Night Ranger

Chapter 482: Grudges

p>The Fairy’s words made Marvin’s heart beat faster.

It was true that his strength was reaching a bottleneck.

And in the foreseeable future, he would inevitably become stuck in that bottleneck.

Level 30.

30 was a very mysterious number in Feinan. Having thirty points in an attribute was considered the Godly Realm, and past thirty was equivalent to reaching the Gods’ Domain. It was very difficult for mortals to reach it.

Naturally, those on the level of Plane Guardians had exceeded that value.

And level 30, that is, level 10 Legend, was a huge bottleneck.

In general, Human Legend classes would have a maximum of 9 levels.

At level 29, there was a huge wall that few people could exceed, even those wise and farsighted Legend Wizards.

Even someone as powerful as the Great Elven King was only a level 28 Wizard. However, he had found a way to have two classes. His Ranger class also reached level 21, thus forcibly breaking through the level 30 restriction.

It was almost impossible for Dual Class Holders to exist within the Human Race. That was something possible only for long-lived races like Elves, but it also took a lot of effort.

Moreover, Marvin didn’t know the way to dual class either.

He was now a level 21 Ruler of the Night, and although he was far from the bottleneck, he would face it sooner or later.

Most people chose to ascend.

In this era where ascending was impossible, regardless of how mighty those powerhouses were, they were unable to take another step forward and were stuck as Legends for the rest of their lives.

The realm beyond Legends was an enigma to those people.

It was the same for Marvin.

He had ascended to Godhood in the game, but in this life, he chose to walk another path.

This path was bound to be thorny, and thus he needed to grasp every opportunity to strengthen himself.

Even if that kind of move required him to overcome great difficulties.

‘In any case, Tidoma… No, Hartson already hates me to the bone, so there is nothing wrong with adding a bit more enmity there,’ Marvin thought.

He accepted the Fairy’s request.

The latter’s request was very simple: It was for Marvin to take the Crystal Statue away.

Furthermore, he had to swear to never open the seal on the statue. Once opened, the power inside would escape and return to Hartson.

If that happened, the already powerful Evil Spirit Overlord would become even more frightening, and there might be no one in the Universe able to match him.

The Fairy stressed that Marvin couldn’t trust anyone with it.

This meant that he had to carry the Crystal Statue himself and also meant that he would become the Dragon God’s arch-enemy.

But Marvin had no other choice.

The Fairy’s conditions were too attractive.

…

“I’m happy that you made this choice.”

The Fairy calmly handed the Crystal Statue to Marvin. “I hope you can protect it. Then, my mission could be considered accomplished.”

Marvin carefully took the Crystal Statue… but why was the Fairy’s tone so strange?

These seemed like the words of a dying person.

Sure enough, the small guy continued, “My life is tied to this seal.”

“I was born because of this seal, and I’ll die when the seal dissipates. Guarding it is my duty.”

“Sir Lance took me to this world and I’m already very grateful to him. To be able to do something for him is my honor.”

“As for you, if the oath made using the Wizard God’s name is violated, then you will experience the frightening Divine Punishing Fire, you won’t be able to escape even if you become an Evil Spirit.

“Oh yeah, I’ll give you that high level False Divine Vessel!”

The next second, a strange six-pointed translucent item shaped like a star came out from the Fairy’s body and rushed into Marvin’s forehead.

Marvin was stunned, as he asked, “This Advanced Divine Vessel is your own?”

The Fairy looked at him strangely. “You don’t say! How else could I guard this seal?”

“I cultivated this Advanced False Divine Vessel for many years. But you’ll have to re-cultivate it.”

‘Cultivate?’

‘A False Divine Vessel can be cultivated?’

Marvin actually didn’t know too much about False Divine Vessels.

A few lines were displayed on his interface:

[You received a Light Fairy’s gift, (Advanced False Divine Vessel)]

[The Advanced False Divine Vessel has priority and automatically replaced the original Primary False Divine Vessel]

[False Divine Vessel (Advanced): 5/30 (Divinity)]

…

The benefit of the Advanced False Divine Vessel could easily be seen from its ability to hold more Divinity.

But Marvin only knew a little about the effects of Divinity, so he took advantage of the time left to hurriedly ask the Fairy some necessary questions.

After five minutes, he left the place.

Behind the transparent door, a large army of Evil Spirits had already gathered and was crazily tearing apart the seal on the entrance.

They were headed by the already corrupted Green Dragon Modana.

She couldn’t even be described as a Green Dragon anymore. Her scales had fallen out and her body looked like a mass of bones and green gunk. It was very nauseating.

Her mind was also under Hartson’s control and she completely had turned into an Evil Dragon.

The Fairy contently returned into the wall.

Besides telling Marvin about the False Divine Vessel, he also told Marvin the way to break through his body’s bottleneck.

The method was very demanding, and Marvin couldn’t help frowning when he heard about it.

But he knew that it wasn’t time to think of this.

Since this matter was a huge conspiracy, the other Chromatic Dragons had most likely suffered from Hartson’s vicious plot too.

There might be more Evil Dragons rushing over right now, so he had to get away first.

…

In the small valley.

The atmosphere had become extremely oppressing.

Painful howls kept echoing in Ell’s ears. This was the first time this Ancient Red Dragon who wreaked havoc all across Feinan felt fear.

The middle-aged man before him put too much pressure on him.

Ell’s strength was very overbearing, but it was worth nothing when compared to the Dragon God’s.

Moreover, although Hartson was deprived of a part of his Divine Source, he still had the strength to get the 2nd Seat among the Evil Spirit Overlords.

Even among the Great Gods of the Astral Sea, few would be his match.

Let alone an Ancient Red Dragon who didn’t even reach the level of the Plane Guardians.

He tried to flee.

But he ended up being clawed down to the ground.

Ell was desperate.

This place they were in was clearly an external plane. Thus, this was surely Hartson’s main body.

He might have had some hope of fleeing from a doppelganger, but against the main body, he was sure to suffer a miserable fate.

It’s just that Red Dragons were very violent.

As a powerhouse, he still had his pride.

Ell crazily roared, “Is this how you treat your offspring?”

“Lies and deception? Making them corrupt? In order to survive, you already went against your Godly code.”

“You aren’t fit to be called Dragon God!”

Hartson remained unmoved, still chuckling. “Indeed, I am not Dragon God Hartson. I am the Evil Spirit Overlord Tidomas.”

Ell roared, displaying his huge body completely.

His huge body shattered the valley’s surroundings. Hartson spread his hand and grasped in the air.

The Red Dragon’s body instantly shrank, becoming much smaller.

“You pathetic coward!” Ell still roared in anger, “You changed your own name in order to flee the Wizard God’s punishment. You have no courage, you don’t deserve your strength with such gutlessness!”

Hartson’s eyes gradually turned cold, “That’s because you didn’t experience the strength of the Wizard God, ignorant Wyrmling.”

“My patience is limited. The reason I was lenient with you is because you are outstanding, not because I am merciful.”

“If you dare disobey me again, I’ll make you become like them!”

Ell shrieked, his eyes full of fear.

The deep Draconic voices echoed above the valley!

They were the sounds of the rotten Blue Dragon and White Dragon. There was no emotion in their eyes. While they were flying, rotten flesh kept falling down.

Their bodies contained formidable strength, but that strength actually came from the negative energies that corrupted them!

The Rainbow Spring was actually connected to the Negative Energy Plane’s Evil Spirit Sea!

“You two, go get my thing,” Hartson said expressionlessly. “You can sense its position. It’s somewhere in this world, but I can’t get close.”

The two Dragons roared and immediately flew up.

Hartson once again turned toward Ell.

He looked a bit impatient.

Ell’s bitter struggle had no effect. In the end, he angrily charged toward Hartson!

The latter remained unmoved. The next second, the water in “Rainbow Spring” shot out toward Ell like a fountain.

As the water engulfed the Red Dragon and began turning him into an Evil Dragon, a formidable power suddenly descended.

With the outburst of this power, the spring water froze in mid-air.

It felt as if the sun was rising, illuminating the earth.

This time, even the Evil Dragon God Hartson couldn’t help but have a reaction.

He didn’t even bother about Ell anymore.

The Ancient Red Dragon took this chance and with a swipe of his tail, forcibly fled.

He managed to escape that deathly situation. Controlled by fear, he quickly began to fly across the plane, scampering like a pitiful dog.

But he didn’t know that neither Hartson nor that newly arrived existence paid attention to him at all.

Both of them were only focused on each other.

“Anuba Grant.”

Hartson’s voice became very deep. “I should have killed you back then.”

Shortly after, his tone turned to one of mockery. “Who would have thought that the poor shepherd who couldn’t help begging the Devils for aid because of poverty, but coincidentally opened an entrance to the Negative Energy Plane, could grow to become one of the powerful Gods of the Universe?”

That person appearing in the valley was surprisingly a delicate and pretty youth.

His mount was a long-horned goat, and those familiar with him knew that it was a powerful creature that had followed him since the 3rd era.

Grant softly said, “Without you, I might have starved to death.”

In the 3rd era, because of the High Elves withdrawing from Feinan, the major forces divided up the territories.

Before Lance created the Universe Magic Pool, Order was drowned out by Chaos. All of Feinan’s races were at war and due to the constant disasters, many poor people starved to death.

Grant was a commoner in the 3rd era.

He made a living as a shepherd under a lord, but his ill mother needed treatment, and he ended up spending all his savings to the point of almost starving to death.

By coincidence, he obtained a book that was rumored to be able to link to the Nine Hells.

The pitiful young shepherd was able to recognize some of the letters due to learning with the lord’s child.

He tried to use that book to summon a Devil. He didn’t have great desires, only wanting to trade his soul for food, or for his mother’s recovery.

Afterwards, he opened the gate.

