They continued speaking as they traveled across the blood lake. Jie was relieved to learn that the statues helped the arak in return for their work on the dungeon, so it wasn't a completely one-sided affair. They also talked about cultivation and how to more efficiently gather Essence. Kazzak had several techniques and pieces of advice that Jie was sure she and her friends could use even though they didn't cultivate sunfire qi like he did.

And Jie told her friends and Kazzak some of the things she'd learned with her own cultivation. They seemed to find her thoughts fascinating, though they seemed obvious enough to her. Pan Tian and Ithilix also shared some of their techniques and discoveries. And Jie passed on what little she could glean from Xue, using her connection to him to get a general feeling for what he wanted to say. But that was far less useful simply because she struggled to communicate it.

But Xue did his best to demonstrate to make up for it. Even though the way magical beasts cultivated was different, there were enough similarities for Jie and the others to learn something. And he seemed to benefit as well.

It felt like an incredibly useful and productive discussion and it was enjoyable too. Between their conversations were long moments of silent traveling as her friends cultivated with their eyes closed and huge smiles on their faces as they sucked in and refined huge amounts of Essence.

Jie cultivated a little too, but her cultivation still felt a bit unstable despite how much the fight with Hazzik had helped her and once again, it quickly turned painful. Still, what little cultivation she did was vastly improved by all that she'd learned from Kazzak and her friends.

Jie looked out over the calm blood lake into the darkness lit only by the glowing worms on the ceiling, the occasional luminescent mushroom or stone, and the dim light of their lanterns. Including the one on the boat.

It was quite beautiful, in a disgusting and extraordinarily creepy way.

As she looked out over it, she thought about what Kazzak had said and what others had told her. She tried to think about the conflict within her that she least wanted to think about, which made her thoughts rapidly turn to the idea of killing.

She'd been avoiding it ever since she came to this world, and she knew deep down in her bones that she couldn't avoid it forever. It wasn't like anyone in this world would judge her if she killed... quite the opposite... not that she cared what they thought.

But her parents would. They'd always said that no matter the reason, killing someone makes you a monster just like them... Jie didn't know if she agreed with that... she wished she could talk to them about it. Had they meant it? Did they still mean it? Surely there was a time when it was acceptable?

If I kill someone... would you hate me? Do you already hate me for what I've done? What I asked Ming to do? Jie wondered.

The thought was like a cold knife to her heart. Sharp and painful, it spread a cold ache through her soul that made her bones physically hurt as she fought back tears.

Her friends were busy cultivating, but Kazzak's golden eyes met hers and he gave her the smallest of nods. Somehow, knowing that someone else had to go through something similar to break through was a comforting thought. And she was grateful that he didn't say anything to the others.

Jie meditated on it until she noticed she was only running in circles within her mind. Then, she stopped and took in shuddering breaths as she blinked back tears. Kazzak said nothing and they traveled in silence.

***

Finally, they approached an island of rock connected to a wall of the cavern. The island was bare except for a statue of the red woman, and a doorway sculpted in the shape of an insectoid head with large, serrated mandibles extending outward around the doorway that led into a long, dark tunnel.

"This is where I leave you," Kazzak said as their boat drifted sideways up to the rocky island.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Pan Tian, Ithilix, and Xue opened their eyes. Pan Tian and Ithilix had bright smiles on their faces. Xue pressed his nose into Jie's hand.

"Thank you! And thank you for your advice! Both of you! Oh my gosh, I can't believe how much my cultivation has improved! Not just the speed but the quality too!" Pan Tian squealed with a bubbly smile on her lips.

"This one experienced similar gains. Thank you," Ithilix said.

Kazzak laughed. "There's no need for thanks, I think even I gained something from this. I may be in the middle dantian, but I still have to cultivate, after all," he said, "this has been a beneficial experience for all of us, I think. I'm amazed by your knowledge of cultivation, Liu Jie."

"It was a pleasure to return the favor," Jie said as she stroked Xue's head. She could feel his concern through their connection. He hadn't missed her emotions like she'd thought, it seemed. She did her best to send reassurance toward him.

