Chapter 7: Big Trouble (Part 1)

On the outskirts of the Hiling Principality, atop a desolate mountain, a group of people sat on a large animal skin mat. Li Ran’s group had finally gathered together again.
Guo Shier asked, “Brother Li Ran, are we going to the Wild Lands?”
Li Ran nodded slightly and said, “We’re in big trouble.”
Ezekiel held onto Meili tightly; from the moment they met, he never let go of her. He said, “What trouble could there be here? The people here are extremely weak—there’s no threat at all.”
Li Ran replied, “It’s not about the people here being weak. It’s that we can’t return the same way.”
What?
Everyone except Qi Wu Zhen was stunned. Guo Shier said, “You… do you mean we can’t go back? How… how is that possible? Don’t you have the ability to break through boundaries?” He felt nothing for this small world. If he could choose, he would rather live in the World of Spells than in this one.
Zhen Wu Ji, Goha, and Yao Zebusong all looked grim. Ezekiel and Meili, however, didn’t seem concerned. In fact, if they really couldn’t leave, they would be the worst off. Once they ran out of the meat from the abnormal talisman beasts they had collected, they would be done for. The food here wasn’t suitable for them, but they were carefree and hadn’t considered this issue at all.
Guo Shier asked, “Is that why you gathered us? So… have you already found a solution?”
Li Ran nodded. “Yes, and no. We’ve found a method that might work.”
Guo Shier suddenly understood, as did Zhen Wu Ji. He asked, “The Wild Lands?”
Li Ran said, “That’s right. The Wild Lands are somewhat similar to the secret realm of our small world, but also different. On the outskirts of the Wild Lands, both I and Xiao Zhenzhen sensed something unusual—that indicates we can leave forcefully, and quickly. We can’t stay in this world anymore… because we’re being eroded by it. Once that erosion reaches a certain level, it becomes dangerous.” He didn’t specify what kind of danger.
Guo Shier and the others’ hearts raced. They hadn’t sensed anything at all, as their strength was far below that of Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen. But they understood what he meant. In other words, the longer they stayed in this small world, the more dangerous it became, and by the time problems arose, it was often too late to fix them.

Qi Wuzhen said, “That’s why we’ve gathered everyone here—to head straight into the Barren Lands. There, we might have a chance to break through the spatial barriers. Even if we can’t return to the Spellcraft World, we can still move forward… toward the Star Sacrifice.”

Guo Shier was a bit panicked. He said, “But… but Uncle Eagle Demon and Uncle Luo are still on the Spellcraft Continent…”

Li Ran sighed. “If we can’t go back, you don’t need to be sad. After all, they’re still alive.”

Guo Shier let out a long sigh. He hadn’t expected such an outcome. It really seemed like there was no turning back. He couldn’t help but curse under his breath and said, “Alright, this is fate.” He had no choice but to accept it. He also understood that even if he couldn’t return, Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan would be fine. After all, they were both high-level altar professionals—top-tier figures wherever they went.

Zhen Wuji, Ge Ha, and Yao Zebusong looked even paler, not knowing what to say. They had even more things they couldn’t let go of.

After thinking for a moment, Guo Shier said, “Brother Li Ran, we still haven’t given up hope of returning to the Spellcraft Continent, right?”

Li Ran nodded. “Yes. I’m not sure. We must enter the Barren Lands… only then can I sense whether it’s possible to return or if we have to forge ahead directly. None of us know what lies ahead. Hehe, it depends on our luck. Maybe we’ll rush into the Greater World right away, or… we might get lost in the Small World forever until we die.”

Guo Shier gave a bitter smile. If he died in the Small World, he would never be able to return to the Greater World. He shuddered. Being trapped in the Small World for eternity was utterly despairing. He thought to himself, “It’s a shame about Uncle Eagle Demon and Uncle Luo… If only I had forced them to come here from the start. Sigh…”

Li Ran understood why Guo Shier was upset. He gently patted his shoulder and said, “For us… going to the Greater World is our greatest wish. But for Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan, it might not be. The first generation of souls are most adapted to their own world. It’s not necessarily a bad thing for them to stay.”

Guo Shier nodded. Among this group, only three people really wanted to leave—Li Ran, Qi Wuzhen, and himself. The others didn’t. Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan stayed because of their followers. Now that they hadn’t followed, there was no need for them to force themselves.

