A pair of red fox ears appeared before her, which snapped her out of her thoughts.
Yasenia looked down and saw Kali looking up at her with worried eyes. Her veil was only at nose level, so she could clearly see her verdant green eyes. "Is everything okay? You are giving quite a strong aura."
Yasenia looked at the other people and saw that, besides Angel, who was also looking worriedly at her, Han Xue and the others were sweating with nervousness. 'Oops, I scared them.'
Yasenia smiled and said, "It's nothing. I was just thinking about some unrelated matters. Anyway, we are allowed to participate in this Trial, right?"
The Mayor nodded, regaining his bearing. "Yes. Even though we can't announce it yet, we will be able to let in those that learn about it. Han Xue telling you is also okay since she has that much authority. We aren't the Mayor and Mayoress just by name, after all."
Angel asked curiously, "You gain authority in the town?"
The Mayoress walked to her side and answered, "Yes, our family guards this town's order."
Yasenia asked curiously, "What if a corrupt leader appears?"
Han Xue calmly smiled as she said, "Then, the Divine lightning would destroy their whole family and choose another family to fill in the empty spot. It has happened in the past more than once. The written history of our town goes more than 10,000 years in the past, so mortals are bound to commit those mistakes. Our family has only been in power for two thousand years."
After a small conversation about the town's history, Han Xue guided Yasenia's group toward the Trial area. "Han Luan, Han Xiao, wait for us in the dining room. Remember that only the heads of the family are allowed in that area."
They both pouted but nodded nonetheless. After bidding a short goodbye to our girls, they probably left to speak to their other sisters and brothers.
Yasenia, Angel, and Kali followed behind Han Xue. they traversed the big mansion and left through the back door. There was another garden here. A building that gave an ancient aura stood in the middle of this garden. It was extremely similar to a mausoleum. The color was grey, and the material was similar to common stone. However, it was clear that it was much more than that.
Yasenia lifted her eyebrow, "We have to enter there?"
Han Xue laughed and said, "I also don't know why it looks like that. It is like we are going inside a tomb or something. However, you will see that there is more than meets the eyes when we enter inside."
Yasenia nodded and followed after Han Xue. The guards in the doors let them pass, and Han Xue placed something circular-shaped in a slot. Then, Han Xue spun it to the right. After Han Xue retrieved the item, the doors slid downward, opening a path for them.
A chilly wind left the door and blew their hair softly. The ancient aura got much stronger, giving them chills.
Angel and Kali subconsciously hugged Yasenia's sides when the chilly wind and aura came out and brushed their bodies.
Yasenia also frowned.
Although it seemed creepy, she couldn't feel any danger. However, she understood that her instincts could fail her, so she asked seriously, "Are you sure this place is safe?"
Han Xue looked curiously at them, and after seeing their guarded faces, she laughed aloud. "I didn't know you were scared of these things. You look very cute~. However, don't worry. If you don't believe me, we can go back and wait until we announce it to the public. Although you will lose the privilege of entering two weeks earlier, at least you will gain reassurance that this isn't something shady."
Yasenia looked at Han Xue attentively but couldn't feel anything wrong. 'Maybe I'm just being oversensitive.'
Yasenia shook her head and said, "Let's go."
They entered the mausoleum. The building had at least forty square meters. In the middle was a single column adorned by various formation lines. Angel looked at them curiously, but they were too high level for her to understand.
Han Xue walked toward the column. Yasenia looked to the ground and spotted a staircase that went downward in a spiral. The stone staircase was wide enough to let five people comfortably walk side by side.
Han Xue said, "The place is underground. The stairs are somewhat long, but for cultivators, it should be easy."
Yasenia didn't say anything, but her energy was silently revolving inside her body. Their steps echoed as they went lower and lower.
Torches illuminated the walls, but these torches weren't common. Yasenia realized the fire was illusory, but it lighted the staircase nonetheless.
Step by step, ten minutes went by. Yasenia calculated that she would need, at most, seven seconds to go back up at her top speed.
At the bottom of the staircase, a small passage led to another room.
When they crossed it, an impressive place welcomed them.
It was a luxuriously decorated hall. It was wide, with enough room for thousands of people. The main color was dark purple, which complemented the grey and blue tones in the decorations.
The hall had thick columns that supported the ten-meter-tall ceiling. It was really similar to a crypt, but with a very tall ceiling. The aura in the surroundings gave a hint of respect and fear because of the ancient feeling the energy inside of here gave.
In the middle of the crypt, there was an ominous black orb. It had at least a two-meter radius. The size and feeling it gave made it hard to ignore. The surface was like something that absorbed even light, looking into it gave a feeling of vertigo, as if your eyes wouldn't be able to escape it.
