Chapter 384: Apparitions (1/2)

Zac had expected to be stuck in darkness for a prolonged duration, but the two appeared almost immediately some distance away from the base of an enormous set of stairs. Transportation that the System provided itself sure was different Zac reckoned as he looked around to get his bearings.

People kept appearing around him as well, most of them looking quite young. Some looked around in confusion and wonder just like himself, while others immediately started to ascend the steps after orienting themselves. Zac's eyes followed the stairs until his eyes finally reached the crest.

“Holy crap,” Zac muttered as his eyes tried to compute was in front of him.

“Pretty impressive, yeah?” Ogras echoed as he looked up at the Tower of Eternity in wonder.

They were currently standing at what seemed to be an endless square, as there was nothing in all directions apart from the people who kept appearing out of thin air. This whole space seemed to be made solely for one thing; the Tower of Eternity. Its name was truly apt as it really towered into space itself, breaking all logic and convention.

The tower itself was a pristine white and completely without adornments as far as Zac could tell from this distance. There were no windows and no decor, and it didn’t get any thinner at the top. It essentially looked like a massive tube made from marble, but Zac had trouble getting any sense of its actual size. He could only confirm that it spanned at least a couple of kilometers in width.

As for its height, it was impossible to tell.

The tower itself didn’t look very impressive apart from its mindboggling size, but that wasn’t the only magical thing about it. Mysterious lights trailed along its massive surface, causing a beautiful spectacle that stirred something in Zac's soul. It was like a subdued but never-ending firework show that brightened up the sky.

It reminded Zac a bit of the gaudy display of his own Towers of Myriad Dao, but there was a vast difference in their essence. The lights that Brazla conjured around the Dao Repository felt empty and pretentious, but it was completely different with the radiance around the Tower of Eternity.

It was as though the lights were communicating the Grand Dao itself, and Zac’s mind shuddered slightly when he watched them. Zac finally understood that the original Brazla had tried to imitate the Tower of Eternity when he created his Dao Repository, but only managed to project a cheap copy.

Zac had a feeling that if he observed the lights for a few months it wouldn’t be impossible to gain a completely new Dao Seed. The sight made Zac better understand why almost everyone stayed for the full year inside the Base Town if they could. Just living next to the tower itself was a precious opportunity.

But the divine lights suddenly disappeared and were instead replaced by an impossibly large snake that coiled around the tower. It was majestic beyond comprehension, and Zac couldn’t stop gaping like a fool as he watched it stretch its scaled head toward the sky.

The snake actually had a horn on its head, and Zac could barely distinguish some sort of fractals covering it but it was too far to discern any details. It was a shame, as he felt that the inscriptions on the horn contained shocking insights into the Dao.

Everyone around them had stopped what they were doing as well and looked at the snake with rapt attention. A few people even seemed to have been struck by an epiphany as they quickly closed their eyes, delight clear on their faces. The mythological beast only appeared for a minute or so before it dissipated, and was once again replaced by the mysterious light.

“A flood dragon,” Ogras muttered. “I think that is the 38th level? Pretty auspicious to see a sign the moment we arrive.”

“What do you mean?” Zac asked curiously, finally taking his eyes off the tower in the distance. “I thought there were only 9 floors?”

“Well, each floor has nine subfloors, each a world in of itself, so most people simply count it as there being 81 levels,” Ogras explained. “The 38th level means that someone has completed the first four floors and another two levels before exiting.”

“Apparitions appear when people pass specific floors, and there are a few rules to it,” the demon added. “It essentially showcases that a powerhouse just completed his climb in the tower.”

“Aren’t there always powerhouses undertaking the trial?” Zac asked with confusion. “Wouldn’t people get blinded by constant apparitions, especially if the time inside the tower is accelerated.”

Zac heard a few snorts from around him and noticed that a few cultivators looked at him like he had a hole in his head. He even heard someone mutter ‘country bumpkin’ under his breath, no doubt talking about him. Even Ogras looked over at Zac with exasperation.

“Don’t underestimate the difficulty of the Tower of Eternity, especially the 36th floor and beyond. I only barely made it past the 27th because my grandpa spent a good chunk of his life savings on me gaining a good score,” Ogras whispered.

“But still,” Zac said.

“If you stay here for a year you might see one of the apparitions between the 36th and 40th levels a few times a week, so it’s nothing too exciting,” a voice drifted over and Zac looked over to see a young man with a bow strapped to his back smiling in their direction. “But the others are pretty rare.”

“Oh?” Zac said with interest.

“This is my second time here. Last time I saw the apparitions for the 45th level ten times during the year I stayed here, which meant someone passed the 5th floor. The last level of each floor represents a huge spike in difficulty, so it’s a tremendous achievement,” the man explained.

Zac looked at the man with some confusion before he understood what he meant. The tower of eternity possessed 9 true floors, each of which had 9 subfloors. That meant that the 45th level was the final subfloor of the 5th floor, and the next true floor ended at the 54th level.

“I also was lucky enough to see an apparition for the 52nd floor,” the man said, seemingly enjoying Zac’s attention.

“And for higher floors like 54th and beyond?” Zac asked with interest.