Chapter 10: The Two-Layered Altar (Part 1)

Luo Zhan exclaimed with joy, “Guo Shier, you’ve finally come out! Good heavens, it’s been two years—haven’t you gotten bored hiding down there?” Not only was he anxious, but Eagle Demon was too; only Nan You seemed indifferent.

Guo Shier was in excellent spirits. With the help of Old Shuai, he had finally managed to construct his own altar over the past two years, evolving it from a virtual form to a tangible one, resulting in a two-layered, physical altar. He was thoroughly satisfied. Although his spiritual power wasn’t yet strong enough to control the two layers, with Old Shuai’s assistance, the altar could already be used.

Nan You said, “It’s time to leave. We’ve been here for too long.”
Guo Shier let out a sigh and said, “Yeah, I didn’t expect it to take two years.”
Nan You glanced at him strangely and asked, “Aren’t you hiding the fact that you’re an altar master anymore?”
Guo Shier was momentarily stunned before realizing what he meant and couldn’t help but laugh. He knew Nan You had always thought he was an expert in physical altars, when in fact he wasn’t. Now that he had truly achieved mastery, Nan You thought he was no longer hiding it.

Both Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan knew Guo Shier wasn’t an altar master, and they both tacitly avoided mentioning it. Hearing this, they immediately understood that Guo Shier had advanced, and joy appeared on their faces.

Guo Shier replied vaguely with a smile, “There’s nothing to hide.”
Eagle Demon said, “We got something good at the auction for you.” He took out a talisman and handed it to Guo Shier.
Guo Shier took it and smiled, “So mysterious. What is it?” After examining it briefly, he showed a hint of surprise. “A map of the Yaobi Dami Tian route?”
Nan You said, “Not entirely. Just a small part. It includes the coordinates of three major hidden fortresses, eighteen other fortresses, plus the coordinates of seventy-two supply points. There are also many secret nodes and hidden realms. Some can be accessed directly, while others require luck. This talisman cost over three million—very expensive.”
Guo Shier said, “It’s not expensive. It’s well worth it.” After checking it for a while, he stored it in the altar and gave it to Old Shuai. Inside the altar, there were special teleportation talismans, with all the coordinates of the continents’ hidden realms listed, forming a network. This was a technique unique to altar masters.

Old Shuai was also very happy inside the altar. Holding the map, he said, “This is great. It’ll save us a lot of detours. It’s a shame there’s no way out, but fine. Let’s explore first. We can try to leave when we get the chance. It’s not easy to get in either.”

Guo Shier’s soul trembled as he said, “It’s hard even to get out. And if we do, it probably won’t be the same path we came here on. Who knows which continent we’ll end up on? Old Man Shuai, have you noticed? There are many ancient clans here—ones we’ve never seen or heard of before.”
Old Man Shuai replied, “That’s normal. The Eight Paths Vast Sky can connect many places. Well, weren’t you always looking for a way home? Maybe you can find it from here, but…” He suddenly laughed and said, “It’s also possible we’ll get even further away from home!”
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “Old man, can’t you say something encouraging? Sigh, getting lost in this world leaves me completely helpless.”
Old Man Shuai laughed. “Come on, you’re now an expert in altars, not just an ordinary spellmaster. Hehe, you still don’t fully understand the advantages of having an altar. Going home is a trivial matter. Once you fully master this altar, in this world… you’ll be able to move around freely.”
“Move around freely? Forget it. I feel like I’m constantly on the run, scrambling around. Back when I was captured and ended up on a strange continent, I couldn’t even find my way home.” Guo Shier smiled self-mockingly. Not only had he failed to find his master Luo Jie, but he also couldn’t return home. After wandering outside for so many years, he had reached the altar level—whether that was luck or bad fortune, it was hard to say.
Old Man Shuai laughed loudly. “Don’t be so discouraged. You’re already very strong.”
Guo Shier knew in his heart that two-layer solid altars were indeed powerful, but to move around freely without restraint was impossible. His experiences in this world had taught him one thing: there were truly greater beings beyond what he knew. Back at the Northern Spell Gate, he thought spellmasters were the top professionals. It wasn’t until he arrived at the Chenxiao Sect that he realized master-level was just the beginning. Who knew what even more powerful people existed in this world? So he remained cautious.
Seeing Guo Shier standing there in a daze, Nan You and the others understood—he was talking to Old Man Shuai again. After a while, Guo Shier finally said, “You guys must have explored this area thoroughly. This time, let’s go to a farther place—first to another Great Diving Fort, and then set off from there.”
Between the Great Diving Forts, as well as between individual diving forts, there were Spell Gates connecting them, as well as various supply points. The Great Diving Forts served as important transit stations within the Eight Paths Vast Sky. Thus, professionals in these forts had many options and could go to many places.

