Eternal Thief

?After making sure there wasn’t an imminent danger, his heart hammered in his chest as he sprinted towards the closing crystal door. With a satisfying hiss, the doorway sealed shut just as he slipped through. The air shimmered, and he found himself bathed in the ethereal golden light that filled the temple’s interior.

Gazing upwards, the vast chamber stretched before him, seemingly endless in its height. The spiraling walkway of the ziggurat dominated the central axis, each step wide enough to accommodate a large carriage. Platforms jutted out at intervals, adorned with intricate murals depicting fantastical creatures and celestial events in a kaleidoscope of colors that shimmered with inner light.

Ace felt a wave of awe wash over him. After a moment of wonder, his gaze fell on the spiraling walkway that snaked upwards towards an unseen peak. It was his only path forward. He also felt hurried since he didn’t know when the Heavenly Mortal Emperor would appear.

So, after looking around, he decided to step on the spiraling walkway leading towards the surface, which should be around 10,000 meters above where he currently stood.

As he ascends the spiraling walkway, the murals adorning the platforms along the walkway suddenly transform. The fantastical creatures depicted in the lower levels become more ethereal and abstract the higher he goes.

Some murals seem to move, their colors swirling and morphing like living things. Ace was startled when profound laws suddenly became apparent to him.

‘What a magical place. If I cultivate here, I might acquire an understanding of different laws by just meditating here. But it’s a pity I can’t.’

Ace sighed ruefully as he reluctantly continued forward while experiencing magical laws from this spiraling walkway. He didn’t lose sight of his goal.

As he climbs towards the peak, before his eyes, the golden haze resolves into a breathtaking spectacle. Thereafter, pinpricks of light emerge, revealing themselves to be colossal, swirling galaxies, nebulae in vibrant hues, and even rogue planets casting long, ethereal shadows.

These celestial bodies appear to hang suspended within the temple itself, defying the laws and the temple’s mysterious connection to the cosmos itself.

Ace had never felt like this before. It was like he was witnessing the birth of something unimaginable as he continued. Furthermore, Ace suddenly found his darkness had started to grow.

Exhausted but exhilarated after an unknown climb, Ace reaches the zenith of the ziggurat. The grueling climb has taken its toll–his muscles scream in protest, and sweat beads on his forehead. However, the unexpected harvest he receives makes it all go away, and the breathtaking scene in front of him makes him even more alert and slightly awed.

The golden haze that shrouded the upper reaches was now gone. Instead, the temple’s upper level unfolds before him, a spectacle defying all logic and imagination.

Ace stands on a circular platform that seems to float in the emptiness of space. Beneath him, the entire ziggurat spirals downwards, a luminous ribbon disappearing into the swirling nebulae below.

Around him, colossal spheres of pure energy hang suspended, each pulsating with a different vibrant color. Below them are gardens overflowing with flora that shimmers with an otherworldly luminescence.

At the very center of this celestial ballet stands a colossal monolith. It appears to be carved from a single, flawless block of starry sapphire crystal, its surface radiating an ethereal, pearly light. The monolith pulsates softly, seemingly in time with the unseen Qi that hums in the air.

Ace was astounded when he saw that monolith because golden stars were attached across its surface, creating a strange celestial map—unlike any map Ace had ever seen!

It depicts myriad constellations, nebulae, and even entire galaxies with an astonishing level of detail. The celestial bodies seem to shimmer with an inner light as if they are miniature versions of the real thing.

Ace had never come in contact with such a thing before because there was little knowledge about astronomy in the Mortal Sky Heaven, yet after climbing the spiraling walkway of the ziggurat, he could tell that it was a map of celestial bodies.

‘Who could’ve thought the Mortal Sky Temple held secrets related to starry space? I’m absolutely stumped here since I’ve never encountered such a thing.

‘Besides, I didn’t see anything useful besides that monolith, and that star map might be the clue I’m looking for. As for these strange gardens and those strange energy spheres, something tells me I shouldn’t approach them.

‘Furthermore, after that climb, and because of strange phenomena I’ve experienced, my heavenly Qi is almost depleted. I had to stop using the Dismantle Qi to replenish my Qi. But my appearance might draw that damn thing; I had to find somewhere to hide and recover before doing anything.’

Ace felt extremely apprehensive when he considered his current situation, but he couldn’t go back. He had to take the risk, especially if he wanted to study that monolith.

So, he first decided to approach the blue starry monolith. Suddenly, as Ace approaches the monolith, he feels a surge of energy similar to what he experienced with the crystal door below.

Astounded, he got closer to that mysterious energy, which resonated with his understanding of the strange phenomenon he had experienced on the spiraling walkway. He felt the darkness start to grow again.

Just when Ace was a few meters away from the monolith, the system’s prompt suddenly rang in his head.

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[The Host has found the ‘Astral Stele of Mortal Sky,’ which holds the mysterious secrets of Mortal Sky Heaven and the Mortal Ascension Temple!]

[You have the option to integrate the Astral Stele of Mortal Sky in Enteral Thief Fate Compass’s Treasure Spirit (Moira) by spending 1 Billion Thief Points!]

[Continue/ NO]

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Ace was surprised. His eyes lit up as he saw the ray of hope, and he quickly asked, “What will happen after this integration? It’s not about the Compass but Moira?”

“[The Eternal Thief Fate Compass’s Treasure Spirit (Moira) has the talent to grow by understanding the mysteries of Astral Space. By comprehending the Astral Stele of Mortal Sky and its alignment with the celestial bodies visible through openings in the temple’s ceiling, it will not be restrained in the Mortal Sky Heaven by grade anymore, even in the upper heaven!]”

Ace’s heart raced when the system briefly described the benefits this brings to Moira, and the next moment, he ordered without hesitation, “Continue!”

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