Chapter 968

Chapter 962 The Key Laboratory of the Central Boundary and Attending the Banquet!

Locke pressed the token against the stone door, and instantly, a crack opened in what appeared to be a perfect stone door, which then transformed into a large door.

Douglas immediately craned his neck to look, incredibly curious about what the world behind the door would be like.

Locke put on a wizard’s robe set he had prepared for exploring the Three Caves World, and donned a wizard’s mask. At the same time, he tossed Douglas a set of exploration gear he had kept for a first-ring wizard.

“Put this on, and then we’ll go in. Traveling between different worlds is extremely dangerous because we have absolutely no idea what the world behind the door is like.”

Douglas nodded in agreement and quickly put on the five-piece set of first-ring wizard exploration gear Locke had given him: magic gloves, wizard’s robe, wizard’s hat, wizard’s mask, and wizard’s shoes. Wearing these five pieces, Douglas noticed that although his magic pressure hadn’t increased at all, his overall magical power had actually risen a level.

The combination of the five-piece Exploration set allowed the first-ring wizard to experience an increase in magical pressure—the efficiency of magical power conversion—under the same magical pressure.

Locke looked at the Witch-King Lagmamon.

The Witch-King Lagmamon was also very surprised that this standard five-piece Exploration set could have such a significant impact on a wizard.

“I don’t need it. I’m just a ray of spiritual light attached to Douglas, and this body is merely Douglas’s blood. It can’t be considered an independent existence.”

Douglas immediately said to the Witch King Lagmamon, “Teacher, when we return to the Wizarding World, I’ll buy you a golem so you can use it to move around.”

The Witch King Lagmamon smiled and said, “You’re filial, but there’s no need to waste that money. It’s not very meaningful. However, if you could buy a battle golem, I could control it to help you in case of danger.”

Locke glanced at them, “Let’s leave here.”

“After all, this is still within the Dark World. I’m worried that the Dark Lord might come looking for us.”

The three passed through the dimensional portal. The next moment, an endless, profound magical pressure appeared above their heads. Locke and Douglas looked up and saw ten suns in the sky of this other world. The scorching suns, instead of scorching the earth, made it wet and hot.

This was because these ten suns were blue suns, constantly causing heavy rain in this world.

They found themselves in a muddy, black swamp. The murky black water, mixed with a foul odor and indescribable substances, flowed through the surrounding marshland. The trees were greyish-black willows, along with reeds, sedges, and cattails—apprentice-level magical plants.

The Witch-King of Lagmamon looked astonished.

“This is impossible. The Orcish Great World is a vast grassland, dry and with little rain, teeming with life. This absolutely cannot be the Orcish Great World,”

Douglas said, looking at the Witch-King with doubt.

“But teacher, we did indeed pass through a dimensional portal to the Orcish Great World.”

Locke’s expression suddenly turned serious. He could constantly feel a layer of the Abyss plane calling to him, but because he had mixed the power of the Abyss with the power of the dragon, this call was now faint and unable to completely lock onto him.

“Mr. Wizard King is right, this isn’t the Orcish Great World,”

Douglas said. “Then where is this?”

Locke looked at him and said, enunciating each word clearly, “This is the Abyss.”

Douglas was completely dumbfounded; for a moment, his mind went blank .

Weren’t they supposed to leave through the dimensional portal of the Orcish Great World?

How did they suddenly end up in the Abyss?

Even Douglas had heard of the Abyss’s infamous reputation—a troublemaker in the endless void. Countless questions were hidden there; the Abyss didn’t even know how many planes it was composed of, seemingly possessing endless potential.

But this was a world that had broken through a mid-level second-circle trap.

Douglas immediately discovered that his wizard’s robes, which could enhance his Permanent Defense Field, were crawling with unknown parasites no bigger than a little finger. He quickly brushed them off, and the insects exploded on the ground, releasing bright red thread-like worms that burrowed towards Douglas like steel wires, only to be blocked by his Permanent Defense Field.

The next moment, the nematodes rapidly died, leaving behind some eggs that seemed poised to drift away on the swamp’s foul waters.

Douglas, witnessing this, felt a chill.

