Chapter 43 : The Amber Temple

[Shadowfall Elixir]

[Consumable – Potion – Magic (Blue)]

[Those who worship the shadows mix toad milk, devil’s nettle, serpent’s incense… through esoteric methods into a sealed vial. On a moonless night, they place it in darkness where no light can reach it. After thirty-three days, the shadow of a demon is imprisoned within the potion, allowing its user to peer into the secrets of shadow.]

[Through a special ritual, it can be used as a potion for advancing along the Path of Shadows. If consumed directly, the soul will be forcefully dragged into the realm of shadows.]

Li Wen unsealed the bottle without hesitation and drank the potion in one gulp.

The Shadowfall Elixir was chilling upon entry, its texture reminiscent of mint-flavored jelly—bitter at first, with a subtle sweetness lingering after.

After drinking, Li Wen closed her eyes and began reciting the many secret incantations and mantras of the Path of Shadows.

A wave of cold began spreading over her—sharp and inexplicable.

The ground beneath her feet, once cold and solid, softened.

Like ice melting into water, it transformed into a sticky, freezing liquid.

Her body sank into it, falling endlessly downward.

But just as the descent became unbearable, she activated her supernatural trait, Reverse in Shadow.

The falling stopped instantly.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back where she started.

Standing before her was a massive, cathedral-like structure.

It was dozens of times larger than the Candlelight Church in Ark Town, yet its architectural style was unmistakably that of Amber City.

A towering bronze door blocked her path, massive and immovable.

Carved on its surface was a withering World Tree, bathed in amber twilight—symbol of the Dusk Bloodline.

This colossal structure was the Amber Temple, earthly residence of the Dusk Witch.

It is said that after the fall of the Dusk Pillar, the Codex of the End—containing all the secrets of the Dusk Bloodline—was sealed away inside the temple by faithful followers, never again exposed to the outside world.

To open the great bronze door, one would need the living blood of three immortals, and approval from both the Amber City Synod and the Witches’ Disciplinary Hall.

Even in Li Wen’s past life, no one had ever achieved such a feat.

The raid party hadn’t opened the door either.

They had used a more violent, crude method—casting high-level magic in an attempt to blow it open.

The door held.

The outer wall of the temple, however, collapsed.

Their actions didn’t provoke a response from the inner-city immortals.

Instead, they awakened something far worse—the sleeping Amber Maidens within the temple.

None of the advance team from that expedition returned alive.

Only after the raid party managed to enter and retrieve the temple’s architectural blueprints did they develop a handful of alternate, less direct methods to gain access.

One of those methods involved the supernatural trait Reverse in Shadow.

When someone bearing that trait drinks the Shadowfall Elixir, Reverse in Shadow temporarily evolves into its higher form: Deepwalker of the Shadow, lasting until the next exposure to sunlight.

As a Deepwalker, one can truly become a shadow—capable of passing through any obstruction, wall, or door, traveling wherever a shadow can reach.

Including beyond the great bronze door of the Amber Temple.

Recalling the many details from the raid guide, Li Wen took a deep breath and activated the trait.

Color drained from her world.

The golden hues of dusk, the lifeless blacks of the temple—everything turned grey or faded to nothing.

She reached out a hand, but saw nothing—only the shadow on the ground mirrored her movement.

So… this is what it feels like to become a shadow?

She felt no change in her body.

Glancing at the enormous door, she cautiously stepped forward.

As expected, her shadow passed through the bronze gate with ease.

Her now intangible form followed suit, slipping into the Amber Temple.

The interior offered little in the way of detail—a long corridor led straight to the inner sanctum.

Li Wen moved carefully.

Raising her head, she saw what hung from the corridor’s ceiling—countless female figures sealed within massive blocks of amber.

None of them had faces.

Their nude forms were unadorned, etched from head to toe with strange, root-like patterns.

These were the slumbering Amber Maidens.

From the corridor to the inner chamber, they were everywhere.

Should the amber encasing them dissolve, it would mean they’d awakened—and any intruder would be swiftly slaughtered.

Amber Maidens were eternal constructs—invulnerable to death, capable of endlessly wielding countless abilities tied to the Dusk Bloodline.

Even a formidable Stage Seven mage like Siswell wouldn’t dare face one alone.

And they were legions.

The best strategy was simply not to wake them.

As long as Li Wen remained in shadow form, she should be safe.

With that in mind, she slipped silently toward the inner sanctum.

The Amber Temple had been built as the Dusk Witch’s personal residence and a site of pilgrimage for her followers, so danger wasn’t supposed to be present—at least not in the outer areas.

As such, Li Wen passed through the corridor without issue and arrived at the inner sanctum.

At the entrance stood a towering statue of a witch.

Like the Amber Maidens, she had no face.

Her entire form was cloaked, hands clasped in a gesture of prayer.

There could be no doubt—only the Dusk Witch herself would be honored with a statue here.

Yet as Li Wen stared at it, she was struck by a strange feeling of unfamiliar familiarity.

It didn’t make sense.

This was her first time seeing this statue.

Even in the raid group’s records from her past life, there had been no mention of it.

Could it be just a symbolic idol?

But that was impossible.

The raid team had documented every stone of this temple.

A statue of the Dusk Witch—rich in both symbolic and real significance—would never have gone unnoticed.

A vague unease settled in Li Wen’s heart.

The Codex of the End was just beyond, inside the sanctum.

All she had to do was pass this point and the book would be hers.

After that, neither the Amber Maidens nor any other threat would matter.

Resolved, she moved forward, attempting to walk around the statue.

But at that moment, the “statue” turned its head and looked at her.

Li Wen froze in place.

Her whole body went cold.

She didn’t dare make a move.

Due to her Deepwalker state, her vision showed only shades of grey and colorless forms—there was no visual difference between the living and the inanimate.

Which could only mean one thing.

What stood before her wasn’t a statue at all.

It was an awakened Amber Maiden.