Chapter 422: Mark
"Three hundred years." This time, the System's reply was exceptionally quick, making Bahamut wonder just what kind of entity this "System" was that conversed with him.
"The Third Layer?"
"Your authority is insufficient."
...
Its curiosity was once again ruthlessly cut short, but the few fragmented pieces of information the System revealed had already led its thoughts to much more distant horizons.
Unfortunately, the deductions it had made provided little help for the choice it now faced.
What it needed to consider, at this very moment, was simply whether to trust the System and lower its defenses, allowing the mysterious mist to transform its body.
Or, to resist the command?
Everything happened in the blink of an eye; in truth, only powerful existences like these, at the Fifth or Sixth Tier, possessed enough time to hesitate and deliberate.
"Hiss... hiss... hiss..."
The moment it touched their skin, a grating, tooth-aching sound echoed, like something being continuously corroded.
Yet, the mutated beings, who had instinctively closed their eyes, bracing for intense pain, were astonished to find that the imagined agony did not materialize, nor did their bodies undergo any radical, "rebirth-like" transformation.
It was only when they closed their eyes to perceive the situation within their bodies that they discovered an incredibly vague mark had appeared in a certain location—an imprint so indistinct that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't discern it clearly.
"Abyssal Mark?"
Using the System, Bahamut retrieved the information it could access, learning that the mark within its body was referred to as the Abyssal Mark within the System.
Beings possessing this mark could move freely within the First Layer of the Nine Netherworlds without any drain.
After being reorganized by Bai Mo over the past year, the Nine Netherworlds, whose structure had expanded even further, now possessed an even stranger composition.
The so-called First Layer actually referred to a series of interconnected, independent small worlds, each with the highest degree of materialization, almost indistinguishable from the real world.
The Boneyard Realm, to which Xiao Yan was assigned, became one of these small worlds within the new First Layer, and the regions where Feng Buhui and his group of Flame Mist Warriors battled Abyssal creatures daily, also belonged to the First Layer; the two merely existed in different planes.
As for the Soul Realm, where Yu Xi resided, which possessed a higher degree of illusory nature, it had become part of the Third Layer.
After the emergence of the Land of White, Bai Mo mobilized a vast amount of manpower and resources, scouring the entire nation clean of all empty profound crystals, alongside many other resources, all of which were poured into expanding the Nine Netherworlds.
To date, the Nine Netherworlds already contained nearly a hundred "planes" of varying sizes, growing at an extremely slow pace; these small worlds were divided into nine grades based on their degree of materialization.
The layer with the highest degree of materialization was designated the First Layer, also named the Abyss by Bai Mo.
The name Abyssal Mark originated precisely from this.
"By using the mark to enter the Abyssal Layer and participate in blood battles, one will have the opportunity to receive a gift of power?"
Upon seeing this, Bahamut's confusion only deepened; it now completely failed to comprehend Bai Mo's true intentions behind all of this.
Analyzing the available intelligence, it seemed as though Bai Mo had no discernible goal in creating any of it.
However, it soon had no more leisure to ponder such things, for another mission from the System had been issued.
"Mission: Drive away all those approaching the forest."
"Wei Xi, did you receive that?" After reading the mission, Bahamut spoke to Ludwig, the White Tiger, behind him.
"My name is Ludwig, not Ludwig Wei Xi! You uncultured great snake!" Ludwig's attention had instead fixated on something far stranger, while the mission details themselves barely registered.
A group of animals wouldn't fuss over such trivialities like humans; whether it was a name or a nickname, they simply adopted whatever sounded good or domineering, regardless of whether it was correct or appropriate. Anyone who dared to object would have their dog's head smashed in!
...
"General, the forest seems a bit strange." Looking at the forest, now clear of mist, some individuals found themselves hesitating.
For over a decade, they had grown accustomed to the pale yellow mist shrouding the forest; now that it had suddenly reverted to its original state, filled with lush greenery, they couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"The frontline squad has already entered the danger zone, but still no trace of mutated beings has been found..."
Commander Ke Mu, from the Latin Alliance's Red Wizard Tower, happened to be nearby when the incident occurred.
However, after hovering around the forest's perimeter for a minute, he resolutely strode into the forest himself.
Although he hadn't heard the specific story of the Empty Fort Strategy, as a commanding officer who had passed most of his subjects and scraped by in a few others by bribing examiners, he did harbor some wariness towards such unusual circumstances.
Yet, even the greatest wariness couldn't withstand the allure of a treasure trove ripe for the taking.
He was considered a semi-high-ranking figure in the Red Wizard Tower, with a very good income, but greater income also meant greater expenses; whether it was bribing his superiors and subordinates, or funding his own enjoyment and cultivation, everything required vast sums of money.
The courtesans he'd romanced, the secret lovers he'd kept, the elder sons, younger sons, and illegitimate children born to his various wives and mistresses—not a single one of them was cheap to maintain.
Behind the dazzling façade of his life, only Ke Mu truly knew the pressure he endured; he needed money, more money, to satisfy his endlessly insatiable desires.
Normally, venturing into the perilous Amazon Secret Realm meant a nine-out-of-ten chance of never returning; usually, only those who were desperate or utterly consumed by greed would risk their lives on such a gamble.
If the dense yellow mist had still been present, with mutated beings lurking everywhere, he would never have considered putting himself in danger, but now, it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...
The others were unlucky; only their avatars had arrived on the scene, and among those whose main bodies were present, Ke Mu was the strongest.
Using avatars to explore secret realms often led to interference and loss of contact, which was precisely what the group of avatars lingering outside were currently considering.
The yellow mist had only become extremely sparse; it hadn't vanished entirely.
"Once I go in this time, I'll definitely be able to acquire the advancement method for a Fifth-Tier Wizard... As long as I advance to the Fifth Tier, nothing will be a problem."
Holding onto this thought, Ke Mu finally shook off the others who were still hesitating outside and ventured alone into the forest.
The power level classification system, originating from the former Hua-Ya Federation and eventually adopted worldwide, divided all known life into seven tiers and twenty-one levels.
The Latin Alliance's wizardry system even directly adopted this very system, constructing its power hierarchy with straightforward designations like "First-Tier Wizard" and "Second-Tier Wizard."
PS: The book started on September 4, 2016; it's exactly one year today. ORZ.
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