Chapter 10: The Gumi Continent (Part 1)

Guo Shier asked, “How many groups in total?” He began to feel uneasy. No wonder the old hero was willing to take risks to raise his career level—it seemed the Gumi Continent wasn’t easy to navigate.
Wan Ruoyu smiled and said, “There are only two groups. With so many altar-level experts, if there were more… the Gumi Family would probably go bankrupt. The hiring fees they pay are terrifying.”
Luo Jie asked, “When do we set off?”
Wan Ruoyu replied, “Wait a moment, I’ll go check.” With that, she flew away.
Guo Shier said doubtfully, “Master, I feel uneasy… Um, do you guys feel the same?”
Luo Jie shook his head. “I don’t feel anything. Hehe, all I feel now is excitement and enthusiasm!” He was determined to enter the Gumi Continent and didn’t care about anything else.
The others also shook their heads. Qi Nanshan said with a smile, “Don’t overthink it. The Gumi Family can’t possibly detect us. Even if they did, by then we’ll already be on the Gumi Continent. Who will care about them then?”
Guo Shier said, “It’s better to be cautious. Everyone should keep their altars above their heads so they can defend themselves at any time and avoid being caught off guard.”
Luo Jie, knowing Guo Shier was always careful, nodded. “Okay, let’s quietly deploy the altars.” With their black hooded cloaks covering them, outsiders couldn’t tell they had deployed the altars.
A moment later, Wan Ruoyu returned. She said, “There’s no problem. We’ll leave soon. The teleportation array is already activating. Since the distance is far, it takes some time to activate. You can go up now. I wish you all a safe journey. Also, after completing the mission, you can come back for new tasks. I promise to give you the best rewards.”
Guo Shier couldn’t help but smile. Even an altar-level expert still remembered to promote the hiring association. He said, “Thank you… Goodbye.”
Wan Ruoyu waved goodbye with a smile. She couldn’t imagine what these people would do once they reached the Gumi Continent and was happily thinking about her own rewards.
Guo Shier and the other five quickly mixed into the crowd, waiting quietly for the portal to open.
The people around them formed small groups, chatting together. Only Guo Shier and his group remained silent. Coupled with their black hooded cloaks, they appeared even more mysterious, so no one approached them to talk.
Soon, a dazzling portal light flashed, and a faint figure gradually solidified. Someone said, “The portal is open.”

Groups of people began to enter the talisman gate. Guo Shier waited for a while; seeing that about half of them had gone in, he said, “Let’s go in!” Then he took off into the air. The others followed, quickly rushing through the talisman gate.

This teleportation took longer this time, and Guo Shier could sense the changes occurring, marveling inwardly. After advancing to the fourth-tier altar, his soul had grown to an unimaginable extent, allowing him to clearly perceive certain spatial changes. He didn’t know how to describe them, so he simply remembered them silently.

In a blur, Guo Shier had already stepped out of the talisman gate.

Soon, Luo Jie and the others also emerged. The six of them blended into the crowd without standing out. As they walked outward, they took in the core continent where the Gu Mi family resided.

Guo Shier noticed that these large teleportation talisman arrays were mostly similar—tall talisman pillars stood on vast platforms, covered in countless runes that glowed faintly. Numerous professionals gathered around the platforms, looking tense and vigilant.

Luo Jie narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly, “Something feels off. There’s… a strange sensation.”

Guo Shier replied, “Hmm, like facing a great enemy… But who is it targeting?”

Qi Nanshan asked, “Could it be us?”

Guo Shier said, “Let’s slow down and watch those in front. I don’t like this. Everyone, be ready to fight at any moment.” He habitually gave orders.

Luo Jie said, “Follow Shier’s lead… Get ready to fight!”

Qi Nanshan observed carefully and suddenly whispered, “Damn it, there’s a trap ahead! Prepare to rush left!”

Guo Shier also noticed something strange. Not far ahead was a sealing talisman array. Once entered, even altar-level professionals would be trapped, their strength reduced by at least half. An altar-level professional shouted, “What the hell is this? I was hired by you, not to get searched!”

In an instant, hundreds of altar-level experts flew up around the platform. Each sat on an altar, controlling their sacred treasures, staring fiercely at the group that had just come out of the talisman gate. Someone shouted, “We suspect there are enemies among you. Please enter the sealing array for inspection. Don’t worry… we won’t wrong anyone! It’s just a routine check!”

There was about a few hundred meters from the talisman gate to the sealing array, and Guo Shier’s group had only covered half of the distance. Nan You said nervously, “Have we been discovered?”

