Core Chamber

The stone staircase descended deeper than the previous two levels.

Akes walked near the middle of the group. The ancient stone steps beneath his feet felt solid with every step. A deathly silence surrounded them, broken only by the sound of their footsteps echoing through the narrow passage. The magic lamps lit automatically, casting a dark red glow across their faces and revealing their solemn expressions.

Two people had fallen in the battle just now. Everyone left knew that the farther down they went, the more dangerous it would become.

After walking for about half an hour, they finally saw light ahead.

It was a crimson glow unlike that of the magic lamps, and a wave of scorching heat rushed toward them. The group quickened their pace and emerged from the stone passage—

Before them lay an enormous underground chamber, several times larger than the hall on the first level.

The vaulted ceiling soared dozens of yards overhead, studded with countless fist-sized, fiery-red crystals that gave off a gentle glow. The floor was laid with neatly fitted obsidian, polished to a mirror shine that reflected their shadows. In the center stood a circular platform, surrounded by twelve enormous stone pillars. Each pillar was wrapped in a lifelike carving of a fire dragon.

Three glowing orbs hovered above the platform.

One was golden, one crimson, and one deep blue.

"The core chamber." The Blue-Robed Array Breaker's voice trembled with excitement. "We found it. This is the real core chamber!"

Everyone's spirits lifted, but no one made a rash move.

Kallen raised a hand to signal for them to stop, then slowly stepped forward, scanning their surroundings. The Saint-level expert's senses spread out fully, probing every inch of the chamber.

"There's a protective array," he quickly concluded. "A powerful one, at Saint level."

The two Array Breakers immediately stepped forward, taking out various instruments and starting their examination. The inspection lasted a full hour.

After an hour, the Grey-Robed Array Breaker wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked over to Kallen.

"My lord, this array is stronger than we expected. Completely breaking it will take at least three days, and we may not succeed even then."

Kallen frowned. "You may not succeed?"

"That's right." The Grey-Robed Array Breaker smiled bitterly. "Whoever set up this array was extremely powerful, at least a Saint-level Peak. With our skills, we have less than a fifty percent chance of breaking it."

"What about breaking through by force?"

The Blue-Robed Array Breaker answered, "That's possible too, but someone would have to withstand the array's attacks head-on while we break the array cores. Whoever takes the attacks would need to be at least Saint level."

Kallen fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Then we'll force our way through. I'll take the attacks head-on, and you handle the array."

"Yes."

Kallen turned to face the group. "Once I make my move, the array will focus its attacks on me. Use the chance to retreat to the edges and stay back. The Array Breakers will search for the array cores while I draw its fire. The rest of you will protect them and watch for anything unexpected."

Everyone nodded.

Kallen took a deep breath, drew his greatsword, and strode toward the platform.

The moment he took his first step, blinding light suddenly flared around the platform. The fire-dragon carvings seemed to come alive, beams of crimson light shooting from their eyes straight at Kallen.

Kallen swung his greatsword. The blade's radiance collided with the beams, unleashing a deafening roar.

The entire chamber shook.

Akes and the others quickly retreated and pressed themselves against the walls. The two Array Breakers hid behind the group, staring intently at the carvings as they searched for the array cores.

Kallen had engaged the array head-on.

The beams grew more numerous and more concentrated, shooting at Kallen from every direction. His greatsword became a curtain of light, blocking them all. But each time he deflected a beam, his movements faltered slightly, a clear sign of their immense power.

"Found one!" the Grey-Robed Array Breaker suddenly shouted. "The third pillar from the southeast! At its base!"

Everyone looked where he was pointing. A stone slab at the base of the pillar was a slightly different color from the ones around it. Unless you looked closely, you wouldn't notice it.

"That's one of the array cores," the Blue-Robed Array Breaker said urgently. "We have to destroy it, or the array won't stop."

Barton immediately spoke up. "I'll go."

"No." Kallen deflected the beams as he spoke. "You wouldn't withstand them, and it's too far."

"Then what do we do?"

Akes suddenly spoke. "I can do it."

Everyone froze and turned to look at him.

Kallen kept fighting as he quickly considered the situation. "How long can you hold out?"

"I have ways to save my life. I should be able to last a few seconds."

"Then give it a try." Kallen made the decision at once. "I'll draw most of the fire. You get over there and destroy the array core, then retreat immediately."

Akes nodded, took a deep breath, and began to prepare.

The Fallen Heart Flame surged through his body at full power as he activated his protective true essence. A golden shield appeared around him. He also readied the magic for Ice Block, his last resort to save his life.

"I'm ready," he said.

"Go!"

Kallen gave a low shout and slashed his greatsword. A massive blade of light swept across the entire platform, cutting through most of the beams at once. The beams dimmed for an instant, then began to gather again.

