The Protocol Administrators moved like shadows through the tunnel—methodical, precise, their cultivation suppressed to near-imperceptible levels. But Liu Yun could feel them through the stone, their presence an intrusion on the mountain's natural rhythm.
"They're altering their approach," he whispered to Jiang Tao. "Taking the eastern fork instead."
Jiang Tao's eyes narrowed. "They must have detection artifacts. Quickly, adjust the resonance points."
They shifted positions, Liu Yun following Jiang Tao's lead to reconfigure their trap. The Earth Shattering Sword in Liu Yun's hand grew warm, almost eager, as if anticipating the coming confrontation.
"Remember," Jiang Tao cautioned, "Protocol Administrators are unlike common enforcers. They've been granted exemptions from the very restrictions they enforce on others."
Liu Yun nodded grimly. "I've encountered them before."
The footsteps grew closer—too measured to be natural, too silent for the rocky terrain. Liu Yun tensed, the Sixth Technique's energy flowing through his meridians in a pattern still unfamiliar yet increasingly responsive to his will.
The first Administrator appeared at the tunnel junction—a tall woman with silver lines etched into her skin, glowing faintly in the darkness. The Protocol's mark of office. Behind her came a broad-shouldered man, his eyes replaced with crystalline implants that swept the tunnel with pulsing light.
"Earth Vein energy detected," the woman announced, her voice unnaturally flat. "Protocol violation class one-alpha. Surrender immediately for processing and memory extraction."
Jiang Tao stepped forward, hands open at his sides in a gesture of apparent compliance. "The Earth Vein acknowledges the Protocol's authority," he said, each word measured.
The Administrator's expression remained impassive. "Jiang Tao, last guardian of the Western Mountain bloodline. You have concealed yourself from registration for twelve years, three months, and seventeen days."
"I've been busy," Jiang Tao replied with a thin smile.
The Administrator's gaze shifted to Liu Yun, her silver-lined face registering something approximating surprise. "Secondary subject identified: Liu Yun of the Eastern Forests. You were not authorized to leave your registered district."
Liu Yun felt the mountain's presence strengthen around him, the Sixth Technique responding to his rising tension. "The covenant supersedes Protocol authorization."
At the word "covenant," both Administrators shifted stance, their hands moving to weapons hidden beneath Protocol robes. The crystal-eyed man spoke for the first time. "Covenant invocation is a class zero violation. Lethal force authorized."
"Now," Jiang Tao whispered.
Liu Yun drove the Earth Shattering Sword downward in a single fluid motion, not into the Administrators but into the tunnel floor. The blade sank effortlessly into solid stone, and Liu Yun channeled his energy through it—not with brute force but with precise intention, following the mountain's natural fault lines.
The effect was immediate. The tunnel floor rippled like water, stone flowing and reforming. The female Administrator leapt back instantly, her reflexes inhumanly quick, but her companion was caught in the sudden metamorphosis, stone encasing his legs up to the knees.
Jiang Tao capitalized on the moment, his hands blurring through formations that sent spears of crystallized earth launching toward the free Administrator. She deflected them with silver-lined palms, each crystal shattering against her Protocol-enhanced defenses.
"Protocol violation escalation confirmed," she intoned, reaching into her robe to withdraw a small silver cube. "Emergency authorization sequence nine-seven-three."
Liu Yun recognized the danger immediately. "Block her!" he shouted to Jiang Tao, yanking his sword free to strike again.
Too late. The Administrator crushed the cube in her hand, releasing a wave of energy that temporarily negated all cultivation techniques within its radius. Liu Yun felt his connection to the mountain abruptly severed, the Earth Shattering Sword suddenly heavy and inert in his grip.
The trapped Administrator took advantage of the momentary disruption, shattering his stone prison with enhanced strength. "Protocol restriction temporarily lifted," he announced. "Executing containment procedure."
Jiang Tao recovered first, falling back on physical training when his Earth Vein techniques failed. He moved with surprising speed for a guardian who had spent twelve years in isolation, dodging the male Administrator's first strike and countering with a precise palm strike to the chest.
Liu Yun faced the female Administrator, whose silver lines now glowed bright enough to illuminate the entire tunnel. Without his connection to the Sixth Technique, he was at a severe disadvantage against a Protocol-enhanced opponent.
"Your covenant is built on lies," she said, advancing methodically. "The founding bloodlines nearly destroyed the world once. We prevent history from repeating."
"By enslaving cultivators?" Liu Yun countered, parrying her first strike with his temporarily ordinary sword. "By hoarding power?"
She moved with mechanical precision, each attack targeting vital meridian points. "Order requires control. The alternative is chaos."
Liu Yun felt the negation effect weakening as they fought, the mountain's presence gradually returning to his awareness. The Earth Shattering Sword began to vibrate subtly in his hand, its connection to the environment reestablishing.
Nearby, Jiang Tao was being driven back by the crystal-eyed Administrator, whose augmented vision seemed to anticipate every move. Blood trickled from a cut on Jiang Tao's forehead, but his expression remained determined.
"Liu Yun!" he called out. "The junction point! Remember what I taught you about pressure!"
Understanding flashed between them. Liu Yun disengaged from the female Administrator with a desperate rolling maneuver that brought him closer to the tunnel's structural weak point—the very junction they had prepared earlier.
The Earth Shattering Sword was awakening now, responding to both the mountain and Liu Yun's intent. He drove it into the precise spot Jiang Tao had indicated, channeling what limited connection he had recovered into a focused pulse.
For a moment, nothing happened. The Administrators converged on them, silver lines and crystal eyes glowing with Protocol power.
Then the mountain responded.
Not with a dramatic collapse or explosive force, but with something more precise—a controlled shift of pressure. The tunnel floor beneath the Administrators suddenly softened, becoming like quicksand. Simultaneously, the ceiling descended just enough to force them to crouch, limiting their movement.
"Run!" Jiang Tao shouted, already backing toward their escape route.
Liu Yun withdrew his sword and followed, the tunnel behind them gradually sealing itself as the mountain continued its reconfiguration. The last thing he saw was the female Administrator's silver-lined face, her expression finally showing genuine emotion—frustration.