Behind the gate was the frightening Evil Dragon Cemetery.

Hartson, who was playing dead to avoid Lance’s monitoring, was slowly developing his power. He gave some food and abilities to that shepherd and cured Grant’s mother.

Because of these strange abilities, Grant turned from a young shepherd into an expert the lord could rely on in a single night.

Later on, the territory fell into chaos and the lord died in battle. Grant stepped forward bravely and defeated the enemies while winning the hearts of the people.

What happened next was a crappy hero story.

The young shepherd turned into a rising star in Feinan.

Ultimately, Hartson noticed this and regained a bit of interest in him.

At that time, he didn’t turn Grant into an Evil Spirit Envoy because he had other designs for him. Evil Spirits were loathed in Feinan, after all, and having a secret leader in Feinan wouldn’t be bad.

Thus, he contacted Grant again.

But he didn’t think that Grant would already have the power to decline.

Grant obtained a stone that fell from the sky, as he was touched by luck like the main character from a novel… that stone was known as a Fate Tablet Fragment!

With the help of the Fate Tablet Fragment, Grant broke away from the Evil Spirit’s nightmare and ultimately became the powerful [God of Dawn and Protection]!

Grant’s refusal angered Hartson, but due to his apprehension toward the Wizard God, he could only endure.

Later on, Grant’s power alarmed him and he didn’t dare to make another move.

Now, the two were standing face to face again today. This was the first time the two interacted since the young shepherd mistakenly opened a gate to the Negative Energy Plane.

…

“I owe you a favor, and I’ll repay it,” Grant said indifferently. “If someone wants to kill you, I’ll protect you once.”

“But you can’t use this world to march on Feinan.”

“Someone wants to kill me?” sneered Hartson. “Who? Who dares?”

Grant calmly told him, “God Lance.”

Chapter 483: Chessboard

p>Marvin, who was speeding away at the other end of the Nightmare Boundary, naturally wasn’t aware of the discussion between the two powerful existences of the Universe.

After obtaining the Crystal Statue, he had to find a way to leave this world, which was an external plane.

Although Marvin could enter the Shadow Plane, he only had the coordinates and the ability to freely pass into the Shadow Plane from Feinan.

If he tried to rush into the Shadow Plane from here, he might enter a strange area be swallowed by Shadow Monsters hiding in the Shadow Plane.

Just as Louise said, coming to this plane was very dangerous.

At that time, Marvin was confident that he could leave, but Louise jinxed it.

He couldn’t leave the Nightmare Boundary.

As soon as he escaped from the ancient well, Marvin used the tool made by Madeline to create a temporary Teleportation Gate that would lead to White River Valley.

But he felt a headache coming on when he realized that this Teleportation Gate was blocked!

This meant that someone had used a formidable amount of power to isolate the path between this plane and Feinan.

Madeline only made a common interplanar Teleportation Gate for Marvin, but even a Teleportation Gate made by a powerful Legend Wizard would be unable to bypass this formidable obstruction.

Marvin felt the aura of Evil Spirits from the barrier blocking the path.

This most likely was Hartson’s work.

He already came.

When this occurred to him, Marvin felt very troubled.

Although he had met Dragon God Tidomas’ projection several times, they never really went all-out against each other.

Furthermore, this wasn’t Feinan, it was the outer layer of the Universe!

Hartson could utilize his full power here. Even if it was an avatar, it would be able to kill Marvin easily.

Moreover, the current situation was quite serious, and Hartson would most likely come with his main body.

At this thought, Marvin felt bitter.

For an Advanced False Divine Vessel, he really attracted some major troubles.

In any case, he couldn’t stop now.

Marvin didn’t know whether someone would chase him, but he only had one path: finding Louise.

She was a Legend caster and could definitely find a way to leave this world.

The Nightmare Boundary had no sun and was in a half-hazy state all day, so Marvin’s Night Walker abilities could all be used, which was the most satisfactory point.

Before entering through the Teleportation Gate, Marvin had preemptively plucked one of Louise’s hairs “by accident” in order to be prepared for any eventuality. It really came in useful now.

After using Night Tracking, Marvin got an indication of her direction.

Fortunately, Louise wasn’t too far from him.

…

While running through the endless desert, the information Marvin received from the Fairy kept repeating in his mind.

Perhaps only a few people in Feinan knew about these pieces of information.

This was knowledge that only the mightiest powerhouses would know, and even included some understanding of the Gods.

Because he transmigrated, Marvin’s comprehension of this world was definitely higher than an ordinary person’s.

From what he knew, each world had its own laws.

A Universe was like a criss-crossed chessboard. All lifeforms were chess pieces.

The difference lay in whether the pieces were strong or not.

The cruel rules of the competition prompted the powerful chess pieces to devour the weak ones.

And whether there was a powerful hand controlling the board, Marvin didn’t know.

But the only thing that was certain was that if there was, it definitely wasn’t those Gods. Nor was it the Evil Spirit Overlords, the Abyss’ Demons, or Hell’s Devils.

They were just relatively powerful chess pieces.

Only by jumping out of the board would they qualify to become chess players and play a more advanced game.

…

Looking at it from that perspective, since it was a chessboard, it inevitably had some rules, which formed the Universe’s laws.

Some laws were clear, like the strict power table. And some were vague, so as a result, only very wise people were able to understand them.

The source of power of the chess pieces on the board was made up of Chaos Magic Power and Essence.

But they also made use of the laws.

At low level, people only paid attention to skills or ways of practising. They would go through challenging experiences only to raise their levels and power. In contrast, at high level, they would need more comprehension.

That comprehension was far beyond the numbers.

Like Legends’ Domains.

This was one of the laws.

Each Legend’s Domain was different, and the laws controlling them differed to some extent. Moreover, the number of pertinent laws varied from person to person.

But after reaching that final realm, one would encounter the great crisis.

It would be very difficult to strengthen oneself further after grasping a Domain.

Becoming a God was an easier path, but this path’s price was also disastrous.

The so-called ascension was actually a method of fusing oneself with the laws through the Fate Tablet.

The Fate Tablet was one of the most mysterious things since ancient times. It made others go crazy over them, including the Gods that had already ascended. They obtained huge benefits from it, but they also became distressed.

Through ascending, a God would obtain a Divine Vessel, Divinity, as well as Divine Power.

The size of their Divine Vessel determined the extent to which they blended with the laws… the width, so to speak.

To give an example, the Ancient Nature God had a Great level Divine Vessel (known as the biggest), because the laws he controlled were extremely wide, encompassing all the laws of Nature. As for the God of Forests, compared to the Nature God, the laws he grasped were much narrower and only limited to forests.

In other words, the Godhood and Divine Vessel were mostly determined when ascending. The former decided the Domain and the latter determined the width of the Domain.

And Divinity determined the depth of control over the Domain.

Divinity and the level of the Divine Vessel were usually proportional, so in other words, the more powerful the God’s Divine Vessel, the deeper the understanding of the Domain. This was a very natural phenomenon.

But few knew that Divinity was actually something like an [Authorization].

Without Divinity, one couldn’t use these parts of the laws’ strength.

Many treasures required Divinity and the reason was that these treasures involved the power of the plane laws and other rules.

As for Divine Power, it was only the external appearance of the power. It wasn’t inherently superior to Chaos Magic Power, physical power and other kinds of power.

To sum it all up in simple words, a Divine Vessel was like a glue allowing the Gods to stick themselves to the system of laws and determine which ones they could control.

Divinity decided the depth of control that they had over their laws. It was like water in the sense that a drop was quite different from an ocean.

As for Divine Power, it was the power displayed by the Gods by taking advantage of the Faith gathered from the followers. They gained these followers through their ability to use their laws. A God without Divine Power was simply unimaginable.

…

After knowing the truth of becoming a God, it was easy to understand why Marvin was now even more unwilling to ascend in this life.

In the game, ascending was the easiest method to become stronger, so it was natural to choose it.

But it was a real world this time.

If he ascended, he would be thoroughly locked to this game.

Ascending meant merging with this chessboard. His soul would forever be imprinted on this Universe and eternally imprisoned within the laws.

Indeed, as long as these laws existed, the Gods would be immortals.

But what if one day, these laws were destroyed?

Even if it was just a potential future possibility, Marvin didn’t want to be restricted like that.

He already knew that the Gods’ attack on the Universe Magic Pool was an exercise in futility.

They were also a group of people pitifully trapped in the chessboard, and all of them were trying their best to jump out to look at the chessboard.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t. Their souls had already merged with this world’s laws.

Marvin wondered whether the supreme Wizard God Lance was a prisoner of this game too.

Did his disappearance have something to do with this?

…

Naturally, this was just Marvin’s opinion. In short, he wasn’t interested in ascending.

Since that was the case, he had to take another path.

For him to gain the power of the laws without merging with them, the only solution was to be above them.

For a lower dimensional lifeform, this was something very difficult.

But the appearance of the Advanced False Divine Vessel gave him an opportunity.

From the Fairy’s words, the False Divine Vessel was actually a grand invention of ancient alchemy before eventually being buried.

The so-called False Divine Vessel was a man-made [Divine Vessel]. It was like a bridge that let ordinary people connect to the world’s laws.

It was different from a real Divine Vessel in that a False Divine Vessel didn’t merge its owner with the laws.

Even though it had this advantage, the power it gained wasn’t more than a true Divine Vessel would, but the Advanced False Divine Vessel had a possibility for growth.

It only borrowed the power of laws, instead of merging and controlling them as the Gods did.

As an example, one could consider Marvin’s current Domains, Shadow and Slaughter.

If he ascended, he would inevitably have a bitter struggle against the God of Slaughter and the Shadow Prince.

They wouldn’t be able to co-exist. If Marvin ascended, these laws would be occupied by Marvin and they would have nothing left.

