Realm within a Realm, Open! Mission: "Enemies of the World"!

Lin Yuan nodded slightly to Chinia, the guardian standing to the side, and without further hesitation, stepped into the space gate radiating a hazy glow.

Dia and his four attendants saw this and immediately followed suit, filing through one after another.

The moment he passed through the space gate, an intense sensation of spatial distortion washed over him.

Lin Yuan felt the world spin, as if his entire body had been shoved into some kind of high-speed rotating tunnel.

Fortunately, his physical constitution was no longer what it once was, and this discomfort lasted only a fleeting moment before rapidly fading away.

When he opened his eyes again, the scene around him had undergone a earth-shattering transformation.

The bustling, high-tech metallic hall of the Universe Mercenary Alliance had vanished. In its place was a desolate land shrouded in a silent night sky.

This place...

It was the infamous World Lord world within Canglan Planet—the Thunder World!

At this moment, the current assessment cycle for the Thunder World had already been open for over a month.

Lin Yuan knew clearly that the opening of the "world within a world," which would drive the entire Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector and its surrounding sectors into a frenzy, was not far off.

However, one must eat a meal one bite at a time; before participating in that true high-stakes gamble, they had to finish their tasks for the Universe Trainee Mercenary assessment.

"Three Wind-Thunder Stones per person, one horn from a Single-Horned Iron Rhino..."

Lin Yuan scanned his surroundings; all he could see was a vast, desolate wilderness.

He couldn't help but rub his brow in frustration, a hint of bitterness rising in his heart as he sighed, "A miscalculation. I was too hasty coming in; I should have bought a map of the Thunder World outside."

"Master, I have one."

A steady voice came from behind Lin Yuan.

He saw Dia of the Three-Eyed Race step forward, flip his wrist, and retrieve a glowing electronic map screen from his space ring, respectfully handing it over.

"When I was queuing outside the Mercenary Alliance, I bought it from a merchant for 100 Black Dragon Coins."

Dia reported honestly.

He was dull by nature and not good at haggling, so this was clearly a sucker's price, but at this very moment, those 100 Black Dragon Coins were worth every cent.

"Well done, Dia!" Lin Yuan's eyes lit up, and he patted Dia's shoulder without reservation before taking the map and scanning it rapidly.

With precise coordinates as a guide, the rest would be much easier to handle.

"Let's go! To the Longsuo Mountain Range first!" Lin Yuan waved his hand, setting the route.

Of course, he also calculated that the Thunder World was a lawless land; if they encountered any unlucky adventurers who didn't know better along the way, he wouldn't mind moonlighting as a space pirate.

Killing people and seizing their goods was the most normal thing in the world in a place like this.

The group of five transformed into five streaks of light, tearing through the night sky and advancing rapidly toward their target.

Time passed like a white horse galloping past a crevice; in the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Lin Yuan and his team entered the Thunder World.

Over this month, their team's efficiency had been astonishingly high, and the assessment materials required for each person had already been collected.

On the first day of entry.

They had just arrived at the outskirts of the "Longsuo Mountain Range" and hadn't even begun to look for traces of the Single-Horned Iron Rhino when they had the misfortune of running into a team from the "Hundred Tiger Tower."

Who would have thought that before Lin Yuan could even harbor murderous intent, the other side struck first, and the result—it went without saying.

After dealing with them, they scavenged three ready-made Single-Horned Iron Rhino horns directly from their space rings.

On the fifth day.

Lin Yuan and his team, having ventured deep into the Longsuo Mountain Range, finally discovered a small, isolated group of Single-Horned Iron Rhinos.

Without the slightest suspense, after a clean and decisive ambush, the remaining two horns were easily tucked into their pockets. With this, the first assessment condition was met.

For the next half-month, Lin Yuan led his team headlong into the extremely harsh environment of the "Wind-Thunder Canyon."

Here, fierce winds howled year-round and thunder crashed down like torrential rain; it was exceptionally dangerous, but it was also the only place where Wind-Thunder Stones could be found.

While searching for the Wind-Thunder Stones, whether it was due to a narrow path for enemies or not, they encountered several more groups from the Hundred Tiger Tower and the Black Cloud Society.

The members of these large organizations were used to running rampant in the Thunder World, and upon seeing Lin Yuan's "independent" team, they almost instinctively wanted to take a bite.

As expected, the script played out once again.

