Zron let out a chuckle at Kyle's questions.
"The shadow generals... I don't know much about them, but last I heard there are five of them. Perhaps the number has increased during my absence... but all of them have only one leader, Azazeal."
"However, no one has seen the man, so how could I know how much stronger he is... or how he managed to make so many strong individuals submit to him."
Zron's voice turned solemn as he spoke the next words, and the teacup in his hand vanished.
"He simply appeared out of nowhere and shook the whole universe."
"As for your last question, kid... Hoho, do you think evil people need a reason to do bad deeds? Or maybe there is a reason, but I don't know. After all, I am just one of the countless people who are living in this vast universe."
The dwarf started grinning as he stared at Kyle and the others.
"How about you kids go and ask him?"
Jian stared back at him with a deadpan expression.
"Don't worry, I will personally go and have a face-to-face conversation with him."
Zron's grin widened.
"Good good, I like your enthusiasm! So, do you all want to leave for now to prepare for your departure or should we first go and check the ethereal tunnel? I haven't visited that place and I wonder if it has enough resources to function..."
Susan stood up and straightened his clothes.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"It's not far away, and I can draw a teleportation portal."
"So I don't think it would take us a lot of time to go and check it. Does anyone want to go together?"
Jian raised his hand.
"I wanna go! I have to do a lot of things, so I don't think I will have time to go and see the ethereal tunnel later. So, take me."
Sinon grabbed the arm of the red-haired man and flapped his wings.
"The name sounds pretty awesome, and I'm curious too, so I wanna go too. I believe the place is not dangerous."
Han also decided to go and visit the place because he always liked discovering new things, and the ethereal tunnel really sounded otherworldly.
Zron stood up and let out a tired sigh.
"Why are you all so excited? The place has been abandoned for a very long time, and it's probably covered in so much dust that you won't be able to see anything."
"Hassh, all of you are making me feel old even though I am only a few hundred years older than you all."
Susan's eyebrow twitched as the dwarf wearily stretched his back as if he had shouldered the workload of countless individuals.
Susan rolled his eyes and created a portal before looking at everyone nearby.
"The ones who want to come with me, follow me, and the rest, please leave the tower of opportunity. Although it's open to the public, it's not a place where you all should just barge into anytime!"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})He clicked his tongue and stepped into the portal before he appeared in front of a dark underground cave, leading even further into the darkness.
He glanced back and saw many people arriving behind him, one by one. In the end, everyone followed him.
Kyle saw Zron yawning beside him and sniffed the air. He raised his eyebrow and let out an 'Oh'.
"So, the ethereal tunnel is beneath the tower of opportunity?"
Zron almost lost his balance when he heard his words. He stared at the silver-haired man as if he had seen a ghost.
"How did you know?"
Kyle blinked and pointed at his nose.
"My nose is a little sensitive."
Zron's eyes widened. He couldn't believe a pseudo-divine rank nose was so strong.
"This place is covered with many layers of barriers because the tower's punishment chamber, where the guardians who harm the planet's residents are punished, is on the other side. So, I'm really surprised you can sense that it's beneath the tower!"
Kyle ignored the dwarf and furrowed his brows as he glanced at Susan, who had grabbed a communication crystal from his mind space to contact Yon and Jordan. After all, the duo was more knowledgeable than Susan about the ethereal tunnel.
Alec and the others have started to look at the dark cave to check the place out. Bia flew towards Mia and sat down on her shoulder, curiously looking at the cave structure.
But Kyle paused and grabbed Zron's arm before staring at the dwarf with a serious expression.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Zron. It's faint but I'm sensing a familiar dark aura in this place. Are you sure it's safe?"
The dwarf halted after hearing his words and quickly used his senses to explore the area, then shook his head.
"You're overthinking, Kid. I have a strong detection skill and I can't sense any other living thing besides us here."
Kyle's expression became even more serious.
"No, I'm not saying someone is here. I'm saying someone with a dark aura has visited this place before us."
Zron noticed his troubled eyes and quickly stopped everyone from entering the cave without him.
"I'll take the lead."
Kyle watched the dwarf's back as the latter took the lead. Just then, Yon and Jordan also arrived through another portal that Susan constructed.
The duo, along with Susan, hurriedly followed Zron, and the others walked behind them, chatting faintly about the ethereal tunnel they were about to see.
But for some reason, Kyle didn't feel like going into the cave. The moment he used his scent perception skill, he sensed a very subtle scent of the dark shadow he had sensed with Istalian in the past.
'I can't detect its presence, but just its scent... It feels like that dark thing stayed in this place for a while, which is why its scent is still here.'
Kyle pushed aside his growing anxiety and quickly joined the others before walking alongside Ray and Neon.
But he kept an eye on his surroundings as they passed through the dark cave and entered a well-lit open space.
There, they all saw a big stone platform in the middle with a round glass structure on top. It rose up towards a shimmering, see-through curtain.
