Chapter 2400
Not even Ethan was sure about when the war would come. The horn might sound at any moment, and once it did, there would be no turning back. Only one of two outcomes would happen should an all-out war take place. One, they kill all their enemies; or two, they would face total annihilation.
Most of the world’s biggest problems could not be seen by laymen, and Ethan could never ask the people to bear the burden with him.
Peter Pan nodded grimly, for he too knew the gravity of the situation. “I will talk to them.”
They wasted no time and made some preparations before going into the mountain.
Greedy Wolf was the one who woke the Awakened from their slumber in the first place, and he almost succeeded in turning them into his killing machines. Fortunately, the Awakened realized their mistakes in time, and they chose to put their trust in Ethan.
And it was time for Ethan to repay their trust.
Ethan and Peter Pan came to the cave where the Awakened slumbered. A row of pods stood within, and powerful fighters from past generations lay within them.
A few dozen sleeping pods unfurled before them. They contained a group of wondrous fighters, who—even though shone less brightly than Peter Pan and the top fighters of that generation—still left a mark that spoke of their legends.
All of them were geniuses of their generation, but it was just their luck that Peter Pan and his friends were born, stealing their thunder.
Even to this very day, they were still no match for Peter Pan and his friends. It was a tragic tale for them, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Some people were destined to play second fiddle and blended in the background. However, even people like them could lead a great life and become the protagonist of their own stories.
Even so, not everyone had the mental fortitude to think that way.
Ethan and Peter Pan went into the cave, and the Awakened were still slumbering as usual. None of them had woken up from their long slumber.
As they had put their faith in Ethan, they knew if they woke up before the Longevity Pond was found, they would soon find themselves at the end of their lives.
“It is time,” Ethan said.
Peter Pan nodded. “Then we shall commence the awakening.”
They went to every pod and turned it off, allowing fresh air to circulate within it and waking the fighters up.
A while later, the first fighter regained consciousness. He slowly sat up, as if still trying to recall how long he had slept. His memory had been cut off since he went back to his slumber last time, and he had no recollection about how much time had passed.
When he saw Ethan, the first question he asked was, “Have you found the Longevity Pond?”
Ethan nodded. “Yes, I have.”
“That is great news!” The fighter was excited to hear the news.
Eventually, the other fighters woke from their slumbers. When they saw Ethan and Peter Pan in the cave, they could roughly guess why their slumber was interrupted. After confirming that Ethan had found the Longevity Pond, the fighters were abuzz with excitement.
“He found it! He finally found it! At long last!”
“Where is the Longevity Pond? Where is it? Is it as magical as the rumors say?”
“Can it really grant us immortality?”
…
The fighters overwhelmed Ethan and Peter Pan with questions, for they were burning with the desire to attain immortality.
It was then they realized that Peter Pan had a different look to him. He felt stronger, more youthful. And they thought it must be the effect of the Longevity Pond.
Ethan looked at the fighters. “I have found the Longevity Pond, as promised,” he told them first.
The fighters cheered. With the existence of Longevity Pond confirmed, they could finally attain immortality, or at the very least, they could live for a very, very long time. After slumbering for so long, they finally saw a sliver of hope.
Ethan could understand their excitement, and he allowed them to gush for a moment; then, he continued, “However, we have run into a situation as well.”
The fighters quietened down.
“What kind of situation? Tell us,” someone said.
They trusted Ethan, and they were willing to give him a chance to speak. After all, Ethan had no reason to wake them up if he had lied to them in the first place. He could have killed them in their slumber, and there was nothing they could do about it.
However, Ethan did not betray their trust. Instead, he went through with his promise and woke them up as soon as he found the Longevity Pond.
“I believe that some among you might have heard of the Heavenly Palace and the Underworld. They still exist even now.”
Heavenly Palace and the Underworld might be legends, but they were real, and a lot of the fighters had heard of them before.
