Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
The wasteland of Gobada remained bleak and lifeless. Day after day, fierce winds carrying the stench of decay swept across the barren land, grinding even the rocks into jagged, rough shapes.
Yet at the Ice Blade Squad's base outside Ice King City, the presence of three God-level experts brought a rare sense of security. At least here, they didn't have to stay on guard against sudden ambushes or fight desperately for a bite to eat. They could settle down and focus on honing their strength.
Over the past ten years, Barn and Gideon had fully stabilized their Lowgod realms, leaving behind the weakness of newly ascended God-level experts.
In the meantime, Barn had always been steady and reserved, never rushing to make progress. He had spent no time pursuing flashy killing moves, instead devoting himself to studying how to fuse Water Element with the Water Body Technique. As long as he kept to this steady pace and continued refining his Fusion Profound Mysteries, he wouldn't need to deliberately seek a breakthrough. Given enough time, he would steadily reach the threshold of Midgod.
In his spare time, he also occasionally nurtured Mist Hidden, sensing the spear's mist-based Profound Mystery with his divine sense and gradually improving his affinity with the Divine Artifact.
The Defensive Divine Artifact he currently used was still that wind-element Divine Artifact, the chainmail shirt. Compared to the Frost Dragon Scale Armor, which was still slowly gestating and had yet to take shape, the Divine Artifact's sturdiness and defensive power were ultimately more reassuring.
Gideon, meanwhile, was completely different from Barn. Over the past ten years, he had fully grasped the core properties of Earth Pulse Profound Mystery, putting this defensive Profound Mystery to entirely new uses.
In the past, he could only rely on Pulse Armor to defend and counterattack. But now, he could control the power of Earth Pulse with ease, turning it into an invisible shockwave that struck an enemy's soul from a distance. On top of that, with the Blood-colored Greatsword gifted to him by Fukaloss, he had developed several fierce sword moves by combining it with Earth Pulse Profound Mystery. Every slash carried mighty Earth Divine Power and a fierce killing intent. The wind of his blade roared past, tearing through even Gobada's space.
More importantly, he had consumed the two Soul Gold Beads he'd received as his share of a previous search mission. His soul had grown much stronger, and he had completely overcome the weakness that came with being newly ascended to God-level. With the support of the High-level Profound Mystery, Earth Pulse, his combat strength now rivaled that of veteran Lowgods who had struggled to survive in Gobada for centuries.
Blair and Julia, on the other hand, had made no obvious progress during these ten years of peaceful cultivation.
They had long since reached the limits of Sanctuary, but the Profound Mysteries they had comprehended were both Lesser Profound Mysteries within their respective law systems. For ten years, they had done their utmost to study and cultivate, yet they still couldn't touch the threshold of God-level. Now and then, anxiety and frustration flickered across their brows. In Gobada, those who couldn't break through to God-level were ultimately weaklings at the mercy of others.
Declan, by contrast, had made considerable progress over the past ten years. He had devoted himself to studying Shadow Profound Mystery and could now split into four doppelgangers at once. His speed had also improved greatly. Combined with the Night Veil Profound Mystery he already excelled at, he had become far more adept at carrying out ambushes, diversions, assassinations, and other such tasks.
Early one morning, Fukaloss strode in from outside, looking refreshed. She had changed into a light-blue outfit that outlined her petite yet upright figure. Excitement was written all over her face, and even her eyes sparkled as she called out to the people still training in the courtyard, "Stop training, everyone! I've got good news!"
Barn and Gideon were the first to stop. Barn slowly opened his eyes, a faint watery glimmer passing through them as the Water Element Divine Power around him instantly receded. He brushed the dust off his clothes and looked calmly at Fukaloss, already guessing what it was. Whatever could excite the young lady this much was probably a high-reward mission.
Gideon leaped to his feet. He now looked like a middle-aged human man, and his honest face was alight with a smile. He made no attempt to hide his anticipation. "Miss, is there a mission? I've been cooped up for ten years! It's the perfect chance to try out my new sword moves!"
Blair, Julia, and Declan also stopped what they were doing and gathered around.
"That's right!" Fukaloss nodded emphatically and hurried over to them. "Yesterday, I went to the Heavenly River Legion's mission hall to ask around. As it happened, they had a large-scale urgent mission with a high reward, specially prepared for powerful squads. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect for our squad. I've already secretly signed us up. Today, I'll take you to confirm the details."
"A high reward?" Gideon's eyes lit up. He rubbed his rough palms together and hurriedly pressed her. "Miss, what kind of mission is it? How generous is the reward? Are there any Divine Artifacts? Or Soul Gold Beads?" What he needed most now was Soul Gold Beads to strengthen his soul.
