Chapter 6282
Another five days passed in darkness.
During these five days, Balin resembled a miner working in a deep, black coal mine, tirelessly excavating the ice beneath him.
Each day, he managed to dig down to a depth of at least two hundred meters. Fortunately, the piercing cold wind on the surface kept the task manageable; otherwise, transporting the accumulated ice would have been an enormous undertaking.
As he advanced nearly a thousand meters deeper, the green light and shadow below became increasingly distinct. To his surprise, rather than being just a small spot or a few pinpricks of light, the illumination grew larger with depth, resembling a black hole shimmering with a faint green glow. Indeed, it looked very much like a black hole.
Although the ice layer overhead was still tens of meters thick, the rough outline of the black hole had begun to reveal itself—a direct opening within the rock layer.
Balin felt an overwhelming sense of joy. Could this cave be the entrance to an underground city or perhaps the fabled Gate of Ascension? The legend of the Gate of Ascension intrigued him not because he believed he could ascend—he was well aware of his limited capabilities—but rather because of the mysterious sect that migrated to Antarctica and discovered the Gate. Whether that sect had ascended or met their demise, it was clear their ruins and monastic treasures could not have vanished with them. Thus, he hoped this hole would lead to the underground ruins established by that sect in Antarctica. If it were indeed ruins, it could mean an underground city carved entirely from rock, similar to the headquarters of the Warriors Den.
The green-lit opening below was likely the sole entrance and exit to this underground city. As for him, he envisioned himself as the fortunate one to benefit from all the monastic riches within. With this thought, his almost depleted reiki felt as if it had been fully replenished, filling him with renewed energy.
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