Secrets of the Universe

In a hollow space, a group of five stopped appeared in sight. 

"So, it's a tunnel?" asked a feminine voice.

It was River who did not expect the tunnel to be this deep. She touched the walls of the tunnel and punched it, but nothing happened.

There wasn't even a dent made by this [Realm 3] warrior, which was very surprising.

"Yes, it's a tunnel. Judging from the importance of the tunnel, cultivators wouldn't be able to damage it. It was constructed with durable earthen materials, expensive to anyone on the continent," mused Eden.

As they kept following the path, Jake sensed something, 'Of course.'

He dashed to the front of the group and slashed his sword in the naked air.

Immediately, two parts of a thin string shined in the group's eye as they were dumbfounded by the sight.

The cleanly cut string ignited in flames and disintegrated to nothingness.

Eden squinted his eyes, "It's a trap." 

Luckily, Jake was there to save him. He reckoned that it wouldn't take much effort for him to be sliced by such a thin string.

"On second thoughts, it makes sense that there would be a trap. The manor lord wouldn't want just anyone to use the tunnels," sighed Renee.

They knew just how close they were to death this time. The string was made from [Low-Sky Grade] material and coated with a kind of special inflammable oil substance.

If it had touched them, it would be certain death.

Looking at the one who saved them, Eden offered, "Why don't you take the lead?"

He wasn't being rude.

Jake had proven to be the only one with a good sense among them. The young man could even sense a thin string that was indiscernible to the others.

As he heard Eden, Jake went in front of the group.

Half his mind was used for sensing, while the other was used for his rapid thoughts.

'Interesting…...as we, cultivators, grow stronger, we see things that can kill us,' thought Jake.

The goal of cultivation is to grow stronger, surpassing one's mortal limit.

However, the products of nature still caught up to them. 

Deep within the lands blessed by abundant energy were earthen materials that could potentially kill them.

How many has he seen at this point? The [Ephastone], the rope the Aztec king used on him, the Holy Crystals, and now, the thin string.

It was certainly interesting to Jake. However, it was also a pity that he didn't have time for that.

As Jake was in his thoughts, he safely guided the group, dodging multiple traps in their way.

Everything was silent, an uncomfortable kind of silence. Only the sounds of the devious traps could be heard.

"Hey, how strong do you think the banshee queen is," hollered River.

Her mind couldn't help but wonder.

"The Banshee Queen. Let's see, normally, a creature like that should be way beyond our league, but it had been starved for decades leaving it no chance to mutate," analyzed Eden.

He, of course, knew what he was entering into.

If the Banshee queen was not starved, he wouldn't risk it. Not even when his life was on the line.

Most netherans, unlike other races, take the path of mutation and evolution.

It was the same for the incorporeal netherans.

The lowest class were the ghosts. After their default form, they would need two other mutations to evolve to a phantom.

Then came the phantoms. The same format as the ghosts, after their basic form, they would have to undergo three more mutations to evolve into the legendary specters!

As he was in thought, Eden went back to his old habits, brushing his beards with his hands, "If I was to give a precise guess. I would say the queen has still not undergone her first mutation." 

He couldn't help but admire the legendary Caelein. The legend had factored in the emergence of a banshee queen, and also other variants.

That was why he sealed the town, but something was fishy with that plan.

"Did you notice the dead bodies littering on the streets?" muttered Eden.

"Yes," softly replied River.

She stared at Eden, "What do you think?"

"Perhaps the legend is not as saintly as portrayed. Those bodies, before they died, were sealed in the barrier. This would also mean, he didn't care for, or he couldn't afford to care for, innocent lives when he erected the barrier," explained Eden.

Still yet, it didn't tarnish his image of legend Caelein.

To him, it happened everywhere. Due to the netheran invasions, warriors weren't enough to guarantee the lives of mortals.

Eden could imagine a scenario of the netherans escaping with the denizens of the town, should they have been given a chance.

One way or another, netherans would find a way to infect!

He had seen cases of warriors massacring a town full of zombies, despite there still being innocent lives there.

It was a case of risk.

Would one rather save innocent lives and indirectly allow the zombies to spread further?

Or would one rather stop the infection, eradicating the cause of future potential worries?

Surely, they would pick the choice that ends it once and for all.

"When will this all end?" sighed River.

She was born into the invaded world, at a time which seemed peaceful, but was far from that.

The outbreak of zombies had moved her and her sister from the main continent.

She could remember the look of panic on her sister's face when they first heard the outbreak.

Without even confirming, her sister boarded a ship that went to the islands.

They were one of the very first groups to have left the main continent. They departed months before Jake's group.

"It won't end soon. Frankly speaking, we know nothing about them. Where are they from? What do they want? Who represents them? We are just being passive in the long run," sighed Eden.

He reckoned that to put a full stop to the netherans, they would need to learn more about the race.

They would also need to produce strong warriors, warriors like the famous ones that participated in the worldwide Nether wars….warriors that were celebrated as gods among cultivators!