The Underground Palace.
After passing through the illusionary magic array from last time, Kael entered the underground palace once more. The interior was pitch-black, but Kael was already familiar with it—after all, the first time was a trial, the second time was mastery.
The passage wasn't just dark—it was also extremely narrow, far too cramped for the massive bodies of the Unicorn Rhinos. Without hesitation, Kael stored all of them into his contract space before proceeding into the corridor.
Leading the way was the Snow Bear Beast leader—the same one Kael had befriended earlier. With a flick of his wrist, Kael cast an Illumination Spell, instantly lighting up the space as bright as day, revealing every minute detail.
Kael's eyes gleamed with calm confidence. The two Sphinx guardians they had encountered last time were only at the seventh tier in strength—what made them troublesome was their legendary immortality. But now? They were no longer a threat.
"Granite Adamantine!" Kael's gaze sharpened as he focused on the stone walls lining the passage.
The entire underground palace was constructed from Granite Adamantine, a rare mineral used in magical construction. Kael smirked—he had long planned to return here. Last time, they had discovered this material as well, but back then, they had been in too much of a hurry and lacked the means to carry such a massive quantity. They had no choice but to leave it behind.
Granite Adamantine was an excellent material for building magic towers. While not exorbitantly expensive per unit, the sheer volume required for construction made the total cost astronomical.
"Kael, you planned this all along, didn't you?" Amelia laughed, wrapping her arms around him and shooting him a playful glare. Her stunning beauty, even in the dim light, left Kael momentarily breathless.
No matter how many times he looked at her, Amelia's peerless elegance never failed to captivate him.
Kael grinned. "Of course! This time, I brought plenty of spatial rings—we're looting this place dry!" With this much Granite Adamantine, his future magic tower was practically guaranteed. The savings alone were staggering.
Even better, the Granite Adamantine here had already been refined—virtually free of impurities, ready for immediate use. That alone would save Kael an enormous amount of time.
"Amelia, help me extract this Granite Adamantine!" Kael said.
Amelia gave a slight nod. Suddenly, her Frost Battle Qi erupted, releasing a chilling mist that made even the Snow Bear Beast shiver uncontrollably. Her Battle Qi Resonance was now vastly more refined than before—so powerful that Kael couldn't help but be impressed. Amelia's battle qi had always been formidable, but after grasping Battle Qi Resonance, it had reached new heights. Though she had only just begun mastering it, she could already wield it effectively.
With a sharp, piercing screech, her Frost Battle Qi sliced through the Granite Adamantine like a blade, carving it into neat, block-like segments.
The grating sound sent the Snow Bear Beast leaping away in alarm. Kael could only chuckle wryly, though inwardly, he was thrilled—Granite Adamantine was so incredibly durable that even Amelia's current strength required significant effort to cut through it. That alone spoke volumes about its quality.
"If we alloy the Granite Adamantine with other metals, we could enhance its hardness even further. The resulting magic tower would be even more perfect!" Kael mused as he stored the cut pieces into his spatial ring.
Due to the material's extreme toughness, the process took Amelia quite some time. By the end, fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead. Gently, Kael wiped them away, his touch tender.
The Snow Bear Beast watched in silent astonishment. "This ruthless Kael actually has a gentle side?" In its memory, Kael had always been a terrifyingly brutal figure.
Amelia smiled softly. "Alright, let's move on." Kael's spatial ring was now packed to the brim with Granite Adamantine. If they found any more treasures, they'd need another ring.
With the walls stripped bare, only raw earth remained in the passage, filling the air with a thick, musty scent of soil.
After reorganizing themselves, Kael and Amelia pressed deeper into the ruins, with the Snow Bear Beast leading the way—this time far more obedient than before. After all, bound by contract, a newfound trust had formed between them.
As they stepped through the passage entrance, the underground labyrinth sprawled before them—countless tunnels and caverns branching in every direction like a honeycomb or an ant colony, disorienting to the extreme.
But this time, Kael and Amelia felt none of their past uncertainty. With their enhanced strength, the dangers lurking within these tunnels seemed far less threatening.
Faced with dozens of branching tunnel entrances, Kael simply shrugged and summoned several dozen Snow Bear Beasts at once. The passage was instantly packed with the furry creatures, who blinked up at Kael in confusion, unsure what he was planning.
"I have a task for you all!" Kael said with a grin. "Scout these tunnels—look for treasures or anything unusual. Just reconnaissance, no need to engage!"
Finally understanding, the Snow Bear Beasts nodded eagerly before scampering off to explore. After all, this was just a scouting mission—if they encountered danger, they could always retreat in time.
Meanwhile, Kael and Amelia settled inside the cavern, taking advantage of the breather. Seated across from each other, they waited leisurely for the Snow Bear Beasts to report back.
Roughly half an hour later, the scouts began returning one by one.
"Boss Kael, my tunnel's a dead end—nothing there!" one Snow Bear Beast announced, bouncing excitedly. The creatures had taken to calling Kael "Boss" with amusing solemnity, their round eyes and fluffy bodies making them resemble oversized rabbits.
Kael nodded. In a labyrinth like this, many tunnels led nowhere, and such paths were often the majority. That was precisely why he'd sent the Snow Bear Beasts ahead.
"Boss Kael, mine's empty too!"
"Same here!"
One after another, the reports came in—all disappointingly uneventful. Kael's brow furrowed slightly. Could such a massive underground palace truly hold no treasures left to discover?
That didn't seem possible.
By all logic, this was one of the most valuable sites in the ancient ruins, as the Snow Bear Beasts had claimed. There had to be something of worth here.
Just as Kael was puzzling over this, a voice piped up—
"Boss Kael, I found something!"
It was none other than the Snow Bear Beast leader.
"A discovery? Excellent!" Kael's excitement flared. Grabbing Amelia's hand, he said, "Lead the way!"
"No problem!" The Snow Bear Beast hopped ahead eagerly, with Kael, Amelia, and the remaining idle scouts following close behind.
Guided by the creature, the two ventured deeper into the cavern.
The cave's depth was a given, but what truly caught Kael's attention was the faint yet unmistakable trace of an extraordinarily pure energy lingering in the air—one that felt intimately familiar and sent a thrill through him.
"This is... lightning energy!" Kael froze momentarily, sensing an immediate resonance between this power and his own. The compatibility was seamless, as if they were cut from the same cloth.
As they ventured deeper, a dazzling violet glow flooded their vision.
At the heart of the cavern, a radiant purple light pulsed—crystalline, shimmering, and breathtakingly vivid. It was a spectacle of iridescent brilliance, arresting the eye with its otherworldly allure.
Dominating the chamber stood a towering violet crystal, roughly half a person's height, its surface crackling with intricate webs of purple lightning. The sight left both Kael and Amelia momentarily spellbound.
For Kael, however, the discovery was nothing short of euphoric.
The lightning-wreathed crystal thrummed with power identical to his own—a perfect match for his innate thunder abilities.
"Violet Thunderstone!" Kael's knowledge from The Book of Immortality instantly identified the rare magical mineral. His pulse quickened.