After passing through the Slit of Sky at Lightning Cliff, there remained an endless sea of clouds. Compared to the other side, the clouds here moved at a noticeably faster pace, resulting in more lights of electricity diffusing throughout.
Ivan discovered another kind of element creature—half-meter long eels solidified from thunder, swimming in groups through the layers of clouds.
More than an hour later, a fierce wind belt appeared before their eyes, signifying the end of the Cloud Sea.
“Sorcerer Ivan, leave it to me,” said the swamp ant.
“Alright.”
As the swamp ant spoke, it condensed a pale yellow defensive membrane around itself and its passenger. With Ivan’s approval, it steadily plunged into the fierce wind belt.
In terms of strength, the swamp ant was also an apex Level 3 creature. The fierce wind belt, which not even an average veteran Level 1 Sorcerer could withstand, naturally could not hinder its path.
After breaking through the wind belt, new land came into view, along with a sky filled with blood-colored light.
“Blood Plains, truly living up to its name.”
“This isn’t also the result of powerful creatures battling, is it?”
“That’s right, it’s not unlike the Cloud Sea we left behind.”
Hearing Ivan’s response, the Silkworm Queen couldn’t help smacking her lips.
The blood-colored light that shrouded the land was indeed eye-catching. Something akin to a blood-colored sun seemed hidden deep within, illuminating everything around and enveloping the nearby environment in its glow, rendering the land barren and desolate.
This place was chaotic with forcefields, rampant with element particles, essentially a survival no-go zone.
“Are there any living creatures inside?” the Silkworm Queen inquired further.
“Of course, but due to the unique environment, creatures born here often possess certain defects. Most have erratic dispositions and might attack people without reason,” Ivan explained, having done his homework beforehand, signaling the swamp ant to take a detour.
Due to the presence of the Blood-colored Restricted Zone, they could only circumnavigate it via the right edge, which was the only comparatively safe path.
Nobody knew how many bizarre creatures had been spawned by the Blood-colored Restricted Zone, what abilities they possessed, so there was no inherently safe route.
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The swamp ant let out a hint of its presence in the vicinity, avoiding ninety-five percent of creature disturbances. As for the rest, the duo and their insect pet managed them with ease.
After a long detour, the blood-red glow around them faintly diminished, and lush green mountains and waters once again dominated the landscape.
“Look, there’s a human settlement.”
“That’s normal. Special environments are likely to nurture special items, such as certain mutated magical plants. Furthermore, the concentration of element particles here exceeds that of Moon Pincer Peninsula by sixty to seventy percent, making it a decent place for sorcerers to live,” Ivan expanded on the subject.
Ivan also knew that many sorcerer families from Moon Pincer Peninsula had established settlements here, including Thousand Lights City, spearheaded by the Three Great Families with Watkin at the forefront.
Before leaving Mongna Ant Land Cottage, Dean Watkin had invited him to visit Thousand Lights City several times, but he had never accepted the invitation. Being unfamiliar with the place, he didn’t want to go just to feel awkward.
“Both of you, stay on the alert—there are plenty of bandits and criminals from Chanay Continent who have fled here; this is an authentically chaotic area,” Ivan cautioned.
“I wish they’d dare to come,” the Silkworm Queen and the swamp ant seemed eager for a fight.
Watching his two insect pets brimming with the desire to battle, Ivan wasn’t sure what to say. How had he, a sorcerer who always tried to be kind to others, ended up raising two insect pets that loved to fight?
On one side was the Restricted Zone, on the other a human settlement.
Underneath the calm of the Blood Plains lay a different kind of madness.
Ivan had initially planned on bypassing the area and heading straight for the Chanay Continent, but an unexpected event disrupted his plans.
Without any warning, the blood-colored light expanded, enveloping even more areas within.
“Something big is happening!”
“Let’s head back. We’ll find a city to rest in and wait until the Restricted Zone stabilizes,” Ivan decided.
The blood-colored light rapidly expanded, the dazzling halo making it impossible to discern what was inside. All they could hear were the thunderous ‘boom boom’ of footsteps, each step exceptionally heavy.
Ivan didn’t dare to linger, ordering the swamp ant to hurry to the human settlement at its fastest speed.
The speed of the swamp ant was reassuring, as the blood-colored light could not keep up.
It was only then that Ivan felt at ease to look back. The distant light seemed to have gone through multiple folds, making it difficult to perceive clearly, until a fleeting moment cast a reflection.
He saw it clearly: a leg resembling a support column for the heavens; and from the size of it, one could infer the height of its owner. The element giant he had previously encountered amidst the sea of clouds was but a dwarf in comparison.
‘An illusion? A mirage?’
‘Or perhaps a giant made of light?’
A big question mark emerged in Ivan’s mind, but he had no intention of delving into it, commanding the swamp ant to run from one city to the next, finally arriving at a city far from the blood-colored light—Sweeping Light City.
Sweeping Light City was not a private domain of any family but a commercial city established by a commercial corporation called ‘Sweeping Light,’ willing to accommodate any passing sorcerer.
After entering the city, Ivan noticed a phenomenon.
The ordinary people here were not so ordinary; many of them had undergone bloodline alteration, which seemed to be a common occurrence in contrast to what he had imagined.
On second thought, he considered the volatile energy in the area harmful for the survival of commoners, and bloodline alteration might reduce the loss of lifespan.
Within Sweeping Light City, sorcerers had their own residential areas, and after asking for directions, Ivan arrived at a large tavern.
“Your Excellency, welcome to the Fire Wolf Tavern. What can I do for you?”
“Do you have a quiet private room?”
“Yes, yes, certainly, this way please, Your Excellency.”
In the tavern hall, as soon as Ivan walked in, the volume of conversations around instantly dropped, whether it was the tavern owner or the explorers and sorcerers gathered to drink, their looks towards him were filled with awe.
Ivan guessed the problem must lie with Lightning Cliff.
Someone there had sent or, more accurately, sold his information to this place before him, informing the people that a strong warrior had arrived who should not be trifled with.
The situation here was clearly different from the Moon Pincer Peninsula.
He didn’t mind it, as having no one bother him was a good thing. Once he reached the private room, he asked the owner to serve up a table full of dishes, saying to bring whatever was available.
Before long, the round table was full of various dishes, brought personally by the owner.
“Your Excellency, just give the order if you need anything.”
“When will the route to Chanay Continent resume normal operations?” Ivan asked the most critical question.
“In two or three days at the shortest, five or six days at the longest. There’s news claiming that treasures have appeared in the newly covered area. If true, we should go with the longest time frame; normal operations will resume in five or six days,” the owner explained in detail.
“Okay, I got it. I’ll call you if I need anything.” Ivan waved his hand dismissively.
Being new to the place, he wouldn’t go treasure hunting based on uncertain news, for the Blood Plains’ restricted zone is not to be taken lightly—a single misstep could easily lead to entrapment.
While Ivan was leisurely eating and drinking, the airship over the Ancient Tree Spine was hastily accelerating to escape the area covered by the blood-colored light, the sight of it incredibly rushed.
“Click, click, click.”
The airship suddenly sank, the tail end making an over-pressed sound.
Chief Steward Tim looked back only to see a giant hand attached to the stern, the light morphing into a palm that clung tightly to both sides of the ship, seemingly prepared to drag the airship back.
“Accelerate, full throttle.”
In that moment, his blood almost froze with alarm as he hastily commanded while drawing his sword and sprinting towards the stern.