The Creators: From Night City

Page 367

The moment Jiang Bing followed Rasma onto the central platform, the incessantly blowing cold wind strangely subsided, replaced by three extremely sharp gazes fixed upon him.

Chapter 754 Assimilation Begins

The gaze is drawn to the three stone barbarian sculptures.

From left to right, they are Corrick, wielding a long-handled spear and axe; Madok, wielding two battle axes; and Taric, wielding a sword and shield. Compared to Jiang Bing's memory, their images in reality are more vivid, more majestic, and more oppressive.

These three are the final line of defense leading to the Worldstone Fortress, three barbarian ancestral spirits who have awakened the Nephalem bloodline.

They willingly gave up their lives, merging with the entire Mount Arreat, in exchange for eternally guarding the entrance to the Worldstone.

At the summit of Mount Arreat, they will receive the power from the entire mountain range, making them fearless of most magic, tireless, and rendering human wave tactics ineffective against them.

The moment the two stepped onto the mountaintop, the three powerful barbarians began to awaken from their slumber, and the stone sculptures began to come to life.

The heroic spirits are gradually recovering.

Until Rasmar pulled out the ancestral relic.

This is a small wooden totem, engraved with dense, ancient patterns.

In the center of the square was a stone altar. When Rasma placed the totem in his hand on it, the sharp gaze that made people's eyebrows twitch gradually began to dissipate.

“Let’s go,” Rasmar said, leading Jiang Bing into the Worldstone Fortress at the rear.

Despite being called a fortress, there were actually no soldiers stationed here. The barbarians were all gathered inside Harrogath Fortress, and for those who could pass the Trials of the Ancestors, the presence of soldiers inside the fortress was of little use.

Moreover, this fortress was built solely to house the Worldstone; neither Heaven nor Hell would allow humanity to trespass upon it for long.

The two walked through the magnificent World Stone Hall, passed through the back courtyard, went deep underground, and arrived at the World Stone Chamber.

The Worldstone is actually sealed inside Mount Arreat. Although it is known as the 'Eye of Anu', it is not small in size.

In the center of the world stone hollowed out from the mountain's belly is a suspended stone bridge. In the very center of the space is a long, blood-red cylinder that is hundreds of meters high and more than ten meters thick.

"The Worldstone, the source of creation in Sanctuary." Rasmar gazed at the blood-red stone, overwhelmed with mixed emotions. His eyes held nostalgia, disgust, anger, and sorrow... but not greed.

“Now it’s your turn, Sabur,” Rasma said, removing his hood to reveal his true face.

Before Jiang Bing could reply, he leaned on his staff and walked outside.

Emerald light emanated from his eyes, gradually spreading to his entire body, while Rasmar's aura surged upwards relentlessly as he advanced.

The area around the Worldstone is filled with warning magic set up by angels and demons. The moment Jiang Bing touches the Worldstone, Heaven and Hell will sense it, and Rasmar will be the last barrier between them.

No one knows how long the process of assimilating the Worldstone will take, so he needs to break his own seal and let the power of the first Nephalem return to the world.

As a beneficiary of the existing system, Jiang Bing remained silent. At this point, there was no room for change in the plan. Moreover, it was clearly in his own interest. It was not in Boss Jiang's nature to refuse food that was offered to him.

Thus, he simultaneously liberated his original nature.

A golden flame suddenly ignited, and as Jiang Bing stepped forward, the entire world of stones was filled with a play of light and shadow, interwoven with gold and emerald green.

Countless defensive arrays were melted in the ethereal flames. As his palm gently touched the slightly rotating Worldstone, which seemed to still be breathing, all beings in Heaven, Hell, and even the entire Sanctuary felt it in an instant.

The golden flames rapidly penetrated and assimilated the World Stone. The high-dimensional interaction caused Jiang Bing's earthly form to gradually become unable to withstand it and begin to crack.

Above the summit of Mount Arreat, a colossal vortex was gradually forming, as if space itself was shattering. In the shadows, a great being, radiating endless light and heat, descended upon the world from behind a veil, unleashing His power.

Endless ethereal flames transformed into a waterfall, dripping from the end of the sky like a stream of fire poured from the sea of ​​stars, flowing into Mount Arreat.

The entire sky above the Sanctuary is being madly dyed golden from this point, spreading in all directions.

This is the most direct manifestation of the World Stone being assimilated by the [Founders].

Chaos had already broken out inside Harrogath Fortress. With such an unusual phenomenon hanging high in the sky, no one could hide the fact that the Worldstone Fortress had been invaded.

“By Burkaso, Lord Rasmar, what exactly are you planning to do?” Nilasek stood frozen in front of his hut, gazing at the waterfall in the sky, his heart filled with worry.

