Initially, the two undead struggled immensely. Later, Sister Crow slowed down and flew above the Magic Eye Lord, enveloping him in her Nether Domain. Empowered by the Nether energy, the Magic Eye Lord not only gained speed but also used the nine muscular tails behind him to conjure ethereal illusions that shielded Sister Crow, weakening the wind resistance.
Without orders from Wei Huan, these two undead knew how to cooperate and advance. Their intelligence had increased significantly, and they now possessed the capacity for independent action. It seemed that the Pseudo-God level was indeed a special rank; the change in life tier brought about "enlightenment."
This evolution was not a bad thing. As Moji had proven, no matter how clever or wise they became, they still depended on Wei Huan deep within their souls, remaining under his control and viewing his commands as absolute.
Wei Huan was pleased to sense the intelligence shown by the two undead, allowing them to experiment with more tacit cooperation. Simultaneously, Wei Huan's consciousness descended upon the Magic Eye Lord, looking toward the great mountain once more.
The mountain was incredibly tall and unnaturally steep, as if carved by a god's blade, presenting a smooth, dense texture. There was no vegetation, and it was impossible for any living creatures to exist there. However, the ground below was densely packed with many bent mountains; some were even arched so far they pressed against the earth without snapping. Such resilience was far too extreme.
Maximizing the Magic Eye Lord's vision, Wei Huan finally understood where the winds originated. Beneath the Twin Pillars of Heaven, amidst those bent mountains, were numerous deep pits. The violent gales were erupting from these craters. Wei Huan tried to peer into a deep pit but was suddenly hit by dizziness. He withdrew his vision, feeling surprised.
Clearly, those pits were extraordinary. With his current strength, for something to make him feel "dizzy" meant it wasn't true dizziness but rather a direct energy attack on his consciousness.
His gaze slid down from the Twin Pillars to the base. Since these wind vents surrounded the mountain, the first challenge in approaching it would likely be dealing with them.
After advancing further, the sun began to set behind the mountain, and the world grew much darker. Wei Huan and his team finally approached the nearest wind vent. Up close, they discovered that while this outermost vent was likely the smallest, it was still ridiculously large, roughly three kilometers wide and perfectly circular.
The vent had no other lethal effects other than the massive gale it expelled. Even at this distance, Dot Mom's protection shield fluctuated slightly, showing just how powerful the wind was. Wei Huan stared at the vent for a long time before looking at Mu Zhong, his gaze finally resting on the cube on Mu Zhong's shoulder.
Mu Zhong shook his head. Wei Huan's brow furrowed slightly. They were already here, yet no new prompts had appeared. Did they have to go inside? Between the two options—entering the vent or moving closer to the mountain—Wei Huan decided to head for the mountain first. The subterranean vision was unclear, but the mountain was right in front of them. If anything went wrong, they could just release their power and escape by riding the wind.
"I agree."
"I agree as well."
"Boss, you decide. Don't even ask us; we'll follow you anywhere, through thick and thin."
Wei Huan nodded and commanded Dot Mom to bypass the wind vent and continue toward the mountain. By this point, the atmosphere had become very oppressive. Everyone was a bit tense; the environment was truly unsettling. Endless, abyss-like wind vents dotted the ground, interspersed with curved, downward-facing "Wolf-Tooth" mountains. The pitch-black landscape was devoid of life; between the hideous shapes and the boundless hurricanes, it was not a place humans should stay for long.
Most importantly, when they peered into the vents, they felt a bone-chilling dread, as if their souls were being pulled inside. Just as Wei Huan suspected, given their current abilities, they wouldn't easily feel fear. One had to trust their intuition; anything that gave them a "hard to deal with" feeling had to be handled with extreme caution.
Wei Huan ordered Dot Mom to avoid the vents and walk along the edges. Fortunately, the wind at the edges was slightly weaker, though the constant maneuvering prevented them from picking up speed. In this manner, night fell before they knew it. To their eyes, night was as bright as day, so they didn't care about the darkness.
As midnight approached, they were nearly in front of the great mountain. Up close, it felt even more massive and majestic. The mountains in the Beast World were large enough, but they didn't equal even one percent of this mountain, which pierced the clouds like a heavenly pillar. No wonder it was called the Twin Pillars of Heaven.
