Chapter 4231: Opening the Door
The divine rune patterns in the projection continuously shifted, displaying all sorts of living beings. Among the creatures woven from these patterns were three types: some that Lin Moyu had seen and recognized, some that he had never seen before, and a third kind that he had encountered only in passing but whose names he did not know.
The nascent beings in these rune images encompassed all worlds, ranging from the tiny like ants and beetles to enormous beasts, as well as a great variety of cultivators.
Within the projection, the Heavenly Void Tower rotated slowly without pause. The eight doors constantly changed their images.
"These are all the living beings throughout the entire domain."
Lin Moyu suddenly realized that the patterns displayed on the eight doors of the Heavenly Void Tower were not illusions, but depictions of the myriad living beings nurtured by the many worlds of the domain without a single omission, all manifested through divine runes, vivid and lifelike.
To stand for a time before the Heavenly Void Tower would be to witness all the lifeforms that existed in the entire domain. It was simply incomprehensible.
What he was seeing now was only a projection; if he truly stood before the doors themselves, the experience might be even more stunning.
As he studied the projection and worked to decipher the divine runes, Lin Moyu also reflected. These projections were so realistic, and since they could be used directly to unlock the doors, it was clear they were not ordinary images. It must have been some technique from the master of the Heavenly Void Palace, connecting the projection and the real doors directly.
Time passed, second by second. Lin Moyu became absorbed in the process never before had he seen such a display and transformation of divine runes. Proficient in divine runes himself, he found them deeply fascinating.
Now, he was not just seeking to break open the doors, but to understand the subtle mysteries hidden within these divine runes. He had the feeling that only by thoroughly grasping the many profound principles within the runes and achieving mastery could he discover a way to enter the ninth floor and finally solve all the riddles.
The Tree Sovereign waited patiently, having existed here for countless years it no longer remembered what it was to feel anxious.
In the sky above, the Ferry of Tribulation floated, radiating a dim oppressive aura. The butler, on the other end, hid within the power of the Dao. They were both waiting for Lin Moyu to open the door, hoping to follow him in.
Both had entered the Heavenly Void Tower before, but each had only reached the second level. They must know something of what was contained within the tower and now wanted to go back in, aiming to get even higher.
Fatty Girl had said the butler had come many times, but, as far as she knew, the Kunlun Emperor had not returned. In reality, after escaping the Heavenly Void Palace with the Ferry of Tribulation, the Kunlun Emperor had used the ferry to return multiple times only, during those times, Fatty Girl had not been aware.
Lin Moyu had now sorted out his thinking and had also considered whether or not to let them enter with him. According to the master of the Heavenly Void Palace's intentions, if several people entered at the same time, conflict would be inevitable no one wants others to accompany them in, especially the one who had opened the way, as no one wants to be taken advantage of.
But Lin Moyu intended to do the opposite. He did not want to stop the Kunlun Emperor or the butler; as long as they were willing to pay a price, he would permit them through. As for what price, Lin Moyu already had something in mind. His reason for making this decision was that he refused to act according to the designs of the Heavenly Void Palace master.
Time ticked by, and for ten days Lin Moyu sat completely motionless.
Fatty Girl was so bored that she curled up at the side and fell fast asleep, as she couldn't make sense of the runes at all and would rather sleep.
After ten days, Lin Moyu finally acted. He placed his finger on the projection and, passing through it, appeared before the gate of the Heavenly Void Tower.
His fingertip glowed slightly using his soul force as ink, he drew out one divine rune after another.
The runes floated in the air, accompanied by crisp crackling sounds as they split apart on the spot.
Though the runes appeared torn, they still remained faintly connected broken but not severed, and still able to function.
More and more runes split, only to rejoin and recombine into what appeared a chaotic yet distinctly organized rune.
This rune, dizzyingly complicated and almost like mysterious script, in fact now constituted a formation.
The rune shone with light and then flew into one of the tower's doors, fitting precisely into a missing space in the pattern upon the door.
Boom!
The Heavenly Void Tower burst with radiance that shot straight into the clouds, the ground shaking and rumbling continuously, as if in celebration of Lin Moyu's accomplishment.
The Tree Sovereign murmured, "Not bad, only ten days to open the first door. You are much faster than those two others."
Lin Moyu asked, "How long did it take them?"
The Tree Sovereign replied, "The one inside the Ferry of Tribulation took ninety nine years, the other took ninety five."
Both took nearly a century, while Lin Moyu had only used a handful of days. The difference was enormous.
As the radiance faded, the Heavenly Void Tower returned to calm one of the eight doors was now fully open, seven remained.
From the open door, the divine runes flowed like water into the adjacent door. That door shimmered with a faint light, its runes rapidly becoming still more intricate, making the task even harder.
Meanwhile, the other six doors dimmed, as if falling into slumber.
Suddenly, Lin Moyu realized that he would have to open that specific next door in order to continue, and only after that could he try to open the rest.
This too was a rule set by the master of the Heavenly Void Palace: the first door could be any, but from the second onward, they must be opened in order, and each door's difficulty would increase beyond the last not simply by a multiple, but drastically. There was no brute forcing the later doors by sheer time; if you couldn't figure it out, then no matter how long you tried, you wouldn't succeed.
No wonder the Kunlun Emperor and the butler had each only opened two doors the first one took them a century or so, the second at least several thousand, perhaps tens of thousands, of years; the third probably exceeded their ability, and even a million years would be futile.
Lin Moyu muttered to himself, already clear on the reason for all this.
He now focused his attention on the second door, regarding its even more complex divine runes, and began the new round of decoding.
The difficulty was indeed much higher, but his interest only burned stronger.
He had already realized that the Heavenly Void Palace master's mastery of runes surpassed his own for now. But this process of cracking open the doors was itself a path of cultivation, through which he could comprehend more of the runes' mysteries and, eventually, perhaps even surpass the master himself.
Silence fell again all around. Fatty Girl slumbered on, and the Tree Sovereign was wordless.
At some point, the devastated ancient forest began to recover sprouts poked up from the earth, silently growing at a tremendous rate, becoming towering trees in just a few dozen days.
Some powerful saplings quietly took the place of the former Tree Kings, their auras slowly building up to become the new Tree Kings.
At this pace, it would take only a few hundred days for the ancient forest to fully recover.
Thus, the Tree Sovereign paid no heed to casualties it could restore things fast enough.
A hundred days later, Lin Moyu acted again.
Just like before, his finger passed through the projection and appeared before the second gate of the tower.
At his fingertip, a flood of divine runes burst out, then shattered and recombined, finally assembling into a runic formation severalfold more complex than before.
The rune formation seemed fractured, yet contained its own internal logic.
With a push of his finger, the runes shot into the door.
With a low rumble, the second great door slowly opened.