Chapter 1 Seems Smooth?

"Whew...seems pretty smooth, huh?"

Zhong Wei stood nervously at the porthole, having prepared himself for death. But after leaving Long Gu Fortress.

The airship's voyage settled into a smooth state, encountering neither "natural disasters" nor "unexpected calamities" along the way.

After the Source of Annihilation unfolded, it formed a protective shield, enveloping everyone within. The tense atmosphere inside the airship eased considerably.

But Gu Shen knew this was just an illusion.

After stepping into the Old World, there would inevitably be many dangers. The reason it seemed so peaceful now was simply because the current route...in the original world trajectory, disasters had not occurred.

Now it could be confirmed.

This world's will, at its origin, would mobilize all its power to prevent outsiders from exploring the Source, but it could not "fabricate out of thin air."

"Is that... Pluto's power?"

But the trembling sound ceased abruptly before Xiu Gu drew his sword. In the dim light, two long, golden, and brilliant glows lit up. These were Jin Sui Hua's fierce and unruly eyes, but after it saw Xiu Gu, the ferocity in its eyes instantly vanished. This Source of Annihilation, which nearly crushed the entire snow valley, stirred up a gale dozens of times more magnificent and vast than before.

"Yes... Home."

We shouldn't have come here.

"Although I'd like to as well... But the Traveler race doesn't do one-on-one duels."

Zhou Ji said seriously, "Everyone, please be prepared. Once one of us dies in battle, the entire world will restart." Because the transcendent before them was simply too powerful, second only to Pluto!

He only conveyed one sentence.

The giant serpent coiled on the mountain wall abruptly constricted its pupils. Its reaction speed was very fast, and it quickly retracted its body, preparing to flee. Jin Sui Hua lowered its head, and a golden mental projection unfolded before the seven people.

The Traveler God Seat that was nailed down was right there!

Zhou Ji landed on the ground and said, "This is why we can negotiate."

Zhou Ji smiled and said, "This place is a 'setup' laid by Pluto. He abandoned a transcendent awakened serpent here back then... On this mission beyond the fortress, I tamed it and put it to my own use. Shen Hai didn't use the banishment array. It should have escaped with the serpent."

It was as if a gale swept through -

"This...is what you owe us!"

Zhou Ji knew that the creatures on the stone wall had not truly died. The group left the maze and re-boarded the airship.

Zhou Ji did not acknowledge this.

Zhou Ji's Blazing Fire could detect danger.

With Pluto fallen, the so-called legion of the undead was no more.

Although he very much wanted to go on a killing spree on the Traveler continent, he ultimately regained his reason... Slaughter at this moment, aside from venting emotions, really had no meaning.

Instead, he worried about finding the oasis after great difficulty, only to discover that it was a mentally constructed world.

Although he had already been here once... He knew the route through this maze, as well as the Source black holes along the way that could lead to danger, by heart.

He was powerless to undo the tragedy that occurred in the real world. "???"

The next moment, thunder roared!

The accumulated snow on the giant palm scattered like quicksand. It lifted up the two people who had stepped into this place, holding them up to examine them. But Yin Yun knew that this was just a disguise. If the mark left by the previous Pluto was not removed, this thing's desire to kill humans would not be extinguished.

The first half of the voyage had two key points.

Jin Sui Hua's unruly aura was completely gone. At this moment, it was like a pitiful little worm. Xiu Gu looked at Zhou Ji in disbelief.

In just an instant, Xiu Gu reacted! "Rumble.....".

Xiu Gu, the great general, looked at Yin Yun and said calmly. For them, it was a pipe dream. This place was two thousand eight hundred li away from the human defense line.

If it were in the past, he wouldn't have bothered unfolding his Source at all, and would have simply cleaved the snake with a single sword strike. But after all, in the real world, this was Zhou Ji's "pet"...

He reached out and patted Yin Yun's head gently, saying in a low voice, "Stay here obediently."

It was still a low whimper, except that this time the giant serpent made no pretense whatsoever. It had already been tamed by Zhou Ji's Blazing Fire. Xiu Gu, manipulating the bronze giant, released its palm, and it still lay obediently prostrate on the ground, swaying its slender tail.

He slowly stepped forward, and the bronze giant pressed Jin Sui Hua's head to the ground. The latter dared not resist in the slightest, pretending to be "pitiful" as it looked at Zhou Ji, its vertical pupils filled with pleading.

The contents of this transaction were quite shocking.

The maze collapsed as if a mountain had crumbled, tilting to both sides! A false oasis suddenly appeared before their eyes! Zhou Ji said seriously, "I can find a suitable and habitable home for the Travelers."

