Chapter 779 - 530: Gu’s Advancement Opportunity and the Quasi-Divine Artifact "Demon Serpent’s Eye
Chapter 779: Chapter 530: Gu’s Advancement Opportunity and the Quasi-Divine Artifact "Demon Serpent’s Eye
Raylo agreed.
The Giant City-State. He had to make a trip there.
Emotionally, Grand Elder Gu had given his all to help in the battle at the Jade Swamp. That was a debt of gratitude he needed to repay in person.
Logically, the Hill Giant Race was Black Stone Territory’s staunchest ally. Maintaining and deepening this alliance was crucial for the future of Black Stone Territory.
"We’ll depart now."
Raylo looked at Kado.
Kado nodded without another word.
Raylo called over Moonlight and Coal Ball, who were playing nearby.
Soon, Raylo and Kado arrived at the Giant City-State through a spatial rift opened by Coal Ball.
A slight dizziness washed over them as the scene before their eyes changed in an instant.
They walked out of an enormous stone house.
Unlike Black Stone Territory, the houses here were all built from massive blocks of stone. They were crude and primitive, yet they exuded a sense of weightiness, as if one with the heavens and the earth.
Towering figures, dozens of meters tall, moved slowly through the city-state. Some carried massive stones, while others tended to equally colossal Giant Beasts.
Raylo’s gaze swept across the magnificent city-state, and he was filled with awe.
’This is the true foundation of the Hill Giant Race.’
’The hundred or so Hill Giants in Black Stone Territory are just a small fraction of their number.’
Led by Kado, they soon arrived before the tallest stone tower.
This was the residence of Grand Elder Gu.
It was also the center of power for the entire Giant City-State.
Upon entering the stone tower, they found the space inside was far more vast than they had imagined.
There were no extraneous decorations, only massive stone pillars supporting the top of the tower and murals on the walls depicting the ancient history of the Giant race.
In the very center, a figure sat silently on a massive stone throne carved from a single boulder.
It was Grand Elder Gu.
Raylo’s pupils contracted slightly.
Gu’s current condition looked much worse than it had been at the Jade Swamp.
His braided hair, which had once been merely streaked with silver, was now completely snow-white and devoid of all luster.
The wrinkles on his face were like a dry, cracked landscape, crisscrossing so deeply they resembled the folds of a mountain range.
An aura of decay and decrepitude emanated from him.
It was the sign of a life about to reach its end.
But strangely, in stark contrast to his body, which had aged to its absolute limit, was his spirit.
His eyes were tightly shut as if he were deep in thought, yet Raylo could clearly feel a vast, ocean-like Spiritual Power brewing and surging within his body.
That Spiritual Power was even more condensed and terrifying than before.
Like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
The two forces, concentrated within the same body, were full of contradiction and disharmony.
"You’ve come."
An ancient, hoarse voice echoed through the empty stone tower.
Grand Elder Gu slowly opened his eyes.
He gestured to his side.
"Sit."
Raylo did as he was told, walking over and sitting on a stone stool beside him.
To a Giant, it was just an ordinary stool, but to Raylo, it was nearly the size of a bed.
After he sat down, Moonlight leaped gracefully to his side and curled up, its pale golden eyes studying the legendary Giant elder with curiosity.
Coal Ball, meanwhile, hopped to the other side, found a comfortable spot, and lay down.
"Thank you for your assistance in the battle at the Jade Swamp, Great Elder."
Raylo spoke first, expressing his gratitude.
Gu slowly shook his head.
"A Demon that knows only how to plunder and devour is an enemy to all living things. It is also the responsibility of our Hill Giant Race to fight against it."
"Through this battle, I have seen humanity’s resolve, and I have seen your potential."
His clouded gaze fell upon Raylo.
He recounted joining forces with Legendary Powerhouses like Mage Wendel and Mage Delin to slay the Hydra.
He remembered every detail clearly.
"At that moment, I finally believed that we could perhaps become allies against a common enemy."
With these words, Grand Elder Gu acknowledged humanity’s power and will to fight.
"That battle exhausted the last of my power."
The Great Elder’s voice was calm, as if he were speaking of something that had nothing to do with him.
Raylo’s heart sank.
’It’s just as I thought.’
Exchanging one’s life force for a brief moment of peak combat strength—this was the final choice for nearly all beings reaching the end of their lives.
"But..."
The Great Elder’s tone suddenly shifted.
An astonishing light suddenly burst forth from his eyes.
"We won."
"And I obtained half of the Hydra’s body."
"Within it contains an unimaginable amount of Life Energy, and... the lingering Power of the World."
Raylo snapped his head up, his eyes filled with shock.
He instantly understood.
"Great Elder, you..."
A smile appeared on Gu’s face, and his deep wrinkles seemed to smooth out.
"That’s right."
"At the final moment of my life, I obtained... a new hope."
"The hope of breaking through to the ’World Destruction Level’!"
BOOM!
It was as if a clap of thunder had exploded in Raylo’s mind.
World Destruction Level!
He finally understood the source of the contradictory feeling coming from the Great Elder!
His body was decaying, but his spirit was ascending!
He was using the Hydra’s immense Life Energy as fuel to ignite the final flame of his life, attempting to shatter the ultimate Barrier that had imprisoned countless powerhouses!
This was a tremendous gamble, staking his life, staking everything he had!
"That is why I asked you to come."
The Great Elder’s expression turned serious once more.
"I need to find a completely quiet place to complete this final step."