Truth of Dangerous Path

  When he hit the ground, he had covered himself with some of his qi, preventing him from getting any fatal injuries. However, it was still a hard landing, bruises forming on his skin. Thankfully, he didn't break any bones so there was at least some good news.

  He looked around, inspecting the area he just entered. The place seemed like a massive cavern though due to the fact the expert had made the surroundings of the path look like it was still alive, he couldn't put it past him that what he saw was an illusion.

  Playing it safe, he used Luminous Clearance, the cavern didn't show any changes. He let out a sigh of relief, glad that the place didn't turn scarier. He decided to look around, wanting to find the body of the expert. 

  Based on his previous experience, the body will be the source of the rampant energy in the area. However, to his shock, besides the death energy entering from the hole above, there is practically no death energy at all.

  He wondered the reason, deciding to take a look to confirm his finding. After a few minutes of looking, he found the death energy swirling above a simple boulder, one he wouldn't have paid any attention to if not for the death qi trying to enter it.

  He looked at it, deciding if checking it would be a good idea or not. He decides to take the risk, his divine sense momentarily penetrates the boulder. Immediately, he pulled out both shock and fear written on his face, for he had found the expert.

  The expert body seemed to be stuck inside the rock, though, whether it was because he was sealed or because he had spent so long a rock formed around his body. He inspected it once more, acting more carefully less he perished in the cave.

  To his surprise, he found something, a sealing formation to be exact. While he couldn't tell how it was made, he could guess the greater of the seal used to seal the expert or to be more exact his death qi.

  He wondered about his next course of action when he felt a pulling sensation. He was not sure whether to follow it or not but decided to take the risk first. He moved closer to the boulder, briefly tracing all the markings on it. All have traces of death qi in them.

  The only possibility is the expert has a friend who was also cultivating using the same art as his, making him proficient in the Law of Death. If not, he didn't have a clue why the marks made by death qi would be present outside of the seal.

  He briefly touched a large scar when he felt a tug at his soul. He tries to prevent it but fails, his soul pushed as his vision is filled with darkness.

-x-

  Opening his eyes, he was met with the sight of the forest near the path. He wondered if he was sent somewhere when he heard the sound of fighting in the sky. Looking upwards, he saw several experts fighting one person, the person exuding powerful death qi.

  "You dreaming if you think you can beat this king!" the expert yelled, swinging a first made of death qi, pushing his attackers away. 

  Before he could get away from them, another expert appeared and blocked his path, forcing the expert in Law of Death to grit his teeth. Soon, the other experts that were pushed away surrounded the fighting experts making no move to help their leaders as he was currently fighting the Law of Death expert alone.

  While the expert made a valiant last stand, he was still surrounded by foes with similar strength to him. The battle quickly ended as expected. The expert was currently in a half-dead state, being tied to a steel pole.

  "What are we going to do, kill him just like them?" one of the experts asked their leader, the one responsible for their current mission. 

  "No, if we do that, the place will be filled with death qi, poisoning everything around it. We might not be kind people but at least we have some conscience," the leader said, leaving the group.

  The scene changes to the point where a huge cave is made, the Law of Death expert is put at the very center. Surrounding him was the expert involved in his capture save for a few new faces.

  Looking around, Ryker spots several formations placed on the floor. The experts gathered before activating it. The Law of Death expert could only scream in terror as he was slowly petrified and rocks growing from his body. 

  The expert tried to plead but could only scream in terror as he was slowly unable to move, trapped inside the boulder until the day he died. After finishing the expert, the group left, not noticing a strange movement.

  Ryker would have done the same if not for the fact he was turned to look at a small figure covered in all black. Intrugee he watched as the person removed his cloak, surprise filling Ryker's face as he recognized the figure.

  How could he not when he saw the same face being petrified a moment ago? Before he could wonder how he escaped, the expert kneeled next to the boulder.

  "True body, don't worry, this clone of yours will free you from this wretched place," the clone said before he went outside.

  The scene changed again as he was met with the sight of a fully powered attack from the clone that couldn't match the defensive formation and put a single scratch on them.

  The scene changed again as the clone held his chest, seemingly trying to prevent something when he roared to the sky, trying to let out his anguish. He later exploded, and the powerful being Qi traversed the path, stopping at the two paths, most likely a road was needed.

  The clone explosion soon filled the path, turning it into a death trap. The death energy moved subconsciously to where its true body had died. Turning the area above it into a spiral of death energy.

  His vision turned black once more, making him close his eyes to orient himself. When he opened it, he saw the cave, his eyes on the boulder. He wondered what to do. Should he get to the top or should he do something?

  Unfortunately, the decision was met for them, the death energy penetrating the boulder making several cracks appear, the cracks getting bigger and bigger. He could only look in horror as the cracks forced the boulder to explode.