"Universal Force Art..."
At that moment, "
Sir Ace!"
Ace suddenly snapped out of his muddle state with Moiraās voice and quickly shut his mouth.
The next moment, an imposing voice rang within the cultivation chamber, "Itās been 37 nights since our last meeting. I hope the benefits of Ebon Vein Nectar were to your liking. But Iām afraid we need to deal with the main business now."
Ace recognized the voice of Dread Duchess Varathia, but he was surprised when he heard it had been 37 nights since he had come to the Duskmire Vault.
The knowledge that Malservus had imparted to him was simply too vast and profound, but he wasnāt expecting to spend 37 nights just refining it, which was just like 37 days back in Heaven. After all, the concept of days doesnāt exist within the Abysses.
āThat was close...Iām glad Iāve kept the Live Fate Map open all the time, and have Moira alert me the moment the Dread Duchess or something suspicious appears. If not, I would have just revealed the techniqueās name and more.
āDread Duchess is probably thinking that Iām cultivating with the Ebon Vein Nectar and shouldāve known that itās too quick for me to absorb everything, so I probably stowed it away. Yet she didnāt expose me and seemed to care little about it...ā
Ace sighed in relief before he quickly stood up, "Iāve been waiting for Her Highness Duchessā news."
A hint of excitement flashed past Aceās eyes, not because he was going to get rid of the Ghost King but because of the Veilborn Raceās technique that Malservus had imparted to him. He couldnāt wait to start cultivating it, but it wasnāt the right time or the right place.
"Heh, seeing you brimming with confidence, gives me more assurance." The Dread Duchess chuckled with a hint of relief and ecstasy as she had really played it big this time and was taking a huge risk by believing in Ace.
Moreover, some members of the King Circle werenāt happy because they all knew if Dread Duchess could really bring in a Ghost King and then form a connection with the Moonless Wandering King on top of them, not only her status would be increased but the rewards sheāll receive would be unimaginable, and she might end up improving her chances of becoming the next Abyssal King.
Most of the King Circleās members, especially those who belonged to different abyssal races or were under their rule, were waiting for Dread Duchess to make a mistake to stop her momentum.
As for scheming against her, it wasnāt possible because the Abyssal Devil Race was behind her, and since she was the one whom the disciple of the Moonless Wandering King had approached, they couldnāt risk ruining such a big deal and then offending the Moonless Wandering King in the process.
Now, Ace was extremely precious to the Dread Duchess, and she would do anything to protect him, at least until she could deliver the Ghost King to the Council. However, this also made Ace a prisoner whom the Dread Duchess would never let go, even if he tried to escape or change his mind now.
Just after the Dread Duchessā voice fades away, the sealed door of the cultivation chamber opens, revealing the eerie Vaultkeeper behind it.
Vaultkeeper respectfully bowed before Ace and said, "Please follow me, Lord Nomad."
āNomadā was the name Ace had given to the Vaultkeeper since he couldnāt have them always calling him āAbyss Wanderer,ā and he also told Eva to do the same if Dread Duchess came inquiring about him.
But Ace didnāt see any missed house calls, so he thought the Dread Duchess had probably been busy while dealing with the Evernight Council and convincing them, and he was right on mark.
Ace followed Vaultkeeper to an unknown pathway, as it wasnāt the one he had escorted through before. All he could tell was that they were going deeper into the underground, as the pathway was inclined, and ghostly torches were illuminating the pitch-dark surroundings.
The Live Fate Map is also entirely pitch black, as he canāt see anything other than the Vaultkeeperās black fate point, which sounded with a neutral color ring.
After walking for an unknown time, which was probably more than an hour, as Ace suspected, they arrived at a massive bronze door with black runic markings and a devilish face symbol in the center.
The Vaultkeeper suddenly started to mutter a chant in Abyssal Language, which was unique to the Abyssal Beings, like the unique language of the Heavens.
The next moment, the devilish face seemed to flicker as if alive before the huge bronze door started to open inward.
