Chapter 107: Chapter 106: Seventh War Zone

"Begone!"

Kalem let out a furious roar and charged straight forward. Blazing white flames erupted from his hands as he ruthlessly grabbed at the threads.

HISS! The flames and shadows clashed violently. Sizzling, the threads finally snapped.

In the chaos, Ian sent an extremely condensed thread of frost, hidden among the flurry of attacks, silently striking the core.

The Shadow Weaving Demon’s form froze once more. Its smooth face snapped around, turning toward them.

Kalem’s hands were burned, but he paid it no mind. Seizing the opportunity, he landed a backhand punch squarely on the Shadow Weaving Demon’s chest!

BANG!

The dark violet patch of light finally shattered!

The Shadow Weaving Demon let out an utterly piercing shriek as its entire body dissipated like smoke.

In the end, all that remained was a small, pure Shadow Energy Crystal and a few inert Shadow Silk Threads, which fell to the ground.

The battle was over.

Kalem panted heavily, his hands trembling. Sweat poured down his scarred face.

Rod’s face was pale, and another crack had appeared on his die.

The light from Kelly’s Wooden Staff had dimmed, a clear sign of massive energy consumption.

The apprentices were still shaken. Gazing at the withered arm and several corpses on the ground, a deeper chill settled in their hearts.

Fortunately, no one had died, and the seriously injured had received prompt treatment.

"Gather the spoils. We need to leave this area, quickly."

Kalem’s voice was hoarse. "Shadow Weaving Demons rarely appear alone... There might be more nearby."

He quickly collected the precious Shadow Crystal and threads.

The team didn’t dare to linger and continued heading north.

Over the next few days, strange things began to happen frequently again.

The number of Demons they encountered along the way plummeted. Sometimes they would travel for half a day without seeing a single one, as if something had cleared the path ahead of them.

The few scattered Demons they did run into were mostly injured and panicked, as if fleeing from something.

This unnatural silence, however, only made the team more uneasy.

Seven days later, a different sight finally appeared on the dim horizon ahead.

A massive, hemispherical Barrier shimmering with a faint golden halo, like an overturned bowl, covered an area for several miles around.

Inside the Barrier, one could faintly make out towering watchtowers, neat barracks, and an exceptionally magnificent Rock Fortress at the center.

At the edge of the Barrier, the flow of Energy formed distinct ’gateways,’ through which figures in robes of various colors passed in and out.

They had arrived at the Eastern Seventh War Zone Headquarters, the Rotting Moss Cave Frontline Base.

As they approached the Barrier, a solemn and immense aura washed over them.

Unlike the Sixth Cleaning Team’s crude, temporary camp, this was a true frontline fortress.

The pale-golden main Barrier was thick and solid, its surface covered in flowing, complex chains of Runes. It clearly possessed powerful defensive and Purification functions.

Outside the Barrier were three auxiliary lines of defense. The outermost layer was an interlocking arrangement of Earth Spike Arrays and corrosive mud pits, specifically designed to counter charging, giant Demons.

The middle layer was densely packed with Runic warning towers. Detection Crystals embedded at their peaks constantly rotated, scanning every inch of the surrounding space.

The innermost layer consisted of mobile patrols of Mechanical Body squads. These humanoid or bestial constructs, driven by Metal and Magic, moved in perfect unison, their eyes glinting with cold red light.

Entering through the main gate, a wave of clamor immediately washed over them.

Inside was a wide plaza paved with smooth grey stone, bustling with people coming and going.

Besides the large number of Silver Ring Wizards clad in silver-white battle robes trimmed with black, Ian also saw figures from many other factions.

"Look, those are Wizards from the Shadow Moon Tower..."

He paused for a moment, quietly pulling up his hood and turning to look.

’Strange, what happened after I left?’

The Wizard Robes of the Shadow Moon Tower Wizards were no longer their original red, but had been changed to a deep blue.

He also saw people from the Deep Red Royal Court, still dressed head-to-toe in blood red. Their eyes were defiant, and a faint smell of blood lingered around them. Some even had several blood-dripping Crystals floating at their side.

The members of the Withered Council were the strangest of all. They seemed to hide inhuman limbs beneath their grey-black robes, and the ground they walked upon would occasionally be left with withered patches.

Figures from the Alien Races were also everywhere.

