The Creators: From Night City

Page 366

"This...this is?" Kanai clearly recognized the origin of the weapon in Rasma's hand, but for some reason, he couldn't believe it.

The bone cage collapsed with a roar, and Rasmar handed the knife to the barbarian without hesitation.

Kanai simply gazed at the heavy battle blade, and a sense of blood connection arose spontaneously within him.

The barbarian received the blade with trembling hands, but the moment Rasmar let go, the barbarian swayed and nearly fell to the ground from the immense weight.

“A solemn oath,” Rasma whispered.

"It seems you know what this is."

“Of course,” the barbarian said respectfully, holding the weapon with both hands. He carefully examined every wound on the blade and every inch of blood that had seeped into the metal.

“Every barbarian knows that the blood of Bul-Kathos warriors flows in their veins, symbolizing not only the source of our strength but also the key to maintaining the unity and honor of all tribes.”

"And every barbarian also remembers that our ancestors solemnly swore an oath atop Mount Arreat, risking their lives for the survival of the Sanctuary."

"The Immortal King Bul-Kathos once fought bravely with two swords in hand. His figure, wielding the swords, swept everything like a storm, unstoppable in his path. One sword was a solemn oath, which he gave to a friend after a great war, before he was to remain forever atop Mount Arreat, as a farewell token to clarify his will. The other sword, the blood of a warrior, was kept in Harrogath Fortress as a spiritual totem for all barbarians, a bond of blood."

“All of this was recorded in the murals on Mount Aret, and I don’t think I’m mistaken.”

Kanai's expression was so fervent, it was as if he were on a pilgrimage.

"Why do you possess the weapons of the Immortal King?"

"Could it be that Bulkaso gave it to you? You yourself said that he gave this blade to a friend." Jiang Bing rolled his eyes and said.

"This...this is impossible." Kanai's worldview was clearly in turmoil, and his perception was going through a rollercoaster.

After all, the War of Original Sin was a thousand years ago, and the people and events of that time seem like myths to people today.

"Where is the Pandora's Box, Kanai? This matter truly concerns the survival of Sanctuary," Rasma continued, her purpose clear.

Chapter 752 Refusing a toast means having to drink a forfeit

Kanai ultimately chose to trust the two, but the degree of trust was limited.

“I can tell that this is the divine weapon of the Immortal King, and his will is embodied in this weapon. But I do not trust you. The cunning of the demons keeps me awake day and night. I have no way of verifying whether you are truly for the safety of Sanctuary.”

It turns out there's a reason why the barbarians were chosen to guard the Worldstone for generations; their minds are as hard as their spines, and even Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, couldn't easily deceive them.

"So what do you want?" Jiang Bing was starting to get a little irritated.

"Let me follow you. Time will tell. Whether you are the devil's minions or not will be proven by the power of time."

Jiang Bing would definitely argue with anyone who said that barbarians are all brawn and no brains. Although these muscle-bound barbarians are brainless, they can use their muscles to replace thinking, and their thinking is quite reasonable.

“We have no time. Kanai, Heaven and Hell are stirring and could return at any moment,” Rasma emphasized.

In reality, the situation was even more serious than he described. The complete annihilation of the Lord of Pain was a devastating blow to Hell. Diablo, one of the three Prime Evils, did not rest for a moment after freeing his brother Baal. He returned to the Burning Hell through the Hell Gates established by Mephisto in Travincal to gather a large army, preparing to launch a forced attack on Sanctuary and eliminate Jiang Bing, the culprit.

They have everything ready except to destroy the world barrier formed by the World Stone.

Heaven moves in tandem with Hell. While it hasn't affected humanity yet, once they discover Rasma's plans, Imperius will probably just bungee jump off Heaven and give him a stab.

"Or you may go to the summit of Mount Arreat and let the spirits of your ancestors testify to your purity."

Jiang Bing thought this option was worth considering, but Rasma remained silent with a gloomy face.

“I admire your stubbornness, Kanai, but time is not on our side. For Burkaso’s sake, I gave you a chance.”

A verdant light emanated from Rasmar's palm, and to Jiang Bing's astonishment, he directly withdrew the barbarian's soul.

Amidst the opponent's painful howls, Rasmar quickly located the spot where the opponent had hidden the 'magic box' within a few breaths.

The weakened soul was stuffed back into the other's body by this necromancer, and the powerful warrior, who could rank among the top in the entire Sescheron, fell into a sweet sleep without any ability to resist.

"Will he wake up?" Jiang Bing asked, clicking his tongue.

"Of course, but don't even think about hunting Yetis this winter."

Rasmar didn't even leave the door; he simply flicked his cloak, opening a path to the realm of the dead, and led Jiang Bing straight to their destination.

They both arrived at Sescheron in the same way.

Kanai hid the magic box in the Elder's Temple in this city. To be honest, this answer did not surprise Jiang Bing at all.

After all, this is the safest place in the whole city.