Fortunately, he had entered this world wearing a wizard’s mask; otherwise, he would have seriously doubted whether such bizarre insect eggs existed in the air of this plane.

The Witch-King of Lagmamon said, “It seems that the orcish world has now been pulled into the abyss, becoming part of it.”

“That’s to be expected,” Douglas said. “The Void nomadic civilization invades indiscriminately without any planning. If they ever cross the abyss, they might be swallowed up.”

“But which level is this?”

Locke retrieved a detailed abyss atlas from his astral ring, authored by the wizard of Golden Crown Mountain.

“Most likely, it’s the Ten-Day Swamp on the 23rd level of the Abyss.”

“The sun here is a product of some kind of water element gathering, making it hot and humid. The demon ruling this place is the Demon Grand Duke [Sodosodos], a slug-like lust demon that evolved into the current Lust Demon King through mutual devouring.” “

The Ten-Day Swamp is teeming with malignant magical bacteria. Water magic is powerful, while fire magic is suppressed, making it almost impossible to use fire magic here.”

Locke summoned the Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow. He saw that the magical brilliance of his Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow was almost suppressed to its limit. The originally leaping flames were now suppressed, only flowing around its banana leaf wings. Moreover, the parts of the Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow that came into contact with the air emitted blue flames—special scattered magical power generated by the contact between fire energy and water magic.

In other words, the performance of his Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow would be suppressed here.

Locke had unexpectedly discovered a weakness in his Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow magical plant.

However, the Great Roaring Dragon Sparrow only uses dragon breath for acceleration; its primary power still comes from magical winds, so it doesn’t affect its basic performance.

Locke pondered for a moment and said to Douglas, “So, the former Orcish Great World is very likely the Evil Plains of the 21st level of the Abyss.”

Douglas asked, “Boss, how did you figure that out?”

Locke said, “According to this atlas, the 23rd level, the Ten-Day Swamp, and the 22nd level, the Sinful Plain, didn’t originally exist. There was only one level, the Evil Heart Plains. However, a hundred years ago, the armies of the two Abyss Princes of the Endless Abyss fought a fierce battle on the Evil Heart Plains. After that battle, the Evil Heart Plains expanded from one level to three.”

“Since we arrived at the Ten-Day Swamp through the original dimensional portal of the Orcish Great World, it means this place was originally part of the Orcish Great World. This makes sense; the core area of the former Orcish Great World was probably the present-day Evil Heart Plains, while the remaining parts became the 23rd and 22nd levels due to the demons’ civil war.”

“The atlas records that the Evil Heart Plains was recently added to the Endless Abyss, so it seems the Orcish Great World was recently pulled into the Abyss.”

“There’s a portal secretly left behind by our Golden Crown Mountain wizards in the Evil Heart Plains. It was created by the author of this book when he traveled to the Abyss, to facilitate his return. The book contains the magical incantation to use that dimensional gate. I wonder if that dimensional gate still exists.”

King Lagmamon was somewhat doubtful. “But since it’s written so openly in the book, I’m afraid the demons already know about this portal.”

Locke shook his head slightly. “King, you’re overthinking it. Demons rarely read books.”

“So it doesn’t matter if it’s written there.”

“Don’t worry, everyone. I accidentally entered the Abyss once before.”

Douglas’s expression shifted slightly. He felt that since Locke had entered before, the chances of him leading them out this time were naturally much higher.

“Boss, how did you leave before?”

Locke pondered for a moment. “The Hell Demons opened a separate portal for me.”

Douglas: “Huh?”

Locke: “That’s good. I’m going to enter the Abyss to absorb Abyssal energy, so I can absorb this Abyssal energy during this journey back to the Wizarding World. Also, I’ve been commissioned to use the Moon Cultivation Method to cultivate a batch of Pineapple Wizard Shoes adapted to the Abyssal environment.”

Locke put on the Golden Dragon Claw Wizard Shoes and walked on the surface of the Ten-Day Swamp.

At this moment, Locke felt the Abyss’s invitation to become the [Child of Chaos] once again.

It seemed that his actions in causing chaos in the Evil Chessboard Plane last time had left a very deep impression on the plane’s will of the Endless Abyss.

