As for whether the 'Heart of the Towering Mountain' truly possessed the power to pry open the gates of the Demigod realm, Lin Gui believed it likely did.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be universally recognized as a "Divine Artifact" across the entire continent.
Even if it was widely acknowledged as the "most useless" of the Ten Divine Artifacts, the mysteries and value it contained were still enough to drive countless powerhouses to pursue it one after another.
Through Balin's solemn and slow narration, one Title Rank expert after another—figures who had shaken the continent and left behind legends—had come to try.
But in the end...
Balin looked at Lin Gui solemnly, his voice as heavy as iron.
“The human 'Unyielding Spear,' Hant.”
“The barbarian 'Blood Butcher,' Woodrow.”
“The Dark Elf clan chief, 'Shadow Blade' Lynn...”
He paused, each name falling like a heavy stone on their hearts.
“Once these Title Rank powerhouses, who stood at the very pinnacle of their respective races, went inside, not a single shred of news ever came out again.”
Balin turned to Theia, his gaze burning bright.
“Little girl, you should have heard of the legend of 'Shadow Blade' Lynn.”
“She was the strongest warrior of the elven race in five hundred years, the pinnacle of the path of assassination, the very peak of High-tier Epic, and the Queen of Shadows.”
“Even she was left in there forever...”
“Even she couldn't cross that thousand-mile wall of despair.”
He stared intently into Theia's eyes, as if trying to peer into the depths of her soul.
“Do you really think that with just you guys... you can do it?”
Theia's body trembled slightly, her fingers curling inward unconsciously.
Of course she had heard of Lynn's great name.
She had even met her once when she was a child.
She never expected that Lynn had ultimately gone missing in the Wall of Sighs.
Anxiety crept up her heart like cold vines, making her breathing grow slightly heavier.
Balin's gaze shifted to Lin Gui, sharp as a knife.
“And you, a mere High-tier High Rank mage—do you really think you can do it?”
Lin Gui fell silent for a moment.
His dark eyes remained calm and undisturbed under the reflection of the fireplace.
Yet, something was faintly stirring deep within them.
“I can give it a try.”
Balin was completely dumbfounded.
He stood up abruptly, his bulky body kicking up a gust of wind.
His roar almost blew the stone roof off:
“That was a High-tier Epic assassin! An absolute powerhouse who could traverse the wilderness as if walking on flat ground!!””
Spit sprayed all over Lin Gui's face.
Lin Gui silently raised his hand to wipe it off, his movements as calm as if he were brushing away dust.
He wanted to say that in terms of raw strength, he wasn't even fit to carry that 'Shadow Blade's' shoes.
And he was absolutely no match for her in terms of concealment either.
The perception of an Epic Rank powerhouse was more than enough to see through his Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
But compared to those legendary figures who had perished within the wall,
he possessed an advantage they absolutely did not have.
【Eyes of the Netherworld】.
He could see all invisible things, and could look directly into the essence and pathways of souls.
And the most terrifying aspect of the Wall of Sighs...
According to the clues pieced together by the scholar Eli,
was precisely the formless, intangible soul-type demons that filled it.
This was his true reliance for daring to say he would 'give it a try'.
Soul-type demons that others couldn't see, he could.
Since he could see them, it would be just like when he crossed Forbidden Zones alone in the past. He only needed to be extremely cautious, act like a little mouse, minimize his presence as much as possible, and slowly slip through.
But he couldn't explain these reasons to Balin.
In the end, Lin Gui simply met Balin's shocked and complex gaze, repeating calmly:
“Just consider me... overestimating myself.”
“I want to go and test this Wall of Sighs that has claimed the lives of countless powerhouses.”
Balin stared dead into Lin Gui's eyes.
In those rare black eyes,
there was no youthful frivolity, no hot-headed bravado.
There was only a deep, ocean-like calmness and sincerity.
He hissed, leaning forward, and asked tentatively:
“Could it be... you really have that lost concealment treasure of the Brotherhood in your hands?”
Lin Gui speechlessly pointed at his faded, washed-out old mage robes.
“Look at my getup.”
“Would a wandering mage like me be worthy of owning such a legendary item?”
Balin immediately countered, his finger tapping on the desk:
“But your Levitation is unbelievably superb! It's as if you've practiced it your entire life!”
“And you only have High Rank strength, yet you're holding a demi-artifact!”
“Let me tell you, even among demi-artifacts, your Staff of the Windwhisperer is top-tier!”
“With all of this, who would believe you're just a wandering mage?”
“With this setup, if you told me you were a favored disciple of some Magic Tower, I'd believe you.”
Lin Gui shrugged, his tone candid:
“I really am just an unregistered wandering mage.”
“I haven't studied in the City of a Thousand Towers, nor have I registered with the Mage Association. I don't even have an official mage badge.”
“As for the demi-artifact... I did someone a small favor, and they just gave it to me.”
Balin's eyes widened in surprise, his beard bristling:
“So generous? Giving away a demi-artifact just like that? Which noble family is that spendthrift?”