When the two returned to the mortal world from the realm of the dead, they were standing at the entrance of the Elder's Temple.

They faced the guards' sharp spears.

Without Jiang Bing even lifting a finger, Rasmar, at full power, merely swept his gaze across the area and unleashed a powerful curse of aging. Dozens of 'little giants' collapsed to the ground, their backs and knees aching like 40-year-old men being overly exploited by their wives.

The boots clattered as they stepped onto the stone steps, but wave after wave of attacking guards were easily dispatched by Rasmar, who was firing at full power.

The alarm bells rang throughout Sescheron, and thick bone walls rose from the ground, completely surrounding the passageways of the Elder's Temple and keeping the pursuers at bay.

“We need to hurry.” Rasma’s eyes were bright green, shining dazzlingly.

The thick stone doors of the Elder Temple didn't even last a second before shattering into countless tiny stones. The barbarians inside, who were waiting in full battle array, couldn't even finish a full Whirlwind Slash before their bodies were filled with curses and then they were firmly fixed in bone prisons.

Even the two most powerful barbarian elders only exchanged a few blows with him before being struck with more than a dozen curses. Then, he used a giant blood puppet summoned from the realm of the dead to hold them in his arms and perform a "strongman lock-on" technique, imprisoning them in solidified flesh and blood.

As the administrative court of Sescheron, the Elder's Temple was still decorated in a very simple way. A few sturdy wooden chairs were paired with a long table, and a dozen grease lamps illuminated the space. A large number of paper documents were placed on the table, indicating that they were having a meeting when the two men stormed the security.

On the high platform deep inside, there was a thick stone throne, which was originally the seat of the chief of the Giant Bear tribe, but the thick layer of dust on it showed that the seat had been vacant for a long time.

"The magic box is here." Rasmar turned his staff around, tapped it lightly on the ground, and summoned a magical nova from beneath his feet. It swept in all directions and successfully found a sealed magic circle on the north side of the throne.

After the magic nova broke the invisibility spell, a stone platform appeared at any moment. Surrounded by powerful energy, a cube the size of a human head was constantly rotating on the altar.

"Is this the magic box?" Jiang Bing stepped forward to examine it closely, only to find that the magic circle was more robust than he had imagined; it was connected to the entire ley lines of Sescheron.

“That’s right, it’s yours now,” Rasmar said, making the decision for Jotun Kuller on the spot.

What else could Jiang Bing say? He could only extend his sinister claws and press them against the shield against the surging magical turbulence. Golden flames burst forth, melting the powerful shield in just a few seconds, and he snatched this powerful artifact that Horadrim both loved and hated.

Golden flames, like mercury spilling onto the ground, seeped into every crevice, beginning to penetrate the interior of the magic box.

Rasmar didn't even glance at this artifact, which was enough to ignite a war in the outside world. He waved his hand and tore open a passage to the realm of the dead, signaling Jiang Bing to follow.

In his eyes, this thing was a strange and ingenious trick, and it wouldn't be of much use in resisting the corruption of the demons of heaven.

However, this thing had a completely different meaning in the hands of Jiang Bing, the 'craftsman'.

It is no exaggeration to say that this small magic box contains at least 40% of the extraordinary knowledge of the entire Sanctuary.

For the 'craftsmen' who possess the [Ether Furnace], knowledge is power.

Until the two arrived near Harrogath Fortress atop Mount Arreat and settled in a cave on the frozen highlands, Jiang Bingdu remained completely absorbed in the ocean of knowledge.

“The time has come for you to fulfill your promise, Sabur. Ahead lies the fortress where the Worldstone is kept.” Rasmar gazed at the towering walls of Harrogath Fortress, his eyes filled with mixed emotions.

Chapter 753 Rasmar is still putting in the effort

Jiang Bing also sensed an indescribable surge of immense energy deep within the fortress ahead, while a vast amount of power of rules appeared in his eyes, originating from the depths of the fortress like a spider web and extending towards the entire sanctuary.

The source of creation lies ahead.

Jiang Bing turned to the necromancer who was leaning on his staff and staring at the fortress, and asked, "How do you plan to get the two of us to the Worldstone? Will you just charge in like you did before?"

"The entire fortress is imbued with a massive amount of protective magic from angels and demons, while inside the fortress are the elite warriors of the entire barbarian race. At the entrance to the Worldstone Temple, the spirits of three barbarian ancestors eternally guard the entrance to the Worldstone."

“They’re tough to deal with, Sabur.”

This powerful Nephalem repeated his words for the first time to emphasize the credibility of the facts: "They are really tough to deal with. There are almost no beings in Sanctuary who can defeat those three barbarian heroes head-on on the summit of Mount Arreat."

It seems that what makes Rasmar so unforgettable is that he probably experienced it firsthand.

"So what are you going to do?"

Rasmar was confident that "waiting for someone to come" was a well-thought-out plan.

Waiting is an agonizing experience, especially on a snowy night.

