Chapter 132 - New World

Its massive body of black mist dodged frantically to the side with all its might.

"Boom!"

The golden light grazed the edge of the black mist and smashed heavily into the earth, causing an instantaneous earthquake within the altar's internal space.

A terrifying holy shockwave swept in all directions, directly blowing away the massive body of the source of abnormality, which emitted series of shrill, agonized screams as it was burned in mid-air.

The dust and holy light gradually dispersed.

The golden light that had descended from the sky landed steadily beside Steve.

With eight wings spread wide and light and darkness intertwined, Muriel held her holy sword, looking like a true Valkyrie descending.

The moment she landed, Muriel didn't even spare a glance at the blown-away source of abnormality. She immediately turned around, her eyes filled with unconcealed worry and heartache as she urgently checked Steve's condition from head to toe.

"Steve, are you alright?"

Muriel's voice carried a distinct tremble, and her eyes were slightly red.

"I'm sorry, the barrier of rules outside was too thick. I'm not too late, am I? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Facing Muriel's anxiety, Steve did not give a warm response as he usually did.

He remained standing where he was, expressionless as always.

Those eyes, which used to always shimmer with tenderness, were now quietly gazing at Muriel with the cold indifference one would show a stranger.

Then, Steve's icy voice, devoid of any human emotion, slowly echoed within the altar space.

"Kill him."

Just two short words, yet they carried an unquestionable authority.

Hearing this cold voice, Muriel's entire body suddenly froze.

Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at Steve in disbelief.

"Steve, you..."

An extremely ominous premonition suddenly surged in Muriel's heart.

She immediately closed her eyes, utilizing the invisible bond between her and Steve to carefully sense his current state.

In the next second, Muriel's face instantly turned deathly pale.

She discovered that everything belonging to 'humanity' within Steve's body had completely vanished.

When she got so close and probed her perception into the depths of Steve's soul, she discovered to her horror that the soul sea, which was originally colorful and full of various emotional fluctuations, was now completely empty.

The things that had been thoroughly stripped away were precisely the seven emotions, the most fundamental parts of a human.

Everything was gone; not a single trace remained.

The reason Steve could still stand here, speak, and even think and make judgments was entirely because the high and mighty, cold and heartless divinity stored within the heart of faith in his chest was forcibly maintaining the operation of this body.

"How could this happen? The seven emotions have been completely stripped..."

Muriel looked into Steve's cold and heartless eyes.

When heartache reaches its limit, it becomes a monstrous rage capable of incinerating the world.

Muriel suddenly turned her head, her beautiful eyes that were just filled with tears were instantly replaced by a layer of extreme light and extreme darkness.

She glared fixedly at the black mist that had just re-solidified not far away—the source of abnormality.

"Fine."

Muriel's voice was low.

"Steve, stand here and don't move."

"I'm going to go now, cut him into a thousand pieces, and bring back all of your emotions."

Boom!

The moment her words fell, the eight wings of light and darkness behind Muriel erupted with a dazzling radiance.

Gripping the angelic holy sword, she transformed into a stream of light that pierced through heaven and earth, carrying the terrifying power of the eighth rank that could destroy the world as she charged straight toward the source of abnormality.

At this moment, the source of abnormality, having just stabilized its form, felt the dense eighth-rank fluctuations from Muriel—a perfect fusion of the extreme auras of light and darkness—and a strong tremor also surged in its heart.

It could not understand how a monster that simultaneously controlled light and darkness and could reach the peak of the eighth rank could possibly exist in this world.

However, within this closed altar space, it had no way to retreat.

It couldn't break through Steve's turtle shell, and now this female god of slaughter was pouncing on it. It could only brace itself, roar, and mobilize all the remaining source power of the entire SSS-Level Mysterious Domain to counterattack Muriel.

"Die for me!"

Rumble!

Two terrifying waves of energy collided violently within this already crumbling space, exploding frantically.

In an instant, the entire altar space seemed to have met its doomsday.

The spatial barriers cracked inch by inch.

However, from the very beginning, this battle presented a one-sided state of crushing dominance.

"Judgment of Light."

The angelic holy sword in Muriel's hand erupted with ten thousand feet of golden light. With one swing, the churning black ocean was directly split by a massive crack a thousand feet long. Countless abnormal forces wailing within the black mist were instantly vaporized under the illumination of the holy light.

Looking at Muriel displaying such divine might, the source of abnormality was horrified and roared in anger.

"Damn it, how can she have such pure and overbearing light energy? This is simply my absolute nemesis!"

Seeing that it was no match in a direct confrontation, the source of abnormality's cunning nature immediately took over.

It suddenly contracted the black mist, then split off thousands of hidden, venomous dark arrows filled with the aura of corruption and decay in the void, attempting to bypass the holy light in front and launch a fatal sneak attack on Muriel from her blind spots.

"Since you fear the light, then I will use darkness to corrode you!"

However, facing these malicious attacks coming from all directions, a trace of a contemptuous sneer flashed in Muriel's eyes.

"Playing with darkness in front of me? You're just showing off your incompetence to an expert."

Just as those black arrows were about to strike her, the four pure white wings behind Muriel instantly folded, while the other four pitch-black Fallen Angel wings suddenly unfurled.

Her entire temperament instantly switched from a sacred and inviolable Holy Maiden of Light to a wicked, arrogant, and fallen state that commanded ten thousand demons.

"Abyssal Devour."

Muriel slightly opened her left hand.

An extremely terrifying dark vortex formed in her palm. The moment the attacks released by the source of abnormality touched this vortex, not only did they fail to cause any damage, but they were also completely absorbed by Muriel's higher-dimensional fallen dark power, turning into nourishment to replenish herself.

"What?"

The source of abnormality fell into complete despair.

Light countered it, and darkness could even counter-absorb it. How could it even fight?

The subsequent battle turned entirely into a one-sided, brutal mauling.

Muriel switched seamlessly between her light and fallen states. Every time her holy sword swung, it would slice off a large chunk of the source black mist from the source of abnormality's massive body.

Under Muriel's frantic output, this once-unrivaled SSS-level source of abnormality finally could not hold on any longer.

Its size had been whittled down to a pitiful degree, and the black mist was so thin it seemed as if it would dissipate with the wind at any moment.

With a dull, thunderous boom, the source of abnormality's battered body, under the terrifying pressure of Muriel, began to uncontrollably bow towards the ground, finally collapsing like a dead dog, sprawling heavily at Steve's feet.

Muriel descended from the sky, landing in front of the source of abnormality.

There was no pity on her stunningly beautiful face as she raised the angel sword in her hand, which was burning with raging holy flames, high above her head.

Watching the fatal blow about to fall, the source of abnormality let out its final, most unwilling, and desperate cry.

"No! Why, why did I lose!"

"It was clearly just the final step away. I had clearly completely drained his seven emotions. Why, in that human shell of his, could there still be hidden true high-dimensional divinity?"

"I am not reconciled to this!"

Along with the source of abnormality's desperate, shrill scream.

"Swish!"

Muriel mercilessly slashed down with her sword.

The brilliant holy light pierced directly through the core of that black mist.

The voice of the source of abnormality stopped abruptly, and its struggling body was instantly incinerated by the holy flames, dying on the spot.

Subsequently, a dazzling burst of pure white light flashed violently in place.

When the light dissipated, it could be seen that where the source of abnormality had vanished, a crystal-clear, pure white polyhedral crystal emitting mysterious law fluctuations had burst out.

This crystal floated in mid-air, slowly exuding a terrifying aura capable of altering rules.

Muriel immediately stepped forward and took the white crystal into her hand.

"This must be the SSS-level rule-type paranormal core that Steve risked his life for."

Muriel looked at the loot in her hand.

The moment the source of abnormality was killed, having lost the support of its source power, the space inside this altar began to rumble, and the surrounding spatial barriers began to peel off and disappear in large swathes, like a shattered mirror.

And just at this moment.

From the position where the source of abnormality had died, seven mysterious rays of light of different colors suddenly emerged.

As soon as these seven rays of light appeared, they flew straight towards Steve, who had been standing on the side, expressionless.

Muriel was startled at first, then immediately reacted, her eyes bursting with wild joy.

"This is, the seven emotions that were stolen; Steve's emotions have returned."

The seven rays of light entered Steve's glabella without any obstruction.

