In the Netherworld, Locke only waited a little over a hundred years before discovering Loran and Teresia outside the Nether Mountains.
"So, this is the Nether Mountains?"
"So many experts!"
"And those mists actually contain soul attacks..."
It was Teresia's first time visiting the Nether Mountains. Looking at the mountain range shrouded in dense fog, a trace of caution flashed through his eyes.
Within those mists, Teresia sensed the auras of many experts.
"Hahaha, of course."
Hearing Teresia's exclamation, Loran patted Little Black beneath him and explained:
"After all, Mount Nether is where my parents reside. If they didn't set up some barriers here, then either countless lifeforms would surround the place, or the ground would be covered in corpses."
"True enough."
After hearing Loran's explanation, Teresia understood.
Indeed, the fact that Sovereign Locke lived on Mount Nether was no secret.
In fact, most lifeforms of the Netherworld knew that Sovereigns resided atop Mount Nether.
And many Deities harbored fantasies regarding Sovereigns, hoping to gain the favor of a Sovereign, receive Sovereign power or Sovereign artifacts, and greatly increase their strength to become even more powerful existences.
Faced with such fanaticism from these Deities, if the Sovereign was benevolent, then these people would maintain pointless hopes and gather here in ever-increasing numbers, seriously disturbing the Sovereign's mood.
But if the Sovereign was displeased, then these lifeforms disturbing the Sovereign's secluded cultivation would all become skeletons with a single thought from the Sovereign.
"Father set up three layers of mist within the Nether Mountains. Only by completely passing through all three layers can one stand beneath Mount Nether and obtain the qualifications to seek an audience with Father."
"However, those who pass the first two layers of mist aren't without opportunities to meet Father and Mother."
"Passing the first layer grants one the qualifications to join Mother's Sovereign Army. Passing the second layer grants one the qualifications to join Father's Sovereign Army."
"The auras of those experts you sensed earlier are the auras of Sovereign Army soldiers stationed within the mist."
"One must pass all three layers of mist to gain the qualifications to seek an audience with Lord Locke?"
Contrary to Loran's expectations, after hearing his introduction to the mists of the Nether Mountains, determination flashed through Teresia's eyes.
"Hey, hey, hey, Teresia, don't tell me you're thinking..."
Seeing Teresia's expression, Loran immediately felt something was wrong and hurriedly asked.
"Yes, Lord Loran. I want to challenge these three layers of mist!"
"No way..."
Seeing that Teresia had indeed made the choice he had anticipated, Loran helplessly slapped his forehead.
What a joke!
Although Loran had never personally challenged these three layers of mist, he had heard from Father's subordinates what conditions were required to pass through them.
To pass through the mist, the strength of one's soul was the most important factor.
For the first layer, possessing soul strength at the level of a God was sufficient to pass and obtain the qualifications to join the Nether Army.
The second layer required Highgod-level soul strength.
Everyone who passed the second layer was at minimum a God who had fused two Profound Mysteries.
Highgods who had become Highgods by fusing divine sparks had not received the cleansing of the natural Laws and could never pass through the second layer.
If the first two layers of mist had been established by Father to select soldiers for the Sovereign Army, then the third layer existed as a barrier preventing other lifeforms from intruding upon Mount Nether.
According to Commander Oakes, one could only pass through the third layer by either being a Paragon or possessing a soul-protecting Sovereign artifact.
As far as Loran was concerned, the first two layers posed absolutely no challenge to Teresia.
But the third layer was an insurmountable heavenly chasm that Teresia could never overcome!
However, seeing the determined look on Teresia's face, Loran knew that before hitting the wall himself, Teresia would never obediently follow him up.
Every Deity with aspirations of reaching the highest peak possessed absolute confidence in themselves.
Thus, Loran no longer tried to persuade him.
"Fine, Teresia."
"If you want to try, then go ahead."
"I'll wait for you in the small town outside."
After saying this, Loran ignored Teresia and patted Little Black beneath him. Immediately, Little Black carried Loran toward the small town outside the mist.
Loran never specified how long he would wait for Teresia, clearly indicating that he didn't believe Teresia could pass through the third layer.
Naturally, Teresia understood the meaning behind Loran's words.
