Its voice paused, as though it had made some decision:
"As... an additional... 'return'... and... to... reduce... the unstable factors... in this place..."
"I... can temporarily open... a relatively safe... hidden energy passage within the 'Pillar of Suppressing the Abyss'... one that avoids most conventional scanning routes of the 'Purification Protocol'..."
"Through this passage... you... can, within... thirty-six Prime Material Plane standard hours..."
"Rapidly move to... approximately five thousand 'Shadow Units' away from here..."
"To a relatively stable 'Shadow Silent Zone'... one of the few areas... where the 'Purification Protocol' has rarely ventured... during my long observation..."
"But... warning... the situation at the other end of the passage is unknown... there may be..."
"Other... ancient residual dangers... and... the passage can only sustain... a single, one-way crossing... once you leave... you cannot return here..."
It offered them a choice: a hidden passage that would let them quickly leave this dangerous region and head for a relatively safe area.
This was undoubtedly a tremendous temptation, especially after they had just experienced an internal crisis, with outside pursuers possibly returning at any moment.
Yet this also meant giving up the cooperation they had only just established, as well as the "Pillar Soul," an "information source" with unique knowledge of the Shadow Plane and the Shadow Plane of the "Gate."
Ming Xin looked at Shadowfiend, whose aura was weak but seemed to have undergone a qualitative transformation, then at the still-slumbering "Star Radiance."
He looked at the computationally drained "Seeker," then finally sensed the lingering severity of his own injuries.
If they stayed, they could continue deciphering the "Pillar of Suppressing the Abyss" and obtain more information about the "Gate" and the ancient project, but they would have to bear the risk of another internal loss of control and being discovered by the