Settlement

The familiar cold, viscous sensation enveloped Xia Lun. A swirling melody rang in his ears, and amid the weightlessness of free fall, he jolted awake.

He drew a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then opened his eyes.

"Time really flies. Those 180 days went by in a blink," he muttered. "I'm finally back."

Before him lay the same narrow, hazy space. The outlines of everything trembled faintly, like candle flames in the wind.

The flickering shadows suddenly froze. In the distance, multicolored Memory Fruits swelled into view, and familiar scenes flashed before Xia Lun like slides.

A leaden sky, a cold sea, and a massive ship teetering among jagged reefs.

Darkness pressed in. Inside a cramped cabin, Salt Monsters loomed, hideous and terrifying.

Gunfire flared. White salt sprayed as a monster's skull burst apart.

Rain and mist hung in the air. A campfire flickered in a cave while the survivors watched one another warily.

The montage suddenly sped up.

Log walls rose from the ground. Brick houses took shape, one after another. Tanning racks, meat-smoking poles, a Wish Treasure gleaming gold, and a giant wild boar cut into pieces.

Undead roared as they ran. Salt Monsters fought in silence. A thunderous cannon shot pierced the Demon's main eye.

Camp No. 2. The Salt Pillar Forest. The enormous Wicker Man reflected in the still waters of Isoville.

Then everything shattered. The image settled on the deep, dark maw of the Circular Sacrifice Cave.

Gunner, Monkey, Horn, Delis, Brigadier General, and Eyeball Demon fell into it one after another, their faces twisted with terror and despair.

The view slowly rose, but the Circular Sacrifice Cave stayed fixed at its center, unmoving, like an eternal law of nature. Around it, the whole scene began to spin like a whirlpool.

A faint orange-red spark glowed