While they flew, Darian kept thinking about the vast amount of knowledge that had just been packed into his mind. Athven had sent him detailed information about the things that once existed in this place. That would be his biggest guide.

A few minutes later, Niara and Darian got closer to the center of the massive battlefield, where space itself kept twisting and warping nonstop.

Of course, this wasn't even 0.01% of the spatial calamity that sealed off the World of Life. Still, the violent tearing force was there—strong enough to rip through steel and kill anyone who wasn't paying attention.

"This is the power of nine-ring Spiritual Guardians... think we'll ever be strong enough to cause destruction like this?" Niara asked, taking a deep breath as she felt the intense spatial pressure.

She slowly walked into the battlefield. The spatial distortion intensified. Suddenly, the space next to her tore open abruptly, like a massive mouth trying to devour her.

She quickly flapped her wings, dodging and throwing herself to the side.

Both of them broke into a cold sweat. If they hadn't reacted in time and dodged purely on instinct, they would've been sliced in half easily.

Being in that place was like playing with death. Everything could seem fine one second, and in the next, a deadly blade would be at your throat.

Luckily, the other eight groups were entering through the outer edges, where the danger was much lower. But as they moved forward, things would definitely get worse. Still, since they'd have time to advance and get used to the danger, they'd probably be okay.

Niara kept walking deeper, slowly moving forward like someone wading through freezing water.

Since there were no living people with karma nearby, Darian couldn't feel the fluctuations that quickly with his rings. Thankfully, after traveling for a while, the two of them noticed a pattern—whenever a spatial rupture was about to form, the space around it would go completely still for a split second. Watching for that sign, they managed to dodge the rips effectively.

After three hours, they got through the unstable zone. What they found was a battlefield with cracked ground, soaked with the stench of blood.

Niara knelt beside a deep gash in the earth. She could still feel blood inside it. The liquid had already dried up, but the sensation was as vivid as if it had happened moments ago. The power and technique behind that slash were impressive.

"This wasn't done by anything ordinary... I feel a connection to my bloodline," Niara muttered thoughtfully.

Darian perked up. Then the weapon that did this must've been one of the primordial weapons, made from the Divine Dragon's body. Maybe they were close to finding it!

They kept moving forward.

Soon they found a mountain with a massive hole in it. Once they entered, it was clear it had been dug out recently. Not long after, they saw several other holes and overturned mountains. Judging by the state of the interiors, some looked ancient, but a lot were clearly recent.

"The good stuff's already being taken. Perfect. Saves us time. We just need to find them and take everything at once."

Darian said, and Niara smiled. There was no need to feel bad for the traitors. They were going to wipe out this entire place anyway, and they definitely wouldn't waste the resources those people so kindly gathered.

Moving on, they reached another unstable spatial zone. A huge abyss opened up ahead, and when they flew over it, they realized it was a giant footprint.

Just a single footprint, stretching hundreds of meters long. Most likely, it was the result of some kind of transformation blessing—like the ones Darian had seen before—but pushed to its absolute limit.

After crossing the abyss, a cold, damp breeze hit them. Niara spotted a river with water so blue and pure it looked like a mirage.

Darian felt a dense black karma nearby. It wasn't visible, but along the riverbanks in the distance, dozens of figures were carefully moving around.

They were Summoners and Spiritual Guardians, all with four rings. The lower-tier ones, with three or four rings, stayed far from the central battlefield, just searching for useful stuff or hunting sprouts.

Suddenly, one of the Summoners punched the river.

A wave of thick, corrupt power shot forward. The water's surface was pushed back, and inside that opening, there was a blue crystal the size of a fist. He quickly grabbed it.

"Yin Soul Crystals," Darian muttered to Niara, recognizing them from the info he'd received.

He immediately started evaluating everything he knew about the river and the crystals. In seconds, his eyes lit up. Those crystals were once used to craft extremely high-level anti-corruption pills. But that was just a side benefit of this magical river.

That was the legendary Yin Soul River. Its waters were made of the purest Yin. If any living creature entered, their Yang would be completely erased, killing them instantly. It was basically a river of deadly poison.

However, all the water was connected to a soul power deep within the earth. If someone tried to take the water out, it would instantly disconnect and turn into regular water. So as a treasure, it was useless.

But... the river still produced crystals. And beyond that, sometimes its soul energy flow would generate tiny spiritual life forms.

They were called Heavenly Elemental Spirits. They didn't have physical bodies, but they held a power that could slowly grow over time. Eventually, they could form solid bodies and live in the world as an elemental race. Or... they could be refined into an incredible treasure by others.

Niara approached the river and stopped near the edge. Darian focused, channeling his ring powers...

He easily sensed everything that existed around them. After a few minutes...

