Void Beetle Evolution Guide

But in order to reenact this dramatic scene of fate, she could only endure it no matter how anxious she was.

After purchasing some supplies and replenishing their fresh water at the settlement, the group set off again, heading towards the true heart of Shurima, a place little known to most.

Finally, they arrived at a ruin.

Even from a distance, you can see the magnificent stone pillars emerging from the sand dunes, with the part above ground reaching tens of meters high.

The wind deep in the desert blows the yellow sand into wavy shapes, forming terraces like rice paddies.

Sylvie led the group to a high sand dune, where a wide, huge slope lay not far ahead.

“Here…” Kasha dismounted from her pack animal and stood at the edge of the slope, hesitant to speak.

She saw that there were many such places around them, forming a huge circular pit in front of them, a huge sand pit with a radius of tens of miles, almost as far as the eye could see.

As she gazed into the distance, Wild Hunt noticed two figures shrouded in cloaks standing beside a stone pillar not far away.

Chapter 401 The Darkin Reappears

"It seems someone got here before us."

Wild Hunt's reminder drew Kai'Sa's attention to the figures in the distance. Beside the massive stone pillars, which were as huge as mountains, they looked as tiny as ants.

"I'll go check it out. You guys stay here and don't move," Kai'Sa said to Cassiopeia, and also to Sivir and the others. (The last part, "梅有我想有你空你林在在没呢," is a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly. It's likely a result of OCR errors.)

Several miles away, she walked along the edge of the pit toward the figure. All the way, Kasha kept guessing about the purpose of the stone pillars.

If the ancient city of Shurima is buried in the middle of the crater, were these pillars, hundreds of meters high and piercing the sky, set up to be seen from afar like lighthouses in the desert?

While she was thinking, Kasha had already walked up to the two figures. Even from a distance of several dozen steps, the strong, distinctive bloody smell emanating from the Darkin made her skin feel a strong urge to eat, giving her goosebumps.

Kasha stopped about twenty paces away when one of the Darkin pulled a bow from under his wide black robes and warned her not to come any closer.

The bow was initially only the size of an arm, but as soon as it was taken out, it deformed and unfolded with a dull sound. First, it was stretched to twice its length from the middle, and then it split open on both sides, changing from a straight line to an X shape. The weight of the bow was undoubtedly increased many times over.

"Why is Varus here? I didn't ask you to bring any other Darkin, did I?" Kai'Sa questioned Naga Neka, who was hiding in a black robe. There weren't many Darkins willing to transform into the size of a normal human.

Besides Zoranny and Horaz, there's only Varus and Naganek. Actually, there's also Anaka and Aatrox, but those two seem to always be moving around in giant form.

“You only said I was here to witness, but you didn’t say what I was supposed to witness. I was afraid there might be an ambush, so I asked Verus to come with me.” Naganekia hissed like a viper striking, lifting her hood to reveal a veil beneath.

She seems to have changed hosts; she's no longer covered in scales like a lizardman, and her body shape has begun to show a more feminine silhouette. But upon closer inspection, one can still vaguely see the hidden scales on her skin.

"But didn't you just separate? Aren't you afraid of Zoranny's magic? Why are you still acting together despite your mutual suspicion?" Kai'Sa saw that Varus's appearance hadn't changed at all, nor did he seem to have changed his body, and she was full of vigilance towards him.

"I'm warning you, don't even think about the Imperial Tomb!" Varus's Darkin Bow trembled as he struggled to suppress his murderous intent. It wasn't surprising that they could connect this to the tomb, given that the Wild Hunt had previously mentioned it to Naga Neka.

"Ha. Your arrows can't even catch me. What I do is none of your business!" Kai'Sa retorted immediately.

The Darkin was already petty, and Varus had a very bad impression of the guy who had overheard their conversation and then ran away, so he immediately stopped suppressing his killing intent and raised his bow at Kai'Sa.

"Is that so? Then let's see if you can run faster or my arrow can!"

Varus drew the Darkin Bow to its limit, the bowstring moving under the power of blood magic, the bow emitting a strong, trembling sound, like the excited howl of a demon.

Darkin weapons are virtually indestructible, meaning they are incredibly hard. And theoretically, the harder a bow is, the greater its power when fired.

Kaisa dared not be careless. She had originally planned to intercept Varus's arrow and slap him in the face, but seeing the arrow constantly gathering momentum and becoming incredibly powerful, she realized that Varus had already silently used time magic.

