Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 2038 Bloodstone City!

Max's interest deepened. "What's inside the core layer?" he asked.

The devil hesitated for a moment, but when he felt the faint pressure of the seal inside his body tighten, he answered quickly.

"I don't know the details. People like me aren't qualified to know much about that place. But according to the rumors, the core layer holds the main inheritance left behind by the owner of the Godslayer's Pilgrimage."

Max's gaze sharpened. The owner of the Godslayer's Pilgrimage. That was the first time he'd heard this place might have an owner.

The devil continued, "Some say the owner was a god. Some say he was a godslayer. Some say he killed gods and built this place out of their corpses, laws, weapons, blood, and broken worlds. Others say the pilgrimage itself is a test left behind to find someone worthy of inheriting his path."

The devil swallowed before going on. "But nobody knows the truth. At least, nobody in the outer layer knows. Even in the inner layer, most people only know rumors."

Max's eyes deepened.

A place beyond the Wall of Eternity. A pilgrimage connected to all five universes. A mark system even Primarchs couldn't freely explain. An outer layer, an inner layer, and a core layer that fewer than a hundred people had entered since time immemorial. And now, a rumor that the core layer held the main inheritance of the mysterious owner of this entire place.

No matter how Max looked at it, the Godslayer's Pilgrimage ran far more extraordinary than he'd first imagined.

The devil kept walking as he talked. "The core layer's also said to be the real testing ground for the geniuses of the five races. The outer layer tests whether you can survive. The inner layer tests whether you can compete. But the core layer tests whether you're truly qualified to stand above the geniuses of all five universes."

Max stayed silent. Those words carried weight. The core layer wasn't just the deepest region. It was the place where the strongest geniuses of every race got measured against each other.

Maybe that explained why fewer than a hundred had entered it. Getting into the core layer likely demanded more than strength alone. It might require marks, achievements, talent, comprehension, bloodline, and recognition from the rules of the pilgrimage itself.

The devil glanced back and saw Max's calm expression. For some reason, that calm scared him more than anger would have.

He quickly continued, "Bloodstone City's only an outer layer city. It's not one of the great cities, but it's still a proper gathering point. You can buy information there, exchange marks, accept tasks, learn about nearby trials, and find out how to reach the stronger regions. Most newcomers who survive the first few days try to head there."

Max nodded slightly.

About an hour later, the silhouette of a city came into view. Seeing that, Max came to a stop, and so did the devil.

"What's wrong?" the devil asked.

"Wait a minute," Max said, waving his right hand.

The void ring inside the devil flew out of his body, freeing him again, but before the devil could feel relieved, a different void ring entered his body. This time he didn't feel his energy getting sealed or anything like that, but a strange feeling told him Max had done something worse than before.

"What did you do?" the devil asked, fear in his voice.

"I planted a slave seal on you," Max said calmly. "You're under my control now. If I want you dead, you'll die. So watch what you say once we reach Bloodstone City, and follow my lead."

"What?" The devil looked shocked. He hadn't expected Max to go this far.

"Do you understand or not?" Max asked in an authoritative tone.

"I understand, I understand!" The devil nodded his head fast.

"Good." Max smiled. He hadn't expected the many techniques and uses hidden inside the Voidwalker Inheritance's void rings to come in handy like this, but he wasn't complaining at all.

"Now let's head into the city," Max said, smiling. "You go ahead and keep some distance from me. It'd look too suspicious if a devil and a Primordial showed up together."

He added, "I'll call you when I need you. And if you have anything to say to me, just talk to yourself and I will know. Now move."

The devil nodded and flew off toward Bloodstone City.

Max followed after him slowly.

The journey wasn't long, but it wasn't peaceful either. Along the way, Max saw traces of many battles scattered across the pale yellow land.

Claw marks were carved deep into the ground, broken weapons lay half-buried beneath the dust, dried blood stains hadn't faded even under the strange sunlight, and faint remnants of laws still lingered in the air like invisible wounds.

In several spots, Max sensed the aura of beasts far stronger than the six-headed wolf he'd killed earlier, but those beasts kept their distance, probably because the path they were walking was one commonly used by people heading toward the city.

After a while, the outline of Bloodstone City finally appeared in the distance.

At first it looked like a dark red mountain rising from the pale yellow earth. But as they got closer, Max realized it wasn't a mountain at all. It was a massive city built from crimson stone, black metal, and ancient bones.

Its walls stood tall and thick, and every stone seemed soaked in blood from countless years. Strange symbols were carved across the walls, and several large gates stood open beneath towering arches.

Above the gates, a blood-red crystal floated silently, casting a faint light that swept over everyone who entered.

The devil walking ahead of Max slowed his steps on instinct.

"This is Bloodstone City," he said in a low voice. "It's one of the outer layer cities. Not the safest place, but open killing inside the city is forbidden unless both sides agree to a duel or the city rules allow it. That's why a lot of newcomers try to reach this place first."

Max glanced at him. "Forbidden by who?"

The devil swallowed. "By the city rules."

Max's eyes moved slightly. "And who enforces those rules?"

The devil hesitated for a moment before answering. "The city itself."

Max didn't ask any further, but his interest deepened. A city that enforced its own rules. That alone told him Bloodstone City wasn't just a settlement built by cultivators. It was part of the Godslayer's Pilgrimage system, or at least deeply tied to it.