Chapter 44: The Arrival of the Starry Sky, The Genie's Escape?
Boom! In the high skies, dark clouds gathered into a mass, and the roaring thunder struck heavily upon the sea, stirring up waves and billows.
At the same time, a storm raged, bringing together thunder and lightning. The heavy and oppressive atmosphere chilled the hearts of the onlookers.
The majesty of heaven and earth, coupled with the wrath of thunder, wove together the terrifying scene before their eyes.
Dozens of nearby ships halted their voyage, most of them anxiously watching the frightening scene ahead. On the deck of one ship stood a group of people, led by a man with disheveled deep blue hair, profound features, rugged contours, and bronze skin.
He looked at the extraordinary spectacle of surging waves ahead, his eyes filled with envy and hope, as well as a deep-seated awe hidden in the depths of his heart.
As a fellow extraordinary being who traversed storms, he could sense that the anomaly in the storm and thunder ahead was not purely a force of nature but the work of a powerful extraordinary being stirring the seas!
It was very likely that a saint from the Storm Temple was causing such a commotion! He had once overheard someone refer to an extraordinary being of this level as the Sea King, meaning the king of the seas! He did not know which sequence of the storm's path this was, but he was sure it ranked high.
Standing above the vast sea, nearly invincible, that was the formidable power he aspired to! To wield such power was his original intention in pursuing the extraordinary world! He had been observing nearby for a long time and heard a rumor from some people.
It was said that the recent anomaly was due to the mysterious queen who had been frequently spotted in the nearby seas, acting very suspiciously, thus drawing the attention of the Storm Temple.
True or false, it was hard to tell, but the terrifying spectacle of the raging waves seemed to prove the rumor true.
"Ah, a high-ranking powerhouse."
The man with deep blue hair clenched his fist tightly, then released it, laughing as if nothing had happened, chatting and joking with the crew nearby.
…
On the storm-swept sea, the Dawn was quietly waiting for its master's return.
At that moment, a shuttle-shaped object emitting a faint green glow, unlike any ordinary ship, burst forth from the depths of the sea.
Then a figure stepped out, soared into the air, and landed on the bow of the Dawn.
The shuttle-shaped vessel with the faint green glow disappeared like a fairy tale into a faint light spot in the vision of the Dawn's crew.
The crew were already familiar with this scene and knew that this vessel capable of navigating the deep sea was not a ship, but a submarine.
It was a very fitting name.
In these seas, only their captain could summon something that could navigate the depths of the sea.
They had heard their captain say that this submarine also had a name, the Nautilus.
In the captain's private room, Bernadette stared unhappily at the Wishing Lamp still imprisoned in the small iron cage.
"Indeed, the followers of the storm have an advantage at sea, you were almost trapped."
The genie emerged from the Wishing Lamp, tone mocking, not caring about Bernadette's foul mood.
Just as Bernadette enjoyed seeing Him whipped into embarrassment, He also enjoyed seeing Bernadette pushed into peril.
The more dangerous the situation, the more likely Bernadette would borrow His power.
"You'd better shut up now. If I'm not pleased, I'll send you straight to the Storm Church, and I believe they will treat you well, this Level 0 Sealed Artifact."
Seeing Bernadette truly angry, the genie chuckled and did not talk back.
He now, in fact, did not want to be sealed by the Seven Gods Church but was looking forward to the upcoming changes.
Before the changes arrived, it was better to stay in Bernadette's hands.
Even more, He hoped that Bernadette would stay away from the seas near the Storm Temple.
That way, even if there was a big commotion, it would be difficult for the people of the Storm Temple to come and cooperate with Bernadette in time.
"Your mood seems quite good?" Bernadette seemed to notice something.
The genie casually said, "Seeing you being attacked is naturally a happy occasion."
Bernadette said no more, but became more vigilant in her heart.
If it were the genie of the past, after seeing her angry, He would definitely keep trying to provoke her, making her act irrationally.
But today's genie seemed unusually well-behaved.
"It seems I should throw you into the endless abyss right now." Bernadette's words carried a murderous aura.
"The Wishing Lamp is a good thing, and you've already made two wishes."
The genie said with a smile, then returned to the Wishing Lamp.
At night, the sea was calm, and the stars twinkled in the sky. Their not-so-bright light added a poetic touch to the vast sea.
Inside the cabin, Bernadette guarded the Wishing Lamp, watching it closely to prevent any accidents tonight.
The genie was also waiting quietly.
As it neared half-past eleven at night, the space above the Wishing Lamp seemed to be torn open, with twinkling stars inside, as if a piece of the starry sky had descended!