"Why the rush?" Fukaloss rolled her eyes at him, deliberately keeping him in suspense. She patted his arm. "You'll find out when we get to the mission hall. But I'll warn you, there are tons of squads competing for this mission. All the elite squads are there, along with plenty of teams led by veteran God-level experts. You'd better shape up and not embarrass us!"
"Got it, got it. Let's go!" Gideon hurriedly replied, hefting the Blood-colored Greatsword beside him. Earth Divine Power flowed faintly around him, and he looked ready to set off at any moment.
The others wasted no time. They gathered their weapons and equipment, then hurried after Fukaloss toward the base's exit.
The Heavenly River Legion's mission hall stood in a gorge outside Ice Prison Royal City. This was the busiest and most dangerous place in the entire area surrounding the city. Roars, haggling, arguments, and even the sharp clang of weapons rang in their ears. It was chaotic, yet full of life—the cruel, unique kind of life found in Gobada, built on bloodshed and competition.
Everyone had gathered here to compete for the limited missions, hoping to earn cultivation resources, Divine Artifacts, or simply enough food to survive.
In Gobada, even God-level experts had to bow their heads for a few scarce resources. After all, survival was what mattered most here. Strength was merely the means to stay alive.
Fukaloss led the group straight into the depths of the gorge. They pushed open a crude wooden door and entered a hall built of wood and stone. The room wasn't spacious, yet more than a hundred people were packed inside. Each radiated a powerful aura, their eyes wary and hostile as they sized one another up and secretly assessed each other's strength.
Barn quickly swept his gaze over the room, making a rough estimate. Fully one-fifth of those present were God-level experts, while the rest were all Sanctuary powerhouses at the peak of their realm. In Gobada, that was an exceptionally formidable ratio.
With three God-level experts and three Sanctuary members, the Ice Blade Squad was among the strongest teams present. The moment they entered, they drew wary, curious looks from all around. A squad with three God-level experts had the strength and potential to make any other team feel threatened.
Fukaloss clearly enjoyed being the center of attention. With a charming smile on her face, she paid no mind to the hostile looks around her and forced her way with her team to the very front of the hall. With her hands on her hips, she cheerfully greeted the leaders of familiar squads. "It's been a long time, everyone! I didn't expect you to come for this mission too!"
"Miss Fukaloss!"
Several squads who knew Fukaloss or were familiar with her status hurriedly answered her respectfully, their voices full of wariness. They all knew that this seemingly sweet young lady was a top-tier Lowgod and now had two formidable Lowgods under her command. She wasn't someone to trifle with.
Just then, a young man with two purple-gold dragon horns on his head slowly stepped forward. He wore black armor engraved with intricate dragon patterns. A mighty, steady Divine Power radiated from him, and his eyes were cold and sharp.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the Ice Blade Squad before he cleared his throat. His steady voice, amplified by Divine Power, carried clearly and forcefully to every corner of the hall.
"Ahem. Please be quiet."
"There are thirty-three squads here, all elites of the Ice Blade Organization. Together, you represent a third of the organization's strength. First, I'd like to thank you all for agreeing to help Ice Prison Royal City with this urgent mission and contribute to our shared home. I will now formally announce the mission details and rules."
The young man's voice was steady and serious, without a trace of unnecessary emotion. Everyone held their breath and listened attentively.
"According to our calculations, the next three hundred years will mark the once-in-a-hundred-thousand-year period when spatial weak points shift." The young man paused, then continued, "During this period, all the clusters of Spatial Rifts in Gobada will move unpredictably. Spatial fluctuations will become extremely violent, and many resource sites will be swallowed by Spatial Rifts, displaced, or even destroyed completely. The plants and animals at the various resource sites cultivated by Ice Prison Royal City are vital to our cultivation and survival. To prevent them from suffering unnecessary losses, we must move all the plants and animals at every resource site to safe areas around the city before the spatial fluctuations turn completely violent."
His tone grew more solemn. "During this period, our enemy royal cities will certainly take the opportunity to send large numbers of powerful fighters to raid our resource sites and seize our resources. They may even exploit the chance to infiltrate our defenses and threaten Ice Prison Royal City. At present, all three legions of Ice Prison Royal City have been deployed to fend off attacks from the enemy royal cities with all their strength. They can't spare any forces to escort the resources, so we'll have to entrust this transfer mission to you."
"As for the rewards everyone is most concerned about, the rules are simple." The young man's gaze swept across the hall again. "For each resource escort mission you complete, we'll award you points based on the total amount of resources you escort and the difficulty of the mission. Once the three-hundred-year period is over and all escort missions are complete, you can use your points to claim the corresponding rewards here in this mission hall. The more points you have, the better the rewards. You can exchange them for Divine Artifacts, Soul Gold Beads, even divine cores, or the right to live in the core area of the city."
