Is That A Wisp?

Krune stared at them in anger since irrespective of what he did, he was unable to move his limbs. The five shields he was controlling were immobilized by the wind. When he tried to take out more shields from his spatial ring, Krune was shocked to see that they didn't appear.

"No spatial rings work here." A soldier atop the walls smirked as he watched the sphere binding Krune and his team slowly move over the settlement as it descended, landing on the floor. They were split into five different directions and made them lay down. The wind pressed them against the floor.

Krune grunted as he saw hundreds of soldiers stream towards him from all directions before circling him. The same happened for the others in his group as each one of them was encircled separately. 

In an instant, barricaded walls emerged from the ground and caged him and his group. It formed a rectangular cell in which he was trapped. The wind also carried his shield and storage ring outside. Krune was unable to even shout, only able to move once the wind disappeared with all his belongings. 

"Now, I wouldn't advise you to resist," a bold voice said as a man of a large stature appeared. The soldiers parted way as he walked forward, holding a short sword in his hand. His discerning trait was his box-faced facial structure and a mustache long enough to reach his hip. It dangled in the wind as he took his steps. 

He had a wide-body frame, emphasizing the muscles covering his arms that were wider than Krune's torso. The moment he appeared, a soldier gave him a formal salute as he said, "Warden Drake, they don't seem to be the targets we were expecting."

"Hoh." Warden Drake smiled in amusement, glancing at the faces of five, pausing on Xula as he asked, "Are you the leader of this group?"

Xula snorted, not replying to him as she stared at him with anger, looking intent to break out of the cage. The air around her faintly fluctuated as she seemed ready to manifest something. 

"I suggest you refrain from doing that." The air around Warden Drake too trembled similarly to her as he continued, "The moment you break out of this cage, I'll retaliate with all my might."

Seeing his actions, Xula frowned, snorting after a moment as she turned her body sideways. Warden Drake looked around, noticing the direction of Yulian's gaze for a split second. He then looked at Krune and said, "Let me ask you first."

Krune was able to move normally now. The wind constricting him had disappeared. Though, if he wished to fight, he didn't have any equipment. Moreover, there were just too many people surrounding him now. In his current state, he had no guarantee of surviving if he retaliated.

Leaving the soldiers aside, Krune had zero confidence in winning against the individual named Warden Drake. That was because when he and Xula had a small exchange, Krune realized that Warden Drake was a cultivator with a Spiritual Incarnation.

'They were supposed to be super rare, but I already came across two of them in such a short amount of time.' Krune looked at Warden Drake, waiting for the other party to ask. He was currently a captor, so it wasn't his place to ask questions. 

If it could be settled with some words, Krune wished to do so and avoid a clash. 

"Alright." Warden Drake smiled, seeing Krune comply with him. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

  "We are travelers. We got lost on our way and planned to scout our surroundings from the peak of this rock pillar," Krune replied. 

"That's impossible." Warden Drake shook his head as he glared at him, replying, "The natural formation in this place prevents anyone from even approaching here. Only if you know of this place beforehand and are mentally driven to enter here would you be able to reach here. Otherwise, you would reroute long before and head into some other path."

He emitted a tinge of killing intent as he asked once more, "So, who are you? And, what's your goal in coming here?"

Krune was shocked when his hands trembled uncontrollably the moment he made eye contact with Warden Drake. He then took in a deep breath, calming his mind as he spoke, "I am Krune, affiliated to the Spirit Awakener Guild. I don't even know the name of this place. So, I have no reason to visit here. And besides, if I had any intention of sneaking here, I wouldn't have come with my group in such an obvious fashion."

"Affiliated to the Spirit Awakener Guild…" Warden Drake frowned before asking, "Which branch?"

"Sunkan City Branch," Krune replied.

Warden Drake stared at Krune, making eye contact, staring for a couple of minutes as one of his soldiers arrived beside him, whispering after a salute. Warden Drake then smiled as he said, "So, you were telling the truth about your identity. But, that still doesn't change the fact that you have trespassed here."

Krune sighed as he answered, "If the formation you spoke of works as you have specified, then indeed, there's no chance of us being able to reach here. But…"

He trailed off, "We were there in a different place and chanced upon a meditating Primal God. He had transported us here."

"A Primal God? Here?" Warden Drake laughed as his tone turned cold. "Are you pulling my leg? Why would such a being be here?"

