In the desolate realm, far from Base Two.
Thick grey fog permeated the air, and distant colossal shadows, resembling mountains, cast tremors upon the land.
Upon the rooftop of a towering building, a golden silhouette, holding a torch, gazed silently into the distance.
In reality, their gaze, through Polly’s vision, settled upon the lady from the City of Sword Blossoms, observing her briefly, then shifting through Cén Jìng’s vision to examine her from another angle.
The events unfolding around the Apostles were largely hidden from him.
Even if he lacked the energy to pay constant attention, Xiao Huan would assist by keeping watch.
However,
Their mentor, Fang, could not always intervene in times of crisis. He would not act if it could be avoided.
The task of the Torchbearers had to be accomplished by themselves.
Items like teleportation talismans were therefore highly valued. This time, Shi Yunxi’s team used one talisman but brought back nine primary materials for crafting talismans, not only breaking even but making a significant profit.
Everyone profited.
“We profited, but the Evil God’s minions have found us. We, the Torchbearers, cannot stand idly by.”
“Whether they were probing, encountered by chance, or something else, fight, just fight!”
He himself might not act, but the Torchbearers had many strong individuals.
Glancing briefly at a list, he scanned the current locations of the Torchbearer Apostles. After a moment’s thought, Fang You, utilizing the nearest organized strongmen, dispatched missions.
…
Fang You remained standing on the rooftop of the tall building, gazing at the dense grey fog in the distance.
He did not wish to act, but not long ago, when Shi Yunxi and the others were attacked by the Evil God’s minions, he was indeed occupied.
An hour prior,
In the desolate realm, Base Six,
Fang You stood before a wall of swirling grey fog, preparing to conduct some experiments.
Experiments for rapid leveling.
He had previously leveled up in a secret desolate realm, absorbing the grey fog and killing numerous aberrant beings to quickly accumulate mystery. However, the sixth awakening required a vast amount of mystery.
With his previous monster-grinding approach, it would take too long. He was now even being surpassed by Sister An in mystery accumulation—one person grinding monsters couldn’t compete with a group of babies grinding tirelessly.
Fang You decided to explore a new leveling strategy.
Without the Bright Torch, he would directly delve into the grey fog-covered areas.
“Entering the area shrouded by the grey fog will attract a large number of aberrant beings. Calamity-class aberrant beings will appear in waves, and even Hell-class and Cataclysm-class aberrant beings might be drawn out.”
“But with my current strength, even in my normal state, I can contend with Cataclysm-class aberrant beings and escape from a horde of high-tier aberrant beings.”
For safety, Fang You possessed Xiao Huan to enter Base Six.
He carried only two anomalous items: the Ring of Storage and the Angel’s Tear, filled to its maximum capacity.
He dared not bring the Scepter of Splendor; losing it would be too heartbreaking. Purple anomalous items were at least bearable.
When preparations were complete,
“Breathe.”
Charge!
He soared into the air, leaving a trail of afterimages, and plunged directly into the grey fog.
He charged onward, pushing as far as possible from the base. Under his rapid advance, the swarming aberrant beings were left behind.
However, the good times did not last.
Soon, his path was blocked. The sky was filled with dense flying aberrant beings, and the ground was covered with swarming land-based aberrant beings. Above and below, there was no room to maneuver.
Plunging into a horde of aberrant beings with his bare flesh would only result in being crushed into powder.
But since he could not charge through, he would fight.
Considering the distance was sufficient and would not affect the distant base, Fang You conjured one prismatic lightning bolt after another before him.
One bolt of lightning after another split apart, quickly covering the sky and the ground.
Though his life energy was rapidly consumed, the aberrant beings were destroyed even faster, turning into black smoke under the spread of brilliant lightning.
Only the Calamity-class aberrant beings, tens of meters tall, could withstand it.
“One, two, three, six, nine.”
“There’s one more, no, two Hell-class.”
One was a familiar mountain-like behemoth. The other was composed entirely of bone structure, its long body resembling a centipede without skin and flesh, currently named the ‘White Bone Dragon Centipede.’
Both were troublesome.
But Fang You had no intention of confronting these Hell-class aberrant beings head-on. With agile footwork, he could evade these colossal creatures and then use his split lightning to kill the low-tier aberrant beings in swathes.
This was the most efficient method for accumulating mystery.
Fiery meteors fell from the sky, with bone segments tens of meters long, tearing through the grey fog and ripping across the sky. Flying monstrous birds, vast black flames, and bone spikes like a rain of swords, all whistled towards him.
He was like a surfer in a tempestuous ocean, incredibly small, yet with his unparalleled skill, he could still ride the terrifying waves.
“When the number of aberrant beings reaches a certain level, the pressure is even greater than I imagined.”
“But I can still withstand it.”
Fang You concentrated, dodging the various attacks that whistled towards him. With his basic skills honed to perfection, his control over his body allowed him to ‘see’ the surrounding world, his control gradually extending from his body to the environment. The attacks appeared in his eyes as if their flight paths were marked, slow and clear!
It was just too dense. Sometimes, even after judging the trajectory, there was nowhere to dodge, and he could only endure it with his ‘Guardian Field.’
For attacks with excessive energy, he had to meet them head-on with his Lightning Hand Seal.