Moreover, this time was different from the last time he returned to the Endless Abyss. He didn’t know if it was because he had become a Star Ring Wizard, or because this Abyssal Plane was very close to the 78th Abyssal Plane [Abyss of a Thousand Eyes] where the Supreme Eye Demon resided, that caused some kind of mysterious connection between him and the Supreme Eye Demon.

Locke hadn’t walked far with Douglas when suddenly a crown sprang from the ground and landed in Locke’s hands.

Locke looked at the crown in his hand with a puzzled expression.

…

In the 78th level of the Thousand-Eyed Abyss, the Supreme Eye Demon opened his enormous pupils, gazing at the abyssal land.

“I have worked hard for so many years, invaded so many worlds, brought chaos to so many worlds, and lured several powerful beings to join our abyss, becoming powerful demons of our abyss. I think I should be able to obtain the title of Child of Chaos that I have longed for.”

The title of Child of Chaos was an important stepping stone, a starting point, for him to advance to the third ring of the path; it was the prerequisite abyssal title for the Abyssal Prince.

Several pupils within the Supreme Eye Demon’s eyes were rotating simultaneously, embodying chaos.

“My chaos should be enough to attract the attention of the abyssal plane.”

Standing before him was a high elf, who held a silver longbow, the arrows on his back composed of four elements. He came from the Hunter’s Great World, where the power system was the Hunter’s Way, which used the elements existing in nature to condense special arrows for combat.

And this high elf was the most powerful hunter in that world, possessing arrow weapons known as the Four Sacred Treasures in that world.

This being, who essentially possessed Star Ring-level magical pressure, wanted to advance further but found that there was no way forward in the Hunter World. The Hunter World’s power system relied too heavily on the elemental forces of that world—the world’s own planar principles. Therefore, when he needed to break through on his own, he was lost, unable to find a path forward.

Then, the Supreme Eye Demon appeared in that world, bringing him new hope. After witnessing a higher level of mystery, he immediately chose to enter the Abyss, becoming one of the Abyss.

This high elf hunter had an Abyss mark on his forehead. After entering the Abyss, his body would gradually become demonized, but he could choose which specific demon race he wanted to become.

This high elf hunter thought becoming an Eye Demon was a good option.

Mainly, he had only ever seen Eye Demons; the Supreme Eye Demon was a Sun Ring-level being, a huge difference in level for him. Therefore, for someone who wanted more power, becoming an Eye Demon was the only path he could see at the moment.

Moreover, the Eye Demon race possesses enhanced eyesight, a significant advantage for someone whose primary weapon is the bow and arrow.

This high-ranking hunter’s eyes were already beginning to transform into Eye Demon form. He knelt before the Supreme Eye Demon, pledging allegiance to the Supreme Eye Demon, ruler of the Abyss of a Thousand Eyes, and the Demon Grand Duke of the 78th level, just like the other Eye Demons.

The Supreme Eye Demon laughed heartily, sensing the title of Son of Chaos converging upon him. The Abyss Crown on his head, representing the Demon Grand Duke, was gradually changing, signifying his rank within the Abyss.

In short, it determined the level of existence the Endless Abyss considered him.

However, the Supreme Eye Demon’s joy was short-lived. The crown on his head, evolving towards the Son of Chaos, suddenly shattered, reverting to the Demon Grand Duke’s Crown.

“What!”

The Supreme Eye Demon’s world-sized pupils widened in shock.

“What happened?”

“Hmm? I did meet the requirements for applying for the title of Child of Chaos, but the title can only be given to the strongest within a race.”

“Furthermore, a race can only have one Child of Chaos. You have already awarded the crown of Child of Chaos to a Beholder!”

The Supreme Beholder was furious. Who was it, which Beholder had a death wish, daring to steal the title of Child of Chaos?

He immediately turned his pupils, scanning the entire Abyss of a Thousand Eyes, searching for the Beholder who had received the crown of Child of Chaos, but found nothing.

“Nothing!”

At this moment, even the High Elf Hunter noticed the Supreme Beholder’s rage. He looked at the Supreme Beholder, who had always appeared unfathomable before him, with a puzzled expression. He wondered why this Demon Grand Duke was so ‘panicked and nervous,’ these emotions were taboo for hunters.