"After traveling all night, we're finally almost there," Mu Zhong said, standing beside Wei Huan. "I thought the wind would get stronger near the base, but as long as we avoid the vents, it's actually much weaker. The shield hasn't budged; it's very safe."
Wei Huan nodded. "The Heart of Steel hasn't given a next prompt. We probably need to touch this mountain first."
"Almost. We should reach the mountain by midnight," Mu Zhong checked the time. Wei Huan did the same. There were less than ten minutes until midnight, and the mountain was within reach.
Seven minutes later, Dot Mom finally floated in front of the mountain wall. The wind here was not strong, but Wei Huan and the others did not leave the shield lightly. He sent out Big Bear, the one with the strongest defense, to see if it could dig something off the mountain. Big Bear had no recent missions and had been nourished in the Primal Tomb until it was plump and sturdy. Its thick black fur hung like armor, and its body was twenty meters tall even in its smallest form. With a pair of bull horns on its head, it looked very formidable.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Big Bear let out a roar, stepped back, took a running start, and leapt. It lunged out of the protection shield toward the dark mountain ahead.
Wei Huan and the others watched with wide eyes, holding their breath. No one noticed time slipping away until it was exactly 12:00 AM—the hour of Zi. At that precise moment, the gales erupting from the vents vanished instantly. Then, the bent mountains slowly began to straighten upward. It was an incredibly bizarre sensation; after all, these were mountains, yet their swaying made them look like something with excellent flexibility—like "hair."
Captain Xue and the sentries, though curious about the progress ahead, remained dutifully focused on their surroundings. They witnessed this change firsthand.
"Boss!" Captain Xue shouted, alerting Wei Huan.
Wei Huan turned to look. He didn't need Xue to say anything; he saw the anomaly. Just as he was about to speak in confusion, the "mountains" that were slowly rising suddenly flattened back down with a speed much faster than before.
Wei Huan's expression changed drastically. He had just opened his mouth to say "Careful—" but before he could say more, Dot Mom suddenly lost control and plummeted toward the nearest wind vent beneath their feet.
It felt like they had been pushing full force against a headwind, only for the wind to suddenly vanish and a force to push from behind, causing them to pitch forward. Dot Mom did exactly that—she tumbled down.
Wei Huan and the others couldn't control themselves as they fell into the abyss with Dot Mom. Down, down, down they went, as if on a light-speed elevator heading straight for the center of the earth.
"Eeeek!!"
Dot Mom tried to resist, but it was useless. Wei Huan grabbed Mu Zhong's hand tightly, fighting the force of the high-speed descent. It wasn't until black flames erupted around him that he finally regained control of himself. Then, he chanted in his mind. Dot Mom suddenly grew larger and larger, reaching a height of ten thousand meters in an instant. He tried to use this method to wedge Dot Mom against the rocky walls of the vent to stop the fall.
Finally, Dot Mom's long legs successfully gripped the walls of the pit. With a jarring friction, their speed slowed until they finally stopped.
"Watch out!"
"Protect the Boss!"
"Hold on tight, don't let go!"
The others were also elites among humans. Though the incident was sudden, they reacted quickly. Someone's fingers turned into vines, wrapping around Dot Mom's shell while pulling in nearby comrades. Others grew wings, flying up while saving several people. Some used spells to stabilize those around them. In a short time, everyone was steady.
Wei Huan held Mu Zhong, standing firmly on the shell. Thick black flames surrounded him, and his cold face commanded respect without him even being angry. He looked up at the way they came. Wind was pouring down, dragging them deeper.
Since leaving the Rank 5 world, his ability to foresee things had vanished. Even though he was very careful, he was still occasionally swept into trouble. Last time, being pulled into the Beast World resulted in a blessed land for humanity, but looking back, if it had been anyone else, or if he hadn't been strong enough, the Beast World would have been his grave. Now, he had met another accident beyond his control. He wondered if they could turn this danger into a blessing again.
"Everyone stand firm. We're leaving."
Wei Huan ordered Dot Mom to climb up. Although the suction was strong, it wasn't impossible to escape.
"Wait, Wei Huan!" Mu Zhong called out in pleasant surprise. "The Heart of Steel updated the missions! We finally found a breakthrough!"