In fact, whether it’s the Eagle Demon or Luo Zhan, they’re not suited to leave the Spellworld. Once they leave, it’s impossible to return. Just like Guo Shier, he doesn’t want to live in the Spellworld and still wants to go back to his hometown, Earth, or even the larger world where his hometown is located.
Guo Shier asked, “Brother Li Ran, how much do you know about the Wild Lands?”
Li Ran replied, “We almost went in, but when we realized something was wrong, we notified you to gather together…”
Qi Wu Zhen said, “If we really went in, you’d be in trouble. We think… there’s a high chance we won’t be able to get out once we enter. If you don’t have the chance to enter and we can’t wait much longer, it’ll be awkward—should we leave or wait…”
Everyone listened with cold sweat breaking out. It was indeed terrifying. If Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen realized they couldn’t leave anymore, they wouldn’t be able to keep waiting, and then they’d have to abandon the others.
Guo Shier and everyone else understood that with just their strength, they couldn’t break through the space to leave. With their abilities, they couldn’t create a ritual artifact similar to one that could break through boundaries, so they’d truly be trapped in this small world.
Halechi whispered, “It’s fucking scary.”
Aizek raised his head and said, “Damn it!”
Halechi looked at Aizek speechlessly. Could this guy even speak? He said, “About the Wild Lands… we inquired a bit. It’s said to be extremely dangerous. It seems that the most powerful experts here end up going there in the end.”
Li Ran said, “Yeah, that’s right. We encountered a few local experts at the edge. They were quite strong, but… each of them was crazy, attacking us for no reason.”
The fact that Li Ran called them strong meant that the king-level experts here were extremely powerful. Guo Shier asked, “How do their king-level experts, the ninth-level Barbaric Spirit experts, compare to us?” He needed a reference so as not to be at a disadvantage later.
Qi Wu Zhen said, “They’re quite strong, but still a bit behind you. It’s roughly equivalent to the strength of professionals at the seventh-tier altar on our Spellcontinent. Of course, it’s possible there are especially powerful Barbaric Spirit experts who might reach the strength of an eighth-tier altar—well, roughly on par with Halechi.”

Halechi became depressed upon hearing this. He was currently the weakest, and although he didn’t lack materials, he was stuck at the bottleneck of advancing. He had even constructed a nine-layer altar, but this world was different from the world of spells. If he forced himself to advance here, he might become a powerful expert in this world, but he would also be eroded by its forces, and by then, he would never be able to leave.

With the forces of two small worlds mixed together, his power system would completely change, which would be extremely disadvantageous for him. Even if he tried to leave this small world, his vitality would gradually weaken until he died, and it would happen very quickly. This was also why Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen were eager to leave.

After hearing Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen’s explanation, everyone was in a mess, not expecting the small worlds to be so complex. According to Guo Shier, it was like a person accustomed to living on land suddenly having to live in the sea. Such a person might survive in the water for a while, but definitely not for long.

Yao Zebusong said, “We’d better head to the Barren Lands as soon as possible. After what you’ve told us… I’m feeling uneasy.”

Ge Ha nodded and said with a bitter smile, “I hope we can still return to our hometown.”

Zhen Wuji sighed, “Sigh, the chance of going home… is only half. It depends on our luck.”

Guo Shier said, “Let’s go.”

Li Ran stood up and said, “The Barren Lands aren’t far from here. There are two layers of barriers in total. Hehe, at first we thought we had entered the Barren Lands, but it turns out we’re only in the outskirts. To reach the core area, we must use a barrier-breaking technique. The first layer is easy to enter—using our own strength to tear through space will do, but we need to get close to that area. That’s also what makes the Barren Lands so peculiar.”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “There are numerous ruins there, likely left from ancient times in this world. In that layer of the world, as long as one has enough strength, they can enter and exit at will. If not, they can’t get in or out. It’s probably the origin of this world’s forces. You need to be careful using your strength there—the forces are very strange. If we hadn’t gone in, we wouldn’t have realized that this world’s forces can erode us.”

Li Ran said, “Mm, try not to use the altar. Our strength is sufficient in this world. Hehe, we’re quite lucky. If we had gone to a world with extremely strong forces, using the altar too often would inevitably lead to being eroded by those forces. Only by leaving quickly can we escape this entanglement.”

After being reminded by the two elders, everyone understood a lot. In short, if someone from one small world enters another, they should try to minimize their stay there—either move forward or return to their original world. Once they leave their original world, they must press on bravely; it’s a one-way path.
Guo Shier muttered, “Sigh, I’m not ready yet… I can never go back.”
The handsome old man said from the altar, “I have to admit you’re quite farsighted… Otherwise, you’d be in trouble.”
Guo Shier asked confusedly, “What do you mean?”
The handsome old man replied, “If you hadn’t frantically collected materials, you’d be in a very difficult situation. You see… your profession requires a large amount of material, and it must be from the world of spells. I don’t think you can find such things in another world. Hehe, I guess those guys like Zhen Wuji Ge Ha will be crying now, haha.” He seemed to take pleasure in their misfortune.