Once everyone was ready, Phex's group finally decided to enter the Bestial Sacred Ground. "Alright, everyone. The time has finally come. Let's enter the cave." As mentioned in the past, it looked like a cave, except for the huge power preventing them from entering before. That power was still there, but it was a lot weaker now to the point that even people like Rean and Roan could enter.
Phex's group, of course, kept Rean's team close to them, enveloping them with a Spiritual Energy barrier just in case the Zasfins thought of attacking them. However, Duran's group seemed pretty unconcerned about Rean and Roan's presence. Even Celis, the World Swallowing Cedar, didn't deserve their attention at the moment. There were only two things they cared about. One, of course, was the portal to the Realm of Gods. The second thing was the danger related to this expedition. After all, there was still a risk that the demon beasts had prepared a trap for them in advance.
Nevertheless, the group made their way down the cave, passing through a few layers of protection. Those layers of protection were then deactivated by the Divine Demon Beasts using their blood in exchange. Sure enough, without the Divine Demon Beasts' approval, no one could enter this place.
At first, Phex's group didn't notice anything different. The passages they used were still the ones they knew. However, when it was time for them the open the last barrier that hindered them from entering the Bestial Sacred Ground, their expressions changed. "This..."
Duran immediately asked, maintaining vigilance, "What is it? Aren't you going to open the barrier?"
Phex glanced at Duran and shook his head, telling him, "That's not it. It's just that this place is different from what we remembered the last time we came here." Phex then pointed at the barrier, continuing, "Can you see the red light coming from behind? It wasn't there before. Something definitely happened to the Sacred Ground."
Vance, one of the Zasfin Ancestors, shrugged his shoulders as he said in response, "That's to be expected, right? We know that the Bestial Sacred Ground changed. We just don't know how it was affected. Open it already, and let's check what the change is."
Phex nodded after hearing that. "Alright. Everyone, be on your guard."
Soon after, Phex dropped some of his blood on a rock in front of the barrier protecting the entrance. The same type of rocks could be found on the other layers of protection, so everyone was used to seeing it absorbing the Divine Demon Beasts' Blood.
Sure enough, the same thing happened as Phex's blood was absorbed by the rock. However, that was it. "Uh? Why didn't it open?"
Phex looked at Darian, Frin, and Xaon, but they also shook their heads, with one of them telling him, "We don't know. Just try again."
Phex poured a little bit more blood, but not even a slight change appeared in the end. "What's happening here?"
It was obvious to everyone else that something had gone wrong. "Wasn't it like that before?"
Phex nodded, explaining to them, "Exactly. The last time we visited the Bestial Sacred Ground, the last barrier opened as soon as I dropped a bit of my blood over it. However, that isn't the case anymore."
Kumo couldn't help but ask with a dark expression, "You aren't trying to fool us here, right? If this is really a trap, don't expect us to go down without a fight."
Darian snorted in response, replying in a cold tone, "Hmph! As if we're afraid of your group." Still, he shook his head right after. "The problem is, this was not something we prepared. I also don't know why it isn't opening."
It was then that Sister Orb's voice echoed in Rean and Roan's minds, telling the two of them, [There is nothing wrong with the barrier. I can't analyze it due to its level. However, I can at least tell that it's working properly. If I'm not wrong, Phex's blood is simply not enough anymore to satisfy the requirements to open it.]
Rean and Roan then had the same idea. 'It's because we now have the right amount of Divine Demon Beasts present.'
Rean nodded at Roan, who then spoke to the group, telling the others, "I think the problem is with the number of Divine Demon Beasts we have. We conjectured that the Bestial Sacred Ground activated because of them, so it might require more than just Phex's blood."
Frin pondered over Roan's words for a bit and had to admit Roan's words made sense. "It's worth a shot. Alright, let's see what happens." Frin then made a cut on his arm before dropping a little of his blood on the rock. Obviously, it was absorbed as well.
As soon as that happened, the barrier blocking the entrance had gone under a slight change. It looked like it had lost some of its power. "It seems like Roan was right. The rest of you, drop some blood in as well."
Kentucky, Gulan, Xaon, Darian, Red, Celis, all of them, dropped some of their blood on the rock. Well, in Celis's case, it was more like sap than blood, but the rock accepted it nevertheless. The barrier got weaker with each drop of Divine Demon Blood that it received.
*Bzzzzzz!*
*Shatter!*
As if a glass window broke apart, the last barrier before the Bestial Sacred Ground had finally disappeared.
This time, however, Phex's group had become dumbfounded by the scene in front of them. In fact, Red felt the same way, muttering in wonder, "What is this place?"
"Huh?!" Naturally, those words attracted everyone's attention. "What do you mean?"
Phex then pointed at the land ahead of them. Everything inside was covered in red light. Although they were underground, the place looked more like they were on the surface. There was a sky, albeit crimson. Even the mountains, forests, rivers, everything was glowing with red light. "This isn't the Bestial Sacred Ground! The Bestial Sacred Ground was supposed to be a huge cave with the Bestial Blood Pond in its center. Behind it should be the old portal to the Realm of Gods. Of course, it hasn't worked for a very long time."
Darian agreed with Phex, continuing where he left off, "No world has existed before inside the Beastial Sacred Ground. At the very least, we didn't know there was one. We simply don't know where all of this area came from."
Rean then looked at Red, who nodded his head at him, telling him, "They're telling the truth. The Bestial Sacred Ground I remember was also the Blood Pond and the old thing they called the portal just behind. This isn't the place I visited before."
*Pin!*
[Energy from the higher realms has been detected.]
[The World Beast Formation Quest now enters its final stage.]
Rean and Roan were taken aback. That wasn't Sister Orb's voice, but the Soul Gem System itself.