"This is indeed the scene we saw back then."

Gu Shen slowly pointed at a few points with his finger: "Leaving the Long Gu Fortress wall, you need to first go west and circle around to the northern frontier, but because this place has experienced a 'Source Storm', we have to change our route ahead of time..."

Xiu Gu realized something was wrong when he saw the pitch-black sphere.

If they wanted to reach the "end point," they would inevitably encounter resistance from the world's will.

Zhou Ji said calmly, "You also know the ultimate outcome of that transaction... This is why I want to try 'negotiations'."

"Yes."

"This place is the burial ground for Pluto's legion of the undead." "Rumble rumble rumble!"

That wisp of firelight illuminated its vertical pupils.

Yin Yun didn't lower her head, but Xiu Gu, who had come to this barrier for the first time, couldn't help but look down. His expression changed slightly... A large patch of dark clouds suddenly appeared on the ceiling of the Calamity Barrier. A bolt of snow-white lightning flashed past, illuminating the entire vast land. Countless Traveler "corpses" lay in the snow, densely packed and beyond counting.

Conversely.

"The space in the Old World is discontinuous, so the end of the maze and the oasis scene...seem to be only a few dozen steps apart, but in fact, they are separated by a great distance."

But in this virtual world, he just happened to have a chance to "draw his sword." An airship hovered before the barrier, and two figures slowly left the airship.

This place was full of vitality and had not been damaged by Source storms. Just one look would fill people with endless longing!

Regardless of whether it was the oasis humans were searching for.

A pitch-black sphere floated in the void, like an extinguished sun, emitting a dense aura of calamity.

With the configuration of one Source and two titled experts... This team could almost run rampant in the latter half of the Old World, but everyone was very careful.

Zhou Ji stopped, and the end of the long snow valley suddenly became dim and blurred.

The truly fatal things in the [Old World] were the black holes condensed by ordered Source. But Zhou Ji held down the general's hand, preventing him from drawing his sword.

So far, he had not felt any danger that could threaten his life. The ending of that transaction was a lose-lose situation.

"......"

Only then did the expression in Jin Sui Hua's eyes change...

In order to escape the reward of the soul contract with Pluto, the Travelers cast their "souls" into the Seven Continents, so this body was in a state of exhaustion, but still had a glimmer of life.

"......Yes."

Once touched, it could lead to a "restart," undoing all previous efforts, and starting all over again. "Wuu wuu wuu."

Zhou Ji's expression was not relaxed. The sound of thunder boomed in his ears.

Saber Fortress maze mission, the Investigation Corps advanced for a full seventy years before it was perfectly resolved by Zhou Ji. Xiu Gu frowned and asked, "Will this race accept 'negotiations'?"

Next moment.

It could be seen that Zhou Ji's person was not relaxed. He had noticed this young man from that time onwards. If an oasis was real, then the team would have achieved its most basic initial goal!

"Whirr whirr whirr..." Zhou Ji walked slowly.

Xiu Gu sat with his legs spread wide, his hands resting on his sword, and spoke hesitantly.

Yin Yun's one hand was pressed on the top of the serpent's head. Using Blazing Fire as a guide, he summoned the serpent's mental sea. In this restarted timeline, Gu Shen's group of three did not wait for Saber Fortress to appear before stepping into the [Old World], so Jin Sui Hua naturally could not see the figures of the eight people as an onlooker... But it didn't matter. This mental sea showed what had happened to Yin Yun occupying the "maze" for nearly seventy years.

"At the end of the maze, I once saw the figures of our teachers... So I wanted to bring you to see this maze and look for the existence of a [Door]."

After that wisp of spirit was transmitted. "No problem." Rumble!!!

The expressions of the eight people were a bit complicated. "Whirr whirr!"

Xiu Gu casually swung his sword, and a sword energy nailed into the mountain wall, sending Jin Sui Hua flying......

Yin Yun smiled helplessly, "Once a war breaks out, only you can deal with that White Snow Mountain Giant who can fight the Source. And we need to deal with countless high-level Travelers. In my plan, we might as well obtain the 'opening' ancient texts through negotiations, which can avoid battles and ensure that there will be no restarts."

Yin Yun had already reacted immediately—

Gu Shen, Luo Er, and Zhong Wei looked up.

The slightest sound of cracking rose from under Zhou Ji's feet. "Do you want a peaceful home?"

"You stay on the airship, one person is enough."

He looked back at the airship. The teacher was standing at the porthole, staring at him. He waved his hand and said in a very soft voice, "A long time ago, Pluto and the Travelers made a deal. The Travelers used the lives of their people as a bargaining chip in exchange for Pluto's guidance."