As these human emotions flowed back into Steve's parched soul sea of consciousness.

That divinity which had originally occupied his body due to his soul's emptiness, provided and taken over by the heart of faith, suddenly acted as if it had encountered a natural enemy.

Complex humanity began, with an unstoppable and majestic momentum, to bit by bit forcibly squeeze that high and mighty divinity out of the center of his soul.

In Steve's cold and heartless eyes, the icy golden light began to flicker violently.

Gradually, fluctuations reappeared in his eyes.

From the initial confusion to the subsequent depth, finally, Steve's clarity and wisdom were completely restored.

Relying on his returned humanity and powerful willpower, he directly suppressed that divinity attempting to resist, forcing it back into the heart of faith in his chest.

Steve let out a long breath, lowered his head with some exhaustion, looked at his hands, and touched the heart of faith in his chest, which had returned to its normal beating.

"That was truly perilous."

Steve was secretly shocked in his heart.

"I didn't expect that inside this heart of faith, there was actually hidden such pure and terrifying divinity; under extreme conditions, it could actually take over my body."

"Whose divinity is this, exactly?"

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: if a divine object of the same status as the heart of faith contained divinity, then...

Was the heart of the angel right in front of him, inside Muriel, also harboring some kind of indescribable ancient divinity?

Before Steve could ponder further.

A gust of wind carrying a faint fragrance suddenly rushed towards him.

Steve had just raised his gaze when he saw Muriel rushing towards him regardless of everything, plunging straight into his arms.

"Steve!"

Muriel hugged Steve tightly, as if she wanted to knead him into her own flesh and blood.

She buried her face in Steve's chest, tears streaming out uncontrollably, her voice filled with endless lingering fear and grievance as she cried out in accusation.

"You lied to me, you big liar."

"Before, when we were outside, you clearly promised me that you would absolutely be fine."

"If I hadn't fought my way in today, do you know that you would have completely turned into a monster without emotions?"

Listening to the heart-wrenching accusations of the girl in his arms and feeling the warm tears on his chest, Steve, who had just regained his seven emotions, was suddenly flooded with an extremely strong sense of guilt and self-reproach.

Indeed, this time it was his own fault.

Back then, when he discovered that the core of this Seven Days Together Mysterious Domain was an SSS-level paranormal core, the temptation was simply too great.

At that time, he was too confident in his immortal body and couldn't resist this huge temptation, so he directly entered the game on his own, wanting to rely on his immortal body to forcefully pluck this core out.

He hadn't expected, however, that this paranormal rule was directly aimed at stripping away soul emotions, and he had almost been doomed forever.

"I'm sorry."

Steve's heart, which had always been incomparably hard, completely softened at this moment.

He reached out his hands, hugging Muriel back tightly, one hand gently and tenderly stroking her long hair.

"It's my fault; this time I was truly greedy and careless."

Steve rested his chin gently on Muriel's forehead, his voice softer than ever before.

"I promise it won't happen again next time. Don't cry, okay?"

Hearing Steve's apology and that long-lost warm voice, the fear and grievance in Muriel's heart slowly dissipated.

The two of them held each other tightly in this crumbling ruin for a long, long time.

Until the surrounding space began to emit violent cracking sounds.

"Rumble."

Large swathes of the void began to collapse, and the mist from the outside world poured in madly.

Only then did Muriel reluctantly let go of Steve. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, glanced at the precarious environment around them, and said hurriedly.

"This place is about to collapse completely; let's get out of here quickly."

"Okay."

Steve nodded.

Without any hesitation, the two instantly soared into the air, turning into two streams of light, flying directly through the huge gap in the dome towards the high sky outside.

Breaking through the heavy mist, the two finally returned beneath the still somewhat gloomy sky of the Strange world.

Pope Mikaela, who had been waiting anxiously outside and commanding the Angel Legion, immediately came up to meet them after seeing the two flying out.

"Steve, Muriel."

Mikaela's noble and dignified face was full of concern as she looked Steve up and down.

"Are you all right? Has that abnormality been dealt with?"

Steve looked at his mother-in-law, a relaxed smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Mom, I'm fine. The source of abnormality has been slain by Muriel. I just had to use a bit of brainpower in there for a few days; it's nothing serious."

She nodded and said,

"It's good that you're fine. Since the paranormal core has been obtained, let's quickly lead the legion and withdraw. This Strange world has lost its source, and a drastic change will soon occur."

However, Steve stood in mid-air, his gaze sweeping over the boundless, vast land below, still shrouded by the remnants of the Absolute Stillness Laws, and the countless living beings upon it.

"Wait."

Steve suddenly spoke, stopping the two who were preparing to turn and leave.

"There is still one thing left to do."

Both Muriel and Mikaela were slightly stunned.

"What is it?"

Muriel asked in confusion.

Steve took a deep breath, his gaze profound.

"Break the Stillness Domain and end the era of abnormality in this world."

As soon as these words were spoken, both Mikaela and Muriel showed shocked expressions.

This remnant Stillness Domain covered the entire world. To completely break it by one's own strength alone—how terrifyingly powerful would one need to be?

But Steve possessed absolute confidence.

He slightly closed his eyes, carefully sensing the current state of his body.

Earlier inside, although his body had been forcibly controlled by divinity, he never expected that while that high-level divinity was manifesting and taking over his form...

That unparalleled pure energy would actually perform an extremely thorough cleansing and transformation of his meridians, bones, and even his soul.

Now, his strength had broken through the bottleneck without any hindrance, directly leaping to a genuine Seventh Rank.

Not only that.

"Fortune and misfortune truly are intertwined."

The corners of Steve's mouth curled up slightly.

When the divinity was controlling his body to withstand the attacks from the source of abnormality, although he had no emotions at the time, his rationality was like a bystander, deeply engraving into his mind all the methods the divinity used to mobilize and utilize the heart of faith.

He now truly understood some of the ways to use the heart of faith.

Steve abruptly opened his eyes, his figure leaping directly toward the higher heavens, hovering at the highest point of the entire Strange world.

He began to recall in his mind, imitating the way the divinity had used the heart of faith, and formed a profound, sacred seal with his hands in front of his chest.

As he began to mobilize the power within his body and frantically pour it into the heart of faith in his chest...

In an instant.

A layer of brilliant, Supreme Golden Light, even more dazzling than before, suddenly emerged from Steve's body.

This golden light transformed into visible sacred ripples, with him as the center, spreading frantically in all directions toward the entirety of the vast Strange world.

"Boom!"

Those originally indestructible still Mysterious Domains, once touched by this layer of Supreme Golden Light radiating from Steve, immediately began to fluctuate violently, being forcibly broken and dissolved by the golden light.

*Crack.*

Accompanied by countless crisp sounds of laws shattering, the invisible shackles enveloping heaven and earth were completely pulverized.

That time, which had been frozen for an unknown number of ages...

At this moment, finally began to slowly resume its normal flow.

And at this very moment.

When the Stillness Mysterious Domains of the entire world were broken by Steve's methods, on the land below, those countless natives and survivors who had been frozen in despair and fear suddenly regained consciousness.

They discovered in terror that the shadow of death pressing down on their heads had vanished.

Everyone, as if by prior agreement, raised their heads and looked up at the firmament.

High up in the nine heavens.

They saw it.

A towering figure radiating ten thousand feet of golden light, like a Supreme Creator God, was suspended between heaven and earth.

It was he who, by his own strength, had swept away the darkness, dispelled the stillness, and forcibly pulled this world back from the abyss of despair.

"The god, the god has manifested!"

"That is the Savior; it was the Lord God who saved us!"

"Thank the god! Thank the great Savior!"

*Thump!*

On the earth, regardless of men, women, young or old, noble or commoner, countless people who had regained new life amidst despair fell to their knees with tears streaming down their faces.

They kowtowed and worshipped frantically toward that dazzling figure in the sky; at this moment, they contributed the purest and most precious faith in their hearts without reservation.

Steve, high in the sky, suddenly jolted.

In his vision, across the boundless land below, a sea of golden light invisible to the naked eye suddenly rose up.

That was the gratitude of thousands upon thousands of living beings; that was the massive faith gathered from the providence of the entire world.

Countless streams of pure power of faith transformed into billions of golden flows, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, converging frantically toward Steve in the sky.

