The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion - Chapter 255

Capítulo 255: Chapter 255: The Unreachable City

Everyone, including the celestials and other goddesses, wore concerned expressions as they stared at the black gate formed from shadow essence.

It did not pulse or release any kind of energy or presence.

It simply floated there without movement.

Passing through it would lead them to the Shadow Dimension, more precisely, straight to the library that floated within the boundless black space of that realm.

“Are you sure we can pass through this gate safely?”

Victoria asked, a trace of suspicion in her voice.

“Of course,”

Damian nodded.

“Finally, I’ve always wanted to see this library of yours, my brother. Now I can,” Sasha muttered, her expression filled with excitement.

“You have never been to the library before?”

Maria asked, curiosity evident as she observed everyone reacting as if this were their first time going there.

“Yes. We only know about the library from what my beloved brother told us,” Tasha nodded.

“My nephew built the library in the Shadow Dimension,” Victoria Ignatius explained. “That place is one no living or non-living thing, dead or alive, anything that is part of the cycle of existence, can safely venture into. Not even celestials. Even though we are the so-called useless part of existence, we are still living beings. If we enter, we would be purged into cosmic waste.”

It did not matter whether one was a celestial or a goddess; even the lives of the World Trees would be threatened if they ventured into the Shadow Dimension.

All of this was because they were living beings.

And celestials, despite being considered the useless part of the system of existence, were still living beings, so even they would suffer the worst that the Shadow Dimension had to offer.

“Even the gateway to the Shadow Dimension is made from its essence,” Queen Avanora added. “So it was impossible for my son-in-law to take us there.”

“Back then, I did not have the ability to wield shadow essence,” Damian explained. “While I was always capable of preventing the harsh nature of the Shadow Dimension from turning me into cosmic waste, I still had to borrow authority from the Primordials to freely enter and leave the library.”

“But now that I have become complete in all abilities and capabilities, I can obtain attunement to any type of energy or essence. After gaining attunement to shadow essence itself, I no longer need assistance to travel to and from the Shadow Dimension, and I can take as many people as I want with me.”

“You all will have no problem passing through the gateway I have already veiled in shadow essence,” Damian said with a small smile, looking at everyone as if waiting to see who would notice it first. “They will mask your existences from the system of Shadow Existence.”

“Why are you looking at us like that, my brother?” Elizabeth asked, feeling a little embarrassed under her brother’s gaze.

“You really don’t notice?” Damian asked.

“Notice what?” Grace asked, confused.

“Try sensing the presence of others using your sixth sense,” Damian said.

“Why…” Grace muttered, but she still did as her only cousin asked.

The sixth sense was nothing more than the ability to sense the presence of others using one’s superior energy perception, beyond the five normal senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

As beings evolved, they would develop more than one type of sense.

The sixth sense was the first sense one would awaken after beginning their cultivation journey, regardless of the cultivation path.

This sixth sense, the Energy Sense, allowed one to perceive disturbances or wavelengths of different energy signatures.

Goddesses like Grace or Hela, or even Damian’s mother, would develop yet another sense.

This was the seventh sense, the Godly Sense.

Grace used her sixth and seventh sense to try to detect the presence of others, but she failed.

That alone said a lot, considering she was one of the strongest goddesses in existence.

“I can’t sense their presences,” she said.

“Now that you mention it, Master, I can’t pick up anything from anyone either,” Lilith said with a shocked expression.

Others nodded in agreement.

Whether they had achieved godhood or not, none of them could sense the presence of anyone else, no matter how powerful they were.

“What did you do, darling?” Amelia asked with a concerned expression.

Being unable to sense others was deeply unsettling, and she was not the only one who felt that way.

“Didn’t I tell you I veiled you in layers of energy to protect you from the Shadow Dimension?”

Damian said. “When I said it would mask your presence, I meant completely. Not even sound or smell can escape.”

He stopped when he noticed the uneasy expressions on their faces.

“When exactly did you do that, Master? I can’t sense the presence of any mask on me,” Hela asked curiously.

“Just a moment ago, before I said I did,” Damian replied. “You can’t sense or see it. Just because it’s called Shadow Essence doesn’t mean it has to look like shadows.”

“And I know what you are thinking,” Damian continued. “I will remove the mask once you pass through the gateway. The library itself is protected by a similar veil, so you will be safe once you are inside.”

Only then did they sigh in relief.

Even though Damian had masked them to protect them from the Shadow Dimension, the loss of their sensing ability was not something they could easily accept, and Damian understood that very well.

“Let’s go in.”

Taking the lead, Damian casually walked through the pitch-black gate, carrying his daughter in his arms.

One by one, the others followed him through.

Even Maria’s sisters were walking through it without hesitation, wide smiles and excitement visible on their faces, as if they had complete confidence in their emperor.

Maria took a deep breath, pausing for a few seconds to reflect on her life as she observed the black gate everyone was entering.

She had been just a human not long ago.

She grew up in a church congregation, sent there after her family died and left her alone.

Then the system appeared on Earth, and everyone’s lives changed forever, not just hers.

At one point, she met Damian, and the rest was history.

Everything had moved so fast.

When she tried to recall the past, it felt hazy, but it was a good kind of haze.

She did not mind it, because while her memories were blurred, the future was perfectly clear.

“Like my father used to say, everything will turn out right in the end. I just have to make sure I am doing right by my heart.”

Maria smiled to herself, thinking of the man she and her sisters regarded as their father, a wise man whose soul had long since entered the cycle of reincarnation.

Her smile brightened as she shook her head and stepped through the gate.

It felt like walking through thick clouds.

The moment she passed through, her vision went white before gradually returning to normal.

When it did, she found herself standing on a vast, flat platform made of some sort of shiny yet incredibly durable material.

Before her stood a massive place, a city.

Hundreds of dome-like structures stretched across the landscape, each different in size, ranging from arenas to ordinary houses, multi-floored buildings, and massive facilities that looked capable of housing advanced technology.

Roads, pavements, benches, and gardens filled with flowers and trees connected the structures, forming a seamless whole.

This place looked nothing like a library.

It resembled a soaring, high city.

Maria looked past the buildings and up at the sky.

Beyond the city’s boundaries was a vast blackness, like a night sky devoid of stars or moons.

There were no suns either, yet strangely, the city itself was bathed in light.

Everything inside was clearly visible, as if it were daytime.

“This is not a library,” Sasha muttered, shaking her head.

“Well, I agree,” Damian said. “I originally built this place to store my research materials and the books I have written. But one thing led to another, and now it has grown into a city. I mostly use it as storage.”

He pointed toward one of the dome structures. “That dome holds books and materials related to evolution, cultivation, and martial arts. Go check it out. I am sure you will find many useful things there.”

“Feel free to explore,” Damian added. “Just do not touch anything that releases presence or energy. There is a reason I keep those here.”

In the next instant, everyone scattered in different directions, eager to explore the vast city.

Maria, her seven sisters, and most of the other new wives, however, chose to stay close to their husbands.

They wanted to see what he was about to do, and they were also curious about the child in his arms.

He still had not explained who she was, but everyone already had a good idea.

The child’s pitch-black hair streaked with red, her crimson eyes, and the way the emperor doted on her, never once letting her leave his arms…

She was obviously the emperor’s daughter.