Chapter 1359 Hidden Plot [2]

Chapter 1359 Hidden Plot [2]

Damien checked for any secret rooms before leaving, since he knew what that man's usual habits were like.

Unfortunately, this labyrinth wasn't a main base and was just a death trap, so there was no information stored here.

Once he was certain about this, he immediately used his control over Existence to bypass any and all restrictions and return back to the surface.

'The problem is that this is still just the great desert. I need to find the Vanishing Dunes.'

From what he knew, they appeared and disappeared randomly and had been around for so long that they were involved in countless ancient myths and folk tales.

That meant they weren't a product of the mysterious man, but a natural phenomenon he'd taken advantage of for his benefit.

'It'd be easier if he made it. That way, I could at least predict the pattern.'

The great desert was hundreds of millions of kilometers wide. Even for Damien, it was impossible to immediately find something so elusive in a large area like this.

With no other choice, he began to teleport randomly in search of any traces of the phenomenon.

'They supposedly leave a huge disparity in the environment when they disappear, and when the sand fills in the gaps, it creates a unique pattern.'

'But even though all these years have passed, nobody has found a pattern in the movement of the dunes.'

'If it was really just a phenomenon, it would have to follow a pattern of some sort. Nature is filled with unique geometry like that, and true randomness is rarer than one might expect.'

'If it's really random, there's a possibility it isn't a natural phenomenon at all. And if it isn't that, the only remaining answer is...'

Damien shook his head.

He didn't want to think of the worst-case scenario here.

Instead, he diligently tracked trace after trace. He didn't even know how to determine the Vanishing Dunes apart from any regular part of the desert, so it was an especially annoying task. The link to the origin of this information rests in n0v3lb!n★

But, as he continued teleporting, he suddenly felt a sensation like he was passing through a wall of slime.

He stumbled out of the spatial layers due to its interference, and though his surroundings didn't change much, he knew he'd found what he was looking for.

'That barrier wasn't something simple. This is probably it.'

The Vanishing Dunes.

Without delay, Damien tested the majority of his abilities to see if he'd been placed under any restrictions.

'There's nothing that can actually affect me, but there's definitely a ban on Divine Energy. Those who travel through this place have to use their bodies alone.'

That must've been why Damien was stopped by the barrier in such a forceful manner. His "Divine Energy" was blocked, and his teleportation was cancelled.

'Void Energy and other forms like what the Envoy'a demon race uses are fine. Only the Divine Energy of the Heavenly World is restricted.'

Damien could still function at full capacity, but he didn't immediately make that known.

He cut into his palm and allowed his blood to drip onto the ground below. He even cut off Transcendent Regeneration to let copious amounts of the red liquid paint the ground, just in case a few drops weren't enough.

Nothing happened instantly, but Damien knew he was on the right track.

After all, the sand wasn't stained.

His blood sunk below the surface and disappeared into the mouth of "something."

And when that "something" got a taste of the heavenly treasure known as Damien's blood...

RUMBLE!

An earthquake shook the Vanishing Dunes.

The sand in the clearing sifted to the side as something rose from beneath it.

'It's...an altar?'

An altar of blood, a sacred yet corrupted imagery that Damien wasn't expecting to see, appeared before him.

And along with it, as if par for course, an altar guardian.

Damien's eyes widened.

"Ah, is it that time?

He hit his fists together in excitement.

The beast before him was a true chimera with a lion's head, a scorpion's tail, and the claws and wings of an eagle.

Its aura was tremendous, flaring out with such intensity that it increased the gravity in the area several times over.

It wasn't just an aura of power.

It was an aura of true Divinity.

Was there any better situation?

Damien flared his aura back, making his intentions known.

It was a challenge.

Damien had seen many Demigod beasts as the expedition party moved through the great desert, but he never had the chance to actually fight one.

Now that the chance had come, how could he let it go easily?

He raised his arm and pointed at the chimera with a large grin decorating his face.

"You..."

"You're fucking dead!"