475 Secret Dungeon!
The portal that Ember opened led to a location about a hundred kilometers off to the east of Heaven's Republic's easternmost edge. That place was practically empty, other than a few hills and forests spread around it.
"Wait, didn't God Zeshion and Goddess Zeta switch entire blocks of kingdoms? Is the dungeon still here?"
During that time, even the old capital was moved to a far-off location, but it was during an emergency, so we couldn't help it. Of course, the old capital was returned to the south safely shortly after. However, the other lands, without any historical importance or strategic resources present, were left wherever they were sent.
"That's fine, Will."
Fina quickly answered my question.
"The entrance to the dungeon isn't that easy to access, after all. In the first place, it's not physically present in this land."
"...?"
Fina probably noticed the confusion on my face and quickly added some explanation.
"The dungeon's entrance isn't in one place, but in many places. However, there are several requirements before one can open it. One is the reason why we came here: the Dragon Vein."
Dragon Veins... If I recall correctly, it's referring to the large streams of natural energy (Qi) flowing underground, circulating the entire world. However, is it possible to "tap" into it?
With Fina and Julia leading us through the thick forest, we reached a serene place, with the buzzing of insects echoing around, along with the singing of birds and animals. The air was fresh and shooting!
In the middle, there's a small lake with water as clear as crystal. Even without testing it, I'm sure the water there is clean enough to drink as is. Our destination, apparently, was that lake itself.
"We're here."
Julia announced, looking at the center of the lake as she started stretching her arms. Fina also walked to her side, copying her as they both began lumbering up.
Just as I was getting curious as to why they were doing that, they finally stopped and took a deep breath. Their eyes narrowed as they fixed their gaze on the empty space before them.
"Ready? One, two...!"
Julia started to count, planning to match their timing. As she went "Three!" the two of them released a torrent of energy into the air.
*RUSTLE!* *RUSTLE!*
The force from their energy release caused the bushes and the trees to wave around, destroying the earlier peaceful scenery. However, the surface of the lake remained unperturbed, as if some mysterious power was holding it in place.
"Wait..."
After a while, I noticed something.
The lake we were looking at wasn't really a lake... It was a pond made out of liquefied, materialized energy! The refractive index of the liquefied energy was lower than normal water, making it appear deep! Is this perhaps caused by the Dragon Veins? *SPARK!* *CRACKLE!* *SPARK!*
A moment later, small sparks appeared on the pond's surface. The number of sparks started to increase, and in just a few moments, they completely covered the surface with blue arcs.
"Oooh!"
It was an amazing scene, seeing it from afar. Yeah, I know that I have done that several times already, causing arcs of electricity to appear after condensing energy past a certain level. However, it's my first time seeing this happen without threats around me, allowing me to enjoy the sight.
Soon enough, the liquefied energy in the pool started to swirl, creating a large whirlpool in the middle. And then, at the center of it midair, the space started to split open, revealing a mysterious location.
"H-Hurry, everyone! Enter!"
"We can't keep it open for long!"
Julia and Fina urged.
Realizing that their energy level was dropping like rocks on water, I quickly turned to the entrance and leaped into it.
"...!"
The usual sense of transitioning into space wasn't felt at all. It was as if, instead of teleporting, the entrance connected the two places.
Within a few seconds, everyone had already managed to slip in, and Fina and Julia were the last ones to enter, with the portal closing right behind them.
Of course, I also double-checked if we had everyone accounted for. Everyone managed to enter without problems, fortunately. However, they were all looking around with surprised looks on their faces.
'What are they staring at?'
Curious, I also turned around to look.
The place we entered was something like an underground cave, but it wasn't cramped at all.
The walls were decorated with blue, glowing moss, and the ceiling was covered in blue crystals, releasing a faint bluish-white glow. Thanks to those, the place wasn't dark at all, giving us enough visibility to ensure we wouldn't trip from the random bumps on the floor.
15:41
The walls were decorated with blue, glowing moss, and the ceiling was covered in blue crystals, releasing a faint bluish-white glow. Thanks to those, the place wasn't dark at all, giving us enough visibility to ensure we wouldn't trip from the random bumps on the floor.
However, what caught our eye was definitely the centerpiece.
"A castle?"
In the middle of the cave, a small white castle was standing on top of a small hill.
Its materials were seemingly crystal, but they were not transparent at all. Rather, it looked like it was releasing light to its surroundings!
It was a breathtaking sight, but unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy it as much as the others.
"..."
Inside the castle, I could detect several faint presences, one slightly stronger, and several powerful ones. The powerful ones were all around god-level, and there were ten of them!
'That's not all.'
I turned my eyes lower, seeing the base of the hill, and noticed several monsters present. They looked humanoid, with pure white, feathery wings. At a glance, I actually thought they were angels, but fortunately, their level was only around god-level. We can still somewhat handle them...
"Master."
Ember called, her voice filled with worry. I turned to her and nodded my head. Of course, I also noticed what she felt.
In the center of the castle, an unbelievably powerful aura could be felt. I wasn't sure if it was a person or an artifact, but the energy it released was enough to categorize it as beyond god-level.
"...!"
And, unfortunately, we lost our advantage instantly. Although Fang was covering us all with a concealment barrier, "someone" in the castle a few kilometers away managed to discover us!
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SeraphWedd
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