Chapter 838
Chapter 838
The name Nightmare Island was not given because of any ghostly hauntings or terrifying incidents. It was simply named for its striking resemblance to the islands that appeared in the nightmares of ordinary people.
This island had no green trees or soil, no sign of life whatsoever—only black rock. At its center stood a mountain over four thousand meters high, like a giant standing tall in the sea. The mountain was so high that its upper half was covered in white snow, a rare sight indeed. The entire southern region of the New World had high temperatures year-round, with no trace of snow. Yet, here stood an unexpected snow-capped mountain.
Almost no one knew that this snowy peak was a volcano. All the rock on the island was formed from solidified volcanic lava. Most volcanic lava is grayish-white or reddish-brown, and a few types of basalt are blackish-brown. But the rocks on this island were as black as graphite, looking nothing like volcanic rock at all. Coupled with the unforgiving, wintry snow, it didn't look like a volcano in any way, and the thought that it might erupt was even more remote.
As the sun set in the west, a vermilion glow cast itself upon the white snow of Nightmare Island, tinging it with a layer of red. Everything was still wrapped in silence; even the surface of the sea was calm, without a single ripple. But then, suddenly…
*Rumble…*
An earth-shattering sound, enough to startle heaven and earth, echoed out. Without any warning, the volcano on Nightmare Island had erupted. In an instant, a burst of flame shot thousands of meters into the sky. No words could describe the thrilling and astonishing scene.
*BOOM!*
The magma spewed higher and higher, eventually reaching an altitude of ten thousand meters. In that moment, the world for hundreds of miles around changed drastically. The setting sun vanished, the sky completely obscured. Then, thick smoke and fierce flames filled the heavens—the most magnificent and terrifying fire in the world.
*BOOM! KABOOM!*
After countless torrents of fire shot into the sky, they rained back down like a meteor shower. In the blink of an eye, the entire surface of the sea was covered in volcanic ash. It descended relentlessly, like a blizzard. At the same time, a massive earthquake occurred, as if two giants had collided violently on the seafloor.
*Rumble…*
The tectonic plates on the seabed collided and tore apart madly, triggering a colossal tsunami. Waves hundreds of meters high swept out in all directions. For hundreds of miles around, the world trembled, and ferocious waves raged. It was a terrifying sight, like the end of the world. But no one was there to witness it, for the area within a thousand miles of Nightmare Island was an uninhabited sea. It was as if the gods of heaven were dancing freely in this domain, unleashing their immense power, proving they could do anything.
*BOOM!*
The earthquakes on the seabed continued unabated. This terrifyingly massive seismic event spread out in all directions, faster than the tsunami, at a speed of over seven thousand meters per second.
***
The Amazon Queendom.
Only thirty minutes remained until the sun completely set. The Amazonian priestesses had finished their ritual dance and were now waiting for the Queen's command to execute Shen Lang by fire.
The people standing furthest away, at the very bottom of the execution grounds, could no longer see the sun, only the afterglow in the sky. Her Majesty the Queen still stood at the pinnacle of the pyramid, watching as the sun sank mercilessly toward the west.
Shen Lang closed his eyes, sensing everything. Then, suddenly, he felt a vibration from the ground.
*It’s here! It’s here! It has finally come!*
Although it was several hours late, the sign he had been waiting for had finally appeared. Nightmare Island was too far away to see the volcanic eruption directly, and the tsunami would not arrive so quickly. Besides, even if the tsunami reached this place, its power would be diminished, and the volcanic ash would take a very long time to drift here. But the seismic waves could arrive in just a few minutes.
*Rumble…*
The ground of the entire nation began to tremble. The wooden cups inside the pyramid started to shake, and the water within them rippled.
*An earthquake, it’s an earthquake.*
The High Priestess and Queen Eda were alarmed, while the ten thousand people gathered in the square stood frozen in place.
*Rumble…*
The ground shook again. It was an earthquake, but it was very slight, just a minor tremor. A few minutes later, everything returned to calm. The earthquake had ended.
The High Priestess said.
“Shen Lang, is this the great cataclysm you spoke of? It’s just a small earthquake. It’s not enough to destroy the Amazon Queendom, let alone make the kingdom disappear or the island melt. You must be very disappointed.”
Although the setting sun had not yet completely disappeared below the horizon, the High Priestess had no desire to wait any longer. She shouted loudly.
“There are no more concerns. It is time for the execution. Execute this outsider. Light the fire!”
At the High Priestess’s command, a priestess beside her lit a torch and handed it to her.
“Light the fire, light it! Burn this outsider and uphold the laws of the Amazons. Otherwise, the ancestors will be angered. Burn the outsider according to the ancestors’ will. Burn the one who has cursed us.”
As the High Priestess shouted, she raised the torch and approached Shen Lang. At that moment, Shen Lang opened his eyes and said slowly.
“Unfortunately for you, the great cataclysm has already begun! I am the sacred and the accurate. Only I can save your nation. Look. The great cataclysm for your nation has already begun. The entire country will vanish like smoke, and the Amazon island will completely melt away.”
Shen Lang spoke in a quiet voice, yet it was filled with an incomparably dreadful and imposing power. At the same time, Queen Eda, standing at the top of the pyramid, witnessed the scene. The great pyramid she stood on was a full two hundred meters tall, so she could see very clearly.
