finger in a gesture for silence.
Luke said seriously, "We agree to your two conditions. When do we start?"
"Anytime."
"Then let's start now. We're ready."
"The Colosseum is on the Third Layer. You know the location. After defeating all the monsters, you will receive a prompt. As for the Fourth Layer..." He paused, looking meaningfully at Luke.
"Are you sure you want to enter?"
Luke chuckled. "Can you give me a hint?"
The old man shook his head. "It is a constantly changing void. No matter which way you walk, you will return to your starting point. To get out, you must rely on your own ingenuity."
"In my era, countless wise men and gods entered the Fourth Layer, but only five emerged. Young man, are you sure you want to go in?"
"Since I agreed, I won't back out. Besides, you wouldn't dare keep me trapped there forever."
The old man smiled helplessly. He truly wouldn't dare trap Luke inside. He then used magic to summon a dark, swirling vortex.
"This is the portal to the Fourth Layer. I give you two days. If you fail..."
Luke said firmly, "If we fail, we leave and won't return." He then looked at Diana and the others. "The Colosseum is up to you. Remember, keep your guard up."
"We understand. You be careful, too."
Luke nodded. He, Barry, and Linda stepped into the portal. After a moment of dizzying weightlessness, the three arrived in a place filled with grey mist.
Trapped in the Void
Their visibility was limited to only thirty or forty meters. Even Linda, with her superior vision, couldn't see the distance.
Luke signaled to Linda, who covered her mouth and shouted in one direction. The sound wave rolled forward, but after a long wait, there was no echo.
It really is a void!
Luke knelt down and touched the ground. The temperature was around thirty degrees Celsius. It didn't feel like rock, yet it was incredibly hard.
He clenched his fist and struck the ground forcefully.
Bang!
A dent appeared on the surface.
Luke watched impassively. Slowly, as time passed, the dent began to heal. After about thirty seconds, it returned to its original state.
"What kind of magic is this?"
Luke shook his head. "I don't think it's magic."
"Ava, are the communication devices working?"
"Signal transmission is impossible."
"It seems we have to use the most primitive method."
Luke pulled out a coil of silk thread he had prepared beforehand. One end was tied to Linda, and the other to Barry. The three walked in separate directions. The thread continuously stretched, and the distance between them grew.
Fifty meters, one hundred meters, five hundred meters, two thousand meters...
The number on the screen kept increasing, but when it reached ten thousand meters, it suddenly stopped. Luke frowned slightly and looked back. The taut thread lay on the ground. Broken? Or...
After two seconds of silence, Luke began to reel the thread back in.
The number decreased. When it reached seven thousand meters, the thread became taut. Linda and Barry, on the other end, understood what had happened. Without hesitation, they continued walking according to their pre-arranged plan.
The number began to increase again, going from fast to slow, eventually stopping at eleven kilometers.
Luke's face instantly changed. This place was not only a distortion of vector (direction) but also of space and time.
Everything around them was constantly adjusting. Up, down, left, right, east, west, north, south—no matter where they walked, the rules of this space caused them to lose all direction.
Luke, refusing to give up, decided to try one more time.
This time, he did not reel in the thread. He chose a direction and strode forward. After about fifteen minutes, two figures appeared ahead. It wasn't Barry and Linda, but Hawkman, Carter Hall, and the Ancient Egyptian Priest, Hasshett.
The two looked like they had just been in a fierce battle; blood was still flowing from their wounds.
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