Upon arriving at another large submergence fortress, Guo Shier and the others did not stay; they directly passed through the talisman gate of the fortress to a remote supply point. It was a very simple place. Under a circular talisman dome, there was a long, floating stone landmass measuring only about 1,000 square meters, with several simple talisman houses on it and a small talisman gate in the center. Guo Shier and the others emerged from the talisman gate. Two great saints were guarding it. Upon seeing them come out, they immediately approached. One of the great saints asked, “Elders, do you need a rest?” His gaze was sharp; he recognized Guo Shier and Nan You as experts in altar techniques at a glance. Nan You replied, “No need to prepare anything. We’re not here for supplies.” Guo Shier glanced around and said, “There are few people here… How many are guarding this place?” The great saint smiled bitterly and said, “Only eight great saints are guarding here. There used to be an expert in virtual altar techniques, but he has also left. This place is too remote, so few people come here.” Nan You said, “I want to buy some talismans for the return journey.” The great saint quickly replied, “Yes, yes. There are plenty of talismans specifically for returning. If you don’t use them after purchasing, you can return them for a small fee.” Ying Mo laughed and said, “That’s good. No waste.” After buying a few such talismans, Nan You asked, “Are there any places around here worth exploring?” Guo Shier said, “It would be best if there are some distinctive places.” The great saint smiled bitterly again and said, “When this place was first established, few people came here. There were many unfamiliar areas around. After a supply point was set up, many people came, but later two experts in virtual altar techniques perished here, and since then, few people have come back…” Guo Shier asked, “Where did they perish?” The great saint shook his head and said, “I’m not very sure about that. I… came later.” Nan You asked, “This should be a stable location. Where is the passage?” The great saint pointed in the distance and said, “In that direction. It takes a few hours of flight to see it.” Guo Shier said, “Let’s explore first.” The four of them left the supply point and flew toward the distance. This place was quite peculiar—everything around was gray and hazy; one couldn’t see the sky or the ground. Aside from the small floating landmass where the supply point was located, there was nothing else around.

Guo Shier released his altar along the way—it was a two-layered black altar, with the first layer enhanced by natural runes of the metal element and the second layer by natural runes of the fire element. Its design was simple and sleek, quite different from the Ancient Ink Lotus. Guo Shier invited everyone to come up, while he sat at the top of the altar.

Nan You was secretly puzzled. He noticed that Guo Shier’s altar had changed and flew up, saying, “I remember… your altar wasn’t like this?”

Guo Shier replied nonchalantly, “Oh, I’ve reforged it.”

Nan You’s face stretched out. Seriously? Could an altar be reforged just like that? Was he trying to fool a child? His face was already long, and it stretched even more when he pulled it—Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh.

“I don’t understand you…”

Nan You muttered, realizing it was pointless to ask further.

In fact, the design of this altar had been changed through reforging. The Ancient Ink Lotus was hidden inside the altar, designed by the handsome old man as its core. In other words, it was the Ancient Ink Lotus that supported the altar. According to the handsome old man, even if the outer two layers of the altar collapsed, the Ancient Ink Lotus would still be there, allowing it to be repaired and reforged at any time—a feat that other altar masters couldn’t achieve.