The Supreme Eye Demon immediately shifted his attention from the Abyss of a Thousand Eyes to the higher abyssal planes. His gaze attracted the attention of many abyssal lords and demon grand dukes, but the Supreme Eye Demon disregarded all else, directly scanning these abyssal planes with his eyes to find the one hidden within who had obtained the title of Child of Chaos before him.

Layer after layer.

Although the Endless Abyss was vast, and each plane could potentially harbor hidden dragons and crouching tigers, the Endless Abyss encouraged competition within the same demon race. Therefore, he had a subtle connection to the title of Child of Chaos and this Eye Demon kin. Coupled with the Eye Demon’s racial talent, he was confident that by searching layer after layer, he could use the Eye Demon race’s perception to find this damned fellow.

His gaze fell on the 23rd level, the Ten-Sun Swamp, where the Slug Demon King Sodo Sodo immediately glared back defiantly.

The Supreme Eye Demon ignored the other’s gaze, which was like two people staring at each other from different elevator floors without metal shields—meaningless.

After all, for the Supreme Eye Demon to ascend, he would have to invade countless planes, and for the other to descend, he would also need to invade many more.

Of course, it was also possible that one day an elemental coupling plane passage might form between the two planes, allowing him to lead an army directly across.

In the Endless Abyss, anything was possible.

At this moment, the Supreme Eye Demon’s gaze locked onto the person who had stolen his title of Child of Chaos, and his eyes widened in fury.

“This isn’t the Eye Demon!”

“Wait a minute, this person seems familiar… I remember now, he’s that wizard. I even gave him false knowledge, hoping to drag him to the Abyss, but didn’t he refuse me then? How come he’s come to the Abyss himself now and taken my crown of the Child of Chaos?”

The Supreme Eye Demon’s enormous eyes bulged with fury, and the crimson seawater within the Thousand Eyes Abyss surged and churned violently.

One vortex

after another appeared. The Supreme Beholder recalled the scene of his first encounter with Locke Augustine, and a wave of regret washed over him. Back then, after dragging that incredibly weak wizard into the Beholder Dynasty’s land of mutual devouring, if he hadn’t stood idly by and watched the wizard slaughter the Beholders, if he had intervened and killed him, would this situation have been avoided?

But who could have imagined that an ant that posed no threat to him back then would grow to such a level?

“A star ring… not an ordinary second ring, so killing him will be difficult.”

“From here, there are about fifty layers of abyssal planes blocking the way… unless he’s stupid enough to stay put, he’ll definitely have escaped by the time I get up there. Then I’ll have to make a deal directly with the demon duke on that layer. But my relationship with that Demon King of Desire isn’t good; I once abducted several powerful beings who were about to fall into their plane. If I go to him now and he discovers that wizard’s existence, I’ll be in trouble. If that wizard is imprisoned by him, I’ll have to pay an even higher price.”

“The only way is to get that wizard back to the wizarding world first.”

The Supreme Eye Demon reacted quickly.

‘But the Demon King of Desire, Sodosodos, won’t let any creature with desire enter his plane and then leave. I need to help that despicable wizard escape that plane.’

‘There’s no other way. If this drags on any longer, that idiot Sodosodos might realize who I’m watching. So… I’ll detonate the mine I left on the 23rd floor ahead of time.’

…

On the 23rd floor of the Abyss, within the Ten-Sun Swamp, a powerful crystallized-level slug demon, the Abyss Lord, suddenly led a large demon army in a rebellion. This demon army was preparing to descend to the Thousand-Eyed Abyss on the 78th floor, taking with them one-tenth of the Ten-Sun Swamp’s land.

In the sky above the Ten-Sun Swamp, a massive lunar-ring-level slug emerged from one blue sun and entered another. It was searching for the rebels, who had begun to divide the dimensional principles, preparing to actually descend with them.

To use an elevator analogy, the Abyss isn’t a one-way street, but rather countless parallel elevators going up and down. Now, one of these elevators has suddenly cracked open, and it’s quite possible for it to descend to the 78th floor and merge into it.

It is precisely because of this [descent into the abyss] that the Endless Abyss is so chaotic. Otherwise, if it were arranged in an orderly fashion, layer upon layer, like hell, there would be no chaos.

