"Whoosh!""Whoosh!"The moment Julian gave the order, two figures dropped from the sky like falling meteors.Old Blue and Shayam, one of the three Advanced Bloom Soul Stage warriors had already positioned themselves high above the rift between mountains. Now they descended at terrifying speed, spiritual power surging around them as they landed behind the five Shadow Venom Scorpions—instantly sealing off their path back into the valley.The scorpions had just stepped fully into the open when danger struck."Chirp—!" "Chirp—!"Before their feet even touched the ground, the other two Advanced Bloom Soul Stage warriors had already unleashed their attacks.Invisible yet razor-sharp mental power blades shot downward, aimed directly at the grotesque like heads of the scorpions."Puff!"One of the smaller Shadow Venom Scorpions reacted too slowly. Its head exploded in an instant.Fragments of dark shell and viscous fluid sprayed outward as its massive body collapsed heavily onto the crystal-c

On a barren hillside strewn with jagged black boulders, thousands of kilometers away from the rift valley where they had nearly been buried under a tide of Shadow Venom Scorpions, Cedric and his group finally slowed down.The air here was dry and still. The ground was cracked and uneven, layered with dark stone that absorbed light rather than reflected it. Compared to the chaotic battlefield earlier, this place felt eerily quiet.One by one, they emerged from the hazy light-shadow layer below.The distorted brilliance faded behind them, replaced by the dull, natural tones of the Black Desert."Ugh—!"Julian staggered the moment his feet touched solid ground.Unlike the others, he was only at the Seed Soul Stage on the surface. It was all because of his forceful breakthrough using a lot of previous resources. But his foundation was nowhere near enough.Remaining inside the hallucinatory light-shadow layer for so long had placed immense strain on his mind. The illusions had pressed cons

"Heavens… this… is this really the Luminous Rift Valley?"The moment Cedric and the others arrived within viewing distance, they stopped almost at the same time.No one spoke for several seconds. They simply stared.In front of them stood the colossal giant tree, rising from the land like a structure beyond imagination. Its trunk alone stretched across hundreds of thousands of kilometers. From where they stood, even focusing their vision to the limit, they still could not see its full width.What was the meaning of such a scale?Cedric could not help comparing it to the Earth from his previous life. The Earth's diameter had been just over ten thousand kilometers.Yet this giant tree's trunk alone was dozens of times wider than an entire planet.Just imagining a tree thicker than the world was already overwhelming. Seeing it with one's own eyes was something else entirely. The mind struggled to accept it as reality.Above them, translucent "branches" stretched toward the sky, refractin

"Rumble—!"Without warning, the entire crystal passage trembled violently.The once orderly streams of light flowing through the walls were abruptly disrupted, scattering into chaotic flashes as if some immense force had punched through the natural rhythm of the Luminous Rift Valley. The spiraling brilliance flickered erratically, casting warped shadows across the corridor."Whoosh—!"Several hundred meters ahead and above them, the crystal ceiling exploded inward.Shards of translucent stone rained down in a glittering avalanche. Before anyone could fully react, something grotesque burst through the fractured outer wall.It was a massive disc-shaped mouthpart thrust directly into the passage.It was horrifying to behold.The circular maw was ringed with countless sharp, hooked barbs, each more than half a meter long. The barbs overlapped in layers, forming a spiraling crown of jagged blades that glinted under the fractured light. They twitched and flexed as though alive.Then, behind

Julian forced himself to suppress the anger boiling inside his chest. Instead of showing panic, he deliberately adopted a probing tone and spoke to Raven Eyes."I have never met you people, before. There should be no personal hatred between us. So tell me, did someone hire you?"He paused slightly, then continued, trying to negotiate."Listen, I don't care who your employer is. I am willing to pay double the price they offered, as long as you let us leave safely."To strengthen his words, he added deliberately, "You can check my assets. I have the resources of an entire zone available to me. The value of its annual production should be more than enough to cover your compensation."The Raven Eyes only smiled faintly when he heard Julian's words. But anyone could see that his expression was still cold and devoid of emotion."Young Master Julian, you are indeed generous. Unfortunately, when we accept this kind of mission, what we value most is not money but credibility."Raven shook his