"This looks like it's going to take a while."
"They aren't budging an inch, this barrier is one strong barrier…"
Zhang Dong, Huo Qiang, and Zhang Liena were looking at the screen. There they could see a bunch of spirit blasts colliding with what looked to be a giant soap bubble. Inside this bubble, there was a massive structure that was covered in a strange haze. More than likely this was the last place in this journey but they were having trouble in getting through it.
"Patriarch!"
"Speak, how much longer will it take?"
"The elders believe that it will take more than two months."
"Two months? That is a lot of time…"
"That it is…"
Replied Huo Qiang while yawning. Ever since they arrived at this new location not much had happened. It had become a snooze fest for everyone yet they were unable to relax. The longer they stayed in this strange pocket dimension the worse everyone's mental state became. Some like Qiang were holding it in but he knew that others would not.
"Hm…"
"This sounds troubling. If we waste two months in here we put ourselves in danger. We also might not have enough energy left for the main battle with their leader, what should we do? "
Zhang Liena commented while the three main elders deliberated. In reality, it was mostly just him thinking of a way to get there. Huo Qiang was just a muscle brain that was only good when a fight broke out. Liena on the other hand was a lot more helpful but would also not push the matter too much, instead she would give him a few choices on which he needed to decide by himself.
"There is probably a way to shut that thing off from the inside…"
"There is Senior Brother?"
"Are you an idiot? Why wouldn't there be?"
"It could be one of those barriers, you know the ones that become stronger if they just focus on defense!"
Huo Qiang laughed at Zhang Liena that furrowed her eyebrows. Luckily he was here to stare the two down before they could get into another fight. For once Qiang was actually right, some barriers were only in a single direction which enhanced their defensive capabilities. Even with their massive cannons and the golden palace along with a few leftover flying ships, they weren't even putting a small opening in the thing.
"Perhaps their leader never intended to leave their headquarters? This could be why we only saw waves of cloned troops instead."
He murmured while taking into account that this whole place was probably set up to be a solo mission for a system holder. If he went at it from that angle then another option of getting in there should be somewhere. This also meant that bringing his forces here had been a mistake on his part which actually made this whole mission a lot more difficult. Now he needed to watch for his troops' safety as they were unable to teleport out of the large fish that swallowed them all.
This complicated things as he couldn't just leave them all here. What would happen to them if even after taking care of the enemy Emperor there was no way of getting out? Would the Golden Palace be able to handle a collapsing pocket dimension or another trip through them?
At the moment it was possible for him to squeeze through the pathways between these dimensions but the path outside was being blocked by something. Perhaps all the answers that he was looking for were inside this soap bubble but if he entered it then he was risking the lives of his people.
'What's the alternative here… waiting for two months or more? There might be another barrier if we try forcing it inside, what if something happens to the kids while we are in here?'
He could not trust his so-called older brother. The Azure Emperor was a big unknown to him which made him a potential threat. Perhaps the Heavenly Crane Sect was afraid of him now but this wasn't the same for the Long Clan. Without him in Spirit Spring City, spies would be able to sneak in.
What if they send word that he was missing and someone decided to attack? The Azure Emperor was probably on the same level as the other Emperors. He would be able to make it in as the strongest three elders were all out on this mission. Then there was also that overseer that he didn't know much about. The longer they stayed in this place, the more dangerous it got for the people outside.
"What are you thinking about?"
"... I might have to do something that you probably won't be too happy about, my lovely wife."
"Oh do tell?"
"Well…"
While he was thinking about the next step, Bob was busy analyzing everything in their vicinity. If he was not meant to go through the direct route then there had to be another one. Just like in the other pocket dimension he had discovered small underground tunnels that spawned through everything like an anthill. This was probably his way in and he needed to do it alone.
"You want to crawl through those tunnels alone? I'm not sure if that's such a good idea."
"Yes, senior brother, how about I go instead?"
"Your Dao of Flames is ill-suited for traversing those dark underwater caves. Sending a larger force won't work either, they are very narrow and surrounded by strangely resistant rocks, even I wouldn't be able to force my way through without using a large amount of my own spiritual energy…"
Everything kind of confirmed his previous theory of this being a test for a system holder. Bob was able to analyze the underground pathways to an extent. After around two hundred meters all of the bedrock became incredibly hard. It was possible that it was made from similar rocks that surrounded those nuclei with massive amounts of spiritual energy in them. This place had clearly been tailor-made for him to go through it alone and everyone else would just be a burden if they followed after him.
"It's ill-suited? Maybe junior Zhi should go instead then?"
"Oh? You can actually say smart things from time to time?"
"Well, of course!... Hey, what's that supposed to mean!"
His wife was not willing to let him go that easily. Zhang Zhi, who was a master in the Dao of Water would probably be able to survive the trip, at least to a point. He didn't have an Ai companion like Bob that could show him the way. Even if he made it inside the soap bubble he would probably not be able to find a way to shut it off. It was possible for him to handle a general-class enemy but if that Empress appeared then he would probably be a goner.
"I don't think Zhang Zhi will be up to the task, this is something that only I can probably do. Don't worry, I'm just going to find a way to disable this barrier, you then need to be ready to come to my aid."
"It sounds like you have already made the decision to leave."
"I'm sorry but we won't be able to progress any other way. Let me explain, this is more similar to an immortal abode."
To get his wife on his side he had Bob show her the layout of the underground tunnels on the large screen. It was a large maze of thousands of narrow corridors without any way of knowing where to really go. Only with the help of the system's mapping function and his knowledge about illusory formations would he be able to get through this maze. Any other person would be trapped there and perhaps never be able to come out.
"The rocks are too sturdy, even Zhi wouldn't be able to dig himself out of there if he got lost and I don't think maneuvering through underground tunnels is one of his specialties."
"You do have more experience in infiltration… a bit too much if you ask me."
Liena narrowed her eyes while frowning. To her, it was suspicious that he always went away on these strange missions. It was as if he liked to put himself in danger or didn't trust anyone else to do a better job. Yet she also couldn't think about anyone from their sect that would be able to outdo her husband in this field. Even less after he showcased his brand new Darkness Dao. It was impossible for even her to tell if he was inside of the room if he decided to hide inside of a shadow.
"Fine but you better inform me about your whereabouts whenever you can, I'll be waiting!"
"No problem, that should be possible for now… at least until I go inside that barrier."
At this point in time, his faction system was back to working in a diminished fashion. He was not able to reach anyone outside but at least everyone that was here in this pocket dimension was identified by it. Thanks to this even teleporting back into the golden palace should be possible and communicating with Liena and the others was also possible.
Thus after he had the talk with his wife and Qiang he made his preparations. To not make it look like they were plotting anything the golden palace would continue with the attack. It would act as a distraction while he went through the mass of tunnels down below them. Luckily this place also had a day and night cycle which made it easy for him to go unnoticed.
While sinking into the shadows he made his way down onto the land. The strange feeling of having this breathable water did not go away and it was even stranger after he had to sink into an actual lake to get to one of the entrances. It was a very similar experience as in the other pocket dimension.
Thus he continued while shrouded in full darkness. With Bob's help, he could map out each tunnel that he went through. Perhaps the other dimension was supposed to be a practice run for this first maze as it was very similar yet slightly more intricate in its design. Thanks to that previous experience he was inclined to believe that this would be another cakewalk.
Perhaps it wouldn't even take an hour to get through all of this and turn off the barrier above him, yet he couldn't be more mistaken in his assumption as this new maze was not as easy to traverse as the other ones…