Dresh gritted her teeth when she saw the formation take shape before her. Gorven frowned as soon as he heard her reaction.

"Since we know the formation, can’t we reactivate it?"

"No, it isn’t that simple. Earlier, beneath the concealment array...there seemed to be another formation, inside a formation...hidden beneath the array. But now, let alone the formation. The array itself is gone."

Dresh said, her fists clenched tightly.

"Dammit! My suspicions were true all along; there was something entirely else beneath the formation. And we..." Gorven didn’t continue; it didn’t need to be said out loud.

Dresh took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down, turning towards Gorven, her eyes gleaming.

"Don’t worry, not everything is lost. The good thing about this formation is...there is only one entry and the same exit."

Gorven raised his eyebrows when he heard that, "That’s good, let’s wait for them. Also, we’ll be doing fifty-fifty."

"...Agreed"

An amusing glint passed through her eyes when she heard that, but Dresh still replied and concentrated on the formation. Despite thousands of questions spinning in her mind, one question stood out.

"How the hell did mere low-borns open such a complex formation?"

...

The cavern wasn’t what they had expected; it was practical and less mystical. At least the outer part of it.

It had low ceilings, walls that had that bluish-gold luminescence of centuries of Verth saturation. And this Verth wasn’t the gentle and magical Verth that the outside world had.

COUGH! COUGH!!

Calder began coughing violently the moment he entered the cavern. Even Emperal frowned as his breath hitched.

Calder looked around, "What is this place? I feel like I’ll die if I stay here for a day."

"What were you expecting?" Emperal shook his head, looking around, he saw the edges of the cavern glow. And his suspicions became true. The entire cavern was covered in...

"Yes...More than a thousand formations are present here to seal the Verth from escaping to the outer place."

Suddenly, the Infernal Dragon’s voice echoed in his mind. Emperal felt a chill down his spine when he heard this.

"T-Thousands? Dragon, what will happen if they...fail?"

He couldn’t help but ask, let alone survive. He would be lucky if even a particle of his body was saved.

"..."

The Infernal Dragon’s silence was everything that Emperal needed.

"Dammit!! All this effort and planning...everything went down the drain."

Emperal couldn’t help but curse; his expression for a moment scared Calder, who was sprawled on the ground.

At the very least in one of these formations...there would definitely be one which is offensive. And it was the highest form of optimism Emperal could muster right now.

It isn’t that he was scared of the formations or the complexity required to unlock them. He was more than capable, and he had the Infernal Dragon with him.

The thing he was most worried about was...the time. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Calder wouldn’t even last one entire day here, and Emperal estimated he could, at most, last three days.

That’s it. Not to mention the ambush outside. They...they were cornered.

"No, thinking about the future is useless. I will face whatever it might be."

Emperal took deep breaths to calm down, no matter what way he thought. All outcomes led to a single result.

Death.

So it was useless thinking about it; he might as well attempt rather than be scared and back away at this point.

"Good, these are the thoughts I expect from you. And you’re right, you might as well have a go at the Verth Spring. Better than sitting and rotting here."

Emperal nodded, "Is there any way to block this...Verth?"

"No, there isn’t. But you can adapt by continuously cultivating. It will at least prolong the period of survival. But too long, and you are dead."

"Hmm, alright. That’s enough to know." Saying that, he turned towards Calder and sighed.

"...I am sorry for putting you in this situation, Calder. If we survive this, I’ll compensate for your contribution, and you are free to leave."

Emperal spoke, his tone heavy. No, he wasn’t feeling guilty or regretting bringing Calder here. These few days, a small bud of friendship had bloomed between them. It was impossible to ignore that feeling, and besides. Without Calder, the instigation wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

Calder was shocked when he heard those words; his mouth opened and closed repeatedly. But, in the end...he just said four words.

"It was my choice."

Calder replied, slowly standing up.

"And besides, I’m basically your underling now. I will hunt you to death if I die here."

Emperal chuckled when he heard those words, "Work’s fine for me, at least they don’t complain."

A vein popped on Calder’s forehead, but he refused to fall for the obvious bait.

"Alright, enough jokes. You sit here and cultivate all day; it can prolong your stay here."

Emperal spoke, surprising Calder. But, he didn’t ask any more questions. Nodding, he sat down cross-legged.

Emperal looked at him for a second and turned around. His figure gradually disappeared in the shadows as he walked in deeper.

But suddenly, he felt something different inside him. The Pure Verth, which was too pure to even travel his veins...suddenly moved softly.

"Hmm?"

Emperal raised his brows when he saw this. He checked his body repeatedly when he saw this happen.

"Kid...your blood. Your Elven blood is capable of absorbing the pure Verth here."

Suddenly, the Infernal Dragon’s voice echoed in his mind; this time, it wasn’t arrogant or haughty. But...shocked.

"My...Could Elven blood do that? D-Doesn’t this mean!?"

Emperal’s eyes widened when he understood the implications of the Infernal Dragon’s surprise.

"Yes...you absorb the Verth here and cultivate. Even with your Dormant Spirit Root, the results you’ll get are...more than thrice the normal."

Emperal’s smile widened when he heard this. "Nice, finally some good news."

He said and continued to walk deeper. He could do this when he was done locating the Verth Spring.

As he walked deeper, Emperal noticed the floor was uneven in some sections and smooth in others.

His eyes shifted as he looked ahead, the first hazardous zone. Emperal’s first obstruction was...temperature itself.

Ahead, the air changed as a chilling atmosphere descended on Emperal.