But the False Divine Vessel wasn’t like that.

It only connected a bridge to borrow power. It wouldn’t even be discovered by the Gods.

This was one of the benefits of the False Divine Vessel.

According to the Fairy’s information, it could still grow!

Marvin could bind his Domain to the Advanced False Divine Vessel anytime, and thus obtain more power.

But ordering the laws took up a lot of energy. This was also the reason the Gods needed to get more followers.

The energy of their main body simply couldn’t handle the consumption required to invoke a law.

This was the most difficult problem Marvin would face in the future.

In contrast, the information told by the Fairy concerning the body’s restraints was already a lot simpler.

…

‘This False Divine Vessel is really useful to me. This is something I had to get.’

‘After returning to Feinan, I’ll kill a few Divine Servants and gain more Divinity. I might eventually be able to raise the Divine Vessel’s level…’

‘As for breaking through the body’s bottleneck, I might also rely on the Advanced False Divine Vessel…’

While thinking, Marvin had already run out of the desert and into a forest.

At that time, a burst of laughter suddenly echoed behind him!

He turned to look and immediately frowned.

Two Evil Dragons were charging over like lightning.

Their speed was very fast, a lot faster than before.

As for their appearance, they were both ugly, just like the corrupted Modana.

‘As expected, those guys were also corrupted.’

Marvin was somewhat worried.

Evil Dragons weren’t like normal Dragons. These bastards were made up of Negative Energy.

Being carelessly infected, one resistances would be reduced and they might decay.

Fortunately, this was a forest and Marvin still had many places to hide.

But what puzzled him was that Night Tracking clearly indicated that Louise was in the surroundings. How come Marvin didn’t see a shadow?

Time was pressing and he didn’t have much time to think. He directly jumped further into the forest.

“Roar!” The Dragons cried out and began to spiral down.

They were reacting the to the Crystal Statue’s power.

As Marvin continued rushing through the forest, a crow suddenly landed on his shoulder.

“Kid, your ability to create trouble is outstanding.”

Louise cracked a joke in Marvin’s ear.

Marvin felt happy inside while remaining calm on the outside. “It’s not bad. Tidomas descended, and most of the Chromatic Dragons turned into Evil Dragons.”

“Do you see those two stupid Dragons above? It’s not that I create trouble, it’s all a huge conspiracy.”

Marvin was thinking of explaining it to Louise.

But he didn’t expect her to say, “I already guessed.”

“How could Hartson be kind? That guy wasn’t a God that would bless his offspring while alive, so how could he do something so superfluous when he fell?”

“I accepted Kangen’s invitation here in order to look into this matter.”

Marvin blanked out. That Louise seemed to know more than he himself did.

Before Marvin could open his mouth again, Louise quickly spoke, “There is a lake in the depths of the forest.”

“There is a Teleportation Gate below the lake, I’ll wait for you there. You have two minutes.”

“If you aren’t able to throw off these two sluggish Dragons by then, or if you don’t arrive on time, I’ll go first.”

After saying that, the crow dissolved into ashes!

Turned out it was only a spell!

Marvin cursed. Such a deceptive teammate was too much.

He glanced at the two Dragons above and immediately thought up a plan.

…

Above the forest, the two Dragons were crazily searching for traces of Marvin.

But the vegetation was too dense, making it troublesome to find him.

At this time, they suddenly noticed a shadow escaping for the edge of the forest!

The two Dragons immediately gave chase!

Chapter 484: Elemental Plane of Water

p>The greatest negative effect of turning into an Evil Spirit would be the serious harm to one’s intelligence.

Nothing could be done about that.

Many Evil Spirit Envoys were troubled about it. If they wanted to become big shots of the Negative Energy Plane, then they needed a way to withstand the negative energy invading their minds.

Dragon God Hartson, Diggles, and the like, naturally had their own methods.

But ordinary Evil Spirits didn’t enjoy such advantages.

Like the two Dragons who became corrupted.

This was considered the biggest disadvantage of Evil Spirits. There was no lack of intelligence for the powerhouses, but their subordinates were somewhat retarded…

The Evil Spirit Sea gave them formidable power, but the power of negative energies came with a price. After their intelligence was impaired, they could only follow orders and lost the most basic ability to make proper judgements.

Marvin only needed a simple Origami Clone to lure the two corrupt Dragons away.

As he became more efficient in his Origami skill, he became able to use multiple Origami Clones.

But that low level Origami Clone couldn’t even be compared to those of Shadow Thief Owl. Even people with normal eyesight would be able to notice the difference. The folds were too rough, to the point that Marvin had never used it in the previous battles.

But it was good enough to trick Dragons that had lost much of their cognitive abilities.

Thus, just as the Origami Clone lured the Dragons away, Marvin immediately dashed toward the depths of the forest.

He didn’t know how long the Origami Clone could last, so the sooner he reached Louise’s location, the better.

…

What Marvin didn’t know was that if he hadn’t been on the opposite side of the Nightmare Boundary, and Hartson wasn’t discussing with Grant, he wouldn’t have been able to escape. Although the Evil Dragons were corrupt, Hartson could still control them remotely.

But while in a confrontation with Grant, Hartson didn’t dare to be distracted.

This was one of the most powerful Gods.

Moreover, Hartson just heard something he was very unwilling to hear about from Grant:

Lance.

During that time, Marvin escaped unnoticed.

“You kidding?” Hartson paled. “Don’t you know that Lance already fell?”

“Otherwise, why would you dare to attack the Universe Magic Pool that he personally created?”

The God of Dawn and Protection calmly asked, “Where did you get that information?”

The Evil Spirit Overlord froze as he muttered, “Your God Realms… Hold on…”

Hartson was suddenly frightened. “This is fake information spread by the three of you?”

Regarding the matter of Lance’s fall, all the powerful existences paid attention to it.

The recent actions of the God Realms, along with the three Great Gods exploring the Primal Chaos Fringe, ultimately led to some rumors, leading most people to think that the Wizard God had already fallen.

Hell, the Abyss, the Negative Energy Plane… Countless powerhouses were already rolling up their sleeves, waiting for an opportunity to march into Feinan.

But at this time in the Nightmare Boundary, Hartson suddenly understood Grant’s expression.

“Without this fake news, how would they dare to attack the Universe Magic Pool?”

Grant smiled as he added, “Or else, wouldn’t you all have kept hiding in the shadows?”

“Whether the Wizard God is dead or not is unknown.”

“But I personally believe he is alive. If he is, what do you think he will do when he sees you?”

Hartson felt cold.

Back then, he didn’t hesitate to play dead. Losing part of his Divine Source in order to remain beneath the notice of the Wizard God wasn’t for no reason.

He was extremely frightened by that terrifying existence.

Evil Spirits weren’t immune to fear. To them, the stronger they grew, the more they would fear death.

After enjoying this kind of strength and status, it would be too painful to lose it again.

He knew that with his oath, if Lance was still alive and found out that he had played dead, he definitely wouldn’t let it slide.

At that time, even if that existence was about to be born in the Evil Spirit Sea, it wouldn’t be able to save him.

But Hartson wasn’t scared away so easily by Grant’s words.

He coldly retorted, “If Lance was still alive, then after seeing you attack his Universe Magic Pool, wouldn’t he have beaten you down already?”

“Grant, you are still so crafty. Being the God of Dawn and Protection doesn’t fit you. The position for the God of Deception is vacant, you should try it out.”

He didn’t think that Grant would just smile slyly. “Did you know, attacking the Universe Magic Pool is a personal plan of the three of us?”

“How could you know that Lance didn’t want to see the Universe Magic Pool be destroyed?”

“Sir Hartson, your vision is still too shallow…”

“You are an outsider to this plane. You were never able to clearly understand the situation and vainly tried to rule this world. This isn’t something a smart person would do.”

“Well, I don’t want to leak out more information. Whether you believe my words or not, I’ll give you a choice.”

“Leave this world, or I’ll go tear apart the [Evil Dragon Cemetery].”

Grant’s tone was extremely resolute and overbearing, but it also seemed so natural, as if everything was a matter of course.

Hartson’s face turned green.

…

In the forest, Marvin was running swiftly.

From what Louise said, that lake wasn’t far, and he quickly found it.

But that lake was a bit deep. After taking an underwater breathing potion, Marvin took about ten minutes to reach the bottom of the lake.

“You are late!”

“Forget it, I don’t feel like arguing with you. Let’s leave first.”

Louise swam up from the side and pulled Marvin’s hand to lead him to an area filled with rocks.

In the pile of rocks, a narrow Teleportation Gate was surprisingly opened.

Marvin felt that the rune on the Teleportation Gate was a bit familiar.

But Louise didn’t give Marvin a chance to look at it properly and forced him into the Teleportation Gate.

After some time, Marvin opened his eyes.

He was still surrounded by water.

‘Eh? Did the Teleportation fail?’

Seeing the similar surroundings, Marvin’s heart sank.

But then, his eyes widened.

Two rows of twelve Higher Water Elemental Guardians suddenly appeared and bowed in Marvin’s direction. “Welcome, Princess.”

“Princess has worked hard, Our Majesty the King already awaits at the heart of the whirlpool.”

Marvin mumbled under his breath, “Elemental Plane of Water…”

Chapter 485: Cage

p>The Elemental Plane of Water!

One of the four Elemental Planes.

In Feinan, the four Elemental Planes were mysterious planes, even more mysterious than the Astral Sea, Hell, and the Abyss.

Even a powerful Legend Wizard would find it difficult to travel to an Elemental Plane.

Because the four Elemental Planes guarded themselves tightly against outsiders.

Even though many Wizards summoned some Lesser Elementals, these Elementals would loyally carry out their orders, but wouldn’t leak anything concerning their Elemental Plane.

