The Dawn of the New World

His body was already moving before Hao Xuan could really understand what was going on.

"I have to go," he threw out the words while leaping into the air.

He was completely spent just moments ago but somehow found a second wind to ride towards the source of the disturbance.

Two steps to the right and one to the left, then two steps to the left and one to the right. Every third step he took landed on nothing but empty air but somehow Hao Xuan managed to jump off of it as if it was solid ground.

He seamlessly alternated between them and from afar it looked like a strange kind of ritualistic dance because of its peculiar rhythm.

And he wasn't even doing it on purpose. It was more instinct than conscious thought, his subconscious mind utilizing the countless lifetimes' worth of knowledge that had accumulated within his memories to pull out the movement technique that best served him in this moment of need.

With every third step he would disappear for a brief moment before reappearing several tens of meters away walking on nothingness without the aid of spiritual or any otherworldly energy. But it looked like if the rhythm was broken for even a single instant he would immediately fall to his death, not that it would have stopped him either way.

The closer he got the clearer the voice became-

'I need help, someone...'

-Which only made him move faster.

Zou Huan speechlessly stared at Hao Xuan's flickering back before finally whispering to Han Rong in a daze, "Is it just me or was that movement similar to the descriptions of-"

"The Dancing Phantom!" Han Rong muttered under his breath in awe, even more shocked than Zou Huan who was still unsure of its origins.

But how could Han Rong be wrong? He had studied almost every book within the old library of Mount Cae cover to cover save for the ones sealed by the elders.

Every inner disciple had to do the same but Han Rong's interest peaked when he came upon the 'unofficial' biography of the first leader and mysterious creator of Mount Cae. It was never officially accepted by renowned scholars because of its contents and was treated more as a fiction written by an ardent follower.

It detailed minor details about the man, his likes and dislikes, what he liked to do in his spare time, and a great deal about his life before the creation of Mount Cae itself.

It was mentioned that he was an avid traveler, that he was part of a small group of like-minded individuals that traveled the cosmos, the abyss, and even the other worlds to discover a great many new things.

Most of the book was filled with similar events where they encountered new races and forgotten tribes, discovered lost civilisations and all manners of unique creatures.

There was one such occasion where they came upon a tear within the Veil which was creating trouble on a distant planet. But even after trying everything they could the tear would not close, at least not from this side.

So they decided to venture within and try their luck from the other side which they would soon come to understand was a grave mistake.

The tear led them to the underworld, to Purgatory. And it was there that they came upon a small tribe of beings that were half-human and half...something else. They might have been normal humans at some point that had fallen into similar holes in space and landed in the underworld.

According to the book the underworld did not follow the laws of our universe. There was no spiritual energy there whatsoever so beings of flesh and blood had to adapt and change to survive the harsh plane and the even harsher monsters that called it home.

These individuals called themselves "Phantoms" although clearly they weren't, at least not by the standard definition. They could pass through solid matter, weaponize their very thoughts and intentions and even walk on air using their own unique method.

The soon-to-be creator of Mount Cae called it "The Dancing Phantoms" because of how it looked.

"Two steps to the right, one to the left. Two steps to the left and one to the right. Every third step would push the individual further, even passing through any obstacles that blocked their path."

But simply copying their movements proved to be unfruitful, there was a secret behind it that was not shared with them.

"It is isn't it?!" Zou Huan confirmed, "It is almost exactly like how it was described in the book. How...is that possible? Weren't those just made up stories?"

Han Rong knew a lot more about the subject matter but even he was at a complete loss for words. As much as he wanted to believe the book, there were many things mentioned in there that were too fantastical even for them.

Not to mention if this was true then that meant other stories and events could be true as well. In which case it would indeed be terrible. Because the last story was not written in the past, it was of the future and what might come to pass.