Despite how intricate the first array was breaking it shouldn't be that hard. From what I could tell it should be possible to break the array by hitting it hard enough. Something that I decided not to share with Xerxes. I took a moment to to study the array. Mostly to see if I could recreate it. The sigils that made it up didn't seem too complicated. It took me around thirty minutes to commit each one to memory before I was confident I could make them again. When I was ready I formed three blades of compressed space and prodded along the edges of the array. "Its kind of weak." I placed each of the tips against connecting nodes of the array and pressed into them. The array shattered like a glass window pane.

  A wave of energy washed over us which prompted me to circulate the Ethereal Codex. A moment later the energy split as me and Xerxes worked to absorb it. There was enough to get me around a fourth of a level which should mean I would level up at least once by the time we finished. "You ready to get a move on?" I asked as strode forth. The next array was only a bit more difficult than the last one. It was mostly the same sigils so I wasn't too interested in it. Instead I let Xerxes break this one.

  He slammed his head into the array like a battering ram until it broke. A blunt method was both disappointing and incredibly effective. Once again we absorbed the energy as fast as possible. This pattern repeated itself until we reached the fifth array. By now we had to have traveled a mile deeper underground. I couldn't see anything with my soul sense besides dirt and stone. A part of me felt like we might get stuck under here forever if we weren't careful. I pushed that fear to the back of my mind and focused on what was in front of me.

  This array was much more interesting than the rest. For starters it was three arrays in one. Or rather it was a nested array. There was a gathering array that provided the energy for the shield that stopped us from going forward. Inside both of those was the array that trapped the energy. The effect was impressive. Neither of us could break through this one even if we imbued our attacks with the Tao. It also served as a guide on how to create more complicated arrays. After all why couldn't I make an array just like this one? Place a few spirit stones inside an energy gathering array so that it diverted the power to a secondary or even tertiary effect.

  Once I understood what the array was doing breaking it wasn't too hard. I just dismantled the gathering portion first. After that breaking the shield was easy. The potency of energy in this area had increased so we were forced to take our time absorbing it. Not that I was complaining. This the most efficient way of increasing my level so far. Part of me wished their were enough for me to grind to level fifty. We continued onto the next array.

  Arrays six and seven were different stories. It was like the difficulty sliders on the dungeon had been dialed up. The sixth required me to break two smaller arrays while a third array released pulses of energy that disrupted my energy control. It was the most pain in the ass thing in the world. It reminded me of when the orphanage volunteers would show up and everyone wanted to play virtual "Operation". Only the stakes were much higher.

  It was the seventh array where shit got real. The array was no easier to deal with than the sixth and there was monster to fight. I held my hand out to stop Xerxes from blasting it with a ball of fire. Even with the Eye of Heaven I was having a hard time understanding what this array did. It had a near identical set up to the previous one only there was a component that transmitted energy into the golem. It wasn't the same type as the ones outside. It was more likely that this one was a prototype or maybe a doll version?

  Regardless of what it actually was the golem made no attempt to move. Which made me not want to attack it. I formed three blades of spatial energy and sent them toward the array. As soon as they got within ten feet the golem moved. It slammed its fist into each of the edges until they broke. Only the Tao wasn't destroyed. The puppet absorbed the energy. "Oh you son of a bitch." I grinned as I stared at the beautiful thing in front of me. "It will absorb the energy from any attacks we use against it. My guess is that it can use that energy to either make itself stronger or to repair the array."

  "So we have to work together?" Xerxes asked. His tone filling with anticipation. He bore his fangs at the golem.

  "It looks like it. Try to avoid using too much power. I am not sure if the golem has a maximum amount of power. The last thing we need is to create an immortal killing machine."

  Xerxes snarled and shot forward like a cannon. He slammed into the golem a moment later and slammed it into the array. For a moment I was worried that bringing the array and golem together would cause a problem but there was nothing. I waited a moment to be sure that Xerxes could handle himself before I turned my attention to the rest of the array. I shaped three blades of compressed space and got to work. It felt like it took me an eternity to get it done. Something that was made even more difficult whenever Xerxes unleashed a breath of flame.