The Elemental Planes were ruled by four Sovereigns who were immortals and were said to have been born along with the Universe.

They guarded the heart of each Elemental Plane.

The power of the four elements was independent and chaotic, but when merged, it became the power of Order.

In other words, it was the Elemental Planes that supported the Astral Sea while also being the source of the power of Order in every plane, opposing Chaos power. It led to both sides reaching a balance.

The Elemental Sovereigns were very powerful and no one ever saw them act before. Marvin estimated that they wouldn’t be weaker than the most powerful Gods.

Hell, the Abyss, the Negative Energy Plane… Regardless of which sinister existence, they didn’t dare to covet the heart of the Elemental Planes. This clearly showed the planes’ power.

In fact, based on the small pieces of information revealed in the game, it wouldn’t be hard to deduce that the Elemental Planes should be the strongest force among all planes.

But the Elemental Planes were very conservative. The Elemental Sovereigns kept the oath made during the creation and wouldn’t have too much interaction with other lifeforms.

Thus, the four supreme Elemental Planes seemed especially mysterious.

Even if Feinan were completely eradicated, as long as it didn’t involve the roots of the Universe, the Elemental Sovereigns would just watch coldly.

Marvin hadn’t thought that Kangen’s so-called “friend” was actually the daughter of an Elemental Sovereign!

…

Louise looked at the shock on Marvin’s face and seemed very pleased with herself.

She took off her disguise and her veil, revealing a beautiful face.

She looked like a Human woman, with only her light blue eyes displaying the appearance of the water element.

“Princess, your Shapechanging skill is very mighty.” Marvin smiled bitterly.

“Shapechanging? No, this is my real appearance.” Louise smiled playfully as she asked, “You really think the Element Sovereigns look the way they are depicted in the legends?”

Marvin couldn’t help but reveal a strange expression.

A Water Elemental Guardian interrupted them with a cough, apparently unwilling to let Marvin and Louise keep chatting. “Princess, our King has been waiting for you for a long time.”

Louise couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Since he waited for so long, can’t he wait a bit more?”

“I’ll return to my cottage first.”

Shortly after, she ignored the unsightly expressions of the Water Elemental Guardians and pulled Marvin along before disappearing.

…

Louise’s cottage was set up on the edge of the Elemental Plane of Water.

It was an enchanted cottage, and the whole building was built with shape-changing oak. It seemed very small on the outside, but it was like a completely different world on the inside.

Inside the cottage, Marvin was comfortably sitting on a blanket while drinking a mouthful of a strange hot drink Louise gave him. “Making someone like your father wait, are you sure it’s alright?”

Louise shrugged. “He has time on his hands anyway.”

“Moreover, before seeing him, I have to discuss something with you.”

“I know a bit about Hartson’s conspiracy, but not enough. I need you to tell me what you know.”

“This is very important.”

Marvin hesitated a bit, thinking.

He almost understood everything concerning Hartson. There was no harm in telling Louise. But the matter concerning the Fairy and Lance’s seal… he didn’t know if the Elemental Sovereign should know about it.

Especially the Crystal Statue.

Marvin was now in the Elemental Plane of Water. Even if Louise wasn’t hostile, what if she wanted him to hand over the Crystal Statue?

No one could resist such a formidable power. Marvin didn’t know where the Elemental Sovereign stood on the matter of the Crystal Statue, and thus, he didn’t know if he should talk about it.

Deceiving Louise wasn’t so good either. She had saved him, after all.

As if able to read Marvin’s conflicting expressions, Louise quietly told him, “I only want to know if Hartson got what he wanted.”

“My father is very concerned about this matter. He actually wasn’t concerned about Feinan’s rise and fall. Unless something happened to the entire Universe, he wouldn’t act.”

“But Dragon God Hartson is a very dangerous entity. Back then, Sir Lance actually defeated Hartson with the help of the four Elemental Sovereigns. Only they knew the power of Hartson at his peak, and thus…”

Marvin smiled bitterly. He then shook his head and glanced at Louise, assuring her, “Hartson definitely didn’t get what he wanted, and he never will.”

“Oh?” Louise looked at Marvin with interest.

Clearly, someone as smart as her already knew what Marvin meant.

“You aren’t afraid I would steal it from you?” she suddenly said with a teasing smile.

Marvin was a bit distracted, before calmly answering, “If you really wanted to, then you wouldn’t have brought me to your cottage.”

“You could have directly taken me to the [Heart of the Whirlpool]. No one can resist the strength of an Elemental Sovereign, am I right?”

Louise snorted, “Clever.”

Marvin let out a breath.

Marvin found Louise’s actions very strange. The Water Elemental Sovereign was already waiting for her. But she still took him to slip away, ignoring it.

This was definitely a bit fishy.

Sure enough, Louise let out a sigh while showing a complicated expression. “The Crystal Statue is definitely in your hands.”

“This isn’t something ordinary people can handle. Many people covet the power within.”

Marvin frowned, trying to see where she was going with this. “Including your father?”

Louise shook her head and said with hesitation, “Not exactly. I just have those kinds of worries. In the past years, he became different. He frequently tells me that he is very weary of his current life.”

“He was born as a guardian of the Heart of the Whirlpool, a guardian of the power of Order in the Universe. His strength is incomparable, but he can never escape this duty.”

“At one point… he even told me… something baffling.”

The expression on Louise’s face was clearly distressed.

Marvin asked, “What was it?”

It was safe to say that the will of an Elemental Sovereign should be very firm. They were originally born in order to guard the Elemental Hearts. They were the foundation to maintain the Universe.

If there was a problem with an Elemental Sovereign, then this news would be more terrible than the Universe Magic Pool shattering!

The Elemental Planes were there to keep the Universe in balance.

If the destruction of the Universe Magic Pool might lead to the fall of Feinan, then the Elemental Planes falling out of balance might cause the entire Universe to be destroyed!

Marvin felt an invisible pressure crushing him.

He came into contact with the core secrets of the Universe and hidden disasters one after the other.

Ordinary people would never be able to learn about these matters, so they could only worry about the disaster in front of them.

Powerhouses like Marvin actually had to consider the possible disasters in the distant future.

It might be better to live as an ordinary person sometimes.

As they say, ignorance is bliss.

…

Louise glanced at Marvin. She had heard a bit about the man in front of her.

After all, Marvin was famous in Feinan. He shot a missile at the Shadow Prince’s God Realm and even the Elemental Sovereigns had gossiped about it for several days. She had been on the side listening to it.

She was very curious about Marvin. This man seemed to have a mysterious power and was able to accomplish many things that others deemed impossible.

Kangen admired him for his comprehension. Despite being a mortal, he killed Diggles, and then Dark Phoenix. Even her father couldn’t help but be surprised at his potential.

Was it the right choice for him to have the Crystal Statue?

Louise didn’t know. But she thought it might be a lot better with him than in her father’s hands.

She hesitated before whispering, “He told me: [This world is like a cage… I’d like to take a look outside.]”

Marvin took a deep breath.

This world was like a cage.

These words felt like déjà vu.

Wasn’t that what the Gods in their God Realms were thinking?

Hell’s Archdevils, the Abyss’ Demon Lords, the Wilderness’ Beasts, wasn’t that what they were thinking?

The power of Order wrapped around them all like shackles, forming a cage that confined them inside.

In order to break through the cage, they had to use a formidable power.

And in the process, it was inevitable that countless innocents would be sacrificed. Rivers of blood would flow.

The unease in Marvin’s heart intensified.

When one of the peak powerhouses of the Universe was thinking like that, then Order was on the eve of collapsing.

Marvin originally thought that the problems were only limited to Feinan, only limited to the Universe Magic Pool. But now it seemed like he had still been thinking like a gamer and didn’t have a profound understanding of the nature of this Universe.

An Elemental Sovereign, one maintaining Order, said those words. Although he might not act upon his words, it was still very frightening for him to express such thoughts.

Furthermore, something just occurred to Marvin. ‘That Wizard God, does he also think that this world is a cage?’

‘If he felt that way too, then what did he plan?’

…

The more Marvin thought about it, the more frightened he became. He even began sweating.

Fortunately, Louise interrupted his reflection before he could become too downcast.

“Time is running out and my father is most likely becoming impatient.”

“I’ll send you back to Feinan now. This is the Dark Blue Hourglass, you can use it to enter the Elemental Plane of Water at any time if someday you need a place to seek shelter.”

“Protect the Crystal Statue. As for the other matters, Professor and I will settle them.”

The next second, a Teleportation Gate suddenly appeared in front of Marvin.

Chapter 486: Familiar

p>Marvin returned to Feinan through the Teleportation Gate opened by Louise.

The Gate led to that cave in the Lumber Woods.

Unsurprisingly, Professor, Kangen and the other Metallic Dragons were all there.

Professor let out a sigh of relief when he saw Marvin appearing.

After being warned by Louise that Marvin had been taken to the Elemental Plane of Water, he had felt rather worried about it.

Let alone a mortal, even a powerful Dragon wouldn’t be more than a lizard in front of an Elemental Sovereign.

Although Louise was Kangen’s friend, that woman had always been temperamental. Who knew what could happen?

Now that Marvin returned safely, he finally felt relieved.

Due to them arriving relatively late, Kangen and Professor found out that their point of arrival had been shifted when going through the Teleportation Gate.

They didn’t appear in the Nightmare Boundary, ending up in another place instead.

Fortunately, these two were unique powerhouses and although interplanar travel wasn’t easy for them, it was still within their means.

After returning to Feinan, they received information from Louise.

Combined with what they learnt, this Chromatic Dragon Gathering should have most likely ended up in a total wipeout.

The only one that wasn’t accounted for was Ancient Red Dragon Ell.

