1169 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

As soon as a sense of disharmony seeped in, he relocated immediately. The new location was almost a ruin, deeper than the forest where the Pyromancer had been. He found himself bewildered by what he saw. "This is the domain of the Gu family." He recognized the area more intimately than expected. While the forest might be governed by another faction, the ruins were typically under the protection of the Gu family. A faint presence of the Gu family's swordsmen could be felt all around. "Is there really a secret vault here?" A vault in the Gu family's territory? Such a notion seemed problematic, having never heard of such a thing. "If there is a vault, could we have somehow missed it?" Considering that the Peng family head or even the Pyromancer might have discovered the vault from this position, surely the Gu family should have known first? Would it be possible for someone to stealthily infiltrate and exploit the vault? Certainly... "Well, the Pyromancer and Peng Family Head, and other formidable figures like them, might very well manage it." Perhaps because he had reached such a high level, he overlooked that they were all Martial Arts realm experts, more than capable of concealing their presence and robbing a vault. Even so, while such a feat was plausible– "I’m not so sure." Despite considering this, he remained skeptical. "Would the Gu family really remain unaware?" Maybe in the past, but the present circumstances were undeniably different. "My family's domain isn’t exactly ordinary." It seemed absurd—absurd enough to believe that they didn’t notice a human presence in their territory. He thought otherwise. "They must have allowed it knowingly." There was a slightest possibility they slipped by unnoticed, but he reckoned his interpretation was correct. "If that's the case, several things don’t add up." Why would the Gu family let it slide if they knew? Why does the vault exist in the first place? Each of these questions needed careful consideration. "Ugh, for crying out loud." Once things start to confound, they unravel endlessly, his life seemed that way. "...Where is it?" Feigning ignorance, he surveyed his surroundings. Given the situation, he had to at least confirm the vault’s presence. "It's around here." The anomaly confirmed by mind's eye and Qi-sensing was nearby. Hadn’t it already revealed itself? "It’s tangled." Using his mind's eye, he noticed a thread of magic. The surroundings appeared unusually tangled in this magical web. Additionally, his Qi-sense picked up an odd feeling—there was an uncanny discomfort in this place. "Let's see." He reached toward the tangled area. Given its vastness, identifying the focal point would take more time. Ssssss! "I’ll figure it out as I untangle." Once he found where the thread began, the rest was straightforward. Considering this, he began to shuffle his hands through the space. Thump. His fingertips brushed against something. "Got it." He had identified the beginning of the thread. While finding it wasn't the hard part, untangling it was another story. Shrrrr! "It doesn't seem too difficult." Undoing the spell wasn’t exceedingly challenging. If there was an obstacle to it— "Why is it magic, not an array?" The presence of magic rather than an array was what troubled him the most. Luckily, it was a spell he could unravel. "Sigh." Packing the vault with spellcraft like this—what had they been planning? "And how did Peng Family Head manage to bypass this?" How did he infringe upon a space cloaked with spells? Could Peng Family Head dispel enchantments? "Probably not." This left two possibilities. "Either he gave up entering the vault." Or— "It was opened from the inside." Instead of dispelling, someone had opened it. That would make sense. Ssss. As the threads unwound and finally untangled entirely— Thunk! A sensation of something snapping accompanied a transformation. The view ahead wavered and distorted, shortly followed by a spatial twist. Sssss. A door materialized in thin air. "...Well now." enN1WnIzcFhHMVJuR0JvdkNPc013OWI1RDczWG9nTzhlaEFYRHVMQVIxNGpHSHhDK0VBMXEwSnp3T2lrdWZYaA He was hardly surprised any longer. By the time he realized spells were involved, he understood this wasn't a conventional vault. "...It really does exist." That the vault genuinely existed was, if anything, fascinating. How the Pyromancer had stumbled upon it was a mystery. "I should’ve captured and interrogated him instead of killing." Like Peng Family Head, perhaps he should have corrupted and interrogated him when he turned to evil. That was a grave mistake. With a brief awkward expression, he adjusted his face and moved his hand. Hwaaa! He diffused his presence by spreading his Qi. Lacking the knowledge of spatial arrays or spells to mask it, he settled for rendering himself undetectable through Qi. He expended a significant