Upon hearing this, Wei Huan's face, which had been dark enough to drip water, finally brightened. His intuition had been right; he had felt the wind vents were abnormal and dangerous from the start, so he had made a different choice to avoid risk. But now, reality told him that if you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't get the cubs. He had to go through this after all.
"What does the Heart of Steel say?"
"I'll share it with you."
Soon, Wei Huan saw the updated mission info. Upon re-entering the Dark Beast Plane, all the "Monster Slaying" missions from their previous visit had disappeared. Only one Main Quest remained: exploring the secrets of the plane.
[Main Quest: Secrets of the Dark Beast Plane (Incomplete)]
Explore the "Twin Pillars of Heaven" (Incomplete)
Explore the "Abyssal Trench" (Incomplete)
Explore the "World Shadow" (Incomplete)
Explore the "Starlight Brilliance" (Incomplete)
The Main Quest was still there, but the task for "Explore the Twin Pillars" finally showed a change:
[Explore the "Twin Pillars of Heaven" (Incomplete)]
Sub-quest 1: Enter the depths of the passage
Sub-quest 2: Collect Ancient God Crystals
Sub-quest 3: Find a method to temper weapons
It was common knowledge that the Heart of Steel had "betrayed" the main system of the Challenge World and was now entirely focused on humanity—or rather, on Mu Zhong. These new missions weren't meant to make things difficult; they were guiding them. These three sub-quests were essentially screaming at them: 'There's good stuff in the depths of this passage!'
Wei Huan raised an eyebrow at Mu Zhong. Mu Zhong nodded and smiled. "Looks like I need to hurry and finish those spatial warehouses."
Wei Huan added, "Send the mission out to everyone."
Mu Zhong laughed. "Right, good news should be shared."
With the mission update, the Brave Squad, which had been tense and confused a second ago, instantly radiated new vitality.
"The missions updated, did you see?"
"So we were supposed to fall into the pit! If you'd said so earlier, I would've jumped long ago!"
"Ancient God Crystals sounds badass. Brothers, keep your eyes peeled, don't miss the good stuff!"
"Hahaha, I knew there was something in this pit. I'm not being a Monday morning quarterback, but these vents looked extraordinary. If we hadn't been so cautious, we would've come in earlier."
"Tempering weapons? What weapons are we tempering?"
Everyone chatted excitedly. Wei Huan asked Mu Zhong, "So, we continue down?"
Mu Zhong nodded. "Okay. Let go of me."
Wei Huan paused, realizing he had been holding Mu Zhong very tightly. In the moment of crisis, he had instinctively pulled him close like a precious treasure, refusing to let him come to any harm. Now that he was reminded, he felt a bit flustered.
Mu Zhong smiled. "Thank you. Otherwise, I really would have fallen. That was too sudden."
"Mhm." Wei Huan nodded, thinking to himself that they were basically an old married couple—why be so polite? Mu Zhong secretly enjoyed Wei Huan's rare bashfulness. He loved this man, who was so authoritative and nearly cold in front of everyone else, yet showed a different side only to him.
Wei Huan quickly guessed Mu Zhong's thoughts; after all, Mu Zhong didn't hide his feelings, and his eyes were full of affection. Wei Huan squeezed Mu Zhong's hand for a moment before letting go with restraint.
Turning back, the awe-inspiring Commander Wei reappeared before the crowd. Enveloped in black flames, his gaze silenced the chatter. Everyone took their positions and stopped talking loudly.
Wei Huan felt his Nether energy consuming too fast, so he stopped Dot Mom's giant form. After returning to normal size, Dot Mom adapted to the descent like a dandelion, drifting lightly down with the wind. Occasionally, if the speed felt too fast, her long legs would move as if in water, slowing her down. Without fighting the suction, the protection shield stabilized. For the time being, they were safe in this passage.
Wei Huan summoned Sister Crow and the Dog, letting them shrink and circle him. One flew above his head to cast the Nether Domain, while the other hovered by his shoulder, scattering bits of Nether energy. His Nether power began to recover rapidly.
However, in this state, Wei Huan was unapproachable. Even a powerhouse like Captain Xue would be corroded by the Nether energy if he got too close. Mu Zhong had to stay away, remaining with the other team members to arrange tasks and stay protected.
