Yulan Continent,
In the Metal Castle in the Dark Forest.
Beirut was casually flipping through a book when he suddenly sensed something. He looked up toward the South Sea.
"Hmm?"
His divine sense detected the Magic Array that had suddenly appeared in the South Sea lighting up. Beirut was surprised. "Could it really be some kind of Teleportation Array?"
He had studied the inexplicably appeared Magic Array for a long time, but had found no clues. Even now, he couldn't determine why it had appeared or what it did. He hadn't even figured out how to activate it.
This Magic Array seemed to operate in a completely different way from ordinary Magic Arrays.
That was why his Darkness Divine Clone in Youlan Prefecture had already begun collecting all kinds of information about Magic Arrays.
Although he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about Magic Arrays, he had some experience with them. He was looking for information so he could study this Magic Array more deeply.
Based on the patterns on it, he guessed that it might be similar to a Teleportation Array, or perhaps a magical seal like the one between the Yulan Continent and the Gebada Plane Prison.
Who could have known that before he had even confirmed his suspicions, someone would actually come through the Magic Array?
It seemed that the Magic Array really was something like a Teleportation Array. He just didn't know which plane lay on the other side. For it to connect inexplicably with the Yulan Continent, something must have happened between the two planes.
But he had been on the Yulan Continent the entire time and hadn't noticed anything unusual. That was very strange.
In almost an instant, Beirut appeared at the edge of the South Sea.
The Magic Array was on a deserted islet near the edge of the South Sea. Calling it an island was a stretch; it was only a little larger than the Magic Array itself.
Apart from that, there was nothing but an endless sea all around.
In the blink of an eye, the light faded.
Five oddly dressed humans appeared in the center of the Magic Array.
"Not even Saint-level?"
Beirut narrowed his little eyes. He could tell their strength at a glance.
Since they weren't Saint-level, that meant the other side of the Teleportation Array was probably a Material Plane.
A Teleportation Array connecting two Material Planes?
Beirut couldn't make sense of it either. Surely only an Overgod could set up such a Teleportation Array.
But why would an Overgod create one? It made no sense. Overgods had no emotions; they were merely rules. Why would one do such a thing?
At that moment, Beirut was just as confused.
The five men saw the light appear and immediately felt alarm bells ringing in their minds.
But before they could react, a wave of dizziness washed over them. When they came to, the scene before them had changed.
They had been in a valley on Fulong Mountain, but now they were surrounded by an endless ocean?!
Where were the mountains? Where were the Velociraptors?
What was going on?
The five men felt completely disoriented.
But soon, they saw a short, black-robed old man hovering in the air not far away.
Hovering in the air?!
The five men's faces changed dramatically.
A Saint-level expert!
There were Saint-level experts on Blue Star, too, and the ability to fly was the main standard for judging whether someone was Saint-level.
This little old man was actually a Saint-level expert?!
For a moment, the five men couldn't even spare a thought for why their surroundings had changed.
Could this huge jade platform have been built by this Saint-level expert?
After all, Saint-level experts were the pillars of humanity on Blue Star. Whether an empire was powerful depended on its Saint-level experts.
A Saint-level expert could destroy a mountain or churn up the sea with ease. To them, such abilities were practically divine.
And now, they were seeing a Saint-level expert with their own eyes!
"Who are you?"
Beirut asked with a kindly smile.
He was curious about the five men and wanted to learn what lay on the other side of the Magic Array.
With his abilities, he could easily search their souls, but he wasn't going to do that right away.
After all, there were very few things on the Yulan Continent that could interest him. The Necropolis of the Gods, for instance, was nothing more than a game Beirut had devised out of boredom. Now that something like this had suddenly appeared, he wanted to investigate it properly.
Besides, with his strength, nothing on the Yulan Continent could endanger him because of a Magic Array. That was why he hadn't searched their souls.
And until he had figured things out, he wouldn't allow anyone else to kill them, either.
Facing such a powerful "Saint-level" expert, the five men were terrified and naturally didn't dare hide anything.
So they honestly told him what they had been through.
"Blue Star?"
Beirut narrowed his little eyes. "A valley on Fulong Mountain."
He didn't dwell on the two place names. Instead, he asked, "So none of you knows how you activated the Magic Array?"
Beirut was curious. A Magic Array couldn't work unless it was activated. Even Teleportation Arrays that took people from a Material Plane to a Divine Plane had to be activated by a Plane Guardian.
Yet the Magic Array had activated when they stepped onto it?
There had to be something going on.
But he hadn't seen it happen with his own eyes, so he naturally couldn't tell what it was.
"Magic Array?"
The five men then realized that the short old man must be talking about the platform beneath their feet.
"We were just forced onto it by the Velociraptors, and then... we have no idea why we ended up here."
The man in the lead spoke cautiously.
He had a bad feeling. Were they no longer on Blue Star?
It didn't seem possible, but looking at the short old man, it might actually be true.
Mustering his courage, the leader asked nervously, "Sir, where are we? How can we get back?"
The other four looked at Beirut hopefully, too.
They assumed that this "Magic Array" had been built by the Saint-level expert in front of them. Otherwise, why would they have ended up here?
So surely this Saint-level expert had a way to send them back.
"Go back?"
Beirut came out of his thoughts, his eyes carrying a hint of amusement. "Back to face the Velociraptors?"
"Uh..."
The five men fell silent.
They had only thought about getting back and had forgotten how they had arrived.
But the Velociraptors couldn't possibly stay in the same place forever. They just didn't know when they would leave.
"Don't worry. I'll let you go back, just not right now."
Beirut had guessed their concern at a glance and spoke with a kindly smile.
He was also curious about the other side of the Magic Array. Blue Star? He had no idea what kind of plane it was. How had it suddenly connected with the Yulan Continent? Was there something special about it?
He wondered whether, if these men could return, that meant living beings from the Yulan Continent could go to the other side as well.
He would need to investigate further.
Without another word, Beirut wrapped them up and flew toward the Yulan Continent.
The five men suddenly found themselves flying against their will. All of them looked terrified, their faces turning pale.
Where was this Saint-level expert taking them?
They were filled with anxiety.
But they didn't dare ask.
Soon, Beirut dropped them off in the Rhine Empire, in the southern part of the Yulan Continent.
Although he wanted to observe them, he wasn't going to leave them in the Dark Forest.
They were humans, after all, and their strength was merely average, so it was better for them to be among human society.
Perhaps he would notice some differences.
Besides, as long as they were still on the Yulan Continent, it didn't matter where they went. They couldn't escape his observation.
"If you want to go back, just come to the Dark Forest."
Beirut spoke to them with a kindly smile, then left.
One seventh-level warrior, one sixth-level warrior, and three fifth-level warriors would have to cross the Luo'ao Empire and the Chaotic Territory to travel from the Rhine Empire to the Dark Forest.
It wouldn't be easy.
That should give him enough time to investigate.
If he still had no answers by the time they returned, he would send someone along with them to the other side.
He wanted to see what kind of plane Blue Star was, and why the two planes had suddenly connected.
In all the more than ten thousand years he had lived, nothing had interested him this much.
Before you continue