The Legend of the Immortal Cauldron

"Life and death order..."

Matthew's fingers gently stroked the mysterious token in his hand, the rough texture penetrated through his fingertips, his eyes were locked on the token, his thoughts were surging in the depths of his eyes, he murmured to himself, his voice was as subtle as the trembling of dead leaves in the wind.

"So, what is its use?" Matthew frowned slightly, and a shallow ravine squeezed out between his eyebrows, which was the external manifestation of his inner anxiety and expectation.

His eyes were like the flickering stars in the deep night sky, with both fear of the unknown and a trace of uncontrollable longing.

That gaze was like being attracted by a magnet, and it never moved away from the token in his hand for a moment, as if trying to penetrate its simple appearance and spy on the shocking secrets hidden inside.

At this moment, the skinny old man kneeling on the ninth step slightly moved the corner of his mouth, revealing an elusive smile.

"As long as you can take me to a higher place, I will tell you all the secrets." The skinny old man said in a hoarse voice.

However, to the old man's surprise, after hearing these words, Matthew turned around without hesitation as if he had not heard them.

His back was straight and resolute, his steps were steady and firm, and he walked slowly towards the center of the platform step by step. Every step he took seemed to raise a puff of invisible dust in this quiet place, showing his unshakable determination.

After arriving at the center of the platform, Matthew slowly sat down cross-legged, gently placed his hands on his knees, palms up, and the order of life and death quietly lay in the palm of his right hand.

Under the seemingly calm appearance, his heart was actually turbulent, just like the sea in a storm, with raging waves constantly surging.

He knew very well that the skinny old man in front of him was not a good person. He would never easily reveal any important information about such a crucial item as the Life and Death Order. He would definitely put forward all kinds of extremely harsh and difficult conditions as bargaining chips like a cunning businessman.

For a moment, countless possible trading scenarios appeared in his mind like a revolving lantern. Either he was asked to exchange for an extremely precious magic weapon, or he was asked to go to the desperate situation where he would die to explore something, or he was forced to swear a blood oath...

Each scenario was like a sharp dagger, piercing straight into the softest corner of his heart, making him feel deeply uneasy, as if he was on the edge of a cliff. If he was not careful, he would be doomed.

After thinking it over again and again, he decided to stay put and just sit there quietly, as if he had ignored the old man's proposal.

He intended to use stillness to control movement, deliberately leaving the old man alone, trying to wear down the other party's patience and temper in a silent confrontation, so that the old man would be confused in the long wait, so as to gain more room for himself.

At the same time, Matthew's thoughts seemed to break free from the shackles of the world and began to fly freely.

He secretly thought that perhaps he could explore some mysteries about the life and death order with his own wisdom and strength.

After all, this was his opportunity. If he relied on others blindly, he would fall into a more passive situation.

So, he gently closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing. His inhalation was like smelling the fragrance of flowers, long and soothing, and his exhalation was like dispersing mist, soft and even.

Gradually, he seemed to have built an invisible barrier in this small world, completely isolating himself from the surrounding disturbances, immersing himself in it, concentrating his mind, trying to feel the majestic power contained in this mysterious token in his hand with the purest perception.

He carefully guided the mana in his body and slowly transferred it into the life and death order in his hand.

The mana was like a trickle, constantly penetrating into the token.

However, the token's reaction shocked him, as if a basin of cold water was poured over his head, instantly extinguishing his full expectations.

Soon, Matthew was shocked to find that the life and death order was like a bottomless pit with no bottom and insatiable greed. No matter how much mana he injected, once the mana entered it, it would disappear without a trace, without even a ripple. It was like a high-ranking bystander, with a bit of playfulness, mercilessly mocking his weakness and powerlessness.

"What on earth is this?"

Matthew was secretly panicked in his heart, and immediately stopped transferring mana into the life and death order, and instead carefully transferred his spiritual consciousness into it.

As his consciousness gradually deepened, everything in the outside world seemed to be slowly covered by a layer of gauze, and the surrounding scenes gradually blurred, like a faded painting, losing its original freshness.

In the blink of an eye, a vast and boundless darkness suddenly appeared in front of him, like the chaos at the beginning of the universe, boundless, as if the endless void opened its bloody mouth, wanting to swallow up his consciousness, soul, and hope.

Just as he was tightly wrapped in fear and loneliness, as if he was in a desperate situation and isolated, the dormant magic rune in his body seemed to be awakened by a mysterious force at this moment, and suddenly there was a strange movement.

It was like a venomous snake that had been dormant for a long time and sensed the breath of its prey. In an instant, it followed Matthew's consciousness and rushed directly into the interior of the Life and Death Order at a lightning speed.

After entering, the magic rune culture made countless slender black silks, like black fireworks blooming in the night sky, rushing straight into the depths of the darkness inside without hesitation.

These black silk threads seemed to be carrying some kind of mission, and as if being pulled by an unknown force, they all disappeared in the blink of an eye, as if they had never appeared in this darkness.

At this moment, Matthew's consciousness seemed to be pulled out by an invisible hand and retreated from the inside of the life and death order.

This was not his active choice, but was forced out by a suffocating and terrifying pressure. The pressure seemed to come from the roar of the ancient demon god, which made his soul tremble.

Fortunately, the magic ban rune was still inside, as if the fire of hope that had taken root in the darkness had not been extinguished.

At this moment, Matthew seemed to see a ray of light in the abyss of despair, and there was an extra expectation.

He knew that the magic ban rune took the initiative to attack, which was not accidental, and there must be a purpose for it.

At the moment, all he could do was wait silently, like a traveler waiting for the return of spring in the cold winter, holding hope and waiting for the turnaround.

Time was like solidified amber, flowing slowly.

Matthew still sat quietly in the center of the platform. There was a dead silence around him, and only his even breathing echoed gently in this silence.

During this long wait, his mood gradually calmed down from the initial panic, as if the turbulent lake surface returned to calm, but in the depths of his eyes, a more determined flame burned.

The life and death order in his hand was still icy cold, like a piece of thousand-year-old black ice.

And the skinny old man, since Matthew turned around, has been lying quietly in the same place.