The midday sun on the Kalon Continent pierced through the layered canopy of trees on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Forest, casting dappled light and shadow on the humus soil. The air was filled with the damp scent of moss and a faint smell of sulfur, the latter emanating from a miniature volcano erupting three kilometers away—the Lava Monitor Lizard.
Loran walked slowly through the condensed air, his long silver hair fluttering in the forest breeze. His dark robe was embroidered with flowing lightning patterns, and each step he took caused subtle spatial ripples to spread. A pale golden fragment of Divine Spark floated deep within the pupil of his left eye, the nascent form of the Laws of Lightning that had condensed when he ascended to Deity Level. The dragon scale bracelet on his right wrist was slightly warm, sealing the spiritual power of thirty-three Deity Level forbidden spells within.
"Roar--"
A deafening roar erupted from the dense forest on the left, accompanied by the loud cracking of trees snapping. A ten-meter-long Thunder-Winged Griffin swooped out, its steel claws whistling as they tore through the air, aiming for Loran's back. This peak Peak of the Fifth Rank magical beast's wings were covered in dark purple scales, and its tail feathers spewed out crackling arcs of lightning, clearly mistaking the seemingly ordinary human before it for prey.
Loran didn't turn around, but simply raised his left hand.
In an instant, the space within a hundred meters radius froze. The Thunder-Winged Griffin's dive was halted in mid-air, the arcs of lightning on its wings flashing like frozen snakes before falling silent. Its golden pupils were filled with terror, and it could clearly feel the vast divine power within its opponent—a power of law that only Deity Level being could possess.
"There are actually Peak of the Fifth Rank magical beasts on the outskirts of the forest. It seems the rumors about the ' Forest of Apocalypse ' are not unfounded." Loran's voice was calm and even as he gently clenched his left hand.
With a "crack," spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the solidified space. The Thunder-Winged Griffin let out a shrill cry as its bones shattered inch by inch, its massive body transforming into countless particles of light, leaving only a fist-sized, deep purple crystal core, which slowly landed in Loran's palm. The lightning energy contained within the crystal core was pure and violent, but it was completely absorbed by the fragments of Divine Spark the moment it touched his palm.
"Master, this level of energy is meaningless for enhancing your Divine Spark."
A clear, youthful voice rang out in the forest. A bolt of silver-purple lightning shot out from Loran's shoulder and landed, transforming into a Qilin about two meters tall. Its entire body was covered with fine scales, its mane was like burning lightning, and its four hooves left pale blue electric patterns when they stepped on the ground. It was Loran's contracted partner, Lei Lin.
The ancient divine beast was currently nuzzling Loran's arm with its head, its golden vertical pupils filled with affection. "The elemental fluctuations in the central part of the forest are even more chaotic. Just now I sensed the auras of at least three Deity Level magical beasts, one of which contained Laws of Space, perhaps related to the ' God King advancement opportunity' you are looking for."
Loran weighed the crystal core in his hand and stored it in his storage space. "After the war of the gods three hundred years ago, most of the Deity Level beings on the Kalon Continent have gone into hiding. The Magical Beast Forest, as the ' Fifth Empire,' indeed hides secrets." He looked up into the depths of the forest, where the canopy was as dense as an inky black sky, and even the gaze of Deity Level powerhouse could not penetrate more than ten kilometers—this was a spatial shield imposed by an ancient contract, preventing human gods from spying on the core of the forest.
According to ancient records, the Magical Beast Forest had a sacred pact with the four great human empires: humans could hunt low-level monsters on the outskirts of the forest, but if they entered the central region, they would be attacked indiscriminately by Deity Level monsters; and the monsters were not allowed to invade human territory on a large scale, otherwise it would trigger intervention from the Divine Realm. However, this pact was broken during the war of the gods three hundred years ago, and the central part of the forest has long since become a forbidden place.
Loran's foray into the Magical Beast Forest wasn't to hunt monsters, but to break through the bottleneck of Deity Level. Fifty years had passed since his ascension to Deity Level, his understanding of the Laws of Lightning had long since reached its limit, and he had condensed ninety-nine fragments of his Divine Spark essence, yet he still couldn't reach the threshold of the God King Realm. The guide of the Divine Realm had told him, "The path to God King requires seeking the ' Origin of the Laws,' and half of the Origin of the Laws on the Kalon Continent is hidden within the ancient ruins of the Magical Beast Forest."