Whoosh—
A rare aberrant being with extremely strong concealment, the Grinning Puppet, appeared, charging out from the horde of aberrant beings towards his back. Instantly, Fang You’s hair stood on end, but his entire being remained as rational as if in a state of sagehood. With a slight step of his ethereal footwork, he dodged the Grinning Puppet’s fatal blow by a hair’s breadth.
Without looking back, he struck with a backhand palm. Brilliant and surging purple lightning enveloped the puppet’s body.
In one second, it turned to carbon and fell.
At this moment, more and more aberrant beings appeared around him. Cataclysm-class aberrant beings, larger than mountain-like behemoths, emerged. Those rare, ‘delicately’ sized aberrant beings posed an even greater threat to him.
But, but he could still hold on!
Looking at the speed of his mystery growth, which Xiao Huan reported to him, Fang You felt he had to endure, to hold on for a while longer. A few more times like this, and the hundreds of thousands of mystery points needed for his sixth awakening would be sufficient.
Suddenly,
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart leaped, beginning to beat violently and uncontrollably. All the hair on his body stood on end, as if a sharp sword was pressed against his brow.
A great crisis, a great terror, was about to arrive!
It seemed even more terrifying than when the Bloody Emperor Myth descended!
What was it? Where was it?
Fang You desperately dodged the aberrant beings’ attacks, his gaze sweeping around. However, apart from a few conspicuous Cataclysm-class aberrant beings, there seemed to be nothing else.
Was it hidden within the horde of aberrant beings? But would such great terror need to hide?
Sweat dripped from his forehead.
Xiao Huan’s voice, somewhat subdued, reached his ears. “I’m sorry, Master. Xiao Huan also found nothing. Everything around is normal.”
“No… wait, something has been found! The density of the grey fog in the surrounding area has increased by 11%!”
But what did this mean?
The great terror loomed, yet it seemed only to loom, not to descend. But as he killed another large batch of aberrant beings, this terror seemed to draw closer.
“Is it related to the desolate realm itself?”
“But I killed quite a few aberrant beings when my character card descended last time. What’s different here, or…”
He speculated.
But he dared not continue to experiment. Even though he possessed Xiao Huan and appeared here, theoretically he could not die. Yet, his instinct, his intuition, was fearful.
To verify at the risk of the unknown? Forget it.
Prudence above all.
Fang You ignited the Bright Torch, tearing a bloody path through the horde of aberrant beings. He fled for about half an hour. The surging aberrant beings finally stopped pursuing him, and the great terror that had loomed over him gradually dissipated.
Should he exploit a bug?
No, don’t even think about it. Too dangerous!
He would level up honestly.
“The mystery gained from this session was quite substantial, and I’ve even uncovered a great secret of the desolate realm. Overall, it wasn’t a loss.”
Standing on the tall building, he calmed his emotions and used the ‘Anomalous Control’ skill to command a few three-star aberrant beings to guard him.
Fang You’s gaze turned towards Base Two.
…
In the desolate realm, Torchbearer Base Two.
Upon receiving the command… mission, Polly and the other two had no further reservations. Except for the ‘Fog Dispelling Bonfire’ and the ‘Shuttle Gate,’ they could take Meidisha around anywhere else.
Of course, the primary mission was to gather intelligence.
“Hey, hey, Miss Meidisha, can you tell us about your City of Sword Blossoms?”
“Our City of Sword Blossoms…” Meidisha pondered for a moment. “The most important things there are the three major academies: Sword, War Song, and Rose. Each academy represents a main inheritance. By obtaining an inheritance and undergoing cultivation, the chance of passing the Awakening Tribulation can be significantly increased… You all know that awakening is very dangerous and difficult, right?”
Polly thought of her own awakening before entering the Torchbearers and nodded vigorously.
Anna, thinking of the awakening of the Night Watchers, also nodded.
Cén Jìng, seeing Anna and the other nodding, thought for a moment and followed suit. Awakening was indeed quite dangerous, the entire process was painful, and one had to grit their teeth to endure it.
Seeing the three nod, Meidisha maintained an elegant smile, while inwardly she cried out, “That’s right!”
The bait of awakening was irresistibly effective for new forces just entering the world of mystery!
She said, “If you cooperate with our City of Sword Blossoms, you will gain much valuable secret knowledge, which can make your path toward awakening smoother.”
“And if you are willing to join our City of Sword Blossoms, with your potential, obtaining a core inheritance is also possible.”
She did not forget to poach talent.
She couldn't help but praise herself for being so clever. It's just that Polly and the others seemed uninterested, right? Hmm, it must be an illusion. They are definitely suppressing their temptation, right?
Receiving no immediate reaction, Meidisha was not anxious.
There was plenty of time in the future.
She simply followed Cén Jìng and the others, admiring the scenery within the base.
Awakened individuals patrolled the area, and mysterious plants were cultivated in many places. In the distance, she even spotted a tree dozens of meters tall with cascading green vines.
All these things indicated that the base was well-managed.
And, this was a secret realm evolving towards an oasis!
She had discovered a great secret. Meidisha’s heart surged with excitement, and she raised the potential level of the Blue Star forces by one notch.
She secretly resolved to earn enough resources from Blue Star.