The Heaven Gate shattered with a sound like a thousand ss pieces breaking simultaneously. The invisible barrier that had stood for centuries disintegrated into fragments of light that dissolved into nothingness. I lowered my golden-glowing fist, feeling oddly satisfied at the looks of horror on the faces of the green-robed attendants.


    "No... this cannot be!" The lead attendant''s face had turned ashen, his body trembling as he stumbled backward. "The Heaven Gate has stood since the ancient times! No mortal has ever—"


    I stepped through the space where the barrier had been, ignoring the debris of mystical energy still dissipating around me. "Apparently there''s a first time for everything."


    Behind me, pilgrims were scattering in panic. Some fell to their knees in prayer, while others fled back down the mountain path. The courtyard had erupted into chaos.


    Conrad hurried to my side, his expression a mixture of awe and concern. "Was that really necessary?"


    "They wouldn''t let me pass," I said simply.


    "You—you''vemitted sacrilege!" Marvin Howard''s voice cracked as he pointed an usatory finger at me. His earlier attempt at ingratiation had vanished entirely, reced by genuine religious horror. "Do you have any idea what you''ve done?"


    Before I could respond, a guard charged at me from the side, sword drawn. Without even looking, I caught his wrist mid-strike, stopping the de inches from my neck.


    "Bad decision," I said quietly.


    With a quick twist, I snapped his wrist. As he howled in pain, I delivered a palm strike to his chest that sent him flying backward into a stone column. He slid to the ground, leaving a trail of blood on the polished surface.


    The remaining guards hesitated, clearly reassessing their options.


    "Anyone else want to try?" I asked, looking around at the assembled disciples. When no one moved, I turned to the lead attendant. "Now, I need information about Earth Fiend Valley. Where is it?"


    The man''s lips quivered as he nced nervously at the fallen guard. "I-I cannot betray the sacred—"


    I took a single step toward him. He immediately fell to his knees.


    "Top of the mountain!" he blurted out, pointing to a steep path that wound up behind theplex. "The entrance is guarded by the Twin Elders!"


    Conrad came to stand beside me, his eyes scanning our surroundings vigntly. "We should move quickly. Word of this will spread fast."


    "You two should leave," I said to Aislinn and Marvin, who stood frozen in shock. "You''ve been seen with us. Once reinforcements arrive, they won''t distinguish between us."


    Aislinn nodded, tugging on Marvin''s sleeve. "He''s right. We need to go."


    "But... but the Heaven Gate!" Marvin stammered, still unable to process what had happened.


    "They''ll me you for bringing me here," I warned him. "Unless you want to exin to Earth Fiend Valley elders why you led me to their doorstep, I suggest you disappear."


    That finally snapped him out of his daze. Self-preservation overrode religious outrage, and he nodded frantically.


    "We were never here," he agreed, backing away. "Come on, Aislinn!" <kbd ss="ref-3f6549">Always read from the source: *.</kbd>


    As they hurried toward the exit, I caught Marvin looking back at me with a strange expression—fear, yes, but also fascination. I had the distinct feeling I hadn''t seen thest of him.


    "Let''s go," I told Conrad, and we headed for the mountain path.


    The climb was steep and winding. Ancient stone steps, worn smooth by centuries of pilgrims'' feet, led us higher into increasingly thin air. Normal men would have struggled to breathe, but neither Conrad nor I showed any signs of distress.


    "What exactly are we walking into?" Conrad asked as we ascended.


    "I''m not entirely sure," I admitted. "But if there''s any truth to what we''ve heard, Earth Fiend Valley has information about ra''s condition—and possibly Maia''s too."


    Conrad nodded grimly. "And you think they''ll just hand this information over after you destroyed their sacred gate?"


    "I think they''ll have little choice."


    As we reached the summit, the path opened onto a t teau. Two elderly men sat in meditation postures before a narrow canyon entrance. Despite their apparent age, both radiated powerful auras that marked them as formidable cultivators.


    "The Twin Elders," Conrad murmured.


    Both men opened their eyes simultaneously as we approached. Their gazes held the weight of decades of cultivation.


    "You are not wee here," the one on the left stated tly. "Turn back."


    "You''ve desecrated sacred ground," added the one on the right. "Heaven Gate has stood for a thousand years, and you destroyed it as casually as stepping on an ant."


    I stopped a few paces away from them. "I''m looking for information about dark energy parasites."


    The elders exchanged a brief nce.


    "We know nothing of such things," the left elder said. "Earth Fiend Valley is a ce of cultivation and contemtion."


    "You''re lying," I replied. "Your valley specializes in dark energy cultivation. You harvest parasites from the deep mountains and use them in your techniques."


    The right elder''s eyes narrowed fractionally—a tell that confirmed my suspicions.


