Boundless Cultivation-Chapter 71 - The First Key

Alaric was nearly finished refining his mana core within his cultivation sanctuary. He had successfully converted the remaining dense, foggy mana into liquid mana, saturating his expanded core completely.

Drawing a deep breath, he finalized the transformation of the last wisps of foggy mana into liquid form. Finally! It is done.

After reforging his skin yesterday, Alaric had devoted his remaining time to advancing his core, as it had become a bottleneck in his battles against the various monsters of The Howling Expanse.

To be honest, he still couldn’t defeat the creatures that lurked in the deeper regions. So, he spent most of his time simply exploring the vast zone, hunting for clues to the locations of the four keys.

So far, he had no luck uncovering the elusive key fragments — not that he had expected an easy discovery. The king had provided no real hints about their appearance or whereabouts.

Thus, Alaric was left to conduct the search on his own, guided solely by his intuition. It felt like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Fortunately, his [Mana Pulse] skill proved invaluable, allowing him to chart safe paths through the treacherous terrain and evade dangerous beasts—at least for now—so he could focus on mapping the region.

With one last scan of his mana core and chakras, he stepped out of his cultivation sanctuary. His heart chakra was on the verge of a partial awakening; all it needed was a final push—a catalyst to trigger the transformation.

Currently, his priority was attaining deeper insight to evolve his [Mana Strengthening] skill. In fact, he was already experimenting with new mana circulation techniques and had reviewed the common evolution paths for the skill.

Everything was proceeding smoothly. Only one thing bothered him. Edgar was keeping his mouth shut regarding the so-called gift or surprise he had prepared. It seemed the head butler had taken Alaric’s teasing to heart.

Frankly, Alaric had no clue what kind of gift it was. When he pressed Edgar for details, the butler simply reassured him that it wasn’t something he needed to concern himself with just yet.

Alaric speculated that whatever the surprise entailed, it likely wasn’t a cultivation resource — something more exotic or different. Well, whatever. I’ll find out when the time comes. He stretched his limbs with a broad grin. It was time to return to the Howling Expanse.

***

It hadn’t been long since Alaric reforged his bones, blood, muscles, and skin, yet he was already noticing subtle improvements in his resilience against the Expanse’s harsh conditions.

He now needed to channel less mana into his [Mana Strengthening] and [Restorative Flow] skills while traversing sandstorms and battling the enormous chameleons. Reforging his bones and muscles had enhanced his durability and strength, while reforging his blood had increased the efficiency of his healing abilities.

Today, he intended to gauge the impact of reforging his skin. Of course, he still had a long way to go before fully reforging his body, but even minor improvements filled him with satisfaction.

He activated [Mana Pulse] and [Mana Strengthening], then dashed toward a cluster of towering sand dunes he had spotted in the distance. This was one of the four outer sections of The Howling Expanse that he had been scouring for the past week.

Fortunately, the system resumed his journey at the exact spot where he had exited the zone previously. This spared him a significant amount of time, and for that, he was grateful.

Behind him, the black obsidian pyramid loomed, its jagged silhouette imposing against the horizon. He spared it no attention. He had already visited the king’s chamber multiple times and ventured deeper into the pyramid’s labyrinthine corridors.

The ancient ghost remained as hospitable as ever, permitting his explorations—albeit under the watchful eyes of a few guards.

During one of his expeditions, he had encountered a sealed chamber at the heart of the pyramid, blocked by the ever-vigilant sentinels. When he inquired about its contents, the guards remained impassive, offering no answers.

In truth, none of the king’s minions could speak—they didn’t even appear sentient. But Alaric had gleaned all he needed to know. Whatever lay beyond that chamber’s barrier was the key to the king’s weakness. In time, he would breach through and discover the secret.

Alaric skidded to a stop atop a massive sand dune. The wind had grown fiercer, slicing through the air like invisible blades. He scanned the surroundings but detected no immediate threats — except for a faint shimmer of mana coalescing at the dune’s base.

Perfect! A sand wraith was materializing, its presence conjuring a localized sandstorm. As the razor-sharp grains lashed against his skin, he noted a difference—his flesh no longer peeled and burned as it once did.

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Instead, his skin had toughened. The benefits of reforging were already showing. However, he couldn’t afford prolonged exposure without reinforcement.

Without hesitation, he wove a dense, multi-layered mana shield around himself just as the ghostly form of a sand wraith emerged, enveloped in a vortex of swirling sand.

Its shape fluctuated with the shifting winds, its spectral claws lazily raking against his barrier. Each swipe carved deep gouges into his mana shield, but Alaric channeled additional energy into it, instantly restoring its integrity.

Fighting these wraiths wasn’t particularly challenging—he could easily disrupt them with a mana scrambling wave, a technique especially potent against ethereal beings composed primarily of mana.