Of the remaining four Dragons, Ikarina had been killed by Marvin and the other three were reduced to being corrupted Evil Dragons, becoming part of the Evil Dragon Cemetery.

This actually wasn’t a good news for the Metallic Dragons.

After discussing for a while, in order to ruin Hartson’s plan to use the underground temple as a springboard, they decided to destroy the Teleportation Gate on the 3rd floor.

Destroying a Teleportation Gate made by a God wasn’t easy, but fortunately, the Ancient Metallic Dragons had a long-lasting inheritance. They had no lack of artifacts and ancient treasures.

The Metallic Dragons quickly took action.

They split up into two groups: one headed by Professor, in charge of destroying the Teleportation Gate, and one headed by Kangen, planning to travel to the Elemental Plane of Water. He had a good relationship with Louise and was somewhat friendly with the Water Elemental Sovereign, so he could freely enter and exit the Elemental Plane of Water.

When Marvin suggested saving Tidomas’ soul, he was told that it was no longer necessary.

It turned out that after Marvin left, Professor and Kangen met the Dragon Soul.

Unlike the others, Professor knew Tidomas!

He had a deep impression of that strange Dragon, and after discussing, they not only released his soul, they also helped him recover his memories.

It was from Tidomas’ mouth that they learnt about Dragon God Hartson’s plot.

Thus, Marvin’s Book of Forgiveness was unnecessary. Tidomas’ soul was already resting in peace.

What was worth mentioning was that after Tidomas recovered his memories, he still didn’t feel any hatred.

He just left the world serenely, his soul heading for the Underworld.

This was a very rare situation. After all, Dragon God Hartson had stripped his soul and imprisoned him, forcing him to bear torment while taking over his name and making him infamous across the realms.

But in the end, Tidomas unexpectedly had no negative feelings.

The only explanation was that even after death, that loyal Dragon only had one thought: staying faithful toward his Dragon God.

This made them all feel moved.

Especially Marvin, who had learnt of the effect of the Dragon Teeth, which was a very scary Dragon Restraining skill that would absorb a Dragon’s hate to increase the user’s power.

After Professor took care of removing the Dragon Teeth, he found out that the power was being absorbed by the Evil Dragon Cemetery.

Hartson didn’t even let Tidomas off after his death and kept exploiting his soul.

His only miscalculation was that Tidomas himself didn’t have much hatred, so he could only absorb a small amount of power.

He killed his most loyal subordinate and still thought of squeezing all he could from him, but that subordinate was too loyal, and thus was unable to give him more power. Putting it that way, this was quite an ironic situation.

…

In any case, the matters of Lumber Woods could be considered finished.

He shared what he knew with Professor and the others.

Naturally, he didn’t mention the matters concerning the Fairy. He believed Louise also wouldn’t leak something as important as the Crystal Statue.

The fewer that people knew about it, the better.

Since it was all over, Marvin now had to cross the Millennium Mountain Range to go to the Supreme Jungle.

It just so happened that one of the Metallic Dragons, the Silver Dragon, was going to visit three towns in the North. He would be passing fairly close to the Supreme Jungle and offered to take Marvin on the way.

The flight speed of these Ancient Dragons wasn’t something ordinary people could imagine. From Lumber Woods to the south of the Supreme Jungle, the Silver Dragon only took two hours!

After Marvin thanked Stein, he parted ways with him and entered a darker part of the Supreme Jungle.

…

The Supreme Jungle was located northwest of the various countries of the North.

A part of the jungle relied on the Millennium Mountain Range, and the rest stretched to the Far North with three towns east of it.

The Supreme Jungle was at a certain distance from the Lavis Dukedom, such that it wasn’t excessively far, yet it wasn’t close enough for them to be in contact.

As for the matters of the Lavis Dukedom, Marvin didn’t hear much about it.

On the day of the Great Calamity, Daniela ignited the Source of Fire’s Order. This was all he knew.

But shortly after, this Sorcerer country met with a Demon Invasion.

This was very normal as there were many Sorcerers whose powers came from Demonic Contracts. Even though the Lavis Royal Family’s bloodline came from the Devils, there were many factions that originated from Demons. And some of the people within were bribed by the Demon Overlord and seemingly took some furtive actions.

In short, it was said that a Gate of the Abyss opened directly over the capital of the Lavis Dukedom.

The situation should be quite desperate.

Marvin wasn’t clear about the details. Daniela didn’t ask for his help, so it should be fine.

The Ice Empress definitely wasn’t undeserving of her reputation. A Demon army shouldn’t be able to do anything to her.

By this time, Marvin had already gone deep in the Supreme Jungle.

He was walking very carefully.

He didn’t openly use the Long Distance Teleportation because he didn’t want the Great Druid, Old Ent, to find him.

This matter concerning Endless Ocean seemed extremely weird to Marvin.

It would be better to sneak in and understand the situation first.

But he hadn’t expected to find a familiar aura.

Marvin frowned. ‘Hell’s Familiar?’

Chapter 487: Withering World Tree

p>A shadow was swiftly flickering through the lush forest.

Its short body was moving quickly along while still remaining obscured by the foliage.

It was early morning in the North. The sun had just risen and there was still some dew left on the trees in the Supreme Jungle.

The Shadow passed over the dew but didn’t leave any traces.

It seemed as if it was out of this world.

It was proudly observing the surroundings as it scurried around. Those were important pieces of information, and after returning, it was bound to receive a reward.

That group of wretched Druids definitely didn’t think that a Devil would be able to infiltrate their half-opened Sanctuary.

Thinking of that, its pride intensified.

But suddenly, a forceful hand grabbed its vital part!

It tried to flee using its superior speed, but the other side seemed to know its abilities and firmly held onto it, making it unable to escape.

Marvin looked at this mouse-like lifeform with interest.

It wasn’t something seen very often. Hell’s Familiars were rare even in the Nine Hells.

This thing didn’t have the aura of a Devil and it was small, quick, and could Stealth. It was a natural scout.

In fact, if not for Marvin accidentally stepping into Hell before, his contract wouldn’t have resonated with it and he wouldn’t have been able to discover this Familiar.

A Familiar’s fighting strength was low. Once found, there was nothing they could do but try to escape.

Especially now that it was captured by Marvin, a Legend powerhouse. Taking care of a Familiar wouldn’t be an issue for him.

He looked at the Familiar with a gaze full of curiosity as he gently asked, “Little guy, I know you can understand me.”

“Now, tell me, who are you loyal to?”

…

In the depths of the Supreme Jungle.

Jadeite City.

A few tall silhouettes stood on a platform spreading from a huge tree, overlooking the entire homeland of the Druids.

They remained silent. A leaf slowly fell down.

“Another one.”

“The World Tree keeps withering.”

“We can only sit and wait,” one of the Druids said with a heavy expression while looking at the wilted leaf.

If Marvin was here, he most likely would have recognized the people present.

A few of the Migratory Bird Council’s higher-ups, the most powerful Druids of the North, were gathered there.

Sky Fury, Mother of Creation, Dark Blue Moon.

And there was a wrinkled old man.

The old man looked very old, as if he might leave this world anytime, but his eyes were still full of vitality.

“We must ascertain why,” the old man slowly said.

The next second, a light suddenly burst out in his palm.

Within the light, in a dark green ocean, a shadow was moving forward.

They all looked at that shadow, which had a mist appearing over his face.

“This matter has been like this since that Viscount Marvin entered the World Tree.” The old man shook his head. “And from what we know, his power and prowess recently greatly increased. In fact, ever since he appeared, his strength has been increasing extremely quickly. From an unknown youth to a powerhouse able to kill a God…”

“Anything that doesn’t conform to the rules of nature is peculiar.”

The other three Great Druids looked at each other in dismay, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say.

Ultimately, Mother of Creation stood out. “I treated Viscount Marvin once. At that time, he was almost killed by Glynos and almost died under the curse of Nightfall. While we were in contact, I didn’t get the impression that he was the kind of person that would steal the power of nature.”

Sky Fury seconded, “I fought alongside him once, and Lorant also doesn’t believe that he is that kind of person.”

The old man slowly reminded, “But we know that Viscount Marvin’s Domain is [Shadow].”

The Great Druids frowned at these words.

This was also the reason they were doubtful.

The North’s Great Druids considered themselves to be the World Tree’s Guardians. They guarded the peace and order of the forests of the North. But they recently found something weird.

The originally lush World Tree seemed to be withering!

This wasn’t a trivial matter.

In all of Feinan’s history, the World Tree had never withered.

The Great Druids searched through countless books, yet didn’t find any related records. Meanwhile, the World Tree kept withering day by day at a rapid pace.

Even more so since the Gods attacked the Universe Magic Pool.

But the Druids clearly understood that the Universe Magic Pool and the World Tree weren’t related. They could easily ignite the Source of Fire’s Order because the Supreme Jungle was blessed by the power of nature.

It could partly resist the Chaos Magic Power.

Even if the Universe Magic Pool was completely destroyed, the mighty power of the slumbering Nature God would still continue to bless this territory.

The World Tree also wouldn’t be affected directly.

Thus, there must be another reason.

The Migratory Bird Council attached a lot of importance to this matter and kept investigating it before it alarmed the council’s Chairman, Old Ent, who had been slumbering for a long time.

After Old Ent awakened, he used a special Divination skill.

Nature-based Divination wasn’t powered by the Universe Magic Pool, so it wasn’t affected much by the Calamity.

They then saw the scene.

The Nature God’s power was shockingly being stolen!

Moreover, that person was absorbing the power at a crazy rate, and this was the cause of the World Tree’s withering.

Because of the Divination’s restriction, they could only see a shadow.

From what Old Ent deciphered, this was most likely a powerhouse holding the [Shadow] Domain, or a God with the Shadow Godhood.

