Chapter 2: Rocky Beach (Part 1)

Rocky Beach is located in the middle section to the west of the Karabaza Trail, east of Wusao Ridge. It is the confluence of Nine Streams and Eighteen Gullies. Over an area of dozens of kilometers, Rocky Beach has an extremely complex terrain. Although one won’t get trapped there, it’s easy to get lost while walking among the rocks. One must climb onto huge stones to find a way out.

Beneath the rocks of Rocky Beach are streams from various places, making it the convergence point of Nine Streams and Eighteen Gullies. There is also a small swamp in this area, with only two paths leading to Rocky Beach.

Guo Shier and the others stood outside Rocky Beach. There were no scouts or bandit sentries here either; everything was silent. Ezekiel sniffed the air slightly and said, “Blood smell…” He then added with a smile, “It’s probably similar to Wusao Ridge. There are dead people here…”

Yadelan’s face turned pale. Essen smiled bitterly, De Da was terrified, and Wu Si murmured, “Something huge has changed… Something huge has happened…”

Guo Shier said, “Whether it’s a big change or a small one, let’s go in! Wu Si, do you know the way? Lead the way!”

Wu Si nodded vigorously. He had spent a few months in the Rocky Beach camp, so he was certainly familiar with the paths there.

A moment later, the team entered the Rocky Beach camp. It was a small camp with over twenty wooden houses, but they were all burned to pieces. In the center of the camp lay a pile of corpses, about twenty in number, turning the ground dark brown. Guo Shier knew those were dried bloodstains, with swarms of mosquitoes and flies buzzing around.

Guo Shier shook his head and said, “I don’t know who did this… These bastards didn’t even bury the bodies. It stinks terrible.”

Wu Si suddenly cried out, “Karabusha… That’s Karabusha’s head!”

Guo Shier asked in surprise, “Who is Karabusha?”

Wu Si replied, “He’s the leader of the Rocky Beach camp, the great leader.”

Yadelan was also shocked, “Karabusha? That most tyrannical Karabusha? He’s actually dead…”

Wu Si explained, “Karabusha was very famous in this area. He was a powerful and cruel man. Anyone who crossed him would face a deadly struggle. Who would have thought he’d be killed and have his head cut off?” He pointed at the head on the ground.

It belonged to a burly man, one leg kneeling, the other bent, both hands gripping a broken sword stuck in the ground. His body was upright, with his shoulders bare, while his head lay not far away. Even though his head had been cut off, the aura of anger and cruelty remained strong, especially in those wide-open eyes.

Guo Shier said, “I don’t know who did this. It’s made this guy die with unfinished business.”
Yadelan smiled bitterly. “The one who killed Karabusha must be extremely powerful. Karabusha was far stronger than me.” She remembered how helpless she was in Ezekiel’s hands—had he not been careless, she would never have been able to strike him. Perhaps Ezekiel’s strength could compare to that of the person who killed Karabusha.
Guo Shier said, “Regardless of who killed him, let’s search this place first.” He knew some powerful figure must be here. Of course, it didn’t matter to him. In terms of strength, he believed few experts could threaten him, especially with Ezekiel, that twisted humanoid abomination, by his side. Everyone except Ezekiel joined the search, including Guo Shier, who searched through the ashes. He used soul waves to investigate—by emitting soul waves and analyzing the feedback, he could form certain information in his soul, similar to the ultrasonic waves emitted by bats, but far more powerful.
Guo Shier hadn’t found anything yet. This place was different from the Talisman Continent, where most things carried traces of talismans. Here, there was not a hint of talismanic properties. So, before fully understanding this world, he needed to carefully discern the information returned by the soul waves, which slowed down the search.
After checking two burned-down houses with nothing found, Guo Shier sighed and stepped outside. Soon, the team members returned and reported no remaining valuables.
Guo Shier knew the valuables here had also been looted. He said, “Alright, assign someone to cook and set up tents. Wait for the other teams to return.” He went to the edge of the camp, found a relatively flat area, and casually threw out a Hidden Talisman House. With a soft sound, a beautiful two-story building appeared in the open space.
Yadelan had been following Guo Shier closely. She feared Ezekiel the most, worried that he might go mad, so she refused to leave his side even for a moment. She saw Guo Shier wave his hand, and immediately a two-story building appeared before her—beautiful and unlike any building she had ever seen.
“I…”
Hearing Yadelan say “I,” Guo Shier turned around. He saw her opening her mouth slightly, one hand unconsciously imitating his waving motion. Amused, he said, “Yadelan, waving like that is useless.”

Yadelan’s face turned red instantly. Essen, De Da, Wu Si, and the others who noticed the people appearing in the small building also stood there in shock, unable to figure out how that building had appeared.

