First Steps into the Profound Desolate World, a Plea for Help from the Exchange Tower's Remnants

Obito remained silent for a moment, then withdrew his hand.

When he first became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, he thought his space-time Dōjutsu would be enough to dominate all realms.

It wasn't until he truly crossed the barrier between worlds that he discovered the spatial rules of the Shinobi World were incomparable to those of this place.

The space that could be easily torn apart in the Shinobi World could only leave a tiny crack in the Profound Desolate World.

The level of this realm is far superior to that of the Shinobi World.

Ren took out a Void Link Ring from his sleeve.

The ring, engraved with black and white Pattern, lay quietly in his palm.

This is one of the core tokens used by the Heaven-Mending Clone to establish the Void Network when he remained in the Profound Desolate World.

Ren raised his finger and slowly injected a wisp of True Essence.

At first, the ring didn't react at all.

Sasuke stared at the ring, his breathing gradually slowing down.

Fugaku also looked over.

If the Void Link is completely severed, it means that everything left behind by the Heaven-Mending Clone has disappeared.

If they can still sense the remaining network, the Uchiha will be able to contact Former Exchange Tower members in the shortest possible time and regain control of the foundation of the Profound Desolate World.

A moment later.

A tiny point of light suddenly appeared on the black and white Pattern on the ring.

Sasuke's pupils contracted.

"There's a response!"

Fugaku's breathing also became a little heavier.

"The Void Network left behind by the Heaven-Mending Clone has not been completely severed."

The surface of the ring kept shimmering.

A fragmented mental fluctuation entered Ren's mind.

A dilapidated plaque.

Blood was everywhere.

A black city wall.

There are also two large, blurry characters.

Exchange Tower.

Ren gently stroked the ring face with his fingers, his expression remaining largely unchanged.

After the death of the Heaven-Mending Clone, Exchange Tower had clearly experienced significant changes.

But the Void Network is still operating.

This means that those who were once trained by Exchange Tower may still be waiting for a response in some corner of the Profound Desolate World.

Fugaku asked in a low voice, "Are the remnants of Exchange Tower still around?"

"At least some people are still guarding the old network."

Ren put the ring away.

"No judgment is meaningful until they are found."

Outside the valley.

A middle-aged Hunter carrying a bow and arrows is searching for medicinal herbs with his seven- or eight-year-old Young son.

The father and son had just passed through a thicket of bushes when they saw a large group of black figures emerging from the fog.

The Hunter abruptly stopped in his tracks.

He initially thought it was Desolate Beast.

But the next moment, he saw Sasuke's Sharingan and Kaguya's long, snow-white hair.

Those Byakugan pierced through the thick fog, landing directly on him from a distance of dozens of feet.

The Hunter felt a chill run through him.

This group of people did not wear Soul Master badges, Merchant Guilds guild insignia, or any faction flags.

But everyone carried an aura that instilled in him an instinctive fear.

"Father..."

The Young son grabbed his clothes and whispered, "Who are those people?"

The Hunter turned pale and immediately picked up his son.

"Don't speak."

"Run!"

He dared not look back, and ran wildly out of the mountains with the child in his arms.

The branch snapped underfoot with a crisp sound.

Shisui stood on the treetop, his gaze fixed on the direction the Hunter had left in.

"Clan Leader, should we keep them?"

"No need."

Ren said.

"Just two ordinary people."

"They'll be afraid when they see us, and they'll spread the word. But the more mixed the information here, the better it is for us."

Shisui nodded.

He raised his hand and waved.

Several Temple members silently dispersed and moved quickly along the outer edge of the valley.

No large-scale Genjutsu was cast.

He also did not unleash powerful Chakra.

Before understanding the strength of local forces, keeping a low profile is more important than intimidation.

Not long after.

Shisui reappeared in front of Ren.

"It has already been investigated."

"There is a Trade Road on the west side of the valley, with numerous ruts on the ground. At least several caravans have passed through there within the last three days."

Numerous claw marks of Desolate Beast were found on the north side.

"Even the weakest Desolate Beast is close to the level of Jonin the Shinobi World."

Fugaku frowned.

"It is indeed dangerous for ordinary members of the tribe to act alone."

Shisui continued, "There's also the droppings left by a Desolate Beast on the north side; it must have been over ten zhang in size."

"It's not near the valley, so there's a high probability that a higher-level creature occupies this area."

Ban gave a soft snort.

"This world is quite interesting."

"If those ninja beasts from the Shinobi World were released here, they probably wouldn't even be able to leave the valley."

Fugaku ignored Madara and turned to look at Ren.

"Clan Leader, what are the next steps?"

Ren looked up at the Dimension Altar.

The Temple members were divided into three groups.

"A group remained to guard the altar."

"This is the only passage for the Uchiha to return to the Shinobi World; it cannot be allowed to fail."

"The second group will hide on higher ground in the valley to keep watch and monitor the surrounding area."

"The third group will follow me to the Trade Road to make contact with the locals first."

Fugaku immediately agreed.

