Chapter 243: Plane Cluster
Long Lin, above the forest.
Rose hovered hundreds of meters in the air, gazing down at the dense canopy below.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but emerald green stretching endlessly towards the horizon—an extremely magnificent and beautiful sight.
Looking at this scene, Rose felt invigorated; the stuffiness from over ten years of seclusion completely dissipated.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the air, carrying an intimidating pressure.
Rose recognized it immediately as a dragon’s roar, his expression shifting in response.
"I heard that the Demonic Tyrant Dragon Clan in Area 2 has begun to evolve, and several of them have already transformed into true Dragons. This must be one of them."
Curiosity piqued, Rose moved toward the source of the sound and soon spotted a ferocious-looking dragon pacing through the forest. Its massive head turned left and right, as if searching for prey.
You could still faintly discern the former appearance of a Demonic Tyrant Dragon, but it now appeared more fearsome and terrifying. Despite being covered in scales, its limbs and torso revealed clearly defined muscle lines, exuding a sense of explosive power.
At that moment, a streak of light shot in from afar and stopped beside Rose.
The light dispersed, revealing the figure of Scepter.
"I was wondering if you would emerge from seclusion when Starfall Lord summoned the Wizard. And you did,” Scepter said with a smile.
Rose examined him closely and asked in surprise, “You’ve broken through?”
Scepter's smile deepened as he nodded. "It hasn't been long since I achieved my breakthrough."
“Congratulations,” Rose replied, a hint of envy creeping into his heart.
Aside from Master Sunan, Scepter was the second member of the Star Alliance's Wizards to break through to the First Order of Liquefaction.
Scepter laughed. "The concentration of Energy Particles in Starlight Continent has been steadily increasing, significantly accelerating everyone's progress in Spiritual Condensation. I reckon it won't be long before you also break through to the Liquefaction Stage."
Rose smiled slightly and said, "Then I'll take that as a good omen."
Scepter looked down at the Dragon below and said, "That must be the newly evolved Dragon."
Rose nodded. "It is. It evolved from the Demonic Tyrant Dragon Clan and is now called the Flame Tyrannosaurus."
"Flame Tyrannosaurus?" Scepter glanced at the sparks flashing between the Dragon's teeth, recognition dawning on his face. "So it awakened the Flame Domination ability after evolving? That name certainly suits it."
At that moment, the Flame Tyrannosaurus noticed Rose and Scepter in the sky. It let out a somewhat irritated growl, its cold vertical pupils sweeping over the two of them before it turned and departed.
Scepter watched this scene in amazement. "I heard that Master Sunan had developed a method to control Dragons, but I was skeptical. Now it seems it’s true."
If this had been any other Dragon, it would not have tolerated someone standing above it and pointing fingers, given their pride. Yet this Dragon managed to suppress its temper, indicating that it had been tamed.
Rose's eyes widened slightly with astonishment. Taming a Dragon was something they could hardly have imagined before. Only Master Sunan could achieve such a feat.
Suddenly, a roar echoed from the distance, accompanied by a powerful pressure that made them hold their breath. Rose focused his gaze and caught a glimpse of a massive black shadow darting through the forest, but it vanished quickly.
"That must be Master Sunan's Magical Pet," Scepter deduced, admiration etched on his face. "I heard that Sheman and Coley sparred with it recently, and even together, they were still defeated."
This was the first time Rose had heard of this and he exclaimed in surprise, "It's that powerful? Does that mean its true combat power is close to First Grade Crystallization?"
Sheman and Coley were exceptionally talented, having received Master Sunan's guidance. With access to more resources than other Wizards, their strength had increased rapidly, and they were now not much weaker than her. If the two of them teamed up, even an ordinary Level One Liquid Warlock might struggle to defeat them.
"Yes," Scepter sighed. "Master Sunan's Magical Pet is far stronger than these Dragons."
Rose couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Suddenly, the thought of contracting a Sub-Dragon Magical Pet and cultivating it into a Dragon crossed her mind.
After chatting for a while and noticing that it was getting late, the two of them flew toward the Starlight Wizard Tower.
By the time they entered the Council Hall of the Wizard Tower, more than twenty people had already gathered inside.
Scepter's gaze swept across the room, and he noted that except for Master Sunan, all twenty-six members of the Wizard Star Alliance were present.
Upon seeing Scepter and Rose arrive, everyone exchanged greetings once again.
