"If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn't have said a word. But for you, my silly little thief, I guess I can play the teacher one more time!" The words of the Falling-Flower City Master left Eddie, previously known as Eddie, in shock.
Was she really going to spill the beans?
Could it be that she had taken a liking to him?
That seemed unlikely.
A person like her, who had met countless strong individuals, why would she be interested in a nobody like him?
Moreover, her gaze wasn't like Inan's, which hid a glint of something unspoken; it was more akin to Rue's concerned look.
Could it be that she enjoyed playing the big sister role, treating him as her little brother?
Throughout their journey, the City Master of Falling-Flower City shared many secrets of beast training with Eddie, interspersed with her unique laughter, greatly benefiting him.
When they reached the teleportation array, she took out a small token and said in a low, solemn voice, "Everyone, please vote and promote this..."
After discussing with the person in charge of the teleportation array, she allowed Eddie to step in.
Before the teleportation, the City Master seriously cautioned Eddie, "Little thief, I must remind you to always prioritize your safety.
There are no 'Resurrection Crystals' left in the entire Dragon-Tide Continent. If you die in battle, I won't be able to save you!"
"Resurrection Crystals?" Eddie was taken aback.
"They are miraculous crystals brought back from the heavens by peak human warriors, according to legend," she explained.
"As long as the body is intact and not long dead, these crystals can revive a person using their stored magical energy. Due to frequent invasions from the Demon Abyss over the past millennium, countless hopeful and talented warriors have perished. To preserve hope, all the Resurrection Crystals were used to revive the most important and promising warriors. As a result, these already rare crystals were completely depleted a hundred years ago. We must face our enemies bravely and take risks, but also be cautious, as we no longer have the possibility of resurrection." The City Master's expression was unusually serious and earnest.
"Does heaven really exist?" Eddie wondered. He had always heard about the three realms – Dragon-Tide Continent, Demon Abyss, and supposedly heaven.
"It should exist, but peak warriors never talk about it. They say once you reach the eighth level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower, you'll understand," she pondered. "I think heaven does exist. Each level of the Tower is at least ten times larger than the one below.
Beyond the eighth level, it's probably even vast than Dragon-Tide Continent. The ninth level could be a boundless abyss, and maybe heaven lies in the 'Outer Realms' of the higher levels of the Tower," she said, uncertain herself.
"Can't we bring back Resurrection Crystals from heaven anymore?" Eddie asked.
"It's said that the Resurrection Crystals were brought back from spaces beyond the tenth level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower, but for a thousand years, no one from Dragon-Tide Continent has been able to reach that level again," the Falling-Flower City Master shook her head. "Let's not think about these impractical matters for now. We need to be cautious about the upcoming battles."
As they spoke, Eddie noticed a flash of white light. They had been teleported to another location. He felt an invisible force weighing down on him, making his body feel much heavier, as if his weight had doubled, and the lightness he used to feel in his body vanished.
A thought flashed through Eddie's mind, and he exclaimed in realization, "Double gravity? Does this space have twice the normal gravity?"
The City Master looked at Eddie with a hint of amusement. "It's an ancient law's restriction, beginning to strengthen from the second level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower. Although 'gravity' is a rough way to describe it, our actual weight hasn't increased. It's just that our bodies are under the influence of these ancient restrictions. You might feel uncomfortable at first. Adapt to it for a while. We'll teleport to the third level soon, where stronger restrictions await. Wait here; I'll go and submit your clearance proof."
Eddie watched in surprise as the City Master briskly walked toward an elderly man in robes, holding a staff. It seemed that the doubled gravity didn't affect her much. A sense of pride welled up in Eddie's heart – he couldn't let himself be outdone by a woman!
After calming his mind and regulating his breathing, Eddie slowly moved his body, circulating his innate Qi throughout his body to bring it to its optimal state. Gradually, the discomfort from the gravity lessened and eventually disappeared.
It appeared that the second level's restrictions of the Heaven-Reaching Tower were actually quite mild; as long as a warrior's body was in its best condition, the effects were almost negligible. But then again, how many people in the world could rapidly adjust their bodies with innate Qi like him?
If Yehken and the chubby Hessian were here, they'd probably be exhausted just from walking, let alone fighting!
When the City Master returned, she found Eddie flipping and moving with extraordinary agility, which greatly surprised her.
"This kid's body is freakishly adaptable. How did he train before? Purely in combat skills?"
" Even so, adapting this quickly to such conditions is unheard of! It took me a whole day to adapt to the second level and gradually overcome its effects, but this kid... "
"he's unaffected by the restrictions within minutes. He truly is a freak!"