However, defeating one would only trigger the emergence of more. Eventually, he would deplete his reserves. There was no benefit to engaging them in battle. His priority remained locating the key fragment hidden within this sector.

So, he simply ignored the monster and dashed off further. The sand wraith drifted after him briefly but abandoned its pursuit within ten minutes. It seemed unwilling to stray beyond its designated territory.

After a while of roaming, a sudden glimmer caught his attention. Hmm…what’s that? He sprinted through the howling winds and rolling sands, scanning the area with his [Mana Pulse] skill. What he discovered brought a grin to his face.

A massive structure lay half-buried beneath the ever-moving dunes, its golden sandstone walls worn by time yet still faintly gleaming. As he neared, subtle waves of heat radiated from the weathered stone.

Four colossal black obelisks flanked the entrance, each etched with golden hieroglyphs that Alaric couldn’t decipher. A pair of immense bronze doors, tarnished by age yet still resplendent with an engraving of a radiant sun disc and outstretched wings, sealed the temple’s entrance.

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Hmm… a sun temple? His fascination deepened as he studied the reflective golden panels and polished metal mirrors — likely designed to capture and redirect sunlight into the temple’s inner sanctum.

Stepping inside, he sharpened his senses. Crumbling statues of falcon-headed warriors lined the pathway, some missing heads or limbs, while others remained eerily intact.

The temperature climbed as he advanced toward the first chamber — a vast circular hall crowned with a high-domed ceiling. The walls swirled with intricate murals depicting the sun’s celestial journey.

A golden sun disc took its position on the ceiling. Alaric guessed that the solar mirrors and reflectors outside were used to direct the sunlight into this golden sun disc at some point long ago.

The floor sprawled beneath him in a mosaic of radiant tiles—some shattered, others gleaming like polished jewels. Sections of the temple had partially collapsed, creating gaps between corridors.

He would need to navigate these hazards carefully to reach the depths of the temple. But instead of pressing forward, he stopped, sweeping the chamber with [Mana Pulse]. As he had suspected, artificial mechanisms pulsed beneath some of the mosaic tiles, linking to concealed compartments within the walls.

Pressure plates and hidden traps! Alaric deftly sidestepped the danger, ensuring his feet never strayed onto a trigger as he ventured toward the temple’s heart — a grand chamber untouched by time.

A raised stone pedestal stood at its center, cradling an object locked within a shimmering golden sphere of energy. Interesting! Now, let’s see what that is.

As he neared, his gaze flicked to the jackal-headed statues standing guard in each corner. Their obsidian eyes glowed with a faint reflection of the chamber’s golden radiance.

Alaric had no doubt that these statues would spring to life the moment he tried to retrieve the artifact on the pedestal. Their craftsmanship was too lifelike to be mere decoration.

He took a moment to scrutinize the artifact ensnared within the golden barrier. A scarab.

You have discovered a Key Fragment - The Sun Scarab (Ra’s Guardian)

Well, that leaves no room for doubt. He had discovered the first key fragment.

Dismissing the notification, he examined the scarab. Fashioned from pure gold, its wings bore intricate sunburst engravings, and its ruby eyes pulsed with a faint, otherworldly glow. The underside carried enigmatic inscriptions, their meaning indecipherable.

Beautiful! That was the only thought that rang in his mind. A mesmerizing pull seized him, and before he realized it, his hands instinctively reached for the scarab.

He stopped mere moments before his fingers grazed the golden barrier. Alaric swiftly cycled a drop of sacral chakra, dispelling the mental compulsion clouding his thoughts. Hah… it almost got me.

It appeared that the barrier—or perhaps the pedestal—was designed to implant a subconscious urge to claim the artifact. Most likely, the inscriptions etched into the scarab were responsible.

Staying vigilant, he lobbed a small chunk of stone at the barrier. The instant it made contact, it disintegrated into black smoke. Alaric winced, realizing just how close he had been to losing a hand. Hmm… let me see.

He conjured a mana javelin and hurled it at the shimmering veil. Unfortunately, the crystallized energy met the same fate, vanishing into nothingness. Even encasing his hands in a dense layer of solid mana wouldn’t help.

Alaric clicked his tongue in frustration. There had to be a way to unravel this barrier. Yet, no matter how closely he scrutinized the chamber, nothing stood out — aside from the silent, ever-watchful guardian statues.

His gaze drifted upward, tracing the beams of sunlight filtering through narrow gaps in the ceiling. Then, his eyes landed on the golden barrier surrounding the scarab. Suddenly, he connected the dots.

The sunlight… it's being reflected by the solar mirrors outside.

If that was the case, he simply needed to adjust the mirrors, disrupting the flow of sunlight and preventing it from illuminating this precise spot.

