Chapter 166: ^

Chapter 166: Chapter 166: ^

The Eastern Sanctuary had fallen silent.

Smoke drifted through the damaged halls, and the remains of the Hollow warriors were scattered across the courtyard. Some had been reduced to ashes by the explosion, while others lay beneath broken pillars and shattered stones.

The surviving members of the Ashen Covenant moved cautiously through the ruins, checking for wounded companions and securing the entrances.

Arden stood near the refining chamber, one hand pressed against his injured side.

His armor was damaged, and blood stained the lower part of his clothing. Despite his injuries, his gaze remained fixed on the direction in which the Hollow commander had disappeared.

Ronan stood several meters away.

His condition wasn’t particularly good either.

The explosion had consumed a considerable amount of the sanctuary’s energy, and the battle had left several injuries across his body. Although his recovery was considerably faster than that of ordinary creatures, he still needed time and resources to return to his peak condition.

More importantly, he had learned something during the battle.

The gray energy could be absorbed.

It was dangerous, unstable, and extremely painful, but it wasn’t completely incompatible with his body.

That alone made it worth investigating.

"How bad is the damage?" Ronan asked.

Arden turned towards him.

"Bad enough that we won’t be able to activate the sanctuary’s main formation again anytime soon. Several energy channels have been destroyed, and the remaining ones are barely functional."

He glanced towards the refining chamber.

"If we hadn’t redirected the energy through that chamber, the entire sanctuary might have been destroyed."

Ronan followed his gaze.

The refining equipment was still standing, although several components had been damaged. The central platform had cracks running across its surface, and the energy channels surrounding it had lost their original glow.

However, the chamber itself hadn’t collapsed.

That was fortunate.

Ronan reached into his storage space and retrieved the Abyssal Devourer’s core.

The dark object rested in his palm, releasing faint waves of energy.

Arden immediately noticed it.

"That’s..."

"The core of the creature we killed beneath your sanctuary," Ronan replied.

Arden’s expression changed.

"You kept it?"

"Why wouldn’t I?"

The vampire’s response was completely natural.

He hadn’t risked his life fighting that creature just to hand over its most valuable part without receiving anything in return.

Arden studied the core.

"That creature was consuming the energy sustaining our seals. Its core was probably responsible for regulating the energy it absorbed."

"Which means it might be useful for your refining equipment."

"Possibly."

Ronan smiled faintly.

"Then we should test it."

Arden looked at him for several seconds before shaking his head.

"You really don’t waste time."

"Time is valuable."

Ronan walked towards the refining chamber.

He wasn’t particularly interested in helping the Ashen Covenant repair its sanctuary. However, if their equipment could refine the mysterious energy, it would give him another way to study something that his own abilities couldn’t properly handle.

More importantly, it might allow him to use Energy Devouring without repeatedly damaging himself.

That was the real opportunity.

---

Inside the chamber, several surviving guardians had already begun examining the damaged equipment.

They stopped when Ronan entered.

Some of them still remembered how he had fought alongside Arden against the Hollow. Others hadn’t forgotten that he was an outsider who had previously fought their senior guardian.

Their expressions were complicated.

"Leave us," Arden instructed.

The guardians hesitated.

"Senior Guardian, the refining chamber is damaged. We should first—"

"I know its condition. Go and assist the others."

They bowed before leaving.

Arden approached the central platform.

"The equipment was designed to separate impurities from concentrated energy and stabilize it before storage. However, we’ve never used a core like this as its regulator."

Ronan placed the Abyssal Devourer’s core on the platform.

"Can you make it work?"

"I can try."

Arden examined the surrounding channels before pointing towards several engraved slots.

"Place the core there. The energy channels will connect to it, allowing the equipment to draw from its energy."

Ronan followed his instructions.

The moment the core settled into the central slot, faint lines of light spread across the platform.

Several inscriptions began glowing.

A low vibration passed through the chamber.

Arden immediately adjusted the surrounding controls.

"Don’t release your energy yet."

Ronan watched carefully.

The core began absorbing the residual energy within the chamber. At first, the process was smooth, but the vibration gradually became stronger.

A crack appeared along one of the smaller channels.