Lin Gui thought to himself.
She has a real Divine Artifact on her, and it's a soul-locked one at that.
She can kill people from thousands of miles away without a trace.
Why would she care about a mere demi-artifact?
But he didn't say it out loud, only coughing to bring the conversation back on track.
“In any case, I must go to the Wall of Sighs.”
“You can't actually lock me up for the rest of my life, can you?”
He looked at Balin, his voice calm yet piercingly sharp:
“When the Council sends people at the end of the year to enforce 'that resolution,'”
“how do you plan to cover up Theia's existence?”
These words struck precisely at Balin's weak spot.
In front of the Alliance's inspectors, he couldn't even protect the orphan of a Heroic Clan.
Let alone protect a descendant of the Demon King who possessed demon energy.
Balin fell silent for a long time, his thick fingers unconsciously rubbing the desk.
The fireplace crackled, illuminating the deep wrinkles on his face.
Ultimately, he let out a heavy sigh, one filled with profound helplessness.
“Proof.”
Lin Gui tilted his head. “What?”
“At least prove it to me.”
Balin looked up, his gaze turning rock-hard once more.
“Prove that you have the ability to cross a Forbidden Zone, rather than just going to your death.”
He walked over to the wall and pulled open a massive parchment map.
His finger traced over the menacing areas marked in red ink.
“There are three Forbidden Zones around Shield City.”
“To the south, the Silent Sea to the west, the Wall of Sighs to the north,”
“and... this one to the northeast.”
He jabbed his finger hard onto a pitch-black region in the northeast.
“The Blackwater Forest.”
“A land of death and a graveyard, notorious for its sheer number of demons.”
Balin's voice grew low.
“There are twenty-nine known Epic demons.”
“And over four hundred and ninety Legendary demons.”
“And that's only the ones we've 'identified'.”
He turned around, his gaze weighing heavily on Lin Gui.
“What I want you to do is very simple.”
“Using the 'Lonely Peak' marked on the map as your coordinates, enter the depths of the Blackwater Forest,”
“and bring back a mineral that is produced exclusively there.”
“A special crystal that can greatly enhance the power of our magic crystal cannons. We call it 'Black Crystal'.”
He stared into Lin Gui's eyes, speaking word by word.
“As long as you can make it back alive with a piece of Black Crystal the size of a fist,”
“I will admit that you might actually be qualified to 'give it a try' at the Wall of Sighs.”
“If you can't do it...”
Balin's voice dropped, carrying an unquestionable resolve.
“then take the little elven girl, pick another destination, and live a good life.”
Lin Gui readily agreed to Balin's demand without even bargaining.
Ten minutes later.
On the open-air viewing platform above the rear mountain exit of Shield City.
The cold wind howled, whipping their robes.
Balin pointed toward the horizon, where a dense, impenetrable blackness met the sky, and spoke solemnly to Lin Gui, who was already seated on the flying vessel:
“That is the Blackwater Forest.”
His voice was muffled by the wind, carrying a heavy, almost tangible weight of emotion.
“In order to mine the ore inside...”
“every year, our best dwarven warriors die there.”
“Those who die are all elites. The weakest among them are skilled High-tier Transcendent experts.”
He fell silent for a moment, his gaze drifting into the distance, as if looking across space.
“My own younger brother, Kardon... is buried in there as well.”
“A High-tier Legendary expert, the best shield warrior of our generation.”
“During an escort mission three years ago, a sudden clap of thunder woke an Epic demon sleeping deep within the forest.”
“To cover the mining team's retreat, he turned back alone to hold the line.”
Balin's voice was slightly raspy, like rusted iron scraping together.
“He never returned.”
“We couldn't even find his body... He was likely eaten by that Epic demon.”
He turned to Lin Gui, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
“The mining area you are heading to is the very place where he fought his final battle.”
“If you regret it now, it's not too late to turn the flying vessel around.”
Lin Gui didn't answer immediately.
He merely gazed at the churning, seemingly alive pitch-blackness in the distance.
Suddenly, he asked an seemingly unrelated question:
“Do you have a high demand for Black Crystal right now?”
This question caught both Balin and Grom off guard.
Grom scratched his coarse hair:
“Of course we do. It's a consumable, so we never have enough.”
“But transportation in that hellish place is limited, and very few make it back alive with it.”
“Most of the time, the Boss has to personally risk going to escort the shipment just to bring back a little more.”
His voice grew softer, tinged with helplessness.
“We... can't afford to lose any more Legendary dwarves.”
“Every single one of them is a treasure. Losing one means losing a pillar of our strength.”
“I see.”
Lin Gui nodded, as if realizing something.
He tilted his head back, popped the cork, and drank the high-quality mana potion Grom had given him in one gulp.
Then, he nodded to the worried Theia.
He activated the flying vessel.
And toward that black forest that had swallowed countless lives—where even Legendary powerhouses could fall—
he flew off alone.
Rate on N.U.