During the conversation, someone brought up the topic of the Traveling Wizard.
"That Traveling Wizard is quite an unfortunate fellow; of all places, he got teleported to the Starlight Continent and now finds himself stuck here."
"To experience such a low-probability event—his luck is truly abysmal."
"What is he doing now?"
"He’s exploring the Starlight Continent; I heard he’s currently at the Rainbow Sea."
"I saw him before; he was completely wrapped up, and I have no idea why."
"That's because he has suffered assimilation and erosion from Shadows, leading to a drastic change in his appearance. He’s afraid of scaring people, so he’s covering his face and body."
This last statement came from Fakado.
Upon hearing this, Rose asked curiously, "How do you know?"
"I chatted with him once," Fakado replied with a smile. "He was chased by a Nightshade Worm in the Netherworld and never had a chance to escape. Unfortunately, he stayed there too long and was assimilated by the Shadows, but he should recover in due time."
The crowd nodded in understanding.
Just as they were speaking, the door suddenly opened, and a Secret Puppet Girl entered, holding a book.
Countless thin rays of light emanated from the book, intertwining to form the figure of Lize.
"Starfall Lord!"
The Wizards present rose to their feet and bowed in respect.
Although Lize was only a ghost, she had been a Second Level Wizard in life and was highly valued and trusted by Master Sunan. Throughout the Star Alliance, she was essentially second only to one person and above all others; none of the Wizards dared to disregard her.
"Please, everyone, have a seat."
Lize walked to the seat at the head of the table and sat down, raising her hand.
Once everyone had settled in again, she spoke calmly and deliberately.
"I have called you all here today because there is something important I need to discuss with you."
A crowd of wizards looked on with curiosity upon hearing this. What matter required such a large gathering, summoning all the wizards of the Star Alliance?
"Based on the observations made by myself and Su Nan, the complete restoration of the Dimensional Barrier is approaching. It's estimated to be about one hundred and fifty years away, around the year 2000 of the Starlight Calendar, at which point the Plane blockade of the Starlight Continent will be lifted."
As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of everyone present shifted to joy. They had been hoping for the Starlight Continent to return to normal soon so they could resume their cultivation. Furthermore, the Starlight Continent could trade with other planes to obtain more resources, greatly benefiting their strength improvement.
Among the crowd, only Scepter and Fakado, a few of the more seasoned individuals, remained calm. If this matter were all there was, the Starfall Lord wouldn’t have called everyone together. There must be more to it.
Sure enough, Lize's expression turned serious as he said in a deep voice, "Everyone, don’t get too excited just yet. While the lifting of the Plane blockade is a good thing, it also brings dangers."
The crowd paused. Someone asked, "What dangers?"
Lize replied plainly, "Invasion from external enemies."
Upon hearing this, the crowd exchanged confused glances.
"I believe you all know about the expedition of the wizards to the Multiverse a thousand years ago. If the Dimensional Barrier is completely restored and the Starlight Continent returns to normal, do you think those wizards wouldn't want to regain control of the Starlight Continent?"
Lize's words caused the atmosphere to turn heavy and tense.
Fakado asked with a grave expression, "Starfall Lord, have you received any specific intelligence?"
Lize looked at him with approval, nodding slightly as he said, "There is reliable intelligence indicating that two factions from the Multiverse, the Gloomy Throne and the Deadwood Council, are both eyeing the Starlight Continent covetously. Especially the Gloomy Throne; they have already made preparations and are just waiting for the Dimensional Barrier to come close to complete restoration before they send forces to invade the Starlight Continent."
To emphasize the weight of his words, Lize added, "This intelligence was obtained by Su Nan."
Su Nan's prestige within the Star Alliance was unmatched. Hearing that it was the Master Su Nan who provided this information, the crowd had no further doubts, and their brows furrowed deeply.
Though they had never left Starlight Continent in their entire lives, they knew from the ancient texts left behind by Wizards millennia ago that the vast expanse of the Multiverse contained more than one Wizard Faction, most of which were far more powerful than the Star Alliance.
Suddenly realizing that they might have to face these Wizard Factions in the future, a wave of concern washed over them.
"Starfall Lord, where do factions like the Deadwood Council and Gloomy Throne rank among the Wizard Factions in the Multiverse?"
