Within the tiny interface, the long river of time surged, as if encompassing heaven and earth, and countless worlds. A single drop of water splashed out, representing a world, a long span of time, a microcosm of a story.
Splashing and falling, appearing and disappearing.
Many fantastical yet blurry scenes flickered past in the deep and vast river of time and space. Finally, it settled on a certain point. "Ding!"
"Notification: Discovered instance 'Ember of Twilight', anchoring the threads of fate, initiating time insertion... Time-line insertion failed. Please place a treasure to stabilize space-time."
"Ding!"
"Notification: Key item 'Yarrow of Time' has been placed. It can be retrieved after the instance concludes."
"Notification: Initial time-line insertion successful. Initiating entry channel construction. Estimated time: 3 months. Please prepare as many supplies as possible to aid in instance clearance."
The illusory crystal in his hand, seeming to exist outside of reality, slowly vanished and reappeared within the surging river of time and space, like a tiny reef that remained unmoved against the crashing waves.
Fang You fell into deep thought. After two years, an instance had reappeared, and he would not dare to underestimate it.
Instances not only represented immense profit but also signified certain crucial nodes of destiny. This was paramount!
Just like the previous instance, 'Birth of the Spark,' if it had failed, if the defenses had been breached, he found it hard to imagine what would have happened.
"Just like last time, there are no prior information prompts before entering an instance. I don't know where or when this traversal will take place. Past, future, Blue Star, or the Haunted World?"
It was unlikely to be Blue Star. After all, he was already a mythical powerhouse; there was no reason for the mundane Blue Star to bear so much.
He pondered the possible main objectives of the instance and began to plan his supply preparations.
As before, only he himself could enter the instance. He could bring all sorts of supplies, limited only by the capacity of his storage ring.
But the situation was completely different from then:
"Back then, I was just a newbie with only three awakenings, and the foundation of the Hearth was practically nonexistent. I could only rely on a few skill fruits and a limited number of subordinate apostle tokens to painstakingly train new recruits."
"And now..."
He possessed countless skill fruits, a vast skill and information library, and a complete array of items, potions, and equipment. Fang You himself was a myth with seven awakenings, capable of briefly rivaling an eight-awakener in combat power.
Things were stable... or so he thought.
The instance information was unknown, and a seven-awakening myth was hardly a supreme being. He had to proceed with caution.
"In short, I'll bring all sorts of supplies. As long as my preparations are thorough enough, there won't be any unexpected situations."
"First, over these three months, I need to accumulate a batch of potions and equipment, ensuring a full spectrum from basic to epic... Hmm, have Little Huan intercept some of the items listed for exchange, and also, for the upcoming period, reduce the qualification for membership, saving more recruitment tokens."
"The Kandela technology I just obtained needs to be screened for its most important aspects. Prioritize research and manufacturing. Some items I covet but cannot manufacture in the short term will be set aside for now."
For example, the manufacturing process for the White Shark-class airship!
Yes, he had not only obtained a White Shark-class airship from the trial secret realm but also its complete technology. This set of technology was acquired after clearing the sixth stage, containing an immense amount of knowledge. Once fully learned and absorbed, the Hearth might surpass the Four Great Overlords in vehicle manufacturing.
However, transforming technology into an actual production line was extremely difficult.
Currently, the Hearth couldn't even manufacture epic-class airships, let alone the legendary Kandela airship. It was possible that within the next few years, the Hearth would not be capable of independently manufacturing a White Shark-class airship.
"Also, I need to urge everyone to diligently cultivate the epic-tier skills they've just learned, at least to an expert level. There are only three months, so no slacking."
He finalized his plans one by one.
In the end, he calculated that the supplies he needed to carry into the instance might occupy the space of several large buildings. After all, this included ritual stone slabs, large-scale puppets, and large machinery, which took up considerable space.
Typical epic-tier storage诡器 (ghost artifacts) had a capacity of only about ten cubic meters.
The spatial equipment used by merchant caravans, while large in capacity, had exteriors resembling massive boxes comparable to cars or vans, which did not suit his needs for carrying items into the instance.
Fortunately, there was the Dimensional Palace.
This crimson诡器 could be large or small, and its internal space was like a paradise, even capable of spatial traversal. It was just a shame that no living being other than himself, not even a cockroach, could enter the instance.
Instructor Fang was intensely preparing for the unknown instance, but the operation of the Hearth and the original plans were not affected.
At this moment, an important task was underway.