After a while, the excitement cooled down, and Mu Zhong resumed making spatial warehouses. They flew for over two hours. Shortly after Wei Huan's Nether power fully recovered, everyone felt the passage was reaching an end. Though the passage was lightless, they didn't find it truly "dark"—it was a gray haze that prevented them from seeing too far. They noticed the vertical passage gradually curving; they were beginning to fly horizontally.
As they flew, a ball of white light suddenly appeared ahead, striking in the darkness. But they were flying too fast; before anyone could react, the light was left behind and vanished instantly.
Xu Qingqiang was the first to jump up. "Was that an Ancient God Crystal? Was it?"
Others reacted too. "I bet it was!"
"Right! Everything else here is the same; only that was glowing. Regardless of what it is, let's grab it first!"
"Ancient God Crystals... the name sounds incredible. How old is 'Ancient'? Ten thousand years?"
"Ten thousand years is nothing. Those beasts in Rank 7 worlds are ten thousand years old, and that's just the Mythological Era. Before that was the Primeval Era, and before that was the Ancient Era. For something to be
'Ancient,' I'd say it has to be at least a hundred million years old!"
"Ten thousand for Myth, a million for Primeval, ten million for Ancient."
"No, no, the Blue Planet is 4.6 billion years old. 'Ancient' should be counted in billions..."
The two began to argue, and the others listened intently. Who wouldn't be curious about the unknown? Especially since it was tied to the loot they were about to get—the more legendary, the better.
Just then, another light appeared ahead. "Here it comes!" someone yelled. Instantly, everyone instinctively used their skills to try and grab it.
However, only a few could actually make a move. Two Sages and three Hunters tried to shoot the starlight down from a distance. One team member, who had been parasitized by a Rank 6 Vine King in the Beast World, swung out vines to catch the light. Someone even wanted to jump out and grab it directly, but Wei Huan barked an order.
"Don't move!" Wei Huan stopped the daredevils.
In that brief delay, everyone saw that whether it was the arrows, the magic, or the vines, the moment they left Dot Mom's protection shield, they were instantly annihilated.
"Good heavens, is it that terrifying out there?" Captain Xue shrank his neck. "With this intensity and speed, who could possibly grab it?"
Only then did they realize how harsh the conditions outside were. The only reason they could joke around here was because the Boss was strong enough.
Wei Huan had Dot Mom slow down. When the starlight appeared again, everyone finally saw what it was. Floating in the passage, defying the sweeping gales, was a butterfly flying gracefully. Of course, it couldn't be a real butterfly—or at least, not an ordinary one. A butterfly shouldn't be able to fly so easily in such an environment; it looked like it was born here. It was quite large, over two meters tall, with glowing wings that blurred its exact features.
The "butterfly" seemed to notice their approach and flapped its wings to fly away. Wei Huan ordered a Two-Headed Stealth Demon to rush out and catch it. But the Rank 6 demon was immediately swept away by the gales the moment it left the shield. Despite its desperate struggles, it couldn't fight the wind and soon vanished from sight. In less than ten seconds, it flew out of summoning range and returned to Wei Huan's Great Tomb.
Now, everyone was even more aware of the gale's power and became very cautious. Even if their bodies were strong, they couldn't fight this wind. If they were separated, reuniting would be nearly impossible.
Mu Zhong asked, "Are you not approaching because you're worried about attack methods?"
Wei Huan nodded.
Mu Zhong said, "You've always been cautious. If this butterfly can live in such a place, it's definitely not simple."
This time, Wei Huan sent out the Schuma Leader that had consumed the Black Dragon. He had five Pseudo-God heroes. Moji wasn't here; Sister Crow and the Magic Eye Lord didn't have hands and weren't good at catching; Big Bear couldn't fly; Dot Mom had to protect them and couldn't get close to danger. Only the Schuma Leader could act.
The Schuma Leader, fused with the Black Dragon, stepped into the air. Though it was buffeted by the gales upon leaving the shield, it fought with all its might and reached the butterfly. But before it could act, the butterfly flapped its wings and appeared a hundred meters away, dodging the grasp.
Mu Zhong raised an eyebrow. "It knows how to run. This won't be easy to catch."