  By the time I broke the array neither of us was in the mood to keep going. It turned out my initial assumption was too limited. The array that controlled the golem was connected to the main array so whenever I broke a part a surge of energy would go into the puppet. Which made it stronger. Which made Xerxes need to try harder which ultimately made things harder for me. The creator had effectively created self perpetuating loop.

  "Lets rest here for now. I can't see how many more arrays there are which means we should pace ourselves. The last thing we want is to face a hard challenge while we are exhausted."

  "Agreed. You will need more time to recover your energy and your mental exhaustion so I will rest first."

  Part of me wanted to argue with him over that but I didn't care that much. I also wanted to spend a bit of time to process all I learned. I felt like my understanding of arrays had increased. It wasn't as tangible a thing as a spell or even the Tao but I had advanced nonetheless. I wanted to get to work on my own arrays but I wasn't confident in making one without array discs. The stone here was horrible. It barely held energy which would make the drawing of sigils harder. Not only that but it would also make an arrays I made worse.

  I spent an hour meditating on my Tao while I kept my focus on the world around us. I wasn't sure if there were other golems nor did I know if they could range this far from an array but I didn't want to take the risk. When we switched I decided to take a nap. The ground wasn't exactly comfortable but I wasn't sure how much sleep I would get once this was over. It was possible that this quest would immediately start another or that the Herald would attack as soon as I was back.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  We started up again as soon as I felt up to it. The next array was a different beast than the others. It was filled with a Tao. The Tao was something related to darkness which only added to my unease. I couldn't see what was going on the other side of the array. The array was a thick inky black cloud. I formed blades of both compressed space and psychic energy but neither helped. I couldn't break this array from here. I also couldn't see where the energy was going it all just disappeared. I pushed a bit of spiritual energy into the Eye of Heaven but that barely made a difference.

  "I think you should stay here." I glanced over at Xerxes. I held up a hand to stop him from arguing. "I don't think this is an array that could be dealt with through force. My guess is that I have to enter it to deal with it. I have the Eye of Heaven to help but you don't and the last thing we need is us both to get stuck. If I don't come back in an hour or so then you can start burning it up."

  I waited a moment for him to agree and then I strode forward. The moment I entered the darkness I regretted it. Whatever Tao this was worked differently. The darkness was somewhat tangible. It seeped into my channels like oil. I had only took a handful of steps before it started to gunk up my channels. I flooded my body with my own Tao to fight back. It was like trying to hold onto the rain. The harder I tried the more seemed to slip through. Finally I decided to shift goals. I expanded my Tao field to its maximum used it like a filter. It wasn't enough to stop the flow of Tao but it helped.

  The Eye of Heaven strained to see the darkness and I had to double the amount of energy flowing into it. Finally I started to pick up thin energy paths. I gritted my teeth as the darkness dug further and further into my body while I searched for the core of the array. My channels strained and burned as I forced more of my energy through them. By the time I found the array's core it felt like I had walked for days. It took me three tries to form the blades I needed to break the array and then another five to keep them stable.

  The darkness intensified every time I hit the array. As if it knew what I was trying to do. By the time the first layer shattered my energy felt like sludge going through my body. By the time the second layer fell my muscles felt like they had been turned to stone. I tried to activated both Intellect Fortress and Psychic Aegis but neither spell worked. I took a moment to pass my inner eye over my body and immediately regretted the choice. Not only were my channels covered in a pervasive darkness but so were my sigils. I couldn't activate any of them.

  I fought against the panic that threatened consume my sense and focused. I just needed to break the array. After that the darkness would fade and then I could recover. I tried to form another set of blades to help my progress but it failed. I bit back a scream of frustration and renewed my work. The third and final layer of the array began to unfold. My mind worked almost on instinct as I hammered at the array's nodes. Suddenly there was a crack. Panic shot through me and I was about to search my sigils to find out what had broken when I saw the array core. It was falling apart.