Guo Shier also felt a bit nervous. This was the territory of the Gu Mi family. If they were prepared, then the Sealing Array wouldn’t be the only tactic—there might be other traps as well. He kept looking around, trying to spot anything amiss, but there was no time left. He asked, “Master, shall we fight?”
Luo Jie sneered and said, “Then let’s start killing. Hehe, since we’ve already arrived on the Gu Mi Continent, there’s no need to hide anything!” He abruptly tore off his black cloak, and the altar instantly grew massive. He sat cross-legged atop it. At the same time, Guo Shier and the others also unleashed their altars.
Chaos ensued. Everyone knew that once an altar was unleashed, it meant battle was imminent. What terrified all the professionals was Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan—both were Soul Altars, one with seven layers and the other with six, both burning with fierce black flames. Without special skills to protect against such flames, any altar-level professional would find them terrifying.
Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan charged toward the left, with Guo Shier and the other four following closely behind. With so many advanced professionals around, Guo Shier asked the old man to raise the Umbrella Tower Sacrificial Treasure, a sixth-grade artifact capable of protecting Guo Shier’s altar. Then, countless tentacles extended from the base of the altar. Gu Xi Bi not only had strong offensive capabilities but also formidable defensive abilities.
A fierce battle soon broke out.
It seemed the Gu Mi family had been preparing in advance. A large number of Virtual Form Altars and single-layer Solid Form Altar professionals formed neat battle formations and launched coordinated attacks. Such attacks, involving dozens or even hundreds of people, were extremely powerful. Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan were the first to bear the brunt.
Luo Jie shouted, “Nanshan!”
Qi Nanshan roared in response, “Alright!”
The two launched an attack in perfect coordination. Two black flames transformed into two black fire dragons, which quickly merged and charged forward with roars.
Guo Shier and his group also had a practiced formation. Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan advanced side by side, with Guo Shier not far behind them, forming an inverted triangle. Behind Guo Shier was Eagle Demon, who sat on the altar with his back to him, responsible for defense at the rear. To Guo Shier’s left was Nan You, and to his right was Luo Zhan.
It was a plum blossom-shaped formation, with Guo Shier at the center. It wasn’t because he was the strongest, but because he had Gu Xi Bi’s tentacles, which could block threats coming from beneath the others’ altars. Gu Xi Bi’s tentacle defense was even stronger than that of many altars.
The two fire dragons entwined and charged at each other’s attacks with roars.

Boom! A thunderous explosion, like a bolt of lightning, sent countless saints and grand saints tumbling to the ground. The black fire dragon transformed into countless flames that sprayed in all directions, triggering screams everywhere.

The real threat posed by the Black Sigil People wasn’t their fierce attacks but the monstrous Soul Fire. Even a slight touch of it, without special countermeasures, would turn even an altar-level expert into ashes.

At this point, professionals at the Virtual Altar level and those at the first layer of the Physical Altar level were nothing but cannon fodder, while the saints and grand saints weren’t even considered cannon fodder. Anyone touched by those flying flames met one fate—death! There was no chance for the saints and grand saints.

In an instant, thousands of saints and grand saints were reduced to torches. Some people shouted frantically, urging those saints and grand saints to retreat. They were the backbone of their families, and losing too many of them would be unbearable for any family.

“Soul Sacrifice!”

Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan roared simultaneously. They cast countless spells, and layers of flames emerged from the altar, spreading outward like blooming petals. Guo Shier followed behind, his heart pounding wildly—this attack was truly astonishing.

The enemy formation had completely disintegrated. As the Soul Fire spread, those altar-level experts also began to take cover. Everyone knew how deadly the Soul Fire was, and no one dared ignore those flying flames. Just then, Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan launched their second wave of attacks.

Guo Shier suddenly noticed the sigil pillars on the platform starting to flicker. He shouted, “Slash!” The Moon Blade whistled as it struck a nearby sigil pillar. Eagle Demon called out from behind, “What’s wrong?” But he quickly reacted, using his life treasure to strike another sigil pillar while shouting, “Attack the sigil pillars!”

The Moon Blade turned into a golden-red beam, sweeping across one sigil pillar in an instant, as if cutting through tofu. It then swept across another pillar—crack! Crack! With two loud noises, some professionals standing near the pillars cursed and fled. Soon, the two pillars slowly tilted and collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Chaos reigned at the scene. Guo Shier and the other five moved swiftly. After two waves of attacks, they rushed off the teleportation array platform. Guo Shier felt light-hearted, though his back was drenched in cold sweat. He secretly rejoiced that he had reacted quickly; otherwise, things would have been terrible. Once inside a sealed array, it would be hard to escape.

Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan launched simultaneous attacks, clearing a path. Any professionals in their way were swept away.

Guo Shier shouted, “It’s not safe to stay long. There are too many of them. Let’s leave this place…”