Hope you enjoy this mini arc. Also thanks for commenting and voting, I do read each one!
Lineir found his progress up the mountain to be quite scenic and easy. There really were few dangers and nothing that could truly threaten him at this point. It was really the equivalent of a mortal climbing a small mountain. A bit of a journey and adventure but for him just light exercise. After all, the last adventure he had went on had been into the very Hells themselves. How could a mere ordinary mountain compare to that?
"Are we there yet?" He grumbled as finally after all day climbing the many kilometer wide mountain he finally reached the summit. "What am I looking for here Yu?"
"You're looking at it already. The crater that is. Jump in buddy. That is your goal." Yu said and Lineir felt a moment of incredulousness. He was not 100% sure that Yu wasn't just pulling his chain. "I'm serious. At the bottom you will find an ancient ruin and Trial Ground. I'm sure you're familiar with these things?"
Lineir shook his head,
"What am I hesitating for? Who cares, it's just a crater...and according to Yu there isn't even lava inside." He psyched himself up. After all, at this point he was an expert at jumping into all manner of hellish holes and mountains. This crater was extremely large, much larger than any of the Hellholes, but it didn't pose any untoward threat. It was just a regular hole in the mountain, perhaps the site of an extinct lava tunnel which ran dry millions of year ago. He crept up to the edge, peering down into the darkness below. It was pitch black, and even with his cultivator eyes, it was so deep that eventually he could not see any deeper and his Divine Sense was swallowed up into empty air. However, upon the lip he should have easily jumped and he would have if this had been the him of yesteryear. But the last time he had jumped into a hole without considering the consequences...the consequences had been quite dire.
"Oh by the Hells...it's just a regular old mountain. Just do it damnit!" Lineir muttered to himself as he steeled himself and took a step off the lip of the summit into nothingness. Feeling himself pitch forward he let himself tilt into freefall. With the wind blowing his hair back he pressed both palms together and closed his eyes, letting his Divine Sense flow out in place of his mortal senses.
"Let's go!"
Swoooooooooooooooooooosh!!!!!
Lineir fell down like a diving falcon. He did not activate his Phoenix Flame Wings. Instead he just kept his palms together accelerating faster and faster. Gradually he felt the ground grow closer and closer with his Divine Sense.
Phwooosh!
Out came his wings at the last second and he spun in the air to maximize the amount of drag he caught as abruptly his descent turned into an infinitely long controlled leap down.
Booom! Dang Dang!
There was a slight explosion as his feet slammed into the floor of the crater. Then two rapping noises came. Lineir opened his eyes, examining this new dark place using the light from his Phoenix Flame Wings to see.
"A metal chamber inside of the mountain. Interesting...and completely undetectable from outside. It really is a miracle you found this place Yu." Lineir looked around with cold eyes. Despite the praise in his voice he was not overly shocked. Hidden treasure rooms and great opportunities existed in many places, especially in the Divine Realm. It was simply up to one's luck and skill whether they could be obtained. "Let's get a better look."
Phwooooooosh!!
Lineir expanded his Phoenix Flame Wings and channeled Qi until the inside of the crater was lit up for a kilometer in all directions. He found himself in a round room at the very bottom of the mountain. It was so far down that the light of the surface did not reach the bottom despite the fact that there was nothing really between them except mist. Somewhere along the way down the crater, the intense heat actually vaporized much of the rain falling from the sky creating a mist so thick it swirled around Lineir's fingers like fog.
"Behind you." Yu greedily guided Lineir. Turning, he saw that in the wall of the chamber was a great gate. It was made of the same unknown metal which comprised the floor of the chamber. Lineir was vaguely reminded of the strange material which composed much of the city of Nithos but this was slightly different...older. Suddenly Lineir felt a stabbing in his eyes. He realized he was having trouble seeing because his Madness Eyes were flickering on and off uncontrollably.
"Ahhkk..damnit that stings." He rubbed his eyes and blinked furiously like a mortal with something in them. For a brief second when he gazed on the great gate it appeared completely different in the Madness. For a brief second he thought he saw some characters,
Lord -
However his eyes hurt too much and he had to look down. Scrunching his eyes shut he finally got his vision to return to normal.
"On the gate. There's some writing. What does it say?" Lineir asked Yu as he strode step by step closer to the gate. There was something about the gate which caused his mind to turn rancid. The script on the gate was massive, difficult to read from so close. After Lineir expanded the glow of his wings once more he finally was able to make out the words which Yu read out loud.
"The Gate of The Midnight King"
"The Midnight King? Is that one of the fighters from the Hells?" Lineir wondered confused. "Is this legacy from the Hells?"
"Precisely. This place was created by The Midnight King. I do not know whether he still lives or not, but it is beyond ancient, a relic of an age before ages. You are correct however. In ancient times, the top fighters of the Hells were the Kings. This one in particular was one of the most powerful. Amongst all the Kings, I doubt there were many, if any, who were more terrifying than The Midnight King in ancient times." Yu was absolutely sure of this. The Midnight King was terrifyingly powerful to create a technique like the Hematoma. The reason he was so eager to get Lineir to return to this place was the infinite potential here. The Hematoma was only a low level technique here. If one was sufficiently talented there were far more powerful rewards to be had!
Ruumble....kkrrrr krrrr krrrr
The metallic floor shook and and then with a deep moan the gate opened! For a few brief moments as the gate slowly dragged open Lineir felt a slight bit of excitement. It soon faded though. Lineir found himself staring down a long dark corridor. He felt space twisting strangely as Laws he did not recognize seemingly affected the area inside. Perhaps the location of this place was not what it seemed.
Krrrrrr....-
The Gate finally finished opened and Lineir wandered inside. As he did the gate began to close behind him.
Boom
"Don't worry, this isn't the kind of treasure ground which will lock you in. Everything you do from this point on is voluntary. When I was here in my youth, you could choose to go as far as you wished and turn back at any point." Yu reassured Lineir when the door shut. Lineir simply shrugged.
"Whatever."
Tap...Tap...Tap