With this thought, Fang You's gaze turned towards Xidina, who was deep in the Sea of Filth.
Here, endless darkness surged from all directions, difficult to dispel even with the Ring of Bright Flow. The defiling power contained within the gray-black seawater sent shivers down one's spine.
But in the darkness, two figures broke through the seawater and moved rapidly forward. One was Xidina, and the other was An Jianyou.
Unlike Xidina, who was familiar with the area and even a little eager, this was An Jianyou's first time here. As soon as she entered the Sea of Filth, she shivered.
This place was too dirty! Literally, psychologically, and mystically!
She spread her divine aura, wrapping herself in circles, and feeling it wasn't enough, she released her Netherworld Domain, compressing it into an egg shape, firmly enclosing herself to ensure not a single trace of filth would permeate.
After doing this, she summoned Little Red, Little White, Little Blue, and other诡邪 (ghostly evils), before following Xidina's footsteps.
The two... or rather, three of them. Little Huan was currently transformed into an earring, accompanying An Jianyou. She also carried the Dimensional Palace in her hand.
This top-tier configuration of two individuals and one spirit constituted the mission team for "Eliminating the Source of Calamity."
Soon, Xidina, with her familiar route and Max-level诡邪 tracking skills, found the first source of calamity – a blurry object that appeared in sight, resembling a giant black-red sphere.
An untouchable object.
Xidina glanced at it and averted her gaze. She spread her divine sense and quickly located a seven-star诡邪 near the source of calamity.
"I'll deal with the诡邪, the source of calamity is yours." "Ah? Oh."
An Jianyou was still staring at the source of calamity. She turned around to see Xidina engulfed in golden flames, charging forward.
She then carefully took out the Dao-breaking Spear from her storage诡器, instructed Little Red and Little White and the other诡邪 to form protective circles around her, and then set up layers of defensive force fields around herself.
She also tried to unleash a palm thunderbolt.
The azure lightning pierced through the seawater, exploding into a vast net of thunder that illuminated the entire distant area. Countless small诡邪 perished in the lightning, yet the black-red light sphere remained utterly undisturbed.
"As expected."
She was not surprised. She glanced in the distance and waited until Xidina had defeated the seven-star诡邪 before slowly raising the Dao-breaking Spear and aiming it at the black-red giant sphere within the诡邪 tracking vision.
"The mission description stated that when the source of calamity is attacked, it will release a terrifying filth shockwave. However, there are no seven-star诡邪 around, so it's probably relatively safe... Little Red and Little White are also unaffected by the filth shockwave."
She instructed Little White to look after Xidina, then hurled the Dao-breaking Spear with all her might.
This spear, with a pure white shaft and a crimson tip, pierced through space in an instant and, in the next moment, returned to An Jianyou's hand.
She froze for a moment, then seemed to realize something, closed the诡邪 tracking vision.
Before her, on the seabed of absolute darkness, a massive, pulsating, contracting and expanding fleshy lump gradually materialized. Thick blood vessels extended from it, rooting themselves into the ground, emanating an endless, repulsive aura.
However, at this moment, as soon as the giant fleshy lump appeared, cracks began to bloom all over its surface, spreading rapidly and covering the entire lump in an instant.
The Calamity Tumor seemed about to emit a sharp, defiling shockwave, but the next moment it exploded with a bang. The filth dissipated. The residual filth energy condensed into numerous诡晶 and divine crystals, falling like rain.
"Quick, catch them, or they'll drift away with the currents."
Little Huan appeared, arms outstretched, transforming into a golden flash. In an instant, she swept across the entire area, collecting the divine crystals and most of the诡晶 into the Dimensional Palace.
The entire process took less than a second.
Then, An Jianyou and Xidina also quickly entered the Dimensional Palace. Little Huan, carrying the Dimensional Palace, phased into space and vanished.
"Our plan is to outnumber the enemy, overpower the weak, and outmaneuver the slow." Before the operation began, An Jianyou had said so. She glanced at Xidina and Little Huan and took the initiative to command.
"Instructor said that the power of the evil god faction is immense. If we find the slightest anomaly near a source of calamity, we will immediately transfer and perform irregular random traversals to ensure we are not caught."
"After destroying the Calamity Tumor, we must leave immediately, or we might be discovered by powerful experts from the evil god faction who are investigating the anomaly, which would be dangerous. We must avoid danger to the greatest extent possible."