    "Such usations are—"


    "Save it," I cut him off. "I don''t have time for games. Either you take me to where the parasites are kept, or I''ll find my own way through this mountain."


    The left elder rose slowly to his feet, his body moving with surprising grace for his apparent age. "You speak with great confidence for one so young. Do you truly believe you can force your way through us?"


    In response, I moved. Not with full speed—just enough to demonstrate. In the blink of an eye, I was behind the still-seated elder, my hand resting on his shoulder.


    "Yes," I said quietly. "I do."


    The standing elder''s face tightened with shock. "How did you—"


    "Take us to Earth Fiend Valley," I demanded of the elder beneath my hand. "Now."


    A tense silence followed. I could feel the elder''s pulse through my fingertips, racing despite his outward calm.


    "Very well," he finally said. "I will guide you. But know this—Earth Fiend Valley is not a ce for the uninitiated. What you seek may destroy you."


    "I''ll take my chances," I replied, removing my hand from his shoulder.


    The elder stood and gestured toward the canyon entrance. "Follow me. And keep close—the path is treacherous."


    Conrad moved to my side as we followed the elder toward the dark passage. "I don''t like this," he whispered. "They gave in too easily."


    I nodded almost imperceptibly. "Stay alert."


    The canyon was a gash in the mountain, its walls rising sharply on either side to block out most of the sunlight. As we ventured deeper, the temperature dropped noticeably, and the air became heavy with a strange, cloying scent.


    "Dark energy," Conrad murmured, recognizing the distinctive signature. "It''s everywhere."


    He was right. The deeper we walked into the canyon, the more oppressive the energy became. Normal humans would have felt uneasy, perhaps even physically ill. Even for cultivators like us, it created a subtle pressure, like walking against an invisible current.


    The elder moved with practiced ease through the twisting passage, asionally ncing back to ensure we were following. After nearly an hour of walking, the canyon widened into a small valley. But instead of theplex of buildings I had expected, there was only barren rock and dark, twisted vegetation.


    "Where are the facilities?" I demanded. "Theboratories?"


    The elder turned to face us, a cold smile spreading across his wrinkled face. "You seek knowledge of our parasites? Very well."


    He suddenly mmed his palm against a carved stone marker half-hidden among the vegetation. The ground trembled as ancient characters on the stone illuminated with sickly green light.


    "Conrad!" I shouted in warning, but it was toote.


    The earth beneath our feet glowed with the same green light, forming aplex pattern—a formation.


    "The Six Dark Divine Formation," the elder announced with malicious pride. "No one has escaped it in a thousand years."


    Conrad attempted to leap clear of the formation, but an invisible force mmed him back down. Dark energy surged upward, swirling around us in increasingly dense clouds.


    "What is this?" Conrad demanded, dropping into a defensive stance.


    The elderughed, already backing away toward the canyon entrance. "You wanted to know about our parasites? You''ll get to experience them firsthand!"


    The dark energy was condensing now, forming into small, wriggling shapes that moved with disturbing purpose. Parasites—thousands of them, materializing from the energy itself.


    They leapt at Conrad first, swarming over him like a living nket. He shouted in pain and revulsion, striking at them with energy-infused palms, but for each one he destroyed, ten more took its ce.


    "Conrad!" I tried to reach him, but the parasites were converging on me as well, drawn to my life force like moths to me.


    They covered my arms, my legs, working their way up my body with horrifying speed. I could feel them attempting to burrow into my skin, to reach the meridians beneath.


    The elder watched from outside the formation, safely beyond its boundary. "The parasites feed on cultivator energy," he exined with sadistic satisfaction. "The more powerful you are, the more delicious they find you. In a few minutes, they''ll have drained youpletely."


    Conrad had fallen to his knees, his movements growing sluggish as the parasites continued their assault. His face was barely visible beneath the writhing mass.


    The parasites had nearly covered mepletely now, their weight bing oppressive, their biting attacks sending sharp pains throughout my body. But unlike Conrad, I felt something stirring within me—a different energy, cool and vibrant.


    "Your struggles are pointless," the elder called out. "No one escapes the Six Dark Divine Formation. Your arrogance has led you to your—"


    His words cut off abruptly as blue light began to emanate from beneath my parasite-covered form. The light grew brighter, more intense, until suddenly it erupted in a brilliant sh.


    The parasites shrieked—a sound I hadn''t known they could make—and began falling away from my body like rain. As the blue light enveloped mepletely, I could see the elder''s smug expression transform into one of shock and disbelief.


    The faint blue me that now wrapped around my body red higher, pushing back against the dark energy of the formation itself.


    "What... what are you?" the elder whispered, taking an involuntary step backward.


    The parasites that had been so eager to devour me moments before were now retreating, fleeing from the blue me as if it were anathema to their very existence.


    I took a step forward, the me rippling around me like a living cloak. "You chose the wrong person to ambush."