"Please proceed on your own, Lord Nomad. The Duchess awaits. Iām not permitted to go any further. It was nice to have you here, Lord Nomad, please come again when you are in the vicinity!" The Vaultkeeper respectfully said, trying to sound friendly, but his eerie voice betrayed all his efforts.
Nonetheless, Ace had a good impression of this unknown abyssal being, so he politely thanked him before stepping behind the mysterious door.
As soon as he entered, the door behind him started to close again, and he saw a vast chamber, around 10,000 square feet in size. The walls were lit in ghostly torches, and vivid murals of unknown beings telling old tales were barely visible under those faint lights.
But Aceās attention was instantly captured by the huge blue circle covering 90% of this chamber, and inside that circle were countless runes and arrays engraved with terrifying proficiency.
In the center of the runic circle was a black-crimson pentagram, and on top of that pentagram were black pillars making the outline of a door. Standing beside those pillars was the graceful figure of the Dread Duchess Varathia, adorned in an eldritch dress that made her seem devilish yet extremely alluring.
The Dread Duchess seemed to have already been aware of Aceās arrival, as she looked at him with a hint of an ambiguous smile. "Come."
She beckoned him to approach her, and Ace, after glancing at the lifeless runic circle, stepped into it. But he was ready to act on a momentās notice.
But nothing out of the ordinary happened as he reached the Dread Duchess and stopped within the pentagram where the large pillars, creating a door shape, were located.
Dread Duchess deeply looked at Ace, and she was a little surprised because she still couldnāt sense any changes in Aceās aura, which was strange since she was thinking he wouldāve been able to break through to the Abyssal Grandmaster Realm even if he had only consumed a single cup of the Ebon Vein Nectar.
Nonetheless, Dread Duchess didnāt dwell on these details since there was far more pressing matter at hand.
"This is a realm teleportation formation. Since you are the disciple of the Moonless Wandering King, I donāt need to tell you what a Realm Teleportation Formation is, right?" Dread Duchess ambiguously stated.
āIs she testing me?ā
Ace was startled as he couldnāt see through the Dread Duchessā intentions at all. But since she seemed to have suddenly stopped and was waiting for his response, he had to reply, despite never even hearing about this Realm Teleportation Formation.
However, from the name, Ace could still make a vague guess. But if he said something wrong, itāll be a disaster for him.
"Hehehe, just tell her what Iām telling you...
" All of a sudden, Pixyās playful voice sounded in Aceās head, and a tint of kaleidoscopic light shimmered within Aceās pupils.
Ace was astounded, but he kept his expression in check and replied to Dread Duchess, "Please donāt laugh at my meager knowledge, but I do know a little about a Realm Teleportation Formation. The Realm Teleportation Formation, unlike normal teleportation formations, can be directly connected with secret realms and the space between chaotic space.
"Furthermore, the Realm Teleportation Formation can also work as a normal formation, and its reach should be at least 10 billion miles if not more. Lastly, this formation is not the main formation, but a āBranch Nodeā of the Realm Teleportation Formation.
"In other words, this is just one of the channel pathways created through the Realm Teleportation Formation. I must admit, only maybe, only the Evernight Council has the resources of creating a Realm Teleportation Formation, and its branch nodes."
Ace was genuinely praising the Evernight Council as he was also shocked by the origin of this formation.
Even the wealthiest King Sect of the Mortal Ascension Heaven, the Prime Heavenly Wealth King Sect, didnāt possess this Realm Teleportation Formation, or maybe they didnāt have its method. According to Pixy, this formation was ānot badā, which meant extraordinary in Aceās ears.
After all, Pixy wasnāt even impressed by his wealth, except for some treasures, so he knew how high Pixyās vision was compared to his.
On the other hand, Dread Duchessās eyes also shimmered with astonishment as she looked at Ace in a new light. She was really testing him, but even she didnāt expect he would differentiate between the Realm Teleportation Formation and its Branch Node!