"He said he's guarding his friend." Krune said as a matter of fact, "And, by his friend, he meant the Immortal Severance Zone or rather the Spiritual Incarnation that resulted in this."

"How did he look?" After a moment of thought, Warden Drake asked. 

"His appearance continued to change…I think. Based on what I remember, it seemed like I was looking at a different individual every second. But when I think about it now, I can neither recall his appearance nor his voice," Krune said as he tried to recall. 

"Did he want you to send any message to me?" Warden Drake frowned while asking.

"No." Krune shook his head. "He just waved at us to walk away. And, the moment we did so, we arrived at a spot a kilometer from this rock pillar. When we looked back, the terrain had already changed."

"And…how did you meet him in the first place?" Warden Drake made eye contact with Krune as he continued to question him.

"We tunneled through the ground," Krune replied, not stating the means they had used to achieve that. 

"Fine." Warden Drake then looked at a soldier that had appeared. 

The soldier glanced at Krune and the other as he spoke, "Warden Drake, we already investigated their backgrounds. They don't have any criminal records. They had been hired as mercenaries for the Pitlook Merchant Caravan. It seems they have abandoned the merchant caravan for some reason and decided to travel alone."

"Well, let the Mercenary Guild decide their punishment. It's of no concern to us, then." Warden Drake then waved his hands as he ordered, "Release them."

The five cages retreated into the floor as Krune and his group were able to walk free. Warden Drake looked at them, motioning with a tilt of his head. "Follow me."

Krune looked at Yulian, communicating with his Divine Sense, "What is this place?"

"I have no idea either. But, one thing's for sure. This Warden Drake is strong, probably the strongest I've ever seen. His strength is way beyond that of Yuric. I think he can even defeat Yuric in one hit," Yulian replied. 

'So, he's that strong.' Krune nodded, making sure to not show shock on his face as he followed Warden Drake. They moved past a building, coming across an armory where a lot of weapons were stored. There was an open space between two buildings that were used as a training ground for the soldiers. 

Currently, two soldiers were sparring, using spears. Each of the blows they traded was powerful, carrying with it a lot of weight. Krune saw how they had layered a faint layer of Godly energy on their bodies and weapons, using it as a medium to enhance their physique.

Moreover, the enhancement seemed beyond what he had ever witnessed. He was also astonished at the pristine quality of Godly energy they wielded. It seemed like the energy flowing was incredibly pure, unlike what other cultivators usually possessed. It stemmed from the way their manipulated and wielded Godly Energy. 

Krune saw the workings of the Godly Energy in their forms and immediately comprehended the Energies Cooperation Sub-law to a deeper level than before. 

Warden Drake glanced at Krune subtly, noticing how his comprehension deepened with every passing second. He then looked at the sparring soldiers, motioning for them to stop for the time being. He didn't wish to give any benefits to the trespassers.

"Alright, if you head straight from this route, you would exit the Immortal Severance Zone. Our soldiers would accompany you, but to ensure you don't recognize this path in the future, we would have to blind you," Warden Drake said as a team of soldiers arrived with blindfolds. 

Krune and his group were standing at the edge of the settlement walls, staring at a narrow path that proceeded into a mist that blocked them from gazing beyond. The path was only a meter wide. Moreover, it was steep. On top of that, Krune noticed how the depth seemed to be beyond the height of the rock pillar. 

Due to the layout of the land, light failed to reach its bottom. So, beyond a depth of 600 meters, everything was dark, preventing him from seeing further below. 

"This would lead us to the exit?" Krune frowned as he asked, unable to trust his words. 

"We'll only blindfold you once you cross the mist. So, don't worry." Warden Drake smiled as he said, "One way in, one way out. Ten thousand guards...and ten of this continent's worst criminals."

"This place is…?" Xula finally opened her mouth, gazing around as she seemed able to hear faint screaming sounds. 

"The Zamuria Prison." Warden Drake smiled as he replied, "It's a place where Zamuria Continent's worst criminals are tortured until the end of their lives. Oh, all the prisoners had once been powerful immortals. Only such figures are locked here."

'Those with a Spiritual Incarnation, I mean.' He smirked, leaving out the last part. He then motioned for them to leave as he continued, "If you wish to visit here in the future, become an immortal and commit harm to Zamuria Empire. We'll definitely come for you. We can spend a lot of quality time after that."

"Don't worry." Krune shook his head as he turned around to walk while saying, "I have no interest in becoming a criminal."