With a plan forming in his mind, he pivoted to leave the chamber — only for the jackal-headed sentinels to spring to life, their long metallic staffs gleaming as they lunged toward him.

Alaric twisted away, unleashing a barrage of mana bullets just as a staff smashed into the ground where he had stood moments before.

One of the sentinels whirled its staff with pinpoint precision, deflecting his attack with ease. The other three flanked him, their movements synchronized, cutting off any avenue of escape.

They were fast — too fast. Their agility and coordination left almost no openings to exploit. Alaric activated [Zen Flow] and [Mana Strengthening], barely keeping up with their relentless assault.

A layered shield flickered to life around him, but one of the sentinels managed to breach it, its staff slamming into his ribs and hurling him across the chamber.

Uggh..! He spat blood, rolling over as pain lanced through his chest. He activated [Restorative Flow], healing the fractured bones together just in time to dodge another incoming strike.

The brief pause before they reached him gave him the chance he needed. Channeling his energy, he unleashed a fully powered mana blast.

One of the ferocious black sentinels twirled its staff and met the spiraling sphere of energy head-on. For a brief moment, both forces clashed in a stalemate. But the guardian held firm, absorbing the attack until the mana blast lost its momentum and fizzled out.

It didn’t matter. That was enough.

Alaric had already realized how to defeat them. He positioned himself near a section of the chamber where the sun’s rays burned brightest against the stone floor.

One of the jackal sentinels charged at him. Instead of dodging, Alaric tapped into his root chakra and braced for impact. He locked arms with the beast, gritting his teeth as its obsidian claws raked deep into his shoulders.

"Arrh!" Alaric strained against the sentinel’s grip, but he refused to surrender. Summoning every ounce of his strength, he heaved the creature’s body and hurled it toward the brightly illuminated patch of floor.

"So you like hiding in the dark?" Alaric muttered between ragged breaths. "Let’s see how you handle the light."

The sentinel shrieked as it soared through the air, its wail turning into an agonized howl the moment it struck the sunlit ground. Instantly, its body ignited, charred flesh blackening as thick smoke billowed around it.

The monstrous guardian writhed in pain, but it was unable to rise up and run. Its strength bled away the moment the sunlight touched the dark beast. Alaric didn’t take chances — he unleashed a fully powered mana blast to ensure its demise.

Once the smoke and debris cleared, there wasn’t a trace of the monster left behind - not even bones and blood.

Throughout the battle, Alaric had noticed that the sentinels skirted around the patches of bright light, clinging to the shadows. Given the temple’s solar motif, it wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.

Thinking ahead, he had blasted portions of the ceiling, flooding the chamber with sunlight. Now, he positioned himself within a ring of sunlit patches. The sentinels cowered like dogs, unwilling to approach him.

"Well, if you’re not coming to me..." Alaric flashed a grin at the guardians, who only snarled, their expressions twisted into feral scowls. "Then I’m coming to you."

Now that he had uncovered their weakness, dispatching them was not that hard. He carefully backtracked to the temple’s entrance and adjusted the solar mirrors.

Aligning them wasn’t too difficult, though oddly enough, they didn’t move freely — only to their predetermined positions. Once satisfied with the arrangement, he ventured back inside.

Now, let’s see if it did anything.

His eagerness turned into dread when he reached the circular hall with the high-domed ceiling. The golden sun disc was no longer in its place.

It seemed that by realigning the mirrors, he had redirected the sunlight away from the altar where the scarab rested — and onto the sun disc instead. The design was ingenious.

Alaric chuckled, watching the scene unfold before him. As the sun’s rays bathed the golden disc, it absorbed the energy, its intricate mechanisms whirring to life. It expanded, shifting into something far more menacing.

What was once a simple ornament now transformed into a mystical magnet. But instead of attracting metal, it drew in shattered debris and fractured stone from the temple’s ruins. Within moments, rock and rubble hurtled toward it, coalescing around the golden core.

In the span of minutes, a towering, ten-foot solar automaton took shape, its hulking form radiating an intense, searing heat.

Alaric didn’t sit idle. He had already charged a fully powered mana blast and launched it straight at the automaton’s chest.

The swirling blue sphere of energy collided with a thunderous impact. The automaton staggered — but only for a moment. Then, with an unsettling ease, it absorbed the shock, dispersing the attack as if it were nothing more than a gust of wind.

A ripple of energy coursed through its massive body as its featureless face tilted, locking onto Alaric with eerie precision.

Ah… shit.

A massive rock fist smashed into his chest faster than he could blink. The impact launched him through the temple ceiling, his body sailing through the air before crashing into the hot sand.

Pain exploded through him. Every bone in his body was shattered. He was on the brink of losing consciousness.

The only thing keeping him grounded was the faint, ominous rumble of shifting sand — the slow, deliberate approach of the solar automaton, advancing to finish what it had started.