"Also, we cannot always operate in the same sea area. We must constantly shift our positions to avoid falling into the enemy's ambush, just like the Four Great Overlords."
These were the strategies she had formulated after consulting Yiluo Xi.
Of course, it was only with Little Huan that they could easily relocate. This three-person team consisted of two responsible for combat and one for transportation.
Not only that, but An Jianyou had also borrowed the legendary诡器 'Secret Veil of Obscurity' to block divination-based investigations.
After leaving the first source of calamity, the trio randomly traversed to a location thousands of miles away, returning to the surface of the sea.
It was only then that An Jianyou took out her equipment and began tinkering with instruments to detect the location of the source of calamity. A moment later, the trio traversed into the Sea of Filth again. After two more explorations and calibrations, and a short scan of the诡邪 tracking vision, the trio located the second source of calamity.
The entire process took less than half an hour, a hundred times faster than the exploration and eradication efforts of the Four Great Overlords on that day.
Following that were the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth...
The trio traversed various parts of the Shattered Sea, eradicating one source of calamity after another.
In a single day, they had eliminated a total of 19 sources of calamity, a higher efficiency than the four teams of the Four Great Overlords combined. And they encountered no danger. Far from danger, they only encountered a mere 11 seven-star诡邪 throughout the day, averaging less than one seven-star诡邪 per source of calamity.
This made Xidina somewhat disappointed, her erected tuft of golden fur drooping.
She understood that the absence of danger was a good thing, but these诡邪 were too weak; there was no challenge!
An Jianyou, however, knew very well that it wasn't that the诡邪 were too weak, nor was the Sea of Filth safe. It was simply that they were fast enough. They traveled using spatial displacement, naturally avoiding powerful诡邪 and leaving little trace. However, once discovered and pursued, the situation would become perilous.
To prevent this danger, she had to be careful, extremely careful, and bring Xidina and Little Huan home safely.
Night had fallen by this time. Although the deep Sea of Filth looked the same day and night, An Jianyou, a top student with perfect scores in all subjects, knew that the power of many evil gods was enhanced at night.
So, they took a temporary rest.
No camp needed to be set up; they directly entered the Dimensional Palace. The space inside was very spacious, with a main hall, several side halls, and a few small gardens planted with flowers.
— When Fang You first acquired the Dimensional Palace, the flowers and plants in the small gardens were all withered, but now he had transplanted some more.
However, compared to the grandeur of the palace itself, the scattered plants in the gardens seemed rather monotonous and lacking in aesthetic appeal.
An Jianyou wished to decorate these gardens but hadn't brought any flowers or plants. She paused for a moment and then walked into a side hall.
These areas, the side halls and the main hall, were completely empty except for pillars and murals carved with patterns of gods and demons.
Faced with this, An Jianyou was not worried at all. She skillfully took out tables, chairs, bed frames, mattresses, wardrobes, and other furniture from her storage诡器, and soon furnished a side hall to look presentable, exuding a sense of home.
Seeing that it was still early, An Jianyou brought out a full set of kitchen stoves.
Her storage诡器, of course, contained many simple and portable food items, as well as non-simple ones. But An Jianyou thought that since she had nothing else to do and had time, she might as well cook a meal. Home-cooked meals were definitely tastier.
She tied on an apron and began to busy herself. During the day, she ventured deep into the Sea of Filth, slaying诡邪 and destroying calamities.
At night, she simply found a spot, descended the Dimensional Palace, and began to cook, as well as continue decorating the palace.
After a period of time, Xidina seemed to have gained some weight, and the side hall used for storing spoils of war was packed to the brim.
An Jianyou had to lock the door of the side hall tightly to prevent the stench of filth from seeping out.
On the other hand, after several meetings and discussions, the Four Great Overlord factions finally made up their minds and assembled another expeditionary force to eradicate the sources of calamity.
This time, the scale of the team was higher, and the main force consisted almost entirely of direct descendants of the Four Great Overlords.
Mythical powerhouses, faces grim and hearts tense, slowly ventured into the Sea of Filth under the leadership of demigod adults, beginning their exploration.
Day one, "My lord, we have found no trace of the source of calamity yet."
Day three, "My lord, this area might be one of the few regions not rooted with sources of calamity."
Day ten, "My... my lord, still no trace of sources of calamity. It's rather strange. We are checking if the instruments are damaged... but the other three parties also have found nothing."
Day thirty, "M-my lord, is there a possibility, I mean, a possibility... that all the sources of calamity have been eliminated?"