Chapter 1: Trapped and Killed (Part 1)

After killing Mizelan, Guo Shier also couldn’t continue fighting. The power of this world began to erode his soul, so he immediately descended, found a place to sit down, and began silently reciting scriptures to drive away that strange force.
The battle ended quickly, but everyone felt extremely exhausted. The people here were strong, and coupled with the pressure from the local forces, although they won the fight, they suffered heavy losses. Without the soul scriptures to purify their souls and expel the power of this world, even if they had won, it would have been a loss.
Li Ran landed and said, “A few escaped; the rest are dead.”
Yahemei and Duoe managed to flee—thanks to Wuweike sacrificing his life for them. Only five of them escaped, all of them severely injured.
Li Ran and the others immediately sat down and began reciting scriptures. It took them half a day to drive away that strange force from their souls. Guo Shier sighed deeply and said, “Fighting here… there are too many restrictions. I wonder if we’ll face similar problems in other worlds.”
Halechi, covered in wounds, took several talisman pills and sat behind Guo Shier, using Guo Shier’s soul fluctuations to purify his own soul. Hearing this, he said, “Sigh… if I can’t return to the World of Talismans, I’ll never be able to advance to the ninth-tier altar. Damn it… my situation is terrible!”
Guo Shier replied, “It doesn’t matter where we go, as long as we can get out alive.” Reaching this point was beyond everyone’s expectations. No one had anticipated that this expedition would only lead them outward, with no way back to their original world. His sense of helplessness and disappointment was even greater than Halechi’s. If he had known earlier, he would have taken Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan with him. With this separation, it seemed they might never see each other again.
Fortunately, the Old Marshal was still at the altar. If they lost the Old Marshal too, Guo Shier would be even more heartbroken.
Li Ran stood up and said, “Let’s go!” Half a day was enough for them to recover. After Yahemei fled, he didn’t send any experts back to attack them. Apparently, he understood how powerful these people were. Without finding stronger allies, he wouldn’t dare to provoke them again.
Qi Wuzhen said, “We need to leave this world as soon as possible… If the power of this world invades the altar again, it might be hard to drive it out even with soul fluctuations.”
Li Ran replied, “Mm, I feel the same way. If it invades again… it might be difficult to leave this world.”

Hearing the two elders speak like that, everyone grew nervous. Guo Shier said, “So… we can’t fight anymore? What if they come to bother us again?”
Qi Wu Zhen shook his head and said, “That’s why we need to hurry.”
Li Ran activated Break the Boundary, carrying everyone forward while continuously casting spells to detect weak points. He said, “If all else fails, we can destroy a small secret realm to force a passage… Hehe, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
Although they had won the previous battle decisively, everyone was still uneasy. If another group of experts appeared, they wouldn’t be able to use an altar to fight as before, which would reduce their combat strength by at least one-third—a situation they couldn’t bear.
Soon, they arrived at a huge mountain. Break the Boundary emitted a faint glow, and Li Ran was pleased. He said, “It’s here… right here!”
Guo Shier pointed at the mountain and exclaimed in surprise, “You mean inside the mountain?”
Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen nodded together. Li Ran said, “This time, I’ll use Break the Boundary. If I can’t create enough passage, I’ll destroy a small secret realm. Everyone must move quickly without hesitation. This time… we must leave no matter what. Staying any longer poses too great a risk.”
Seeing Li Ran’s rare seriousness, everyone knew it was a critical situation. Guo Shier said, “Don’t worry, we won’t mess up.”
Qi Wu Zhen smiled and said, “There’s nothing we can do if we mess up. By then, whoever makes a mistake just has to accept it. No one will be able to rescue them. Well, maybe this place will become their grave.”
Halechi said, “Don’t worry, I’ll stay close.” Knowing his strength was the weakest, he realized he was likely to cause problems, so he immediately assured them he wouldn’t be careless.
Li Ran nodded and said, “Good. Hehe, this mountain can’t be saved…” With that, he gently tapped Break the Boundary, causing the sacrificial treasure to emit a brilliant, dazzling light. Qi Wu Zhen stepped forward as well, and the two worked together to activate Break the Boundary and the sacrificial treasure. Full strength was required at this moment; otherwise, they would have to use some special skills of Break the Boundary, which Li Ran was still reluctant to employ.
A crystal-clear beam pierced into the mountain, and a rumbling sound came from within. Rocks began to shake and slide down. In an instant, the entire mountain started shaking violently, as if in an earthquake. Large chunks of rock and soil slid down, trees collapsed, and dust billowed everywhere. It was as though an invisible force was tearing the mountain apart.
The mountain collapsed rapidly, with dust rising into the sky like a volcanic eruption, and the thunderous shaking echoed across the land.