The golden light was like an ocean, cleansing the universe.

Steve hovered above the nine heavens, his entire body radiating sacred, supreme brilliance.

The golden ripples erupted from the heart of faith not only completely tore apart the absolute Stillness Mysterious Domain covering the entire world...

But wherever they passed, all abnormal existences lurking on this land wailed under the illumination of the golden light, subsequently turning into nothingness.

Even the SSS-rank source of abnormality could not contend with this divine power originating from a higher dimension; these low-level abnormalities were naturally even more incapable of withstanding a single blow.

As the golden light swept past, all evils were annihilated.

The beating of the heart of faith became increasingly powerful, as if it had received some kind of nourishment and completion.

Steve slowly withdrew the golden light around him, his deep gaze looking down at the masses kneeling below.

He spoke slowly; his voice was not booming, yet it clearly reached every corner of the world.

"The era of abnormality ends today."

"The evils of this realm have been entirely exterminated, and the shackles of rules have been broken by me. From now on, you will no longer be eroded by abnormalities; you may rebuild your homes and recover."

Pausing, his voice suddenly rose.

"The universe is vast, and myriad worlds coexist. The darkness has never truly left, and the journey has only just begun."

"Those who will follow me to battle across the Great Thousand worlds, to wipe out the evils of the heavens and reach new domains together—come!"

As his voice fell, the entire world first fell into a moment of silence, followed by an earth-shattering eruption of cheers and shouts.

"We are willing to follow America!"

"Battle across the myriad worlds, and wipe out all evils!"

"We follow you unto death!"

Steve said no more, turning into a streak of light to regroup with Muriel and Mikaela, who had been waiting by his side.

"Let's go."

Steve nodded to the two of them.

Three figures streaked across the sky and, under countless gazes looking up, disappeared into the depths of the clouds.

Just as Steve was about to exit the edge of this realm, a notification sound rang out in his mind without any warning.

[Ding! Mission Complete]

[Strange world Final Mission: Crack Seven Days Together]

[Mission Reward: SSS-grade Mirror paranormal Core]

[Western Fantasy world Final Mission: Great Unification]

[Mission Reward: star gold, Plane Portal x1]

The two lines of information were concise and clear, yet they made Steve's gaze narrow slightly.

"The mission for the Western Fantasy world has also been completed?"

He murmured to himself, then came to a realization.

"It seems the time spent trapped in Seven Days Together was far longer than it felt; the progress of both worlds has actually advanced to this point."

With a thought, the specific forms of the two rewards surfaced in his consciousness.

One was a diamond-shaped crystal flowing with phantom colors, its interior seemingly filled with countless folded mirror surfaces—it was the SSS-grade Mirror paranormal Core.

"Only one Portal."

Steve's brow furrowed slightly.

Compared to the previous time when two worlds were opened simultaneously, there was only one door this time.

"It seems the trouble in the new world might not be small."

He thought to himself, but he felt no fear.

However, for now, the harvest was already rich enough.

He looked at the Mirror Core in his hand, a hint of softness flashing in his eyes.

"This core is perfect for Alex to fuse with. Her original body stems from the Twin Magic Mirror, which belongs to the same mirror rule system as this core. After fusion, her strength will surely take another step forward."

As for the other SSS-grade Rule Core seized from the source of abnormality, he already had a plan.

"That Rule Core will be used to nurture the Void Dominator."

With his mind made up, Steve accelerated through the air and returned to the Fortress along with the Angel Legion.

Base Main Control Hall.

When the figures of Steve's trio appeared on the teleportation platform, Randy and the others, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately gathered around.

At this moment, his face was written with the fatigue of relief and gratification.

"You kid, you're finally back."

Randy stepped forward, patted Steve's shoulder hard, his voice a bit raspy.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his churning emotions, and his expression turned serious.

"Steve, you absolutely cannot take such risks again. Your undying body isn't invincible. This time, Seven Days Together specifically stripped away emotions; next time, if you encounter rules specializing in sealing or imprisonment, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Steve could feel the deep concern in Randy's words, and he nodded solemnly.

"Randy, I understand. This time I was greedy for that SSS core and underestimated the danger of the Mysterious Domain. In future actions, I will definitely be doubly cautious."

As he spoke, he flipped his hand and took out two items.

One was the Rule Core obtained after Muriel slew the source of abnormality, and the other was the star gold from the mission reward.

"Randy, this is the core needed for that Withering evolution. As for the star gold..."

He handed over the dark gold metal.

"...it can be used for the further strengthening of the Iron Golems. The specific technical details will need the Research Institute to analyze as soon as possible."

He then took out the Mirror Core with the shifting phantom colors.

"This SSS-grade Mirror Core, I plan to give to Alex for fusion. Her constitution is special and is the best fit for this core."

Randy took the two items. Especially when looking at that SSS-grade Rule Core, a sharp light burst from his eyes, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out significantly.

"Two SSS cores... good, excellent! With these two items as a foundation, we'll have much more confidence entering the next world."

"The new Portal has been set up. Whether it's still a one-day world time limit, I'll come back and tell you all once I know the details."

Randy nodded, then waved his hand, his expression softening.

"There's no rush for this moment. You've been trapped for several weeks this time; go home first, spend time with your parents, and accompany Muriel."

As he spoke, his gaze flicked to Muriel, who had been standing quietly beside Steve, her hand still tightly clutching the corner of Steve's clothes. A look of understanding and a smile flashed in his eyes.

Steve was slightly startled. He turned his head to look at Muriel and saw her lowering her eyelashes, her lips pressed tight. Although she didn't speak, the dejected aura surrounding her was obvious.

"Alright."

Steve responded warmly. He nodded to Randy and the others around him, then took Muriel's hand and turned to walk out of the base.

Leaving the base's core area, they headed towards Xishan Villa.

The light in the passage was soft and quiet.

Muriel held Steve's arm the whole time, leaning against his side without saying a word.

Her usual briskness and decisiveness were nowhere to be seen.

Steve stopped, turned to face her, and gently brushed his hand over her cheek, whispering softly.

"What's wrong? Still angry?"

Muriel looked up, biting her lower lip.

"Next time, take me with you."

"Don't go to such dangerous places alone again. I can help you; my sword can cut through any obstacle for you."

As she spoke, she hugged Steve's arm even tighter, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder, and said muffledly.

"You promised me you wouldn't leave me behind."

Steve's heart felt as if it had been squeezed hard.

He reached out, pulling her entire being into his embrace, his chin resting gently on the top of her head as he whispered with a sigh.

"It's my fault for making you worry. I promise you, unless it's absolutely necessary, I will definitely take you with me in the future."

Muriel didn't look up, only nodding gently in his arms, her arms around his waist tightening a bit more, as if afraid he would disappear again if she let go.

The two embraced quietly like this until her emotions gradually calmed down.

A moment later, Steve took her hand.

"Let's go, let's go home."

DC Villa, the Steve family residence.

Having heard their son had returned, Steve's parents were already waiting in the courtyard.

Seeing Steve and Muriel return hand-in-hand, the two elders' hearts, which had been hanging for weeks, finally settled, and joyful smiles broke out on their faces.

"Dad, Mom."

Steve stepped forward and gave his parents a solid hug.

Muriel also stepped forward obediently to greet them, her manner dignified, showing none of the little girl's temperament from just now.

After a few moments of pleasantries, Steve remembered his business.

With a slight thought, a petite figure flashed out from the side door of the villa; it was Alex.

Having not seen her for several weeks, the girl's height seemed to have increased slightly, and her face had become even more exquisite and ethereal, yet her clear eyes still held an unreserved closeness for Steve.

"Brother!"

Alex's eyes lit up, then she noticed Muriel beside Steve and gave a sweet smile.

"Sister Muriel is back too!"

Steve smiled and rubbed her hair, taking out the SSS-grade Mirror Core that flowed with phantom light.

As soon as the core appeared, the surrounding light seemed to undergo a strange refraction, and mirror-like phantoms flickered faintly in the void.

"Alex, come, eat this."

Steve handed the core to Alex.

Alex blinked, without the slightest hesitation or doubt. She took the core, looked at it curiously for a moment, and then put it directly into her mouth.

The crystal melted upon entry, turning into a warm stream of light that slid down her throat.

"Okay."

She nodded, as if she had just eaten a jelly bean.

