Chapter 277: The Ascendant Ritual
Compared to the murals inside the tomb, the ones here were damaged and mottled, most too blurred to tell what they depicted. Yet the brushwork was clearly more delicate and exquisite, the colors leaning toward somber tones. With Zhou Ning's current level of archaeology, he still could not determine their timeline.
Even so, the few relatively well-preserved murals were enough to reveal their subject matter.
The central figure was unmistakably Alfred, the Elf King, whose body had grown immense and whose appearance had returned to youthful vigor. Sometimes he stood atop a high platform, sometimes he sat upon a throne, bathed in light, majestic and solemn. The backdrop showed a magnificent elven city-state with tens of thousands of elf subjects.
Within that city-state, the murals emphasized seven buildings slowly being constructed, encircling the central Elf Palace from all directions. Their style looked plain and unadorned, seemingly ordinary—yet each dome was set with a dazzling crystal.
When the buildings were complete, Alfred stood atop a high tower within the Elf Palace. Beside him was a silver alchemical array already carved into the mural. What chilled Zhou Ning to the core was the final painting: countless elf subjects suddenly exhaled black smoke from above their heads, which the seven buildings absorbed. The smoke converged at the top of the palace into a downward-pouring black pillar of light. In that instant, the elves transformed into the same black wraiths made of pure shadow Zhou Ning had seen before—those that now filled the mirrors, haunted the tomb, and prowled the ruins outside. The entire image was twisted and frenzied, sending Zhou Ning's gaze darting across the wall as his heartbeat surged and goosebumps rose along his spine.
Molly had been studying the damaged murals as well. After a long silence, she finally spoke:
"Seven altars for siphoning life energy… this looks very much like an Ascendant Ritual. I once read about it in the Grand Library of the Sun Cathedral. Through certain occult rites, one can sacrifice a vast number of lives simultaneously to elevate their own rank of existence. The effect depends on the number and quality of the sacrifices. It is considered one of the most reliable methods for a demigod to ascend to godhood. It seems Alfred either failed or only half-succeeded. Otherwise, even if the gods themselves had intervened, the once-glorious Ancient Elven Kingdom could not have collapsed so suddenly."
Ascendant Ritual…
Zhou Ning nodded silently, his body trembling despite himself. Molly's reasoning was sound. It also explained why so many black wraiths existed.
But the scene in the murals looked strangely familiar. Where had he seen those buildings before? Yes—Darkland!
Could it be that the Life Alchemy Society and the Curse God Cult were trying to recreate the same event in Darkland?!
Zhou Ning shivered, unwilling to believe the thought that had surfaced in his mind.
Darkland was the All-Cities Capital of the Apocalypse World, a super-metropolis of over ten million people, and a hub of the extraordinary. If anything happened there, the casualties would be catastrophic.
Of course, a similar scene alone didn't prove anything. It might just be his own overthinking. He would have to investigate carefully once he returned to Darkland.
Unknowingly, he had begun to faintly piece together threads of the Curse God Cult and the Life Alchemy Society's conspiracy. Their enemies might be even stronger than he had imagined—possibly including two, even three, ancient elven powerhouses.
Zhou Ning drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled, spending a long time steadying himself. Forcing his eyes away from the murals, he turned his focus to the surroundings. The place resembled the interior of a ruined temple, with four windows opening to the outside. Looking out, he saw nothing but mist, as though he stood above the clouds.
That exit was intriguing.
His gaze fixed on a near-rotten wooden door not far away. He stepped forward and pushed it open.
Beyond lay the same mist-shrouded world.
It felt as though he were standing amidst a sea of clouds. Below his feet was a spiral staircase descending downward into the cloud-sea. Using his Observation Haki, he could faintly make out the ruined elven structures below. A stone bridge extended from the temple across the clouds, leading to other parts of the complex.
He instinctively looked upward. He was very close to the dome. In the sky, there was no sun, only scattered blinding light streaming down from the clouds.
Everything before him left him awestruck. It was easy to connect this scene to what he had once glimpsed in Damian's ordinary mirror: at the horizon, a staircase spiraling upward into the distance, leading into the depths of the cloud-sea, with faintly visible, vast, and complex architecture at its summit.
Clearly, this was the same place. He was inside the mirror world itself, within the cloud-sea, in that architectural complex.
Then his next step was simple: follow the staircase downward, find Damian's ordinary mirror, and use it to leave.
Without hesitation, Zhou Ning descended the spiral staircase. Beside him loomed colossal ruins that reached skyward—tier upon tier of shattered towers and walls, dizzying in their scale, yet without an obvious way in.
He kept going. With his agility, his pace was more than swift, yet after nearly six hours of descent, he still hadn't reached the bottom. At times, black wraiths wandered the stairway, weak in rank but fiercely aggressive, attacking on sight. Zhou Ning's rule was simple: dodge if possible, kill swiftly if not. Along the way, he had already accumulated nearly 200,000 experience.
After almost ten hours, the ground finally came into view. Below lay vast elven ruins, patrolled by countless shadows, as though guarding them.
Wait… what was that?
Zhou Ning frowned, peering toward the deeper ruins. Far in the distance stood intact structures—a small town, it seemed. Its most striking feature was a white marble elven tower, at the center of which stood a statue of the Elven Goddess.
[System: You have discovered a hidden map: Lost Ancestral Land of the Ancient Elves. Gained 20,000 EXP.]
[You have fulfilled the hidden condition to activate Damian's Ordinary Mirror.]
[Hidden Map Exploration: Tomb of the Ancient Elf King: 1/1]
[Hidden Map Exploration: Lost Ancestral Land of the Ancient Elves: 1/1]
[Damian's Ordinary Mirror has unlocked a new ability: Mirror Leap.]
In that instant, Zhou Ning felt his connection with Damian's ordinary mirror deepen. He could faintly sense its location—near the white tower.
…
Meanwhile, in the ancient city ruins, the northern pirate Richie Burke and his sailors had pitched a tent, waiting anxiously.
It had been over two days since that damned man had entered the mirror, and he still hadn't returned. Outrageous.
"Boss, should we leave? We've wasted too much time here. Aaron Ingersoll is probably almost here by now. Don't forget his Myrny Rooster can fly—it's much faster than us," a nearby fire mage whispered.
"No, we'll wait. Better safe than sorry. Remember, that man said if we ran, he'd turn us into bounties. Even if he can't get out now, can you guarantee we won't run into him later? Don't forget—we've survived this long not by strength, but by caution, caution, and more caution." Richie Burke sounded weary.
And he meant it. He had seen Wayne Sturwell's power and strange abilities. Opposing such a man brought no benefit—better to resign himself for now.
Besides, his followers were peculiar too. Leaving aside their perverse obsession with even snatching Pygmy underpants, he had seen two of them clearly die under pygmy attacks during a recent fight, only to reappear minutes later, alive and laughing. Who knew how terrifying undying adventurers truly were?
"Boss Richie, got any new quests for us?" As he was lost in thought, the player called XB sidled up with a grin.
Quests. Damn quests again! Who the hell had the time to hand out quests?! Richie Burke cursed inwardly. In just two days, these players had already driven him mad, pestering him for quests every few minutes.