The Dawn of the New World

The party came to an abrupt stop.

Hao Xuan's heightened senses picked up on the uproar before anyone else could, his instincts warning him of what waited for him.

The destruction of the Yin Qi crystal itself was not explosive in nature. It was a continuous release of pure Qi that was spreading throughout the pyramid but the majority of it was still shooting straight up into the atmosphere.

Comparatively, a mere fraction of the Qi was diffusing into the surroundings and the various sections of the pyramids but even that was enough to make the already anxious creatures lose their minds and go berserk.

And since they were now locked inside with these crazed creatures that came from a plethora of different worlds, there was only one way it could possibly end, with arrant bloodshed.

Hao Xuan could feel the ground shaking beneath his feet, they all could. The vibrations carried over from every single direction, especially from the front which was the only way out.

Since they were at the bottom, they would have to pass through each floor and most probably come face to face with them.

The sounds of footsteps came from behind startling the group but they relaxed upon seeing who they belonged to.

Burak ran straight to the front stopping beside Hao Xuan.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice.

Hao Xuan gestured towards the dark hallway, "The path ahead is not clear. There are a lot of beasts in the way."

"And you're surprised? When is it ever easy?" Burak cracked a grin, relieving some of the pressure that Hao Xuan was feeling.

"We might not make it out," Hao Xuan commented.

Burak shrugged, "There is never a guarantee of making through anything. Besides, it is a miracle we survived till now in the first place."

Hao Xuan shook his head, letting out a defeated sigh.

"Why are you never scared?"

Burak burst out laughing, "Hahaha, why good does being afraid do? Will it change anything? What is going to happen will happen regardless of how we feel. You think too much my friend!" he said patting his shoulder.

Hao Xuan recognized the value of his words and although he didn't agree with them completely, Burak did have a point. It was mostly Hao Xuan himself that was holding him back but it was easier said than done to change feeling like that.

"You're not wrong," he mumbled.

Burak shook his head, "Just say I'm right then. You humans and your confusing words. Come, we don't have much time. The longer we wait the worse it will get," he said to Hao Xuan before turning towards the others.

"This is it men! We're home but that doesn't mean we're safe or that it will get any easier. We have to go all the way back to the entrance so no matter what happens, do not stop for even a second. There are far too many of them and you WILL get overwhelmed, it is only a matter of time."

"But when it eventually happens and if it doesn't look like you will make it out then you know what to do. Got it?"

"Yes!"

"Yes!

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

They all replied in unison.

It was pretty clear what Burak meant. In case any of them were to be left behind then the best thing they could do in that desperate situation would be to expunge all of their internal energy all at once. This would create a chain reaction inside their bodies and they would explode, taking all nearby creatures with them and giving the others a chance to keep going.

Hao Xuan sighed again listening to them. If only he was strong enough to take care of one side, they wouldn't have to resort to such extreme measures.

He closed his eyes and tried to summon the Scorpion King but just as he expected, due to the expenditure of too much mental energy it was not going to happen anytime soon.

He would need at least a few hours of sleep to recover enough energy to summon anyone again.

"Well, no time like today, huh?"

All they could do was keep moving forward.

Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and flexed his entire body, circulating the entirety of the Chaos Qi at his disposal throughout, covering every single cell with it. A barely discernable black mist oozed out of him for a second before being absorbed back inside.

All the barbarians suddenly jerked their heads around to look in his direction.

They could see Hao Xuan as clear as day but he had no presence whatsoever. Even Burak who had the sharpest senses among them rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

It was like looking at a picture. He didn't even feel like a living creature at all.

Burak and Isak who were the strongest among them could feel their own heartbeats thumping heavily against their ribcage in response to the changes in Hao Xuan.

It was a primal sort of feeling. Something inside Hao Xuan was calling out to them, to each one of them and they responded in kind.

It was almost palpable enough to be tasted in the air.

"Grrr," a heavy-winded guttural rumble escaped Hao Xuan's throat.