The arrow was not fired in the end, and Naganeka walked over and pressed down on Varus's arm.

"Let's hear what she has to say first. If she makes us come all this way for nothing, then we can take action later." Naga Neka reassured Varus, then turned to Kai'Sa: "You asked me to come all this way, and now that we're here, you can at least tell us what you want to show us, right?"

“Azir,” Kai’Sa emphasized, “I will resurrect Azir, and you will witness the Emperor’s return.”

"What?!" The two Darkin exclaimed in unison, seemingly shocked by Kai'Sa's unrealistic idea.

Then came a relieved laugh: "Stop daydreaming, okay? Azir is dead, utterly dead. He was right at the center of that catastrophe. The whole city was destroyed, and even the Ascended couldn't have survived such an explosion. If you called me here just to make a joke, then I'll have to send you to see Azir."

Kasha frowned. These Darkin were always talking about fighting and killing, which was really unpleasant. She really hoped that the emperor could be more rational and not join them.

“No, he’s not dead.” Kassa grabbed a handful of sand from her feet and let it slip through her fingers. “He may have become some kind of ghostly dust, or some formless energy. In any case, he hasn’t completely disappeared.”

Seeing Kai'Sa's certainty, Naganeka hesitated slightly. She exchanged a glance with Varus and asked, "Alright, even if he didn't die, but turned to dust, how would you resurrect him? Grand Maester Nasus searched the entire desert but couldn't find a way to save him."

“This requires bloodlines that share Azir’s lineage, and I have brought the descendants of the sun,” Kai’Sa said.

"For thousands of years, countless people have claimed to be descendants of Azir. Some are true, some are false, but there is no doubt that some were willing to sacrifice their lives for the fallen emperor in order to ensure the continuation of the Shurima dynasty... But have any of them succeeded?"

Varus interrupted Naganek, "Don't waste your breath on her, sister. Mortals are incredibly foolish to believe rumors. Don't forget why the Darkin were born—it was because we couldn't find a way to save Shurima that we split apart in despair."

Kaisa hesitated because of what they said, but the Wild Hunt in her mind convinced her that she was right.

“That’s different,” Kai’Sa explained firmly. “What I brought is the last remaining bloodline of Azir. Only after thousands of years of painful lessons, when all hope is gathered in one place, can this weight be enough to secure that slim chance of resurrection.”

These words stunned both Darkin. Kai'Sa's words were too mystical; at first glance they seemed to make some sense, but upon closer examination they couldn't stand up to scrutiny.

Why can't other bloodlines be resurrected, but only when there's only one left? And how did she confirm that this was the last bloodline?

Moreover, there was a hidden meaning in Kaisa's words.

Thousands of years of painful lessons... Although she didn't specify anything, the Darkin's experiences are certainly included in this tragic epic, making them feel as if they were being insulted in a very elegant way.

Chapter 402 Temporary Joining

“Even if you rack your brains to resurrect Azir, what can a mere mortal do?” Naganekia crossed her arms.

No one would want to change the environment for no reason. When Kai'Sa resurrected Azir at this time, it was obvious that she wanted the Emperor to take action and control the Darkin.

However, without the support of a powerful Shurima, even the emperor's words would go unheard, let alone the submission of the mighty Darkin.

“If he were just a mortal, I wouldn’t have done this.” Kasha gazed in the direction of the crater, where the huge sun disk was visible at the center of the sand pit, its edge still visible despite thousands of years of wind and sand.

The way she paused to think made her seem unusually profound, but in reality, Kaisa was just listening to the Wild Hunt's instructions in her mind and then retelling them in her own way, not actually deep in thought.

“Darkborn. I summoned you here to witness Azir’s ascension. Open your eyes wide, Azir will transcend his mortal form and become a true Ascended… perhaps the strongest Ascended ever, even surpassing Settaka.”

"The strongest Ascended One..." The two Darkin felt a jolt in their hearts. They wanted to ask more, but Kai'Sa was unwilling to say any more.

"Seeing is believing. If you want to witness a miracle, then come and lead the way. Even in this lost ancient capital, no one should know the roads better than you ancient people."

Naga Neka and Varus exchanged glances, both seeing utter disbelief in each other's eyes. Helpless, they could only follow behind Kai'Sa towards the main group, temporarily joining their ranks.

In this way, Kasha tricked the White Wolf with empty words, earning the group two guides and henchmen. With locals leading the way when exploring the tomb, things should go much more smoothly.

