Is That A Wisp?

Diana and Vardin took turns digging through the ground, extending the tunnel as a massive network was formed. When Diana dug at the front, Vardin would fill up their tunnel from behind. And when Vardin dug, Diana would fill up the other end. 

This way, they moved forward in a small chamber. It was to ensure that no one would be able to track or stumble into their path. It was better to be cautious than to risk it all. After all, numerous bandit groups were still prowling about in the area. 

"Sorry to spend this much of your Rank Two God Stones," Vardin apologized as he grabbed another handful of Rank Two God Stones from Krune. 

"Don't worry about it. Getting out safe is our main priority here," Krune smiled as he responded, not feeling it was a waste to allow Vardin to use it. They were constantly expending Godly Energy to dig through the ground. Since they were in a sensitive area where they had to prevent barging into an underwater reservoir, nest, and so on, only the Silver-Winged Mouse couple were digging.

Only they had the innate racial instincts necessary to dig through without setting off any alarms and prevent the tunnel from caving in. As the rest of the group didn't have any work to do, Krune subsisted in helping them with his God Stones. 

Rank Two God Stones had greater efficiency when used compared to Rank One God Stones. As they were pressed on time, he didn't skimp out on spending them. He didn't know how long it would take for his cultivation base to be permanently suppressed to the First Stage Godly Fusion Realm. With that, he didn't wish to take any chances. 

Yulian neither interacted with them nor pitched in any God Stones, acting like it wasn't his problem. Then again, it seemed like he, too, had his concerns as he stared into a device from time to time, trying to see if it would work. 

"I can't contact the guild," Yulian sighed while saying.

"Is that usually the case in the Immortal Severance Zone?" Krune wondered.

"Indeed." Xula took the chance to reply since she had nothing else to do after recovering from her injuries. "Communications fail beyond a certain range in this region. That's why people act as relay stations here to transmit the messages to other relay stations and get the message across. Though, they're usually hunted by the bandits at first sight. So, they're usually in hiding. Only powerful organizations have the means to employ their services."

After a moment of thought, Yulian sighed as he looked at Krune and said, "Krune, if possible, I didn't wish to say this to you. But since the situation is currently beyond my understanding, I'll break my professionalism and tell it to you."

"What happened?" Krune asked in response, surprised at the fact that Yulian decided to speak it aloud rather than transmitting the message through his Divine Sense. 

Yulian replied, "The Spirit Awakener Guild dispatched four teams to secretly tail you. Their task was to arrive at your rescue when your life was at risk. We were keeping in touch as I relayed your status to them at regular intervals. They were tailing 10 kilometers behind us."

"But..." He sighed before continuing, "Just some time ago, all communications were cut off with them. The four teams operated individually, but all of a sudden, I lost contact with all four."

He then showed the device in his hands as he explained, "This is a special piece of equipment made by the Spirit Awakener Guild capable of relaying the life force of an individual. We used this to keep track of the other party's condition. If in the chance I get injured or died, they would immediately know it and would move to reinforce you. Right now, all their life signatures have disappeared."

"How could they die just like that?" Krune frowned as he asked, "Did their life signature fluctuate before then?"

"It fluctuated for less than a minute," Yulian nodded as he replied. "But then again, the fluctuation was normal. It only seemed like they had sustained mild injuries from a small skirmish. So, I thought they had run into a minor bandit group and made quick work of it."

"So, it's not wrong to assume that they were quickly suppressed and annihilated at the same time," Krune nodded as he voiced out his speculations, sighing at the loss of lives. They had died trying to protect him. But other than that, Krune didn't feel anything. After all, he hadn't even met them before, so the thought of their deaths didn't register in his mind enough to affect his emotions.

"With that..." Yulian sighed. "Just know that I'm the only one that would reinforce you in times of necessity."

"I have no problem with that." Krune nodded as he said, "Until now, I moved with the thought that you were the only person who would guard me. So, it's the same either way."

"Also…" Krune was just about to speak when his head shot upward, shouting hastily, "Stop!"

Diana and Vardin stopped digging immediately, looking at Krune, only to see him frowning. Krune looked at Yulian, pointing upward as he asked, "The place with a path towards the exit you talked about before is right above us, right?"

"Around 100 meters forward from here," Yulian replied. "Why? What happened?"