Yasenia looked at the surroundings and black orb and joked with Han Xue, "Are you sure you aren't going to sacrifice us to a shady ritual or something? This place gives a very bad first impression. Moreover, that thing in the middle doesn't give too good vibes."
Han Xue laughed, "How could that be? This was built here before the town itself. The Monoliths on the surface get their energy from this area. The history books say that there is an enormous formation here that absorbs the energy from outside our world and releases it around the world using that orb as the core."
Han Xue sighed, "However, we haven't found anything formation-like in here, so we think it is just a legend."
Yasenia said, "It should be real. The energy inside the town is very different from the outside. So either there is something that generates the energy inside the realm, or there is something that absorbs the energy outside and transforms it."
Angel also looked around curiously and asked, "Isn't this whole place a formation?"
Han Xue tilted her head, "What do you mean?"
Angel's clever blue eyes observed everything as she said, "The whole hall is a formation. The way the columns are placed, the markings on the ground and the ceiling, and even the lines created by the carpet. Everything complements to form a giant formation. However, the complexity is too high for me to say any more than it is a formation. I can't decipher anything from it. I can barely see the flow of energy, much less say what is this for."
Han Xue looked around with interest and said, "Well, I'm not a formation master, but I will tell this to our experts. Thank you, little Angel." Angel nodded with a smile.
Han Xue smirked and said, "Let's get to the point. Do you see that black orb floating in the middle? That orb in the middle is a powerful treasure that generates energy. However, we don't know its name. Moreover, besides being the thing that supposedly fuels this place, it is also the thing that will carry you to the Trial."
Han Xue continued, "To enter, you have to stand on one of the surrounding circles and let it absorb the 300,000 trial points. After that, you will be transported to the Trial."
Yasenia asked, "Does it have mortal danger? What is it about? What are the rewards?"
Han Xue shook her head. "I can only tell you that there is a chance to die—everything else I had to keep a secret until the month had gone by...."
"Well, I can tell you that the Trial for each person is different. Depending on your strengths and weaknesses, the Trial will drastically change. However, I can tell you more than this."
Yasenia asked two more things, "How much time will I be inside? And will Angel and Kali benefit from entering there?"
Han Xue shrugged, "It depends. From the records kept in this building, the fastest challenger completed it in less than one week, but the rewards were honestly mediocre. On the other side, the slowest one completed it in six weeks; even then, the rewards weren't that good."
Yasenia frowned, "Then, isn't it pointless?"
Han Xue shook her head, "Some amazing prices have also appeared. What I'm trying to say is that time isn't relative to the prize and that the time to complete it varies widely. So I can't tell you how much time you will be inside."
Yasenia nodded.
The Mayoress continued, "Also, there can only be a single winner, so I don't think Angel and Kali will benefit in any way, especially since the fatality percentage approached forty percent. Besides the tallest Monolith with a 100% fatality rate, it more than doubles the fatality rate of any other Monolith."
Han Xue complimented it, "I've also heard that sometimes, challengers fight each other. So you may end up in a life-and-death situation that only one of you may live. In short, I don't recommend it."
Yasenia nodded, "Then, I will challenge it alone."
As soon as she said that, she felt her hand being grabbed by someone. She looked to her left and saw Angel holding her hand. Yasenai saw that Angel wanted to say something, but her words got stuck in her throat. Then, she said, smiling normally but looking extremely pitiful in Yasneia's eyes. "Good luck, Yasenia."
Yasenia felt like a punch landed on her heart. How could Yasenia not know that her dear baby didn't want to separate from her side?
Kali encouraged with a soft tone, "Go, Yasenia. I will accompany Angel toward the place to activate the [Crystal Key]. I'm sure that time will fly by after she enters her own Trial to get the inheritance. I will also communicate with the others and tell them about it."
Yasenia hugged them both and asked Kali softly. "What about you? You will remain alone during that time. What if our enemies take this opportunity to capture and hurt you?"
Kali snuggled closer and her fox ears danced, "I'm happy you worry about me, but you don't have to worry that much. I can protect myself, and Valeria is also with me. Also, I don't believe that all your enemies know about my transformation. How could they identify me?"
Yasenia sighed and gave up. "How much time has that other person stayed inside?"
Han Xue thought and said, "Not more than six hours since there wasn't anyone before we left to celebrate Han Luan's coming of age."
Yasenia's tempting full lips raised in a seductive smile. "Since it takes weeks, I can waste another two hours to feed my dears. Han Xue led me to an empty room."
Han Xue didn't understand at first, but after seeing Angel's face gaining a red color and Kali's wagging tail and fidgeting appearance, she also blushed. "Oh my~. Follow me."