The spiral staircase seemed to have no end, winding deep into the planet's frigid core. The rough rock walls were gone, replaced by smooth passages gleaming with a metallic chill. Their walls were likewise covered in dense energy patterns, emitting a faint glow that had endured for ages. The air grew increasingly dry, carrying the scorched smell of overheated electronic components mixed with a strange fragrance of vegetation—two utterly different scents blending together here in an eerie harmony.
After walking for roughly half an hour, the path suddenly opened up ahead.
At the end of the staircase stood an enormous circular hall. It was hundreds of meters high, and its diameter was impossible to estimate. Countless fist-sized crystals embedded in the dome emitted a soft white glow, simulating a starry sky. Yet the arrangement of those stars differed completely from every known star chart.
The floor of the hall was paved with heavy jade-white slabs carved with profound runes. Most eye-catching of all was the enormous altar at the center, dozens of meters tall and entirely sculpted from some kind of translucent azure crystal.
The altar was shaped like a nine-tiered lotus dais, each layer covered in formations and star charts so intricate they made one's eyes swim. At its peak, instead of a deity statue or treasure, three fist-sized orbs floated in the air, their warm luster containing what looked like drifting clouds and rosy mist.
The orbs hovered silently, radiating life force of the purest kind and an indescribably ancient Dao Rhyme. Merely looking at them from afar calmed the mind and stirred the energy within one's body.
"What... are those?" Huang's eyes widened, and his breathing grew heavy. He might not have understood Dao Rhyme, but even a fool could sense the immense life energy contained in