Deep below the flowing sand of the frontier, entombed into bedrock, were long and winding corridors forgotten by man and time alike. Only a few had been witness to their existence as it guarded what was considered most sacred to the people of this land: the core of the formation guarding the city, the foundation of their current lives.
Deep within the underground darkness were two men dressed in green. One held a glowing stone in his hand, producing a peculiar light. A blue flame hovered a short distance before them, dancing in the nonexistent wind as if showing them the way.
“Are you sure this is safe?” one of the men asked, his voice but a whisper. “I heard those who ventured into this place were never found again.”
“There’s nothing to worry about,” the other reassured him. “With the soul flame guiding our path, nothing can happen to us.”
“I hope so," the first replied, sighing slightly. "Our people went to great lengths to acquire it. I hope it lives up to its reputation. After all, getting lost in this place would be a death sentence. Not even retracing our steps would enable us to leave."
“Calm yourself, will you? We have a mission to accomplish. Anything else is inconsequential. You can choose to leave if you want, but you know as well as I what the consequences would be."
The first man grew silent, his expression becoming grimmer until he sighed again, resolving himself for what was to come. He looked straight ahead at the winding corridors of stone he couldn't tell apart from each other, wondering how long it had been since they dove underground. He wasn't only lost in space but also in time. He might have already lost his mind if not for the flame guiding their ways.
“Do you think we'll be able to convince him?" the man asked once again, unable to bear the heavy silence until he heard the other man sigh.
“I doubt it. These hermits aren't the most open to bargaining. They are set in their ways, rarely changing their stance. Still, we must try, if only to fulfill our lord's mission."
“What if he won’t budge?”
“Why ask me when you already know the answer?” the man scoffed, showing a derisive smile.
The other sighed again, feeling his aging spirit more and more in recent years. While he retained some youthful features, his appearance betrayed signs of aging. His long black hair had a slight trace of grey in it, giving it a more experienced and mature allure, yet his uneasiness couldn't help but show.
His eyes darted all around as if seeking any change in their environment despite the darkness surrounding them, erasing all landmarks except for the monotone walls all around, smooth and without any blemish—a reflection of perfection, immutable in time, forever unchanging. It was unsettling, to say the least.
“Stop fidgeting," the other man ordered, yet it did almost nothing to ease the man's nervousness. "Think about how old you are; you can't keep acting like a child. What would Master think if he saw you that way?"
“You’ve been with him long enough to know what he’s like,” the man replied, crossing his hands behind his back, holding them tight enough that they became slightly white. “As long as it doesn’t affect him personally, he’s not the type to care about trivial things.”
"Indeed," the other man replied, raising his gaze as he drifted away in memories while still following the hovering flame religiously. "However, this is bigger than you and I. It concerns everyone within the cult. Our failure would be badly reflected on all our brothers and sisters. We were selected for this simply because we were the most suited. Take some pride in that fact, junior brother."
He then smiled at his junior brother, placing his palm on the man's shoulder if only for him to feel a familiar warmth, somehow hoping it would be enough to calm his nerves. Surely it did, if only for a moment, until they felt a cold sensation, as if a frigid wind had been blown, chilling them to the core—something that seemed improbable considering their current location.
“What was that?" the junior brother hissed, his pupils widening, trying to see through the all-encompassing darkness, but with no success. One of his hands slowly made its way to the recesses of his clothes, tightly holding on to a small glass vial gently tucked away close to his chest. His steps stopped, nervously awaiting the inevitable, yet silence reigned for much longer than he felt comfortable with. If not for his senior brother's calming presence, he might have already turned and left—damned be the consequences.
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His senior brother also stopped. However, his expression was serene, as if he had already anticipated that things would come to this. He clasped his hand before him, showing respect to the void as he bowed silently, prompting his junior brother to hurriedly imitate him as if he had only realized the reason for the feeling. His expression couldn't help but betray his surprise.
"Greetings, Senior," the older of the two said. "I hope you will pardon our intrusion."
Both remained in the same position, patiently awaiting a response. They didn't dare to presume anything of their counterpart except for the feelings they had felt previously. They were all too familiar with it, even if it took one of them slightly longer to conclude. Only after a few moments of torturous silence was it finally broken.
“Who... do you... represent? Know that any... falsehood... will be met... with death...”
Sweat drenched the younger one’s forehead. His eyes narrowed, trying to see through the darkness, yet it was impossible to make out anything further than a few steps away, even with the blue flame illuminating their path. It remained stationary, unable to move further as if an immaterial force pushed it back.
"Our Master, the Emerald Lord, offers his greetings. In light of the danger looming upon the frontier, he has tasked us to come to Senior's aid," the older one said calmly. His head remained lowered, not daring to rise even an inch further, too afraid to infuriate the owner of that voice.
