Returning To The Blackridge Trail

Chapter 127 — Returning to the Blackridge Trail

Aether left the settlement the following morning.

Vaelira accompanied him without needing to be asked.

Their destination was the northern district where they had first encountered Blackridge. The organization had already left enough clues behind to suggest that the warehouse they had investigated earlier was only one small part of a much larger network.

As they traveled through the forest, Aether occasionally checked his internal condition.

The Voidmoon Physique continued to integrate.

Slowly.

Naturally.

Each time he circulated his Origin Energy, another small portion of the spatial characteristics became harmonized with his Infinite Origin Physique. The process was considerably smoother than it had been before his breakthrough to Stage 9, but it still required concentration.

Aether didn't force it.

There was no reason to.

His body would eventually adapt.

Vaelira noticed his occasional silence.

"You're thinking about the integration again."

"Yes."

"Any improvement?"

"Some."

She nodded.

"At least you're not trying to force it."

"I've learned that forcing something doesn't always make it happen faster."

Vaelira smiled.

"That's surprisingly sensible."

"I have my moments."

They continued traveling.

By midday, the forest gradually gave way to the northern district.

Aether slowed as they approached the abandoned warehouse.

His Origin Sense spread through the area.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

He immediately detected something unusual.

"Someone has been here."

Vaelira looked around.

"The warehouse?"

"Recently."

They approached cautiously.

From the outside, nothing appeared different. The building remained abandoned, its walls damaged from their previous battle, but Aether's improved perception allowed him to notice faint traces of Origin Energy beneath the floor.

He crouched and placed one hand against the ground.

A spatial fluctuation spread outward.

A hidden formation appeared.

Vaelira looked down.

"That wasn't there before."

"No."

Aether stood.

"They repaired the entrance."

"Then they're expecting someone."

"Probably."

He destroyed the formation with a concentrated burst of Origin Energy.

A hidden staircase appeared beneath the floor.

They descended.

The underground passage was smaller than the facility they had discovered previously, but it was clearly connected to Blackridge.

Several storage rooms lined the corridor. Most had already been emptied, but a few remained untouched.

Aether entered one.

Inside were dozens of sealed containers.

He opened the first.

Origin crystals.

The second contained medicinal materials.

The third contained several documents.

Vaelira immediately recognized the symbol stamped on them.

"Blackridge."

Aether opened the first document.

The contents described several rare physiques that Blackridge had investigated.

Most were ordinary elemental physiques.

Others were considerably rarer.

Then he found the name he expected.

Voidmoon Physique.

Vaelira stepped closer.

"What does it say?"

Aether read the page carefully.

"Your family's research."

Her expression hardened.

The document described a spatial relic capable of interacting with unstable Origin pathways. Blackridge believed the relic could be used to locate hidden pathways beneath the continent, but its function required someone with a highly compatible spatial physique.

Vaelira was exactly what they needed.

Aether continued reading.

"They didn't just want the relic."

Vaelira understood.

"They wanted me."

"Yes."

Her hand tightened around her sword.

Aether looked at her.

"They were trying to combine your physique with the relic to locate the pathways."

"Then destroying the facility won't be enough."

"No."

Aether folded the document.

"We need to find where they are taking the information."

A sudden killing intent appeared behind them.

Aether moved instantly.

A black blade passed through the space where his neck had been.

He turned and caught the attacker's wrist.

The Blackridge cultivator attempted to retreat, but Aether pulled him forward and struck his chest.

The man's body crashed against the wall.

Before he could recover, Blackfang emerged from Aether's shadow and tore into him.

[Stage 8 Origin Cultivator defeated.]

[Origin Points +50.]

[Origin Points: 320 / 1,600.]

Three more cultivators appeared from the corridor.

Vaelira drew her sword.

The first attacked her directly.

She activated Void Step, disappearing from his sight and reappearing behind him. Her sword flashed across his back.

The second rushed toward Aether.

Ironhide emerged.

The enormous shadow bear slammed into the cultivator and sent him flying.

Grimhorn appeared immediately afterward, intercepting another enemy.

Aether moved through the remaining opponents with precise strikes.

Within moments, the battle was over.

The corridor became silent.

Aether looked at his System.

[Origin Points: 440 / 1,600.]

He closed the interface.

The increase wasn't huge, but every victory accumulated.

He looked toward the deeper corridor.

"They're moving their important research."

Vaelira nodded.

"Then we follow the trail."

Aether smiled faintly.

"Exactly."

They continued deeper into the Blackridge network.