At that moment, long howls came from afar. Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen both frowned. Zhen Wu Ji said, “The vengeful spirits refuse to give up—still not ready to die?”
Guo Shier turned to look and saw a small black dot flying toward them from the horizon, moving rapidly. He said, “It’s too late… Big brother, let’s hurry!”
Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen had initially relied on the power of their souls, but now they began chanting spells continuously, using the power of talismans. As their power grew, a thin spatial rift appeared before everyone.
Guo Shier was deeply alarmed. He had long realized that the spatial barrier here was extremely strong—his own strength was nowhere near enough to break it. Without the ability to break through boundaries and experts like Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen, they would never be able to leave.
In the world of talismans, if the spatial barrier were like paper, then this one was like steel plate—impossible to break without special methods.
Li Ran shouted, “It’s ready…” With his cry, a loud explosion occurred as the giant mountain split in two, creating a huge gap. Qi Wu Zhen yelled, “Now’s the time… Charge!”
Gohar and Yao Zebus rushed in first, followed by Halechi. Knowing his own strength was the weakest, he had to keep up quickly or face trouble. Ezek and Meili also entered.
Zhen Wu Ji shouted, “Go!” Guo Shier followed him into the rift. He glanced back briefly and saw the local experts, each with a fierce expression, flying toward them. He couldn’t help but shout, “Big brother, Sister Zhen, hurry up!”
Li Ran calmly said, “Let’s go together!” He and Qi Wu Zhen used their ability to break through boundaries to rush into the spatial rift, consciously maintaining it to keep it open for as long as possible. They flashed away in an instant and disappeared, but the rift remained intact.
The local experts had reached the rift. After hesitating for a moment, they heard a shout, “Chase in!” More than 200 experts rushed in following that command, swarming into the rift.
After about thirty people entered, the rift could no longer hold and collapsed with a loud noise. Seven or eight people were trapped at the point of collapse, immediately screaming in agony. Three of them fell straight through. These three were lucky—only parts of their bodies were cut off by the rift. The others trapped inside vanished instantly, not even getting a chance to scream.

Those who rushed in behind them missed their target; all they could see was the huge crack in the mountain peak, with no trace of those who had gone in. They were instantly in a state of panic, sweating profusely from fear. Most of the experts who entered the spatial rift died at the moment the space collapsed. They couldn’t imagine the horror of such a collapse—a force capable of reducing everything to nothingness. Only two people managed to survive by chance, but they were also in extreme danger as the space behind them gradually closed in. If it touched them, they would die instantly, with no chance to resist or defend themselves. In the distance ahead, a glimmer of light could be seen, and the two immediately realized the peril. They rushed forward frantically, knowing that any hesitation would mean certain death with no chance of survival. But no matter how fast they sped, they couldn’t catch up, as Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen activated the Boundary-Piercing Sacrificial Treasure to propel everyone forward at an unimaginable speed, disappearing in just a few moments. The two behind them watched helplessly as the spatial rift closed, fleeting thoughts of regret passing through their minds before they sank into darkness. Death here brought no pain—instant annihilation. Although Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen had set a trap for those chasing them, once they entered the spatial rift using the Boundary-Piercing Sacrificial Treasure, they forgot about those behind. What awaited them was the immense pressure within the rift. They had never struggled so hard before. As they moved forward rapidly, the Boundary-Piercing Sacrificial Treasure enveloped those who had entered first. The entire group was covered in its light, and within just a few minutes, the two felt exhausted. They exchanged terrified glances, and Li Ran said, “If it gets too bad, we can use the small secret realm…” Qi Wu Zhen replied, “Hold on a little longer. I feel like we’re about to get out…” Guo Shier looked around in fear, seeing only light everywhere and nothing else. His soul trembled violently—a sign of extreme danger. He knew that if they couldn’t escape, their souls would be destroyed completely, leaving no chance for reincarnation. Dying here meant true death. Everyone was aware of the danger here, their faces turning pale. With a loud boom, the immense pressure suddenly lessened, and Li Ran shouted, “Damn it… we’re out!” Everyone felt relieved, as if they had escaped death itself. The pressure had been so great that even the top professionals from the Spellcraft World were terrified.

Ezek couldn’t help but curse, “Damn it! It’s so fucking scary…” His senses were especially acute; in just a short while, his whole body was covered in cold sweat. Mei Li almost tore off his arm; her expression was extremely ugly. That threat penetrated deep into his soul, utterly irresistible.