Of course, this is on the premise that they don't have any ulterior motives.

"Who are these two?" Sivir couldn't help but ask as she saw Kai'Sa bring back two mysterious men in black robes.

"Sivir, from now on, these two will act as our guides. You just need to do your job as bodyguards." Kassa didn't explain, she just gave the order.

Sivir frowned and then looked to her employer, Cassiopeia, for her opinion. Cassiopeia nodded, offering no objection, and had no choice but to accept Kasha's arrangement.

As she sized up the two black-robed figures who had temporarily joined the group, the two Darkborn were also sizing her up.

It was so conspicuous; any Ascended would recognize the uniquely shaped crossblade behind her, Charikar.

In the minds of many Ascended, Queen Setaka was more legitimate than the legitimate emperor, after all, she was the one who founded the Shurima dynasty, not the mortal sitting on the throne.

That's why Tayanali wanted to use Charikar to command the Darkborn.

At the same time, they discovered that the holder of the artifact and the descendant of Azir were actually the same person.

They smelled the blood and sweat on Sivir's body; her soul was so ancient, like an old friend who had once walked with them under the same sun. Her features also bore a resemblance to his, and at first glance, she was breathtakingly beautiful, as if she had been reincarnated after hundreds of generations.

In the past, they wouldn't have cared who Azir's descendants were. But after hearing that this woman could resurrect Azir, it's hard for them not to care.

"Isn't it a coincidence?" Kasha walked up to them and asked in a low voice.

"How did you manage to get them all together?" Naga Neka asked in surprise. Seeing that Kasha was deliberately lowering her voice, she knew that what she was about to say should not be revealed.

One is Azir's only remaining bloodline, and the other is the key to the imperial tomb. After thousands of years, it is easy to imagine how difficult it is to gather both of them at the same time.

Unlike the Darkin, Kai'Sa doesn't possess the ability to discern lineage, making it already strange that she could find Sivir's origins. Furthermore, Charikar disappeared during the Darkin Wars, and Naganekah, having survived Ragnarok, knew better than anyone how slim the odds were.

"If I said I didn't bring them together, and that she found Charikar by sheer chance, and that she didn't even know she had that blood in her veins, or the significance of Charikar... what do you associate with all these coincidences?"

"What a coincidence!" Varus was utterly shocked, while Naganeka murmured the word.

"destiny……"

A giant serpent bites its own tail; fate cycles. Plum blossoms, I think, there's emptiness, you, Lin, there's no...

As a serpent-headed deity skilled in curse magic, Naganeka understood the power of fate better than anyone.

It's clear that Sivir exists solely to resurrect Azir.

Fate had arranged everything in the dark, allowing her to gather all the necessary conditions to resurrect Azir and then arrive at the right place at the right time.

"Shh. Don't let her know any of this. I've already assigned everyone their roles. You know what to do next, right?"

“Acting, huh…” Naganekia pondered, then, remembering her role as a “guide,” she turned to look at the huge sand pit not far away.

"So mysterious." Seeing Kai'Sa whispering with the two of them, Sivir became wary.

These two, whose identities she didn't know, had taken away her leadership role as the team leader, which would definitely affect her share of the treasure hunt's earnings, hence their hostility.

However, if she knew who was surrounding her, she would probably feel very desperate.

"Hey, you two newcomers, as guides you must know the way to the ancient city, right? Why don't you show us what you've got?"

The two Darkin didn't seem to resist Sivir's calls, perhaps because deep down they already considered her a substitute for Azir.

"This is the ruins of Dawn Oasis, the ancient capital of Shurima, but it has long been filled in by the sands of thousands of years. The place where we are standing now was once the city's dam." Varus's voice was full of vicissitudes, as if it came from a deep well of sorrow in his heart, always taking people into a realm of a thousand years.

Kaisa stared blankly ahead. In her mind's eye, what lay before her was a giant crater, but Varus had said it had been filled in. One could only imagine how deep the original Dawn Oasis had truly been.

"Come down, everyone. The road ahead is difficult. The city is located in the center of the giant pit, while the imperial tomb is far beneath the city's ruins, in the deepest part of the desert."

Naganekia took a step forward, and Varus stepped down the huge slope in front of them, one after the other.

Seeing her actions, Sivir frowned and exclaimed, "Aren't you afraid of slipping and not being able to get back up if you go down without any safety measures?"