Steve and Muriel looked at each other, both seeing a hint of nervousness in the other's eyes.

The energy of an SSS-grade core was immense; the fusion process was by no means child's play.

"Let's go to the zombie world; it's more suitable for fusion and breakthrough."

Steve made a prompt decision, taking Alex and Muriel by the hand. In a flash, the three of them arrived at a vast wasteland in the zombie world that had long since been cleared.

Upon the wasteland, fierce winds howled.

After Alex consumed the core, there was no abnormality at first.

But after just a few breaths, an indescribable, majestic aura suddenly erupted from her petite body.

Space began to tremble.

With Alex as the center, the air within a radius of hundreds of meters twisted and folded, revealing countless shattered mirror-like phantoms. Light and shadow interlaced, making it hard to distinguish between reality and illusion.

The intense energy fluctuations formed visible shock rings that spread layer by layer, tearing cracks into the ground and causing distant rocks to crumble.

At this moment, Alex was suspended in mid-air, her eyes tightly closed, her entire body completely enveloped in iridescent flowing light.

Her body seemed to turn into an invisible vortex, crazily devouring all surrounding energy and light. Her aura rose steadily, becoming more and more terrifying.

Fine cracks began to appear in the space around her.

However, Alex herself, at the center of the storm, showed no sign of pain on her face.

Her expression was calm as she meticulously sorted through and fused the vast new power within her body.

Time passed minute by minute.

The energy storm lasted for a full half-hour before it gradually began to subside.

When the last trace of iridescent light sank into Alex's body, the heart-palpitatingly terrifying aura around her also slowly calmed down.

Alex slowly opened her eyes.

In that instant, it seemed as if an endless starry sky and layers of mirror worlds flashed through the depths of her eyes before returning to their usual clarity.

She landed lightly, stretched her limbs, and a pleasant expression appeared on her face.

Steve and Muriel immediately stepped forward.

"Alex, how do you feel? Is there any discomfort?"

Muriel asked with concern, looking her up and down.

Steve also carefully observed her state, his divine sense meticulously scanning her to confirm that the energy flow within her body was smooth and unobstructed and that her foundation was incredibly stable before he truly felt relieved.

Alex shook her head and gave a sweet smile.

"No discomfort, I feel very good. It seems I've become much, much stronger."

She tilted her head, carefully sensing the changes within her body, and organized her words to describe them.

"My original copying ability seems to have upgraded? It's not just copying appearance and abilities anymore. Now, um, it seems I can copy rules, or create similar things?"

She seemed to feel her description wasn't accurate enough. As she thought hard, her eyes suddenly lit up as she thought of a more specific way to put it.

"Brother, it seems I can use paranormal energy to manufacture paranormal cores."

Upon hearing this, Steve's pupils suddenly contracted.

"What did you say? Manufacture paranormal cores?"

A paranormal core was the high-level condensation of paranormal rules and source energy, the source of power for paranormal existences.

And now, Alex was saying she could manufacture them?

Alex nodded vigorously, trying to explain more clearly.

"That is to say, if I return to that previous Strange world, as long as I absorb the paranormal energy permeating there, I can compress and restructure it into various cores you need—low-grade, high-grade—as long as there's enough energy, it's theoretically possible."

She paused and added.

"However, the types of cores I can manufacture seem to be limited by the rules I understand or have come into contact with. For example, with this mirror core I just fused, I'm particularly familiar with rules like mirroring and copying, so manufacturing related cores will be easier. For others, I might need to learn or analyze samples."

Steve stood there stunned.

This ability was simply heaven-defying.

This meant that as long as they had enough paranormal energy, they could mass-produce paranormal cores.

Whether used to strengthen their own combat power, for research, or to manufacture special weapons or equipment, they would have a near-infinite supply of raw materials.

But after the wild joy, practical problems followed.

Steve's brow furrowed.

"But the paranormal energy of that Strange world has been completely purified and dispersed by the golden light of the heart of faith. Now that world is clean; where is there any free-floating paranormal energy left to absorb?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly stopped, a thought flashing through his mind like lightning.

"Wait, paranormal energy... the core of that source of abnormality."

Almost at the same time.

Inside the Biological Research Institute of the zombie world.

In a huge enclosed experimental field, an entirely pitch-black monster with three heads was being suspended and fixed in mid-air by countless special energy restraints; it was Withering.

At this moment, Professor Harry Davidson, the head of the Research Institute, was standing solemnly before the main control console.

The special mechanical arm in front of him was carefully holding that rule core Steve had brought back.

The mechanical arm delivered the core to the mouth of Withering's middle head.

Withering swallowed the core in one bite.

Instantly, an abnormality occurred.

Boom!

Terrifying black gas erupted frantically from within Withering's body.

The black gas was as thick as ink, roiling incessantly, emitting the purest and most primordial paranormal aura and rule power.

They surged frantically into every corner of Withering's body.

"Roar!"

Withering let out a deafening roar toward the sky. The sound waves swept through, and the reinforced glass of the entire experimental field was instantly covered in cracks.

Its body began to expand at a visible rate.

Ten meters, fifty meters, a hundred meters, three hundred meters...

The dome of the Research Institute was easily burst open.

"Withering is evolving rapidly, its volume has exceeded the controllable range. All personnel evacuate!"

Alarms rang throughout the Research Institute. Harry Davidson's face changed drastically as he shouted commands while staring intently at the monitoring data.

The volume reading on the screen jumped wildly, surpassing a thousand meters in the blink of an eye, with no sign of stopping.

At the same time, Steve, who had just finished talking with Alex, felt something and suddenly looked up toward the Research Institute.

"This fluctuation... is the aura of the source of abnormality?"

His expression changed slightly as he spoke urgently to Muriel and Alex.

"Let's go!"

The three of them instantly turned into streaks of light and shot through the air.

When they arrived, the sight before them was shocking.

The original Research Institute had been turned into a field of ruins.

And in the center of the ruins, an unimaginably massive black figure stood between heaven and earth.

It was no longer the several-hundred-meter-tall Withering of before.

At this moment, its height had actually exceeded ten thousand meters.

And it was still continuing to grow.

The three heads became blurred and distorted, as if merging into the roiling black mist, constantly shifting into various hideous forms.

Endless paranormal black gas centered on it, turning into a black tornado that connected heaven and earth, soaring into the clouds, dyeing a large part of the sky ink-black, with rolling dark clouds and flashing lightning.

Looking at the scene before him, Steve's eyes brightened as his thoughts raced.

"The source of abnormality... isn't the current Withering equivalent to a new source of abnormality? If that's the case, it can provide paranormal energy, and combined with the ability Alex just obtained..."

He turned to look at Alex, who was curiously surveying her surroundings beside him.

The young girl's eyes were clear, as if she didn't yet fully understand the significance of her ability to create cores.

"We can start mass-producing special paranormal creatures like the satyr and Flerken."

Steve whispered, but then shook his head slightly.

He quickly calmed down.

Beings like the satyr required devouring emotions to evolve, but there weren't enough monsters currently available for them to advance.

If he forced mass production, it might result in too many low-tier entities with insufficient resources to level up.

"It seems I should prioritize copying those who already possess high-tier combat power. By stacking the scale of high-tier combatants and then having them continue to consume paranormal cores, they can break through their limits."

A sustainable growth path gradually took shape in his mind.

This way, world's high-end combat power would no longer depend on cores alone. Instead, through the cycle of Withering's power supply and Alex's replication, stable and mass-produced advancements could be achieved.

Thinking of this, Steve let out a long sigh of relief, his constantly tense mind finally relaxing a bit.

With this stable path for improvement, world would truly have the confidence to face even more dangerous worlds in the future.

Just then, the data on the monitoring screen ahead jumped violently once again.

Withering's body was actually still expanding.

Everyone was stunned.

"Just what on earth did this Withering eat?"

A researcher couldn't help but mutter.

The colossal entity, which was originally ten thousand meters tall, had now grown to nearly one-third of the entire zombie world's land area.

It stood tall between heaven and earth, its three heads faintly visible within the rolling black mist like three moving mountains.

The sky was shrouded in dense, paranormal black gas, and thunder rolled within the clouds, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

"Report, Withering's volume has surpassed the critical threshold and is still expanding."

