Chapter 172: The Keeper’s Secret

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: The Keeper’s Secret

Ronan stood before the sealed door.

The creature behind it had gone silent after mentioning the Keeper.

But its warning remained in his mind.

Don’t trust the Keeper.

The Ashen Covenant’s highest authority.

Ronan had heard the name several times since arriving in the Eastern Sanctuary. Kael had mentioned him, Arden had spoken about him, and the surviving records suggested that he moved between the different sanctuaries.

Until now, Ronan hadn’t considered him particularly important.

The Keeper was simply another individual who possessed information about the ancient structures.

But the creature’s warning changed things.

If the being behind the door was telling the truth, then the Keeper might know considerably more than he had revealed.

Or perhaps the creature was deliberately trying to create distrust.

Ronan wasn’t going to accept either possibility without evidence.

He turned away from the door.

There were more immediate problems to deal with.

The Western Anchor was still contaminated, the Hollow had escaped with its remaining warrior, and the creature imprisoned beneath the structure was becoming increasingly unstable.

He needed to leave before another unexpected problem appeared.

However, just as he began walking towards the passage, the central crystal released a faint pulse.

Ronan stopped.

The inscriptions surrounding the platform illuminated one after another.

Then a familiar sensation spread through his palm.

The mark had reacted again.

[Ancient Structure Detected.]

[Compatible Mark Confirmed.]

[Access Permission: Partial.]

Ronan looked towards the crystal.

A thin stream of energy emerged from its surface and travelled towards him.

He immediately activated Energy Devouring.

But the energy didn’t enter his body.

Instead, it surrounded his palm before spreading across the mark.

Several inscriptions appeared in the air.

Ronan examined them.

Most were unfamiliar, but Formation Sense allowed him to understand parts of their structure.

They weren’t instructions for operating the anchor.

They were records.

A series of symbols appeared, followed by several images.

The first showed a group of ancient figures standing around a massive structure.

The second depicted several anchors connected through an enormous network.

The third showed a dark opening surrounded by chains.

Then the images disappeared.

Ronan narrowed his eyes.

The dark opening was familiar.

It resembled the structure surrounding the creature imprisoned behind the door.

Before he could examine anything further, the energy vanished.

[Data Retrieval Incomplete.]

[Insufficient Access Permission.]

Ronan lowered his hand.

The mark had allowed him to retrieve a fragment of information from the anchor.

It wasn’t much, but it confirmed that the ancient structures contained records that could be accessed through the mark.

He had another reason to investigate the remaining anchors.

---

Ronan left the central chamber.

As he moved through the underground passage, he continued using Subterranean Perception.

The trait allowed him to sense several movements beneath the surrounding terrain.

Most were small creatures.

However, one energy signature caught his attention.

It was moving rapidly through a tunnel several meters below him.

Ronan stopped.

The signature was approaching.

He activated Energy Tracking.

A faint trail of gray energy became visible.

Someone had passed through the tunnel recently.

And judging by the energy fluctuations, the individual was wounded.

Ronan considered ignoring it.

But the trail was connected to the same energy source used by the Hollow.

If another warrior had survived the previous battle, it might lead him to something useful.

He changed direction.

A few minutes later, he discovered a narrow opening hidden beneath a collapsed section of rock.

The tunnel beyond it was relatively small.

Ronan entered cautiously.

He followed the energy trail until he reached a chamber filled with broken equipment.

Several containers had been abandoned near the walls.

A wounded figure was lying beside one of them.

It wore black armor and a white mask.

One of the Hollow warriors.

The warrior immediately raised its head.

Its energy signature fluctuated.

Four-Star King Realm.

It was considerably weaker than the opponents Ronan had fought earlier.

The warrior attempted to stand.

Ronan extended his hand.

Gravity increased around its body.

The figure collapsed.

"Don’t move."

The warrior struggled against the pressure.

Ronan approached.

"Where did the others go?"

Silence.

Ronan increased the gravitational force slightly.

The warrior’s armor creaked.

"Answer."

"North..."

Its voice was distorted.

"The northern passage."

"Where does it lead?"

The warrior remained silent.

Ronan examined the containers scattered around the chamber.

Several contained black crystals similar to the fragments he had collected from the other structures.

He picked one up.

The crystal released a faint pulse.

The mark on his palm responded.

Interesting.

He looked back at the prisoner.

"What are these?"

The warrior didn’t answer.

Ronan crouched.

"I’ve already killed several of your companions. Don’t make me waste time."

The warrior finally spoke.

"They’re... regulators."

"Explain."

"They stabilize the extraction."

Ronan examined the crystal again.

So the Hollow were using these objects to regulate the energy they stole from the ancient anchors.

That explained why the modified formations had been relatively stable despite the incompatibility between the two energy systems.

"Where are you taking the energy?"

The warrior hesitated.

Then it answered.

"To the collection grounds."

"Where?"

"I don’t know."

Ronan narrowed his eyes.

The warrior continued.

"Only the commanders know the destination."

"Then tell me about the commanders."

Silence.

Ronan increased the pressure.

The warrior finally spoke.

"There are several regional commanders. Above them..."

Its voice weakened.

"The Executor."

Ronan paused.

"The Executor?"

