The whale used the hilt of his old saber to strike the ground, creating a small hole in the bone. Soon, a kind of white powder emerged as everyone watched in awe.
"No matter how powerful a life form is, they cannot prevent the decay of time. The strongest law in this world is time," Zanou sighed, reciting something he had read. Even this beast did not survive time.
Then, everyone heard a fervent drumming sound reverberating in the environment. All turned to the source of the noise and noticed the whale with a tense look.
Through this test, he confirmed that this was indeed a giant bone. However, so much time had passed that it had worn away. This bone no longer possessed any kind of energy. Yet, the entire Behemoth bloodline in the whale's body stirred like never before within him.
'This... is this the corpse of something with a very pure Behemoth bloodline? Gael commented mentally, somewhat incredulous. 'We have to investigate carefully.'
They knew that this bone was enormous, but they didn't know which part of the body this giant bone came from. The whale took hurried steps, making everyone tense with the tension emanating from him; then, he led them up the mountain, and they saw a straight mountain range. After a long climb, with Zane memorizing the path, he suddenly stopped.
Everyone stopped and stared at him as he sighed and commented, "This should be a single creature. It's somewhat similar to a human foot. But there are three toes and a knot in the arch of the foot. I've encountered similar things once, but I need to confirm. Let's go back; I want to sketch what this body is."
They returned and followed a different path. This mountainous land they were climbing had the shape of a giant skeleton. In this dark world, with the Qi of death hanging in the air, everyone was tired. Their fatigue increased gradually.
Goku, in particular, was consuming more energy than the others as Zane and Gael spread their senses in this suppressive world. But none of them wanted to rest; there were less than five hours left until the end of the test, after all.
Goku led them back and forth. They took breaks to recover before continuing repeatedly. After a while, Goku took out a leaf and started mapping their path.
Very quickly, the shape of a monster appeared on the map. It was a life form with two wings. It had a humanoid shape with three large horns protruding from its back. Looking at this map, the whale fell silent.
It was a classic demon, which they had seen countless times before. The only difference was its colossal size. According to the descriptions of a Behemoth, it should be a quadruped very different from this. This skeleton didn't have anything similar to a behemoth's form, so why did their behemoth bloodline have such a reaction? It didn't make much sense.
"Master, why does this monster not have a head?" Mira asked with curiosity.
"We haven't reached the head yet. My guess is that the head is where the nest of the Demon Wyvern is. Let's go there last," Goku said slowly.
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"The nest of the Demon Wyvern? Then let's not! That's too dangerous," Zanou was incredulous. "We can't hide from it; it's already a miracle it hasn't come to eat us yet. Let's just look for other treasures and return, alright?" Zanou finished looking at Langrum, pleading for desperate help.
However, the whale completely ignored him and continued to look at the map. No one knew what he was thinking. Zane and Gael discussed all the information they had, and quickly, they arrived at a solid theory.
Langrum then said, trying to hide her fear, "Goku, I also feel that getting here is enough. Zanou is being reasonable. If the head is really where the nest is, we shouldn't go there. If we need to wait a few hours, then..." she stopped, thinking about her words.
She realized a very important point. The elders mentioned before the test that the formation outside could bring them back after 24 hours. However, if that was really the case, why did an old patriarch and so many others die trapped inside after entering the fourth level? Couldn't they have used that formation to be teleported back? The answer to this question was obvious. Once inside the fourth or fifth level, there was no such thing as teleporting back. Even Zanou noticed that after a few seconds.
The whale then stored the paper with a wicked smile. "The Wyvern is in a meditative state, cultivating itself after eating a lot. And we have no choice but to go all the way."
Then he turned in a direction. It was where the head should be. "I don't even need to check. I'm sure we can't go back to the fourth level. This Abyss Prison is actually a tomb, and even after death, this creature was still dangerous enough to seal it tightly."
Everyone froze. How could someone be so dangerous even when dead? The whale continued lightly.
"The fourth and fifth levels are sealed spaces. The seal imposed in these two levels keeps utilizing the Infernal Laws and the Yin Energy to keep the levels sealed. Not only that, but the divine beasts we found in the fourth and fifth levels so far also cultivate with the infernal laws and Yin Energy. That's why there are almost no more infernal laws and yin energy in these two levels. In a certain way, it was good for us since we didn't feel the pressure of the infernal laws like in the third level. On the other hand, we are trapped here and can only move forward."
"If my prediction is correct, the real core of this seal must be in the head. The ones who named this place 'Abyss Prison' must have come here in the past and sealed these two last levels. Their intent was to benefit from the remnants of this tomb. Well, now we're going to reap the real benefit of everything here." The whale concluded with a slight villainous laugh.
Langrum's and Zanou's hair instantly stood on end. They didn't know how many times they swore in their hearts never to follow this whale again if they survived, and in Zanou's case, if he could escape. This guy was crazy. But... there was no doubt that he always led them to something everyone deemed impossible.
Mira then realized something and asked, "Master, and those beasts and the Wyvern? Why are they here?"
"Hm... they must be creatures left in the creation of this tomb, and the Wyverns must be the guardians of the tomb. Simply put, the beasts in the fourth level were made to serve as food for the wyverns of the fifth level. They probably live and multiply here for a long time, so much so that there are almost no divine beasts like those outside."
Mira's eyes then lit up. "So, if they multiply here, there must be at least two Wyverns, right?"
Zanou and Langrum became even more uneasy with this discovery when the whale nodded in agreement.
"So, could there be eggs? Can I have a pet for myself? I promise to take care of it," she spoke with great expectations.
Gael and Zane sighed with those classic words of a child wanting a pet. It's just that the type of pet she wanted was a little ridiculous... Zane was prepared to reprimand her, but it was Gael who was in control of the body, and he was emotionally attacked by that smiling look. Mira noticed him getting affected and attacked again.
"He will be very well taken care of by me, and he won't be troublesome, I swear," she said, grabbing the trembling hands of the whale. At that moment, she was just a sweet and adorable little girl, which was completely fatal to Gael.
"A Wyvern isn't bad. If there is one, then it should be grabbed," he said awkwardly. Well, they didn't really put it to mind.
The whale then put Mira on his shoulder and took steps forward. Mira, feeling the duo behind stopping, turned to them with indescribable excitement.
At that moment, Zanou and Langrum smiled awkwardly, too; this Goku and Mira were crazy... And with no other options, they continued to walk.
They were practically holding their breath, afraid that the slightest disturbance would awaken that Wyvern. The space in front of them gradually became clearer. When they were at the top of a high mountain, they could vaguely see some scattered things.
They continued forward and finally saw the giant head of the monster. Its shape was a bit similar to a human head, but it had two horn points on the head. However, those horns were gone. It was unclear if they were broken or simply crumbled over time.
There were two huge holes where its eyes should be. Everyone in the group crawled stealthily towards one of those holes. However, just as they were about to reach it, a roar echoed in the surroundings. Right after, a Black Wyvern flew out of one of those holes.