That was his chance.

Akes focused, and Teleportation activated.

The scene before him shifted in an instant. He appeared beside the pillar. He had barely steadied himself when several beams shot toward him.

His protective true essence withstood the first. The golden shield shuddered violently, fine cracks appearing across it. The second beam followed right after, widening the cracks. Then came the third—

Ice Block!

Akes was instantly encased in solid ice. The beams struck the ice, spraying countless shards, but failed to pierce it.

He seized the chance and punched the stone slab.

The Fallen Heart Flame gathered around his fist. His blow landed, and the slab shattered.

The instant it broke, the array's light throughout the chamber abruptly dimmed. The beams were noticeably weaker, and there were far fewer of them.

"There's another one!" came the Blue-Robed Array Breaker's voice. "The seventh pillar from the north!"

Akes didn't hesitate. While Ice Block still had a few seconds left, he activated Teleportation again.

This time he traveled farther. The Ice Block shattered just as he appeared. Several beams shot toward him. He darted aside, barely dodging two; the third grazed his shoulder, leaving a charred mark.

It hurt, but he couldn't worry about that now.

He punched the second array core.

The slab shattered.

The array's light faded completely. The beams vanished, and the fire-dragon carvings returned to ordinary stone.

Kallen sheathed his sword. His breathing was slightly labored, but he was unharmed. He looked at Akes with a hint of admiration. "You've got guts, and you know what you're doing."

Akes nodded without saying much. He lowered his head and inspected the wound on his shoulder. It was a shallow burn, but it stung fiercely.

Old Chen came over and handed him a jar of salve. "Put some on for now. We'll treat it properly later."

Akes took it and applied a little, then turned his gaze to the three glowing orbs above the platform.

With the array broken, the orbs were no longer bound and began to drift slowly.

Everyone gathered around.

The glow around the three orbs gradually receded, revealing what lay inside—

Within the golden light was a short sword of pure gold. A fist-sized golden gemstone was set into its hilt, and it radiated a sharp, cutting aura.

Within the crimson light was a staff. Its surface was dark red, covered in intricate magical markings, and a chicken-egg-sized fiery-red Magic Core was set into its tip. Flames seemed to flicker within the core.

Within the deep blue light was a palm-sized crystal bottle. Its transparent body revealed a dark blue liquid inside, flecked with silver sparks that shimmered like a dream.

Everyone's breathing grew heavier.

These were treasures that could stir even the hearts of Saint-level experts. Each one was priceless and impossible to find on the open market.

Kallen stepped forward and picked up the golden short sword. The moment it touched his hand, it gave off a faint hum. He nodded. "A fine sword."

Then he looked at the group, his expression calm.

"By the rules, the leader gets first pick of the spoils from a ruin, and the rest are divided according to contribution. I'll take this sword. You can work out who gets the other two."

With that, he sheathed the sword and stepped back.

The two remaining treasures were a staff and a bottle of an unknown potion.

Everyone's eyes fell on the staff.

It was a fire-element staff, and only one person there could use it.

Akes felt their gazes on him but said nothing.

"The staff goes to you," Barton suddenly said. "You're a fire mage, and you're the only one who can get its full value."

Bally nodded in agreement. Old Chen and Zhou the Wind Mage also said they had no objections. The two Array Breakers coveted it, but they couldn't use a staff, so they had nothing to say.

Akes looked at Kallen.

Kallen nodded. "That's what everyone wants. Take it."

Akes stepped forward and reached for the staff.

The moment it touched his hand, the Fallen Heart Flame stirred slightly. A warm force flowed from the staff, resonating with the Heavenly Flames in his body.

"Thank you, everyone." He turned and nodded to the group.

Old Chen smiled and waved a hand. "Don't mention it. We all saw you risking your life to break the array. Besides, we're hardly losing out by splitting that bottle of potion."

Kallen decided that the remaining deep-blue potion would be divided among the nine people left. It was poured out into nine small bottles, one for each person. Akes received one too. It felt cool in his hand, and he could tell it was something valuable, so he tucked it away.

Once the treasures had been divided, everyone began searching the other corners of the chamber.

The chamber was enormous. Aside from the central platform, there were stone tables and shelves around the perimeter. Various objects sat on the tables. Some had rotted away, while others were still intact. Scrolls and books, all ancient, were stacked on the shelves.

Akes walked over to one of the stone tables. A palm-sized wooden box sat on it. The material was unusual; despite being a thousand years old, it hadn't rotted. He gently opened it—

Inside lay a pill, crimson all over, with faint golden markings on its surface. A piece of paper beside it bore several lines of ancient script.

He couldn't read it, but Old Chen leaned over to take a look, and his eyes lit up.

