My Apocalypse Territory

The images on the Crystal Ball kept switching, focusing on the three Alien Race Transcendents who had infiltrated Green Shadow, as well as the thirty-some waiting outside.

At present, Green Shadow's Transcendent Combat Power included Nancy, Eileen, Yan Dingtian, Kong, Red Moon, Greta, Luo Zhe, Tylon, Winnie, and Xiaoli—a total of ten Transcendent Strongmen.

There were also Number One and Number Two, as well as three Transcendent Puppets.

Adding them up, it reached fifteen Transcendent Forces, but among them, only Eileen and Nancy had Senior Transcendent Combat Power, with Number One and Number Two also achieving close to Senior Transcendent strength after their enhancement.

However, compared to the Alien Race, these forces were still not formidable enough.

Even with nearly ten Floating Airships currently stationed within the territory.

Tang Yu knew well that the Blood Mouth Clan had no lack of Senior Transcendents, and he had once escaped from the Second Tier Single-Horned Giant Beast's jaws.

What was more critical was the territory itself.

The Personal Guard, Investigation Corps, and Guardian Corps, those elite squads not participating in military exercises, started mobilizing.

...

Adventurer Guild.

The Mute Elder, disguised as an adventurer, took on the task of guarding the Soul Ancient Tree.

She didn't harbor too many doubts; this matter was most likely full of fake reports, and even the team usually stationed at the mining area was indeed relocated "due to insufficient Sanctuary defense personnel."

The Soul Ancient Tree's attractiveness to the Alien Races was fatally appealing.

Also undertaking the quest were several adventurers lingering in the "Adventurer Guild."

The few people present confirmed the concerns of the two front desk girls.

Before long, almost ten adventurers, led by the guild staff, followed the mountain road into the forest.

Branches densely packed, blocking the sunlight.

Yet it was silent, devoid of Demonized Beasts, and free from the cries of birds and insects.

After walking about a few kilometers, suddenly, the roaring of Demonized Beasts echoed, and as they proceeded, the vast pit housing the Source Crystal Mine came into view.

To this day, the existence of the Source Crystal Mine behind Green Shadow's back mountain was no longer a secret, including the glowing white giant tree rooted above the Crystal Ore.

Ordinarily, the Crystal Ore was still a restricted area, yet today...

Hiss~

At this moment, beneath the giant tree, hundreds of Demonized Beasts were coiled, seemingly not many, but adventurers who had memorized the "Demonized Beast Atlas" discovered to their horror that these beasts all had Combat Power above the Sixth Layer.

Some were even Tenth Layer Super Demonized Beasts.

And the Corps' Awakeners stationed in the mining area were currently relying on Arrow Towers and fortresses along the pit's edge to fend off the Demonized Beasts' attacks.

Nearly ten adventurers immediately entered the fortress, cooperating with the Guardian Corps to defend.

The Mute Elder was among them.

Only two to three hundred meters away from the Soul Ancient Tree, she discovered that her clouded soul, under the radiance of the ancient tree, was slowly being purified.

If she could cultivate under the Soul Ancient Tree and break through to the Transcendent Second Tier, she would improve her chances by twenty percent.

—Their races, controlled by the "Devil Race," had disadvantages, but on Origin Star, there were possibilities to resolve these issues.

The attraction of the ancient tree to Demonized Beasts was also lethal; they were merely combat weapons, but if their souls could be truly purified, the Demonized Beasts could become real living entities, and breaking through to Transcendence was not impossible.

The Mute Elder, gazing at the Soul Ancient Tree, couldn't help but regret—If only she hadn't invited the Ghost Clan and White-eyed Clan!

Serious matters were pressing...

"Green Shadow's Transcendents, capable of rapidly setting up a terrifying Thunder Punishment Array in the wild, show their profound expertise in Array Studies,"

she pondered, "so on their own land, with ample time and resources, it's very likely that Green Shadow has set up a massive Array covering several kilometers. Once stepped into, it would provoke more Thunder Punishments."

"And this Soul Ancient Tree, rooted in the Source Crystal Ore, serves as a natural Array core; using it as the core would save at least half the effort..."

The Mute Elder, utilizing her knowledge of Rune Studies and Array Studies, swiftly concluded:

"The likelihood that the Ancient Tree is the Array core exceeds 99.99%... Although destroying it would be somewhat wasteful, for the sake of certainty..."

She began using the unique communication method of the Blood Mouth Clan to summon fellow Alien Race members ten kilometers away.

...

Meanwhile,

Two other elders of the Blood Mouth Clan arrived near the castle.