Arden’s expression changed.

"Stop!"

He reached for the control mechanism.

But Ronan had already noticed the problem.

The core wasn’t simply absorbing the energy.

It was attempting to consume everything flowing through the channels, just as the Abyssal Devourer had done beneath the sanctuary.

Ronan extended his hand.

A faint gravitational force spread through the chamber, stabilizing the trembling platform while he adjusted the position of the core.

The pressure eased slightly.

Arden quickly closed two of the energy channels.

The vibration finally stopped.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Arden released a breath.

"That was close."

Ronan withdrew his hand.

"The core needs something to regulate the amount of energy it absorbs."

"Yes. Otherwise, it will consume everything connected to it."

Ronan examined the inscriptions.

Formation Sense allowed him to perceive the structure of the energy channels, and he could now identify how the different sections interacted.

He wasn’t an expert in refining equipment, but he understood enough to recognize the problem.

"The flow needs to be divided into stages," he said. "Instead of allowing the core to absorb everything directly, the energy should pass through smaller channels first."

Arden looked at him.

"You understand formation structures?"

"Enough to recognize when something is about to explode."

Arden gave him a strange look.

Ronan ignored it.

They spent the next several minutes adjusting the damaged channels.

Eventually, the equipment began functioning again.

A faint stream of gray energy entered the outer section of the platform before passing through several layers of inscriptions.

The energy gradually became thinner.

Then, at the final stage, it entered a small crystal container.

The gray color had faded considerably.

It wasn’t completely purified, but the difference was noticeable.

Arden stared at the result.

"It worked..."

Ronan approached the container.

He could still sense traces of the strange energy within it, but the violent fluctuations were gone.

He extended his hand and carefully touched the crystal.

A faint sensation spread through his palm.

Unlike the energy he had absorbed during the battle, this refined version didn’t immediately attack his body.

His Energy Devouring trait reacted.

However, Ronan didn’t rush to absorb it.

He had already learned what happened when he tried to consume unfamiliar energy without understanding its properties.

Instead, he withdrew his hand.

"How much can this equipment refine?"

"That depends on the energy source and the condition of the channels. Under normal circumstances, it could process a considerable amount."

Arden paused.

"But we no longer have enough energy to operate it continuously."

Ronan glanced at the core.

"Then you’ll need to repair the sanctuary."

"That will take time."

"How much?"

"Several weeks, perhaps longer."

Ronan frowned slightly.

Several weeks wasn’t particularly convenient.

He wanted to understand the gray energy before the Hollow commander returned.

And judging by the strength of the presence that had approached during the battle, the next encounter could be considerably more dangerous.

---

"There’s something else," Arden said.

Ronan turned towards him.

"The Hollow commander wasn’t the only one who arrived."

"I noticed."

"The energy signature that forced him to retreat was far stronger than anything we’ve encountered recently."

Arden’s expression became serious.

"We’ve faced Hollow commanders before. They usually operate independently or lead smaller groups. But the presence we sensed today..."

He paused.

"It was different."

"How different?"

"Strong enough that even the commander didn’t dare remain."

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

He remembered the way the masked figure had withdrawn.

The commander hadn’t looked frightened, but he had clearly recognized something.

That meant the approaching presence wasn’t an ordinary superior.

Perhaps it was the person responsible for commanding the Hollow forces in this region.

Or something even more troublesome.

"Do you know who it was?" Ronan asked.

"No."

Arden shook his head.

"The Ashen Covenant has records of several powerful beings associated with the ancient seals, but none of those records mention the presence we sensed."

Ronan said nothing.

He wasn’t interested in fighting an unknown opponent simply because it had appeared.

He needed information first.

If the creature was considerably stronger than him, fighting it now would be foolish.

He had already experienced the difference between the Seventh-Star and Eight-Star King Realm.

He wasn’t going to repeat that mistake against something potentially far more powerful.

"How many sanctuaries are connected to this region?" Ronan asked.

"Five."

"How many remain operational?"

"Three, including this one."

Ronan raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to the other two?"

"One was abandoned after its seal collapsed. The other stopped responding several months ago."

That caught his attention.

"Stopped responding?"