The Shadow Prince, the most likely culprit, had already been sent flying by Marvin.

From the information they got from the Astral Sea, after the Shadow Prince sealed his own God Realm, he sank into eternal slumber. Clearly, Glynos couldn’t be the one stealing that power right now.

There were few potential culprits remaining.

At that time, they thought of Marvin.

When Marvin called for the Migratory Bird Council to help deal with Dark Phoenix, Old Ent learnt from Sky Fury that Marvin once went in the World Tree, and thus became interested in Marvin.

Information about him began to steadily flow into the Council’s hands.

All the Great Druids looked at it, and even those who always had a good relationship with Marvin couldn’t help but be swayed somewhat. It wasn’t for no reason; Marvin’s progress over the span of a few months couldn’t simply be described as amazingly fast. It was heaven-defying!

Five months ago, he was still a 2nd rank Night Walker.

Now, he had become a Plane Destroyer, Dragon Slayer, and God Slayer!

He founded White River Valley, the first territory to ignite the Source of Fire’s Order during the disaster.

He used his own power to destroy the Black Dragons of Feinan, ruthlessly making one of them submit to him.

This kind of power seemed to coincide with the theft of the Nature Power.

Old Ent not making a move right away was due to the opinions of Sky Fury and the others.

And after Dark Phoenix’s death, he quickly made some preparations.

Endless Ocean’s matter was just an excuse. Although the Great Druids were inflexible, they wouldn’t treat their own like that.

His target was Marvin.

“If he is really the one… What will you do?” Mother of Creation asked softly.

Old Ent gazed into the distance. There, a youth was grabbing a Familiar while slowly walking toward them.

“It is not him.” The wrinkles on Old Ent’s face deepened.

…

Unlike White River Valley, the Druids had the support of the World Tree. Thus, after they ignited the Source of Fire’s Order, they transformed the Supreme Jungle into a Sanctuary.

But that Sanctuary wasn’t like White River Valley’s sealed type, this was a half-opened type of Sanctuary.

Everything related to Chaos Magic would be expelled.

This also was one of the reasons Marvin chose to enter the Supreme Jungle quietly. Otherwise, even if he could enter the territory, he wouldn’t be able to cover his tracks.

After grabbing that familiar, he naturally interrogated it.

But it was a pity that one reason Hell’s Archdevils liked Familiars was their ability to keep secrets.

Hell’s Familiars were stubborn and wouldn’t talk. Getting information from them was very hard.

Marvin wasn’t worried. Although the Familiar didn’t tell him anything, Marvin already guessed some things.

His Hell Corps Contract had resonated, which meant that this thing most likely came from Diross’ Hell.

It might even be the familiar of his grandfather, Diross Cridland.

‘He already took care of the Archdevil? Or did the Archdevil take care of him?’

Marvin was quite interested about his own grandfather. In Lavis, he learnt a part of the truth. But Marvin felt that the Duke’s words might not be correct. What happened to Diross? That was what Marvin was looking forward to finding out.

Marvin would be happy if he could see the relative suspected of having turned into an Archdevil in his trip to the North, as long as the place wasn’t a battlefield.

The importance of the World Tree was well known. Hell and the Abyss’ forces were trying to climb up the World Tree to reach the God Realms in order to conquer the Gods’ armies.

Feinan’s World Tree was one of the easiest entrances they could use.

It would be normal for the Devils to be interested in it.

As he thought of this, Marvin suddenly realized something was wrong.

When he entered the Supreme Jungle, he didn’t feel the shock that he felt when he entered it for the first time in the game.

This place should be filled with Nature Power. Shouldn’t he receive a willpower check the first time?

Marvin subconsciously checked his interface and found a willpower check… But the difficulty rating was only at [35], and because Marvin’s willpower was too high, he didn’t even feel it.

This was no surprise since Marvin was a lot more powerful than the young adventurer who had entered the forest at the time.

However, he clearly remembered that the Nature Power’s willpower test should have a difficulty rating of [60]!

It might be fine if there was a small deviation, but he certainly wouldn’t misremember by such a huge margin!

‘Could there be an issue with the World Tree?’

Marvin rushed toward a Druid Village to ask about recent events.

He quickly heard some information that confirmed his guesses.

The Migratory Bird Council’s latest order was for all those in the Druid villages on the edge of the forest to migrate toward the depths.

Chapter 488: Familiar Shadow

p>After learning this information, Marvin was almost certain that the Supreme Jungle’s Nature Power had truly been reduced.

This reduction was quite worrying.

He suddenly remembered that he once entered the World Tree in order to kill Diggles.

‘Is this the reason behind the Migratory Bird Council’s suspicions toward me?’

Marvin quickly came to this conclusion.

This was entirely justifiable.

In the eyes of the Migratory Bird Council, Marvin was someone that appeared out of nowhere. And apart from him, it seemed that no one had gotten close to the World Tree recently except for that apostle, but she was already dead.

This was troublesome.

Marvin thought for a moment. Old Ent’s goal was very clear. He wanted to confirm whether or not Marvin was responsible for the weakening of the Nature Power.

Since that was the case, he openly headed toward Jadeite City without concealing himself.

He soon reached the depths of the Sanctuary.

The distant forest became more lush and flourishing and the trees were extremely tall. White clouds covered the treetops, gradually revealing a city standing amidst the clouds!

This was Jadeite City, a city established in the trees and clouds!

The Great Druids lived there, guarding the World Tree and the inheritances of the past. From what Marvin knew, there were two slumbering Guardian Dragons there!

Upon reaching the edge of Jadeite City, he activated his Domains!

Shadow, and Slaughter!

In an instant, he felt someone’s gaze on him.

It was a gaze coming from above the sea of clouds.

Marvin smiled.

After releasing his own power in the Sanctuary, he was naturally noticed by its owner.

That was the effect Marvin wanted. After all, removing the misunderstanding between him and the Migratory Bird Council was something that needed to be done first.

…

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward inside a treehouse with twisted roots.

After the greetings, a few Great Druids sank into silence, as if they were asleep.

Only the Chairman of the Migratory Bird Council, Old Ent, kept studying Marvin, like he found him very fascinating.

Since Marvin didn’t do anything wrong, he wasn’t worried about his scrutiny.

But he also couldn’t explain that he had already come to the Supreme Jungle before in his previous life, causing him to realize that the Nature Power had decreased in intensity. Thus, he pretended to be unaware.

“Respected Chairman.” Marvin cleared his throat and looked at Old Ent. “Just as your letter requested, I have arrived.”

“Forgive me for being blunt. I’m not calling into question the Council’s judgement, but the matter of Endless Ocean does not seem to follow reason. We all know how powerful Dark Phoenix was. If not for the four totemic pillars sealing her power, I wouldn’t have been able to kill her.”

Marvin obviously knew by now that the four totemic pillars wouldn’t be the focus of their discussion, but they all still had to keep up appearances.

As expected, after this remark was made, the Great Druids had awkward expressions on their faces.

Marvin inwardly laughed.

These Great Druids were too honest and weren’t able to lie.

Seeing their demeanors, Endless Ocean should be fine.

The so-called judgement should be for him. The entire time, the goal was to lure him to Jadeite City.

Thinking of this, Marvin couldn’t help grinning.

As long as he could confirm that he was unrelated to the loss of Nature Power, these Great Druids would feel ashamed for doubting him.

At that time, if Marvin wanted to get some benefits, wouldn’t it be easy with his tricks?

At that time, Old Ent eventually spoke, “Sorry, Mister Marvin. We seem to have made an error of judgement.”

“We previously deceived you. Endless Ocean did not receive a life imprisonment sentence. On the contrary, her participation in the annihilation of Dark Phoenix was enough to annul her sin of stealing the four totemic pillars.”

“In fact, we didn’t make things difficult for her at all.”

Marvin raised an eyebrow.

That old fox caught him unprepared.

He apologized directly… Could it be that he already realized that he had the wrong person?

Moreover, he wanted to skim over the fact that Marvin had been summoned here with such a light apology?

Isn’t that too wrong?

Marvin rolled his eyes and pretended to be furious. “Eh? You sent me a letter just to lie to me?”

“I didn’t expect the majestic Migratory Bird Council to deceive others, especially their own ally.”

The Great Druids had unsightly expressions.

Old Ent sighed, giving Marvin a complex glance before slowly saying, “This matter is too complicated. I am very sorry for the methods we used.”

“If you understood the crux of the matter, I am sure that you would forgive our difficulties.”

Marvin cursed inwardly. The old fox clearly wanted to deal with the matter without giving him any concessions.

But Marvin still politely asked, “I want to hear, what’s the so-called crux of the matter?”

Sky Fury coughed, interjecting, “Marvin, this matter concerns the core of the Supreme Jungle, I’m afraid we can’t…”

But Old Ent waved his hand. “It is not an issue. We have to give Mister Marvin an explanation.”

“Letting him know the whole story can resolve the misunderstanding between us.”

Hearing Old Ent’s sincere tone, Marvin felt slightly uncomfortable.

The Druids are extremely conservative and were rarely willing to leak such important information.

Marvin came with the intention of getting a few benefits while bringing Constantine and Endless Ocean back, but he didn’t expect that he would be getting involved in the core secrets of the Supreme Jungle.

What was Old Ent’s plan?

Not waiting for Marvin’s refusal, Old Ent started narrating.

Marvin could only choose to helplessly listen.

…

Old Ent’s story was very brief and concise, but the content was far more serious than Marvin had imagined. No wonder these Druids had seemed antagonistic to Marvin and coerced him to come.

The World Tree was withering.

This wasn’t a trivial matter. It was actually a major event in Feinan!

Marvin never heard about that in the game!

It was surely a variable brought about by his transmigration.

After hearing this, Marvin sank into contemplation.