The alarm in the monitoring room rang again, but this time, besides the initial shock, there was an irrepressible excitement in everyone's eyes.

"Have it try to leave the planet."

The order was immediately issued.

The soldier controlling Withering acted accordingly, concentrating his mind to manipulate this incredibly massive body.

At first, Withering only moved slightly, causing the ground to shake and mountains to sway.

But as the controller grew accustomed to the sensation of managing such a giant, Withering slowly lifted its mountain-like limbs and stepped toward the sky.

Whoosh.

Violent air currents swept in all directions as it moved, but it eventually took flight.

Its speed wasn't fast, but it broke through the clouds with a thunderous roar, slowly ascending beyond the atmosphere.

On the screen, the images transmitted through Withering's field of vision gradually changed.

The deep blue oceans, the winding outlines of the continents, and the pure white clouds—the complete appearance of the planet was presented clearly before everyone for the first time.

"It looks just like Earth."

Someone whispered.

At this moment, not just Steve himself, but everyone in the base Command Center watching this scene felt an indescribable excitement.

Withering had truly flown out of the zombie world.

What did this mean?

It meant they had, for the first time in a true sense, broken through the limitations of a planet and touched the threshold of space.

"Continue. Let's see how far it can go."

Steve's voice was calm, but his eyes were shining brightly.

Withering continued to rise; the atmosphere behind it gradually thinned, and the starry sky unfolded overhead.

It did not stop, but continued to swim into the deeper reaches of the void.

After completely breaking free from the planet's gravitational pull, its volume no longer seemed restricted by the planetary environment. Instead, the black mist spread even faster, as if it could absorb some kind of free energy even in a vacuum.

"Reporting to Director Steve."

The controller's voice came through the communicator, filled with irrepressible shock.

"I can feel the source of abnormality core within its body operating. It seems to be automatically dismantling some kind of matter in the surrounding space, converting it into paranormal energy to replenish the body."

"Dismantling spatial matter?"

Steve's gaze sharpened.

"Yes. Although it's very slow, I can clearly feel this conversion process. Moreover, as we enter deeper into the void, the efficiency of this conversion seems to be increasing."

"Good."

Steve suddenly clenched his fist, a smile appearing on his face.

"Excellent."

In this way, Withering itself became a mobile source of paranormal energy. As long as it existed in the void, it could continuously generate paranormal energy.

Combined with Alex's replication ability, mass-producing high-tier cores and accelerating the growth of high-tier combat power would no longer be a dream.

"Immediately conduct an energy extraction test."

Steve ordered.

"Verify if Withering can truly produce paranormal energy stably, and whether Alex can use this energy to synthesize cores directly."

The experiment proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

Under control, Withering separated a small clump of concentrated pitch-black energy from its surface—the purest paranormal source.

Alex took the clump of energy, her hands cupped together as mirror-like light swirled deep within her eyes.

After a moment, the clump of energy rapidly collapsed and reorganized in her palm, finally condensing into a rhombic crystal shimmering with dark purple luster.

It was an SS-grade paranormal core.

The entire process was effortless.

The entire Command Center instantly erupted in excitement.

"It really succeeded."

"Infinite cores, infinite combat power."

Cheers and applause intertwined.

Many researchers had eyes rimmed with red. They knew better than anyone that this breakthrough meant world would henceforth possess a self-sustaining production line for top-tier combat power, never needing to worry about resources again.

Steve watched this scene quietly, his heart surging with waves of emotion, yet feeling exceptionally steady.

He turned and spoke softly to Muriel and Alex, who both looked equally gratified.

"Let's go. We're going home."

Time passed quietly in tranquility.

Inside a quiet room in Xishan Villa.

Steve and Muriel sat cross-legged opposite each other, their auras blending as one golden and one dark beam of light slowly flowed through the air, pulling and balancing each other.

The heart of faith and the heart of the angel resonated at the same frequency, making their training speed incredibly fast.

In just a few short days, their mastery over their power had advanced another level.

At that moment—

[Ding! New world search complete]

[Would you like to view the world information immediately?]

The system prompt sounded in Steve's mind without warning.

He slowly opened his eyes, a golden light flashing through them briefly.

"View."

[world 1: Aldebarran Continent]

[world Introduction: Sorcery World]

[Final Mission: In the name of the Order, achieve plane unification]

[Phase Mission: None]

The information was eerily brief.

Steve's brow furrowed slightly.

For the Western Fantasy world and the Strange world, the system had provided relatively detailed background descriptions, even hinting at major factions and danger types.

But this time, there was only one Sorcery world, and even the phased tasks had disappeared.

"It seems the waters of this Sorcery world are deeper than imagined."

Steve whispered.

"The system prompt is so brief; is it because the laws of this world are special and difficult to detect?"

"It seems I can't go charging in like I did in the Western Fantasy world this time. If I run into some reclusive old monster right as I head out, I might not even have time to react."

"In the name of an Order?"

Then, he closed his eyes again to concentrate.

The next day, early morning.

In front of the Portal, figures already stood in formation.

The two Abyssal Condensers controlled by Steve and Muriel had their appearances altered to match their original bodies.

Alex also had an Abyssal Condenser; Steve had rushed to synthesize three paranormal cores yesterday, raising these three bodies to Rank 7 strength.

"Set off."

Randy's voice came through the collective communication channel.

Everyone stepped in unison into the Portal, which shimmered with a chaotic luster.

A bright light flashed.

The moment their feet touched solid ground, everyone's pupils constricted.

Before them was not the imagined immortal landscape of green mountains, clear waters, and swirling mists, but a vast, boundless giant crater.

The crater was so large that its edges were nowhere in sight, as if a piece of the entire continent had been forcibly gouged out.

The bottom of the pit exposed charred, reddish rock layers, and the air was filled with a lingering heat and sharp metal energy that hadn't dissipated in years, along with a faint, pervasive pressure.

"Are these... traces of a battle?"

Muriel spoke softly, her tone solemn.

"Caused by a single strike."

Steve crouched down, his fingers brushing the ground.

The rock layer hadn't fractured naturally; it appeared to have been instantly evaporated by extreme force and then re-solidified, with sharp edges.

Just the residual aftershocks made the skin of his Rank 7 body feel a faint, stinging pain.

"It was probably left behind a long time ago."

Muriel blinked, a glimmer of mirror light rising from her fingertips as she seemed to analyze the residual energy in the air.

"But for there to still be such a sense of oppression now, the strength of the people who fought back then is likely far beyond our current understanding."

Randy controlled the satyr to step forward, looking around and saying in a heavy voice,

"The power level of this world is even higher than we estimated. We must not let our guard down."

Steve nodded.

"Randy, it seems we need to adjust our strategy. The previous method of raising the flag of America and pushing forward frontally won't work here."

"What are your thoughts?"

Steve stood up, looking toward the distant mountain silhouettes faintly visible beyond the giant crater, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Since we can't be high-profile, we'll integrate into the local culture completely."

"You mean..."

"Establish an Order."

Steve said slowly.

"By establishing ourselves in this world in the name of an Order, firstly, Order powers are a reasonable existence in this type of Sorcery world and won't easily arouse suspicion. Secondly, we can use the Order's name to recruit disciples, expand our influence, and gradually infiltrate."

"Otherwise, once the Magi of this world realize we come from beyond the domain, it might trigger the entire world to attack us in unison."

Randy pondered for a moment and nodded heavily.

"Makes sense. So, have you thought of a name for the Order?"

Steve smiled slightly, a deep glint flashing in his eyes.

"We are the Fourth Calamity, also known as Extraterrestrial Demons by some worlds. In that case, for the Order's name, why don't we call it..."

He paused, emphasizing each word.

"The Sovereign Simulacra Order."

"Sovereign Simulacra Order?"

Randy was slightly taken aback, then realization dawned on him.

"Good."

Steve explained,

"This way, the creatures we bring—zombies, Iron Golems, Abyssal Condensers, and so on—can all be explained to the outside world as Order puppets or Dharma-protecting Spiritual Puppets."

"Just like how Magi of this world drive spiritual beasts and control puppets, it's perfectly logical and won't arouse suspicion."

"Good."

Randy clapped his hands.

"Then it shall be called the Sovereign Simulacra Order."

Being a man of action, he immediately gave the order.

