Jiang Xi's battle continued to rage and seattle in the distance.
…
Meanwhile, deep within the swirling black mist of the dimensional descent, Jiang Chen's silhouette quietly advanced toward the very heart of Death Queen Island.
A pale grey haze blanketed everything, muting both sight and sound. Even his spiritual sense felt strangely dulled, as though swallowed by the oppressive atmosphere.
Yet, despite the silence, his heart stirred, growing louder with every step.
Driven by that inner resonance, Jiang Chen pushed forward.
Before long, he found himself standing in front of a weathered stone tablet. Its surface was etched with ancient symbols, unfamiliar at first glance, yet eerily familiar on some deeper level.
He couldn't help but stop and stare.
Though he couldn't read the script, the meaning rose within him, as if spoken directly into his soul.
It was the legend of the Mu Continent.
According to the inscription, around 30,000 years before the Common Era, a group of seafarers guided by the stars discovered a bountiful land hidden within the Pacific Ocean. They named it Mu, "Mother," in their primordial tongue.
Thus, the people of Mu were born. They thrived and multiplied, establishing a flourishing empire known as the Mu Empire.
They were a people who revered the cosmos, masters of navigation, astronomy, and celestial arts. Their passion birthed a civilization of radiant alchemists who pushed the boundaries of creation itself. Through their brilliance, they forged an alliance with Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom.
But around 10,000 BCE, calamity struck.
Without warning, a devastating earthquake shattered their world. The cries of the ocean echoed to the heavens as the entire continent was consumed by the waves in a single cataclysm. The Mu civilization vanished, swallowed by the sea.
Line by line, the tale unfolded before his eyes. Jiang Chen could almost see it, the rise and fall of that glorious civilization.
"Could this island... truly be a fragment of Mu?" He murmured, deep in thought as a wave of emotion welled up within him.
In Saint Seiya, the Mu Continent was considered one of the world's deepest mysteries.
Spoken of only in myth and while some had speculated that Death Queen Island could be a surviving shard of that legendary realm,
Until now, it had only ever been a theory.
Now, the truth felt undeniable.
Still, beneath the emotion, Jiang Chen remained focused. That strange tremor in his heart, what had triggered it?
He steadied his breath and chose to follow that feeling once more.
Passing beyond the stone tablet, guided now by a faint thread of perception winding through the void, Jiang Chen soon arrived at a space where countless lights converged.
Floating in the center was a small orb of soft, glowing radiance.
"What is this...?" He muttered, his brow furrowed in confusion.
But before he could ponder further,
Buzz!
The light sphere flared. In an instant, a powerful surge of suction erupted outward.
"Damn it!" Jiang Chen's expression twisted. He instinctively tried to leap back,
But it was already too late.
Buzz!
The light engulfed him.
…
Elsewhere,
The battle between Ikki and Zhang Tao still raged.
But just then, a beam of light erupted and consumed Zhang Tao as well.
And not just him, Outside the island, amidst the chaos of the dimensional descent, others were also caught off guard. Li Jiangping and the other cultivators had no time to respond. One after another, Sixth-Tier experts were swallowed by blinding light that tore through the boundaries of space.
Back on Death Queen Island, Jiang Chen's figure vanished into the light.
A moment later, a strange voice echoed in his ears.
"Ding, Special temporal and spatial coordinates detected."
"Synchronizing with external plane..."
"Synchronization complete."
"Special dimensional link initiated!"
"Please stand by."
"Countdown: Nineteen... Eighteen... Seventeen..."
The voice, calm, unfeeling, reverberated through his consciousness.
In the final seconds, confusion gripped him, and then, darkness.
…
Sanctuary.
A new year's selection for trainee Saints had begun. Over the past year, gifted warriors had arrived from all corners of the world.
And within that year, the best among them began to shine.
Two stood above the rest:
Shaka, said to be the reincarnation of the Buddha, and Saga, whose talents eclipsed nearly all others.
But they weren't the only ones.
Among them were Kanon, Aiolos, Aiolia, Mu, Camus, Shura, and, a rising star from the ancient East: Chen.
"You're amazing, Chen! With that kind of power, you might already be on par with a Bronze Saint!" Amid the rubble of a shattered training ground, Aiolia spoke with excitement, eyes shining as he gazed at the massive crater left behind.
This was the Sanctuary, a place sealed by divine forces, home to some of the world's most terrifying power.
Yet Chen had carved open the earth itself.
"Aiolia, keep training. You'll get there too," A gentle voice answered. Its owner? A boy no older than twelve or thirteen, his features unmistakably Eastern.
He looked slightly out of place among the others gathered around him.
"Really?" Hearing the boy's words, a sturdy youth with tiger-like features lit up with excitement.
"Of course it's true." The young boy smiled, his tone full of confidence.
"Aiolia!" As the two were chatting, a voice called out from the distance.
"Go on, your brother's looking for you!" The boy grinned as he spoke.
"Oh, right!"
"Chen, I'll head back first! I'll find you later!"
The tigerish youth gave a cheerful wave and dashed off.
"So this really is the world of the Saints… I can't believe I've actually entered this realm with such an identity." Jiang Chen muttered to himself as he watched Aiolia disappear into the distance.
Just moments ago, he had been exploring the depths of Death Queen Island. The next instant, he was wide awake, now standing in the world of Saint Seiya.
And not just any point in time, but right before the dawn of the 20th-century Holy War.
In this era, the gods' echoes still stirred across the realms. Though seemingly dormant, their divine presence never truly faded. The once-in-243-years Holy War was nearing its resurgence.
The new generation of Gold Saints would soon emerge.
This was the golden age of Sanctuary, a period of quiet growth.
And the calm before a cosmic upheaval.
[Name: Chen (Jiang Chen)]
[World: Saint Seiya]
[Current Identity: Trainee Saint]
[Main Quest 1: Attain the status of full-fledged Saint]
[Quest Success: Inherit a shard of divine authority]
[Quest Failure: Forfeit all power and gains within this world]
[Remaining Time: 3,650 days]
With a single thought, the space around him froze in time. Mysterious script lines floated before him, visible only to Jiang Chen.
"Main quest: become a Saint, huh?" He exhaled slowly, tension easing from his shoulders.
The Saint Seiya world was no joke. He'd honestly been bracing for something insane, like being forced to challenge Hades himself right out of the gate.
If that had happened, he might've just straight-up thrown in the towel. After all, the gods in Saint Seiya weren't like the ones from Dragon Ball. Every single one of them was absurdly OP (Over Powered).
Especially the Four Supreme Sovereigns, ancient existences from the mythic era who just wouldn't stay dead. Again and again, they returned.
(To Be Continued…)
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