Apotheosis

Geoffrey leaned against the wall and stared blankly at the "chimney" in the distance.

The incredible and fascinating adventure was over. Perhaps now he would have to face the God of Death.

He wasn't prepared for that...

His mother had told him all sorts of legends of his father since he was a child;

he had saved the Cloud Hall, the Central Region, the great world and the universe...

His father had always been quite fortunate. It all seemed effortless for him, as if all these feats were accomplished with ease.

Although Letitia had told him of times his father had been trapped in danger and how he had been on the verge of death on countless occasions, what he heard was a stark contrast to what he had experienced himself.

How could he overcome a dead end that no one else had managed to?

His father must have been faced with similar predicaments in his time. What would he have done? What was he thinking in these situations?

Geoffrey sat there, still, for a few hours.

It was getting dark.

The golden ring atop the Deep Space seemed to be covered with a layer of scales, gradually turning from golden to a deep black. As night fell, the slightly bright light shone on the chimney. From afar, it appeared almost as a giant beast, ready to devour the people.

Inside the oval building, Elder Xue spoke in the language of the Elemental race.

The creatures in the Deep Space communicated with very unique sounds; unlike the rhythmic sounds of the creatures of the main world, they let out faint squeaks and crackles, like a group of crickets chirping in a low voice.

Elder Xue was teaching the Elemental race. They still needed to acquire more knowledge in order to successfully handle the test in the chimney.

These members of the Elemental race were clear about what lay ahead for them. They knew that if they wanted any chance of passing the test, they would have to absorb as much information that might be useful as they could.

Their race used to be quite primitive. They were once unable to pass even the initial tests, let alone occupy a place in this huge square. The golden light annihilated them when they had been captured by the spiders and brought to the underground space.

As the night stretched on, the black scales on the golden ring became thicker and

ll go with you!"

"You still have a physical body on the outside. But if I die, I'm dead for good," Geoffrey pointed out. He still felt it was unfair.

Elder Xue smiled faintly. "How about I let another physical body commit suicide, right now?"

He had not been afraid of death for a long time, and now through Geoffrey, he understood the situation of the Four Spirits Sect better. It was inevitable that he risked everything.

Geoffrey was taken aback by his determination. He suddenly felt that he shouldn't care too much for narrow personal gains and losses.

"When will we make our way in?" Geoffrey asked.

"We will wait for the right opportunity," replied Elder Xue.

Over the next three days, Elder Xue imparted his knowledge to Geoffrey.

Although Elder Xue had only deduced the information and experiences, they had been tested by the members of the Elemental race one by one, through practice.

These people were only able to rise five feet in the chimney when he had first led them here. Now, even the weakest of performers could climb seventy to eighty feet high. And the most outstanding of them could make it all the way up to one hundred and sixty feet.

This proved that what Elder Xue knew was valuable and effective.

Geoffrey understood the gravity of their undertaking and had listened intently to Elder Xue's introduction the last few days.

Three days later, some of the Deep Space races appeared on the huge square. They walked along the green lines and headed straight towards the giant chimney.