Evolution: From Little Devil to Devil Empress

Chapter 581: Tower

Liora and her demon companion had originally been completely unfamiliar with the structure of the city fragment. Though they had the token to lead the way, it had taken them a while to reach their goal.

However, after exploring the courtyard and uncovering the information inside of it, navigating the city had become much simpler.

Combined with the subtle guidance of the azure token, it didn’t take them long to reach their destination.

It was a tower.

Unlike the courtyard they had just explored, this tower looked truly magnificent.

It stretched endlessly into the sky, as though it wished to pierce a hole through the heavens.

Its entire surface was engraved with intricate, flowing patterns, while two colossal statues stood guard on each side of its entrance.

"Be careful.", Elaouthr especially reminded her.

"Those should be the puppets the leader previously mentioned. Judging from everything we’ve seen so far, they should be incredibly powerful."

"We should avoid awakening them if possible."

Clearly, although Elaouthr was excited by the potential rewards, he had not allowed his judgment to be clouded.

He was still careful.

Seeing such a monstrous demon acting so cautiously felt strangely amusing to Liora, but she simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, together, the two approached the entrance.

At first, nothing happened.

However, the moment they entered the tower’s true vicinity, changes began to occur.

Part of the engraved patterns along its surface suddenly lit up.

Like falling stars, streams of light descended from the tower and merged into the stone statues.

Elaouthr’s expression immediately changed.

His earlier speculation had undoubtedly been proven correct.

Powerful auras erupted from both of the statues as their stone bodies shook violently.

Fragments of rock peeled away, as though they were about to shed their shell.

Moments later, the statues showed signs of actually moving.

Elaouthr instinctively retreated several steps, erecting several layers of defensive barriers around himself.

Yet before he could react further, Liora had already appeared in front of him.

With a casual motion, she took the azure token from his hand.

Secretly manipulating it with her demonic energy, she tossed it toward the awakening statues.

A thunderous boom echoed throughout the surroundings. For a moment, the air itself froze.

The next instant, the statues’ awakening was interrupted.

Their surging auras vanished as quickly as they had appeared, while the glowing patterns across the tower dimmed once again.

Silence returned, as if nothing had happened.

Seeing this, Liora nodded thoughtfully.

"It seems this token is more than just a key like that of the courtyard."

"Within the tower, it can also serve as proof of identity. Holding it can allow its holder to bypass some of the restrictions."

Calling it a key was no longer entirely accurate.

It was closer to an authentication token.

The statues had clearly been left behind to guard against potential intruders. Anyone approaching without authorization would awaken them.

Those recognized as allies, however, would pass unhindered. And the token played exactly the role of letting them decide who were allies and who enemies.

Thinking this, Liora lowered her gaze toward the azure token.

"I wonder what status Taoist Everflow held within the Heavenly Armory Pavilion. If he were the master of this place or a high-level personnel, it would be acceptable."

"But if a Rank 7 being was only a clerk or something similar..."

Liora raised her head to look at the towering structure.

A bold speculation slowly formed in her mind, though there was still too little evidence to confirm it.

Shaking those thoughts aside, she looked toward Elaouthr, who had only just recovered from the scare.

"Let’s go."

"The others are exploring the city as well. There’s no telling whether someone else possesses a similar token and will eventually arrive here."

"Moreover, this city fragment is far from safe. Danger still lurks behind everything."’

"We never know if anything will go awry."

Without waiting for his response, Liora walked toward the entrance.

As she did, her body rapidly shrank until she was just small enough to pass through the doorway.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Elaouthr paused briefly before following suit.

His colossal body likewise shrank, allowing him to pass through the "tiny", human-sized gap.

--

Unlike its magnificent exterior, the interior of the tower appeared surprisingly ordinary.

Or at least, that was how it looked to Liora.

The reason was simple: its layout was strangely familiar.

Glass display cases reinforced by formations. Booths with wooden desks positioned before rows of seats.

Even a reception counter stood beside the entrance.

It didn’t take long for Liora to realize what the Heavenly Armory Pavilion truly was.

A shop.

Although she had already suspected as much, confirming it still felt somewhat surreal.

Suppressing those thoughts, she walked toward the nearest display case.

Inside rested a silver longsword, extremely similar to the one she had obtained in the courtyard.

A wooden plaque sat beneath it.

Although Liora couldn’t understand the language carved upon it, her consciousness swept out and naturally comprehended its meaning.

"White Lotus Sword. Suitable for Core Formation cultivators. Price: 500,000 Spirit Stones."

Liora knew neither the strength of a Core Formation cultivator nor the purchasing power of Spirit Stones.

However, one thing was immediately clear.

The sword she had obtained was far from being rare or unique.

Judging by how its replica was displayed near the entrance, it had most likely been a standard, mass-produced weapon.

"Has mass production already reached the cultivation civilization?", Liora couldn’t help but joke inwardly, though she quickly moved on to the next item.

This time, the object behind the glass was a perfectly round medicinal pill.

Unfortunately, even after reading its description several times, she still couldn’t accurately judge its true value.

She made no attempt to break open the display cases and examine them personally.

Although she was confident she could shatter them with her current strength, her attainments in Devil Runes warned her otherwise.

Every display case was protected by formations.

The moment one of them was forcefully breached, the entire tower would react and erupt with power.

"There is little reason to fear the formations themselves. Even if they once possessed power beyond Rank 11, billions of years have passed since then."

"But forcing my way through may destroy any valuable clues left behind."