Arden nodded.

"We sent several teams to investigate, but none returned."

Ronan looked towards the damaged refining chamber.

The Hollow had attacked this sanctuary after the Abyssal Devourer was killed. Their commander had also recognized the mark on his palm.

There was clearly a connection between the ancient structures, the seals, and whatever the Hollow was searching for.

However, he still didn’t know what the mark actually represented.

And he wasn’t going to let the Ashen Covenant extract it from his body just to satisfy their curiosity.

"Where is the abandoned sanctuary?" he asked.

Arden looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because I want to see it."

"You just fought the Hollow commander. Your injuries haven’t even healed."

"That doesn’t answer my question."

Arden remained silent for a moment.

Then he sighed.

"The abandoned sanctuary is located north of the Ashen Reach. It’s beneath a mountain range known as the Black Veil."

Ronan committed the location to memory.

"Good."

"You’re planning to go there?"

"Eventually."

Arden studied him.

"You understand that the Hollow may already control that area?"

"Then I’ll find out how strong they are before deciding what to do."

Arden shook his head.

He had seen Ronan fight.

The vampire wasn’t afraid of danger, but he wasn’t entirely reckless either. Every action seemed to have a purpose, and even during the battle, he had been searching for ways to turn the sanctuary’s energy against their enemies.

It was difficult to determine whether he was an ally or simply someone whose interests happened to align with theirs.

Perhaps both.

---

Several hours later, Ronan finally left the refining chamber.

The surviving guardians had managed to recover a portion of the sanctuary’s supplies. Arden also arranged a temporary resting area for him.

Ronan didn’t refuse.

He needed time to recover.

More importantly, he wanted to examine the refined energy without interruptions.

Once he was alone, he retrieved the crystal container.

He placed it on the table and studied its contents.

The gray energy moved slowly inside the crystal.

It was considerably more stable than before.

Ronan extended one finger and released a small amount of energy from his body.

The crystal responded.

A thin strand of gray energy emerged from its surface.

He activated Energy Devouring.

The strand entered his fingertip.

A sharp sensation spread through his arm.

Ronan’s expression tightened.

It still wasn’t completely compatible.

However, the reaction was much weaker than during his previous attempt.

He continued absorbing the energy for a few seconds before stopping.

The amount was small, but he could feel the difference.

The refined energy was easier to process.

Ronan examined the sensation carefully.

He hadn’t gained a new trait, nor had his strength increased significantly. But he had confirmed something important.

The refining equipment could reduce the instability of the gray energy enough for his body to tolerate a limited amount.

That meant the process could be improved.

And if he could eventually refine the energy to a level his body could absorb safely, it might become another source of power.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

The Abyssal Devourer had been a troublesome opponent, but its core had turned out to be considerably more valuable than he initially expected.

He placed the container away.

Then he checked his condition.

His injuries were gradually recovering, although he was still far from his peak.

Seventh-Star King Realm.

There was no change in his realm.

Ronan wasn’t particularly disappointed.

He had acquired several useful traits recently, and he had discovered a potential method of refining the mysterious energy.

That was enough progress for now.

Still, he needed something more substantial.

The creatures around the Ashen Reach were becoming increasingly familiar, and most of them weren’t strong enough to provide meaningful improvements.

If he wanted to advance further, he needed stronger prey.

His thoughts briefly returned to the abandoned sanctuary beneath the Black Veil Mountains.

A place where an entire expedition had disappeared.

A place where the Hollow might have established a presence.

And possibly a place containing creatures powerful enough to interest him.

Ronan leaned back.

"Seems like I’ll have to visit that place sooner or later."

Outside, the sanctuary remained quiet.

But far beyond the Eastern Sanctuary, something moved through the darkness.

A faint pulse of gray energy spread across the distant mountain range.

Then another.

And another.

The surviving members of the Ashen Covenant didn’t notice it.

Arden, however, suddenly raised his head.

He stared towards the north.

For a brief moment, the damaged formations beneath the sanctuary trembled.

His expression darkened.

The Hollow hadn’t simply withdrawn.

Something was gathering beyond the Ashen Reach.

And whatever it was, it was moving closer.