These "couriers" who delivered themselves to their door not only contributed a large amount of universe coins and equipment but also completely filled the gap in the Wind-Thunder Stones that Lin Yuan and his team needed.

The assessment items required for submission, were collected just like that, without a drop of blood.

After completing the mission, Lin Yuan did not rush to leave the Thunder World to turn in his report.

The Universe Mercenary Alliance assessment was merely an appetizer; the real storm of blood and slaughter had yet to begin.

Subsequently, Lin Yuan and his team set up camp in a hidden underground cavern on the edge of the Wind-Thunder Canyon to rest well and wait for the right moment.

Sitting cross-legged on the dry rock, Lin Yuan's eyes shimmered with anticipation. However, beyond the anticipation, a trace of surprise rose in his heart.

A major main-story event like the opening of the Thunder World and the world within a world, and it didn't trigger even a single mission? Lin Yuan thought to himself. This is too abnormal.

Strange, truly very strange.

However, Lin Yuan was easygoing by nature; if he couldn't figure it out, he simply stopped dwelling on it.

Regardless of whether the system issued a mission or not, he was determined to succeed in this trip to the World within a World!

The treasures inside were enough to fill his pockets to the brim.

More importantly, as long as he obtained enough resources, he could completely awaken the terrifying power dormant within his trump card—combat strength at the level of an Undying Military Lord!

Once he grasped that kind of power, he would truly have the capital to walk sideways across this Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector.

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan took a deep breath and cast all distracting thoughts from his mind.

He closed his eyes, guiding the origin energy within his body to circulate along an extremely ancient and overbearing path, continuing his cultivation of that heaven-defying secret technique—the "God-Demon Unity Technique."

Until—

—

Three days later!

"Rumble, rumble, rumble~~~~!"

A dull, terrifying roar, as if emanating from the deepest depths of the world, exploded without warning!

Immediately following, the ground of the entire Thunder World began to tremble violently for some unknown reason.

This trembling was not limited to a single area; it swept across the entire continent! The gale winds stalled, and the thunderclouds high in the sky seemed to be torn apart by some even more formidable force.

Tens of thousands of universe adventurers scattered across every corner of the Thunder World stopped what they were doing at this moment.

Some were in the middle of a slaughter, others were treasure hunting, but now they all looked around with faces full of astonishment and panic.

"What's happening? An earthquake?"

"This is a World Lord's world, how could an earthquake possibly occur!"

"Heavens, could it be that this World Lord's world is collapsing?! Run!"

Panic spread like a plague among the groups of adventurers.

However, this panic did not last long~

Soon, those adventurers closer to the Wind-Thunder Canyon saw a scene they would never forget through the dust-filled sky.

Deep within the Wind-Thunder Canyon, in the mid-air originally covered by violent lightning, space seemed to be forcibly torn apart by a pair of invisible hands, and a deep, dark, massive black hole was slowly taking shape!

A stream of universe origin energy, pure to the extreme and mixed with the scent of maddening treasures, gushed out from that black hole!

"That is—the World within a World?!"

It was unknown which scion of a major power it was who let out a hoarse, frantic roar.

This roar instantly ignited the entire Thunder World!

It was boiling!

All fear was replaced by greed in this instant. Countless adventurers, their eyes bloodshot, surged madly toward the direction of the black hole like moths to a flame.

At the same time, this news was transmitted back to the outside world at the speed of light through various special communication methods.

The upper echelons of the major holy lands, organizations, and families of the Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector, the moment they received the news, all became covetous and immediately set off for the Thunder World.

Inside the hidden cave.

"Lin Yuan, that is... the World within a World! The energy readings are terrifyingly high, and the entrance has stabilized!" The voice of the intelligent lifeform Ika rang out in Lin Yuan's mind, carrying a hint of rare excitement.

Lin Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

He stood up, feeling the Wind-Thunder Canyon outside already in a state of total frenzy, listening to the faint, frantic roars drifting in, yet his expression remained as calm as water, as if all of this had long been within his expectations.

He waved his hand, stowing his pack into his space ring, and said calmly to Dia and the other three behind him:

"Let's go."

With that, Lin Yuan's figure flashed, and he took a step toward the cave entrance.

However, the moment his foot touched the ground!

Suddenly, a deafening mechanical explosion rang out in his mind!

[Mission: "Enemy of the World"!]