My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 1052 - 1054: Old man

Damon’s fury burned, and it was entirely justified given he had just witnessed Xander make such a cold decision with an unnerving calm, his voice steady as if his actions held no significant consequence.

"I offered him an opportunity. I gave him a chance to step away."

There was no space left for regret now. The moment for hesitation had long passed, and the repercussions of that choice were advancing like an unstoppable avalanche.

Damon retrieved a key from his shadow storage and approached an unremarkable door along the corridor. The metal felt frigid in his grasp as he inserted it into the lock. Upon opening, the space beyond bore no resemblance to a typical room. The very atmosphere felt altered, heavier, ancient. In lieu of furniture and walls, a colossal chamber unfurled, extending far beyond what should have been physically possible. Presiding over the center of this vastness was an immense stone door, sculpted and engraved to resemble the formidable entrance to a dungeon boss arena.

He drew a deep breath and advanced until he stood directly before it. This was the final chamber door, the threshold that imprisoned lesser gods, and it demanded three keys for passage.

One of those keys was Damon’s own crown. For the preceding four years, Lilith had meticulously studied this very door, deciphering its construction, its archaic runes, and every minute detail with a devotion bordering on obsession.

Today, their long-awaited entry into the tomb would finally occur.

A subtle distortion rippled the air beside him as reality momentarily warped. Lilith’s exquisite form materialized from seemingly nowhere, as if she had simply traversed from one plane of existence to another. She met his gaze with a gentle smile, her tone laced with playful amusement.

"Did someone get into a disagreement?"

Damon narrowed his eyes, inhaling slowly through his nose before responding.

"He is a fool. A complete and utter fool. Does he not grasp the futility? What value does vengeance hold if one must discard their own offspring?"

Lilith’s expression shifted to one of contemplation, her voice softening to a quiet murmur.

"Victory necessitates sacrifice. You once championed this belief. What has changed?"

Damon pressed a hand to his temple, commencing a restless, agitated pacing in small steps.

"The notion that victory demands sacrifice is no justification for sacrificing children. That principle should solely apply to soldiers and individuals who knowingly choose the battlefield. They made their choice. Not an unborn child who hasn't yet drawn breath."

Lilith approached the imposing door, her fingers tracing the ancient seals with deliberate slowness, feeling the indentations and the lingering, faint power within them.

"We do not dictate the circumstances or the parents of our birth. We simply endeavor to navigate life with the resources we possess. Perhaps, in a peculiar way, the Unknown God is not entirely mistaken about the inherent cruelty of birth."

Damon delivered a scoff, his face a mask of open disdain.

"Coming from someone born into immense wealth, power, and countless advantages. He was born to divinity itself, cherished by all his kin. To feign that his birth was some mere cosmic mishap renders him nothing but a hypocrite."

Lilith remained unconvinced.

"Perhaps. However, you have only experienced a fraction of life’s journey. I doubt you truly comprehend the burdens he carries."

Damon crossed his arms, leaning back against the door’s unyielding, cold surface.

"Boy, would I relish knowing what it feels like to be an omnipotent deity."

"I suspect it would not be an existence of effortless bliss. Divine abilities invariably attract divine challenges. Much like how a less fortunate individual might assume the affluent face no troubles, when in reality, they encounter predicaments their riches cannot ameliorate. Our burdens are intrinsically linked to our capabilities. The omniverse operates on a principle of twisted fairness."

She regarded Damon, her emerald green eyes meeting his.

"Perhaps it is the true adversary. One we remained oblivious to until now."

Damon sighed, averting his gaze from her.

He removed his crown and placed it upon the door. The instant the metal made contact, a wave of intrusive thoughts—a surge of madness and dark impulses—rose within his mind, akin to poison surfacing.

'What if I turn Xander's son against him? He has no right to be a father. I will end him. I will destroy him.'

Damon recognized these thoughts as alien intrusions. The crown consistently whispered such venomous suggestions, and the door actively responded. This descent into madness was an inevitable consequence of the key engaging with its lock.

He steeled himself, gripping the crown firmly as the massive door began to stir. Stone grated against stone as it slowly swung inward.

Upon its complete opening, Damon stepped into a cavernous chamber adorned with hundreds of gravestones. They stretched in every conceivable direction, resembling a solemn necropolis for deities long forgotten. At its heart lay a vast lake, emanating a soft, gentle luminescence. Countless luminous vines radiated outward from the water’s edge, entwining themselves around the tombstones like living tendrils of light.

An profound silence permeated the space. Deep, unnaturally so.