"Hurry! Organize the troops, fully armed, and follow me to the summit of Mount Arreat to eliminate the invaders!" Despite his full head of white hair, Quarkek was still robust and strong. As an elder of the Shadowwolf tribe and the leader of Harrogath's armed forces, he fully fulfilled his duties and led the vanguard to the summit of Mount Arreat.

Meanwhile, Heaven and Hell, outside of Sanctuary, have also mobilized their forces and are rushing to Sanctuary. However, due to the power of the Star Dragon, they are unable to break through the barrier of Sanctuary for the time being.

"Anya, this is not a place for you!" In the second batch of expeditions, a female barbarian with loose black hair was stopped by the leader of the Thunder Tribe elder.

The barbarian warriors, who had already assembled, set off one after another. Beside the crowd, a female barbarian named Anya tried to break free from her father's obstruction.

“I want to fight too, Father. I am now a qualified shaman priest, and the Thunder Tribe needs me.”

"Don't be reckless, Anya. As long as I'm here, it's not your turn to go to the battlefield. You must stay inside the fortress."

However, the old barbarian underestimated the young man's pursuit of honor and achievement. Not long after he set off, the young shaman joined the third group of people rushing to the summit of Mount Arreat.

But things were stranger than Anya had imagined.

Bloodstained Hills, Frozen Highlands, Glacier Trails, Frozen Tundra, all the way to the Ancestral Path leading to the summit of Mount Arreat, no battles broke out along the way, nor were there any signs of demonic invasion.

She did not see any invaders until she joined the main force in front of the plaza atop Mount Arreat, where she had met the first two groups of barbarians.

Quarkek bowed respectfully to the three ancestors, while several barbarian elders were busy casting spells to communicate with the barbarian spirits.

The scene quickly led everyone to the conclusion that "the ancestors' trials were bypassed by the invaders."

Chapter 755 Burkaso's Admonition

The answer soon became clear: "Someone stole the ancestral relics."

"There is a traitor among us!" The shaman of the Giant Bear tribe, Kex, looked at the elders with a solemn expression.

“Now is not the time to dwell on this,” Quarkek said decisively. “We must eliminate the invaders to the Worldstone Fortress and protect the Worldstone.”

Once the shamans had appeased the spirits of the three ancestors, the most elite group of barbarians were selected to lead the charge into the Worldstone Fortress.

But the silence along the way was still eerily profound.

Until they arrived at the Worldstone Temple.

The spacious Worldstone Hall easily accommodated dozens of them, while at the far end of the hall, in front of the throne that once belonged to Bul-Kathos, a figure stood with his back to the group.

"who are you?"

Rasmar turned around in response to the barbarian's question.

He had now returned to his peak condition.

Magical energy rose like wisps of smoke, and a rich aura of necromancy permeated the entire Worldstone Hall.

"My name is Rasmar, the first Nephalem, one of the progenitors of mankind."

There were no fancy skill-based battles; with just a gentle tap of the sword, countless ghosts appeared around him.

Arreat is the sacred mountain of the barbarians, the resting place of the souls of their countless ancestors, and Rathma is most skilled at communicating with the dead.

"Evil scoundrel, your vicious words cannot sway our minds. Surrender!"

Along with the threat came the flying axes from Quarkek.

However, the giant axe, which was whipping with a strong wind, was blocked by a shield of white bones and could not advance an inch.

Rasmar had no interest in replying to the other party's words. He raised his staff high and slammed it heavily on the ground, directly prying open the boundary between life and death, allowing those shadowy souls to briefly come to the mortal world.

Among these spirits, one figure stood out so tall that everyone couldn't help but turn their gaze to him.

"Our ancestors are above!" a barbarian exclaimed.

As a barbarian race whose ancestral culture prevails, Bul-Kathos's image is found almost everywhere in the Land of Dread and Mount Arreat, and few barbarians are unaware of his appearance.

“Rasmar, I never thought I’d see you again.” Bulkaso’s voice was like the roughest rocks on the summit of Mount Arreat rubbing against each other.

Even Rasmar found it slightly difficult to allow such a powerful being to cross the barrier between life and death.

"I'm only going to such lengths because of you. The future of the barbarian tribes is in your hands, Bul-Kathos. Whether you can persuade them to withdraw from the Arreat Plateau and avoid the upcoming war with the demons is up to you."

“By Bul-Kathos, necromancer, your blasphemous act of desecrating the spirits of our ancestors will surely be punished.”

"Enough!" The barbarian's trench warfare skill might have originated from Bul-Kathos's loud voice; his roar silenced the entire battlefield.

Rasmar extended his other hand from under his cloak, holding none other than the 'Solemn Oath'.

