Chapter 171 – Beneath the Origin Vein

Chapter 171: Chapter 171 – Beneath the Origin Vein

The lower passage descended from the Origin Vein Regulator in a wide spiral, its walls lined with mineral deposits that shimmered whenever Origin Energy passed through them. Unlike the upper channels, which had been relatively stable, this section carried a noticeable vibration. The deeper the expedition travelled, the stronger it became.

Orion walked near the front with two experienced expedition members, while Azrael and Seraphina followed alongside Elena, Marcus, and Ryan. A few other combat specialists brought up the rear, prepared to deal with anything that might emerge from the darkness.

"These channels are connected to the regulator’s central network," Orion explained as he examined a glowing vein in the wall. "If the upper passages distribute energy throughout the structure, this section appears to control the flow entering from beneath the mountain."

Marcus glanced at the glowing minerals.

"So we’re walking through the pipes that keep this entire place running?"

"That’s a simple way of putting it," Orion replied.

"Good. I prefer simple explanations."

Ryan chuckled, but Elena remained focused on the passage ahead. The vibration had become stronger, and she could feel something moving beneath the stone floor.

"Orion, stop for a moment."

The group halted.

Elena crouched and placed her palm against the ground. A faint tremor travelled through her fingers before she looked toward a narrow opening farther ahead.

"Something is moving down there."

Azrael activated his Origin Perception. The surrounding energy became clearer, revealing several creatures gathered beyond the opening. Their auras were faint, but their movements were coordinated.

His private System displayed their information.

---

**Creature Detected: Origin Burrowers**

Race: Earth-Aligned Magical Beast

Power Realm: Peak Mortal Origin

System Level: 34

Threat Assessment: Moderate

Quantity: 8

---

"Eight creatures," Azrael reported. "They’re approaching through the ground."

Orion immediately raised his hand.

"Defensive formation. Don’t let them reach the researchers."

The expedition members spread out, leaving the narrow passage clear. Seraphina moved toward the centre while Azrael drew Astraeus, its dark blade reflecting the light from the surrounding crystals.

The first creature burst through the ground without warning.

It resembled a heavily armoured lizard, with a broad head, six powerful legs, and a series of crystalline spikes running along its back. Its jaws opened as it lunged toward Marcus, who barely managed to raise his shield before the impact sent him sliding several metres backward.

"That’s one!"

Elena’s lightning struck the creature’s exposed side, forcing it to turn away from Marcus. A second burrower emerged behind her, but Seraphina quickly raised her staff.

"Genesis Bloom!"

Golden vines spread across the ground, catching the creature’s front legs and disrupting its charge. Ryan followed with a heavy strike from his hammer, sending it crashing against the cavern wall.

Azrael intercepted three others as they emerged together. He moved between their attacks, using Astraeus to deflect their claws before striking the gaps between their armour plates. His Transcendent Energy reinforced each movement, allowing him to maintain his speed without wasting energy on unnecessary attacks.

One of the creatures attempted to burrow beneath him, but Azrael sensed the disturbance through the ground and stepped aside. He turned his sword downward, releasing a controlled wave of Oblivion that erased the corrupted mineral growth surrounding the creature’s armour. Its protective shell weakened, allowing his next strike to pierce through.

Seraphina was dealing with the remaining creatures near the expedition’s rear. She summoned several golden petals that floated around her, each carrying a small amount of Genesis Energy. Whenever a burrower approached, the petals gathered into a spear or formed a barrier to redirect its attack.

A larger creature suddenly emerged from beneath the floor, its crystalline horns glowing with concentrated Origin Energy. It charged directly toward Seraphina, smashing through the vines she had placed across the passage.

She did not retreat. Instead, she spread her free hand and released a pulse of Genesis Energy into the ground.

**Life Network!**

The vines beneath the creature’s feet connected instantly, forming a network that responded to her movements. As the beast charged, the roots tightened around its legs and pulled in opposite directions, disrupting its balance.

Seraphina raised her staff.

"Genesis Spear!"

A golden spear formed above her and shot forward, striking the exposed section beneath the creature’s neck. Its charge stopped abruptly, and it collapsed against the ground.

The remaining burrowers lost their formation after their leader fell. The expedition members quickly surrounded them, finishing the fight within another minute.

When the cavern finally became quiet, Marcus lowered his shield and looked at the defeated creatures.

"I officially dislike anything that can attack from underground."

Ryan laughed as he helped him inspect the shield.

"You say that about almost every monster we meet."

"Because almost every monster we meet is unpleasant."

Orion approached the largest creature and examined its crystalline horns.

"These beasts were probably feeding on the excess Origin Energy leaking through the lower channels. Their presence explains some of the irregular energy readings we detected earlier."

He collected a small sample from one of the horns and handed it to a researcher who had accompanied the combat team.

"Preserve these. The crystals may be useful for refining defensive equipment."

Azrael inspected the remaining energy within the creatures. Their bodies contained traces of concentrated Origin Energy, but nothing comparable to the Guardian Core they had previously obtained.

Still, the expedition had gained useful materials.

---

## Private System Update

**Combat Record Updated**

Origin Burrowers Defeated: 5

Combat Insight Proficiency Increased.

Oblivion Judgment Proficiency Increased.

**New Skill Progress Recorded**

Aetherion Resonance: Increased.

---

Azrael dismissed the notification and looked farther down the passage. His perception revealed that the energy flow became increasingly concentrated beyond the area where the creatures had emerged.

"There is another chamber ahead," he said. "The Origin Energy is gathering there rather than flowing through the channels."

Orion nodded.

"That matches the readings from our instruments. We should inspect it before returning to the main cavern."