"Gloomy Throne is a first-rate Wizard Faction, solidly ranked within the top ten of all Wizard Factions. The Deadwood Council is somewhat weaker, but it still qualifies as a second-tier faction."
"Then where would the Star Alliance be ranked?" someone from the gathering of Wizards asked curiously.
"The Star Alliance can barely be ranked in the third tier," Lize replied calmly.
She didn’t hide anything; this decision had been made after discussing it with Su Nan.
The Wizards present would eventually learn about the state of the Multiverse, and there was no point in concealing the truth—it would only make them feel uneasy. It was better to inform them and allow them to mentally prepare.
After Su Nan advanced to Second Level Wizard, the Star Alliance had met the minimum standards for a qualified Wizard Faction. In terms of overall strength, it was already among the top tier of non-ranked Wizard Factions, barely touching the lower end of the third tier.
Compared to the former Starfall Society, the only difference was that they lacked a Level 3 Wizard and had too few Second Level Wizards, which diminished their top-tier combat capability.
But in comparison to the Deadwood Council and Gloomy Throne, they were still far behind.
Upon hearing Lize's words, the expressions on everyone’s faces grew increasingly serious.
In that case, did that mean they had no chance of victory?
Observing the change in their demeanor, Lize spoke calmly:
"You don’t need to worry. Until the Dimensional Barrier is completely repaired, Gloomy Throne won’t be able to send many people to invade Starlight Continent—it won’t be difficult to manage."
"As for when the Dimensional Barrier is fully restored, we can trade with other Wizard Factions, exchanging resources for protection. There are plenty of Wizard Factions in the Multiverse that dislike Gloomy Throne and would be willing to trade with us."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
As long as there was a way forward and they weren't simply lambs led to slaughter, that was good enough.
"In any case, I hope everyone will prepare themselves."
"The entire Starlight Continent will undergo a massive transformation in the future. Whether this transformation will bring disaster or opportunity depends entirely on all of you."
Everyone's expressions turned serious as they acknowledged the statement.
After the wizards left, Artier emerged from a side room, a hint of worry evident on their face.
"Starfall Lord, is it wise to be so open about everything?"
Lize replied calmly, "Hiding it is pointless. It's better to let them prepare early than to panic when things happen."
"Besides, some of them have been a bit lax in their cultivation recently. This is a good opportunity to reignite their motivation."
Hearing this, Artier nodded thoughtfully but refrained from saying more.
Lize then asked, "Tanna, where are they now?"
"Tanna went to Rainbow Sea," Artier responded.
Lize nodded in understanding.
Some time ago, they had made a deal with Tanna, trading Puppet and Construct Potion for more than ten Frost Shadow Stones, along with a wealth of useful information.
It was no surprise that Tanna was an explorer; they knew the many Plane Clusters of the Multiverse like the back of their hand and possessed valuable insights about secluded Plane Clusters. Even Su Nan had praised Tanna upon discovering this.
Lize now contemplated how to extract even more valuable information from Tanna, such as the coordinates of uncolonized Plane Clusters.
A Plane Cluster is a region comprised of one or more Main Planes and numerous Sub Planes.
Main Planes, in contrast to Sub Planes, have more complete Plane rules, a higher concentration of Energy Particles, and more abundant resources.
In terms of Plane hierarchy, they exert a hidden suppressive effect on the Sub Planes around them.
Consequently, within a Plane Cluster, various factions or intelligent races often go to war to seize control of Main Planes.
Whoever controls the Main Planes automatically controls the Sub Planes as well.
Therefore, the wars between Plane Clusters often centered around capturing each other's Main Plane.
A multiverse is composed of numerous Plane Clusters and a small number of individual planes.
A place like Starlight Continent does not belong to any Plane Cluster but exists as an independent plane.
Large wizard factions, such as the Deep Blue Alliance and Wisdom Codex, control at least one Plane Cluster.
If the Star Alliance wishes to develop into a large wizard faction, a single Starlight Continent will not suffice; they will inevitably need to conquer a Plane Cluster in the future.
With foresight, Lize planned to first acquire the coordinates of a few Plane Clusters from Tanna. In the future, when the Star Alliance is strong enough, they can use these coordinates to locate those Plane Clusters and launch wars of conquest.
With the Construct Potion in hand, there was little concern that Tanna would refuse the deal.
After all, Plane Cluster coordinates hold little value for a Traveling Wizard like him, whereas resources are far more practical.
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