  I dropped to my knees and slammed all three blades into it. The crack exploded and light was returned to the world. I groaned and leaned forward with my head in my hands. The darkness had started to fade but it would be a while. I wasn't sure if this array was designed to kill you or just weaken you until you couldn't or wouldn't want to move. Either way I had dealt with it. I felt the familiar wush of energy and slowly circulated my cultivation technique. The surge of energy hurt in a good way. It was like the burn you feel after you finished a workout.

  I laid there in a stunned silence for what felt like hours but was likely only a few minutes. When the darkness had fully been flushed from my system I stood. "Are you alright?" Xerxes asked.

  I nodded. "Yeah lets hope that's the last of that kind of array. That was not at all fun. Did anything happen while I was resting?"

  He shook his head. "No, I don't smell anything further into the tomb so its likely that this challenge isn't done yet."

  I groaned and then started forward. "Lets just get this over with." We continued on our way and the images on the walls began to change. It started to tell the story of the death of the maker from the beginning and what I assumed was the creation of this tomb. It explained that the maker created this place before his death. Once he finished he walked into the tomb and never came out.

  It was bitter sweet and reminded me a bit of the story of King Arthur. Specifically the part where Arthur was supposed to return in Britain hour of greatest need. A fact that made me a bit curious. If Arthur had been some kind of cultivator than maybe he left something behind. Of course, it was more likely that it was just a story and that he never existed. The happy thoughts faded when the tunnel ended and we entered a large chamber. The room was the same size as the one that we used to enter this place.

  Likewise there was a door on the other side. The unfortunate part was the array between us and the door. Even with the benefits of the Eye of Heaven I couldn't tell what it did. I could tell it wasn't decide to kill nor disable like the last one. The energy was vaguely similar to the Tao of Lucidity which was frightening. If this was some kind of illusion trap we might be in trouble.

  The array was half as big as all the others but contained nearly three times the energy. Staring at it made my heart tremble. I searched for weak points in the but there weren't any. The array was perfect as far as I could tell. I formed three blades of compressed energy and let them float around it. After ten minutes I closed my eyes. "I am not sure what to do."

  "You have dealt with the other arrays why can't you deal with this one?" Xerxes asked as he lay on the ground.

  "This one doesn't have a flaw anywhere. Its like the creator used each array to cover up the other array's flaws. I don't think I can break it."

  "Should we combine our strength? We may be able to blow it up."

  I had to admit the idea a certain appeal to it but I decided against it. I wasn't sure how dangerous the array was nor could I tell if it would retaliate if we tried it. "Outside of trying to break it the only other option I can think of is going into it. Like the last one and trying to break it from the inside."

  "What if you can't get back out?"

  I chuckled and rolled my shoulders. "Aww it almost sounds like you are worried about me. I guess we can't get anything if we aren't willing to risk our necks. If I die or in some other way get fucked up then feel free to try and blow the whole thing up."

  I stepped forward half expecting my danger sense to scream a warning but there was nothing. I took a breath of air and then stepped into the array. I hadn't taken more than a step when five spectral chains shot out of the center of the array. I expanded my Tao field as fast as I could but it was no where near enough. All five shot into my chest and latched onto my soul. A secondary pulse of light and the room changed. It was the same chamber only newer. It only took me a moment to realize that I was in the past. Or rather an illusion of it.

  A figure stepped into the room. My brain recoiled what what I saw. Somehow the person in front of me was both bigger than entire planets and the same size as the golems outside. It was like two images were superimposed on each other. The figure looked at me and the weight of a mountain slammed onto my shoulders. I collapsed onto my stomach and had to fight just to breathe.

  "Interloper?" My body felt like it would shatter just from the sound of his voice.

  I tried to respond, to defend myself my energy refused to move. Primal fear rose in the pit of my stomach as the figure moved closer to me. The pressure suddenly disappeared in air rushed into my lungs. My energy surged like a dog that had slipped its leash and burned through my channels. I expanded my Tao field though I could tell the difference between me and whoever this person was too great. I braced myself as the figure spoke again

  "Prove you are worthy"