Returning to the Mysterious Era-Chapter 650 - The Final Secret Of The Southern Dipper And Calamity

Chapter 650 - The Final Secret Of The Southern Dipper And Calamity

The Lotak mining area lay amid the mountains. Deep underground, an oval colossus was traveling at an unimaginable speed. The dense, compacted soil around it offered no hindrance. The ground seemed less like a solid and more like a slightly viscous liquid.

The behemoth threading its way through the earth was little different from a submarine gliding through the sea. The Miracle Garden, a legendary creation, was a relic left by the ancient Ao Yin civilization. Its form was archaic and rough, made of a material that seemed like marble.

It bore a style reminiscent of ancient Rome, touched with the solemn air of a temple. The immense structure was bathed in a glowing dense mist that ceaselessly parted the soil around it.

The Miracle Garden had always seemed to be pursuing something. At times, it would appear in two different places separated by thousands of kilometers in the Northern Reef Continent within a single day.

However, for reasons unknown, the Miracle Garden was currently trapped within the Lotak mining area. Perhaps it had something to do with the area's abundant metal veins, but it was more likely that deeper factors were at play.

After all, such a mysterious ancient creation that had traversed continental plates for millennia could hardly be stopped by mere metal veins. The original owner of the legendary antique had lacked both strength and vision, and likely died without ever grasping the truth of the Miracle Garden.

As per his lingering attachment, the Gate Organization had used the blood sacrifices of soldiers from both sides of the war to trap the Miracle Garden within the Lotak mining area. From what Cassius had just heard, the Gate Organization's true target seemed to be an ultimate seal within the Miracle Garden.

Thus, out of caution, he decided to first scout out the Miracle Garden. Anything connected to the Ao Yin civilization was never simple. In fact, Cassius was intrigued. Perhaps something within would prove helpful.

A black figure plummeted rapidly through the sky over the Lotak mining area. He descended like a heavy meteor yet landed impossibly lightly, not even leaving a footprint.

Cassius stood amid the desolate valleys with the wind drifting past his ears. He lowered his gaze expressionlessly, piercing the thick layers of earth to sense what lay below. The next moment, Cassius suddenly stamped down savagely with one foot.

Bam!

Explosive energy poured downward like a raging river, blasting straight through the surface. Holy Fist Qi roared, pulverizing any rocks that stood in its path. Dense cracks snaked out like tentacles across the narrow valley, even spreading toward the mountains.

A huge vertical tunnel appeared at the web's center. Sunlight lit only the upper dozen meters or so of the tunnel, and no one could tell how deep it stretched.

Rumble...

Suddenly, an echo that sounded like a subway train rang out from within. It sounded as though some giant thing were about to arrive.

Cassius waited a moment beside the dark tunnel, then stepped forward. Scarlet Qi wreathed his body like a blazing flame as he streaked downward, lighting the smooth tunnel walls along the way.

Whoosh! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A crimson blur flashed past, accelerating in the tunnel. At the same time, the rumble from the depths grew louder. At last, a behemoth within the tunnel squeezed out of the soil, revealing its rugged tip.

In the same instant, a fiery red meteor slammed into it.

Boom!!!

The commotion was like Mars colliding with Earth. A searing pillar of fire burst out of the earth, then blossomed into a rapidly swelling tree of flame. A second later, the soil rippled outward, venting the excess energy. A nearby peak was shoved askew by the collision.

Underground, the rock around the collision had become molten magma under the blistering heat and pressure. The vast cavity left by the blast was lined with crystalline, translucent quartz, as splendid as a gem.

Rumble.

The colossus surged forward, smashing the thick quartz layer and plunging back into the earth. It continued to accelerate little by little toward its intended course.

A figure leaped out from the searing magma, hovering in the cavity's center. Cassius's sleeves were torn into ragged strips, clearly showing how violent the impact had been.

"What terrifying defense. Even under my explosive power, it didn't suffer the slightest damage."

Cassius could feel that the Miracle Garden was protected by a mysterious and mighty force that even he could hardly break. Furthermore, whether it was an illusion or not, he kept feeling a certain familiarity in that energy.

Of course, it was more unfamiliar than known. It was something he had never truly encountered.

"Could the Miracle Garden be related to the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance?"

The contents of the Devil's Book rose in his mind as his figure flickered. A black shadow continued to pursue the Miracle Garden. If the Miracle Garden were moving at full speed, Cassius would have likely failed to catch it.

However, it was only gradually regaining speed after their collision so it gave him an opening. A minute later, Cassius once more roused his Qi to block the Miracle Garden's way. He meant to force it to a halt and observe the situation.

As expected, a second collision occurred.

Cassius unleashed his Golem strength, clamping down on the Miracle Garden with mountainous arms. Yet the Golem quickly fell behind in their contest of impact and strength. At first, he could force a moment's pause. However, within seconds, he was being pushed back, then came another burst of acceleration.

The Miracle Garden shoved the Golem's body along, advancing underground with an unstoppable, brute momentum. It seemed like a planet that was running along its fixed orbit. No obstacle could block its path.

Once certain of this, Cassius stopped fixating on stopping it and began searching for the Miracle Garden's entrance. According to the legendary antique owner's memory, a soldier had once strayed into the Miracle Garden, though he was quickly repelled.

Thus, Cassius was shoved along by the Miracle Garden, his powerful body braced at the front. Where soil came, he tore through. Where rock came, he smashed through. He even crushed a good half of a vein.

The Miracle Garden's special energy let it merge into soil like sugar dissolving in water, with little resistance as it went. But Cassius, in contrast, plowed straight through, carving an entire tunnel with his flesh.

