Death... and me

Deep below the red core, the same sealed chamber received a hit now and then. If one looked above it, one would be able to see a lot of energy coming down before being absorbed by it. If Rean's group was here, they would know that this was the same energy that was being absorbed and transmitted by the red crystals.

As for the surroundings, it was a spacious cave with many sealing runes all across its surface. Those runes were also attached to the chains that kept the chamber closed. Every time the chamber's gate was struck from inside, those chains and inscriptions on the wall would light up, preventing the gate from opening.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the entrance of that cave. She gradually made her way, passing over the chains while making sure not to touch them. Naturally, that figure was Jana.

Eventually, she arrived in front of the sealed chamber as she looked at the gate with a gloomy expression. However, she quickly shook her head and sat down in front of it. Following that, she took what seemed to be a beautifully crafted red dragon pendant around her neck. She then infused her Spiritual Sense and Energy inside, which made the dragon light up.

The dragon's head then looked at the door before shooting out a ray of red light. At the same time, its claws pierced into Jana's flesh. No, to be more specific, they pierced into a few of Jana's red meridians that ran along the surface of her body. It was as if the little dragon pendant was using Jana's meridians to do all of that.

After some time, Jana's Spiritual Sense seemed to catch someone's presence. That presence was not from outside but inside the dragon pendant instead. Not long after, a voice echoed into her mind.

'Child, what is the problem?'

Jana then explained.

'Ancestor, the Sasamil Empire has begun to act. There are a lot of Saint Realm cultivators attacking the already modified natural formation from every side. They will take a long time to break through the barrier, but they will consume the formation core's energy much faster.'

The Ancestor went silent for a moment before asking.

'How much time do we still have? Also, I doubt so but, has Yulian appeared?'

'At first, we expected to have enough energy to last ten to twelve years. Of course, I'm talking about the accelerated time inside the natural formation. However, our time will be cut by a fifth of that if the forces outside continue their assault nonstop.'

'As for Yulian Sasamil, we don't believe he has appeared yet. It wouldn't make sense either since there aren't many who could identify us. We blocked all contact with the outside world, so I doubt anyone has any idea about our existence.'

The Ancestor nodded before sighing.

'It seems like things are never easy for our Lakure Race. Of the ten to twelve years we've had before, now we have eight to ten and a half. And that's considering that there won't be more experts coming in the future to increase the assault at the natural formation.'

Jana couldn't help but say.

'Don't worry, Ancestor. Even if we have to exchange all our Lakure Race members' lives, we will protect this valley until you break the seal. None of us are afraid to die as long as there is hope of escaping the underground world.'

The Ancestor didn't like those words, though.

'Don't be ridiculous! What will happen if all our experts die from defending this place? The ones who stayed behind will have no one to guide them in the off chance we fail. More important than our freedom is to guarantee that our race will still have a chance at escaping in the future. Don't say things like everyone dying for me anymore.'

'But-'

'This is an order!'

Jana bit her lips in indignation but nodded her head in the end.

'Sorry, Ancestor. I won't say something like that again.'

'That's good. Child, I'm nearing the end of my lifespan, so I decided to use this last chance to try getting out. If I'm able to do that, I will have enough power to negotiate for space under the sun for our race. However, I will most likely die before obtaining enough strength to try something like this again.'

'I estimated that I would need at least ten years to breakthrough these seals. However, we obviously don't have that much time anymore. Thank you for telling me the changes to the outside world, child. It will be quite a burden on this old man's body, but I will increase my pace. Remember, make sure you do everything to stay alive. Our race's blood is the most important thing.'

Jana became teary-eyed as she listened, but she held back and nodded.

'Yes, Ancestor. We will live.'

Jana then stood up and deactivated the dragon pendant's ability. After that, she turned around and left the chamber. However, things didn't go back to normal after that. Instead, an even stronger red light came out of the gaps of the gate before it spread over the entire cave where the chamber was sealed inside. Following that, the Ancestor's voice echoed outside.

"Do you think I didn't notice your Spiritual Sense hidden in the Lakure Dragon Pendant? Stop hiding and come out!"

Doing such a thing while sealed consumed a lot of energy. That definitely wasn't good for the Ancestor of the Lakure Race. Still, he ignored that as his power continued to pour outside.

Suddenly, a yellow light flashed at the corner of the cave before a man came walking out of that. As one could imagine, that man was none other than Old Worm. Only he would be able to infiltrate right into the enemy's base without being noticed.

He then connected his own Spiritual Sense to the red light coming out of the gaps on the chamber's gate.

"As expected. You have been sealed for thousands of years and are nearing the end of your lifespan. Even with that, your senses are still as sharp as ever. No, it's better to say that your senses have become even better than back then. After all, you found me even though you're still partially sealed."

The Ancestor was taken aback by those worlds. He could totally recognize that voice.

"It's you?! No, that doesn't make sense! How did you find out my location?! Just how did you get here?!"

Old Worm sighed in response as he said.

"You probably won't believe it at all, but it was all sheer coincidence. The moment that natural formation activated, I just so happened to be nearby. Thanks to the invention of a clever kid, I was even able to enter the natural formation before it was modified into something different."

Old Worm continued.

"You know, you were right about one thing. If I wasn't close by when everything started, I most likely wouldn't have cared about it even if I received the report. After all, who would be able to identify you guys if not me or the other old geezers?"

The Ancestor gritted his teeth in anger. However, that anger began to disappear soon after. The Ancestor of the Lakure Race understood that things had now gone south, so he couldn't lose his calm now.

"To think that even luck itself abandoned my Lakure Race. Just what were the chances of you being in a remote place like this just when things started?"

Old Worm nodded.

"I won't deny that. Even I didn't believe it when I noticed who you guys were. Laro, the prince of the Lakure Race who dominated the entire Sukan Planet before we arrived. Tell me, what do you think I should do now?"

Laro was obviously the name of the Ancestor. He went silent for a moment before saying.

"I can trade my life as long as you let my Lakure Race children return to the underground world safely. With your power, you shouldn't have an issue doing so. Am I right, Jakiro?"

Old Worm couldn't help but comment.

"Jakiro... Just how many people still remember that name."

However, he quickly put that aside. His expression returned to the same cold demeanor he always used in front of everyone.

"Anyway, why should I do that? When you and your other friends were still alive, we all fought at the same level. In the end, we couldn't defeat you and had to seal your race so that we could conquer this planet. However, there is only you left. Is there any reason for me to not kill all the Lakure Race experts, getting rid of all future problems?"

Old Worm then continued.

"Your race is strong. Those extra meridians running through your skins are really a pain in the ass as well. If I let things be, there might be a day that someone as strong as you will appear. You can imagine just how annoying it would be to deal with a Lakure Race member filled with indignation, seeking revenge for his race."

"That little girl that was here just a moment ago. Do you think I couldn't tell just how deep her hatred was? It's not just her. Everyone who is in this place at the moment is just like her. Did you know? They wiped out seven cities without showing any mercy. It wasn't just cultivators. The ordinary people, may it be old or new, even newborns, were all killed."

Laro went silent after hearing that. However, he didn't think Old Worm was lying. Although he didn't give such an order, he knew very well how much his race hated to be sealed in the underground world. Simultaneously, the humans walked freely on their ancestral planet under the sun for thousands and thousands of years.

In the end, Laro could only ask.

"What do you want?"