Chapter 80: A Startling Turn of Events

Within the ninth floor of the Tower of Heaven, there was an unexpectedly small pond, filled with a deep azure liquid. As soon as Korbin stepped into the ninth floor, an overwhelming aroma of wine assaulted his senses.

Korbin could barely handle his liquor under normal circumstances, and after inhaling just a few breaths of the rich, mellow fragrance, his head spun, nearly making him drunk just from the scent alone.

“What a heady aroma!” he exclaimed in admiration, hurriedly holding his breath. The profound power of the Nine Suns Divine Art began to circulate within him, slowly expelling the lingering intoxicating scent from his body.

Once the faint aroma was forced out, clarity returned to his mind. He shook off his dizziness and carefully surveyed his surroundings.

The thick, azure water of the pond occupied nearly two-thirds of the ninth floor’s space. Floating on its surface were countless blue lotuses, each petal crystalline and translucent, radiating a soft, milky glow. At the heart of each blossom, wisps of violet flame flickered, dreamlike and illusory.

At the center of the pond stood a golden lotus pedestal, and upon this pedestal was embedded a golden rod about the thickness of a thumb and a meter in length.

A faint violet flame curled around the golden rod.

“What the hell is this place? So this is what’s kept at the very top of the Tower of Heaven?” Korbin was slightly disappointed to have reached the summit. The treasure trove he’d imagined was nowhere to be found—only a pool of wine and a single golden rod.

As for those flickering violet flames, Korbin paid them little mind. Standing just a few meters away, he could feel no heat at all, which led him to believe they were nothing special.

“Disappointing! Truly disappointing,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. His gaze swept the ninth floor again, but aside from that golden lotus pedestal at the center of the pool, there was nothing else of note.

“Forget it—I’m not leaving empty-handed!” He rubbed his nose and turned his gaze to the golden rod wreathed in violet flames atop the central lotus pedestal. “The pedestal is too large to carry, but the rod isn’t bad-looking. Maybe I’ll bring it back for Lorelei,” he thought to himself.

Having made up his mind, he rubbed his hands together. Boundless inner power surged from his core, flooding into his legs. He unleashed his Ripple Step to its utmost, and, sustained by his immense energy, traversing the short distance in midair was no great challenge. After all, he was only a few dozen meters from the golden lotus pedestal.

With a succession of flickers, his form left several afterimages above the azure pond. He moved as though soaring on wings, and in just a few blinks, landed atop the golden lotus pedestal.

“Damn it, I’m not leaving here empty-handed. This thing is mine now!” Korbin chuckled, reaching for the golden rod at the center of the pedestal. Though he had dismissed the violet flames, he still wisely shielded his hand with the power of the Nine Suns Divine Art.

This was, after all, the Tower of Heaven—who knew what strange, unimaginable things might happen here? The tower itself was already a marvel beyond comprehension.

Yet even with all his caution, Korbin was caught off guard by what happened next!

The instant his palm touched the golden rod, the violet flames leapt fiercely, instantly penetrating the protective power of the Nine Suns Divine Art that covered his hand.

“Damn!” Korbin’s expression changed dramatically as he frantically poured more inner power from his core.

“This is bad!” His face turned pale in an instant—he was giving everything he had, but still could not fend off the violet flame’s assault. He could only watch as the flame was about to break through his defenses and touch his palm. Veins bulged on his forehead as he gritted his teeth and, with a desperate lunge, seized the golden rod.

At that moment, the entire Tower of Heaven trembled slightly.

Korbin had no idea that the unremarkable golden rod was in fact the core of the entire tower, nor that the violet flame was the Netherworld Amethyst Flame, renowned as the Godslayer Flame.

Had it not been for his passing the tower’s trials, he would have been reduced to ashes by the terrifying, god-scorching flame the moment he entered the ninth floor.

The faint aroma of wine had been a miraculous protection, bestowed upon entry as he received the tower’s inheritance, to shield his body from the Netherworld Amethyst Flame. Yet the Tower’s creator could never have anticipated that Korbin, so intolerant of alcohol, would purge even that protective scent from his body with his inner power.

The moment Korbin grasped the golden rod, it began to melt away, dissolving in an instant into countless shimmering golden lights that seeped through his palm and into his body.

These golden lights coursed through his blood, finally gathering at his brow.

This golden rod was the core of the Tower of Heaven. As the last of the light converged at his forehead and formed a tiny golden tower, an indescribable link was forged between him and the colossal, jet-black Tower of Heaven. Only then would the tower truly recognize its master.

But could Korbin endure to the end?

In the span of a heartbeat, most of his vast inner power had been spent. The violet flame at his palm drew ever closer; should it touch him, its unimaginable heat would reduce him to ashes in an instant.

“Hold on! You must hold on!” he bit down hard, bloodshot eyes burning with determination. As the golden rod dissolved into light and merged with his body, a surge of information flooded his mind—he now understood the origins of the terrifying violet flame, knew that if he persisted until the tower recognized him as master, he would gain command over this very flame.

He also knew that failure meant only one thing: annihilation by a single thread of the violet fire.

Veins stood out on Korbin's forehead as his vast reserves of inner power surged forth, yet the might of the violet flame was beyond imagination. In less than a minute, the seemingly boundless power of the Nine Suns Divine Art was nearly spent, and the golden lights were just about to fully coalesce into the tower at his brow.

But he was just a heartbeat too late. As the golden tower was about to take shape, his inner strength was utterly exhausted.

ps: Whew, it’s almost four in the morning. I’ve done my best, barely managed to finish this. Brothers, if you appreciate another night of hard work, please leave a few recommendation votes. I’m in tears here.