Liao Xiu'er scratched his ear, indicating his boredom. "Elemental crystal stones? Then I have to warn you about something!"

"..."

"At the very least, this material is not used in buildings."

It must have a completely different texture. Over the centuries, it has been exposed to wind and sun here. Not only the texture but even the color and shape have changed a lot.

As Edward gazed up at the apex of the ruins, he slowly walked around it.

His gaze remained fixed, giving the impression that all four sides of the ruins were identical.

"Nothing has changed here at all," Liao Xiu'er thought.

Whether it was hundreds of years ago, five hundred million years ago, or now, nothing would change here. So even after that, the remnants would still stand here, unchanged.

"Hmm... I just feel a sense of discord here."

The sensation Liao Xiu'er felt as his fingertips touched the exterior wall of the anomaly changed, and he withdrew his gaze in astonishment.

Where the exterior wall should have been, there was actually a deviation, and the deviation extended into a corner of the ruins.

Edward looked inside and his eyes widened.

"It's open?"

When did it open? There had been no change when he passed by here a few days ago. Because he had been observing this place since he was a child, he would never miss even the most subtle changes, let alone the 'entrance' of the ruins opening, which was such a clear change.

Could it be that the alliance's investigation team had successfully opened the door of the ruins? Edward quietly walked towards the 'entrance.'

"No one alive..."

With no response and no heavy figure of alliance soldiers, it was likely not an official investigation.

"Just a quick look should be fine."

If someone discovered that he had entered without authorization, he would definitely receive a stern warning. But he couldn't suppress his curiosity.

Liao Xiu'er slowly walked into the anomaly. He had imagined many times before that he wished he could have the opportunity to enter and explore the inside, as this place was truly a wonder of the universe – an unknown domain.

"Is there really a mystery of the universe here?"

Thinking that he might come into contact with that secret, Edward felt a somewhat anxious anticipation.

But once inside, he might feel that the feeling itself was presumptuous.

What surprised him most inside the ruins was the air, cool and fresh.

The interior was extremely well-ventilated, feeling much more spacious than it looked from the outside. In the expansive space were many fantastical plants emitting various colors, clearly indicating no presence of humans – no sign of anyone in the distance, only silence around.

"Incredible!"

A soft whisper unexpectedly produced a huge echo, causing Edward to hurriedly cover his mouth with his hand.

Oh, startled, this time he did not make a sound but just exhaled lightly.

On another note, the architectural style here is really unique...

Although the ground seemed to be paved with stones, it had distinct differences from ancient buildings.

Whether the ground, walls, or passageways, they were all made up of straight lines, giving off a simple style.

Straight lines were intricately combined to create an indescribable sense of harmony.

"It seems like there's something up there."

Liao Xiu'er tilted his head and looked up. It was bright near the ceiling, visible even from below, with a staircase leading to it, indicating that there should be something there.

In the next moment, the upper stairs platform suddenly lit up, as if someone was speaking.

"If you want to find out, come up and take a look."

Without hesitation, they stepped up the stairs, their footsteps echoing in the vast space. Although the steps seemed a bit different in height compared to the previous staircase, they were not overly strenuous.

After climbing the stairs for a while, the path ahead turned into a flat corridor, but soon transitioned back to stairs. Despite the length of the stairs, Edward and Liouxir did not feel tired.

This place was bigger than any palace in the world, even larger than Valhalla. Whether it was the geometric wall decorations or the patterns on the square-shaped floors, everything exuded a mysterious charm, and Elena's mercenaries walking up here seemed completely absorbed.

Although the corridors and stairs had complex structures, they did not lead people astray.

Similar to the previous staircase platform, the direction to proceed would always light up, and as long as they followed this guide, they could confidently reach the next level.

Why was this place built in the first place? Numerous questions that had cropped up before resurfaced in their minds, but at this moment, having successfully entered this extraordinary place, Edward was certain it was not constructed for some evil purpose.

Most importantly, he couldn't sense any hint of malevolence in this space.

"Well, feeling a bit tired. It might be quite a strain to rely on the human body to reach the top," Liouxir remarked.

After passing through numerous stairs, corridors, doors, and small rooms, Liouxir leaned out slightly from the stairs and looked down, realizing he had only covered less than half the distance.

