Death... and me

Etherian then helped the twins by pointing out the places they should pay attention to. After around an hour or so, all the remnants of Spiritual Energy that could still be found in their bodies were eliminated. "With that, no one will be able to tell that you came from the Mortal Realm. If you were a normal ascender who got here using your Peak Transition Realm cultivation, it wouldn't be an issue. Although extremely rare, it's not like they have some advantages."

"But it would be a problem if others find out you arrived here at your level. The existence of a portal that can connect both sides is a big thing, after all. I know you told me you can't even figure out how the portal worked as its level was too high, but others wouldn't believe that so easily."

Rean nodded as he said in response, "No problem. Even though I can't understand the high-level parts of that demon beast portal, I can at least remember most of the runes' shapes. That's something I better not comment about."

Since they were already here, Roan decided to head straight into the reason they tried to enter the Sacred Land. "As we mentioned before, we came up with our companions. But because of some trouble during the transfer, we ended up being teleported to different places. I believe our girls are in the demon beasts' territory. However, not only do we not know which one, but we also have no idea about how to pass through the continental barrier. The Fairy Queen told us that even she doesn't know how to pass through it."

Etherian was taken aback for a moment. "You wish to pass through the continental barrier?"

The twins nodded in response. From the very start, they had no interest in staying in the Sacred Land. "We don't know if they're dead or alive. That's why we need to go."

Etherian immediately shook his head as he told them, "Although it might sound cold, I have to tell you that you should give up. The Realm of Gods is not only dangerous, but I don't think anyone can grasp its true size. Even putting all the continents I know about together, it would still be nothing but a grain of sand on an entire planet made of sand alone. I can guarantee that finding them is impossible. At the very least, it's impossible with your actual cultivation."

Roan shook his head in response, saying, "Even if that's the case, we still need to go."

Rean agreed with him. "It's definitely better than staying still, doing nothing. Until we can confirm they died or something like that, we need to see it to the bitter end."

Etherian could see the determination in the twins' eyes. "Sigh...why are men are so stubborn when it comes to women? Well, it's not like I'm any different. Fortunately for me, I only found my wife once I was already in the Realm of Gods."

Etherian then warned the twins. "However, you can forget about passing through the continental barrier. You will simply be smashed by its power with cultivation like yours. In fact, even my own cultivation is far from enough to pass through, let alone yours."

The twins weren't surprised to hear that. If it wasn't powerful, Rana would know and tell them. "However, you do know how to pass through, right?"

Etherian nodded. "The Sacred Land does have a way to open a stable passage for others to pass through, but so do other continental powers. When a passage is open to another continent, a very big disruption will happen during that time. It's impossible to open a passage without alarming the continent you're trying to connect to. Usually, when that happens, it's because a continental war is about to happen."

Rean couldn't help but ask, "So, is there no way to head to other continents without starting a war?"

"Of course, there is," Etherian succinctly replied. "Every few years, a passage is open with the agreement of both sides. Many trades are carried off during those times. During moments like these, we have members from both sides travel to the other continents. That's how I came to visit many continents in my life. But ultimately, I came back here."

Etherian continued, "However, the number of people allowed to pass through the barriers and continue on the other side is limited. Usually, these people will perform some high-level assignments on the other side, so their cultivation must be high. Can you see the problem? You two are definitely not at the level where the Sacred Land would even consider letting you go. First of all, unlike the others, you don't have any intention to come back. Do you think the Sacred Land would let you take some of those slots?"

Rean and Roan immediately shook their heads. They knew very well how weak they were in this kind of situation. "It seems like we'll have to look for a way through on our own."

Suddenly, the twins received a Divine Sense message from Etherian. Obviously, he didn't want others to hear what he was going to say next. 'However, if you really insist on it, there are a few... smugglers... if you understand me.' Etherian simply couldn't help but empathize with fellow ascenders like him.

Rean and Roan's eyes lit up as they looked at Etherian. 'Tell us more.'

Etherian continued to talk as if nothing had changed. "You should focus on your cultivation and come back once you reach the Transition Realm. At that time, it might be possible for you two to get a slot." At the same time, he kept using his Divine Sense to convene his real thoughts. 'As you can probably imagine, it isn't exactly a recognized way of traversing to the other side, you know? I also can't guarantee any safety whatsoever. Would you still be interested to know more about it?'

Naturally, the two replied to his words. "Reaching the Transition Realm will really take a very long time." Of course, they answered Etherian's Divine Sense message. 'We are. We'll judge whether it's worth a shot or not.'