Just as the two were speechless, a dark figure approached the cave through the wind and snow.

Of course, the visitor was not the person the two were waiting for, but the original owner of the cave, a great snow monster.

This thing looks like a gorilla from 'Ascension Steroid Planet', and its overall shape resembles a polar bear and a chimpanzee who got drunk and made a mistake on the frozen tundra. It has white fur and its wrists extend past its knees. Judging from its proportions alone, it's a good candidate for dance.

But the future dance artist was furious at that moment; after all, anyone who came home from hunting and found their home had been stolen would feel the same way.

It threw the barbarian corpse, which it hadn't finished eating, into the cave. The frozen corpse collided with the rock wall, splattering specks of blood that caught Jiang Bing's attention.

This beast, weighing several tons and standing over eight feet tall, was extremely enraged.

joke!

It does want to rush into the cave and wreak havoc, but it also needs to consider what kind of people the two people inside are.

When Nilasek braved the freezing wind and snow to enter the cave, he saw a sight he would never forget.

His mentor, Lord Rasmar, was sitting beside a golden campfire that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, reaching out with great interest to poke at the leaping flames. Deeper into the cave, a huge Yeti was hanging from the cave ceiling with its hands bound, being beaten like a punching bag.

The Jiamusi Big Kick, Qiqihar Front Kick, Harbin Straight Punch, Qitaihe Electric Cannon, and Shuangyashan Whip Kick took turns attacking, beating the big snow monster until it was bruised and swollen, its mouth and eyes crooked, and it looked like it was about to get fat.

When the real culprit arrived, Jiang Bingcai finally stopped his warm-up exercises and ended the life of the Great Snow Monster with a Northeast-style slap.

“Nilasek, elder of the Crane Clan,” Rasma introduced to Jiang Bing.

"Lord Rasmar, why did the plan change midway?" Nilasek asked hastily, disregarding formalities.

Compared to most barbarians, Nilasek looked more like a frail old man, hunched over, wearing a black and white robe, and appearing somewhat weak and frail.

"Because there is a better way," Rasma patiently explained to the other party.

“Listen, Nilasek, we need that relic now.”

"But isn't that prepared for the demon lords of hell?" Nilasek asked, his face full of confusion.

"Without it, how can we destroy the Worldstone and complete the entire plan, Lord Rasmar?"

“We have a better way, Nilasek,” Rasma emphasized again.

In the end, the gaunt old man accepted Rasmar's plan. The two did not talk much, and Nihlathak directly took out the ancestral relic that could bypass the ancestral trial on the summit of Mount Arreat and directly reach the depths of the Chaos Fortress.

As they climbed the path towards the summit of Mount Arreat, Jiang Bing finally couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "That barbarian from earlier?"

“He is indeed part of the plan.” Rasmar moved forward unhurriedly, his cloak seemingly made of pure energy, which even the fiercest winds could not budge.

“A hundred years ago, he was not an elder of the Crane Clan, but just a barbarian traveling abroad. By chance, he came into contact with the Way of Balance and became a necromancer.” Rasma calmly stated the plan he had been laying out for a hundred years.

"In the original plan, he was a crucial link, concerning whether the demon could corrupt the Worldstone."

"But wouldn't stealing the ancestral artifact come at a terrible price for him?" Jiang Bing countered.

"Moreover, he made a deal with the Demon King of Hell. He will surely be branded a traitor and go to his grave."

Rasma did not stop.

“There are always sacrifices in war, Sabur, Nilasek and I know this very well.”

Rasmar turned to Jiang Bing again and emphasized, "After all, without this sacred relic, the Demon King of Hell would probably not have been able to pass the trial of the barbarian ancestors before Heaven could react, and the Corruption of the World Stone would have been out of the question."

"Therefore, some sacrifices must be made."

Jiang Bing understood that Rasma was right.

Neither of them was slow on their feet. What ordinary people would consider a dead end was a smooth road under their feet. In the time it took to talk, the two of them had already crossed the snow line.

Sunlight shines directly on the mountaintop, turning the majestic Mount Arreat golden.

At the summit was a flat plaza, where the massive statue of Burkaso was clearly visible to the two men.

He was indeed a powerfully built warrior, with a tough and rugged appearance.

Reaching this point marks the end of our journey.

Heaven and hell were left behind by the two; what awaited them was a final shudder.

Even a jewelry exhibition, where the worldly valuable jewels are displayed in protective measures such as explosion-proof glass cases and vibration/tilt sensors, would naturally have corresponding security measures for something as precious as the World Stone, a creation of the world.

Trials of the Barbarian Ancestors.

The plaza atop Mount Arreat isn't very large, and compared to the howling snow and wind below, it's exceptionally tranquil.

The two walked up the rough stone steps, followed the road through an archway carved from rough rock, and stepped into the unusually quiet square.

This is the sacrificial site where our ancestors were tested.

Twelve totems carved with various patterns surround the square, and a rich magic permeates every inch of the space.