Chapter 717 — Across Seven Hundred Years

"...I'm afraid not," Beiyila shook her head. "You would only sever one of my roots. The correct approach is to destroy the entire tree—this whole tree is my body. Use those tremendously powerful explosive devices of yours, use that magical flame of yours that can burn all things to ash, and burn the entire tree, including its underground structure, completely—only then can you kill me.

"That won't be easy. In terms of sheer survivability, my life has indeed undergone a 'great evolution.' But I know it won't be difficult for that army of yours—you can do it.

"And burning at the stake... does suit heretics well enough."

Gao Yun glanced lightly at the longsword in his hand and gave a faint sigh.

"We have already set enough fires here. This land need not burn a second time," he said, as though speaking to himself. "And you... take root here quietly. Your taking root may, perhaps, do some good for the people of the Holy Spirit Plains."

Beiyila kept her head lowered, and no one could tell what she was thinking. Only a few seconds later did Gao Yang hear her voice drift over: "I understand, Gao Yang... brother."

Gao Yang raised an eyebrow.

That, then, counted as a bargain struck.

He nodded and steered the conversation back on course. "What else is in this palace? What lies further down?"

"There is nothing further down worth exploring. When the false god's body tore free of its bonds, it destroyed the support structures of the lowest level. To confine it for a time, the last surviving priests blew up the Great Passage and the Rockbed Quarter," Beiyila said, shaking her head. "If you do not believe me, go down the eastern corridor and see for yourselves. I can sense a gap there. You should be able to see the collapsed passages and the strata piled atop one another. In fact, if the rock on either side of the subterranean rift had not pressed inward to form a new support, and if my roots were not holding the palace structure together, this place would not have escaped the same fate as the levels below."

Gao Qi frowned. It was a regrettable situation. He had hoped to unearth more secrets from this ancient subterranean ruin, perhaps even lost technologies, but now it seemed that, with the man-made god's rampage and the Order of All Things' End's suicide resistance, all the ancient secrets here had been buried underground with the great collapse...

"Do not regret it overmuch," Beiyila said at once. "The lowest level never held much to begin with. This ancient palace was not built by us. It came from some ancient civilization lost for more aeons than anyone can count. Something coils in its depths that even we could scarcely contend with. So for several hundred years our main activities were confined to the middle and upper levels. The great majority of the rooms and corridors on the lower level were sealed shut entirely. Inside there is nothing but stale air and hollow echoes.

"The only two places of value on the lower level were the Grand Pontiff's chamber and the rift zone where the false god's body was made. But the false god's body is no more, and the most valuable thing in the Grand Pontiff's chamber..."

As she spoke, Beiyila raised her hand and held out the great book she had been cradling against her chest.

"Is this."

Gao Song's attention followed Beiyila's motion to the book.

The instant he saw it, an indescribable feeling rose in him.

He faintly sensed something familiar about the book. It was somewhat like the "spiritual resonance" he felt when he linked with the satellite, yet markedly different as well—as though it were... some kind of counterfeit. It strove with all its might to imitate, but in the end it was not the genuine article.

Or, put another way: when he resonated with the satellite, he felt a clear spiritual oscillation. Facing this book, he could also feel a similar resonance, but it was blurred and muddled, far less distinct.

"What is this thing?" Gao Yang asked curiously.

"The Ultimate Book. The only thing we found on the lowest level of this underground palace that was both safe and within the grasp of mortals," Beiyila said. "For the past several hundred years, it belonged to our Grand Pontiff."

"The Ultimate Book... that sounds rather extraordinary." As he spoke, Gao Cen eyed the thick, black-bound volume warily. He knew curiosity was one of the driving forces of human progress, but excessive curiosity could bring danger as well. He sensed no threat from the book, yet its origins were unknown and it gave off an uncanny aura, and that was truly enough to put one on guard.

...Should he touch it or not?

"The Grand Pontiff gave it to me before he merged with the false god's body, hoping I would lead the Order of All Things' End," Beiyila continued. "But as you can see, the Order of All Things' End is gone, and I... have become what I am. This book is of no use to me. Otherworld wanderer, if you want it, take it."

Gao Yang thought it over, and at last Gao Yun took the book and cautiously opened its cover.

The next second, a voice sounded in his mind:

"Unauthorized medium detected logging into the system."