Death... and me

3071  No One There

Rean had a reason to insist on that exploration. The System's Quest to help Yuan was just too weird. It would never care about someone's love or something like that. Naturally, there had to be something the Destiny Attraction Ability was guiding him to. Too bad that Yuan didn't seem to be very willing. "Wait, what?! Are you crazy? Let's go back! We need to be fast before someone appears, or even worse, someone makes it back with a Jade before me."

"Oh! There is no need to worry about that," Rean explained. "I can simply teleport us outside like I did back in the Spiritual Pond. Let's go!"

Rean quickly turned around and continued to walk further. Yuan, the poor guy, had no other choice but to follow. Of course, that didn't mean he gave up trying to convince Rean to return. "Rean, our Saramina Sea Demon Palace has been coming to this place for many years. We always have Stage Nine and Transition Realm experts collecting the jades. If there was really something else here, they would have found it already."

Rean agreed with him, but not completely. "You are right. There is a very small chance of finding anything else here. However, I'm different from your elders. I'm not a Demon Beast. Perhaps I will find something that you Demon Beasts were unaware of."

Yuan sighed, feeling helpless. He continued to try to find a reason for them to return earlier, but Rean just ignored him. Thanks to that, they spent another day traveling through the tunnels. It was as if they were endless and made of countless paths.

This extra day they spent was enough for the second group to arrive. Not surprisingly, it was Denyu's group since he had the most subordinates from the start. He lost 80% of his Sea Demon Beasts. Still, with the help of numbers and Tinta's prismatic jellyfish ability, his group finally got here. "No water?!" Denyu landed on the ground, surprised that the water didn't fall into these tunnels.

Tinta landed by his side. "If this is the case, I won't be of any help, Denyu. My race's ability needs water for my perception to work. Without water, I will be slower than you at perceiving the appearance of Spatial Rifts."

Denyu narrowed his eyes and glanced at Tinta. Since he couldn't help anymore, he might as well force Tinta to join the other Sea Demon Beasts in front. Of course, Titan could imagine what Denyu was thinking, but he wasn't afraid of being forced to do such a thing. "In any case, I got you down here, so I will need to bring you up as well. Make sure to keep me protected."

Denyu nodded. Indeed, he almost forgot he had to return, and that meant Titan would be useful again. "Obviously."

*Shuuu...*

Suddenly, a strange sound began to echo in their ears, coming from further down the empty tunnels. Denyu's group quickly raised their guards and got together. Above all, they kept their Spiritual Senses spread, ready to run away from a possible Spatial Rift.

*SHUUUUUU...*

Finally, they understood what was that sound.

"Water!" Denyu exclaimed, seeing the tunnel ahead instantly inundating as the water made its way to his group. They all moved to the wall and held to the blue rocks just in time before the water coming from the tunnel ahead hit them.

*Shua!*

*Glugluglugluglu...*

The pressure of the liquid made it difficult for even Sea Demon Beasts like them to stay im place. However, this wasn't water. It had a different density and was full of Spiritual Energy. Finally, the event passed, and all that rich Spiritual Energy liquid was shot on the outside.

Denyu and the other looked in the direction they had entered, understanding what was happening. "So... the Fragile Space and the chaotic Spiritual Energy and Elements outside are due to this phenomenon?"

Deeper down the tunnels, Rean and Yuan had just resisted another one of these exact same events. "That's correct," Rean nodded his head at Yuan. "The rich Spiritual Energy in that liquid was several times denser than even the Spiritual Pond, but it was nowhere as clean. If anything, that was a very, very dirty Spiritual Energy, terrible for cultivation. When it gets outside, it creates the environment that your Saramina Sea Demon Palace fears, the fragile space and the Spatial Rifts."

Yuan was curious. "Just what could be causing this liquid to appear?"

Rean shrugged. "That's what we are looking for, right? Don't worry, I'm almost done. The next Spatial Rift will give us an answer."

"Uh?" Yuan needed help understanding. "What are you talking about? No, forget it. You already know what causes the phenomena outside; isn't that good enough? Let's go back. We need to deliver the jade first. What if the others also have a way to teleport back to the surface?"

Rean faintly smiled and just kept walking through the tunnels. A way to teleport back? That was ridiculous. Considering how fragile the Space was outside, teleporting out would be nothing short of suicide. First of all, would anyone truly have the expertise to build a teleport formation in this place? Even if they had some treasure with such teleportation capabilities, they would still not risk using it through the fragile and chaotic space. Rean was certain that everyone would need to make their way up in the same way they came down. Rean and Yuan had plenty of time still.

Finally, Rean found what he was looking for. "There we go! Another Heavenly Marine Jade."

Yuan quickly took a few steps back. "It must have another Spatial Rift, right?"

Rean concentrated his Spiritual Sense inside and nodded. "It definitely does. A trap ready to swallow anyone who tries to take it away."

"I see..." Yuan understood Rean. "You will use something to trigger the Spatial Rift and then let it die on its own, just like the last Jade. That way, we won't run into any risks and can collect the Jade."

Too bad that Yuan was wrong...

*Grab!*

"What are you talking about?" Rean smiled as he held Yuan's shoulder. "Let's go! Hahaha!"

"Eh?" Yuan felt his blood freeze for an instant. In the next moment, Rean flashed to the Jade Side and activated the Spatial Rift. Just like that, the two were swallowed into it. The Heavenly Marine Jade then fell to the ground, having lost its Spatial Rift Trap. No one was there anymore.

And as always, any Golden Tickets and Stones are welcome. ;)