At this moment, in the sky above the Ten-Sun Swamp, Sodosodos was extremely angry.

“Haven’t I given you enough women? Why did you leave? If you want more women, I can give you even more!”

A group of slug demons appeared within a blue sun; they had been found by the Demon King of Desire.

One of the slug demons, the Abyss Lord, seemed extremely furious.

“We are tired of being despised slug demons. We want to become the Eye Demons who instigate rebellions against dynasties everywhere. We can become whatever we want! We want to transform into Eye Demons!”

Demon King Sodosodos exhaled a cloud of intoxicating smoke that caused people to lose control in the sky.

“You can leave, but you can’t take a piece of my territory!”

“You scum, get out of here! You’re not worthy to be noble and powerful demons of desire!”

A fight broke out. Sodosodos, who had initially wanted to investigate what in this plane was worth the cunning eye of the Supreme Eye Demon’s attention, was now consumed by rage. He mistakenly believed this was a rebellion signal from the Supreme Eye Demon to his demon subordinates, and his only desire was to suppress the rebellion and avenge himself on the Supreme Eye Demon.

Meanwhile, Locke, leading Douglas through the dimensional gate of the Endless Abyss, left the Ten-Day Swamp and entered the Plains of Sin.

Douglas said, “The Abyss is truly chaotic. I didn’t expect to see demons rebelling; I thought they were more organized.”

Locke replied, “Rebellion is commonplace in the Abyss, so perhaps this can’t be seen as proof of weak organization, because it’s their norm.”

Locke looked at the Crown of the Son of Chaos in his hand, surprised that the shameless Abyss had managed to airdrop him a crown.

Looking back now, it’s likely that the bug he created in the 445th level of the Abyss left a deep impression on the Abyss’s dimensional will. Back then, he was just an ordinary second-ring wizard, unable to bestow upon himself the title of Child of Chaos. Now, as a Star Ring Wizard, he was simply given this title.

However, since he hadn’t yet chosen to join the Abyss’s side, this crown seemed to have no binding force on him.

It only accelerated the absorption of Abyss energy by his dragon bloodline, completing him and transforming him into the Abyss Dragon he named himself.

Moreover, with this bloodline acting as a filter, even if the Abyss forced upon him the title of Child of Chaos, it shouldn’t be a major problem.

Locke felt the Abyss Dragon he had conceived and constructed rapidly becoming reality. The dragon’s body, originally only containing Abyss energy in the depths of his consciousness, was quickly taking shape, showing more details, and its power was becoming more profound. The crown of Child of Chaos appeared on the dragon’s head.

Locke thought.

‘I’ll use it for now, and throw it back when I leave the Abyss.’

‘That way, as long as I don’t return to the Abyss, the crown shouldn’t come looking for me.’

This is a neutral energy boost from the Abyss, based on my own Abyss energy cycle, so it won’t pull me into the Abyss’s side. On

the 22nd level of the Sinful Plains lies the corpse of a massive Balrog, with many weaker demons absorbing its energy to enhance their own power.

This massive Balrog should have been able to stand tall, but it is now dead. Although its body is dead, its remaining power remains, transforming into the mournful sound of the wind.

Locke sensed the corpse of this Sun Ring-level being, and he was slightly surprised, as he hadn’t expected the ruler of the Sinful Plains to be dead.

This saved him the trouble of potentially clashing with it.

Since the most powerful ruler of this level is dead, the demon army here must be fragmented, with high-ranking demons fighting amongst themselves. If they are fast enough, they should be able to leave this plane before these demons notice.

At this moment, on this Plain of Sin, there are many Red Orc demons, transformed from the Red Orcs Locke had seen before. They are generally taller, with two protruding fangs, and their eyes hold a purplish-black light formed from abyssal power.

These Red Orc demons are fighting each other, seemingly divided into several factions, each wanting to annihilate the others.

They have red fur, wear simple low-level demon skins, and wield spears made from the bones of some low-level demons, not refined iron weapons. Their speech seems to have been severely impaired; they don’t communicate much, only fighting.

Locke scans this group of Red Orcs and realizes that although their civilization has severely degenerated, their fighting power is not weak at all, and may even have been enhanced.