As for whether he could pass through the three layers of mist, Teresia himself knew the chances were slim.
But since these mists had been set up by a Sovereign, it could be considered a display of a Sovereign's methods. Before meeting a Sovereign, Teresia wanted to see for himself the difference between a Sovereign's techniques and those of ordinary experts.
Watching Loran disappear from sight, Teresia stepped into the mist.
"Hm? This is... a soul attack that disrupts one's sense of direction?"
After entering the mist, Teresia quickly noticed something abnormal within his soul.
"How marvelous..."
Teresia wasn't unfamiliar with soul attacks.
In fact, he himself possessed considerable accomplishments in soul attacks.
The Sound Wave Profound Mystery and Sound Music Profound Mystery of the Wind Laws were both soul-related Profound Mysteries.
However, Teresia had never encountered such a soul attack before.
Calling it a soul attack didn't seem appropriate, because he felt no damage or injury to his soul.
But saying it wasn't a soul attack was equally incorrect, because the disorder in his soul perception was undeniable.
After pondering it briefly, Teresia felt himself gaining numerous inspirations regarding his comprehension and application of the Sound Wave and Sound Music Profound Mysteries.
Unfortunately, the influence of the first layer of mist upon his soul was too weak and insufficient to grant him further enlightenment.
After breaking through the first layer, Teresia did not stop and flew directly toward the second layer.
Compared to the first layer, the soul influence of the second layer was ten times stronger.
However, such intensity had little effect on someone like Teresia, who possessed Six-Star Fiend-level strength.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
After passing through the second layer, thunderous explosions immediately rang out in Teresia's ears.
Wave after wave of terrifying Law fluctuations informed him that terrifying experts were battling nearby.
Judging from the intensity of the battle, those fighting were at least Seven-Star Fiend-level experts.
Looking up, Teresia discovered that the battle wasn't between a handful of people as he had imagined, but between thousands.
However, those thousands of people seemed to function as a single entity, combining their power to unleash terrifying might.
"An ingenious formation..."
After observing for a while, Teresia realized that these people were organized into formations. It was these formations that allowed ordinary Highgods to unleash Seven-Star Fiend-level power.
He didn't continue watching.
Instead, Teresia turned his attention toward the final layer of mist.
No matter how powerful those formations were, he didn't believe they had anything to do with him.
He had no desire to become merely another component within such formations.
Only by becoming like Lord Dunnington—single-handedly defeating a Sovereign Army, disregarding them entirely, and forcefully slaying his enemies—could he fulfill his aspirations.
If he possessed Dunnington's strength, then no matter how large or powerful these formations became, they would still be nothing more than chickens and dogs before him.
Looking at the final layer of mist, Teresia's expression grew solemn as he stepped into it.
"Not good!"
The moment he entered, Teresia sensed something was wrong.
Compared to the soul attacks within the second layer, the soul attacks of the third layer were over a hundred times stronger.
After taking only a few steps into the mist, Teresia felt his soul's concept of direction rapidly becoming blurred and disappearing altogether.
"Hmph!"
Daring not to be careless, Teresia let out a snort. Powerful soul energy spread out from his body as he attempted to dispel the mist's influence upon his soul.
However, his actions failed to produce the intended effect.
Under the influence of the mist, his feet continued moving forward, while the effects upon him became increasingly severe. After merely a dozen breaths, Teresia lost all sensation and awareness.
When he regained consciousness, he discovered that he had already reappeared outside the third layer of mist.
In front of him, the two armies were still battling.
Had it not been for his position being different, Teresia would have suspected that everything before had merely been a dream.
Had he really entered the third layer of mist?
Turning around to look at the mist behind him, a trace of horror flashed through Teresia's eyes.
The feeling of gradually losing all one's senses and finally falling into complete darkness was utterly dreadful.
Teresia had never imagined that such a terrifying soul attack existed in this world.
Although, judging from the results, his soul had suffered no damage.
The sensation of having one's perception twisted, one's five senses and divine sense sealed away, and slowly losing all awareness bit by bit was simply terrifying.
Especially for someone like Teresia, who possessed an extremely strong sense of self.
He would rather have his soul severely injured and die than experience that horror a second time.
(End of Chapter)
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