Guo Shier said, “I’m going back to my room to rest. You all go back and rest as well. Remember, assign someone to keep watch.”

Ezek entered the small building silently, while Guo Shier went up to the second floor. Seeing Ezek go in, Yadelan immediately turned and left, and the others didn’t dare enter either.

Upon reaching the second floor, Guo Shier lay down. It was his place for rest and cultivation, with no special furnishings—only thick animal skin carpets, a few large cushions, and bedding. He fell asleep right away. The past period had been tough, and although he was strong, a good sleep was beneficial for both his soul and body.

Half a day later, Guo Shier woke up. He summoned the altar and asked, “Elder Shuai, how’s the research on Sky Blue Gold progressing?”

Elder Shuai appeared and said, “I’ve purified it and tried using it to hold runes. Hehe, the results are quite good. This Sky Blue Gold can carry the power of runes. Take a look at this piece.” Saying that, he took out a piece of Sky Blue Gold.

It was a small metal plate, extremely thin, with a beautiful sky blue color that shone with a metallic luster. Moving runes could be seen on its surface. Guo Shier exclaimed in surprise, “It’s well integrated… not inferior to the metals from the Spellcraft Continent.”

Elder Shuai smiled and said, “It’s even more suitable for holding runes than some metals from the Spellcraft Continent. I didn’t expect this—meaning the metals in this world don’t conflict with runes.”

Leaning back on the large cushions, Guo Shier played with the Sky Blue Gold in his hand and asked, “Do you have any idea about how to use it specifically?”

Elder Shuai replied, “It can be used in many places, including sacrificial treasures and altars. I haven’t tested it yet. I need time. Well, if you get the chance, collect more of this metal here.”

Guo Shier said, “I collected some local weapons last time…” Those weapons were also made of metal, but everyone knew they were ordinary metal.

Elder Shuai said, “I’ve tried them. After purifying them, they can also hold runes, but their quality is too poor. They can only hold ordinary runes. If it’s an ancient rune… the metal will collapse immediately.”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Interesting. This is similar to the Spellcraft World.”

Even in the World of Spells, not all materials can bear ancient runes, and there are many types of runes. There are fixed runes, which are the simplest—created by carving, and once carved successfully, the runes remain fixed in the carved patterns. These runes are the most commonly used. Advanced runes are those formed from condensed souls, carrying a strong personal flavor. These runes can vary in size and move freely within high-quality materials, which is key to endowing materials with a spell’s soul. If ancient runes are used, even higher standards are required for the materials, and altars and sacrificial objects are mostly crafted in this way. The fact that sky-blue gold could bear advanced runes surprised Guo Shier, meaning the materials collected here were useful. Guo Shier didn’t know how large this world was, but he knew it was a small world similar to the World of Spells and should have many unique items. As long as most of these items could bear spells, he would have many choices, as each material had its own characteristics—though he hadn’t yet discovered them all. The more materials there were, the more choices there would be, and Guo Shier was well aware of this. At his level, he needed to explore and experiment on his own. He was already a peak-level professional, and this was a step he had to take. The handsome old man said, “This is a good start. Try to collect as many materials as possible. I guess… your elder brother will discover this secret soon too.” Guo Shier asked, “Handsome old man, is it possible to create an altar that surpasses the ninth level?” Though he didn’t expect to actually reach that level, he couldn’t help asking. This altar was essentially created by the handsome old man, who was the biggest beneficiary. When it came to knowledge about altars, he knew less than the handsome old man. The handsome old man shook his head. “I have no idea. Although they gave you some inheritance, and you passed it on to me, I… don’t know where to start. You know… there’s too much randomness involved; we can’t just copy it.” Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen had both passed on their knowledge to Guo Shier, hoping he would succeed in creating such an altar. If he could reach the level beyond the ninth layer, his chances of entering the greater world would increase significantly. But after studying it, Guo Shier found it extremely difficult and passed it back to the handsome old man to give him time to think it over. It would be great if it worked, but it wouldn’t matter if it didn’t. Guo Shier wasn’t disappointed. He had known it wouldn’t be easy. “Hmm, I’ll try to collect various materials. I’ll rely on you from now on.”

The handsome old man waved his hand and said, “It’s fine. I’m going back to the altar; there’s still a ton of work waiting for me.” He was extremely busy every day, and Guo Shier admired him greatly. Since he was in a spiritual state, he didn’t need to rest at all. After some of his spirit was consumed, he quickly replenished it with soul beads and then refined it using the fluctuations of spiritual scriptures.

Guo Shier pondered for a moment. Entering the Superimposed Continent this time and accidentally arriving in another small world was a test as well as an opportunity, both for Li Ran and his group and for Guo Shier himself. It was the first time he had traveled from the Spell Continent to another small world, making it an excellent chance to test the Spell Altar. With good luck, further advancement might even be possible.