They possessed an innate talent for spatial teleportation, and their power system seemed to increase as their magical pressure rose, leading to a corresponding increase in the density of their bodies’ magical pressure. This increased density, in turn, enhanced their physical attributes.

Thus, without any training, these red orc warriors were born to be the most powerful warriors; they only needed to learn how to use their hands and feet.

They were practically pre-designed weapons of war.

However, sometimes, races in certain planes are exceptionally gifted. By properly utilizing their racial talents, they can grow into an extremely powerful civilization in the endless void.

In a sense, the original race of the wizarding civilization—humanity—was a civilization with little advantage in the endless void. Without the wizarding system, humans would be extremely weak, unable to fight against these beings who could increase their physical density simply by devouring others.

A group of red orcs set their sights on them.

Douglas stepped forward and engaged the red orcs in battle. He unleashed seven lightning spells, sending thirteen orcs flying. Most of the red orcs simply dusted themselves off and rose from the ground,

seemingly unharmed.

Adult red orcs possessed the magical pressure of a first-class wizard apprentice, but after being transformed into red orc demons to enhance their racial potential, they reached near-master wizard level magical pressure upon reaching adulthood.

Douglas was slightly surprised. The next moment, three red orcs teleported to his face, attempting to stab him in the eyes with three spears. Douglas simply raised his hand and used seven lightning spells, repelling them all.

“Is it the accumulated defensive power from their high body density?”

Douglas remained unfazed.

Locke nodded slightly. This guy’s casting speed was getting faster and faster; he truly lived up to his reputation as a lightning wizard of the Evocation School. It would be

unacceptable for a lightning wizard not to be fast.

Next, Douglas swiftly cast a spell, unleashing several bolts of lightning. No matter how relentlessly the red orcs charged, like unkillable iron peas, or how they occasionally flashed, they were all sent flying.

Gradually, this group of red orcs began to falter, their bodies starting to bleed.

Ten minutes later, Douglas, panting slightly, had killed the thirteen orcs, but he had already cast over a hundred lightning spells, exhausting himself.

He drank a potion to restore his mana and said, “Boss, Master, these red orcs… truly possess the potential to be perfectly suited for conversion into an army. No wonder the Abyss has its eye on them.”

“It’s still quite a distance to the portal to the next plane. Are we just going to charge straight through? What if we get surrounded…”

“This is only one group of red orc demons,”

the Lich King of Lagmamon said, his expression grave.

“These red orcs, after their racial potential was enhanced by the Abyss, have become even more terrifying than before; they are simply terrifying weapons of war,”

Locke said. “On the bright side, the Balrogs who ruled this level are dead. At least we don’t need to face a united demon army.”

At this moment, a red orc in a black robe rode up on horseback. His Abyss Nightmare warhorse sneezed, spewing out some abyssal flames, then reared up and stopped in front of the three. He then said, “Three guests, our master said that he wants me to escort you to the dimensional gate of the Evil Heart Plains.”

“Follow me, three guests. Please don’t worry, with me leading the way, there will be no demons attacking you.”

Douglas looked puzzled, remaining vigilant, and was slightly out of breath.

Locke, with his hands behind his back, asked, “Who is your master?”

The red orc in the black robe whispered, “That’s none of your business.”

Locke smiled, and the three-eyed tiger-eye cat’s innate demonic eye appeared on his forehead, discerning the other’s power composition.

“Which wizarding land does your master come from? You’ve studied magic.”

Douglas looked at the red orc demon with surprise.

“Really?”

The red orc demon remained silent. The next moment, a red, kite-shaped geometric mark suddenly appeared on his forehead.

The red orc demon said, “I didn’t expect you to see through me, Star Ring Wizard. I don’t want to say more. This is a key laboratory in our Central Region [Eastern Central Continent]. Didn’t you know?”

Locke quickly checked the data and found that Eastern Central Continent in the Central Region was a powerful wizarding land, but its status might be lower than that of the current Three Swamps Land, but it was still at the same level as the Southern Wizarding Capital.

Moreover, Eastern Central Continent was extremely ancient, the center of multiple wizarding worlds in the past. In the past, the Central Region was the core area of the wizarding world, while Eastern Central Continent should have been the key area in multiple wizarding world eras.