Still, such endurance had value. Just as his back was near smoking from the impact, he finally sensed a gap in the Miracle Garden.

He lunged for it at once.

Boom!

It was as if the sea surged straight at him. Rich, heavy, and mystery energy frenziedly repelled the outsider. Cassius felt as though his whole body were wrapped in glue. The more energy he gathered to push in, the stronger the repulsive force he met.

When Cassius ignited all his strength, he finally overcame the repulsion and forced his way through the entrance.

Cassius entered the Miracle Garden with a soft pop. The place was like a Holy Fist's Qi World. It was a realm unique to itself.

A complex of ancient ruins quickly drew Cassius's attention. He strode to investigate without hesitation, only to find the ambient repulsion in the air still present. He had to remain in a powered up state at all times to move within the Miracle Garden.

Unfortunately, such a state clearly could not be sustained for long. He instantly realized the Miracle Garden's suppressive force seemed to adapt to the entrant's strength. A normal soldier who had stumbled in would likely have faced repulsion matching his own limits.

Time was tight. Cassius had no leisure for thought. He headed straight for the ruins and immediately saw what the antique owner's memory had described. There were murals from some ancient civilization and star maps. It was like the ancient Roman colosseum.

Various hidden messages emerged within the vast, open circular structure. First were the murals. Numerous sculptures of religious gods seemingly recounted a chapter of the Ao Yin civilization's history.

Nothing in the murals was known or familiar to Cassius, so he quickly turned his gaze to the star maps. Round dots on the building's walls each stood for a star in the sky which formed a pattern when connected.

He found many patterns unfamiliar, yet they seemed to form shapes with special meaning.

Soon his eyes locked onto something. He had found the three Southern Dipper star patterns!

Cygnus, Star Python, Giant Falcon... A total of one hundred and ninety-eight stars!

"This is..."

He faintly guessed something and looked around again. Sure enough, a chart with seventy-seven stars appeared.

It was a very clear, straightforward cross—the Southern Cross.

Cassius's breath hitched. His eyes swept the entire area again.

"Could it be that this whole set of charts is all..."

"The Southern Dipper constellations!"

Ever since learning the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance and training in the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist, Cassius had thought the term "Southern Dipper" meant all the stars in the southern region but now, it seemed otherwise.

The term "Southern Dipper" appeared to denote constellations or stars with special power! Among all these Southern Dipper constellations, the Cygnus, Star Python, and Giant Falcon constellations were the closest, with especially mutual influences and mysterious fluctuations.

Cassius could not help but imagine whether the three Holy Fists who created the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance had been moved by such influences. Did they gaze up at the stars and, feeling the three great Southern Dipper constellations' mystic power, realize the Southern Dipper Fist techniques from that foundation?

Of course, that was only a conjecture and not necessarily correct.

"There also seem to be others besides the three great Southern Dipper constellations... yet they do not appear in this world's sky. Is their light too dim? Or is there some other reason...?"

Since he trained in the Southern Dipper Covert Martial Inheritance, Cassius had studied the southern region stars. These particular constellations seemed absent in that region.

"The Ao Yin civilization must hold far more hidden information."

He scrutinized his surroundings more closely. At last, his gaze halted before one star map. This one had a clear difference. The circular dots for stars were lit, occupying two-thirds of the map. It seemed that the entire map would be illuminated over time.

What exactly did that mean? No one knew.

Regardless, Cassius took special note and kept it in mind. He then turned to the statues in the Miracle Garden. The statues were only human-sized, resembling terrifying monsters that seemed unfamiliar to Cassius.

However, as his gaze swept on, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

Wasn't that... Star Horn God that he had slain with his own hands! As his eyes moved, Seranar King, Weeping Demon, and Golden Might emerged in turn. These were clearly statues of Ultimate Dark Forms.

Cassius realized something at once and looked around the structure. There were over a hundred neatly arrayed statues!

His breath hitched, but he immediately sensed something amiss. His Will had peered across the World of Calamity through the Well of Sin. Back then, there was nowhere near this many Ultimate Dark Forms!

There were only a third or a quarter of the statues before him. Where had the others gone? Had they fallen over the long standoff with the human side?

Cassius didn't think so. If there had been so many Ultimate Dark Forms, the surface world would have fallen long ago. It was more likely that these Ultimate Dark Forms had yet to appear. When the time arrived, they would be born from the darkness and take shape as Ultimate Dark Forms. It was perhaps an ancient, perennial concept of calamity.

Then, he had an even more chilling thought. These Ultimate Dark Forms might indeed have all appeared, just not in this world!

Cassius had never forgotten that calamity was an invading external force. So where had they existed before the invasion? Unknowingly, a corner of the world's deepest hidden curtain had been lifted.

Two of Cassius's greatest concerns, the origin of calamity and the Southern Dipper, seemed concealed within the Miracle Garden.

"I must find it..."

Cassius could feel the importance of the Miracle Garden. He planned to take all actions henceforth around it.

However, moments later, the Miracle Garden's repulsion squeezed him out. Even for Cassius, it was impossible to sustain a fully powered-up state for long. That meant he needed another way to get into the Miracle Garden. As it happened, the Gate Organization seemed to have worked toward that for some time...

At the critical moment, he would appear and pluck the final fruit of victory. Cassius felt like he was trying on another's wedding clothes. The groom in question was none other than the Gate Organization.

Boom, boom, boom, boom... Crack!

A black figure burst from the Lotak mining area and flew off like a bird.

While the mantis stalks the cicada, the bird waits behind...