‘The World Tree’s withering is definitely caused by someone and not natural. A shadow was shown in the Divination, so no wonder they doubted me. I entered the World Tree a few months ago, after all!’

‘Could it be that someone was behind me at that time?’

Thinking of this, Marvin couldn’t help feeling a chill.

He stared at the shadow in Old Tree’s hands and felt that it was familiar.

He felt as if he had seen it somewhere before, but there were no traces of it in his memories.

Old Ent’s voice echoed, “We previously suspected you of being behind the withering of the World Tree. After all, a Ruler of the Night with the Shadow Domain fits the Divination.”

“But I just saw another Domain on your body and understood that the matter was unrelated to you.”

“The Shadow in the Divination is very sinister but pure. It is definitely an expert with only one Domain.”

“We are very sorry for doubting you.”

Marvin suddenly shivered.

He just recalled why that shadow felt so familiar!

Chapter 489: Shadow

p>Glynos!

Marvin seldom thought about his former enemy since Saruha’s events.

The Shadow Prince’s God Realm had been blown up by a missile made by the Ancient Gnomes, which was something everyone knew.

It was to the point that even Marvin himself overlooked Glynos.

But this shadow… He definitely wasn’t wrong about it.

This was definitely a diminished version of Glynos’ Divine Source.

In the game, Marvin got to directly witness Glynos’ Divine Source when he killed him.

It left a lasting impression on him and he never forgot about it.

He looked at the continuously swaying shadow in Old Ent’s hands and couldn’t help but blurt out, “Shadow Prince!”

The Great Druids all had expressions of surprise.

Old Ent slowly said, “If Glynos were still around, he would indeed be the first target of our suspicions.”

“But thanks to that missile, he already fell into an eternal slumber and should not be of any threat to the World Tree.”

“Even if he wanted to steal Nature Power, he would not be able to enter the World Tree.”

Marvin frowned.

He didn’t have any way to convince these Druids.

He couldn’t say that he had seen the appearance of Glynos’ Divine Source in his previous life, right?

But his instincts told him that this was definitely Glynos!

‘He actually survived.’

‘How did he do it?’

Marvin was even more alert.

Although he could still try to negotiate with many others, he and Glynos were mortal enemies.

If the Shadow Prince got a new lease on life through absorbing Nature Power and returned to Feinan, Marvin definitely would be his first target!

Moreover, Marvin knew that the Ancient Nature God’s slumber was just a false appearance.

After this powerful God connected his body with the World Tree, his soul and consciousness left his physical body to pursue traces of the Wizard God in the Primal Chaos Fringe.

If Glynos managed to discover the hiding location of the Nature God’s body, he might really be able to absorb the Nature Power unhindered.

Naturally, he probably wouldn’t dare to absorb it directly. He might have just used the Nature God’s body as a bridge to absorb the power of the World Tree.

It was just like what Diggles did.

But at that time, Diggles was relatively crazy. In order to absorb power, he connected his entire plane onto the World Tree.

Because his rate of absorption had been relatively slow, there wasn’t any reaction from Feinan’s World Tree. But now, Glynos was absorbing the power faster than the entire Decaying Plateau had been doing it!

This made sense to Marvin. That missile explosion put Glynos very close to death, so he truly needed a great amount of power.

A God with a completely shattered God Realm was like a bottomless pit, enough to keep drawing power from the World Tree until it went dry.

As for the main World Tree, it wouldn’t be affected too badly because of the Laws’ restrictions.

This hypothesis appeared in Marvin’s mind in an instant.

Even if it was just a conjecture, he was at least 80% confident.

The Nature God hid his body in the depths of the Universe, and Glynos also went into eternal exile.

If he accidentally met the Nature God’s body during his exile, then such a situation might happen!

The more Marvin thought about it, the more he felt that it was the only possible explanation.

After all, besides Glynos and himself, there were only a handful of powerhouses with the Shadow Domain. But of those, there was not a single one that would be able to absorb the power of Feinan’s World Tree and cause such an effect!

The Nature Power was bound to have strengthened due to the passage of time. Ordinary people simply couldn’t take in so much power!

It was something only Gods could do.

…

Marvin didn’t keep putting his conjecture forward. He only vaguely mentioned another thing: This matter of the Nature Power weakening might not be an issue with Feinan’s World Tree, but instead one with the Nature God’s body.

This hypothesis shocked the Great Druids.

It hadn’t occurred to them that others could steal Nature Power through the powerful Ancient Nature God.

But after thinking carefully, they realized that the Ancient Nature God had left this world for so long.

His power and privileges were delegated to Feinan’s World Tree, to the point that the Nature Magic System could be learnt through the Nature Leaves.

Even powerful Druids were unable to communicate with the Ancient Nature God.

That included Heavenly Deer Lorant. Before he descended, he was one of the relatively loved companions of the Ancient Nature God.

Old Ent was also unable to connect to the Ancient Nature God.

If the hiding place of the Ancient Nature God was really discovered, then in theory, such a situation could happen.

Since things came to this, Marvin didn’t want to keep bickering with the Migratory Bird Council on those small details.

After all, from the Migratory Bird Council, he already found out that Endless Ocean hadn’t been punished but was instead taken to the [Green Sea Paradise] by another Great Druid. They would follow the tracks of the Ancient Nature God there and might meet some good fortune.

As for Constantine and O’Brien, they had departed from Jadeite City first.

They left a letter to Marvin, the content of which was very simple. There seemed to be some issues at the North’s Night Walker stronghold. They had to settle that.

Marvin already knew that the Night Walkers had a stronghold in the northeast and O’Brien very rarely appeared on the rest of the continent because he was usually guarding that place.

In the northeast, under a huge crack, resided the terrifying Molten Clan. It was said to be communicating with a few Abyssal Planes and frequently had Demons crawling out from within.

This was also where the Dwarves used to live.

Not long ago, O’Brien beheaded a Molten Overlord there, but he hadn’t expected a new disaster to strike so soon.

‘Could it be a Demon?’

Marvin shook his head in silence after reading the letter.

He remained speechless for a while.

As it turned out, he had gone through a lot of troubles and rushed to Jadeite City, only to find out that no one was waiting for him there.

Shadow Thief Owl had also left Jadeite City, heading to Lavis.

It looked like he was still anxious about his grandmother’s “remains”.

In Jadeite City, there was only Old Ent, who had deceived him.

“Since you already found out that I’m not the one who stole the Nature Power, I believe you could lend me Jadeite City’s Long Distance Teleportation Array?”

“I want to go to Lavis Dukedom first.”

Marvin raised his request.

Since he came all the way to the North, he might as well take a look at the current Lavis Dukedom.

After the Demons’ assault, under Daniela’s directives, what was the current state of this Sorcerer country?

Moreover, Lavis was close to the North’s Three Cities. Marvin was thinking of taking a look there.

Last time, his meeting with Valkyrie Eve wasn’t that friendly. Her servant was really too bothersome and almost let Dark Phoenix go free. If not for Hathaway’s timely appearance, Marvin might not have been able to successfully kill Dark Phoenix.

Marvin was, of course, not looking for trouble. Eve had a lot of potential and was worth having as a hidden ally.

Even if they couldn’t form an actual alliance, he still needed to prevent them from becoming enemies. After all, there was only a small number of true powerhouses in this world.

But he didn’t expect Old Ent to suddenly inquire, “I wonder if Mister Marvin is interested in Nature Leaves?”

Chapter 490: Origin Leaves

p>Marvin was very interested in the Nature Leaves.

It had been one of his objectives on his trip to the Supreme Jungle.

But having what he was thinking about directly come out of Old Ent’s mouth felt a bit uncomfortable.

Old Ent’s shrewdness made it hard for people to adapt to it.

Marvin squinted. “What do I need to do?”

He didn’t believe that group of old-fashioned Druids would give him Nature Leaves just because of his fame. They definitely needed something.

As expected, Old Ent gently explained, “Mister Marvin, I felt the aura of some Nature Leaves on you… Of course, you learnt various things and might not care about these skills, but Nature Leaves are the only way for Rangers to learn magic and the most standard way of increasing their abilities. You should already be clear about that.”

“The withering of the World Tree is not only related to Feinan, but also related to the safety of the whole Universe. I believe you should have been able to realize this with your knowledge.”

“Naturally, guarding the World Tree is our duty, not yours. But if you help us, we are willing to repay you.”

Marvin instantly answered, “I need to know what the so-called ‘help’ is!”

Old Ent paused for a moment before slowly saying, “[Crimson Wasteland].”

Marvin immediately turned around after replying, “No way!”

…

What a joke!

Even though the Nature Leaves were valuable, the Crimson Wasteland was an extremely dangerous place. Marvin didn’t need to risk his life for something like that!

What was the Crimson Wasteland?

It was a bloody battlefield.

It was a twisted plane where all kinds of lifeforms from the Universe gathered to fight each other.

Angels, Divine Servants, Demons, Devils, Evil Spirits, Beasts… and all kinds of Monsters!

That place was a killer’s wonderland, as well as a powerhouse’s paradise. It was a place where Grim Reapers liked to visit!

No one knew the origin of the Crimson Wasteland. It was said that after a terrifying war happened in a distant era, many ancient powerhouses fell. Their inheritances and treasures were buried in that mysterious land.

This legend was confirmed from time to time, as there would inevitably be more rumors of people digging out some Divine Treasure from a corner of the wasteland.

But to most people, this legend was just a joke.

The real purpose of this land lay in allowing people to improve through trial by fire.

Whether it was the God Realms, Hell, or the Abyss, they all acknowledged the Crimson Wasteland’s existence.

Only the most promising Elites among the Lesser Gods, Demons, and Devils, were qualified to join the fighting in the Crimson Wasteland. They would be subject to inhuman training there, fighting each other until they reached a certain limit before leaving this frightening area.

