Chapter 622: The Secret of the Rock of Eternity (2)
The Grand Hall of Divine Power
After being swallowed by the black light, the three found themselves in a constantly undulating dark space. The area was filled with large and small vortices. Upon focusing, they could vaguely see a bizarre world that was perpetually contracting and segmenting.
"Stay close to me."
Luke beckoned to the two, flying towards the largest vortex. He plunged straight in. After a sensation of everything spinning wildly, they emerged into a hall filled with light.
The hall was constructed of black stone blocks and had no furniture or decorations. Looking up, they saw a ceiling that looked like the night sky full of stars.
Hundreds of luminous orbs, like stars, floated above them. They varied in size and were connected to each other by golden threads, forming a three-dimensional structure resembling a massive polymer.
Linda was dumbfounded.
"What are these? Is this a starry sky?"
Barry was curious. He reached out to touch a nearby orb. The moment his fingertip made contact, a powerful jolt of electricity surged through him, making his entire body convulse.
Luke carefully sensed the conditions inside the orbs.
Each orb emitted a different energy signature. Some were as hot as the sun, others as cold as a glacier. In addition to energy, they contained faint traces of soul essence.
"Interesting," Luke smiled faintly. He walked up to a red-glowing orb and extended his right hand, which was wrapped in green flames.
"Boss, be careful!"
"It's fine. It can't harm me."
His palm touched the orb.
Boom!
Flames erupted from inside the orb, resisting the green flames. Luke let out a cold snort. The green flames intensified several times, pushing back the resistance to touch the soul fluctuation hidden within.
Hephaestus?
One of the twelve Olympian chief Gods, the God of Fire and Blacksmiths!
The soul within the orb was his residual essence.
Luke looked thoughtful and moved to other orbs:
Artemis, Olympian Pantheon, Goddess of the Hunt, the legendary huntress.Tefnut, Egyptian Ennead system, Goddess of Moisture.Osiris, Egyptian Ennead system, God of Agriculture.Garuda, Ancient Indian Brahma Pantheon, a Bodhisattva figure.Fuzhou, Eastern Celestial Court, Venerable of Penglai....
The hundreds of orbs represented the original power of different deities. Each contained a trace of their residual soul essence. The orbs were interconnected, using the Gods' power as a foundation to form an incredibly vast magical array.
This magical array was the energy source of the Rock of Eternity. It was what sustained this space. The reason Shazam could infuse the Power of the Six Gods into others was largely due to these orbs, which contained the Gods' original essence.
Linda asked curiously,
"What are these light things?"
Luke shook his head slightly, offering no further explanation. He walked along the hall. When he reached the end, a door appeared.
He pushed the door open. Unsurprisingly, the outside was the Second Layer of the Rock of Eternity—the Infinite Corridor.
"We're out!"
Barry was surprised and delighted. "Boss, we did it! You're incredible."
Linda looked at the door behind them. Driven by curiosity, she twisted the doorknob again. What appeared before her was not the hall filled with orbs, but a mountain range covered in ice and snow.
"..."
She closed the door and opened it again. The ice mountain had turned into a desert.
The girl tried ten more times, not believing her eyes. Each time was different: rivers, high mountains, dense forests, tribes, cities, and strange species she had never seen before.
The world outside the door was unimaginable.
The two were astonished, their eyes wide as saucers.
"Luke, what kind of magic is this?"
"You can think of it as a random teleportation gate."
Teleportation gate?
The girl was even more confused. "A teleportation gate requires energy to maintain, but this one doesn't! No energy, yet it connects different worlds. It's truly amazing!"
Linda was full of wonder. She couldn't resist pushing the door open again. What greeted her was a pair of massive, blood-dripping jaws. She screamed, Ah!, and quickly slammed the door shut.
Luke shook his head speechlessly. He stepped out of the passage and followed the spiral staircase to the First Layer Hall.
Compared to before, the hall looked much emptier. The seven Demon statues were gone, the stone table was shattered, and the crystal sphere on top had vanished. The floor was pitted and covered in debris.
"Something's wrong."
The three realized something was amiss and quickly searched. Shazam was nowhere to be seen in the hall. The adjacent bedrooms and side rooms were also empty.
Barry frowned. "Did he run away?"
"Probably not," Linda added. "There are signs of a fight in the hall."
"He couldn't have been captured, could he? He's a Wizard with the Power of the Six Gods!"
"That's not impossible. Don't forget his physical condition."
"What do we do now? Without the Wizard, even if we meet the conditions, we won't get the Rock of Eternity."
Luke's face was grim. He faintly sensed what had happened. He turned and left the hall, following the tower to the Third Layer Colosseum. The Colosseum was obscured by the light barrier, making it impossible to see inside, though they could feel the energy impacts occasionally bursting forth.
Luke stepped into the barrier, but the next second, he reappeared at his original position.
Barry and Linda tried as well, with the same result: their left foot stepped in, their right foot stepped out, but no matter what they did, they returned to the starting point.
The barrier not only isolated the Colosseum but also isolated it from the entire world.
The atmosphere grew silent.
Without Shazam, they couldn't enter the Colosseum, didn't know what was happening inside, and, even more frustratingly, couldn't claim the Rock of Eternity even if they cleared the tests.
Luke lowered his head, carefully piecing together the events.
Based on the current situation, Shazam must have been kidnapped. Who did it? The bald doctor, Sivana? Or Barbara Minerva, scavenging in the armory?
No, it shouldn't be them.
Luke's thoughts shifted. He walked towards the Graveyard. Upon arrival, he immediately saw the open entrance to the Sealing Ground.
Following the entrance down, he reached the chamber. The sarcophagus was open, and there was no corpse inside.
Indeed!
Fate was truly bizarre. He had sternly warned Sivana, even threatening death, yet the man still broke the seal on Black Adam.
With Black Adam unleashed, everything made sense.
Barry asked curiously, "Who was the person written about on the murals?"
"Teth-Adam, a very dangerous individual."
"Let's go. We need to head back."
"Where to?"
"Philadelphia, to find a boy named Billy Batson."
Billy Batson: The Awkward Hero
Philadelphia, behind Fawcett Middle School.
The disabled boy, Freddy, and a tall, strongly built man in a lightning-bolt-adorned jumpsuit walked into an alley known for frequent robberies.
Ordinarily, Freddy would never visit a place like this, but today was different—he had a bodyguard.
"Billy, it's up to you."
"Absolutely no problem."
The big guy patted his chest, looking very calm.
"Are you really sure?"
"Relax, it's fine."
"But your legs are shaking."
The big guy corrected him testily, "They're not shaking, they're exercising. This is how all superheroes train."
Freddy opened his mouth.
"How about we try another day?"
"That's what you said! I'm not scared."
Before his voice faded, the big guy turned to leave. Freddy followed behind, utterly exasperated. As they reached the exit, the big guy suddenly stopped.
"On second thought, I think it would be better to try it out."
Freddy: "..."
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