Chapter 143: Chamber of the Anchor (1)
Ling Yu’s wristband flickered faintly as a symbol appeared across its crystalline screen, a single golden thread of divine script, gleaming softly like a whisper of sunlight in shadow.
[Special Divine Task Received.]
[Purification of the Fallen Anchor.]
[Reward: Unknown Blessing.]
[Risk Level: Undetermined.]
When this task first appeared, Ling Yu hadn’t known what to think.
Usually, tasks of such magnitude were granted by one of the Upper Divine Watchers, those who ruled over their respective domains in the Celestial Stream. Only those favored by a deity could receive them, and the chosen "Streamer" would gain instant notoriety among both divine beings and mortal followers. It was an honor beyond compare, a gift of both recognition and sacred trust.
Yet Ling Yu couldn’t shake off her unease.
She remembered clearly how, during the Stream broadcasts, none of the deities had spoken of giving her a new mission. They had only commented among themselves, watching with amusement or cold indifference as she dismantled the power structure of the fortress.
And yet, without warning, this task appeared, silent, unsponsored, and unacknowledged.
That alone was suspicious.
"A divine gift out of nowhere?" she had muttered under her breath at the time."Or a test disguised as one?"
She knew better than to take divine tasks at face value.
The gods were not kind. They were not human. Their sense of morality was as alien as the stars they inhabited. Sometimes, they would bless a mortal to see how far that mortal could go before breaking.
Ling Yu had already broken once in her past life. She had no intention of doing so again.
Days before, when she had first encountered the Divine Anchor with Xu Mochen, she had felt its pull immediately.
It was like standing before a sleeping beast, silent, but breathing. Its aura was heavy, ancient, and cold, spreading an invisible weight that pressed upon her bones and reached into her soul. The closer she got, the more she could hear faint whispers in her mind, echoing from deep within her consciousness.
"Come closer."
"You seek power."
"You are already chosen."
Each voice was neither male nor female, but a distorted blend of both, layered upon itself countless times. It made her skin crawl.
When she brushed her fingers against the Anchor, a freezing pulse traveled up her arm, and her entire vision had darkened. For an instant, she stood in an endless void, surrounded by the stars, some dim, some bright, all spinning slowly around her as if the universe itself was watching.
At the center of that cosmic abyss was a figure, blurred, vast, and faceless.
A being whose presence defied description.
Its voice had been like a thousand bells tolling underwater.
"You dare touch my heart, little one?"
She had ripped her hand away instantly, gasping, her body drenched in cold sweat. Xu Mochen hadn’t noticed the full extent of what happened, but the divine beings in her Stream had reacted immediately.
They, too, had gone silent.
Only the darker ones spoke up, a low chuckle here, a whisper there.
Though Ling Yu had no idea that beings other than Divine, the ones who followed the darkness, also slipped into her stream. probably because the ones who came in until now are just lesser beings.
If a bigshot were to appear for real, it would sure make a big ruckus among the divine beings who were watching her streams.
[Ah... so the Heart of Dusk still beats.]
[Kekeke... That’s no divine anchor. That’s a binding shard.]
[Someone’s trying to keep Him asleep.]
Their voices were both mocking and fearful. Ling Yu caught only fragments, but one thing became clear:
This "Divine Anchor" was a seal, an artifact meant to bind or contain something so catastrophic that even the Divine beings refused to speak its name.
Now that the fortress had stabilized under the leadership of the righteous hunters she had chosen, Ling Yu knew her time there was limited.
She had already done more than enough to alter the balance of power. Staying any longer would draw unwanted attention, especially from the cosmic deities who were watching her every move through the Stream.
Still, she couldn’t walk away without settling the matter of the Anchor.
She descended from the tower silently that night, wearing her dark battle gear and a mask that concealed the lower half of her face. Her energy core hummed faintly beneath her skin, responding to her focused will.
Xie Lingzhou, who was inspecting the outer gates, noticed her as she passed.
"You’re going down there, aren’t you?" he asked quietly, his tone both resigned and worried.
Ling Yu gave a faint nod. "It’s about time I settled this."
"You don’t have to do this alone," he said, stepping forward. "Whatever lies down there, we can handle it together."
She paused, her eyes glinting under the moonlight. "No. If something happens, I need you to lead these people out. The Anchor might not be stable. If I fail, this fortress won’t survive the aftermath."
Xie Lingzhou clenched his fists. "And if you don’t come back?"
Ling Yu smiled faintly, though her eyes carried no mirth. "Then consider this my farewell."
He wanted to argue, but the quiet determination in her tone left no room for protest.
As she walked away, his voice followed her, low and hoarse:
"You always make people worry, Lady Ling."
She didn’t turn back.
***
The entrance to the Anchor’s chamber lay beneath the central altar of the fortress, a massive stone platform adorned with faded runes and ancient glyphs. The air was cold and heavy with stale energy, vibrating faintly as if alive.
Ling Yu traced the runes with her fingertips, whispering under her breath.
"Gate of the Deep, open before me."
A dull hum resonated through the air, and the altar split apart, revealing a spiraling staircase that descended into darkness.
With a final steadying breath, she began her descent.
The walls were carved with sigils that glowed faintly blue, depicting ancient battles between gods and monsters.