"The one who serves the Master."

Ronan’s expression remained unchanged.

"And the person who came looking for me?"

The warrior’s body trembled.

"The Master has noticed you."

Ronan stared at it.

"What’s the Master’s name?"

The warrior didn’t answer.

Instead, its remaining energy suddenly began fluctuating.

Ronan immediately noticed the change.

He stepped backwards.

A thin strand of gray energy emerged from the warrior’s armor.

Then another.

The energy spread across its body.

Ronan activated Energy Devouring, but the process was already underway.

The warrior’s body collapsed.

Its energy disappeared into the surrounding darkness.

Ronan frowned.

A self-destruct mechanism?

No.

It was more like a hidden formation had been activated when the warrior revealed too much information.

He examined the remains.

There was nothing useful left.

"Annoying."

He looked towards the abandoned containers.

At least the crystals remained.

---

Ronan examined the equipment.

There were six black crystals in total.

Each contained a small amount of gray energy, but their internal structures were different from the fragments recovered from the ancient anchors.

He activated Formation Sense.

The inscriptions became visible.

The crystals were indeed regulators.

They had been designed to stabilize the energy extracted from the anchors before it was transported elsewhere.

Ronan picked up one of them.

The moment he touched it, his palm mark reacted.

A faint pulse travelled through the crystal.

Then the energy inside shifted.

Ronan narrowed his eyes.

The crystal wasn’t simply a container.

It was connected to the same ancient network as the anchors.

The Hollow had modified it to serve their purposes.

That meant the original design might contain information about how the network operated.

He stored all six crystals.

He could examine them later using the refining equipment at the Eastern Sanctuary.

For now, he wanted to leave.

The Western Anchor had already provided more information than he expected.

And the longer he remained here, the greater the possibility of encountering another powerful opponent.

---

When Ronan returned to the central chamber, he noticed something unusual.

The floating crystal was no longer releasing its previous pulses.

Instead, its surface had become darker.

The inscriptions around the platform were flickering.

Ronan approached.

He activated Subterranean Perception.

The energy sustaining the prison was weakening again.

He immediately understood.

The Hollow’s modifications had been damaged, but the central structure had not completely recovered.

The energy he had redirected was only temporary.

Without the missing regulators and the restoration of the remaining channels, the entire anchor would continue deteriorating.

He looked towards the sealed door.

A faint impact came from the other side.

Then the creature spoke.

"Leaving..."

Ronan turned.

"Yes."

"Then... you will return."

It wasn’t a question.

Ronan smiled faintly.

"Perhaps."

The creature remained silent.

Then it spoke again.

"The Keeper... knows..."

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

"Knows what?"

"The mark..."

A long pause followed.

"Your blood..."

Ronan’s expression changed slightly.

Before he could ask anything else, the energy around the door fluctuated.

The creature’s voice faded.

"Ask... what happened... to the first marked one."

Ronan stared at the door.

The first marked one.

That was new.

He had assumed the mark was unique to him, or at least connected to his current bloodline.

But there had been someone before him.

Someone who had carried the same mark.

And the Keeper apparently knew what had happened to that individual.

Ronan slowly lowered his hand.

He had another question to ask Arden when he returned.

---

The journey back to the surface was uneventful.

Ronan emerged from the underground passage just as the dark clouds above the mountains began shifting.

He looked towards the distant Eastern Sanctuary.

His injuries had mostly recovered, but the battle against the Hollow warriors had consumed a considerable amount of energy.

He needed rest.

More importantly, he wanted to examine the six regulators he had collected.

The Western Anchor had given him something valuable.

Not a new trait or a breakthrough, but information that could help him understand the mysterious energy.

He also had a possible lead concerning the Keeper.

And the first marked individual.

Ronan began walking.

However, before he had travelled far, his newly acquired Energy Tracking trait detected something.

A faint trail.

It was coming from the north.

He stopped and examined it.

The trail was extremely weak, almost impossible to notice without the trait.

But its energy signature was familiar.

The same gray energy used by the Hollow.

Ronan followed it with his perception.

Several kilometers away, a group of figures was moving through the mountains.

There were eight of them.

And among them was someone whose energy signature stood out.

Eight-Star King Realm.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

He recognized the presence.

It was the same masked commander who had escaped the Eastern Sanctuary.

The commander had returned to the Black Veil Mountains.

But he wasn’t alone.

A second figure walked beside him.

Its energy signature was considerably stronger.

Ronan couldn’t determine its exact realm from this distance.

However, the pressure it released was enough to make his instincts react.

He immediately withdrew his perception.

He wasn’t going to investigate further.

The enemy was too strong, and he was still recovering.

But he had learned something important.

The Hollow were gathering in the Black Veil Mountains.

And their movements were connected to the Western Anchor.

Ronan continued towards the sanctuary.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Looks like I should hurry up and recover."

He had no intention of confronting that group in his current condition.

But he also had no intention of abandoning the opportunity.

The Hollow had already shown him that their energy could be used to strengthen his own abilities.

Their crystals could reveal the secrets of the ancient network.

And their commanders might possess traits worth acquiring.

Ronan wasn’t going to let such valuable prey disappear.

He simply needed to become strong enough to hunt them.