Bernadette, who had been on guard, looked solemn and quickly reacted to the best of her ability, trying to sever the connection between the Wishing Lamp and the starry sky!
The small iron cage trapping the Wishing Lamp instantly transformed, with streams of golden light flowing, changing from its square shape into an inverted pyramid structure!
The tip of the inverted pyramid rippled with cold light, forming a golden barrier, completely enveloping the Wishing Lamp within, isolating it from the starry sky! This was a Level 1 Sealed Artifact, called the Triangular Space-Time.
It was a contingency plan Bernadette had recently acquired to prevent anomalies with the Wishing Lamp.
Its function was to separate spaces, strengthen seals, and it could also be used to imprison enemies.
The downside was: each use within a day increased the holder's probability of falling into chaotic space-time, becoming lost and unable to return.
"Heh, you're not thinking of leaving here quickly, still deluding yourself with resistance, have you forgotten the law of survival you've always adhered to?"
Compared to Bernadette's tension, the genie imprisoned in the Wishing Lamp was in a good mood.
Although Bernadette had strengthened the seal in advance, preventing Him from manifesting from the Wishing Lamp for the time being, such a level of sealing could not contend with the beings above the stars.
The gap in their status was far beyond what Bernadette could make up for.
Bernadette said coldly, "When that time comes, I would rather make the third wish than let you escape the seal of the Wishing Lamp!"
The genie's expression changed slightly, and He said no more provocative words.
Due to the rules of the Wishing Lamp, as long as Bernadette made a wish to Him, He had to fulfill it.
Although such a wish would ultimately be fulfilled in a twisted way, if Bernadette became ruthless, He estimated that He would also be affected.
In addition to relying on the power of the Level 1 Sealed Artifact Triangular Space-Time, Bernadette also drew on the power of the Dawn to temporarily enhance her own strength to deal with potential dangers.
Just as Bernadette exhausted all her methods, the stars drew a chain of order that pierced through the seal of the Wishing Lamp, linking to the genie.
Then the stars returned to their places, and the starry sky inside the cabin also dissipated, everything returning to normal.
"Am I still unable to prevent the genie from breaking the seal?"
Bernadette's face was ugly, her brows furrowed. She had used no less than three methods, but still could not stop the actions of the starry sky just now.
Once the genie broke the seal and returned to the stars, the outer gods of the old days lurking outside the barrier would corrupt and pollute this world even faster.
The prophesied end of days might thus come sooner.
Bernadette sighed, dispelling the power borrowed from the Dawn, and also allowing the Level 1 Sealed Artifact Triangular Space-Time to revert to the small iron cage.
Standing still, calming her emotions, Bernadette's gaze returned to the Wishing Lamp.
Judging by what had just happened, the genie sealed inside the Wishing Lamp should have broken the seal along with the departure of the starry sky.
"No, that's not right!"
Bernadette's face changed again, she reached out, and the Wishing Lamp, along with the small iron cage, flew to her. She looked closely for a long time, a smile slowly spreading across her lips.
She was wondering, if it really was the genie's escape, how could the commotion be so small.
According to her understanding of the genie, once He broke the seal, He would definitely laugh unrestrainedly and then rush straight to the stars.
Such a scene would definitely attract the attention of all true gods.
"…"
Inside the Wishing Lamp, the genie frowned, opened his mouth, and finally let out a cold snort, closing his eyes to sense the strand of consciousness that had been taken away, which could also be called a split part.
At the appearance of the starry sky just now, He thought His chance to escape had come.
At that time, He was both expectant and anxious, fearing that the future developments would exceed His expectations.
But who knew, the whip that fell on Him only formed a link, then pulled away a strand of His split part
and disappeared without a trace.The genie truly had escaped, but only that strand of split part! With strength at most equivalent to a Sequence 8 extraordinary being, upon reaching the domain of that mysterious existence, it could only lie low, without even the right to speak loudly.
Now, He could feel His split part, following the chain of order, passing through the barrier of stars, and arriving at a grand and magnificent platinum hall.
The Hall of Stars.
The genie's split part, taking the form of the Wishing Lamp, floated there.
Entering the platinum hall, the first thing that caught the eye was a long table forged from black crystal, as deep and dark as the space between stars.
On either side of the long table sat five chairs, plus one for the master of this place, making a total of eleven chairs.
At this moment, the master's chair was already occupied by a figure, who watched with interest.
Above the dome, stars converged, and endless starlight merged into that figure.
(End of Chapter)