This was a relic that seemed to lead straight to the abyss from the outside, and he knew it was not a place one could easily climb to the top of.

"We're almost there..."

Although Liouxir was still full of energy, Edward, whose strength was waning, was considering heading back.

But having come this far, giving up now seemed a waste. As he encouraged himself and prepared to continue climbing upward.

"What is this?!" Edward exclaimed.

At the edge of the staircase platform was a faint circular light pillar, distinct from the light in the corridor, tinged with green.

"Coward, that's definitely a resting spot. Let's take a break," Liouxir mocked.

"You go ahead and check it out!"

Upon closer inspection, the light pillar was located at a higher level.

A soft, soothing light seemed to cast down from above like it could dispel fatigue.

Ah, indeed a place to rest.

Just as Edward was about to lie down on the base, the interior of the extraordinary place suddenly began to rumble, startling him to retreat. The ground and walls before him creaked and shifted.

He realized his mistake; the cylindrical column was not a resting spot but some kind of peculiar device.

Feeling uneasy, Edward surveyed his surroundings. The area that was supposed to be stairs had turned into a flat corridor, while the corridor was blocked by walls. The structure of the relic was reconfiguring. At the lower level, there was a crystal coffin-like apparatus lying horizontally emitting a loud noise. That was... he had a bad feeling about it.

Suddenly, the stairs ahead shifted. Although Selah thought she would encounter a flat path like before, she was mistaken.

Where the stairs used to be, there was now an empty space extending onwards - in other words, this was the end of the staircase.

"What's going on?"

The roaring sound ceased, and the spacious area fell back into silence once again.

Edward was about to breathe a sigh of relief when, right in front of him, runes emitting a purple glow appeared in the space.

He had seen similar runes on the steps below before, but he felt like he had seen them somewhere a long time ago.

Where had he seen them before?

At that moment, the purple runes released a strong light, causing Edward to instinctively take two steps back.

In the empty crystal coffin where nothing had been before, there appeared a structure that seemed more like a floating platform than a mini crystal coffin.

"A levitation device?!"

Edward had once visited the ruins of an ancient elevator-like structure, but the shape of this "suspected elevator" in front of him was completely different from the one in the "cocoon".

"Just need to give it a try."

With a deep breath, Edward jumped onto the elevator without sensing any danger, as it lit up just like the pathways and steps.

He hoped his judgment was correct as the elevator started to ascend slowly.

Although he leaned against the pedestal not knowing what to expect, he inadvertently hit the nail on the head. So there was a way to activate the elevator to continue moving up from there, and Edward finally understood.

As the elevator neared the dome, the area around it became so brightly illuminated that it was almost blinding. Soon, the elevator came to a stop, probably reaching the topmost level. Was it just psychological?

But... the air here seemed fresher and colder than the lower levels.

"Crystal particles?"

Tiny glowing particles danced in the cold and pure air, a sight that could no longer be described as merely awe-inspiring, but as solemn and sacred.

Edward became alert unconsciously, moving forward cautiously among the shimmering particles.

Is this when prayers are born? He mused internally.

The open gates seemed to be coaxing Edward bit by bit.

With no way out, he stepped through the gates, the space inside pitch dark. Perhaps this was a restricted area?

Edward felt uneasy. However, the passageway soon started to dimly light up. Though not as bright as the previous steps and pathways, it wasn't pitch black either. This must be the correct path indeed.

Proceeding straight ahead, the dim passageway gradually grew brighter.

This must be the right way, everything is fine, he reassured himself.

"Does it seem like there is something ahead?"

Edward widened his eyes, carefully observing the road ahead where something huge seemed to be present.

No, it wasn't an inanimate object—it was alive because it moved, with its center gleaming with a cold light.

"A crystal coffin? Wasn't it just... but why is it here?"

In the next instant, a bright light burned Edward's retinas, a blinding white light that stung his eyes.

As if waiting for the moment he would close his eyes due to the dazzling light, an image flashed in Edward's mind—a colossal figure engulfed in purple light traces from head to toe.

What?! What is this!

Edward couldn't even scream, as some gigantic and terrifying entity expanded and rolled uncontrollably, emitting screams he couldn't hear.

"The origin of the universe is here!!!"

A hollow voice echoed from a distance...