“Featheredge Deep…” Grace murmured, staring at the deceptively calm blue waters before her. Even light seemed faintly swallowed by its depths. She could sense the strange law-based power lurking within and frowned.
The saying that feathers wouldn’t float and birds couldn’t fly was no exaggeration. Though her cultivation was strong, she doubted she could make a path on such uncanny waters for long.
Dustin crouched at the edge. He gathered a strand of mystical pure energy at his fingertip and slowly dipped it into the water.
His energy entered without stirring a single ripple. Instead, it sank into what felt like thick gel, each inch of progress growing harder. An invisible, erosive force rapidly ate away at that strand of energy.
“It does contain unique laws of sinking and dissolution,” he said impassively, withdrawing his finger.
“Ordinary lightfoot techniques are useless here,” he continued. “You’d need to form an isolation barrier with your own spiritual energy, or… Use a special artifact imbued with spatial or water-parting abilities.”
He glanced at Grace, Rhydian, and the others, knowing none of them had such resources. Grace turned to Cyran, asking earnestly, ” Sir, is there a safe way to cross?”
Cyran waved his staff lightly and pointed toward the area along Vitalis Pool’s shore that had been tainted by the crimson malevolent energy.
“Featheredge Deep is dangerous, but not endless. If you follow along the edge of this contaminated water, you may find a stone path leading to the central region. But after so many years and with the corruption from the malevolent energy, I can’t guarantee the path remains intact. Plus, that area…”
He paused and added solemnly, “Wherever dragon blood malevolent energy flows, the spawned evil creatures are even more strange and ferocious. You all must exercise extreme caution.”
The path ahead was far from easy, but it seemed to be their only viable option. The group began their careful exploration along the shore of Vitalis Pool by following the blurred boundary where deep blue met crimson water.
The dragon blood-contaminated region presented a scene utterly different from the pure Vitalis Pool. The water was murky and dark, reeking of blood and sulfur. The ground along the shore was scorched black, riddled with bulging crimson veins that twisted like exposed blood vessels.
Grotesquely shaped plants, saturated with thick, malevolent energy, grew wildly in this place. Some resembled outstretched claws, while others constantly dripped corrosive slime. The air was thick with a chaotic energy that continuously assaulted everyone’s minds.
Rhydian and the two other guards had to constantly circulate their internal energy just to resist it, their faces turning pale. Even Judith couldn’t shake the unease that prickled her mind.
Dustin led the way, his energy field parting the chaotic currents around him wherever he went. The turbulence split before him, unable to reach his body. His gaze was sharp and alert for hidden threats, while he carefully studied the terrain ahead.
After traveling for roughly half an hour and rounding a field of jagged rocks, the scene before them made them all gasp sharply.
A wide, sunken clearing stretched beside the crimson lake. At its center stood an ancient altar roughly ten feet tall, built from massive black stones.
The circular surface was etched with countless twisted, unsettling runs. These runes weren’t cloud script, but rather a far older script that exuded a palpable sense of foreboding. The characters seemed to writhe like insects and serpents, making anyone dizzy after looking at them for too long
Around the altar stood several broken stone pillars with rust-eaten chains still bound to them. But the most horrifying detail was the large patches of dark brown dried bloodstains covering its surface and the surrounding ground.
A dense mix of blood and dark energy poured off the altar, so heavy it felt almost solid. The malevolence resonated with the dragon blood in the lake, turning the air cold and dense.
Beneath the altar, remnants of more recent events were scattered. Several broken swords and blades whose designs weren’t the standard-issue weapons Grace’s guards carried lay among tattered scraps of cloth.
There were even a few corpses that had not fully decomposed. The way the skeletons were positioned told a grim story. They’d suffered terribly before dying, bound tight to the altar.
“This… This is…” Judith stammered, her face turning deathly pale with fright.
Grace was horrified as well, forcing herself to stay composed while examining the scene. The fragments of clothing on the corpses varied in style. Some resembled Central Plains warriors from the kingdom, while others had distinctly foreign attire that belonged to different groups.
Next to one of the bodies lay a bronze waist plaque, about half the size of a palm, its edges charred black. Engraved on it was a twisted image, like ghostly figures writhing in flames.
“Blood ritual… This is an altar for the blood ritual,” Rhydian said. His voice was hoarse, laden with disbelief and terror. ”
Someone’s been using the blood, flesh, and souls of living beings for ritual sacrifices. Could the target of these sacrifices be…”
His gaze was irresistibly drawn toward the depths of the crimson lake, as if some terrifying presence lurked within.