While the voice might have seemed disjointed, even feeble, there was no mistaking the might it contained. It travelled through space, losing none of its power as if the concept of distance was inconsequential. The dialect with which it spoke was ancient, as if it had originated from a bygone era. If not for the fact that they had prepared for such an eventuality, they may not have been able to understand each other.
“The Emerald... Lord? I do seem to remember... such an upstart... However... that was a long time ago... What can he even help me with?”
The man took a deep breath, calming his nerves before he spoke, knowing that his following words might be his last. It was well known that some of the old monsters that even time had forgotten possessed some temper which could flare up at any moment.
"The city is under siege," the man replied. "It is unknown how long the barrier can resist their onslaught. They seem to have the aid of some magical force able to move the desert itself. It is only a matter of time until the formation fails and the city is overrun."
"I'm aware," the voice said as it cut him off, its tone showing impatience.
The man audibly gulped before lowering his head further. His junior brother did all he could not to collapse, prostrating himself on the floor if only to try and appease its owner. The only thing that sustained his mind was that he already knew something even more terrifying. While imposing, the voice couldn't hope to match the image of their Master in their minds.
"Our Master has long been aware of what the outsiders hoped to achieve and has devised a plan. However, it requires the aid of the formation Senior watches over. This is why he sent us here. If we join forces, we can surely drive them back or even deal a severe blow that they will think twice before attacking us again."
The voice remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement. The two men felt their hearts resound in their heads, becoming almost deafening as the seconds passed like an eternity. Yet, both only waited, doing their best to remain sane in the suffocating silence. After all, both of them were only in the Golden Core Realm, while the voice's owner was much further along the path.
Not much was known about the city's guardian, neither his age nor his true strength, only that he had remained underground, guarding the formation for a long time. According to the rumours, he had once been an outstanding disciple of the Immortal Beasts Sect Alliance but had been exiled due to some matter that had been concealed from others.
To redeem himself, he came to the frontier, becoming its guardian, and has remained here ever since. The few who had met him spoke of his unfathomable strength, but after so many eons living in isolation, wasting away in obscurity, there was no telling how much of it remained. After all, if he could still be of use to the city, it wouldn't be in its current predicament.
"Proceed," the voice said, yet a sigh lingered after the words, creating a slight breeze that prompted the slick walls surrounding them to start glowing, showing them the way.
Both raised their heads, smiling with relief, as they walked down the hall until they emerged from the corridor into a slightly larger open space. In the centre was a slightly elevated altar on which a large blue brazier burned, resembling the blue flame that had shown them the way.
The two eyes opened wide at the sight. They could clearly feel the strength and vitality of this flame as if it represented the world itself. Although they were elite disciples of their Master and had been thoroughly disciplined in the arts, both couldn't help but betray their desires for this flame. After all, it possessed such might that few could resist its allure.
Still, their greed was merely fleeting as they came face to face with the voice's owner, who sat upon the stone stairs leading to the flame, his white uniform having wasted away from the unending flow of time.
The older of the two disciples couldn't help but frown, knowing that the Immortal Beast Sect's uniform was a light blue. How long would it have to be for the colours to fade as much as they did, only for white to remain? It wasn't anything his mind could even conceive. Despite having lived for countless years, even the Emerald Lord was but a child in comparison.
“We thank you for the opportunity to hear us out," the senior brother said as both lowered their heads again in respect. "Our Master has high hopes for this plan, and your cooperation will be greatly appreciated. Once the outsiders are beaten back, our Master estimates that your sect might even welcome Senior back."
The white-robbed man raised his head. Of the few strands of hair on his head, all were blinding white but also seemed weak and sparse, as if all their vitality had been eroded by time. The man's skin was but countless peaks and valleys, showing the vestiges of his entire existence. His hands seemed almost like a corpse, composed of only skin wrapping the bones as if without any flesh. He seemed almost like a mummy on the verge of perishing, yet his aura was nearly suffocating.
Then, without any warning, the man raised an arm, pointing his palm forward, only for the younger of the two disciples to be swept off his feet. His body rushed through the air until his neck was firmly in the old man's grasp. He squeezed only slightly, yet the disciple became unable to breathe, clutching at his neck, yet unable to free himself.
"Senior! What's the meaning of this?" the other man frowned yet made no attempt to aid his junior brother. He only looked at the old man, showing an ugly expression.
"Do you think me senile?" the skinny old man replied. His eyes were clear despite his voice's vicissitude, showing his mind's sharpness despite his aging body. "How do you explain this?"
Through a light flick of his wrist, a vial shot out of the captured man's clothes. The vial was like any other, mainly used to store poison, yet its content was anything but. It was a grey, viscous liquid, taking most of the vial. It offered no distinguishable aura, yet the liquid seemed to move independently, almost as if it was still alive!