Chapter 621: The Secret of the Rock of Eternity (1)
A Necessary Alliance
The appearance of Black Adam forced the three who were planning to leave to stop.
Diana asked uncertainly, "Are we really going to join him?"
J'onn glanced at the barrier and nodded helplessly.
"For now, it looks like we have no choice."
As they spoke, the sculptures in the Colosseum had fully come to life: nine Demons of various forms, four two-winged Angels, two four-winged Angels, and one Six-Winged Angel radiating endless white light.
Energy tides continuously washed outwards.
The Colosseum was clearly divided by the combatants, forming two distinct worlds: one dark and fervent, the other bright and holy.
Diana had hoped the two sides would attack each other. Unfortunately, the awakened Angels and Demons didn't fight among themselves but instead focused their attention on the four heroes, their eyes filled with interwoven hatred and fury.
It was clear that, compared to the previous unlucky combatants, these beings were more conscious and understood their current predicament well.
Teth-Adam charged ahead, surrounded by blazing white lightning. He shoved his hands forward, and a lightning bolt as thick as a man's wrist tore through the air, piercing one Demon's body before hitting the barrier behind.
This strike ignited the entire Colosseum.
The Demons roared. A crocodile-like Demon punched the ground. Cracks spread outward from his fist, and the dirt melted, turning into glowing red lava under the influence of magic. The winged Demons dove into the lava like fish. The river of molten rock surged.
Boom!
The river exploded, and dozens of Hell Hounds made of fire and stone rushed out, their eyes fixed on the heroes.
The largest Demon tore off the bone armor on its body. Its limbs stretched, and its body began to swell, instantly transforming from a three-meter-tall Demon into a behemoth ten meters high.
The enormous body was covered in scales and seemed to possess infinite power.
The Angels on the other side were equally formidable. The seven Angels formed a pyramid, with the Six-Winged Angel floating at the apex. It clasped its hands and prayed to the void. Milky-white light descended from the heavens, boosting the power of the Angels bathed in it several times over.
The environment seemed to split into two: a River of Lava below and a Sea of Light above.
J'onn twitched his mouth upon witnessing the scene.
"If Luke were here, he'd be thrilled."
"Definitely. He loves collecting strange and unusual things the most."
Diana drew her longsword, whispering,
"How do we fight this?"
"It's best to split into two groups. One deals with the Demons, the other takes on the Angels."
Clark stepped forward. "I'll team up with Teth-Adam. I don't trust that man."
Martian Manhunter and Diana exchanged a look. Diana added,
"Be careful. Watch your back."
Clark nodded. He stepped into the River of Lava, ignoring the surrounding heat, and charged toward the Demons. Diana and Martian Manhunter flew into the sky, heading straight for the Six-Winged Angel.
The Void's Secret
The Rock of Eternity, Fifth Layer.
After hundreds of tests, Luke had thoroughly mapped out the total area of the Void. It was neither huge nor tiny, measuring about five miles in radius. Finding a single door within a five-kilometer area was undoubtedly difficult.
However, he had already found the secret.
Pattern implies cycle. If there's a starting point, there must be a focal point.
The spatial flow within the Void belonged to an unstable, linearly arranged function. It switched formulas periodically, but the cycle was long. To grasp the full scope would require prolonged exploration, which Luke couldn't afford, so he had to find a shortcut.
No matter how the space changed, the final destination was the absolute center of the Void. So, where was the starting point?
According to the Singularity Principle, any phenomenon with a pattern is a process of repetition and circulation. The starting point and the end point are intrinsically linked, possessing a constant and close connection.
The space of the Void continually folds and contracts toward the center. Where there is compression, there must be release. In other words, the folded space at the center diffuses outwards in a way invisible to the naked eye, forming a complete internal cycle.
This was the same principle governing the operation of the universe.
Realizing this, Luke returned to his original position, observing his surroundings repeatedly. Then, he suddenly attacked. To the astonishment of Carter Hall (Hawkman) and Hasshett, he knocked them both unconscious.
Barry asked in confusion,
"Boss, what are you doing?"
"They can't see what happens next," Luke shook his head. His soul separated from his body. Golden flames, seemingly solid, erupted from his eyes, as if trying to pierce the void.
In his soul state, he could see information invisible to the naked eye, such as the energy lines permeating the area and the ripples created by the folding space.
Though faint, he could still discern a pattern if he looked closely.
"Wait here."
Luke's soul changed from solid to ethereal, sinking into the ground and vanishing.
Barry turned to Linda, asking, "Did you understand those characters?"
The girl scowled.
"What do you think?"
Barry sighed ruefully. "I wish I'd gone to the Colosseum."
"I wanted to go too."
"Is it still too late?"
"You tell me."
"Probably too late."
The two exchanged glances and sighed in unison.
Superheroes had their pride, but in exploring the Void, they had been reduced to mere props, utterly crushed in terms of knowledge and intelligence.
Just then, the ground shook. The next second, a shocking scene unfolded.
The air twisted, forming a spiral, rope-like vortex. The ground bucked up and down like a stormy sea, occasionally throwing up earth waves several meters high. The earth surged, the air warped, and everything vibrated. From a distance, it looked like a giant's hand was trying to crush this world.
"What's happening?"
"What's going on?"
Barry's face changed drastically. Seeing Carter Hall and Hasshett about to be swallowed by the vortex, he quickly pulled them out.
The tremor lasted for over ten seconds before returning to calm. Luke flew out from underground and merged back with his body.
"Get ready. We're leaving."
Linda frowned. "Did you cause that tremor?"
"It was just a test. I didn't expect it to actually work."
Barry chimed in. "Boss, did you find the exit?"
Luke shook his head. He punched the ground, and green flames surged out, transforming into a wicked dragon that violently shattered countless rocks.
A large pit, five meters deep, appeared in the ground.
"You mean the exit was under our feet all along?"
"No. It's just a space node. There are at least three hundred similar spots."
"What's a space node?"
"You can think of it as the skeleton supporting the operation of the Void."
"Can we use it to get out?"
"We can't leave, but we can find the secret of the Rock of Eternity. With luck, we might even encounter some Gods who managed to survive."
Luke's mouth twitched, his expression somewhat strange. He clenched his right fist and struck again.
Boom!
The fire dragon roared, tearing open the floor, which was as hard as steel, leaving a bottomless circular hole.
"They'll stay here. The rest of you follow me."
Luke leaped into the hole. Barry and Linda followed closely. When they reached a depth of thirteen meters, Luke suddenly stopped. Golden light erupted from his hands, which he inserted into the air, pulling outward with force.
Screeching sounds echoed in the darkness, sounding unnervingly strange.
Linda watched, utterly confused about what Luke was doing. Soon after, a sucking sensation came from ahead. The air split open, revealing a patch of black light.
Before the three could react, they were swallowed by the black light.
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