"Since the Portal opened here, we will build the Order's foundation right here. The first priority is to completely conceal the Portal and incorporate it into the Order's core forbidden area, never allowing outsiders to peer in."

"All engineering units, hear my command: start construction immediately. Build an Order architectural complex here that matches the style of this world at the fastest speed possible."

"Mountain gates, main halls, dormitories, training grounds, alchemy and weapon pavilions... everything must be included, and they must look ancient and natural, without a trace of external influence."

"Time limit: one day."

As the order was given, the entire base instantly began operating with high efficiency.

Massive amounts of materials were continuously delivered through the Portal. Millions of Rank 6 zombies and Iron Golems transformed into the most professional construction teams, beginning frantic construction according to the designed blueprints for classical buildings.

Stacking giant stones, erecting timber... everything was orderly, yet the speed was astonishing.

Steve then said to Randy,

"Randy, I'll leave the coordination here to you. I'll take Muriel and Alex out to scout the surrounding situation and get a feel for this world's background."

"Be careful."

Randy gave a solemn reminder.

"If you encounter any situation, prioritize sending a message. Do not engage in combat lightly."

"Understood."

Steve took Muriel and Alex's hands, and the three of them moved, turning into three streaks of light, silently flying away from the crater area toward the distant mountains.

High in the air, the astral winds brushed against their faces.

Alex looked around curiously, took a deep breath, and a pleasant expression appeared on her face.

"Brother, this world feels so comfortable. There seems to be a very nice scent in the air; breathing it in makes my body feel warm."

Muriel also nodded, a strange light flashing in her eyes.

"Steve, the aura of this world is indeed special. Although it's different from the light and dark magic system I practice, this energy is very friendly and can even naturally nourish the body."

Steve explained,

"This energy is called mana in this world. Magi breathe in mana and refine it into their own dharmic power, thereby performing supernatural powers and breaking through realms."

"It is essentially similar to the paranormal energy Alex uses and the magic you practice; they are all forms of manifestation of heaven and earth energy."

"It's just that the mana in this world seems exceptionally dense, and the laws are complete, which is why it can support higher levels of enlightement."

As he spoke, he cautiously extended his divine sense to perceive any movement within a hundred miles.

The mountain forests were quiet, with only the occasional cry of low-level demonic beasts; no aura of high-level Magi was detected.

"Where are we going now?"

Muriel asked.

Steve looked down at a lush green mountain range and smiled.

"Since it's a Sorcery world, there's naturally no shortage of Heavenly Treasures. Let's look around first to see if there are things like Spiritual Herbs or Spiritual Ores, and take some samples back for experiments."

"Experiments?"

"Yes."

A look of anticipation flashed in Steve's eyes.

"An experiment that, if successful, might completely solve our spiritual medicine resource problem."

Muriel was slightly stunned.

"Spiritual medicine resources?"

"Mm."

Steve nodded.

"In the power system, alchemical potions are a vital auxiliary resource. Breaking through realms, healing injuries, and increasing spiritual power all require potions. And the raw materials for potions are various Spiritual Herbs and plants."

"Since we've just arrived in this world, we can't go around looting large quantities of native spiritual herbs. That would expose us far too easily. So, I was thinking..."

He spoke slowly.

"Bone Powder."

Muriel and Alex both looked toward him.

"In Minecraft, there is a special substance called Bone Powder that contains a peculiar life force. Sprinkling it on ordinary crops can significantly accelerate plant growth, even causing them to flower and bear fruit in an extremely short time."

Steve continued.

"I'm wondering, if we bring spiritual herbs from this world back and plant them in our controlled environment, and then try to ripen them using Bone Powder, could we shorten their growth cycle by a hundredfold? Or perhaps even ripen them instantly?"

Muriel's pupils constricted slightly.

"If that truly works, we would have a nearly infinite supply of spiritual medicine."

"Exactly."

Steve smiled.

"Moreover, we'd be growing and harvesting it ourselves in complete secrecy, without needing to rely on the outside world. This is the experiment I mentioned."

The three of them moved like lightning, flashing past stretches of lush green mountain forests.

Ancient trees reached for the sky below them, entwined with creeping vines.

The spiritual energy permeating the air grew increasingly dense; a single breath felt refreshing and clear.

"Brother, the trees here are so tall!"

Alex widened her eyes, looking around curiously.

Though she inhabited the shell of an Abyssal Condenser, her consciousness was lively and agile, no different from her original self.

Muriel followed closely by Steve's side. Though her eight wings of light and shadow were not deployed, a faint shimmer flowed around her body, silently pushing away any approaching dust or inOrders.

Suddenly, Steve's brow furrowed slightly, and his figure came to an abrupt halt.

"Something's moving."

As soon as he spoke, rustling sounds came from deep within the dense forest ahead, accompanied by conversation and footsteps.

"Boss, this hellhole doesn't even have a decent demon beast. We've been squatting here for half a day and haven't caught a damn thing."

"What's the rush? This forest is near the Immortal's Fall Pit. Occasionally, some hot-headed Magi come here to try their luck. Waiting for a stray rabbit is better than risking our lives against demon beasts in the mountains."

"Hehe, there are three people over there, let's..."

Filthy words drifted over with the wind, and Muriel's gaze instantly turned cold.

The heart of the angel within her vibrated slightly. Without needing to actively trigger it, she could clearly sense the churning thoughts of lust, greed, and violence in the hearts of the three men ahead.

"Seeking death."

Muriel flipped her delicate hand, and the angelic holy sword silently condensed into existence.

Her figure blurred, transforming into an afterimage as she darted forward.

Three burly men wearing black robes with coarse features stepped out from the forest.

The leader had a hideous scar on his face and a power level around the fourth layer of Enlightenment, which was considered decent among rogue Magi.

He was grumbling when he suddenly caught sight of a slender figure appearing before him. Before he could even see her face clearly, he felt a cold sensation at his throat.

Chii!

The sword light was like snow, vanishing as quickly as it flashed.

The scarred man's eyes bulged as he clutched his neck with both hands, yet fresh blood sprayed wildly from between his fingers.

He fell backward onto the ground, twitching twice before falling silent.

"Boss!"

The two men beside him turned pale with horror, instinctively drawing the ghost-head sabers from their waists.

But they were too slow.

Muriel's wrist turned slightly, and the holy sword traced an arc through the air.

The man on the left felt a numbness at his waist, and his upper body actually slid away from his lower half.

The man on the right was scared out of his wits and turned to flee, but was struck in the back by a piercing sword wind. He flew forward, snapping three trees as thick as bowls before sliding down limply, his chest a bloody mess.

In the blink of an eye, two of the three were dead.

Only the last man remained—the one who had spoken the most lewdly earlier. He sat paralyzed on the ground, his crotch already soaked.

His face was as white as paper as he looked at Muriel's beautiful yet frost-cold face.

"Magi... you're all Magi!"

He spoke incoherently, and when he caught sight of Steve and Alex walking slowly from behind, he began to tremble even more violently.

"Senior, spare me! This lowly one was blind and offended your immortal presence. Spare my life!"

Muriel pointed the tip of her sword diagonally at him, her killing intent unabated.

She intended to end it with one strike, but Steve stepped forward and gently pressed down on her sword-wielding wrist.

"Wait, Muriel."

Steve's voice was calm.

"Leave one alive to ask about the situation nearby."

Muriel's eyes flickered. She glanced at Steve and slowly withdrew her sword.

The holy sword turned into a flow of light and vanished into her palm. She took half a step back, but her aura remained locked onto the surviving man to prevent any sudden outbursts or escape attempts.

Steve walked up to the man and looked down at him.

This person was about thirty years old with a power of the sixth layer of Enlightenment. Among mortals, he would be considered an expert, but in the Sorcery world, he was nothing more than a bottom-tier ant.

Right now, tears and snot flowed down his face as he kowtowed like a woodpecker, lacking any of his previous arrogance.

"Tell me, where is the nearest city?"

Steve spoke, his tone betraying no emotion.

"Replying to the Lord..."

The man spoke hurriedly, as if granted a grand amnesty.

"Two hundred miles to the north is Bulwar. It's the largest city within a thousand-mile radius, with both a Mage market and a mortal bazaar."

"Bulwar."

Steve noted the name and continued asking.

"What is your power level? Also, that massive crater we saw in the distance when we arrived—what is its origin?"