He just didn’t expect this to be a key laboratory in Eastern Central Continent.

Locke replied, “I really didn’t know. I am a Star Ring Wizard from the Cloud Swamp Wetlands in the Eastern Region. I don’t know about the Central Region.”

The other party’s expression obviously softened a bit.

“This is an important laboratory in our Central Region. I heard that your Eastern Region has been working on ascension lately. How’s it going? Any progress?”

Locke responded realistically, “I haven’t noticed anything particularly special, except that the time needed to travel to and from various wizarding lands is decreasing, everyone’s magic power is increasing, and advancement has become easier.”

The being behind the orc riding the Abyss Warhorse clearly had a burning desire in his eyes.

“Advancement has become easier?”

“Oh… that sounds pretty good, but no one knows for sure. Perhaps you’re just exaggerating.”

Douglas suddenly became angry, his eyes unfriendly, lightning crackling in his hands as he glared at the orc.

The being behind the orc sneered.

“Boy, your master hasn’t even spoken yet. You’re not even a second-ring wizard, yet you dare to look at me like that?”

“Are all wizards in the Eastern Region this rude? No low-ring wizard in the Central Region dares to overstep their bounds like this.”

Locke smiled, unconvinced, and gave Douglas a look.

“So, what are you doing here, Your Excellency?”

the being behind the orc asked. “Telling you, this Star Ring Wizard, is no big deal. There’s nothing to hide. We’re doing archaeology. There are ruins left by an ancient wizarding dynasty on the Sinful Plains. We’re excavating the ruins of a wizarding colony called the ‘Badacrian Royal Court.’ The royal court itself isn’t anything special, just something from the past, but we suspect its destruction is related to the origins of magic.”

Even the Witch-King Lagmamon was completely bewildered.

Wasn’t this related to offending the Tower of the Black Sun?

The being behind the orc said, “Some things are clearest not to those who experienced them firsthand, but to those of us who analyze the past later. The Central Region is exploring the origins of magic, searching for the earliest appearance of the magical tidal concentration gradient and using its changes to explain historical changes. That’s roughly it. You answered my question, so I should answer yours; it’s only fair.”

Locke nodded. He didn’t know why the other party seemed anxious about the Eastern Region’s ascension plan. Actually, such things shouldn’t concern individual wizards of their level.

But the other party was still quite polite.

Locke sensed that the other party seemed to be an honest person.

Locke said, “In that case, sir wizard, please lead us to the dimensional portal to the 21st level of the Abyss.”

“We apologize for intruding this time.”

The orc, riding his Abyssal Nightmare, ordered all approaching red orcs to retreat, while leading Locke and the others towards the dimensional portal.

Half a day later, the orc pointed to the jumbled rocks ahead and said, “This is it. What happens after you leave this level of the Abyssal Plane is none of our business. I can only take you this far.” “

There’s still a Demon Grand Duke ruling on the next level. And he’s a Sun Ring Being.”

“You’d better not carry anything too valuable, or you’ll be robbed. As for the danger to your lives, it’s not high. You’ll understand what I mean when you meet him up there. Goodbye, Star Ring Wizard of the Eastern Realm. I hope that when we meet again, our Origin Project will have made a major breakthrough.”

Locke nodded slightly, then led Douglas into the dimensional portal.

The next moment, the three of them traversed the dimensional portal and arrived at their destination, the former core of the Orcish Great World:

the Evil Heart Plains.

Locke found himself in a region almost identical to the description given by the Witch-King of Lagmamon. It was a vast grassland where the Red Orc demons lived in peace, their nomadic tents dotting the landscape.

Beside the teleportation portal stood a group of Red Orc soldiers, clad in exquisite iron armor and riding imposing, terrifying magical warhorses—a veritable demon empire. These Red Orc demons bowed to Locke.

“My lord, Star Ring Wizard, my master invites you to a banquet at the palace. Your entourage may also accompany you. My master is also a wizard, but he left the wizarding world long ago and remained in the Orcish Great World. His ancestor led the world into the Abyss, and he became one of the Seventy-Two Pillars of Demonic Clan. He has prepared a sumptuous feast for you.”

(End of Chapter)