"Shit, there's nothing in a huge area. These people don't know how to be discreet—they just take everything they find without thinking twice…"

Darian muttered, then suddenly got an idea.

He asked Niara to calmly move along the riverbank while he focused on sensing the presence of others and analyzing their behavior. It didn't take long before he smiled to himself, realizing what was going on.

***

There were lots of people fishing for crystals in the river, but they were all really hoping to find something way rarer and more incredible. The real goal was to hunt down a legendary Heavenly Elemental Spirit.

To do that, Spiritual Guardians with water-based or Yin-aligned blessings used their senses, full of hope. The crystals were just a nice bonus.

One Summoner struck the river and gently pulled out another crystal. But then…

…as soon as he grabbed it, he suddenly noticed a pale, misty figure nearby.

"WHAT!?" The word slipped out hoarse, full of disbelief and pure excitement.

Without hesitating for even a second, the Spiritual Guardian unleashed the peak of his blessing. A colossal hand of ice plunged into the river.

The abrupt movement froze the whole crowd. Curious eyes turned toward him. What was going on? Did he find a huge stash of crystals?

The ice hand pulled back fast, and what it brought out turned the buzzing voices into shocked silence: a massive spiritual serpent, nearly fifty meters long, rose from the water—majestic and terrifying.

"What is that?!" the question came from a stunned 'fisherman' nearby, almost in a whisper.

The serpent, furious like a beast just awakened, let out a devastating roar. It wasn't just sound—it was pure soul power rippling out, making the space itself subtly vibrate.

"It really is a Heavenly Elemental Spirit!" someone shouted, voice thick with awe.

"HEAVENS, WHAT KIND OF POWER IS THAT?!" Another Summoner, closer to the river, dropped to his knees, clutching his head. "My soul… my soul!"

And he wasn't the only one. Over half the Summoners in a wide area staggered, their souls dangerously shaken. If that roar had been just a little stronger, it could've torn them apart from the inside.

The Spiritual Guardians were stunned and terrified. If the Summoners got seriously hurt, they were screwed. The goal was to find that creature... but this one was way too powerful. Getting hurt for nothing wasn't part of the plan.

"Run!" A command shout ripped through the collective daze—the first to react was already turning to flee.

"Idiot! Why would we run? That thing is priceless! We have to capture it!" another voice rang out, practically dripping with insane greed.

Even while trembling, many eyes burned with desire. That was a legendary being—something their leader would go insane for if they caught it. Which meant they'd be richly rewarded.

"NO!" Suddenly, a wretched scream rang out.

The Summoner who had brought the serpent to the surface was suddenly engulfed by an invisible wave of power. His eyes widened in horror as black lines started crawling across his body. The scream—pure desperation—came from his Spiritual Guardian.

But it was already too late.

The cold sensation of his soul being destroyed washed over everyone. The Summoner's body collapsed, lifeless, like a puppet with its strings cut. A second later, his Guardian shattered and vanished without a trace.

In just a few seconds, a strong, experienced duo was gone. The others were stunned… but strangely, also mesmerized.

The spirit serpent, looking bored now, started slipping back into the river. That's when another duo—a Summoner and their partner—made a move. A light arrow sliced through the air and struck it.

The attack enraged it. The serpent roared again, unleashing a wave of black power like missiles toward the duo.

Corrupt power? People stared in shock.

There was known corruption in specific areas of this world, so… it wasn't that surprising to think the creature had been born with that kind of power. Everyone understood that—but it didn't make them any less scared. This serpent was a powerful, powerful mutant.

"Everyone, don't be afraid! If we all attack from a distance, it won't be able to defend itself!" shouted the same Summoner who had launched the first arrow, now airborne, speaking with a cold calculation, "Heavenly Elemental Spirits are dumb. Their rage is like that of a beast—once provoked, they don't run!"

The duo moved fast, leaping through the air, dodging the serpent's brutal retaliation. The Summoner, bow in hand, fired off arrow after arrow made of light.

While the serpent chased them with blind fury, another duo struck. A flying lightning spear hit its spiritual body. The serpent roared again and turned on them instead, showing its irrational nature.

Seeing that the creature really was just that simple in its rage, everyone started to relax a little. They surrounded it, attacking cautiously and keeping their distance. At the same time, each group quietly sent out requests for backup.

They all knew there was no way they could subdue it alone. They just had to hold it there, keep it tangled up, until their leaders arrived to finish the job.

Which leader would arrive first? That would just come down to luck. The call had gone out, and before long, more and more Summoners and Spiritual Guardians were showing up, drawn by the chaos.

Meanwhile…

Niara, alone, was hiding on a nearby mountain. Barely holding in her laughter, she watched the ridiculous spectacle unfold before her eyes.

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