Silence fell over the cavern, broken only by the team's labored breaths. Wei Zheng lowered his blade, his gaze sweeping over the group.
Lin Shuyi stepped back, her chest heaving as she steadied herself.
"That… was close," She muttered, wiping dark residue from her daggers.
"Good work," Wei Zheng said with a smile. "We're all standing and alive. That's what matters."
"Barely," Yue Lian muttered, rubbing her shoulder. "But I'll take it."
"You didn't have to break the floor," Zhao Jianhong quipped playfully.
"Next time, you can handle it," Wei Zheng replied curtly, sheathing his sword.
He scanned the group, his sharp eyes assessing for injuries. "Status?"
Lu Feng sheathed his artifact, his usually stoic expression softening. "We're intact, thanks to Hua Jin. Good work."
Hua Jin sat on the ground, her face pale as she tried to catch her breath. "You can thank me by giving me a week to sleep," she said with a weak laugh.
Xiang Ru walked up to the shattered obelisk, his face grim. He knelt, examining the remnants of the runes.
"This wasn't just a conduit," he said quietly. "It was a marker. Whatever power created this place… this was just the beginning."
Wei Zheng's jaw tightened. "Explain."
Xiang Ru held up a fragment of the obelisk, the runes still faintly glowing.
"This was meant to suppress something much older, something much stronger. The Abyss used this place to feed the Shadows, but it originally belonged to something else."
Lin Shuyi wiped her daggers clean, her expression hardening. "You're saying this wasn't the source?"
Xiang Ru shook his head. "No. This was only a fragment of it. The true heart of the Abyss… it's still out there."
The team exchanged uneasy glances.
Still pale, Hua Jin moved to the creature's remains, her hands drawing out empty vials from her satchel.
"We need to understand what this thing was," she said, her voice calm but resolute despite the weariness etched into her face.
She carefully scraped some of the ash into the vials, sealing them tightly with practiced precision.
"This ash… it's different. It reeks of corruption but has traces of something older. This might help us find out what it is."
She then approached one of the remaining pools of the iridescent liquid, the eerie substance glinting faintly even in the dim light of the cavern.
Kneeling, Hua Jin used a small dropper to transfer the liquid into another vial, the substance swirling unnaturally as it settled.
"This might tell us more about what was powering the obelisk or corrupting the land. With enough study, it could lead to a way to counteract this."
Lin Shuyi, keeping watch nearby, nodded approvingly. "Good thinking. This won't be the last time we face something like that."
The group began combing through the cavern, their eyes scanning the walls and floors for clues.
Yue Lian examined the markings carved into the stone, her fingers tracing the faded runes with a furrowed brow.
"These markings… they're layered like the sanctum was used for more than just containment. But whatever secrets they held are long gone."
Xiang Ru held up a partially tattered talisman from inside the obelisk's base, turning it over in his hands.
"This array was meant to suppress something far stronger than what we just faced," he said grimly. "But there's nothing left here to tell us what it was or why it failed."
After thoroughly searching the cavern, the team regrouped near the shattered obelisk.
"Nothing," Wei Zheng muttered, frustration seeping into his voice.
"No tracks, no writings, no sign of where the villagers went. It's like they vanished without a trace."
Zhao Jianhong leaned against a stone pillar, wiping the iridescent liquid from one of his sabers.
"Or were taken," he suggested, his tone light but his expression serious.
Lu Feng, standing at the cavern's edge, shook his head.
"We're not going to find answers down here. Let's resurface and plan our next move. We need to find the villagers. Whatever caused their disappearances might still be nearby."
Wei Zheng nodded, his resolve firm.
"Let's go. We'll rest and recover above before we search the surrounding area again. If the villagers are still alive, we'll find them. If they're not…" He trailed off, his jaw tightening.
The team returned to the surface, their steps heavy with exhaustion but their spirits unbroken.
As the group walked, Hua Jin's brow furrowed in thought, the vials of ash and iridescent liquid carefully secured in her satchel. She spoke up, her voice steady but laced with curiosity.
"Did anyone else notice the difference in the Shadows we fought?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at the others.
Wei Zheng, leading the group, turned slightly. "What difference?"
"The way they died," Hua Jin clarified.
She gestured with her hand, her movements contemplative as if piecing the thought together.
"Some of them… when we struck them down, they dispersed into mist and faded completely. No trace was left behind. But others were different. When they were cut down, they bled that iridescent liquid. It's like they were more solid, more... real."
Lin Shuyi nodded, her brow knitting in thought.
"Now that you mention it, I did notice that. Some felt weaker as if they were barely holding themselves together. Others were more dangerous and harder to kill. You think they weren't all the same?"
"Exactly," Hua Jin said.
"It's almost as if some of the Shadows were just fragments of the real creature's essence, struggling to stay in existence. But the ones that bled? They were more than shadows. They had a tangible form. Perhaps they were more directly linked to the creature, a depth beyond mere illusion."
Yue Lian tilted her head, her voice quiet but contemplative.
"So the Shadows that dispersed were like projections, maybe even illusions. While the ones that bled… were solidifying manifestations, bound to the core of its being?"
"Maybe," Hua Jin agreed, her tone thoughtful.
"It's like the creature was caught between two states. The obelisk might have been not feeding it enough, forcing parts of it to flicker in and out of this plane. Some of the Shadows were less complete and more unstable. But others were breaking through."
Zhao Jianhong frowned, sheathing his blade with a sharp click.
"If that's true, then the solid ones must have been more dangerous because they were closer to their true form. And now that the obelisk is destroyed…" He trailed off, the implication hanging heavy in the cold air.
"One of the variables suppressing its growth is gone," Lu Feng finished grimly.
Hua Jin nodded. "It's something to consider. We need to study these samples carefully. There's more to this than we've seen."
Wei Zheng furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "Then we'll figure it out. But first, we find the villagers. They could be in even greater danger if whatever caused this is still out there."
As they emerged from the well, the biting wind reminded them of the harsh reality of their mission. Setting up a small camp just beyond the village's edge, they prepared to rest, each knowing the storm was far from over.