"We won't be going to any of these inheritance grounds," Max said evenly, his voice carrying quiet authority. "Our goal is only the Celestial Beast Temple, and so we are moving forward."
The others behind him nodded without hesitation. The inheritance grounds were powerful, but without the corresponding bloodlines, any gains would be limited at best and dangerous at worst. There was no reason to waste time here when their true objective lay ahead.
With that decision made, the elder once again took charge, stepping forward and leading them onward. The final stretch of the journey tested everyone's endurance. The terrain grew increasingly unstable, the pressure more intense, and the threats more frequent.
The elder's familiarity with the flow of this world allowed him to sense subtle changes in the air and shifts in spatial pressure that would have gone unnoticed by those who had never walked these routes before.