Elder Shuikou retracted his spiritual power, and a nearby servant blinked confusedly, feeling possibly dazed by heatstroke, then shook his head and left.

"Confirmed, due to Green Shadow hosting a castle banquet, most Transcendents, including Green Shadow's personnel, are currently in the western side restaurant. As long as we don't draw the attention of human Transcendents, our disguise won't be exposed."

"The banquet today indeed facilitated our entry, otherwise abruptly entering the castle would have easily drawn attention."

They continued groping their way forward for a good distance.

The corridor walls were adorned with exquisite crystal wall lamps, and the floors were carpeted in red, impeccably clean and not a speck of dust in sight.

To each side, rooms were furnished with elegant home decor, yet it was evident that they were vacant with no one living in them. After inspecting two rooms, they concluded—nothing.

So they walked on, and on.

"Have you noticed that the corridors in this castle... are too numerous? The rooms inside also seem very similar."

"Could the interior space of the castle not match its external size, perhaps due to spatial arrangement?"

They pondered intently, but the continuously repeating environment soon made them realize something was amiss.

Had they been discovered?

Or had they fallen into some innate Illusion Array of the castle?

Since there were no human Transcendents besieging them, they deduced it was likely the latter.

"It's an Illusion Array, and now we can't even send a message out."

Another elder of the Blood Mouth Clan heard this and was not discouraged, "The Illusion Array doesn't envelop the entire castle. At least the garden we just passed and the dining area to the west were normal. That means, we're not far from the core of the castle, as long as we break this Illusion Array."

...

Their analysis was on point with full marks for imaginative capability.

Tang Yu was very pleased. Elsewhere, trapping two Senior Transcendents would be difficult, but the castle was the absolute core of the territory. After several upgrades, the defensive module had also greatly enhanced.

At this moment, they were only utilizing one module, the "Illusion Passage".

"If they can't break it, then keep them trapped in the 'Illusion Passage,' handle the other Transcendents first, and if they escape, there are still 'Guardian Stone Sculpture,' 'Alien Space,' and other defense measures waiting for them."

He surveyed the territory map in his mind.

Ten kilometers away, about a dozen Transcendents were gathering, beginning to move. They took a wide detour from the mountains behind and slowly approached the mining area.

The rear mountain was the first battlefield chosen by Tang Yu.

The main force was not among the followers.

"Old 'Zhen,' should be reliable... right?"

...

At this time, two Senior Transcendents and five ordinary Transcendents, instead of flying, were leaping agilely through the forest like normal Awakeners.

They were highly tensed.

Getting closer.

Five kilometers,

Three kilometers,

One kilometer,

"No Reconnaissance Array?"

"None." A Transcendent skilled in Perception confirmed, "Even though I can't evade the arrays set by Green Shadow, if there were any probes, they couldn't escape my Perception... which means all our worry was for nothing."

Was it a struggle of wit with the air?

That wouldn't count!

If not for the Mute Elder sneaking into Green Shadow, how could they have discovered the Soul Ancient Tree... Since Green Shadow hadn't set up large-scale Reconnaissance Arrays, there was only one possibility left: Green Shadow's major Array consumed all resources and effort, which meant... it would be terrifying!

Their hearts chilled.

Luckily, the Mute Elder discovered the core of the Array!

Truly a genius of their clan!

After leaving an Illusion Technique avatar, the Mute Elder converged with seven supporting Transcends.

Bearing the pain, she spoke, "Attack together, destroy the Soul Ancient Tree. Remember, target the roots to sever the connection between the tree and the Crystal Ore, thus rendering the core useless. The remaining branches still hold considerable benefits for us."

In that instant,

A terrifying presence erupted from the other side of the pit. The members of the Guardian Corps and adventurers resisting the Demonized Beasts momentarily felt as though their throats were seized, their faces paling and gasping for breath. Just as a Flying Demonized Beast descended, a faint halo from an Obelisk inside the fortress ignited, enveloping and shielding the entire fortress from the beast's assault.

With their hearts still pounding, they looked towards the distance, where a terrifying energy fluctuation soared, and a dazzling brilliance broke through the dense foliage, the sense of lethal danger still hanging over everyone's heads.

At that moment,

Buzz—

The entire mountain range began to tremble as if coming to life, with earth-yellow radiance converging from all directions, and a faint humanoid apparition appeared atop a distant peak.

He stretched out a hand and pressed downward, as if pressing down a gigantic mountain.

The surging energy fluctuations instantly ceased.

Inside the fortress, the Awakeners stared blankly at the remote, immense and ethereal figure...

Could it be, somewhat resembling Tang Yu... the City Lord?!