Despite his words, Wei Huan and Mu Zhong looked calm. Mu Zhong chuckled and lightly tapped his earring. With a 'ding', the Schuma Leader, which had been struggling in the wind, suddenly seemed injected with adrenaline. It lunged at the starlight butterfly and hugged it tight.
Fortunately, while the butterfly could dodge, it wasn't very clever and had no attack methods. It was caught by the Schuma Leader. The moment it was hugged, the butterfly shrank, its starlit wings vanished, and the Schuma Leader returned holding a pale gold stone nearly as tall as a person.
The Schuma was massive, so the stone held in its hands didn't look that big. It was respectfully presented to Wei Huan. Wei Huan stopped Mu Zhong from touching it. He ignited his black flames and was about to touch it himself when Captain Xue stopped him.
"Boss, let me."
Xu Qingqiang added, "Let him do it. He's durable."
Xue ignored Xu and pushed Wei Huan and the others further back before touching the crystal. At this point, no one was sure what it was. Luckily, they had the Heart of Steel—a "divine tool" in the Challenge World. As Xue's fingers touched the pale gold crystal, the mission interface for everyone changed.
[Main Quest: Secrets of the Dark Beast Plane (Incomplete)]
Explore the "Twin Pillars of Heaven" (Incomplete)
Sub-quest 1: Enter the depths of the passage
Sub-quest 2: Collect Ancient God Crystals (Completed)
Ancient God Crystals originate from Ancient Deities. They can accelerate cultivation and stabilize the soul. They can be used directly for cultivation, refined into pills, or added to high-level weapons during forging to increase their strength.
Sub-sub-quest 1: Refine Original God Pill 0/1 (Ancient God Crystal 5g, Heart-Connecting Grass Powder 20g, Clear Fruit 1...)
Sub-sub-quest 2: Refine Ancient God Pill 0/1 (Ancient God Crystal 10g...)
Sub-sub-quest 3: Refine Domain Heart Pill 0/1 (Ancient God Crystal 5g...)
...
Sub-sub-quest 10: Refine Ancient Nether Pill 0/1 (Ancient God Crystal 15g...)
...
Sub-sub-quest 30: Attempt to directly refine and absorb Ancient God Crystal for 10 minutes 0/1
The sudden jump in the mission list shocked everyone. Looking at these "missions" that were actually pill recipes, everyone looked at the Heart of Steel as if it were their godfather. This Heart of Steel was clearly a "traitorous" asset to the main system, siding entirely with them!
Just as everyone was speechless with shock, the 30th sub-sub-quest popped up. The Heart of Steel was basically saying, "Why are you looking at me? Eat it already!"
"I'll go!" Captain Xue said, pressing his hand against the crystal. "I'll try first." He closed his eyes and began cultivating without hesitation. Everyone knew he was testing the path for his comrades. The Heart of Steel came from the Challenge World; even if it had been on humanity's side so far, they had to be careful with an alien entity.
Xue sacrificed himself as the "pathfinder," and everyone waited quietly. Ten minutes later, the system pinged—the 30th task was complete—and Xue slowly opened his eyes.
He said with a strange expression, "Hard to say. Maybe ten minutes is too short, but I don't see anything wrong. Boss, the effects are unclear, and I don't know if there are side effects. Let me and a few others try it for two days. If there's no problem, you and Mu Zhong can use it."
"It's fine..." Wei Huan started.
Xue interrupted, "Your safety is paramount. You must take care."
Mu Zhong also advised, "It's just two days. Let Old Xue see what this thing actually does. You need to work with me to get more crystals. This thing is incredibly precious; we won't get it once we leave here."
Since they put it that way, Wei Huan wasn't so stubborn as to take risks. He let them protect him and controlled Dot Mom to continue forward, trying to collect as many crystals as possible before the Schuma Leader's blessing expired.
Knowing the characteristics of the crystals, collecting them wasn't hard, just rare; they had to fly for quite a while to find the next one. Two hours later, the Schuma Leader's blessing ended, followed by fifteen hours of weakness. With Mu Zhong's Shaman level increase, the weakness time was much shorter, but not zero. It couldn't fight continuously.
