The Rise of the Black Plain

Chapter 2959: The Power of This Successor

A coffin traversed through space, leaving the Upper Realm and quickly entering an unknown dimension between the realm and Hell.

As soon as it arrived at a massive temple, the coffin floated upright, facing a dozen similar mummies, who immediately prostrated themselves in its presence.

"Welcome back, Lord Zhou," chanted the group of mummies in unison, as the coffin floated gloriously in front of the majestic temple.

The coffin remained closed, as if its inhabitant were pondering something important. Meanwhile, another coffin from that sacred place emerged from its tomb, bringing with it a powerful voice and aura.

"Zou Zhou, where is the head of Tian Wang's successor?" asked a powerful voice, while the kneeling mummies remained motionless, so quiet that it was as if they weren't there.

The floating coffin, upon its return, vibrated for a moment before a frail and calm voice emanated from it. "Senior, the enemy is marked. His position will no longer be a problem. As soon as we put our plans into action, he will meet his end."

As the mysterious mummy spoke, a golden map formed in front of its urn, showing the position of the marked enemy.

"Why didn't you end this problem today, Zou Zhou?"

Zou Zhou seemed to think for a moment, while the weaker mummies present felt uncomfortable. They were at the pinnacle of reality. They came from an absolute era, where mistakes were not tolerated. Having the position of Tian Wang's successor was nothing to them. Nothing mattered except the head of Minos Stuart for the congregation's desires that day.

But Zou Zhou had an answer in mind. "It wasn't because I didn't want to take the risk, Senior. Tian Wang's successor, Minos Stuart, is not ordinary."

Zou Zhou's words surprised each of those creatures, as the lid of the Senior's coffin subtly opened, revealing even more of its terrifying aura.

Zou Zhou hurried to recount everything he had witnessed. "Minos Stuart bears a trace of the damned spy in his aura. He is also not like the previous fools. His strength is very close to ours, Senior. If I had fought him with all my might, the chances of victory would not be better than those of defeat. To avoid losing one of our pillars, I chose to retreat for now."

Minos and his companions would be shocked if they heard these words now. The creature that had acted in grand style, seriously wounding Minos and then departing as if it were a god capable of deciding everyone's fate, was actually uncertain of its chances in such a fight!

The Senior behind this congregation was clearly angry. Giving time to the enemy was the worst mistake of all!

The Senior knew very well how grave such an error was, having seen the end of many geniuses during his existence of millions of years. But faced with Zou Zhou's words and the plans of his congregation, he couldn't help but ponder his companion's statements.

"Is this serious?"

"I wouldn't dare invent it," Zou Zhou said firmly. "If my death wouldn't harm the group, I would have risked everything, Senior. But it would be worthless if, in the end, we lost the only means to bring back the master."

"Hmm, you did right." The lid of the main coffin in that temple closed again, slowly returning to its tomb. "Make the preparations. Since Minos Stuart has the protection of that ERROR, we will deal with him together after we honor our master. We will spill the blood of Tian Wang's successor in the name of the Lord of Destruction!"

The Senior's coffin disappeared, while the mummies that remained behind repeated in unison, "The Lord of Destruction is among us," their voices filled with emotion and power.

With the end of the chant, two mummies approached Zou Zhou's coffin, positioning themselves to carry it through the temple.

"Lord Zhou, did the successor of Tian Wang eliminate our brothers?" asked one of the two, as the other mummies turned their attention to other matters.

"Indeed. We underestimated the strength of that seed a bit. That's why we must hurry. He cannot compete with the entire congregation, but he could become a problem as strong as us in a few years."

The two mummies carrying the coffin were horrified. In all their lives, they had not heard of any being so impressive that was not born in the Ancient Era, in the Ancestral Realm.

The mummy inside the coffin seemed to sigh as it murmured about what had just happened. "Minos Stuart wouldn't be able to kill me today. But my condition… I would have to leave my coffin to deal with him. And that would be the end!"

"We understand," the two mummies said, seeing everything more clearly now.

'The Lords are children of the Ancient Era, as old as Hell and the Upper Realm. Unlike us, creations post-catastrophe, they lived alongside Tian Wang, Shulong, and the others!'

'A mere breath of time outside the Celestial Coffin would be enough for Lord Zhou to lose 10% of his vitality! If he took over 10 seconds to deal with that Minos Stuart, even if he won, he would end up dead after that time!'

Zou Zhou said to the two. "Anyway, Minos Stuart is badly wounded. My mark cannot be removed unless he reaches level 128… But given his circumstances, that's essentially impossible. So just continue with the preparations for the ceremony in honor of the master. We will deal with Tian Wang's successor when there are no risks to our sacred ritual."

"Yes, Lord Zhou!"

…

Pain.

Darkness.

A deafening silence.

Minos was fleeing one moment and then in agony, seeing before him the line between life and death pass very close.

For an instant, he thought it would be his end. He hadn't imagined that the entity in the previous coffin could be so powerful.

With just one movement, the creature knocked him down as if he were no more than a flea!

But strangely, Minos didn't die, nor did he awaken in a safe place, wrapped in bandages and medicinal fragrance. His body floated in a black space, his wounds still open. The absence of sounds bothered him almost as much as his physical pain, as he tried to understand his situation better.

'Is this the enemy's doing?' he wondered, feeling within himself a disgusting mark, full of malice and negativity.

But he couldn't be sure that such a mark was behind his current situation. The aura of this dark reality didn't resemble that of the enemy. In fact, it didn't resemble anything he had ever felt before.

Amid his confusion, he tried to calm down, setting aside what was not under his control to breathe calmly and focus on himself.

Minos was terrified. He couldn't help but think of his family and allies, the enemy's power, the difficulties he would have to move forward, and much more.

But he was no longer a junior. His experiences had taken him far, and he had long been capable of pausing for a moment, clearing his mind of anxiety, and focusing on what he could influence.

Dealing with an entity or a force capable of having something as strong as the previous mummy was not within his current capabilities. It was sad, but he had to admit his inferiority.

What he could handle now was the state of his body.

'I need to meditate and recover. I'll see what to do after that.'

He crossed his legs, forming the typical lotus position, before controlling his soul to absorb the energy of that space.

In the first few seconds, Minos felt pain, weakness, and an external pressure preventing him from cultivating properly. But after an indefinable amount of time, he felt his cultivation returning to its normal speed of absorption and comprehension of the laws.

"You really seem to be the destined one."

Then, an androgynous voice, neither loud enough to startle nor soft enough to go unnoticed, sounded, forcing Minos to open his eyes and search for who was there with him.

"Who are you? Is this dark space yours?" Minos asked instinctively, feeling that the one who had brought him to this place was revealing themselves.

"You have questions," said the voice calmly, but without revealing itself. "You will have your answers in due time. Now, however, is not the time for that. If you do not advance to the next level in 50 days, you and everyone you know will be killed. That is not what might happen; it is what will happen.

So, I ask you. Will the destined one overcome the shackles of fate, or will he be just another one stopped by the traitors of the Life and Death Tree?"

Minos saw two silhouettes identical to his own forming, one completely black and the other completely white.

"As the last spark of my existence in this world, I will help you find your answer. I hope you do not disappoint me!"