“No need.” Naganekia turned back and chuckled. “This place is as familiar to us as home. The real path has been buried deep in the yellow sand. There is no shortcut to reach the tomb. We must take this step and see what happens.”

Watching the two men traverse the slope with ease, Sylvie followed with some skepticism. She had intended to tie both ends of the rope to herself and the camel, in case they slipped and were able to climb back up.

However, the sandpit was too long, and she knew she couldn't reach the bottom because of the rope's length, so she had to carefully follow behind the two of them down.

At first, she could still step on the hard ground under the sand, which seemed to be the dam the other party had mentioned, but the dam's inclination was not enough to support a human standing on it.

She hadn't walked more than ten meters when the sand beneath her feet began to slip. The heavy, accumulated sand couldn't support her weight, and she lost her balance, rolling down the slope.

Everything happened so suddenly, without any warning.

Sivir could only see the sand and sky spinning before her eyes, and there was nothing around her to grab onto. She could only tightly close her mouth and nose to prevent sand from rushing in and blocking her airway, and frantically pray that she would survive.

Chapter 403 The Lost Ancient Capital

Sylvie was cursing furiously. The damned slope had sent her tumbling for miles, leaving her completely disoriented. Not only was she extremely dizzy, but she also felt like her intestines were all tied up.

She lay on the sand, taking a long time to recover. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that everyone else was ready to sandboard, lying directly on the slope from the beginning, controlling their balance and slowly sliding down vertically.

Several of them lost their balance, resulting in what happened to her: a gliding motion turning into a tumble, rolling all the way down. Regardless, she's definitely become a negative example.

"Captain, are you the legendary Dragon Turtle? You can roll like that." Jacob, the second-in-command, squatted down next to her, patted her cheek with a gloating expression, and tried to get her unfocused pupils back to focus.

"Please, get that smug face of yours off me!" Sivir reached out to slap him, but her hand somehow ended up somewhere else. Jacob appeared in front of her, overlapping her own face, and she couldn't tell which one was real and which one was fake.

"What?! Doesn't looking at my face make you feel healed? And twice as much? Sigh, then I'll reluctantly agree." Jacob laughed and slapped Sivir's hand away, then skillfully took out a water pouch and medicine to clean her wounds.

Sivir's skin was bruised and dented by the sand, like she had goosebumps. Her elbows and knees were protected by braces, but the exposed skin had some abrasions. (The last two lines appear to be random characters and are not translated.)

Sand getting into a wound is troublesome. Although it may not seem like a big problem, if it is not cleaned in time and the sand is left to remain buried in the flesh, it may still cause symptoms such as inflammation or infection.

Therefore, even though water is extremely precious in the desert, we can only treat her wounds first.

While the second-in-command was cleaning Sivir's wounds, Kai'Sa and the others slid down one after another.

She stood on the soft sand, patted her bottom, and brushed away the sand that had gotten into her mouth and nose, stuck to her body, and gotten into her clothes and hair.

Because of the protective layer of skin armor under their clothes, they not only escaped injury but also found the steep slope quite interesting, evoking a sense of childhood nostalgia.

Looking back, Naganeka and Varus, who had started moving first, were still walking slowly, treading the slope as if it were flat ground, unhurried and unhurried.

Sylvie cursed them, wishing they would slip and tumble down the slope, but in the end, her wish was not fulfilled.

As the two approached, Sivir stood up, clutching her back, and angrily rebuked them, "What's wrong with you two? You didn't even warn us about the landslide beforehand, you're deliberately trying to trick us!"

“You’re too impatient. The path won’t magically appear. This place is far more dangerous than you imagine. Without someone familiar with the area to guide you, you could easily lose your life,” Naganeka replied in her strange voice, her hands clasped together in front of her.

Her lecturing tone, like that of an elder, displeased Sylvie, but she immediately noticed that after the landslide, some weathered bones were exposed to the scorching sun.

Sylvie's expression hardened, and she didn't refute further. She noticed that after the sand was moved, the rocky slope that had been covered by it was exposed, which was the cause of the landslide.

She could probably picture the city buried beneath the sand, and the thought of just one wall being so vast made Sivir swallow hard. Such magnificent fortifications far exceeded her expectations of ancient Shurima.

However, this also became a natural trap, attracting many reckless individuals seeking the lost ancient capital, all of whom perished there. Like fish slipping into a pot, they were eventually dehydrated and died from the scorching sun.