Qing Yao and Sheng Tianyi, along with Chen Tian, were seated. Qing Yao’s gaze was fierce as he said, “Chen Tian, can we finally annihilate the Cold Shadow Sect? For revenge, for our fallen disciples.”
“Yes, Chen Tian, this vengeance must be taken. Otherwise, I cannot sleep or eat in peace. The lives of three thousand disciples cannot just be forgotten.”
“While they may have been disciples of average talent, they still joined our Divine Spirit Sect, and we must seek justice for them.”
Sheng Tianyi waved his arm, his expression full of righteous indignation. Chen Tian nodded silently and then spoke, “You two go ahead! With your current strength, annihilating the Cold Shadow Sect will be effortless. I don’t need to make a personal appearance; I have something to attend to and will be away for a while.”
Qing Yao and Sheng Tianyi both nodded. They knew what Chen Tian intended to do and did not object. Three days had passed since Sheng Tianyi began adapting to the demon race aura. During these three days, Chen Tian had given Qing Yao and Sheng Tianyi each a chip. Qing Yao and Sheng Tianyi were still novices in the game, so Chen Tian was not in a hurry, letting them play at their own pace.
Once the matter with the Cold Shadow Sect was resolved, Qing Yao and Sheng Tianyi would enter the Era of Time and Space to help Chen Tian save the world. Chen Tian’s game character had been fully restored by the system over these three days, and now he was just waiting for his consciousness to return. The system had also begun to urge him. The annihilation of the Cold Shadow Sect did not require Chen Tian’s intervention; Qing Yao and Sheng Tianyi were more than capable. Even if the enemy had backup, they would be no match for the two of them.
Chen Tian’s figure dissolved into a faint stream of light and vanished. In the Abyss of Despair, Chen Tian’s eyes opened. He raised his arm, which was exactly as it had been before. Chen Tian moved his body; there was no difference from before, and he quickly adapted.
“Now, the second layer is completely restored to its original state. I can proceed to the fourth layer. However, I still need to bring the Snowfield Dragon along for the third layer.”
Chen Tian stepped forward, and a spatial vortex appeared. He stepped into it, and his figure disappeared as the space closed behind him.
No one knew that there were living people within the Abyss of Despair, let alone players who could walk out alive.
The third layer world, the Mechanical World, at Mechanica City. Light flickered on the teleportation gate, and Chen Tian stepped out of the light. He brought up his interface, and mission rewards popped up. Chen Tian was overjoyed; the tasks for the Lord of Seasons had been settled. Chen Tian needed to hurry to the fourth layer world. His character had already reached the level cap and needed to complete a breakthrough mission to unlock it. His level had been suppressed from Level 99 White Blaze to Level 30 White Blaze, which was unbearable. The level cap in the fourth layer was raised to Level 78 White Blaze. The Snowfield Dragon should have explored most of the areas in the third layer by now, and he didn’t need to waste any more time there.
Chen Tian brought up an interface and clicked on it, waiting quietly. A beam of light descended from the sky, and the Snowfield Dragon appeared before Chen Tian. The Snowfield Dragon spoke, “Chen Tian, I’ve basically gone through the entire third layer. All the materials are here. Oh, and this too.”
“I found this in a ruin. It’s not a material item, but I feel it’s extraordinary. I just don’t know what its purpose is.”
After speaking, the Snowfield Dragon produced a drop of blue water. Chen Tian’s eyes showed a strange expression. The water droplet floated in the Snowfield Dragon’s palm, showing no signs of dissipating. There seemed to be a peculiar energy emanating from the blue droplet, making Chen Tian feel comfortable.
Chen Tian took the droplet. He opened his Divine Eye, but the information could not be displayed.
“System, what’s going on?”
“Ding! This item is a quest item. Your current level is insufficient to probe its information, and you cannot trigger the quest.”
“What kind of quest is this, that it makes you say such a thing?”
Chen Tian’s curiosity was piqued. For the system to say something like that, this quest must be extraordinary. However, the system’s next words poured cold water on his enthusiasm: “You will know when you reach the thirty-fifth layer world. To be frank, you are still too weak.”
“Ugh!!!”
Chen Tian was speechless. Indeed, the thirty-fifth layer world was no longer a world for ordinary players. Beyond the thirtieth layer, the maps were primarily dominated by monster NPCs, with very few players. The experience required for players to enter the thirtieth layer world was several hundred million times more than it was now. Moreover, the higher the world, the greater the willpower of the monster NPCs.
Ordinary players would not survive in high-level worlds; it would be a dead end.
Chen Tian put away the droplet. He extended his arm, and mechanical gears rotated within his eyes. To his right, a vortex of mechanical gears materialized, and the Snowfield Dragon turned into a beam of light and entered the vortex.
Chen Tian recalled it into his space. Chen Tian planned to enhance the Snowfield Dragon’s strength in the fourth layer world with the materials it had acquired.
Stepping onto the teleportation array, Mechanica City was the direct portal to the fourth layer world. A beam of light shot straight into the sky, and Chen Tian ascended with it.
