Eternal Thief

After confirming that the white silhouette was gone, Ace breathed a massive sigh of relief and was able to observe the awe-inspiring hall. He had to admit that this place really lived up to its nas the most sacred location of the Mortal Sky Heaven.

But he wasn't here for sightseeing; he couldn't afford to make even the slightest mistake, or that white silhouette, which he suspected to be the Heavenly Mortal Emperor, might emerge at the next moment.

"System, can you make a treasure blueprint for this place?" Ace inquired as the fate map was now completely blank, and the previous treasure map was only useful until he reached the temple portal.

Furthermore, he saw many mystical doors in this hallway, and he had no idea where he should go from there, not to mention that those doors might trigger something.

"[Host needed to search for the heaven's secret on your own now. If the system tries to scan this place, the Heavenly Will might notice you!]"

"What? Even you can't act wantonly in this place?" Ace was surprised, as this was the first tthe system had reacted this way.

"[This is the hof the Heavenly Will, and this is where it is the strongest. Furthermore, the host has already given all the clues you need to reach heaven's secret. This is your last hurdle, a test of your skills and thievish abilities!]"

"Tsk, just admit that you can't do it." Ace annoyingly replied, and the system completely ignored him.

But now that he knew he couldn't rely on the system anymore, he had to rely on his own abilities. He then opened the mission panel to see the mission once again since the system had already dropped the clue.

-Heaven's Stealer Mission: Embarking the Path of Heaven's Stealer!

- Heaven's Secret Condition: Heart of Mortal Sky

-Requirement(s):

1. Find the Mortal Sky Heart Empire!

-Status: Complete!

2. Infiltrate the Mortal Sky Heart Empire without altering the Heavenly Mortal Emperor!

-Status: Complete!

3. Search and infiltrate the Mortal Sky Ascension Temple!

-Status: Complete!

4. Find the Hidden Entrance and infiltrate it!

-Status: Complete!

5. Claim the Heaven's Secret hidden in the Heart of Mortal Sky Ascension Temple

-Status: Incomplete

6. Instantly Begin the Heavenly Punishment and Ascend, or you'll die within sixty seconds after taking Heaven's Secret!

-Status: Incomplete

-Thief House Members: Allowed

-Reward(s): Unknown

-Time: 50 Years

-Punishment: Painless Death

(Warning: Host can't open this mission panel without encasing in the Dismantle Qi!)

'It's clear that the heaven's secret is hidden in the heart of the mortal ascension temple. I just need to locate it. So, my first object is to reach the heart of this temple. But where am I right now?'

Ace closed the mission panel and then looked toward the end of the hall. He saw a gigantic crystal door with ancient carvings, and beside the door, two titanic armored statues stood.

However, Ace felt his heart palpitated when he closely observed those statues because he felt danger from them.

'Don't tellthey are alive and guards of that door, and since I can feel danger from them, it's quite clear they are not easy to get rid of. Even if I can go against them, I shouldn't cause any commotion.

'But I can't just randomly pick those small doors, and since that door is guarded by those two statues, this could only mean there is something worth guarding behind them. Let's see, since that white silhouette, which is most likely the Heavenly Mortal Emperor, was emitting the heavenly Qi, should I try to emulate him?

'No, it's too dangerous since I don't know what will happen if it doesn't work. Should I try to approach the door like this? Since even that guy didn't noticewith the Dismantle Qi on, they will most likely not noticeas well.'

After Ace decided, he stealthily moved towards the door at the end of the hall. Now that he wasn't hiding behind a pillar anymore, he could feel the air crackled with a faint electrical hum, a subtle undercurrent to the symphony of light.

As he moved on the crystalline floor, its mirror-like surface reflected a distorted kaleidoscope of golden light that danced in his vision. A low, melodic hum vibrated through the hall, resonating deep within his senses. It was a sound both calming and unsettling, hinting at the temple's immense power.

If he wasn't covered in the Dismantle Qi, Ace was afraid that he might lose his mind in this place. This was simply too strange, and as he reached the door, he felt that power becmore apparent.

Furthermore, he was using both heavenly Qis to keep up the Dismantle Qi, and he didn't dare disable it unless he was completely sure that he wouldn't be in danger as a consequence.

But he couldn't keep this up forever, so he needed to find his target quickly or at least a place where he could recover.

As Ace approached the final pillar, which was a few meters away from the crystal door, he didn't get any reaction from those statues. This made him more assured, and he finally approached the door while holding his breath.

When he was just a few inches away from the door, Ace looked towards the statues. They were still standing without any movement or undulation. He sighed in relief and focused on the crystal door.

'This door is clearly locked with most likely forbidden runes, and I can't use any skill in this state. So, the safest approach is to use the Dismantle Qi. Since the Dismantle Qi is driven from the Heavenly Qi, I should be fine, right?'

Ace was uncertain, but he couldn't stay here forever, and he had to act eventually. After making up his mind, he carefully controlled the Dismantle Qi and released a wisp of it in the air while anxiously observing the statues.

But to his relief, they didn't react at all, and Ace becslightly bolder as he released more Dismantle Qi and finally touched the crystal door with it. However, there was still no reaction.

However, when he thought everything was fine, something startling happened. The moment his Dismantle Qi touched the crystal door, sounds of cogwheels stirring rang from the door.

Ace was spooked, and he quickly ran back toward the pillar and hid while he observed with a pale expression.

The crystal door started to open inwardly under Ace's anxious eyes, but to his surprise, there was no one behind that door. A white pathway appeared behind, and the statues were still standing without any movement.

After a few minutes, nothing happened, and the door remained open before it suddenly started to close on its own.

Ace suddenly thought, 'Could it be the door reacted this way because of my heavenly Qi?! If it's, then the heavenly Qi might be the key to unlocking these doors!'