There were dark-green-skinned Forest Elves holding Bone Bows, usually accompanied by several glowing ferns.

Stout Dwarves were clanking away as they repaired a damaged Rune Cannon, their prosthetic arms nimbly switching between tools.

A Barbarian painted with glowing totems was gesturing at a member of the Sea Race, who had the lower body of an octopus and an upper body covered in fine scales. The Sea Race being was using its tentacles to gesture in return.

What caught Ian’s attention was a ’market’ that had spontaneously formed at the edge of the plaza.

Many Wizards and members of the Alien Races had simply spread cloths on the roadside, laying out all sorts of items from the Underworld to trade on the spot.

"Freshly mined Shadow Crystals! Seventy percent pure! Trading for an equivalent value in Merit Points or Healing Potions!"

"Nightmare Mushrooms, gathered from the outskirts of the Rotting Moss Cave! First-class hallucinogenic effects, a top-grade Auxiliary Material for Refining Spiritual Potions!"

"Freshly butchered Molten Fire Lizard hides! Three complete Tier One hides for a single Tier One Protective Accessory!"

The sounds of hawking and haggling were endless.

Although the Underworld was dangerous, it also nurtured some Magic Potions rare on the surface, and even precious materials that were thought to be extinct. These were all things collected on the side during cleaning missions.

Ian’s gaze swept over the stalls, finally stopping in front of one run by a Dwarf.

This Dwarf’s beard was made of Dark Gold metal threads, and his right eye was a complex cogwheel lens.

On the stall in front of him were a few chunks of ore, some skeletal parts from subterranean creatures, and a small, silver-gray lump of Metal that was constantly, slowly squirming.

"What’s this?" Ian crouched down, pointing to the lump of Metal.

The Dwarf raised his cogwheel eye, which scanned Ian with a red light, and said in a gruff voice:

"Memory Soft Gold. Good stuff from the deep molten veins of the Underworld. Once it memorizes a shape, you can input Energy to make it transform freely. Its strength increases with the Energy input, reaching the hardness of a Tier One Metal at its peak."

An idea struck Ian.

After taking the Limit-Breaking Rock Bear Potion, his physical strength had increased dramatically, and his original clothes and ordinary protective gear could no longer keep up.

If this Memory Soft Gold could be made into form-fitting Inner Armor or an Arm Guard, it could adjust to his body’s changes while providing extra protection.

He checked his Dimension Bag and took out a small pouch of Razor-Claw Lizard finger bones, collected from Demons. They had faint energy-conducting properties and were decent Alchemy Materials.

"How about a trade for these?"

The Dwarf took the finger bones. His cogwheel eye whirred a few times as he weighed them in his hand, then he nodded. "The quality is decent. Enough for half. Add ten High Level Magic Stones, or other materials of equivalent value."

Ian added a few Hardened Rock Fragments that had flaked off a Rock Armor Worm Shell, completing the trade.

He put away the fist-sized lump of Memory Soft Gold. It was cool to the touch. When he extended his Spiritual Power into it, he could clearly perceive its fine internal structure and confirmed that it could indeed deform slightly according to his Intent.

’Good stuff.’ Ian satisfyingly placed it into his Dimension Bag, planning to work on it carefully when he had time.

He continued to walk around the base, observing.

The entire base was centered around the Rock Fortress, with barracks, Workshops, medical clinics, a mission hall, and other facilities radiating outwards.

He roughly estimated that there were about twenty permanent Level One Wizard Level experts stationed here, not counting those scattered in other locations or leading teams.

From time to time, squads that had completed their cleaning missions would return from all directions, bringing new spoils and also casualty lists.

The base’s ultimate goal was to destroy the ’Rotting Moss Cave,’ located about a hundred li to the northwest.

That was the largest, deepest, and strongest Demon Nest Group in the vicinity, filled with the most powerful Demons.

Rumor had it that the depths of the cave not only held vast quantities of Abyssal Crystals, but also treasures that could help a Level One Wizard break through to the next Realm, attracting the attention of many powerful individuals. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Ian could feel a terrifying aura faintly emanating from the central Rock Fortress, an aura that made his very Soul tremble.

That aura had already condensed into a tangible substance. Its Spiritual Power seemed to have completely crystallized, and the pressure it naturally emitted was enough to make his breathing hitch.

’That must be a Level Two Wizard...’ A chill ran through Ian’s heart.