Time Shard

After the Great War, cultivators were hard to be found. The power that cultivators could harness was deadly and the Great War that was already bloody became catastrophic. Many clans and sects fell and their legacies were destroyed. Those that remained retreated from the secular world, washing their hands clean from matters unrelated to their cultivation. The shadows of the Great War left a deep scar. The blood and tears of those who suffered still had not been washed clean by time. Thus the Covenant of Silence was established. Those who entered the cultivation world must not meddle in mortal affairs. Still, this did not mean that cultivators never step foot into the secular world. However, they limit themselves to hunts and solving supernatural cases.

"Do you think they're members of a sect?" Nea asked. One of the main reasons for her leaving the clan was to meet her father. From her mother's scarce tale, Nea knew that her father was an elder of a sect.

"Perhaps," White replied.

Although, most cultivators began their cultivation journey through a sect or a school. Some walked the path of a rogue cultivator. They did not tie themselves with any major parties and wandered by themselves. Rogue cultivators usually stayed solitary and it was rare to see them pair up.

At the moment, the most important thing was to gather more information. Nea wanted to find her father but she had never left the clan so she didn't know where to start. White was locked in a room for years and wanted to travel. Yun Heng had lost his memories and had to recover them.

Nea asked, "So should we just approach them or…?"

"Of course not," White rejected, "it would be too suspicious if we just approach them out of the blue. We should follow them in secret."

Nea was speechless, '… Isn't that more suspicious, though?' It was indeed useless to argue with an unreasonable madman. Nea began to stand up but White held her back, pressing down her shoulder.

"Brat, why don't you listen to my explanation first before running around without thinking? There is something weird in this city. I don't know what exactly it is but those two must be here to investigate it."

Yun Heng frowned, he didn't feel anything was amiss.

White smirked. "No need to be so vexed. It is not strange for you two not to notice it. After all, I am one of a kind. Anyway, I don't like them, so we better keep our distance."

Nea's eye twitched in anger. 'That's your main reason, isn't it?'

The moon hung bright on the dark sky when they tailed the two figures to outside of the city. The two unknown cultivators dashed into the thick forest. They stopped in front of a cave. One of them looked at a strange device. It had half a sphere-shaped, and its width was the size of a palm. Inside it, a light was pulsing. Runes glimmered on the surface of the sphere. The two figures advanced inside the cave.

Nea, Yun Heng, and White glanced at each other. White flashed a smile and confidently sauntered inside. Yun Heng and Nea followed behind him. The cave was dark, and there was a faint sound of dripping water. Although they could not see very clearly, this darkness did not hinder their progress. All of them had cultivated and thus their senses were sharper than the average people.

A glint of light came from the darkness.

SHAA!

White raised his hand and deflected the arrow made of light.

DANG!

The arrow crashed into the wall of the cave. Dust and shards of rocks exploded out. Yun Heng leaped and tackled one of the cultivators. The cultivator slashed at Yun Heng using a sharp sword, however, Yun Heng dodged it with ease and clamped on the cultivator's wrist, forcing his opponent to drop the sword. Yun Heng struck the opponent's neck, causing him crumpled to the ground.

The other cultivator tried to stab Nea on the back. Nea crouched down and tried to kickback. The enemy jumped back. However, White had sneaked behind the cultivator and struck him. He stole the strange device and ran deeper into the cave.

"Where are you going?!" Nea shouted while blocking an attack.

The two cultivators switched their target to White, leaving Nea and Yun Heng behind.

White examined the device as he ran. His gaze narrowed as he felt the qi imbued in it. From the ancient runes inscribed on it, it seemed that this thing was a locator. He didn't try to activate it, knowing that his probing would be rejected. He put the device into this interspatial space and hastened his pace. The qi in this cave was churning and agitated. The air exuded a touch of old power as White went deeper.

The corridor-like cave expanded into a massive chasm. One could not see the bottom of it. Without an ounce of hesitation, White threw himself into its depths. Yun Heng followed suit.

"W-wait! What?" Nea halted on the edge.

The two cultivators passed her and threw themselves off the cliff.

Seeing that she was the only one left, Nea wanted to cry. "This is madness." She finally jumped.

Nea closed her eyes expecting to crash into the ground. Seconds passed. Nothing. Nea peeled her eyes open. Out of the blue, she felt a strange pressure. The damp air of the cave disappeared. Screams of beast and shouts of battle flooded her ears as she fell through clouds. There was a battle below on the ground and in the sky. Cultivators flew and slung spells or weapons against strange beasts. These beasts had white skin and lines of gold covering their body. They came in different shapes. Some had four legs. Others were merely in the shape of a ball with wings. One large beast chomped down on a downed cultivator on the ground. Her dying screams merely one of many.

"What the hell?!" Nea screamed.

A bi-pedal beast with wings tried to strike her back but she dodged it. She sent a kick at its back while grabbing its wings. The beast was shot to the ground, its wings ripped off. Nea used several beasts to soften her landing. She barely had time to breathe when someone dragged her. She raised her fist but found out that it was Yun Heng.

"What is this place?" Nea asked.

Yun Heng did not answer, merely looking at White who just punched a beast into the air.

"We are in a time shard," White explained. "The clashes of might in ancient past still left ripples on this realm. That cliff must have been a secret entrance to an ancient sect." White gazed at the bloody battle around them, unattached and cold. "Although this is merely echoes of the past, it can still injure us. So be careful or your soul will be trapped in this endless nightmare."

"Those two were looking for this place?" Nea guessed. "But why?"

"Another mystery." White smiled.

"I lost my sight on those two in the chaos," Yun Heng said.

White said, "The only thing worth of importance is the core. That must be their objective."