It was blank, confused, and felt a strange sense of familiarity and submission welling up in its heart!

He said seriously, "But there is one very important thing that can be determined, that is, that [Oasis] does indeed exist."

"Wait."

This giant serpent's combat power wasn't very strong... If a real battle broke out, Tian Tong or the Sky-Reaching Tree could kill it with a casual move.

As for someone like Xiu Gu grabbing the snake like catching an eel. "Let's try."

Yin Yun walked in the very front, and a few people followed behind, with Xiu Gu at the rear.

Snow and wind swept over them.

Those who are not of my race must have different hearts! Yin Yun sighed softly. "Pluto!!!" "Home!"

Blazing Fire fluttered forward, burning away all the wind and snow that came head-on, illuminating a path. Xiu Gu turned his head and looked at Zhou Ji.

Unexpectedly, the White Snow Mountain Giant repeated those two words again.

Zhou Ji looked at the White Snow Mountain in the distance. He summoned his own firelight, illuminating the darkness on all sides and transmitting his mental thoughts.

·····.

Along with the sound of thunder, the ground began to rise and fall, surging like the tide of the blue sea. Layers of snow waves receded, and finally, a huge object emerged from the ground. It was a giant palm, raised from above the snow. This palm was a full hundred meters in size, grabbing Zhou Ji and Xiu Gu in the palm of its hand, and then "slowly" raised upward.

But it was too late!

Tian Tong and Zhong Wei also understood what Zhou Ji wanted to do. It wasn't afraid of death.

This little guy seemed very angry?

This giant Calamity Barrier should be a certain domain created by Pluto. But the next second he realized...

Immediately afterward, Xiu Gu unfolded his domain, and the Source of Annihilation instantly contracted. An imposing bronze giant rose from the ground, shaking its body, and crowding the narrow passage of the maze snow valley. The giant stretched out its palm and grabbed Jin Sui Hua's neck. The latter beat its body, like an eel, but it was neither painful nor itchy when hitting Xiu Gu's upper arm, but instead made bursts of metallic sounds.

And the one who harmed White Lizard and Silver Fox was [Shen Hai], not the Travelers. This was the iron law etched in the hearts of every warrior on the northern border!

The White Snow Mountain Giant's head slowly lifted forward, and its "lips" slowly opened wide.

The booming crack exploded in the dome, and rolling sound waves emanated from the giant's mouth. Xiu Gu took the lead to stand up and stood in front of Zhou Ji. The semicircular shield propped up by the Source of Annihilation was instantly impacted thousands of times by the majestic roar!

"The Traveler race is good at opening doors, and the next place is where our race's 'hope' is buried. The Traveler God Seat's true god was nailed to death by the Extinguishing Candle, and they still harbor the illusion of resurrecting the God Seat." Zhou Ji slowly said: "If we want to push deep into the [Old World], we need to pry open the Traveler's mouth and pry out the ancient text array patterns for 'opening doors'." Rumble!

"Is this the first place you carried out a mission outside the fortress?" "???"

Xiu Gu unfolded the Source of Annihilation, wrapping Zhou Ji and entering this Calamity Barrier... Gu Shen was stunned for a second, he realized what Yin Yun wanted to do.

(ps: I wanted to write more, but I was afraid that everyone would be waiting too anxiously, so I'll send these out first. There should be another chapter before evening.)

Even Xiu Gu was moved by it, almost urging the bronze giant to step into this oasis in a big step.

The steep mountain walls on both sides began to tremble.

But the only advantage they had as outsiders was that they could constantly restart. They could stand up wherever they fell.

Xiu Gu did not believe that the Travelers would negotiate with a human... Especially since what Yin Yun was trying to ask for this time was the most important ancient text of "portal" of this race.

Ever since he stepped into Saber Fortress and could no longer return, he had begun to worry about one thing. If the oasis was real, then the team would have completed its most primitive original intention!

"Swish la la..." Zhou Ji didn't walk very fast.

Xiu Gu sat with his legs wide open, resting his hands on his sword, and spoke hesitantly.

The expressions of the eight people were somewhat complicated. "Is there a problem?"

"Do they want a peaceful home?"

"They stay on the airship, one person is enough."

He looked back at the airship. The teacher was standing at the porthole, staring at him. He waved his hand and then said very softly, "A long time ago, Pluto and the Travelers made a deal. The Travelers used the lives of their people as a bargaining chip in exchange for Pluto's guidance."

It was blank, confused, and felt a strange sense of familiarity and submission welling up in its heart!

He said seriously, "But there is one very important thing that can be determined, that is, that the [Oasis] does indeed exist."