The man was stunned. He looked up and stole a glance at Steve, feeling suspicious in his heart.

These seniors had unfathomable strength, killing mid-stage Enlightenment Magi like slaughtering dogs. How could they not even know about the Immortal's Fall Pit or enlightement?

Could they be old monsters who just came out of seclusion from some deep mountain forest?

But he didn't dare ask more and quickly replied.

"This lowly one is only at the sixth layer of Enlightenment; my power is meager, please don't laugh at me, Senior. As for that big pit, it's said that many years ago, two Albedo stage experts fought here. With one strike, the mountains crumbled and the earth split, blasting it out."

"However, these are just rumors from the streets. No one saw it with their own eyes, so I don't know if it's true..."

"Albedo stage?"

Steve's heart stirred. In America's preliminary deduction of the power system, Albedo was already a mid-tier realm, sufficient to move mountains and fill seas.

If that giant pit really was the result of the aftershocks from an AlbedoMage's battle, the destructive power of this world's top combatants might exceed his estimates.

He glanced at the bodies on the ground and then at the sixth-layer Enlightenment man before him, shaking his head slightly.

The Enlightenment stage corresponded to roughly the second rank. To think someone with this level of strength dared to rob people on the road; it seemed the bottom tier of the Sorcery world was far more chaotic than imagined.

At the same time, this indirectly confirmed the advantage of Magi over ordinary transcendent systems. At the same rank, Magi used spiritual energy more exquisitely, had more varied methods, and often possessed stronger combat capabilities.

"Alright, you can go."

Steve said indifferently.

The man felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He scrambled to his feet and bowed.

"Thank you, Senior, for not kil—"

Before he could finish, his expression suddenly froze, his eyes glazed over, and he slumped to the ground.

Steve withdrew his extended mental power.

A mental shockwave had shattered the man's soul. There were no external injuries, but his life force was severed.

It wasn't that he was bloodthirsty, but they had just entered this world and their movements shouldn't be leaked.

These three were highwaymen; their sins must be heavy. Killing them was considered removing a pest.

"Alex, Muriel, let's go."

Steve turned around.

"Let's go to Bulwar to buy some spirit herbs and medicinal ingredients."

Alex nodded obediently, while Muriel glanced at the corpses on the ground and gave a soft snort.

Steve leaned over and took the storage bags from the three corpses. With a sweep of his divine sense, he found some scattered gold and silver, several bottles of low-quality potions, two sabers, and about twenty thumb-sized, diamond-shaped stones emitting a faint white light.

"Mana stones."

Steve picked one up, feeling the pure but limited spiritual energy within.

He collected all the mana stones and took out the gold and silver, as these could still be used in mortal towns.

"We'll take these mana stones back to the Research Institute to analyze their structure and attempt reverse-engineering. If we can mass-produce them, it will be much easier to operate in this realm."

Steve explained to the two women.

Muriel and Alex both nodded; they were already accustomed to Steve's technical planning.

Without further delay, the three of them took flight again, turning into streaks of light heading straight for the north.

For bodies with Seventh-Order strength, a distance of two hundred kilometers was but a moment's work.

Before long, the silhouette of a majestic city appeared in the distance.

The city walls were about ten zhang high, built from massive bluish-gray stones. Flags fluttered atop the walls, and armored soldiers could be seen patrolling.

The city gates stood wide open, with a constant stream of carriages and pedestrians. The distant clamor reached their ears.

Soldiers guarded the gates, but their inspections of those entering and exiting were not strict. Occasionally, they would bow to those dressed in luxurious clothing or possessing an extraordinary aura, clearly showing some awareness of Magi.

The three of them descended from their flight, landing in a quiet woodland a few miles from the city gate.

Although their clothes weren't flashy, the materials were unique, the tailoring was impeccable, and their composed demeanor made them look like anything but ordinary commoners.

"Restrain your auras; keep them around the late-stage Nigredo realm."

Steve instructed in a low voice.

Muriel and Alex nodded, and the energy fluctuations around them quickly withdrew, leaving only the aura of roughly the eighth or ninth level of Aurum.

This wouldn't be too eye-catching, yet it was enough to avoid harassment from petty thugs.

The three of them walked to the city gate and entered with the flow of people.

The guards noticed they weren't wearing any Order jade pendants or noble family plaques on their waists, but seeing their bearing, they didn't dare stop them, instead stepping aside slightly to make way.

The scene inside the city was like a different world compared to the wilderness outside.

The streets were wide and paved with marble slabs, lined with shops on both sides displaying a variety of flags and signs.

Sounds of drinking games came from restaurants and teahouses, customers crowded the entrances of cloth and grain stores, and street vendors shouted their wares incessantly.

Pedestrians jostled each other—porters in short shirts, merchants in silk, warriors with sabers, and a few cold-faced Magi in Daoist robes weaving through the crowd.

"Brother, I want to eat that."

Alex suddenly tugged on Steve's sleeve and pointed to a straw post nearby.

The post was covered in skewers of bright red fruit coated in translucent sugar, sparkling in the sunlight—it was tanghulu.

Muriel's eyes also lit up; although she didn't speak, her gaze was already glued to the candied haws.

Though she was an Angelic Saintess, she still had a girlish side and was quite interested in these novel mortal snacks.

Steve led the two women to the stall.

The stall owner was an honest-looking old man. Seeing the trio's extraordinary bearing, he quickly bowed.

"Immortal masters, would you like a few skewers? They're three copper coins each."

Steve didn't have any copper coins, but he had plenty of silver and gold. He took out a small piece of silver and handed it over.

"Three skewers."

The old man took the silver, looking flustered.

"Immortal master, I can't make change for this."

"Keep the change."

Steve waved him off, took the three skewers of tanghulu, and gave them to Muriel and Alex.

The two women took them and nibbled on the snacks. Muriel narrowed her eyes slightly, while Alex licked the sugar from the corner of her mouth with a satisfied, charming look.

As he ate his tanghulu, Steve quietly spread his divine sense, covering a radius of several hundred meters.

He was primarily sensing two things: the local medium of exchange and potential spirit herb shops.

Information soon flowed back.

Commoners mostly used copper coins and silver for transactions. Occasionally, Magi could be seen buying items with mana stones, but the exchange rate was very high—one low-grade mana stone could usually be exchanged for a hundred taels of silver, and they were typically only accepted in specific shops.

The area with the densest spiritual energy in the city was the northeast corner, where the buildings were exquisite and Magi frequently entered and exited; it was likely the marketplace.

Meanwhile, on a street in the southwest district, several medicinal herb shops were clustered together. The largest among them had a sign that read 'Eranil's Oditties'.

"Let's go to Eranil's Oditties."

Steve decided. Spirit herbs were the primary goal, and larger shops would have a more complete selection, saving them from running all over the place.

The three of them crossed the bustling streets and arrived at Southwest Street.

Eranil's Oditties was a three-story wooden building with carved beams and painted rafters. Its storefront was spacious, and those entering and exiting were mostly well-dressed.

Two young attendants in green robes stood at the entrance, wearing professional smiles.

Steve walked straight in.

The shop was spacious and bright. The counters displayed various medicinal herbs, beast bones, and other items, mostly rare mortal goods. However, one or two counters had faint spiritual energy fluctuations, displaying low-grade spirit herbs and ores.

There weren't many customers. A plump shopkeeper was fiddling with an abacus. Seeing Steve and the others enter, especially sensing the faint spiritual energy fluctuations from them, he immediately put on a smile and came forward to greet them.

"Welcome to Eranil's Oditties, honored guests. I am Eranil, the manager here."

"May I ask what you are looking for?"

Eranil cupped his hands. His gaze swept over the three of them; seeing their fine clothing and steady demeanor, he estimated they were disciples of some small order or power family, with power bases around the late-stage Nigredo realm.

"Spirit herbs."

Steve was concise.

Eranil's smile widened.

"Our shop does indeed have some spirit herbs in stock. However, as you know, spirit herbs are difficult to grow and require luck to harvest, so they are quite expensive and limited in variety. May I ask what kind of spirit herbs you need? Is it for alchemy or...?"

"Bring them all out for me to see."

Steve interrupted. He only needed spirit herb samples for Bone Powder experiments, not for alchemy. The more varieties he had, the richer the experimental data would be.

Eranil was stunned. All of them?