"I'll arrange it myself."

Soon, the Temple members sprang into action.

Some people set up hidden sentry posts near the altar.

Some people climbed to higher ground, using the tree canopy and mist to conceal their figures.

The remaining members concealed their presence and moved behind Ren.

Fugaku glanced at the Void Link Ring in Ren's hand.

The coordinates of Exchange Tower are not yet clear.

"Should we return to the vicinity of the altar first and wait for the connection to stabilize before making a decision?"

Ren shook his head.

Intelligence won't just come knocking on your door.

"First locate the nearest city, then check the news about Chaotic Star City and Exchange Tower."

Sasuke walked to the stream.

He lifted his foot and stepped onto the water, his Chakra flowing through his meridians to the soles of his feet.

A ripple appeared on the surface of the water.

But as soon as the Chakra was gathered, the surrounding Spiritual Energy pressed in like a tidal wave.

Bang!

Sasuke's Chakra instantly dissipated from the soles of his feet, causing his entire foot to sink directly into the stream.

The icy stream water soaked my shoes and socks.

Sasuke's expression was rather unpleasant.

In the Shinobi World, basic skills like Water Walking and climbing trees are nothing special to him.

However, upon arriving in the Profound Desolate World, under the suppression of the Spiritual Energy and rules of heaven and earth, even the simplest Chakra control deviated.

He lifted his foot again, trying to try once more.

Ren said, "Don't mistake this place for Konoha."

Sasuke looked up.

Ren looked at him.

"The rules of the Profound Desolate World are far more stringent than those of the Shinobi World."

"Chakra, True Essence, Soul Power, and the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth all need to be readjusted."

"True strength comes from learning to adapt."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"I see."

He stopped Water Walking and instead stood by the stream, carefully sensing the changes as Spiritual Energy impacted his Chakra.

Itachi glanced at his younger brother but didn't disturb him.

Kaguya then walked to a rock covered in cracks.

The Byakugan penetrated the rock strata.

Several feet underground, the skeleton of a Desolate Beast resembling Giant Lizard was buried.

The skeleton was enormous, its surface wreathed with purple Soul Power that had not yet completely dissipated.

Kaguya raised her hand.

The pebbles parted silently.

The skeleton of the Desolate Beast was exposed to everyone's view.

Fugaku took a few steps closer.

He died not long ago.

The weasel crouched down to examine the Pattern on its bones.

"The energy within the corpse has not completely dissipated."

"It's different from the Tailed Beast Chakra, and it's also different from Natural Energy."

Kaguya pointed to the purple light that remained on the Giant Lizard's skull.

"The beasts here can form Soul Ring."

"If the Uchiha wants to survive here long-term, they must learn about this power as soon as possible."

Sasuke looked up.

"Soul Ring?"

"When Desolate Beast dies, its power remains in the form of Soul Ring or essence."

Kaguya said, "Humans can absorb them and gain Soul Skill and Soul Power."

Obito frowned.

"Directly absorb the power of the Desolate Beast into your body?"

"If the forces are not aligned, wouldn't it backfire?"

"So we can't rush it."

Ren spoke up.

"First, distinguish the differences between Soul Ring, Soul Skill, Soul Power, and Chakra, then discuss fusion."

He looked at Itachi.

"Records the skeletal structure, Soul Power Pattern, and changes in the surrounding Spiritual Energy."

Itachi nodded.

"I will put together preliminary results."

The scroll unfolds.

The weasel meticulously recorded the flow of Soul Power on the surface of the Giant Lizard's skeleton, the remaining energy nodes, and the traces of the surrounding vegetation being affected.

He did not rush to try it out just because he came into contact with an unfamiliar power.

The more unknown something is, the more cautious we must be.

Ren watched as everyone went about their business, his gaze falling towards the southwest.

The Void Link Ring suddenly flickered again.

This time the light was dimmer than before.

A fragmented, lingering mental message entered everyone's minds.

"Scattered stars..."

"Old warehouse..."

"Black and white print..."

The sound stopped abruptly there.

A faint mark appeared on the surface of the ring, pointing southwest.

Fugaku looked at the mark.

"Chaotic Star City?"

"The old warehouse should be a hidden stronghold left behind by Exchange Tower."

Itachi said, "The black and white seals might be credentials to confirm identity."

Ren put the ring away.

"The remnants of Exchange Tower are most likely hiding around Chaotic Star City."

"First, confirm the location on the Trade Road."

Suddenly, a Desolate Beast roared from afar.

Immediately following was the loud bang of a wheel breaking.

Boom!

Waves of Soul Power clashed and spread from the other side of the forest.

The birds in the mountains and forests took flight in fright.

Water Body Flicker returned, his tone swift.

"A caravan was attacked by Desolate Beast."

"Making a move can buy you status and a route."

Ren raised his hand.

"Conceal your aura."

"Lead the way."

The Temple members immediately suppressed their Chakra fluctuations.

Ren, along with Sasuke, Itachi, and Shisui, sped off in the direction from which the sound came.