The fourth layer was surrounded by the ocean. The sea was calm, and under the moonlight, the moon was reflected. There was no land in sight. In the underwater world, countless cities and buildings were situated beneath the sea. At Seawater City, a teleportation array appeared. Chen Tian emerged from it and looked up at the endless blue ocean, which was even more beautiful under the moonlight.
The seawater was incredibly clear. Chen Tian’s Divine Eye opened slightly, revealing that the entire city was enveloped by a barrier, preventing the seawater from entering. Chen Tian couldn’t help but marvel at the city’s construction beneath the ocean.
The first layer was a mountain village, the second a world of seasons, the third a mechanical world, and the fourth an underwater world. It was truly one map, one world, without repetition.
Ninety-nine layers of worlds, or rather, ninety-nine worlds. It was so rich and varied. He truly wondered what his parents were thinking when they created so many worlds.
Although these worlds were formed from fragments of the Divine Realm, once they were fused, the four layers of worlds might not even cover a corner of the original realm.
“Never mind, I’ll go to the Adventurer’s Guild, complete the breakthrough mission, explore this world, and then head to the fifth layer world.”
Chen Tian spoke softly and walked towards the Adventurer’s Guild.
At the Adventurer’s Guild, Chen Tian’s profile was that of a recluse. He was always treated as an adventurer-mode player, so accepting a breakthrough mission at the Adventurer’s Guild was not difficult.
After filling out the information, he was received by a young man, an NPC named Shi Long. Shi Long made a few operations on his interface, and Chen Tian’s panel popped up.
“Level Breakthrough Mission: Find the Seven Ancient Ocean Hearts. Mission Duration: One Month. Mission Reward: Level +1, 100,000 White Points, Level Cap Increased to Level 78 White Blaze.”
“Sub-Profession Level Breakthrough Mission: Protect the Ocean Palace. Mission Reward: Dual Profession Increased by Five Levels, Sub-Profession Level Cap Increased to Level 70 White Blaze.”
Generally, players at this stage needed to complete two breakthrough missions: one for character level and one for profession breakthrough. Dual professions were subject to limitations; only by completing the missions could the sub-profession level catch up.
Otherwise, the sub-profession would be stuck at its cap and would not increase. For example, if Chen Tian’s sub-profession level was Level 99 White Blaze, and he entered the fifth layer without completing the profession breakthrough mission, his sub-profession would remain at Level 99 White Blaze, while his main profession could have its cap increased.
Chen Tian accepted both missions. He decided to tackle the main profession mission first. The first mission had a time limit of one month, requiring seven Ocean Hearts. Chen Tian didn’t know where to start searching; there were no clue prompts, which was frustrating.
There were absolutely no hints for this information. Was he supposed to search blindly?
“Oh well, I’ll take it one step at a time!”
Chen Tian left the Adventurer’s Guild. He needed to purchase some information about the fourth layer world first. This was his first time entering this world, and who knew what its rules were? He didn’t want to be blindsided.
Chen Tian went to a shop and bought a copy of the data for the fourth layer world. He wasn’t lacking in Era Coins at the moment; completing missions and defeating powerful bosses had earned him more Era Coins than many veteran players.
After reading the information about the underwater world, Chen Tian frowned and asked the shopkeeper, “Boss, do you sell Ocean Tears here?”
“Sorry, young man. The Ocean Tears were sold out today. You might have to wait until tomorrow. Please come back then.”
Chen Tian fell into thought. The fourth layer world was an underwater world. To leave the city, one needed to purchase an Ocean Tear, because the pressure in the underwater world was hundreds of times greater than on land. Furthermore, they were at a depth of thirty thousand meters underwater, and the ocean pressure was unimaginably immense.
With an Ocean Tear, players could ignore the ocean pressure and move freely. However, an Ocean Tear only lasted for three days. If the player did not return within three days, they would be crushed by the ocean pressure and die. Upon revival, they would lose levels, a full thirty levels.
Players dared not delay. Without an Ocean Tear, they wouldn’t dare leave the city. This was also why there was a constant influx of players into Seawater City.
The fourth layer world had more restrictions, but the treasures, experience, and missions were correspondingly increased. Players couldn’t possibly miss out on this world. Returning to the lower worlds.
Wasn’t it better to develop slowly here?
The higher the world, the greater the benefits. No one wanted to miss out.
Chen Tian looked out at the barrier and the surging ocean. He mentally asked the system, ‘System, can I leave without an Ocean Tear?’
“Responding to host, this is currently the game mode system. You must follow the game’s settings. If you step out of this city, you will die the next second. However, you will not lose any levels. This system also does not know why?”
“Nonsense, others lose levels upon revival, but I lose lifespan. How many lives do I have to squander in this game?”
“Host’s current lifespan is: One thousand years!”
“This system has calculated this based on your original constitution and soul.”
Chen Tian ended the conversation. He had searched all the shops in the city, but not a single Ocean Tear was available; they were all sold out.
Chen Tian dared not walk out on his own. He had to follow the game’s settings and rules. This was so annoying!