Shadow Rift

This sentence was like a boulder dropped into a calm lake. The black-robed elder's expression instantly turned incredibly grim, and the red light on his staff flickered violently.

Jialan's eyes widened in shock. So, while the two nations outwardly appeared to be jointly guarding the Shadow Rift, they were actually secretly expanding it, absorbing more Shadow Energy to increase the Sun Fruit yield. At the same time, they tacitly maintained a delicate balance to prevent truly terrifying existences from descending upon the continent. To avoid high-level powerhouses fighting over control of the Sun Fruits and causing energy fluctuations that would completely shatter the balance, the two nations agreed to send only low-level professionals and one high-level professional with suppressed strength to compete each year. The victor would obtain the Sun Fruits that ripened that year. This secret agreement had been in place for ten years.

So that's how it is... Jialan thought bitterly. The so-called border conflicts, the so-called Magic Beast rampages, were all just a meticulously staged performance! The higher-ups of both nations had long ago reached some unspoken understanding, and they, the low-level professionals, were merely pawns to be manipulated on a chessboard.

Just as both sides were locked in a dispute, the black-robed elder Mage's expression changed drastically. He suddenly looked up at the rift in the sky, "Not good! They're actively connecting to the spatial rift!"

Calvin also lost his previous composure. He waved his staff fiercely, "Quick, stop them! If the tree roots touch the rift's energy..."

But it was too late. The Sun Fruit tree closest to the rift suddenly began to shake violently, and the dark red patterns on its trunk emitted an eerie glow. Its roots had already touched the edge of the spatial rift and were frantically absorbing the Shadow Energy within. The Sun Fruits on the treetop exploded one after another, releasing juice as black as ink, forming bizarre runes in the air.

The entire Shadow Valley began to shake violently. The spatial rift expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, its dark red patterns pulsing on its surface like blood vessels. A deep, ancient voice echoed from the depths of the rift, as if from a distant hell...

Raymond's figure shot towards the Sun Fruit tree connecting to the spatial rift like a red lightning bolt. His longsword was finally unsheathed, its blade wrapped in solidified red Battle Qi, carving a dazzling trajectory through the dim Shadow Valley.

"Flame Slash!"

With a roar, Raymond's blade precisely struck the tree roots extending towards the rift. Surprisingly, those roots, which were originally as hard as iron, writhed in pain like living creatures the moment they touched the red Battle Qi, spewing dark red sap from the cuts. But what was even more alarming was that the severed roots, upon hitting the ground, regenerated at an even faster pace, extending towards the rift.

"Damn it!" Raymond's face turned ashen. "These roots have been assimilated by Shadow Energy!"

Meanwhile, Calvin and the black-robed Archmage had each taken their positions and began chanting spells rapidly. Calvin's staff drew complex golden runes in the air, each stroke imbued with powerful sealing energy. The black-robed Archmage, on the other hand, formed hand seals, and dark red Mana formed a bizarre magic array around him, contrasting sharply with Calvin's golden runes.

"What are you waiting for!" the black-robed Archmage shouted sternly. "Quick, set up the Wind Barrier!"

The Wind Elementalist of the Dark Association, the powerhouse who had once hunted Jialan, showed a flicker of hesitation on his face. His sinister gaze swept back and forth between the black-robed Archmage and the spatial rift. Finally, he gritted his teeth and rapidly performed a series of hand seals.

"Hurricane Wall!"

Fierce Wind Elements instantly condensed around him, forming a swirling wall of wind that temporarily isolated the space around the rift. Three different elemental Mana intertwined in the air, forming a complex net, attempting to reseal the expanding rift.

Jialan stood rooted to the spot, the earth-shattering secrets he had just heard echoing in his mind. His back was soaked with cold sweat, and his fingers trembled involuntarily. Any one of these high-level secrets, if leaked, would be enough to shake both nations. He secretly glanced at Argyle, this noble Light Knight might still survive, but for a low-level Mage like him with no background, the best outcome would probably be permanent imprisonment.

I have to escape... Jialan thought to himself. Taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on sealing the rift, he quietly took a few steps back.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

The spatial rift began to twist violently, and the intertwined sealing magic arrays emitted sounds of cracking under immense pressure. The dark red patterns on the rift's surface bulged like blood vessels, and a dense wave of Shadow Energy surged out like a breached dam.

"Not good!" Calvin's face changed drastically. "The seal is about to break!"

As if to confirm his words, several thick black tentacles suddenly emerged from the rift, each as thick as an adult's waist and covered in disgusting suckers. These tentacles easily tore through the Wind Barrier and lunged towards the nearest living beings. Countless low-level Shadow Beasts also crawled out of the rift and scattered in all directions.

Worse still, as the Shadow Energy spread, the surrounding creatures began to undergo terrifying transformations. Jialan watched with his own eyes as a wounded soldier who had been fighting alongside them moments ago let out an inhuman howl. His skin rapidly blackened and shriveled, his eyes bulged out of their sockets, and in an instant, he transformed into a twisted monster, half-undead and half-Shadow Beast.

"Run!" Argyle grabbed Jialan's arm. "Protect yourself with Light Magic!"

Jialan immediately understood. The Holy Light Bracelet on his left wrist lit up with a soft glow, forming a thin Light Barrier around them. The Shadow Energy permeating the air hissed and corroded upon contact with the barrier, but it managed to temporarily resist the erosion.

The two stumbled and ran towards the valley exit, with desperate screams and the roar of spell explosions constantly echoing behind them. Jialan looked back and saw that the entire Shadow Valley had turned into a living hell. Apart from the four high-level professionals, only the Aus Empire's High Warrior was still struggling desperately. Everyone else had either become half-undead, half-Shadow, or was already dead. The spatial rift had doubled in size, with countless Shadow Beasts pouring out like a tide; the Sun Fruit trees wildly thrashed their branches, shredding and absorbing any living creature that came near.

Raymond and the three Archmages were still desperately maintaining the precarious seal, but it was clearly beyond their strength.

Just as they were about to rush out of Shadow Valley, the entire Misty Forest suddenly began to shake violently. Trees in the distance fell in swathes.

Immediately after, an angry female voice echoed through the heavens