Unfathomable Senior

Chapter 705

“I understand now, quickly bring the beast over here, it is the final piece of the puzzle!”

“Thank the heavens...”

“Lure it over to the formation, we don’t have much time left!”

Zhang Dong shouted out, his focus unwavering, amidst the dimly lit chamber. In front of him, a solitary white torch hovered, teetering on the edge of extinguishing. The fight with the shadow being had turned extremely tedious as it continued to dodge most of their attacks without sustaining much damage. The group was now down to a lone torch that was being sustained by his own cultivation.

Despite his deep understanding of the Dao of Holy energies and fire manipulation, Zhang Dong found himself unable to rely on these insights for the task at hand. The flame they were dealing with possessed a distinct essence, one that was primordial and ancient. It seemed to draw power from the Dao of Light, making it an entirely different challenge. Engrossed in deciphering the nature of this radiant light, Zhang Dong's companions valiantly engaged the monster, recognizing that gaining more insight could potentially be the true test of this floor, he continued.

They commenced the battle with four torches, but soon only one remained. Zhang Dong encapsulated it within a protective bubble of his holy light, enabling him to study and absorb the energies contained within. This light was of the purest form, unlike anything he had encountered before. Despite having spent years contemplating the complexities of a more challenging Dao, such as time manipulation, this particular essence felt comparatively simpler.

However, there was one crucial element he lacked which was the darkness of the void. The creature they faced stood as the antithesis to this radiant light, a void of absolute darkness. To gain insight into this void, Zhang Dong needed to merge his Dao of Darkness with its essence. This fusion would provide him with enough understanding of the light energies to overcome this peculiar trial. Consequently, his allies baited the monster, which had grown increasingly aggressive upon witnessing the dwindling torchlight.

In a mere blink of an eye, everything unfolded. Qiang, utilizing his flames, successfully lured the monster's attention towards himself. The area where Zhang Dong had been meditating had previously evaded the creature's notice, but now, in the absence of illumination, it seized the opportunity to strike. However, the creature was in for a rude awakening. Just as the white light on the verge of extinction, it erupted into an immense radiant explosion, engulfing the entire chamber in blinding whiteness.

Desperate to absorb this intense source of radiance, the monster attempted to assimilate it through its own body. It resembled a black hole, existing to devour not only light but space itself. This was the precise moment Zhang Dong had been patiently awaiting. While the creature was preoccupied with the excruciating pain induced by the radiant light, Zhang Dong swiftly unsheathed his blade and struck.

With a simple, unremarkable movement of his sword, Zhang Dong executed a basic vertical slice. Only he was able to perceive the slight use of the light dao that he just barely comprehended. Fortunately, the beast they faced was only at the nascent soul level, despite possessing a higher path. It still had its inherent limitations. As the monster was defeated, it dissipated into a cloud of dark smoke, reminiscent of polluted air. The victory was theirs, and swiftly, a luminous passage materialized, offering a way out of the gloomy dungeon.

“One down nine to go...”

He glanced at the three people that he was with. His eyes could finally relax and so could his senses. After the monster was defeated its essence was spread equally between all of the participants. This phenomenon showed just how much better it was to limit the size of the group. There was no limitation for delivering the last hit, all of the spiritual energy was equally distributed to all the participants. Only when battling lesser demonic beings besides the boss would it become more individualistic.

“How is everyone doing?”

“I don’t want to lie Senior Brother, I am slightly tired... this beast was an annoying and cowardly opponent.”

“Stop arguing you two, this place doesn’t seem like it is focused on combat. Qiang, you have probably noticed that you are close to the threshold. Go find yourself a secluded space and meditate.”

“Senior Brother!”

Qiang clasped his hands while grinning widely. He was sure to show that grin to Liena that started to tremble with anger. Yet after a few pats on her back from her husband she managed to calm down. He was sure to remind her that they needed to work together for their safety and having Qiang ascend to a small realm would be quite helpful.

“Zhi, keep an eye on him, we don’t really know if this place is fully safe. I and Liena will examine this ‘library’ and call you when we find something.”

“Of course Patriarch, I will see to it that Elder Qiang isn’t disturbed while he cultivates.”

“Good, just be careful, and don’t be afraid to call me when you discover something important.”

The group soon dispersed, going their separate ways. The married couple, now alone, relished in the rare opportunity for some privacy. However, they quickly realized that their surroundings didn't allow for any extravagant activities. As they explored the area, they stumbled upon bookcases brimming with ancient scriptures. While many of the texts were beyond their comprehension, they did come across a few practical manuals of varying quality.

“I have never seen this language before, have you?”

“No, it doesn’t look like it belongs to this world... what could it mean.”

“Doesn’t belong to this world?”

Zhang Dong pondered this response and instantly thought about the other worlds that this universe they resided in was composed. There was a possibility that the scriptures here were taken from other realities where different cultures arose. Humans weren’t the only intelligent creatures out there so there was a chance that it was true.

‘If I had access to hundreds of worlds, creating such a library to hide the important stuff wouldn’t be hard...’

His theory revolved around the architect of this level. Perhaps the abundance of books in this library was nothing more than a diversion, a clever ploy to waste their time. If they persisted in meticulously examining each book, they would be doomed to spend an unreasonable amount of time here.

Despite the time distortion in this place, they continued to age, and the immensity of the library seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. Reading every single book would likely take an eternity. He knew he had to find a more efficient way to navigate through this area, but first, he needed to uncover a clue that would lead him in the right direction...