Although there weren’t many God powerhouses there, anyone found there would be at least a Legend powerhouse.

That place was full of the Universe’s strongest beings and could be considered the Universe’s arena.

Courageous adventurers wouldn’t rashly step foot in the Crimson Wasteland. Anyone who entered there by mistake wouldn’t return alive.

Only those Legend Wizards who reached the limit of their lifespans might brave the danger of death to see if they could find something special in this mysterious land that could extend their lives.

Ordinary people definitely wouldn’t go there on their own.

As for Marvin, although the Nature Leaves were valuable items, they definitely weren’t worth that much.

He wasn’t impulsive enough to go to the Crimson Wasteland only to get some Nature Leaves.

But before he left the room, Old Ent’s deep voice echoed out once again. “Please stay calm, Mister Marvin.”

“I didn’t get to tell you the whole reward.”

Marvin slowly turned around, and said with an unpleasant expression, “I’m wondering whether you are trying to trap me or not. Do you think I’m not aware what kind of place the Crimson Wasteland is?”

Old Ent had a helpless expression. “It looks like the effects of our misunderstanding haven’t been overcome yet. You still do not trust us.”

“If not for the Council’s lack of manpower, we would not entrust this matter to you.”

“After all, compared to what you would go through, we are going to be paying a lot more.”

Marvin frowned. “Although Nature Leaves are treasures, that clearly wouldn’t be enough when the task is getting into the Crimson Wasteland.”

Old Ent nodded, expressing his agreement, before suggesting, “What if they aren’t ordinary Nature Leaves?”

“Furthermore, there is an important piece of information related to you.”

“If you are patient enough to let me finish my story, I think you will be willing to help.”

Marvin’s expression showed some indecisiveness.

He had a feeling that since Old Ent dared to say this, Marvin definitely wouldn’t be able to resist the offer once he heard it.

What was the reward he was so confident in that he thought would convince Marvin to enter the Crimson Wasteland for sure?

The next second, a golden light appeared in Old Ent’s palm.

Marvin’s breathing slowed. “Origin Leaves!”

…

Marvin sat down, carefully listening to Old Ent’s story.

After half an hour, he smiled bitterly while walking out of the treehouse.

Old Ent’s reward indeed made it simply impossible for Marvin to refuse.

Three Origin Leaves, plus a treasure that could help him break through the body’s bottleneck!

If Old Ent had only offered the former, Marvin might have still been able to resist the temptation, but Marvin couldn’t overlook the latter.

His biggest problem right now wasn’t finding ways to train himself, but rather, the laws’ restriction.

Although cultivating an Advanced False Divine Vessel could slowly break this bottleneck, it would take some time.

And Old Ent’s method could greatly reduce this period. It was a kind of trick method.

Marvin knew the method was effective because it wasn’t just in the Druids’ history; he had also heard of it in the past.

Old Ent didn’t deceive him about the existence of the method.

Marvin hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing to take this task.

Origin Leaves were the most precious Nature Leaves, taken from the top of the World Tree. They gathered the strongest power of the Nature God.

Three Origin Leaves were enough for the Migratory Bird Council to feel the pain of losing them.

Among those, the first leaf was treated as a down payment and was already in Marvin’s hands.

Just as Marvin had wanted, this Origin Leaf had an Advanced Shapechanging skill fused into it.

Marvin used the Origin Leaf and immediately acquired the following Ranger ability:

[Advanced Shapechanging – Royal Griffin]

[Description: After using the spell, the user will have the attributes and abilities of a Royal Griffin for three hours. Usable once daily.]

…

This was a very powerful ability.

The Royal Griffin was the ultimate evolution of the Griffins. It was even a rank higher than the Golden Griffin and was many times stronger than the Blue Griffins and other common Griffins.

Its melee abilities were just a bit weaker than those of Dragons!

Chapter 491: Crimson Wasteland

p>Marvin always wanted to have a powerful Advanced Shapechange skill, he was now able to have one with this Origin Leaf.

The other two Origin Leaves were still in the Migratory Bird Council’s hands. They didn’t give them to Marvin, but Old Ent used his reputation to vouch for them, which was definitely worth no less than an Origin Leaf.

Since that was the case, Marvin no longer thought about it.

Compared to these valuable treasures, the words of Old Ent were the biggest reason behind his decision.

“If even you, Mister Marvin, are reluctant to go to the Crimson Wasteland because of how terrifying it is, then how many people in Feinan would be willing to go?”

“What I am saying is, the Crimson Wasteland is really a very frightening place, but that is only for those who lack sufficient strength, am I wrong?”

These were clearly words of praise from Old Ent.

But Marvin also realized: He was afraid of the Crimson Wasteland because of its rumors.

The Crimson Wasteland had yet to be opened in the game, and little was known about it apart from the rumors told by the commoners.

There would be Legends everywhere, and it was a place filled with Liches. But things had changed for Marvin.

He had almost forgotten how strong he had become now.

Although he was only a Level 1 Ruler of the Night, it was enough to handle most of the Divine Servants. Not mentioning his countless abilities and treasures, his fighting experience and awareness were also incomparable. Even those powerhouses training in the Crimson Wasteland might not necessarily be stronger than Marvin.

Furthermore, Marvin wasn’t going to the Crimson Wasteland to fight.

The Migratory Bird Council sent him to look for someone.

That person was the descendant of the Ancient Nature God. It was said that the result of the union between the Ancient Nature God and a human woman resulted in a genuine Half-God.

He was called Minsk.

After the Ancient Nature God disappeared, the Migratory Bird Council believed that if anyone could find the Ancient Nature God, it could only be Minsk and his older sister.

As for the woman loved by the Ancient Nature God, she was in the Green Sea Paradise. The Migratory Bird Council had already sent Endless Ocean and another Druid.

Currently, only Minsk was unaccounted for, and as the Migratory Bird Council was lacking manpower, they requested Marvin’s help.

This task sounded very unreasonable. After all, the Crimson Wasteland was said to be extremely vast and dangerous. Finding someone, even a Half-God, wouldn’t be that easy.

However, Old Ent provided a detailed guidebook and some methods to help Marvin find Minsk. He believed that if Minsk was alive, finding him wouldn’t be an issue.

As for whether he could persuade him to return to Feinan, this wasn’t within Marvin’s duties.

He only needed to give Minsk the letter written by Old Ent and his mission would be considered successful.

Of course, Marvin couldn’t spend all his valuable time trying to accomplish the Druids’ task, so they agreed that if he couldn’t find Minsk within two weeks, he would have the right to drop the matter and return to Feinan on his own.

The Migratory Bird Council gave Marvin a kit containing the materials and a guidebook to build a stable Teleportation Gate.

Using that tool, Marvin could return to Feinan anytime.

After settling the details, Marvin handed the Familiar he caught at the edge of the forest to the Migratory Bird Council.

This was their territory, so it was better to tell them about the Devils’ appearance.

Seeing the Familiar, the countenances of the Great Druids turned solemn.

They had already felt the aura of the Devils these days, and it was a great menace for them to come to threaten the Druids during such dangerous times.

They had to make proper preparations to resist.

The Druids had so many things to do.

Marvin could only express his sympathy.

He was already participating in the task to save the World Tree, so he couldn’t help with defending against a potential army from Hell.

Marvin stayed for an afternoon in Jadeite City.

He wrote a few letters, one to Madeline, one to Anna, and one to Lola, letting them know where he was going while telling them to watch over White River Valley’s atmosphere and report to him.

Although Marvin’s trip to the Crimson Wasteland was an interplanar trip, he had gotten good enough that he could still somewhat use the Thousand Paper Crane, but its uses were very limited, so they had to be used sparingly.

After he finished resupplying, Marvin set foot on the path to the Crimson Wasteland with the help of Old Ent.

…

The Crimson Wasteland was a mysterious plane. It had a few entrances in Feinan.

The Migratory Bird Council, who had secret powers in Feinan since ancient times, naturally controlled a few of these entrances.

There was a Teleportation Gate leading to the Crimson Wasteland in a cave three hundred meters under Jadeite City.

That place was sealed all year round and would only open when three Great Druids joined their power to allow it.

Marvin made all his preparations and bid farewell to the Great Druids before entering the Teleportation Gate.

Each travel through a Teleportation Gate gave a different feeling to Marvin.

This time, the spatial unbalance gave a feeling of sadness. Sometimes he could see some sinister illusions.

Other times, he would feel some indescribable understanding.

These feelings were hazy, but they were clearly there, and only sensitive people would feel them.

In any case, after Marvin went through the Teleportation Gate, he felt an aura of desolation assaulting his senses.

He opened his eyes and saw a large amount of rice straws swaying in the desolate land in front of him.

These rice straws were completely dried yellow, yet they were insanely long, taller than Marvin!

They were swaying in the wind. A dark face vaguely appeared in the depths of the paddy field:

“Newcomer?”

A harsh voice echoed behind Marvin.

Marvin turned around, on guard.

Behind him, there stood a large tent.

A man with a rice straw sticking out from his mouth was standing by the entrance. He had a long scar on his face and was holding a slender blade.

This blade was very different from Marvin’s curved daggers. Marvin had never seen someone use that kind of weapon before.

It was more slender than ordinary knives, but seemed incomparably sharper.

The only thing Marvin felt happy about was that this man was speaking in Common. Although he had a weird accent, Marvin could still understand him.

“You better announce your faction right away. Otherwise, I won’t mind destroying a potential threat.”

The man spat out his rice straw, the knife in his hand suddenly flipping over as a cold light flashed.

In an instant, a powerful might surrounded Marvin!

‘At least a level 3 Legend!’

Marvin immediately made an estimate.

But he was still at a loss about what the man had said. “Faction? What do you mean?”