Chapter 168: The Chaos Monuments
Cold sweat beaded down Luo Fan's back.
Just a single painting had plunged him into an illusion.
And judging from what he saw, it wasn't even intentional on the creator's part.
The vanishing light and the distortion of time... such a strange phenomena instantly made him think of one of humanity's greatest existences, the Lord of Darkness.
If this were truly the Lord of Darkness's Chaos Monument, then by right it should have been named the Darkness Chaos Monument.
However, since the Lord of Darkness was one of humanity's hidden powerhouses, the monument was instead called the Illusory Universe Chaos Monument.
Luo Fan felt that this Chaos Monument suited Hong perfectly.
Without hesitation, he moved on to the next one, the Heartscar Chaos Monument.
On the Heartscar Monument were 10,081 blade marks.
From one of those blade marks, Luo Fan could immediately discern the form of a blade technique.
He instantly understood, those 10,081 marks must represent 10,081 blade techniques.
Among all his abilities, his blade arts were the most powerful.
He decided that one of his avatars would select the Heartscar Chaos Monument.
As for his true body, it would be best to choose a monument related to the fundamental laws themselves.
Though the Heartscar Monument also contained some insights into the laws, its main focus was on the comprehension of the blade.
…
Time slipped by quickly, and the thirty minutes passed before he knew it.
In just half an hour, Luo Fan felt he had gained a wealth of understanding, not only of the laws but also inspiration in many other areas.
His insights touched on alchemy, blade techniques, and even technology.
The technology of the Original Universe wasn't like that of Earth; many technological creations here were imbued with the laws themselves.
For example, the secret patterns engraved upon the Mechanical Clan's starships were applications of the laws.
"All right," the black-robed emissary announced. "Your thirty minutes are up. Tell me your choices."
"Dragonstride Chaos Monument!"
"Swordshadow Chaos Monument!"
"I'll choose the Giant Axe Chaos Monument!"
…
One after another, the geniuses reported their chosen monuments.
When it came to Luo Fan, he spoke without hesitation:
"I choose the Icepeak Chaos Monument!"
The Icepeak Chaos Monument, just from its name, Luo Fan had guessed that it must have been created by one of the great beings of the Virtual Universe Company, the Lord of Icepeak.
As he studied it, he discovered that it contained many insights into both the Law of Water and the Law of Space, as well as their practical applications.
Moreover, he found that many of the teachings his mentor, King Xiren (Tideblade King), had imparted could also be found within the Icepeak Monument.
Although King Xiren had deliberately avoided revealing which path he himself had taken, so as not to influence Luo Fan's choice, Luo Fan knew at a glance, King Xiren's own monument must have been the Icepeak Chaos Monument.
Accordingly, Luo Fan's five avatars also selected the Icepeak Chaos Monument.
The remaining five chose other ones:
Heartscar Chaos Monument – for the blade path.
Mother Ancestor Chaos Monument – for the path of the alchemist.
Nine Universe Chaos Monument – for comprehension of the Law of Space.
Dragonstride Chaos Monument – chosen for his Mechanical Clan clone, as it inspired many ideas related to technology and artifact refinement; its creator, the Lord of Dragonstride, was likely a master craftsman of the Human Race.
Mysterious Abyss Chaos Monument – which also contained insights into the Laws of Water and Space, but with a faint trend toward fusion.
As for Luo Feng, just like in the original record, he chose the Nine Universe Chaos Monument.
Hong, as Luo Fan expected, chose the Illusory Universe Chaos Monument.
Lei Shen, on the other hand, selected the Extreme Cosmos Chaos Monument.
Soon, everyone had made their decisions.
The black-robed emissary then led the group to a vast cultivation ground.
The area stretched for dozens of kilometers in every direction, a massive, empty field where a thousand geniuses had gathered.
The emissary stood before them and said:
"Currently, out of the fifty-two Chaos Monument meditation chambers, twelve are occupied. The other forty are empty."
He glanced over the group.
"I'll now announce the names of the forty unoccupied monuments."
"Endless Mountain Chaos Monument, Heartscar Chaos Monument, Icepeak Chaos Monument…"
He quickly listed all forty names.
"Those who chose these forty monuments, proceed to the far left entrance ahead. You'll each be guided to your respective chambers."
He pointed toward a massive entrance nearly thirty meters high at the far left side of the field.
"You may go now."
Since the Icepeak Chaos Monument chamber was currently unoccupied, Luo Fan immediately took flight toward the left entrance.
More than eight hundred others followed alongside him, while about a hundred went in different directions.
…
After entering the left passage, Luo Fan found himself within a corridor roughly sixty meters wide and a hundred and twenty meters tall.
Along both sides of the corridor stood enormous bronze doors, each about a hundred and sixty meters tall.
Every door was engraved with ancient characters:
"Mother Ancestor," "Heartscar," "Nine Universe"…
And before each bronze door stood an elderly man with a kind expression.
Yet strangely, every one of these old men looked exactly the same.
The moment Luo Fan and the others stepped into the corridor, the kindly old men turned their gazes toward them.
At that instant, the black-robed emissary stepped forward and said respectfully:
"Lord Kandry."
The three-eyed old man smiled as he looked at the newcomers.
"Ah, a new batch from the Virtual Universe Company?"
"Yes, my lord."
The emissary bowed deeply, then turned toward the group.
"This is Lord Kandry, guardian of the Chaos Monument cultivation chambers."
"All fifty-two meditation chambers are watched over by one of his avatars."
"Lord Kandry has guarded these chambers for over a million epochs. He is one of the most respected powerhouses in Chaos City."
Upon hearing this, the young geniuses stared in awe at the seemingly ordinary, kindly three-eyed elder before them.
To think that all fifty-two chambers were guarded by the same person's avatars, and that he had done so for over a million epochs!
For these young talents, who hadn't even lived through a single epoch yet, that span of time was unimaginable.
"Lord Kandry," they all greeted respectfully.
Kandry chuckled softly, nodding with a gentle smile.
"Heh, so young. When I see you all, I see the hope of humanity."
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