"Before you go... I'd like to offer you all some advice if you're willing to hear it," Kazzak said.

"Of course, we'd be most grateful," Pan Tian said.

"I'm glad," Kazzak said, "first things first... if you need to leave, take the walkway. Don't try to cross the lake like we just did, or the blood elementals will swarm you and rip you to pieces while they drag you down. Fighting in this lake is not a fun experience. Believe me."

They shuddered.

Kazzak then pointed at the dark tunnel ahead. "Beyond that passageway is the final area before the end of the dungeon," he said, "I can't say exactly what you'll face as the statues like to modify things. But you should know that the noctilith are more dangerous than they look."

"The noctilith?" Jie asked.

Kazzak pointed up at the large glowworms on the ceiling.

"We keep most of them confined to the ancient city. Especially the adults," Kazzak said, "They have a horrible variety of poisons and can swarm a location. Particularly if you give off any kind of light. That means your attacks could easily be more trouble than they're worth. Be very careful. Still... they're far from the worst things within the ancient city. Whatever you do, avoid the behemoths. They're beyond your current strength, but even if they weren't... they're incredibly difficult to kill and unbelievably dangerous. They're not very bright and are extremely slow for their rank though."

"Thank you," Jie said, "you've been very good to us."

"You were good to my son," Kazzak said, "and on that note... I must warn you not to show mercy within that ancient city. There are no creatures within that cursed place that deserve it. Give them any and you and your friends will surely meet a horrifying end... if you're lucky. Be careful. Even I'm not completely safe there."

"Because of the behemoths?" Jie asked.

Kazzak nodded.

"What are they?" Jie asked.

"Very large undead," Kazzak said, "beyond that... I don't know. You'll see. Deeply unpleasant creatures. But I've said too much already. Good luck."

They leaped up onto the rocky island. "Thank you," Jie said, "I hope things go well for you with the flock."

Kazzak chuckled. "I'll certainly try to make that happen," he said as he began drifting away and rapidly picked up speed.

"So, now what?" Jie asked.

"We go to the ancient city," Pan Tian said, "we've come so far, it'd be a shame to back off now."

"This one is not looking forward to it," Ithilix said, "to enter the realm of such pestilent creatures... ugh."

Jie tried not to chuckle at the irony, failed, and covered it with a cough as best she could.

The others looked at her. "Are you okay?" Pan Tian asked.

"Just some dust or something," Jie said, "shall we go?"

They strode toward the foreboding door.

"So, you braved yet another challenge? Truly, you're among the most skilled in the academy. You're strong and adaptable... but even that is not enough for a cultivator. In the very beginning of my journey, I learned that strength isn't always what's needed to survive. Sometimes... you must hide. How well can you pass unnoticed?" asked the statue.

"Well... at least it wasn't something unexpected this time," Pan Tian said.

Jie, Ithilix, and Xue all looked at her.

"What? Oh, come on. It's not like I said--" Pan Tian began.

"Don't!" Ithilix hissed.

"But I was just--" Pan Tian said.

"No," Jie said.

"But--" Pan Tian said.

"No," Ithilix and Jie said in unison.

Pan Tian narrowed her olive green eyes and blew out a sigh.

"Fine," Pan Tian said as she spun on the heel of her hoof and strode toward the insectoid doorway while muttering about certain people being far too superstitious.

As they stepped through the jaws around the doorway, a warm, rancid breeze washed over them.

"Ugh... that smell," Jie said.

"It's not as bad as the sulfur lake at least," Pan Tian said.

"That was natural, at least. This is the stench of a vermin infestation," Ithilix said.

"Well... I suppose we'd better keep our auras veiled as best we can as we go forward. I'll take the lead again and check for traps. Jie, please keep looking after me," Pan Tian said.

"Always," Jie said.

The walls, floor, and ceiling of the dark passageway were lined with webbing, and organic muck with glowing mushrooms dotted around. Jie felt Essence within them, but Pan Tian and the others ignored them. So, she assumed they had a reason for doing so as they'd been all too eager to take everything that wasn't nailed down otherwise.