This guest certainly had a grand air. He didn't dare be negligent and quickly stepped aside to lead them to a private room.

"Please have a seat here, honored guests. I'll have someone bring them immediately."

At the same time, he shot a look at an assistant behind the counter, who understood and hurried toward the backyard.

The private room was quiet, and a maidservant served fragrant tea.

Steve and the others sat down and waited for a moment.

Eranil sat with them and asked tentatively.

"You look like new faces. Is this your first time in Bulwar? If you need other training resources, our shop has some connections."

Steve was noncommittal and only said:

"Let's see the spirit herbs first."

Eranil gave a self-deprecating laugh and said no more.

Before long, the assistant returned carrying a brocade tray. The tray was lined with red velvet, and three plants were neatly arranged on it.

One had leaves like an orchid, entirely emerald green with silver threads flowing through the veins, emitting a cool aura; it was called Silver-Thread Orchid.

Another had a crimson stem with a vermillion fruit at the tip, surrounded by a faint fiery aura; it was a Red Sun Fruit.

The last one looked like a ginseng root, but its rootlets were pale gold and had a faint earthy smell; it was a Gold-Beard Ginseng.

All three were low-grade spirit herbs with limited spiritual energy, but they were still decent resources for Albedo stage Magi.

Eranil introduced them in detail.

"Of these three spirit herbs, the Silver-line Orchid can clear the mind and calm the spirit, aiding in training. The Crimson Sun Fruit has a fiery nature and can enhance the power of fire-attribute techniques. The Golden Whisker Ginseng can strengthen the foundation and nourish the essence, replenishing mana. They are all fresh goods recently acquired. I wonder which one you are interested in, guest?"

Steve glanced at them and asked the price directly.

"How much for all of them?"

Eranil was delighted. Was he taking them all? After a brief hesitation, he quoted a price.

"For the three spirit herbs, a total of ten low-grade mana stones is required."

He carefully observed Steve's expression; if the other party found it expensive, there was still room for negotiation.

Steve's face remained calm.

His divine sense had already swept through the city, and he knew that mana stones were precious here; a typical Albedo Mage's net worth was only a few dozen mana stones.

Ten low-grade mana stones for three low-grade spirit herbs was a fair price, but not cheap.

He originally intended to pay with mana stones, but then he had a second thought.

The mana stones in his hand needed to be taken back for research. Gold was a hard currency among mortals in this realm, and he had an infinite supply of it.

"I don't have mana stones. Is gold acceptable?"

Steve asked.

Eranil was stunned. Gold?

Magi mostly used mana stones for transactions; only mortals used gold and silver.

This guest was actually using gold to buy spirit herbs?

Doubts immediately rose in his heart.

Could it be a scion of some noble family who had just entered the Sorcery world and hadn't prepared mana stones yet?

Or was his power low and mana stones scarce? If it was the latter, a strange glint flashed in Eranil's eyes.

"Gold is naturally acceptable as well."

Eranil's smile remained unchanged.

"According to the market rate, one tael of gold is worth ten taels of silver, and a hundred taels of silver are worth one low-grade mana stone. For ten low-grade mana stones, a hundred taels of gold are required."

He quoted a rate slightly higher than the market price to test the other party's reaction.

Steve seemed oblivious and simply nodded. Then, under the slightly surprised gazes of Muriel and Alex, he casually took something out.

Thud!

A massive, glittering gold block slammed onto the mahogany tabletop.

The gold block had sharp edges and was of extremely pure quality.

Eranil gasped and took two steps back, nearly knocking over a chair.

The attendant who led them in was even more dumbfounded. This wasn't a gold ingot; it was clearly a gold brick. Looking at its size, it was at least five or six hundred taels.

What was this man's background? To carry such a large piece of gold with him?

"Is this enough?"

Steve asked indifferently.

Eranil swallowed hard, forcing down the shock and the sudden surge of greed in his heart, and nodded repeatedly.

"Enough, it's more than enough."

He signaled the attendant to take the gold block while he personally placed the three spirit herbs into three jade boxes and respectfully presented them.

Steve took the jade boxes and, without even looking, turned to leave.

"Please wait, guest."

Eranil hurriedly followed.

"Do you need anything else? Our shop also has some talismans, artifacts..."

"No need."

Without stopping, Steve led Muriel and Alex out of the private room.

Eranil escorted them to the shop entrance. Watching the three figures disappear around the street corner, his smile faded, replaced by a look of sinister coldness.

He turned back into the shop and whispered instructions to the attendant.

"Go, tell Black Fox to take some men and follow them. Find out where they are staying. Remember, just tail them, don't make a move. Their power is unknown, but anyone who can casually produce such a massive amount of gold is no ordinary person. Once you've checked their background, report back to me."

The attendant complied and hurried out through the back door.

On the street, the three of them seemed to be strolling leisurely, but in reality, their divine senses were constantly monitoring their surroundings. Muriel suddenly paused, a cold light flashing in her eyes.

"Seeking death."

Her voice was very low, but filled with killing intent.

Steve looked over.

"What's wrong, Short for Muriel?"

Muriel said coldly.

"My heart of the angel sensed that the shopkeeper's intent changed abruptly just now. Seeing us pay with gold, he assumed we are either low-level Magi who just entered the Sorcery world and lack mana stones, or fat sheep with a lot of money, and has sent people to follow us."

Hearing this, Steve's expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly.

"As expected. Wealth stirs the heart, especially in a place as chaotic as this."

He thought for a moment and said.

"This is not a place to stay for long. Now that we have the spirit herbs, let's return to the Order first. The Bone Powder experiments need to be conducted as soon as possible."

Muriel nodded, and Alex naturally had no objections.

The three of them seemingly turned into a quiet alley at random, and in a corner where no one was watching—

After a slight distortion in space, the alley was empty the next moment.

Almost simultaneously, several men in black poked their heads out from the alley entrance. The leader was a thin man with darting eyes, nicknamed Black Fox.

They saw a flash of purple light and the three people vanished into thin air, leaving them frozen in place.

"Gone... they're gone?"

One man rubbed his eyes, his face full of horror.

Black Fox's face turned pale, and cold sweat poured down.

"Teleportation? That's a technique only a Aurum senior would have! Quick, go back and report to the shopkeeper."

When Eranil heard the report from Black Fox and the others that the three had vanished into thin air in the alley, his face turned ashen.

"It's over, it's all over."

He slumped into his armchair, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Teleporting without a trace... that's a technique of at least the Nigredo stage. I must have been blinded by greed to think they were fat sheep at the Albedo stage."

The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. In Bulwar, a Foundation Establishment Mage could already dominate a region, and Aurum Magi were elusive beings, often only elders of great Orders or ancestors of noble families.

His momentary greed might have offended such figures. If they held a grudge, forget this Eranil's Oditties; even his life would be like a candle in the wind.

"Shopkeeper, should we report this to the City Lord's Mansion? Or ask the enshrined experts to be on guard?"

Black Fox was also trembling with fear and suggested in a low voice.

"Shut up!"

Eranil slammed the table, his face contorted.

"Do you want to die faster? If such figures really wanted to silence us, what use would those Foundation Establishment guest elders at the City Lord's Mansion be? Pass down the order: no one is allowed to spread word of today's events. If those three come again, treat them with the highest etiquette immediately. No, directly prepare the best spirit herbs in the shop and give them for free, just to hope they don't pursue today's mistake."

"Yes, yes."

Black Fox replied repeatedly and hurried off to make arrangements.

Eranil sat alone in the private room, his heart filled with regret.

He had operated in Bulwar for decades, relying on his discernment and caution, yet today he had lost his composure over a windfall.

Those three were so composed, even paying with gold without blinking. He should have realized they had something to rely on...

"I only hope they are magnanimous and won't bother with ants like us."

Eranil sighed deeply, having already decided to keep a low profile for the next few months, even considering whether to move some of his assets to avoid the spotlight.

Meanwhile, at the Sovereign Simulacra Order's base.

Steve, Muriel, and Alex had quietly returned using the ender pearl.

As the three of them stepped out of the teleportation glow, they were slightly taken aback by the sight before them.

In just one day, on the edge of the giant crater that was originally bare scorched rock and empty desolation, a cluster of well-arranged halls and pavilions had already risen.

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I'm trying to change the world's theme, please point out mistakes