บท 77: Inspecting the Deangerous Path
After traversing the path, the two decided to take a break. Thankfully, Solance's fever had disappeared by the time the reached the end of the path. However, they still tire themselves out, requiring some rest before they begin their journey to the capital.
"That's very close. If not for you knowing a technique that can dispel illusion, we going to end up like most people, dying without knowing how?" Solance said, his fever gone but his energy still sapped.
He wouldn't be able to move by himself for now, so they decided to stay. Besides, based on their plan, they would spend 4 days before meeting with the others in an intersection to the capital.
"I'm going to get some rest. Good night," he said before closing his eyes, sleep claiming him.
Ryker remained silent, his thought back to the things he heard, "Did I hallucinate, or did I hear that?" he cast a doubtful look to the path.
He shook his head, knowing it was not the time to be curious about such things. Maybe after they get to the capital, maybe he could check the path. After all, he knew how to escape, besides, while his instinct telling him of the danger, a part of him also told him to go to the place as it had some benefits for him.
He's not sure whether to follow that instinct but a quick look wouldn't hurt. Plus, if he found something helpful for him it might allow him to get stronger too.
Looking at the sleeping Solance, he decided to take the same action, closing his eyes and sleeping, preparing himself for a fight tomorrow.
-x-
Ryker woke up early. He had made breakfast while putting some sleep-inducing herbs into Solance's portion. The herb could make even Genesis Core expert sleep for half a day, so someone at the Genesis Condensing would likely sleep for an entire. It's not that he hated the young man but he wanted to have a quick look at the path.
He had made some preparation, namely cultivating using Withering Death Scripture. A Cultivation Art focusing on observing death energy and soul, it made perfect sense to close it in a place where it's rumored an expert with high attainment in the Law of Death had died.
Practicing it, he could feel the tremendous death energy in the area. 'No wonder so many people die here,' he thought to himself. The death energy must enter their body before slowly corrupting and observing their life essence, killing them in the process.
He was not sure if the expert did this on purpose so he could be reborn or if it was just the effect of his attainment of the Law of Death, similar to the expert he found at the bandit place near Alten City. The same might be true at Rock Valley, the speculation of an expert with the attainment of the Law of Earth dying there is a very high possibility.
However, the two now didn't hold much importance, the first one had already taken everything of value while the latter was supposedly being guarded by a Rock Bear Chief likely to be a 5th Stage Genesis Beast.
Currently, it was better for him to try to pry the secret of the path. He circulated the Withering Death Scripture, absorbing the death energy at the path as he entered it once more, the dark cloud surrounded him immediately, covering him and making him disappear from vision.
He soon turned invisible, could not be seen by men or beasts, no one the wiser as the only other person was currently sleeping, unaware of what transpired.
-x-
As he walked into the path, Ryker could feel the death energy moving like the current of the ocean. Never changing and always moving at a constant pace. He had already shrouded himself with the death qi he accumulated, making his entire being almost similar to the dark cloud surrounding him.
Continued to move, Ryker expended his divine sense, spotting someplace where the death energy was weaker. However, unlike sane people, Ryker decides to not go there, instead, opting to head to where the death energy is the greatest, for he knows that while he might be in greater danger, the reward might be even greater.
Following the death 'current', he allowed himself to be pushed by the cloud, slowly heading towards where the strongest concentration of death energy is present. As he entered the epicenter, he could feel the swirling death energy, so great that even a Genesis Core expert likely died in a matter of seconds.
He looked around, surprised to see that he wasn't on the path anymore. He didn't know his current location but he believed he was somewhere near the mountain next to the path. Moreover, even though the death energy is strong, he could feel an even more vast death energy somewhere out of reach.
He looked at the death energy, spiraling as it seemed to be tunneling downwards. His eyes widened as the thought came to mind. Unsure if his conjecture was correct, he punched the ground, making a small hole appeared.
The death energy seemed to move, filling the hole with so much death energy that death essence was formed. Death essence is a concentrated death energy, located at a place rich with death energy to the point if enough death energy is present, it will turn into a liquid-like substance.
Death essence is beneficial to cultivators practicing Cultivation Art related to the Law of Death, and maybe the Law of Yin too, but to anyone else, it is a deadly poison. Thankfully, he also practiced the Withering Death Scripture so he could use it.
He grabbed the death essence before consuming it, his body exploding with death essence before he absorbed it quickly. Fortunately and unfortunately, the death essence was in small quantity so he didn't explode from absorbing all of it but his improvement is not too impressive.
He only reached the peak of the 1st Stage, the death essence lacking enough energy to allow him to get to the next stage. He sighed, knowing that there was nothing he could do but leave for now.
While he was able to make a hole in the area, it was merely small whereas he poured a lot of his strength to make the hole. He knew he had to get stronger before he could even try to visit the place again.
He was about to leave when he saw a crack forming on the ground. Confused he looked to the source, his eyes widening when he spotted the cracks originated from the same hole he punched.
He quickly tried to run away but was unable to use his movement techniques, he could only get so far before the hole expanded, the ground falling underneath him as he fell into the hole.
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