Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 445: Rule Barrier

Even from below, the impact of the structure, forged from Sea Heart Iron and other magic metals, could be deeply felt.

The bottom was equally smooth and intact, emanating a powerful energy field with almost no apparent weaknesses or gaps.

Duke placed his hand on the outer wall of the underground vault and could distinctly perceive the flow of energy within.

It was also clear that the outer walls of this vault were indeed made of Sea Heart Iron.

Duke then began to slowly absorb the Sea Heart Iron within the outer wall using the Yellow Sand Crystal, at an extremely gradual pace.

He intentionally controlled the speed to avoid any rapid changes that might alert the people above.

As he absorbed, he observed and noticed no significant changes in the underground vault.

The absorption process of the Yellow Sand Crystal was extraordinarily wondrous, not achieved through some kind of magic, but more like a physical form of absorption.

For this underground vault, it was as if the erosion process of the outer wall was accelerated.

Normally, a structure made of magic metal would take many years to show significant erosion.

But now, the Yellow Sand Crystal achieved a similar effect, with the outer wall of the underground vault gradually thinning before Duke’s eyes.

Time silently slipped away in the quiet underground.

Duke, like a craftsman of utmost patience, controlled the Yellow Sand Crystal to nibble away at the indestructible Sea Heart Iron wall bit by bit.

This process was extremely slow and required full concentration, with not a moment of impatience, as any rapid absorption could alert the wizards attempting to crack the main gate above.

Finally, after his persistent efforts, a small irregular hole, just wide enough for a person to barely pass through, appeared quietly at the deepest part of the vault’s outer wall, its edges glinting faintly with metallic luster.

On the other side of the hole, it was extremely dim, with only a few Sea Heart Iron giving off a slight glow, accompanied by a clearer and more intense, peculiar energy aura filling the air.

Suppressing the excitement within, Duke refrained from entering immediately.

First, he cautiously scanned the inside of the hole repeatedly with his spiritual power, ensuring there were no triggered defense magic arrays or energy traps, before carefully slipping through the back door he had created, like a fish swimming gracefully.

The instant he entered, he immediately felt a lightness about him, as the enormous pressure from the earth vanished abruptly.

He found himself in an exceedingly vast but unusually empty underground space.

Here was clearly the lowest layer of the underground vault.

Contrary to the imagined scene of mountains of gold and silver and magic items shining brightly, this layer was exceptionally plain, even simplistic.

The floor and walls, still made from that cold, faintly glowing Sea Heart Iron, formed a perfect gigantic cubic space, with a height of dozens of meters and sides possibly exceeding a hundred meters, appearing incredibly vast and desolate.

The air was cold and dry, suffused with an ancient, sealed atmosphere, yet contained an astonishingly pure energy that sent shivers down the spine.

And at the absolute center of this gigantic space, there was only a single, solitary, seemingly naturally formed grayish-white stone platform.

The platform wasn’t high and had a simple, even somewhat rough appearance, looking oddly out of place amidst the precise and solid Sea Heart Iron surroundings.

Atop the platform, there was nothing else but an ordinary-looking small wooden box.

The box was about a foot square, made of some kind of ordinary dark wood, with no extravagant carvings or decorations on the surface, only the natural wood grain left by time.

It lay there quietly, as if merely a forgotten common item.

However, all of Duke’s intuitions and spiritual perceptions were frantically telling him that the entire vault’s defenses on every level, this massive metallic structure buried deep underground, and possibly the accumulated defenses of Ash City’s rulers over many generations, were ultimately guarding the core, which was likely this seemingly ordinary small wooden box before him.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly approached the stone platform.

The closer he got, the stronger the invisible energy field became.

About ten meters from the stone platform, he suddenly stopped.

An unseen yet palpably real absolute barrier blocked his path.

This barrier was not made of energy, at least not any form of energy Duke understood.

It was more like a rule, a conceptual prohibition against approaching.

Duke tried various methods; whether attempting to remotely control the box or penetrate it with spiritual power, everything was futile against the invisible rule barrier, like a stone sinking into the sea, having no effect.

He couldn’t even clearly perceive what was inside the box, only vaguely sensing an unimaginable, highly restrained immense power, along with a hint of an indescribable ancient and vast aura.

Duke frowned, having painstakingly infiltrated to this point, only to be stuck at the final step.

He also didn’t have much time to slowly consider how to solve the situation, as the wizards above were still researching.

These wizards were knowledgeable, and the main gate wouldn’t hinder them for long, leaving Duke little time.

Just when he was at a loss, a thought crossed his mind.

"Perhaps only she can break through this level of restriction."

Without further hesitation, Duke took a few steps back, retreating from the range of the rule barrier’s influence, then slowly closed his eyes.

Instead of mobilizing his own magic power, he used a unique method to activate the messenger contract deep in his mind.

His spiritual power, along the invisible lines of that contract, traversed indescribable spaces and dimensional boundaries, sending out a clear call, filled with a sense of request.

He didn’t have to wait long.

Almost instantly, the space before Duke silently twisted.

It was not a tear, not a break, but as if reality itself was gently stroked by an invisible hand, naturally yielding an area.

A darkness denser than the deepest midnight spread from the warped space, rapidly forming a shape.

The first to appear was a pair of flawless jade feet in black high heels, lightly touching the Sea Heart Iron floor without making any sound.

Immediately after, her long, straight legs and impressive figure, wrapped in an elegant, gothic-style black dress, emerged one by one.

Lastly, there was a face that could captivate all beings, yet carried a non-human majesty and a chilling allure.

Silver-white hair cascaded like a waterfall, with its ends slightly curled.

Crimson eyes, like the purest rubies, brimmed with endless wisdom, detachment, and a hint of mockery toward all things in the world.

On her head were elegant, curved black horns, and behind her was a pair of folded, ominous, and powerfully aura-ed black wings.