Chapter 129: Secret Realm [4]

"So, what did everyone find?" Drya asked once the group was all gathered."There is a tunnel in the far east that leads into the depths of a mountain. We did not have the time to enter it."

"There is nothing to the north. However, the moon becomes larger and it feels as if you can touch it if you go far enough."

"The only thing in the northwest is a small tablet with some indiscernible images on it. We have brought it in case it has value."

One by one, everyone revealed their discoveries. Atlas' clue seemed to be the least difficult to dissect but also one of the most important.

The others also found stone tablets, slates, and slabs with different diagrams on them. However, their information didn't mean anything without Atlas' findings.

Calculations, movement patterns, and other varied pieces of information were all present. As the members of the group wondered what they could mean, Atlas answered their questions.

"The phases of the moon. I found a diagram of them etched into the stone. All of your materials must define the specific conditions we must reach, while the phases of the moon are the key to where those positions will be."

A light appeared in Drya's eyes.

"I see! Then, the tunnel in the east must be this trial's interference point," she mentioned.

"We have two more interference opportunities. I would love to use them both on those fools, but it may not be the best idea."

After all, it was a chance to see into the other hallways that were now impossible to see. They could see where the rest of the Ascenders had reached, which would tell them how hurriedly they needed to move.

"We'll wait until we finish the trial. If it feels like we have time, we can worry about interference. When it comes to annoying people…we can take care of them when we see them."

The third trial was no longer split into hallways. In the previous realm and likely in this one, all twelve halls would connect back into one large space where the final reward stood.

With Klaus at the center, the group started working on putting the pieces together.

"This is…"

"Then, as long as we…"

"No, that's incorrect. Instead, we should take this approach…"

Klaus was definitely the most scholarly person in the group, but none of the eight of them were stupid. Even if only one could interpret the complex calculations, the others could use their intuition and understanding of the Heavens and world to guide themselves to the proper answer.

There were multiple ways to approach every problem. Scholarly people liked to put everything into a specific set of circumstances and define them without room for error. In this way, those same foundations could be used to solve other problems.

Cultivators did the same, but they did not use numbers or calculations. Cultivators used feelings and understandings. They came closer and closer to nature as they continued their fight against the Heavens, and somehow, they found a way to reach the same answers despite not having the precise logic to support.

"To summarize, these calculations give us positions in this space. We must approach them in a specific order and use our qi in order to replicate the movement of the moon and its shadow in the sky. Once we have confirmed that this method will work, we can continue on to the rest," Drya finished.

There was no need for any more discussion. Before they discerned the rest, they needed to know that they were on the correct path of reasoning.

The first location was at the western edge. From there, each position they'd discovered aligned with the another corner of the space. The last two were still unknown, but they would only become necessary after some time.

The entire group rushed to the east with the guidance of the two who searched in that direction. Once they reached the position, Klaus quickly drew the correct symbol presented through the tablet brought by the others.

That was when it happened.

The moon in the sky disappeared entirely.

"This…!"

The group immediately entered a battle state, but Klaus was quick to speak.

"Do not fret over that. This is part of the trial mechanic. As I suspected, I will need to remain inside of this formation. The rest of you need to go and occupy the other eight. Once all of them are activated, we should be able to pass."

Yet, despite the ease that such a situation presented, he wasn't finished speaking.

"That part is natural, however…"

He looked with stern eyes at the same thing everyone else was staring at.

"That is likely the result of someone else choosing to interfere with us."

Suddenly, the dirt became mush. A wave of arms burst from the soil and grabbed into the earth, gaining enough grip to pull the rest of their bodies from the ground.

"Undead beings?" Drya muttered in surprise.

"No, we don't have time for this. Everyone, get to work! Return in the same directions you searched and set up the formations. There are eight points we must reach, and we only know six of them. Klaus, determine the final positions when the time is right. Meanwhile, I will stay back and lure the horde so you all can move."

"I will do the same," Atlas said.

Drya nodded. A woman called Yari also joined them in the task of battle, as only six of them needed to aim for formations. Searᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The five of them other than Klaus departed at a moment's notice.

"We will try to split the horde in three for now, but it will eventually have to be combined. Two of us will have to leave to establish the final formations while the last acts as bait. As for who takes that task…"

None of them wanted to do it, nor did they want to fight to establish positions when they only had a few seconds left.

"Just do your best for now. When we get to it, we will have already determined who is strongest. That person has the highest possibility of survival, so that person will take the job," Atlas said.

It was enough, and the reasoning was fair. It meant that even if he was the strongest, Atlas was willing to do what nobody else wanted to.

That kind of valiant spirit was enough to win over a cultivator who respected heroes like any other. Drya grinned, while the woman named Yari nodded. If even an outsider was willing to take risks to protect the group, why would they hesitate?

The three of them split from there. They imbued qi into their every step so as to lead the undead creatures to them rather than their teammates.

'Undead beings do not have high intelligence unless they have reached a high level. Jiangshi have unbelievably high physical defense. However, these are not jiangshi. They are ordinary corpse warriors, which indicates that their only power is regeneration.'

They could be killed easily, but they would return just the same. Combined with their high numbers, they became a wave that couldn't be ignored.

In this moment, there was no time to consider who attacked them or why. But, that did not mean it would be ignored.

The person who initiated the undead invasion was bound to face their retaliation.

It was a matter of "when," not "if."