To the north of the Amazon Queendom were five more pyramids, all smaller than this one. Those five pyramids represented the five towns of the Amazon Queendom.
*Rumble…*
Suddenly, an earth-shattering explosion was heard, and the first pyramid to the north vanished like smoke. It was a small town, so its pyramid was only a hundred meters high with a base of one thousand meters, like a small mountain. But it suddenly exploded, and a great flame shot up. A fierce, mushroom-shaped cloud of fire soared into the sky. The scene was like a nuclear bomb detonating. Endless flames madly swept over everything in the vicinity. All the trees and animals were instantly turned to bone char, and even the rocks melted completely in an instant.
*Rumble…*
Then, the second pyramid also exploded violently. Another small town was turned to dust in an instant. A fierce fire that reached the sky swept over everything around it, swallowing and melting everything. The momentary flash of light seemed to pierce the heavens and shine upon the sun, and everything within tens of miles vanished like smoke.
The great cataclysm of the Amazon Queendom had finally begun.
Shen Lang was right. The scene before them was a miracle of destruction orchestrated by the gods of heaven.
***
No words could describe the feelings surging through Queen Eda's heart right now. This earth-shattering explosion did not happen in a distant place but within her own mind, instantly igniting and exploding in her brain, causing all her thoughts to cease for a moment. As the Queen of the Amazons, she didn't need to think too much; she just needed to be strong. After that, what was needed was faith. She had to believe in her comrades, have deep faith in the spirits, and trust this land. She had to hold fast to her mission and firmly believe that this land was sacred and would be protected by the spirits.
For thousands of years, no misfortune had ever befallen this nation, so it would remain so for thousands more. As queen, her only mission was to constantly grow stronger, to pass on this powerful bloodline, and to continue protecting the pyramid and the Amazon Queendom. But now, the very nation she was meant to protect was on the brink of annihilation. She truly felt that everything was unreal. It felt as if the world was ending, that the final day had come. To her, the Amazon island was her everything. The immense shock left her momentarily unable to react.
*BOOM!*
From a great distance, a powerful shockwave came crashing in. Like a violent storm, it snapped countless trees and uprooted them.
*Swoosh…*
The hot, strong shockwave slammed into Her Majesty the Queen's face and swept past her. She could feel her pores searing.
*BOOM! KABOOM!*
A fierce sound echoed through the great pyramid. The impact was strong enough to have collapsed an ordinary house, but this pyramid city was so sturdy that it didn't budge. Only after the shockwave had passed did Queen Eda come to her senses. Her gaze instinctively turned to Shen Lang.
*How can this person be so divine? To be able to calculate the moment of the great cataclysm in advance? It is too unfathomable.*
***
Meanwhile, the people gathered in the square were positioned too low to see the distant explosions. The High Priestess, holding the torch, continued to approach Shen Lang, shouting loudly.
“Long live the Amazons! I will burn the one who has cursed us.”
Just then, the sound of an explosion came from afar.
*BOOM!*
The earth-shattering explosion was deafening even from such a great distance. Soon, they could see the rising flames shooting more than a thousand meters into the air. Seeing that the moment he had been waiting for had arrived, Shen Lang spoke in a compassionate tone.
“The great cataclysm is here. I have come to save you!”
Everyone trembled. They couldn't believe the scene before them. From where they stood, it looked as if flames were erupting from Shen Lang’s head, reaching to the very ends of the sky.
*The great cataclysm has truly come! A nation protected by the spirits, a nation that would never fall, is now facing its moment of destruction! Shen Lang was right. He really did predict the coming of the great cataclysm.*
The High Priestess of the Amazon Queendom's face changed drastically. Then, under the astonished gazes of everyone, she threw the torch onto the firewood piled beneath Shen Lang.
*Fwoosh!*
The flames roared to life, instantly burning away the ornate skirt wrapped around Shen Lang, and he was once again engulfed in fire.
*Damn it!*
The High Priestess’s sudden action stunned not only Shen Lang but everyone present, leaving them momentarily unable to react.
*Why did she do that? Shen Lang’s words were absolutely correct. He predicted the coming of the great cataclysm like a spirit, so why must he be burned to death?*
The High Priestess pointed at Shen Lang and shouted loudly.
“This cross-dresser is an ominous person. He is a curser. The disaster befalling our Amazon Queendom is all because of his curse. We will burn him to death!”
Fierce flames instantly engulfed Shen Lang’s entire body.
“Burn him, burn him!”
The High Priestess screamed like a madwoman, and everyone there was utterly astonished. Queen Eda, at the top of the pyramid, witnessed the scene and shouted.
“No!”
The sound jolted Princess Dora to her senses, and she shot toward Shen Lang like a bullet.
*CRACK!*
Her strength was astonishing. She immediately embraced Shen Lang and the large cross, flying more than ten meters away, far from the roaring sea of fire. Shen Lang’s body was still on fire, and the flames spread to the leather armor Princess Dora wore. But she paid it no mind, holding the burning Shen Lang and running toward the baths.
*Don't die. Shen Lang, you absolutely cannot die!*