After withdrawing the leader, Wei Huan stopped using other undead to catch crystals. When he found one, he just flew Dot Mom over and trapped it inside the shield, letting him handle it at will. Efficiency skyrocketed, and soon a small hill of crystals piled up behind Wei Huan.
Even standing there without cultivating, Wei Huan felt his Sea of Divine Soul being nourished, like dry skin being touched by a light mist. It was a comfortable feeling. Looking at the mission description again: stabilizes the soul, accelerates cultivation. It seemed that in the later stages, cultivation shifted from physical strength toward the soul. A strong soul meant more Nether power and greater potency, as well as easier perception of the Laws.
"Finally finished." Mu Zhong walked out of the workshop with three spatial warehouses in his hand, smiling as he reached Wei Huan. "In the final stage, the Heart of Steel had me fuse some Ancient God Crystal. Guess what happened?"
Wei Huan guessed, "The space got bigger?"
Mu Zhong shook his head and held out his hand. "Focus your attention on this."
Wei Huan followed suit and immediately noticed a difference. He was shocked. "This... is the same as the system warehouse now?"
"It's even more advanced than the system warehouse. It doesn't need to rely on the vehicle." Mu Zhong gave a light push, and one of the warehouses in his hand vanished. Simultaneously, a spatial warehouse appeared floating above Wei Huan's Sea of Divine Soul.
With a thought, Wei Huan took out his weapon—the Ring of Morfidi, a death scythe with a blade over a meter long. It was cumbersome to carry, so he usually kept it in a spatial warehouse. But those warehouses were external and could be lost. Now, he put the Ring into the new warehouse and tucked it into his soul sea. With just a thought, he could easily store or retrieve it. Unless he died, no one could take it, and it couldn't be lost accidentally.
"Incredible stuff!" Wei Huan was now well-traveled and rarely moved by things, but this warehouse fused with a bit of Ancient God Crystal truly shook him. This meant that if equipment and weapons were forged with these crystals, could they also be stored in the soul sea? The soul sea was vast and could hold countless warehouses. He wouldn't have to worry about storage ever again; he alone could carry away all the resources of an entire world.
"Not quite," Mu Zhong interrupted his daydreaming with a smile. "The soul sea is vital; it's the foundation of divine cultivation. You can't stack too many things in it. Two or three is fine, but more would be harmful. Also, while the warehouse looks palm-sized, it actually contains a space larger than a basketball court. Storing such a massive space in the soul sea carries risks, so you can't have too many."
Mu Zhong tossed the remaining two warehouses to Xu Qingqiang and Brother Hammer, who had already smelled the "scent" of good loot. They immediately knew how to use them. The warehouses vanished, as did the weapons they usually carried on their backs. Xu Qingqiang even sent his gear in, but then felt a chill. He looked down at his yellow maple leaf patterned boxer briefs and silently put his gear back on.
"Good, this is good stuff." Xu Qingqiang lit a cigarette to hide his embarrassment. "I tested it for you. You can put it on instantly when you take it out. Mhm, that's how it works."
Mu Zhong stifled a laugh. "Thanks, Brother Qiang." He then turned to Wei Huan. "We're getting closer to having the means of the gods."
Wei Huan thought about it and nodded. "Indeed." The legendary ability to change clothes with a wave of a hand was exactly what they now possessed.
Mu Zhong added, "You're right. Just gods. We all have the chance to become gods as long as we keep moving forward."
Brother Hammer, on the other side, had stored his door-sized axe, but he wasn't used to his back feeling so light, so he silently took it out again, looking much more comfortable.
The Version 2.0 spatial warehouses excited everyone again.
"Is it possible to carry a whole house with me?"
"You only care about the basics. I'd put three missile trucks in there—the ones with Challenge tech."
"We're in the era of Mythological Weapons; thermal weapons are outdated. I'd rather put in some hidden weapons, like Pear Blossom Needles. Anyone who attacks me gets a face full of needles!"
As they joked, they traveled a long way. The gales didn't lessen, but everyone had adapted. The crystals were easy to catch; Dot Mom did it automatically without Wei Huan's control. Soon, the pile on her shell grew. Wei Huan noticed that after only an hour, the crystal being used by Xue and the other four had visibly shrunk. It seemed the consumption rate was high. To supply all of humanity, or even just the main force on his vehicle, the current amount was far from enough. Catch more! As many as possible!
