Although Rocky couldn't wrap his head around it, he decided to complete the task solely because it was passed down to him by the gods. Trusting that the gods had some cryptic purpose behind commanding them to subdue the Nether Dragon King, Rocky rid his heart with all doubts.
However, he was more focused on finding a way out of this space to return to Valeria and the others. With Valeria's current strength, she wouldn't fare well in a fight against the other Godly Geniuses.
Now that the cave's ceiling above was blocked off, Rocky contemplated diving underwater to search for another exit.
Inhaling deeply, bracing himself, he nosedived into the water, exploring the new territory.
After he searched restlessly for a while, Rocky's efforts soon bore fruit when he came across a promising cave immersed with bubbles at the bottom of the water. Growing impatient from slowly running out of oxygen, he penned all his hopes on it to provide him with a safe exit without considering the risks involved in entering unknown grounds.
Upon entering the cave, he had to slip past a painfully long yet narrow opening. Time was of the essence since he was running out of breath. Soon, his vision began to blur, feeling dizzy from the lack of oxygen in his body before subtle flashes of light flickered before his eyes, signaling hope. Snapping out of his hazy state, he darted upwards, swimming as fast as he could. As he resurfaced, he swung his head back, gasping for air. Regaining his composure, he looked around to make sense of his surroundings but what stood in front of him left him shocked and confused.
Blinking several times, he found himself to have come out of a lake, surrounded by luscious green grass. The pasture extended to distances far and beyond what the eyes could fathom, and at the end of it stood a castle-like structure basking in the sun, majestic and tall.
Of course, what earned Rocky's shock wasn't the pleasant scenery in front of him but the fact that the serenity of it was secured within an enchanted barrier. Outside of the barrier was barren land, engulfed in flames, tattered, and in ruins.
'This might be the holy land of the Shura Race's royal family that Esteban mentioned before, '
he thought to himself. Rocky never expected to stumble upon such a place while looking for an exit.
Unbeknownst to him, sooner or later, this was bound to happen. Previously, the dark abyss Rocky fell into was actually a space transfer station. The royal bloodline flowing through his veins contributed towards leading him to the royal family's holy land, drawing him in its direction, almost like it was calling out to him to return home.
It wasn't a mere coincidence. This was part of his destiny!
"Since I'm here already, I guess it wouldn't hurt to go inside to have a look!"
The splendor of the manor laying at the end of the lustrous meadows piqued Rocky's interest enough to not pass up on exploring it. After all, the Shura Race's royal family was both the supreme ruling class and one of the most revered forces in all of the Shura Race.
With his mind made up, Rocky activated his spiritual power and flew to dry land. Incorporating his spiritual power, he dried himself before heading to the castle.
Walking up to the castle gate, he paused to admire the hefty girth of it, realizing the challenge that stood before him. Second-guessing himself, he wondered if his current strength would be enough to push it open.
Alas, after several failed attempts, the gate refused to budge.
'Esteban said that only the members with the royal bloodline can enter the holy land. That is to say, this gate needs to confirm my royal bloodline first before allowing me inside...'
Rocky recalled. Instead of trying to force his way in, he decided to study the patterns on the gate. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the structure of a three-eyed beast's head perched atop the center of the two doors. Two of its eyes were wide open, adorned in blood, while the remaining eye on the forehead remained closed.
Nodding to himself, he confidently bit his thumb and smeared the closed eye with his blood.
The next moment, the eye soaked in Rocky's blood. Reacting to the fusion, the head let out an agonizing scream, causing the doors to quiver violently in response.
But soon, the unyielding doors gave way, slowly unraveling the contents that laid behind the walls. As the doors opened up, a bone-chilling cold breeze escaped from the other side, grazing Rocky's skin, causing him to shudder in fear. At the same time, he could feel that the world inside was ripe with powerful and unusual auras.
Fully aware of the risks involved on the other side, he willingly stepped in, strangely feeling attracted to the unknown that laid ahead of him.
While Rocky got sidetracked from exploring the holy land, Valeria suffered alone in the lair.
Although the diabolic beasts didn't travel in flocks to overwhelm her, powerful beasts were spread across the lair. Although most of them were at lower grades and could be disposed of with ease, there was only so much Valeria could handle alone.
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