"It's up to you," the necromancer said.

The two-handed greatsword-style blade, held by Bul-Kathos, was indeed as suitable as a one-handed sword for an ordinary person.

"Facts speak louder than words. Any doubts or questions can be answered in battle." Looking at his offspring, Bul-Kathos chose the most direct and simplest way of persuading among barbarians.

Let's have a fight.

Of course, he was taking on a whole group of opponents single-handedly.

Fighting against ancestors, or even beings who are suspected to be ancestors, is an invitation that no barbarian can refuse.

The battle erupted suddenly.

Bulkaso was like a bison on the cold tundra, charging straight into the crowd with unparalleled force.

The attack from Quarkek's battle axe was easily blocked by his arm, while the Solemn Oath, which was aimed at the opponent's neck, was deflected halfway and slammed into Quarkek's chest with its side, sending him flying.

"Too reckless. We need to conserve our energy for a more appropriate response."

Meanwhile, another elder of the giant bear tribe, carrying a giant spiked club on his shoulder, delivered a powerful, overwhelming leaping slash to Bul-Kathos.

There was no attempt to dodge.

Or rather, Burkaso never dodges.

The solemn oath struck the side of the spiked club with a heavy blow. The attack was deflected amidst the clang of metal on metal. The burly elder, who was as big as a giant bear, could not hold the weapon and the spiked club almost slipped from his hand.

But soon, the spiked club was firmly grasped by a large hand and snatched away by Bul-Kathos before the elders of the Giant Bear tribe could react.

"You still need to practice, kid. Your skills are quite good, but you're so weak that you can't even hold a weapon properly."

Suddenly, gusts of air surged through the previously somber hall, the air currents created by the barbarian progenitor as he wielded his weapon.

The two giant weapons roared as Bul-Kathos swept through the crowd like a tornado, laughing wildly as he parried all the weapons that were slashing at him and launched an incredibly fierce counterattack.

Frenzied swings, powerful strikes, and whirlwind slashes seem to be integrated into Bul-Kathos's fighting style. His combat style is devoid of any frills, featuring only simplicity, efficiency, and hard-hitting clashes.

An elite warrior from the Serpent Clan thrust out his spear, but he deflected the cunning attack with the blade of his sword.

The moment the spear was pulled back, Bulkaso simply tucked it under his arm.

"Too slow, lacking strength. Seizing an opening isn't about waiting for the enemy to swing their sword, but about watching their footsteps."

Following Bul-Kathos's instructions, he swung the spear back in the opposite direction, and his large foot slammed into the chest of the barbarian who had been pulled back, sending him flying off the battlefield.

The battlefield gradually turned into a training ground.

As the barbarians' cries of pain continued to rise, only Bul-Kathos's reprimanding voice gradually remained in the Worldstone Hall.

"With sword and shield, the sword should be the primary weapon. Don't just think about defense with the shield; use it for offense." A barbarian wielding a sword and shield had his defensive stance easily broken by Bul-Kathos and was also kicked out of the circle.

"Whirlwind Slash doesn't have to be fast, but it must be continuous and fluid!" He inserted the solemn oath into the barbarian's attack, which was constantly spinning and wielding his weapon, easily cutting off the barbarian's continuous spinning stance.

The same treatment was given to the barbarian, who was kicked out of the circle.

"Strike with both hands on your waist, not your arms. Also, heavier weapons aren't always better." A barbarian specializing in dual-wielding weapons was pushed out of the circle.

"Giant warriors are all about rhythm, and pressure is key." Another barbarian skilled in two-handed weapons is eliminated.

"Has the technique of wild slashing developed to this level? There are indeed talented people among the later generations. However, your skills are not yet up to par. Remember to make use of your opponent's recoil."

"Don't make the spinning slash too wide, and don't blindly pursue power and expose your weaknesses."

"Who told you to use a jumping slash like that? It puts your weight on top of it."

"Charging forward is not about going to your death; you need to save your strength to change direction."

"Eat more. You're so weak, you don't even have the strength to wield a knife."

Bul-Kathos's approach to dealing with these barbarians was like a game-changer, since the martial arts tradition of the entire barbarian race basically originated from him, and the battle tactics that evolved in later generations all followed his lineage.

To him, the martial arts skills of these offspring were riddled with flaws, like a sieve, and he could easily find a bunch of fatal weaknesses.

To show off one's skills in front of Guan Yu is nothing more than this.

Chapter 756 The Glory of the Holy Feather

For barbarians, physical confrontation is the most effective means of persuasion.

By the time Burkaso had knocked all the burly men to the ground, the persuasion was already more than halfway done.

Then Anya witnessed a bizarre scene.