"Right, just like that. Keep your body in its optimal state. On the third level, you'll encounter even stronger restrictions! And as soon as we leave the human castles, we're likely to be attacked by the forces from the Demon Abyss. We must always be in our most alert state of readiness for battle," the Falling-Flower City Master cautioned Eddie, before they teleported together to the third level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower.
Eddie found himself in a castle even larger than White-Stone City. The teleportation array was set on a small hilltop, guarded by nearly a hundred golden-armored guards who were vigilantly watching over it.
Further off, enormous walls, reaching forty to fifty meters high and built along the hillside with many parts directly hewn from the rock, stood tall with watchtowers and guard posts.
Looking down, Eddie saw that the houses below were similarly carved into the hillside, all made without bricks or tiles, appearing both solid and simple.
The houses were arranged like a beehive; although they seemed chaotic at first glance, they were actually built in the most rational way, conserving materials and making good use of the surrounding landscape.
On top of three large black stone towers flew gigantic flags. Eddie recognized the middle one as the Iron-Blooded Golden Dragon Flag of the Great Summer Kingdom.
The one with a silver wolf and a purple-gold moon was likely the Howling Wolf Moon Flag of the Purple-Gold Kingdom; and the sky-blue flag adorned with a golden core and red-bordered peonies must be the Beautifying Nation Flag of the Tianluo Kingdom.
Only here, on the third level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower, would you see the flags of these mutually calculating nations raised together.
In this place, not part of Dragon-Tide Continent, human warriors must unite to withstand the frenzied assaults of the Demon Abyss.
Whether it's Great Summer, Purple-Gold, Tianluo, or any other smaller kingdom, none can resist the demonic legions of the Abyss alone.
"Let's go. Here in Iron Fist City, as long as there's no attack from the vast armies of the Demon Abyss, we're relatively safe," the City Master said, as she and Eddie, who had quickly adapted his body to counter the triple gravity restriction, descended from the teleportation array on the hill.
"How often do the Demon Abyss legions invade here?" Eddie asked, noticing the war scars on the city walls and a lingering scent of blood in the air.
"At least once a month, and at most every three months, the Demon Abyss is bound to attack. The human warriors stationed here barely have time to breathe. A battle here can last several days and nights, which is normal. Fortunately, the elite troops from the three kingdoms cooperate well and sometimes even make a strong counterattack, so this place has never fallen," the City Master explained.
Eddie was puzzled. "But how can these guards possibly resist an attack by Demon Lords? It seems impossible to defend against a Demon Lord's assault with just this."
...
The City Master said, leading Eddie through the streets toward the city gate facing the valley,"You're talking nonsense again. Why would Demon Lords come to attack the third level? "
"They're usually on the sixth or seventh levels, contending with human super warriors. Besides, conquering this place wouldn't be of much use; human warriors could easily drive them back upon their return. "
"The Demon Abyss might be on the offensive, but that doesn't mean they can annihilate us humans. Their attacks are more about training their elite demons and draining our strength. "
"It's a competition, after all. What's the use of them taking over this place? "
"They use it as a whetstone, and so do we. This place marks the divide between ordinary people and the strong. "
"If you can make it out of here, you have hope."
...
"Please be careful, City Master. There might be demons lurking along the way," a golden-armored general saluted respectfully as they passed.
"You're the lord of this city?" Eddie asked in surprise, impressed by her status.
"No, why would I bother with a broken city on the third level? My city is on the fourth level!" she replied. Eddie was floored by her response – she was ten times more amazing than he had thought!
Apart from the gravity being three times that of the first level, the territory of the third level was a hundred times larger.
Eddie glanced at the map and saw that sixty percent of the area was under Demon Abyss control and the remaining forty percent was held by humans.
The two sides were separated by a huge river, with Iron Fist City, where they had teleported to, being one of four such cities, although it was by far the largest.
The map also showed dozens of neutral areas marked with silver rings, territories of the golden king beasts, neither humans nor demons could easily encroach upon them.
The City Master was leading Eddie to a neutral area to hunt the Bloodthirsty Queen.
However, in terms of strength, this Bloodthirsty Queen seemed to be one of the weaker golden king beasts, as her territory was the smallest among them.
...
"Don't underestimate her," the Falling-flower Master warned.
"The Bloodthirsty Queen's mother was much stronger and had the largest territory. She has left for the fourth level, and her daughter, recently transformed, took over but is relatively weaker. We wouldn't stand a chance otherwise. "
"Although the mother is gone, she left behind two commanding monsters, one a level-six bronze Ghost Claw Color Wing, and the other a level-seven bronze Demon Blade Butcher. "
"We must eliminate them, along with dozens of level-two bronze Harpy and level-three bronze Spiked Spider demons, which are also troublesome."
...
Eddie felt overwhelmed. The Bloodthirsty Queen had an army of strong and numerous subordinates.
How were they going to fight this battle?