"The Nine-Turn Fire Lotus Pill." Old Chen lowered his voice. "It's an ancient pill that can greatly increase the magical power of fire-element cultivators. It may even help them break through a bottleneck. A fine find. Put it away."

Akes nodded, closed the box, and tucked it into his clothes.

Elsewhere, Barton found a greatsword. It couldn't match Kallen's holy weapon, but it was still a rare and powerful blade. Bally found a set of light armor that fit her perfectly. Old Chen unearthed several Water Element magic scrolls and was delighted. Zhou the Wind Mage found a ninth-level wind-element Magic Core, which was a substantial prize as well.

The two Array Breakers were grinning from ear to ear. They found several ancient books detailing old arrays, as well as a complete set of array-breaking tools far better than the ones they used now.

Everyone came away with a fine haul.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred.

The thief, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly sprang into action. He darted behind Bally and thrust his dagger at her back.

Bally was examining the light armor with her head lowered, completely off guard.

"Watch out!"

Barton roared, but he was too far away to reach her in time.

Akes was closest. He didn't have time to think and lunged straight into Bally.

They both fell to the ground. The dagger grazed Akes's back, drawing a spray of blood.

"You—"

His first strike had missed, so the thief immediately changed targets and lunged for the golden short sword Kallen had chosen. He was astonishingly fast; he had clearly been hiding his true strength all along.

"You're asking for death."

Kallen gave a cold snort and struck with his palm.

The thief twisted sharply and actually dodged the blow. At the same time, he flicked his other hand, releasing a cloud of poison.

"Hold your breath!" Old Chen shouted.

Everyone retreated. Akes shielded Bally and pulled her behind a pillar. The poison spread, blurring their vision. All they could hear was the clanging of weapons.

A few seconds later, the poison dispersed.

The thief lay in a pool of blood, a sword through his chest. He still clutched the golden short sword, its tip only a foot from Kallen. He had come that close.

Kallen withdrew his sword, his expression calm, but his eyes were cold.

"Search him."

Barton stepped forward and searched the thief, finding a pile of things—several Magic Cores, a few bottles of medicine, and a jade token. A skull was carved into the token, with the number seventeen beneath it.

"He's with the Assassination Guild." Old Chen's face darkened. "He's an assassin from the Assassination Guild. He'd been hiding among us the whole time, waiting for the last moment to steal the treasures."

Everyone exchanged looks, their hearts pounding with belated fear.

The Assassination Guild was one of the most mysterious organizations on the Yulan Continent. It specialized in assassination contracts and also dealt in treasure theft. The assassin had hidden himself so well that no one had noticed anything amiss. If Akes hadn't reacted quickly, Bally would already be dead.

Bally got to her feet, her face pale. She looked at Akes and said earnestly, "Thanks."

Akes waved a hand, though his back hurt badly. The dagger was poisoned; he could feel the wound going numb.

"Don't move." Old Chen came over and examined the wound. "The poison hasn't gone deep, but we need to treat it right away."

He sprinkled medicinal powder on the wound and gave Akes an antidote pill. A cool sensation spread through him, and the numbness gradually faded.

Kallen put away the golden short sword and swept his gaze over the group.

"Gather your things and get ready to leave. We can't stay here long."

Everyone nodded, quickly gathered their spoils, and headed back the way they had come.

When they reached the chamber entrance, Akes suddenly stopped and looked back.

The place where the three glowing orbs had hovered was now empty. But he had the faint feeling that there was still something hidden deep within the chamber.

"What's wrong?" Old Chen asked.

Akes shook his head. "Nothing."

He turned and caught up with the group.

The stone staircase stretched upward, and the way back was much easier than the way down. An hour later, they returned to the first-level hall. The magic beasts' corpses were still there, already beginning to rot and giving off a foul stench.

They crossed the hall and passed through the stone gate, emerging into the familiar volcanic landscape.

It was evening outside. The sun was setting, and the sky was ablaze with red.

Akes took a deep breath of the open air. It still carried the smell of sulfur, but it was much fresher than the air deep underground.

Kallen stood at the front of the group, then turned to face everyone.

"We'll disband here. We made a good haul this time. Thanks for working together. If we get the chance, we'll work together again."

Everyone nodded and said their farewells.

The siblings Barton and Bally came over and clasped their fists toward Akes. "Brother, we'll remember what you did today. If you ever need anything, come find us in the O'Brien Empire."

Old Chen patted Akes on the shoulder. "Take care of that wound. When you're back, I'll buy you a drink."

Zhou the Wind Mage rarely spoke, and all he said were two words: "Take care."

The two Array Breakers also came over to thank him, saying that without Akes breaking the array, they wouldn't have gotten those ancient books.

The others dispersed one after another, each setting off on the road home.

Akes stood where he was, watching the sun sink little by little below the horizon.