Another hour passed. As dawn broke in the outside world, the howling gales weakened. Wei Huan did not relax. "Be careful. The wind direction might be about to change."
"Everyone get ready. A wind shift causes turbulence," Mu Zhong reminded them.
Everyone braced themselves, and Xue's group paused their cultivation. Sure enough, a violent wind suddenly blew from ahead. Even with Dot Mom prepared, they were buffeted for over ten seconds before stabilizing, struggling forward against the hurricane. Seeing the deformed shield, they realized how lucky they had been to travel with a tailwind last night. Moving against the wind was incredibly difficult.
Dot Mom struggled to move, her speed dropping significantly. Catching crystals became difficult. They encountered several butterflies, but they easily dodged. Mu Zhong told Wei Huan regretfully, "Looks like we can only catch these guys at night with a tailwind."
Wei Huan nodded. "12:00 AM to 6:00 AM. That's our window."
"True. We already got the better deal. It would be strange if such heavenly treasures were just free for the taking."
"We can take them because we're strong enough. The Dark Beast race has held this world for eons, yet they sit on a mountain of treasure they can't touch," Wei Huan said confidently.
Mu Zhong agreed. "True. Without Dot Mom's shield, none of us could have come this far. Speaking of which, do you think there's a meaning to this timing?"
Wei Huan shook his head. He had thought about it but couldn't find a reason.
Mu Zhong murmured, "Midnight to dawn... is it like this every night? A natural phenomenon like tides? Or something else?" Finally, he said, "It seems the true secret the Heart of Steel wants us to find is this. We'll only get the real answer at the end of this passage."
During the day, they moved slowly against the wind. If they saw a crystal, they could get it with extra effort, but it was a waste of time compared to the ease of nighttime. However, they were here for resources—especially rare ones like these—so missing even one was a pity. During the day, they gathered about a fifth of what they got at night. At midnight, when the wind shifted, they sped forward, catching every crystal along the way.
Days passed. The daily haul of crystals increased, and before they knew it, they had filled an entire spatial warehouse. But considering its wide range of uses, this was still far from enough.
"Five days."
"Indeed, we've been in here for five days."
"We've gotten plenty of crystals, but there's no lead on the other two tasks."
"Right. We're still heading toward the 'depths,' but I'm most curious about 'tempering weapons.'"
"Me too. How do we temper them? Mu Zhong tried fusing crystals into our weapons today, but there was no mission completion prompt, and the weapons didn't gain special effects. Though the dagger he made yesterday did let us put it in the soul sea."
"Maybe we'll have the answer at the end of the passage?"
"Perhaps. This trip to the Dark Beast Plane is a bit of an easy torture. We're traveling every day with no combat. Traveling in this environment makes one a bit irritable for some reason."
"Eh? I thought it was just me being ungrateful for a safe trip. You feel it too? Let me ask the others."
Soon, news reached Wei Huan. Because of the long-term exposure to this dark, oppressive environment, everyone's mood was off. A subtle urge for destruction was spreading among the members.
Mu Zhong frowned. "Everyone here can endure loneliness; their willpower is superlative. They wouldn't become abnormal just because the environment is dull. Remember before we entered, just looking at the vent made us feel restless? Maybe we've been unknowingly affected by this energy over the past few days. We need a solution."
Wei Huan said, "I know what you mean, but I don't feel it."
Mu Zhong reacted quickly. "You mean the degree of influence is related to the development of the Sea of Divine Soul?" Since Wei Huan was the strongest in that regard, and Mu Zhong himself was a dual-class standout, their feelings weren't obvious. The ones turning violent were the melee classes who usually didn't focus on soul cultivation.
Wei Huan suggested, "See how Captain Xue feels compared to the others. Maybe the Heart of Steel told us to use the crystals for a reason."
Mu Zhong was surprised, looking at the black cube on his shoulder. "If that's true, I really did misjudge it." The black cube floated quietly, looking like a wronged child.
Sure enough, Wei Huan was right. Captain Xue was humanity's number one "Meat Tank," focusing entirely on physical strength. He had never cared about his soul. Yet after days here, while others were irritable, he felt nothing. He focused solely on cultivating with the crystals. In his words, he felt refreshed and even felt like his brain had gotten smarter. Of course, the main reason he was so devoted was to test the path for Wei Huan.