The subtle glow emanating from the lake seemed to foster an illusion of ambient sound, suggesting the gentle movement of water, yet there was an absolute absence of noise. The silence bore down upon Damon’s ears, growing oppressively heavy.

A faint, chilling breeze meandered through the chamber, ushering in an unsettling aura.

Damon entered the tomb with measured steps. The silence grew more profound the longer he lingered, his footfalls seeming intrusive, almost irreverent in this hallowed space.

Finally, Lilith's voice pierced the quiet.

"This place emanates solemnity. I feel a pang of guilt merely speaking within it."

Damon offered a slow nod and moved closer to one of the sarcophagi, his gaze settling on a crest etched into its surface. He leaned in, deciphering the inscription below.

Here lies Rafi, lesser goddess of rivers.

It appeared a lesser deity indeed existed for nearly every natural element. Each tomb here signified a realm of existence that had once known life and breath.

He proceeded to the next tomb.

Here lies Zephyr, lesser god of the western winds.

Damon turned deliberately, his eyes scanning the remaining tombs. All bore names and titles – gods of forests, gods of storms, gods of the harvest, gods of the changing seasons.

"How could he achieve such a feat? How did he manage to capture all these gods?" Damon inquired, his voice echoing his astonishment at Lazarak's impossible accomplishment, especially given his inability to kill them.

"I can only imagine it was no minor undertaking."

The voice originated from the chamber's center, near the luminous lake.

Damon spun around sharply. Seated there was an elderly, blind man, clad in robes reminiscent of the cultivator who had introduced himself as Zhang Dafei.

Damon's eyes immediately narrowed. This revelation confirmed the man was an outsider.

Taking a cautious step back, he gently took Lilith's hand, subtly positioning himself in front of her. He knew firsthand that outsiders posed extreme danger; this caution stemmed not from paranoia but from hard-won experience.

"Young one, there is no need for apprehension. This old man harbors no ill will towards you. It has been more than two hundred thousand years since I encountered another soul. Truly, fate has brought us together."

His words did little to assuage Damon's suspicions; rather, they heightened his vigilance.

Lilith spoke with composure.

"You are imprisoned here, are you not?"

"Precisely. I had the misfortune of arriving here and subsequently being sealed."

Damon felt a sliver of relief. If the man was sealed, his threat was considerably diminished.

He scrutinized the old man's form intently. Several glowing vines had pierced his body, and his complexion was ashen, like that of a corpse. A slender sword lay beside him as he sat in a meditative lotus pose.

"You are a cultivator, correct?"

"Indeed I am. Yet, now, I am but a decrepit, sightless elder. It appears you possess a familiarity with cultivators. You must be quite learned."

Damon let out a derisive snort.

"Hardly. I simply endured the misfortune of encountering your associate, Zhang Dafei."

The old man paused, his milky white eyes widening slightly.

"Zhang Dafei. Yes, I know of him. However, we are not associates. Unlike him, who belongs to a cultivation sect, I am merely a lone wanderer of the Dao."

Damon didn't fully grasp the distinction but maintained his guard. Despite his apparent frailty, there was an undeniably disquieting aura about him.

"You are the Blind Old Daoist, aren't you?" Damon inquired.

A faint smile touched the old man's lips.

"Ah, I perceive. Then you must be the disciple of the one who guides the Ascendants. Your armor gave you away. I simply hadn't anticipated you would recognize me."

"How modest of you," Lilith remarked calmly. "Every scholar knows of you. In truth, you are quite renowned among the populace of this era."

The old man chuckled softly, a gentle shake of his head accompanying the sound.

"Young one, perhaps you should advise your companion to cease her fabrication. It is unbecoming to mislead elders."

Lilith's expression turned frigid. So, he possessed the ability to discern falsehoods as well. This certainly complicated matters.

Damon scoffed and placed a discreet hand on her waist, a silent gesture of reassurance.

"How did you find your way here, Blind Old Daoist? This tomb has remained sealed since the Zero Epoch. Given the vines have impaled you, I surmise you gained entry without the necessary keys."

The old daoist smiled and inhaled deeply.

"Ah, astute observation, young man. Yes, I did indeed bypass the keys. It was simply a matter of misfortune. Unlike those misguided souls who crave power, my sole desire was to return home. Thus, I journeyed to what you term the Sky Continent, intending to utilize the Abyss as a means to circumvent the goddess's seal."

He paused momentarily, as if gauging Damon's reaction.

"It was then that I discovered this place suspended between the infinite Abyss and your realm."