The night went by and it was only when it was well into the next day that all points on the map were lit up. Shui picked it up and carefully examined it. Its weight and size hadn't changed, but it was slightly hotter and was now a light shade of red. By using his spiritual sense on it, Shui could clearly sense the locations of the cores it was connected to, but nothing else.
"So? Can you find it?"
"No. It should be complete now, but it looks like we're still missing something."
Maha sighed in disappointment, but it wasn't like this was the first time they had been let-down by the map. If the map was complete then it should function as the key to the inheritance, but without knowing where that inheritance was, it was more useless than parchment it was drawn on.
'What else are we missing?'
Shui stared at the map as he wondered what their next step should be. It was at this time that Emily spoke.
"Brother, may I try something?"
"Sure."
Since he didn't have an idea of what to do, Shui easily relinquished the map to Emily. He was the superior array master, but she had stared at it in the Still Heart state while it underwent its transformation, so he thought that she might have noticed something he didn't.
When Emily took the map from Shui, she looked closely at it before raising it to the sky. Shui thought that she was trying to get a better view, but then he noticed the red points on the map starting to blink. The blinking remained at a slow pace, but it was enough of a hint.
"Well done, Shino. Stay right there, I'll handle the rest."
"Okay."
Shui then began drawing an array around Emily. It was an array that concentrated sunlight, but it was only of tier 1 so it didn't take long to make. Shui had noticed that the map was absorbing light from the sun to awaken so he tried this method, and it worked. The blinking began to increase in frequency as they waited eagerly in anticipation, but it wouldn't be long before their heads were forced to cool down.
Once the blinking became so fast that the light appeared to be stable, the entire map glowed and then, there was a tremor. The three were all surprised by the sudden rattling under their feet, but before they could link this phenomenon to the map's awakening, the desert itself showed it to them. Starting from the core near the sandstorm that they visited, a bright red pillar erupted into the sky like lava from a volcano. Additionally, similar gigantic pillars began to pop up from the other cores in the desert.
"What?"
"What's happening?!"
"Should we run?"
Those in the desert were frightened by this scene. Most of them were treasure hunters who were willing to risk their lives for money, but that didn't mean they didn't recognize danger when they saw it. Some of them were already running for the exit, but the majority stayed and waited. This was because of the belief that they could always run after seeing the danger.
Due to a different belief, those far away from the desert were also paying close attention to it. The giant red pillars looked intimidating from up close, but from the perspective of those who couldn't feel their effects, they seemed like an opportunity. In this world, such a grand phenomenon was always the prelude to either disaster or blessings, and cultivators were rather optimistic.
Few had already set off, bursting with enthusiasm at the thought of profiting from this opportunity, and in perfect contrast to them were Shui and the two with him. They weren't the closest to any pillar, but they were the most affected by the appearance of the pillars. They didn't know from how far the pillars could be seen from, or how many were now rushing to the desert in fear of missing out, and they didn't want to know either. All of them had their own ideas on what would be the worst case scenario, but this was a possibility that they didn't want to acknowledge.
Emily had pulled down the map and stepped out of the array after the first pillar rose, but that didn't affect the process. Since the die had been cast, they had to move based on the result of the roll.
"Shin, what now?"
Shui looked away from the terrible sight and met eyes with Maha. It was normally impossible to see through her thoughts, but even she couldn't hide all her emotions at this sight.
"What do you mean? We can't stop this, so we can only wait for it to end."
"I know, but will you wait?"
Shui now understood the intent behind her question, so he replied with a smirk.
"Do you think I'll run because it's gotten more dangerous?"
"Maybe you don't mind the risk, but you're not alone."
Emily flinched when she heard that, but Shui patted her head almost at the same time.
"If I didn't want to put her in danger, I wouldn't bring her here in the first place. I won't lie, now that this has happened I'm feeling rather reluctant to continue, but I still don't see a need to retreat. Aren't we professionals at staying hidden?"
When she heard his answer, Maha was grateful. Much more grateful than Shui would have thought.
Maha chuckled, "That's true. I guess I should have expected as much from a madman who would risk offending an alliance of major-level forces."
"Like you're one to talk. You didn't seem too reluctant to help."
"What are you talking about? I was just a helpless woman forced by the circumstances."
While Shui and Maha continued their conversation, Emily made her own resolve. Shui said he would protect her, and she believed he would do his best to do so, but when she agreed to come here she had been prepared for danger. Although she couldn't be as eager as the two of them, she was determined not to become a burden.
The giant red pillars stayed active for an hour before the ground began to shake once more. At first, the three wondered what this new incident would bring, but then Emily exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Brother! I think I can sense the inheritance."
"Really? We should leave immediately."
"Agreed."
With the map guiding them, the three collected their possessions and headed for the inheritance as fast as they could.
A couple hours later, an ancient palace stood in the center of the desert. It was painted in pure white and had four tall sentry towers as well as a solid wall that surrounded it. The palace itself was shorter than the towers, but it had four floors. There was a big double door on the wall that was in front of the palace's entrance, but no one could be sure that it led into the palace because although it was open, nothing could be seen besides a spatial rift that resembled a rippling blue mirror.
A couple groups had plunged inside despite the limited information they had, but once the major-level forces arrived, they set up a blockade. Even if someone obtained something from the palace, they could capture them, so instead of rushing, they took their time to investigate.