"Gate of Reception to Takama-ga-hara?" Lin Qiye froze. "You mean, beyond that door... is Takama-ga-hara?"
Merlin nodded slightly. "It is also our destination this time."
Amid the rolling waves, Bake-kujira's massive body slowly approached the colossal gate standing above the sea.
Standing on Bake-kujira's back, Lin Qiye's view of the giant gate shifted from level to upward, until even looking up, he could no longer see its full outline. The shock in his heart was beyond words.
The gate was simply too enormous. Bake-kujira's body was already unimaginably huge, yet before this Gate of Reception, it still looked as tiny as a toy. As for Lin Qiye and the other two standing on its back, they did not even count as grains of dust.
"Get ready. We're going in," Merlin suddenly said.
Before Lin Qiye could react, the colossal gate before Bake-kujira silently opened a crack. A blinding white light shone out from behind it, forcing Lin Qiye to close his eyes.
A tremendous force of attraction swept out from beyond the gate!
Bzzzz—!!
The ancient, imposing gate slowly opened. Under that terrifying pull, Lin Qiye and Jialan were instantly torn from Bake-kujira's back. Like two specks of dust sucked into a vacuum cleaner, they flew straight toward the space beyond the gate.
Merlin, who remained standing immovably on Bake-kujira's back, had a glimmer flash through his eyes. Two Magic Arrays appeared in his palms, and blue cords shot forth at high speed, instantly wrapping around Lin Qiye and Jialan's waists and forcefully dragging them back to his side.
The pull raged and the seawater churned. Bake-kujira's enormous body rose from the surface on its own and slowly flew through the gate.
As Bake-kujira vanished, the gate gradually closed. After a muffled boom, its doors shut tightly without a seam,