They ran desperately forward, following the whale. Soon, they reached the edge of the open area, and the sandstorm once again covered everyone, blocking their views. However, the sounds and tremors behind them didn’t diminish at all. The sandstorm only meant they wouldn’t even have the chance to see death approaching.
"HURRY UP! IT’S RIGHT AHEAD!" The whale’s voice made everyone almost scream in despair. They were already giving everything they had, sparing nothing! But what was ahead? Everyone thought incredulously.
Ten seconds of profound agony passed as if they were ten hours. Then, as they heard the ground rumble close enough to destabilize their steps, everyone felt like passing through an invisible barrier.
The world then changed... everything turned black as if they were in the middle of a completely overcast night, without any light. But everyone there was a cultivator and could see well.
Their jaws almost dropped to the ground when they realized that on the horizon, in front of them, there was a gigantic castle. It was so large that it seemed to have been made for beasts even larger than those they were fleeing.
"LANGRUM!" The whale shouted. Then, on their backs, dozens of giant bull-headed beasts entered the barrier and that place.
Langrum quickly placed Loeus in the arms of a woman and jumped forward with her black sword glowing with black flame. The whale then closed its eyes, and when it opened them, a brown light like earth emerged, illuminating that dark place.
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"Aim for the center!" The whale pointed in the direction of the castle, ignoring the approaching danger behind. Then, everyone saw, right ahead, a gigantic gate. In the center of this gate, which seemed to be a whole plate of black steel, there was a reddish rune that stood out.
Langrum then attacked with everything without hesitation. Every drop of her Qi was used, a cutting aura exploded from her sword, and soon, an entire infernal wing was burned in a single full-force strike.
But... when her sword hit the gate, there was no sound of destruction. Only a faint and muffled tremor vibrated through the gate.
Alm and Bruno were attentive and saw clearly that the gate moved slightly, and the two doors on the right and left separated, even if it was just a single millimeter.
The sound of bones breaking made everyone jump. The recoil from the full strike hit Langrum directly, sending her flying violently backward, severely injured.
The whale then opened its fists, and a Yin and Yang tattoo extracted all the power they had available. It was the new method of using the tattoos they had recently learned. All of their Qi was converted into pure Yin and Yang, following the reverse path of the absorption technique.
Alm and Bruno were experts in these laws, and an exuberant amount of them was poured out for them to use at once. The attacking power of this move was greater than anything they had at the moment. Then, the power of the Behemoth bloodline was triggered and added.
Three powers of frightening levels merged into a single move. Everything fused around them, and space immediately broke as they shot like a cannonball directly towards the gate.
BOOM!!!
The gate opened, and a one-meter space appeared in its midst. With a shout, Almin drew strength from where he didn’t know he had it and quickly carried Langrum along with everyone into the gate. As soon as they passed through, the black plates on the right and left moved and closed with a deafening noise.
They stood there, watching the gate closely with bated breath. A few seconds passed, and then the heavy footsteps and earth tremors on the other side suddenly stopped.
"You can relax. They won’t enter now," the whale spoke, emerging from the darkness as everyone turned to him. His condition was lamentable; his whole body was red, and bones were exposed, even with the layer of fat protecting him.
Everyone’s breathing calmed, and the whale sat on the ground, starting a careful meditation to heal. Soon, everyone could observe the surroundings, feeling a mixture of surprise and apprehension.
It was a city... no, it was ruins... or were they the remnants of a once grand city? Everyone looked around a bit fearfully.
At a considerable distance, in the center, an imposing black castle that pierced the skies could be seen. Then the unanimous thought echoed in their minds: ’Where the hell are we?’
’The power of the full strike far exceeded the limits of our physical bodies. And we had to use our own body as a weapon. If we had a suitable weapon, perhaps we could employ this technique with fewer repercussions,’ commented Alm, analyzing the precarious condition they were in.
The damage wasn’t limited to the exterior; their meridians were equally compromised, resulting in internal chaos. It was clear they couldn’t use the technique again so soon, and they still hadn’t mastered the technique enough to apply it in small quantities. It was all or nothing.
’I feel like we finally fully understand the first level of the Yin and Yang Supreme Qi Collector. This technique is not just about separating and collecting Qi; we can do many interesting things in the future. And this is just the first level of it,’ replied Bruno, impressed.
Half a day passed, with everyone remaining motionless, astonished by the unknown. Then, Langrum regained consciousness, still quite weakened. The lack of time to collect Yang before the departure resulted in a slower recovery for her.
As she sat up, fast steps headed towards her side. It was Loeus, whose look denoted extreme concern. Faced with this gaze, all of Langrum’s anxieties seemed to dissolve. With a gesture, she reassured him, doing something rarely seen. The observant women were shocked to witness the serene and welcoming smile that Langrum dedicated to the little boy, who immediately calmed down.
Then the whale stood up, and everyone awaited his words eagerly. Although he was externally healed, the internal process would take more time. A fight would be challenging. However, Alm and Bruno sensed that the city in ruins held no imminent danger for them.
"Let’s go. For now, relax and enjoy," said the whale calmly, placing Ruri on his shoulders before turning to move forward.
Almin and Langrum immediately relaxed, getting up to follow the leader. The women, still tense, still followed the leader’s words as a divine decree. They struggled to calm themselves, but the tension persisted.
Before, they trained for battles where they always had the ability to win; now, for the first time, they experienced the desperate need to escape from something invincible, with death looming over them. This moment shattered several paradigms for the women.
They walked calmly, admiring the ruins that, despite their condition, seemed well-preserved. There were houses, buildings, and commercial areas—everything seemed to have been built with dense and tough-as-steel earth. Soon, a connection to something very recent was made.
’Defensive structures made of earth that could even protect them in the desert...’ Almin thought with doubt. But it didn’t take long for him, a knowledge lover, to resist and ask a question.
"Goku, this place... does it have any connection to you?"
The whale showed no apparent reaction and lazily replied, "With me... maybe. No, definitely. I’m getting some instinctive impressions from this place."
He took a deep breath as if absorbing the surroundings to confirm something. "I think I know. That gigantic demonic beast we encountered on the fifth level of the prison... this place was its dwelling."