amount of energy, enough to shield him for quite a while. That should keep people away from the area temporarily. "Now then." Now fully prepared, he ventured inside. He began to move cautiously through the space. * * * Upon setting foot through the black entrance, the first sight greeting him was a staircase. An ominous, descending staircase, its endpoint unknown. "Hmm." Immediately, he activated his mind's eye for clarity. "This too, is a spell." A tangled thread was visible. Given the context of a descending passageway, it was undoubtedly a spell. He placed a hand against the wall. Vvrrr. A palpable energy pulsed through. A sensation stormed from his core. Finding the right path seemed necessary—merely descending endlessly would be futile. He wasn’t unfamiliar with such encounters. "Let’s find it." The path’s true entrance. A genuine point of entry had to be discerned. "Ah-ha." Fortunately, this didn’t take long. The absurdly intricate knot was exceptionally conspicuous. He concentrated his energy there. Shhhh!!! Gradually, he loosened the entwined segments. But there was no need to unravel it completely—last time, doing so had dispelled the spatial magic entirely. "While it would be easier like that." Such carelessness could trigger unknown phenomena, so caution was imperative. He needed to verify what lay within. Click. Once more, a subtle shift transformed his surroundings. The previously descending staircase began to rearrange itself. Clank—! Rattle—!!! Steps rose, morphing into a straight path. "Wow." Things just got a lot simpler. It seemed he had made the right move. Fwoosh—! Lights flickered to life along the previously dark corridor. As he prepared to proceed, the wall-mounted torches lit themselves of their own accord. He proceeded forward, guided by the now illuminated path. The corridor wasn't very long—the entrance was already visible in the distance. He moved cautiously, on edge for any potential traps, but there were none. He simply approached the entrance. His hand reached for the doorknob visible ahead. Creeeeak. He pulled on it, the door opening easily under the pressure. He held the metal door open and peered inside. Darkness. A shadowy void in which nothing was visible. Tentatively entering that space— Shiver. "…!" His skin crawled as soon as he crossed the threshold. The sense of foreboding was cloying, an almost sickening sensation. "What... is this?" His eyes strained. Not only did goosebumps rise along his skin, but a palpable hostility emanated from his very core, encasing him entirely. "What might be in here?" What was provoking this sensation within him? One thing, at least, was certain. "This doesn’t seem to be a simple vault." It wasn't a mere storehouse of elixirs or treasures. It definitely did not feel like such a place. "Hiss." The feeling was overwhelmingly bad. Did he really need to proceed? He hesitated, but retreat wasn’t an option now. Having come this far, turning back would be extremely foolish. He had to see what was here. "Let's see…" First, he needed to brighten his view. He strengthened his resolve and summoned energy into his hand. Vooooom—!!! As energy pooled, a blue orb began to form. It wasn’t his usual elemental flame. Fire Wheel Star (火輪星). Though its primary purpose was to either conceal or amplify presence—one of the Gu family’s secret arts—it emitted an extraordinary light, perfect for use as an impromptu torch. He gently tossed the technique into the air. The Fire Wheel Star ascended and lit the surroundings. The dim view brightened, revealing the entirety of the space. "Hmm." The space was vast. Impossibly large, considering how enormous it seemed. He recalled past experiences. "Places sealed with spells... they tend to be inexplicably grand." Similar to the vault he encountered in Sichuan. Spaces affected by spellcraft were abnormally vast. Did they have to be created so large? "As if." As if designed to house something massive. He directed his gaze elsewhere. What else remained? If such a space existed, it must contain something significant. Reflecting on this, he scanned his surroundings— "Hmm?" Something caught his sight. No, it was impossible to miss. "What is that?" In the entire cavernous space, only that singular entity stood out. "…What is it?" His vision zoomed in. A tree. A single tree. Neither remarkably large nor small, it was an ordinary tree that stood there. Beyond that, nothing else was visible. The tree itself was modest, but its roots sprawled thick and far-reaching. They extended across the entire space. Apart from that, its distinct feature was— "Red." The leaves were deeply crimson. Not merely autumnal, but wholly scarlet. It was evident at a glance this was no ordinary tree. That was the source. The very thing to evoke feelings of unease and an overwhelming sense of hostility within him. And it was emanating right from the tree.