Now that Mu Zhong saw Xue and those cultivating with him were unaffected, everything became clear. He divided the people into groups of five, giving each group one Ancient God Crystal. Aside from routine sentry duty, the whole team began cultivating. To Wei Huan, this was just a small episode—a typical hurdle on an adventure that was resolved.
Only later did he realize that if they hadn't used the crystals to strengthen their consciousness and quietly change their aura, they would have been consumed by the energy within a few more days, turning into irritable, explosive husks who might have even killed each other. After all, this was...'s territory. The Heart of Steel was indeed vital.
With the crisis averted, Mu Zhong continued making warehouses while trying to "bond" with the Heart of Steel to dig out more secrets. Wei Huan, however, had begun to fixate on the walls of the passage. He first noticed it during a wind shift—that brief ten-second silence. He caught a glimpse of the wall and thought it was moving. But before he could confirm, the wind returned. Later, during another shift, he confirmed it. The wall was moving like biological tissue, not the mineral substance he first thought it was.
Wei Huan suddenly remembered the Wolf-Tooth mountain he saw before being sucked in—the one that swayed like hair. Half a day later, during the morning wind shift, Wei Huan and several sharp-eyed people he called over waited to observe the walls together. To see more clearly, Wei Huan summoned the Pseudo-God Magic Eye Lord and shared its vision.
The wind stopped. In that instant when the howling vanished, Wei Huan's face changed dramatically.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
Someone beside him cried out, "Yes! This wall is alive! I even heard a heartbeat!!"
"What heartbeat? I didn't hear anything."
"Listen carefully. It's a heartbeat, or some kind of sound. This isn't a mineral tunnel."
"I... I think I noticed something too..."
Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
Wei Huan narrowed his eyes, staring at the wall with an unreadable expression.
Whoosh—
The wind picked up again, drowning out all other sounds and hiding the faint "thump-thump." Wei Huan withdrew his vision from the Magic Eye Lord and looked at Mu Zhong with a grave expression. Finally, he reached a conclusion.
"We... seem to be inside the body of an infinitely large living creature."
As Wei Huan said this, his mission list changed again.
[Explore the "Twin Pillars of Heaven" (Incomplete)]
Sub-quest 1: Enter the depths of the passage (Completed)
Sub-quest 2: Collect Ancient God Crystals (Completed)
Sub-quest 3: Find a method to temper weapons
The Heart of Steel was clearly confirming: Yes, you're correct. This is the truth I wanted you to find. You are indeed inside the body of a massive living being.
Mu Zhong's throat moved. He thought of a possibility. "Ancient God Crystals... inside a living body... is it possible we are inside an Ancient Deity?"
Wei Huan's gaze froze. Everything made sense now. If they weren't inside an Ancient Deity, where would Ancient God Crystals come from? If it weren't such a being, why would they be unable to even walk normally inside its body? The living walls, the faint heartbeat—all pointed to them being inside an immeasurably vast existence.
An Ancient Deity? Does that mean the entire Dark Beast world exists on the body of a giant beast? What was the Dark Beast race then? Fleas on the deity? No, they were more like bacteria!
Wei Huan steadied his racing heart. He knew he shouldn't be too shocked; it wasn't his first time encountering a deity's body being a world. The Rank 6 world was born on a deity's body, and during his seventh enlightenment, he had sunk into the Nether Abyss and seen the Lord of the Nether, who was like a universe unto himself. Wasn't that even bigger?
But... this was a living deity. They were walking inside its body. These gales might just be its natural breathing, yet they were already overwhelmingly powerful. It was hard to imagine how strong one would have to be to surpass such an existence. The further one goes on the path of evolution, the more one realizes their own insignificance. This colorful world is truly massive!
With this realization, Wei Huan didn't dare act rashly for several days, fearing he might draw the deity's attention. With his current ability, even ten thousand versions of him couldn't defeat such a being. Of course, not daring to move was one thing, but he was still ruthless in collecting the crystals. And because he had guessed the truth, he figured out how to complete the third sub-quest.
Tempering weapons. However, the time wasn't right yet.