Alex looked at the man laying down on the ground strangely, for he could see a distinct feature that made the young man look familiar to someone he know. Maybe because the man was still somewhat far away, Alex was unable to tell who this man looks like.
As they got closer, the man opened his eyes and said in a faint voice, "Ludvig, you can go and look after that girl. Leave him here!"
"As you wish, Lord Atticus!"
Saying that, the middle-aged man turned back and left, leaving Alex behind.
Alex, on the other hand, was shocked when he heard Ludvig saying 'Lord Atticus'. Now that he thought about it, this man really looks a lot similar to Atticus Finch. It was just that the Atticus Finch that he had seen previously looked like a middle-aged man, while this man still looks young, at most, he'll be in his thirties.
"You are Atticus Finch?"
Alex got closer to the man and asked in surprise. He could not believe for a moment that Atticus was here.
And... why does he look so young?
Atticus smiled mysteriously and replied, "Yes, I'm Atticus Finch. It's the first time we have met, or maybe not, at least for you!"
Alex was confused. He tried to think and understand but everything went above his head. He looked at Atticus and was about to say something but was interrupted by Atticus instead.
"I know you are confused, and you'll be of course. Anyone can be confused if he's experiencing the same thing as you."
Saying this, the young Atticus waved his hand and Alex's chest shone with a black light before something came out from his chest and shot into the hands of young Atticus.
Atticus closed his hand and at the same time, he closed his eyes. And when he opened his eyes, he muttered in a low voice that only he could hear: "So that's how it is!"
Then he again looked at Alex, trying to clear his confusion: "Actually, It is the future me who sent you here. I'm the past self of the Atticus Finch that you met in your world and in your time."
"Wait, what do you mean by the future you sent me here to meet you, Atticus Finch of the past? It is so confusing." Alex interrupted Atticus and said.
Atticus's mouth curled up as a smile appeared on his face, he said, "Don't interrupt this time otherwise you'll have to return empty-hand. I don't know anything about the future me, but the current me doesn't like anyone interrupting my speech in the middle!"
Saying this, he stopped for a second and continued to say again, "You are currently in the past. Everything here that you have seen and experienced is something that has already happened. At least, you should be clear by now that you are in the past, right?"
Seeing Alex nodding his head, Atticus said again, "I've already ascended to a higher-leveled world and the 'me' you are seeing now is only a clone left behind by original Atticus to oversee the Ancient Land and tests here."
"Since the future Atticus has sent you here, it means he already knows everything that has happened in the past."
"Before my original body ascended to a higher leveled world, he created this Ancient Land and left behind his legacy of Emperor Level. The tests here are too difficult to pass. You've already experienced them."
"Before the future Atticus sent you here, he left a mark in you. Only because of that mark I was able to sense you and tod Ludvig to bring you here."
After saying this, Atticus waved his hand and a black jade slip appeared.
"This is...?" Alex looked at it and suddenly exclaimed, "Don't tell me this is the thing that came out from my body after you waved your hand just now?"
Atticus laughed, nodding his head, "You are right. This is your reward. There is some kind of cultivation technique recorded inside this jade slip. For some reason, I'm unable to see what is recorded inside. It must be the future Atticus who placed a limit on this jade slip, as to who can see the records inside and who can't."
Saying this, Atticus took a deep breath and again said, "Well, there were a few messages for me to read in this jade slip that I've erased. It told me why you are here. Now, I announce that you have passed the First Trial. Your trial was to clear the tests of Earth King's Ancient Land that Original Atticus left behind. Now that you have cleared it, you are being rewarded with what you have been promised."
Alex's eyes flashed with light as he took the jade slip from Atticus. He was about to see the content inside but was stopped by Atticus who said, "Don't look at it now. You can see the contents inside after going back to your original body. The body you are possessing is the body of a different person. It'll not be good if he were to remember what you've seen and heard here!"
Alex frowned and then his expression eased up. He nodded his head and was about to keep the black jade slip inside his spatial ring when he remembered something and asked, "Wouldn't this jade slip remain here if I were to go back to my original body?"
Atticus laughed and waved his hand without saying anything. The next moment, Alex was surprised to see a mysterious aura emanating from the jade slip as the black jade slip entered his chest again.
At the same time, Alex fainted and felt his consciousness being pulled into some kind of vortex.
The clone of Atticus looked at the unconscious Alex deeply and muttered: "I don't know what was in that jade slip, but whatever it was, if I could have gotten it, I believe I would have broken free from the control of my main body and would have become a real person. It is a pity..."
"Sigh, my purpose here is completed. That girl has inherited the legacy left behind by my original body. It is time for me to go!"
A resplendent light shone and Atticus's body started turning into countless fragments slowly. First, his legs were fragmented, and then his knees, thighs, waists, and the upper body.
Before the clone of Atticus disappeared, his eyes shone with light.
After he disappeared, a black vortex appeared next to Alex's unconscious body, sucking his body inside.
Outside the Earth King's Ancient Land, all alive people were teleported out. Other than Alex and Eloise, everyone appeared in the Earth King Valley once again. After staying at the entrance of Earth King's Ancient Land for two hours, they started dissipating as they believed all the alive people have already come out.
As to confirm them, the entrance of Earth King's Ancient Land closed and disappeared.
Ivaan becomes anxious as he didn't know what happened with Alex and Eloise. He had no choice but to wait for these two people to come out.
Aaban mocked Ivaan, saying that Alex and Eloise must have died somehow. That middle-aged man might not be trustworthy and might have been a devil in a human's body. He brought Alex and Eloise with him and killed them.
Of course, Ivaan would not believe Aaban. But as the time passed, he started becoming more and more anxious and worried.
"We are leaving now. There is nothing to wait for. The entrance of the Earth King's Ancient Land has already closed. Even if they are alive, they are not going to come out, not at least before the next opening of the Earth King's Ancient Land."
Saying that, Aaban left the scene.
What he didn't know was that the Earth King's Ancient Land will no longer open. It was closed forever and will never appear again.
After Aaban left, Aayan exchanged a few words with Ivaan and also left with the people of his Heavenly Gate.
Now, only the people of Mystical Peak were left. Because their leader was waiting, they didn't say anything and also started waiting.
"Sigh! Looks like they are gone. They'll not be coming out in a short period of time!"
"Let's go as well!"
Ivaan sighed and commanded to go. Just as he was about to leave, a spatial fluctuation appeared in the air, attracting his and other disciples of the Mystical Peak's attention.
They saw a black vortex appearing and then, a body was thrown out from the vortex.
"Alex, what happened?"
When Ivaan saw who it is, he hurriedly ran to the unconscious Alex and asked worriedly.
Seeing that Alex was not giving any response, he checked his body and heaved a sigh of relief seeing that Alex is alive.
After waiting for some time, Alex finally woke up from his slumber. Seeing Ivaan and others in front of him, he shouted in loud voice, "What are you all looking at me like that?"