The young man stopped and looked calmly at the crowd. "If you have any questions about this mission, ask now. I'll answer them one by one."
As soon as he finished speaking, a God-level expert in black armor, surrounded by Dark Divine Power, spoke up first. His voice held a hint of confusion. "Sir, what exactly is this once-in-a-hundred-thousand-year period when spatial weak points shift?"
After the question was asked, many people in the hall nodded, wearing the same puzzled expressions. Most Lowgods and Sanctuary experts were less than a hundred thousand years old and knew little about spatial weak points. A few of the older God-level experts, however, stirred slightly. They had struggled to survive in Gobada for hundreds of thousands of years and had evidently lived through a similar cycle.
The young man didn't seem impatient. He calmly explained, "Gobada's five royal cities were built around five Sealing Arrays. Their locations, which seal the passages to the outside, will never change. But besides those five arrays, there are several spatial weak points. There's a rumor that a living being once escaped Gobada through one of them."
"Escape Gobada?!"
The whole hall erupted!
The eyes of both the God-level experts and the Sanctuary experts blazed with near-mad fervor. Excited discussions and exclamations rang out all around them. Escaping Gobada was the deepest, most urgent wish in every prisoner's heart. Even though the story sounded so implausible, it was enough to rekindle hope in them. On this despairing land, even the slightest hope was worth fighting for with all their might.
"Silence!"
Just then, a thunderous reprimand rang out, carrying the mighty pressure of a Midgod and sweeping across the hall. Everyone felt their souls shudder violently as stabbing pain struck them.
Barn furrowed his brow slightly, inwardly astonished. Even with his Soul Mutation and a soul far stronger than that of an ordinary God-level expert, the reprimand had left his soul aching. Clearly, the dragon-horned young man on the platform wasn't an ordinary Midgod. His strength was extraordinary.
The dragon-horned young man swept his gaze across the hall. "The locations of the spatial weak points aren't fixed. They shift every hundred thousand years, causing dramatic changes to the space throughout Gobada. Many resource sites change locations, but the space at only five locations remains unchanged: the Five Royal Cities, or, to be precise, the five Sealing Arrays. That's why we need to move the resources."
As soon as he finished, another God-level expert couldn't help asking a question, his tone edged with caution. "Sir, since changes in the resource sites are related to the shifting spatial weak points, can we find their exact locations by observing the patterns in how the resource sites move?"
The young man glanced at him coolly, his tone utterly flat. "That has nothing to do with this mission. There's no need to ask."
The God-level expert felt a chill run through him at the young man's glance. He hurriedly lowered his head and didn't dare say another word.
Barn watched this, wondering to himself. The only clue he had to escaping Gobada was the spatial weak points, but he hadn't expected them to shift as well. I wonder if the spatial weak points will still be the same as in the original story after they shift.
Next, a third God-level expert spoke up, his tone practical and cautious. "Sir, we'd like to know the exact locations of the resource sites, how many resources each one contains, and how to tell how difficult it is to transport them. The risks vary from one resource site to another, so we need to choose missions that suit our strength."
Everyone present nodded, clearly in agreement. They were practical people. Escaping Gobada was still just a distant legend, while the mission, points, and rewards in front of them were tangible. They needed to choose missions suited to their strength, so they could earn rewards and stay alive. In Gobada, knowing one's limits was the only way to endure.
The dragon-horned young man seemed quite pleased with the question and nodded slightly. "To prevent spies from enemy royal cities from using this opportunity to discover the locations of our resource sites and cause unnecessary losses, we won't issue a unified map or reveal the exact locations. We'll send a dedicated Sanctuary Guide to lead each squad to its assigned resource site."
"These guides are divided into seven ranks based on the difficulty of transporting the resources: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Each rank corresponds to a different mission difficulty and point value. Red is the easiest and gives the fewest points; purple is the hardest and gives the most. Purple missions also involve the greatest amount of resources, but naturally carry the highest risk of being intercepted by enemy forces along the way. Choose your guide carefully based on your squad's strength, and don't take on more than you can handle."
When he finished, the young man gestured toward one side of the hall and said in a deep voice, "Bring in the guides."
At his words, rows of Sanctuary experts in colorful uniforms entered the hall. They wore matching outfits in different colors, corresponding to the seven ranks: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.
Barn silently counted them. There were one hundred and six guides in all, which meant there were one hundred and six resource sites to be relocated.
He turned to look at Fukaloss. The young lady's eyes were bright, her expression animated as she stared intently at the guides in purple uniforms, a confident smile on her lips.
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