"It's for the best if we don't stop here and tunnel further. The place above ground seems to be a resting spot for a large bandit group. I don't know their exact numbers."

As to how Krune was able to detect them from such distance in the Immortal Suppression Zone, no one asked him. They respected his secrets, not prying any further. 

They were around 20 meters deep underground. As for how Krune could sense the surface, it was obviously through his Mental Energy scan. His cultivation base in the outside world was at the Second Stage of the God Foundation Realm. So, the range of his Divine Sense alone was around 30 meters. 

The range of his Mental Energy scan was far larger and depended on his focus. If he fully concentrated on it, Krune was able to spread it to a radius of 60 meters, double the range of his Divine Sense. 

It was an advantage he obtained thanks to tempering his Universe Foundation using Tribulation Lightning. 

Krune had been keeping an eye on the surface continuously to ensure they wouldn't end up in danger. Now that he spotted danger, he advised the Silver-Winged Mouse couple to dig further while providing them with enough God Stones to sustain the operation.

At first, they had planned to travel a distance of 2 kilometers, which was something they should have traversed in and around three hours. But now, with every fork and turn they took underground, Krune sensed one danger after another, advising them to continue further. 

Eventually, after twenty hours had passed in such a fashion, the Silver-Winged Mouse couple panted in exhaustion, no longer able to move. They rested for four hours as Krune concluded their current position was safe. 

He looked at Yulian and asked, "Can you still identify this place and point us towards the exit?"

"I can still grasp the general direction, so no worries," Yulian nodded as he replied.

"I'm also well-versed with many places in the Immortal Severance Zone. I at least know a method to select the route that would lead us towards the exit," Xula chipped in.

"Then, it's time for us to go up." Krune looked at the Silver-Winged Mouse couple, motioning them to start. They nodded in return and began to dig through the ground, soon tunneling to the surface. The moment they peered out of the ground, the Silver-Winged Mouse couple gazed in a daze at the figure before them.

Krune followed them out swiftly, sensing something amiss as he eventually noticed the figure before them. He was shocked at the fact that his Mental Energy scan failed to sense the other party. 

The figure seemed to be an old man while also being a child at the same time. He resembled a man upon first look but looked like a woman upon the second look. 

He first appeared like a giant but then looked like a dwarf. He was a conflicting source of contrasts. The moment he saw Krune's group, he smiled and said, "Oh, we have some guests. Welcome!"

Despite his warm tone, neither Krune nor anyone in his group was able to reply, only staring at the entity before them in shock. For a moment, Krune saw his Universe Foundation in the figure of the entity before him.

The image of the figure had never registered in his mind, irrespective of what he tried. It seemed to be a fleeting memory that wasn't of any importance. Of course, Krune knew that it wasn't like that.

After all, in the Immortal Suppression Zone, where even immortals were suppressed to the First Stage of the Godly Fusion Realm, the entity before them was…floating in midair. 

He was casually seated cross-legged, gazing at them with an amicable smile. He soon said, "Normally, people are unable to even reach here. Since you came despite that, our meeting must be fated. Each of you gets to ask a question. I'll answer it without fail."

Diana was the first to muster her courage and asked, "Sir, which stage of cultivation are you at?"

"Haha, starting with that from the start. I like you." The man winked. "I'm at the Ninth Stage of the Primal God Realm."

"Primal God!" Krune and the others inhaled a sharp breath of air. No wonder they felt that way. Their current cultivation bases were at the start of the cultivation journey in the God Realm, while the entity before them was only a step below the peak. 

After Diana was done, Vardin glanced around, taking in a deep breath as he asked, "Sir, about our…"

"You already have the answer to that," the man smiled as he responded. "You're on the right path. Continue with it."

As Vardin bowed with gratitude, Yulian then questioned the man, "How can I become stronger than my peers with the same cultivation base?"

"Attack, defense, evasion, healing, perception, and information transfer. You need to improve on all those fronts and combine them into a coherent system to affect yourself, your foes, and the surroundings. Master it, and you would be invincible in your Realm. The factors that affect them are Godly energy, your race's traits, your physique, and the number of laws you comprehended, and the depth of your comprehension of each," the man replied matter-of-factly.

Xula took in a deep breath before asking the only question she wished to hear the answer of.

"What are you doing in this place?"