The group continued forward until the passage opened into a spacious underground chamber. Unlike the regulator room, this place was filled with natural mineral formations. Several enormous crystals protruded from the walls, while a shallow pool occupied the centre of the chamber.

The water was clear, but its surface shimmered with faint silver light.

Seraphina approached cautiously and extended her senses toward it.

"This isn’t ordinary water. There’s life energy inside it."

Azrael examined the pool with Origin Perception. He could sense a dense concentration of Origin Energy, but its structure was different from the High-Purity Origin Spring they had already discovered. The energy here was more stable and carried a distinct elemental quality.

Orion knelt beside the pool and used a small instrument to measure its concentration.

"An Origin Mineral Pool," he said after several moments. "The surrounding crystals have been filtering the energy for an extremely long time. This pool is the result."

One of the researchers examined the nearby formations.

"Could it be used for cultivation?"

"Yes, but carefully. Its energy is concentrated enough to damage an ordinary Mortal Origin cultivator who absorbs too much at once."

Orion looked toward the twins.

"At your current realm, you should be able to tolerate small quantities. However, I want the researchers to finish analysing it before anyone attempts absorption."

Seraphina nodded and continued examining the pool. She noticed something unusual beneath its surface: thin golden roots extending from the surrounding crystals into the water.

They were not ordinary plant roots. They carried a faint life resonance, although the mineral formations surrounding them were clearly not living organisms.

"Azrael, look at this."

He approached and followed her gaze.

"Those roots are drawing energy from the crystals."

"Not just drawing it," Seraphina replied. "They’re distributing it through the entire formation. The pool is being maintained by the network."

Orion listened carefully before examining the roots himself.

"Interesting. The mineral formations provide the energy, while this network regulates its distribution. If we disturb it, we might destabilise the entire pool."

Seraphina extended one hand, allowing a small amount of Genesis Energy to flow through her palm. The roots responded almost immediately, glowing with a soft golden light.

She smiled.

"I can communicate with the network. It’s not alive in the same way as a plant, but it responds to Genesis Energy."

"Can you stabilise it?" Azrael asked.

"I think so."

Seraphina concentrated, sending a gentle pulse through the roots. Instead of forcing them to grow or changing their structure, she guided the existing energy flow toward several weakened connections.

The network brightened as the imbalance gradually disappeared.

At the same time, Azrael noticed that one of the mineral formations was releasing energy too quickly. Its internal resonance had become unstable, threatening to overload the surrounding channels.

He placed his hand against the crystal and studied its structure.

"There’s a damaged section inside. If it continues releasing energy at this rate, the formation will eventually collapse."

"Can you repair it?" Orion asked.

Azrael shook his head.

"Not directly. But I can remove the unstable section."

He summoned a thin layer of Oblivion around his fingertips. Rather than spreading it throughout the crystal, he carefully separated the damaged portion from the stable mineral structure.

The corrupted fragment disappeared, leaving the rest of the formation intact.

The energy flow immediately settled.

Seraphina’s network adjusted to the change, distributing the remaining energy more evenly throughout the chamber.

Orion watched the two abilities work together before looking at the readings from his instrument.

"Excellent. The pool’s energy concentration has stabilised, and the mineral formations are no longer releasing energy irregularly."

The researchers began recording the chamber’s structure, while the combat team secured the entrances. The expedition had found another valuable resource, and unlike the Guardian Core, this one could potentially be harvested over an extended period without destroying the formation.

Orion eventually stood and addressed the group.

"We’ll establish a temporary collection station here. The researchers can determine how much energy the pool produces and how frequently it can be harvested. Nobody is to absorb anything until we have accurate measurements."

Marcus glanced at the pool.

"So we found another cultivation resource, but we’re not allowed to touch it yet?"

"That is correct."

"Wonderful."

Ryan laughed, while Elena shook her head.

Azrael and Seraphina exchanged amused looks. They had already benefited considerably from the Origin Spring and the refined Guardian Essence. There was no need to rush into absorbing another resource without understanding its properties.

Before leaving the chamber, Seraphina noticed that her Genesis Energy had become slightly more responsive after interacting with the network. She checked her private System.

---

## Skill Development

**Life Network**

Proficiency Increased.

New Application Discovered:

**Genesis Network Synchronisation**

Effect:

Improves the ability to connect with existing life networks and regulate the flow of Genesis Energy through them.

---

Seraphina smiled at the notification. It was a useful development, especially for supporting larger areas of living structures and ecosystems. She dismissed the screen and followed the others toward the passage.

Azrael received his own notification a moment later.

---

## Skill Development

**Oblivion Judgment**

Proficiency Increased.

New Application Discovered:

**Selective Severance**

Effect:

Improves precision when separating unstable, corrupted, or naturally deteriorating structures from their stable components.

---

He closed the System window, satisfied with the progress.

The expedition returned to the central regulator cavern with samples from the Origin Burrowers and detailed measurements of the newly discovered mineral pool. The researchers were already discussing how the resources could be transported safely, while Orion began updating the expedition’s map.

They had entered the underground structure expecting to find an unstable regulator and perhaps a few useful materials. Instead, they had discovered an Origin Spring, defeated its guardian, secured a supply of refined essence, and located another natural cultivation resource.

For Azrael and Seraphina, the journey had also provided valuable opportunities to strengthen their abilities and improve their control over Transcendent Energy.

Once the initial reports were complete, Orion gathered the expedition members.

"We’ll remain here for another day while the researchers finish examining the mineral pool. After that, we’ll return to the surface with our findings and decide how best to establish a permanent collection route."

Nobody objected.

The twins had no reason to rush. Their cultivation had advanced into a new realm, but they still had plenty of room to strengthen their foundations before attempting another breakthrough.

For now, they intended to make the most of the resources available beneath the Eastern Origin Wilds.