Chapter 1: Reoffering to Break the Barrier (Part 1)

Guo Shier suddenly shot up from the water, resisting the pressure as he flew away from the sea surface. Yet he dared not fly too high, hovering at about ten meters above the water. The others also took to the air.
Halechi managed to fly up as well. He said, “Damn it, why such strong pressure… Uh, are those big fish in the sea?”
The whirlwind gradually moved closer, with fish fins cutting through the waves, creating white foam as they swam back and forth beneath everyone.
Li Ran struck several palm strikes in succession, his virtual talismans swirling in the air to slightly reduce the howl of the whirlwind. Then he said, “Let’s go! Don’t stay!” He veered away from the whirlwind and flew to the side.
The others followed, passing alongside the whirlwind along its path. It took them over ten days to escape that sea area.
A long coastline appeared in the distance. Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen flew forward, guided by the barrier. Wherever the barrier flew, they followed.
Along the coastline, they saw strange fishing boats, but they showed no interest in the local natives, and no one suggested interacting with them. They quickly flew past the coastline and headed toward land.
Just then, the barrier suddenly changed direction. Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen turned at the same time. Li Ran shouted, “Don’t fall behind! Keep up!”
After leaving the sea area, they could fly high again. They rose back to the skies and continued flying swiftly forward. Looking down from above, they saw roads, farmlands, and small villages. There must be humans living here, or at least intelligent beings with human-like forms.
…
Half a month later, the group finally found the weak point in this world. This time, there were no obstacles, nor any local experts—they succeeded in an unbelievably smooth manner. Aside from being startled in the sea, almost nothing worried them.
Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen hovered high in the air. The barrier had stopped moving, with a faint glow emerging from its front, along with occasional appearances of runes. Li Ran said, “The barrier’s reaction is strange. We need to be more cautious this time. Hmm, let’s stay here for a day. I need time to study it. Everyone can go down and rest first.”
The others descended one after another. Guo Shier noticed that Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen were discussing something. Out of curiosity, he didn’t follow the others down but went over to them and asked, “Is there a problem?”

Li Ran shook his head, and Guo Shier clearly saw a hint of caution on his face. Li Ran said, “I’ve thought about this for a long time. After breaking through space several times… I’ve gained something. I wonder how about you?” His gaze was fixed on Qi Wu Zhen.
Qi Wu Zhen’s beautiful face had a slight blush. She closed her eyes slightly and after a while, she said, “Hmm, I also have my doubts. Following this approach, it seems there’s no end in sight. We might keep wandering around in various small worlds without ever reaching the Sacrificial Star.” She had always believed that the Sacrificial Star was the true destination, not the greater world Li Ran mentioned.
Li Ran said, “Maybe… breaking through space this way is wrong? Or maybe the direction is off?”
Qi Wu Zhen pondered for a while before shaking her head. “It’s hard to say. What ideas do you have? If we get lost in a small world, we’ll eventually die there… probably even worse than in the Spell World. Hmm, we must find a way out!”
Guo Shier was shocked inwardly. He didn’t expect even Li Ran to be unsure about the way forward. This was troublesome.
Li Ran pondered for a long time before saying, “Every time I break through space, I feel like I’m lacking a bit of strength. Then we quickly end up in some small world. If we had more strength, maybe… we could get out.”
Qi Wu Zhen couldn’t help but smile bitterly. She understood what Li Ran meant, but it wasn’t that easy. She said, “Unless we destroy all the secret realms and spirits in one go, then… maybe we can gather enough strength. Even then, I’m not very confident.”
Li Ran hadn’t expected Qi Wu Zhen to have such courage. If they used up all the secret realms and spirits at once, there might indeed be a chance to break through, but the method of breaking through space would be completely ruined. If they still didn’t achieve their goal, they might end up in another small world, from which they could never escape again, as there wouldn’t be enough materials to create a new artifact for breaking through space.
Guo Shier hesitated for a moment before saying, “Do you still remember the Great Abyss Pool?”
Li Ran nodded. “Of course I do… What do you mean?”
Guo Shier said, “I obtained something on Bone Mountain in the Great Abyss Pool… I wonder if my elder brother still remembers it?”

Li Ran was stunned upon hearing this. He remembered that strange thing on Bone Mountain and asked, “Is it that thing hanging at the mountain pass?” His brows relaxed slightly, and then he smiled, saying, “That’s indeed an extraordinary thing. Though I don’t know what use it has, it contains an immense amount of power… uh, power!” He suddenly understood Guo Shier’s thoughts.

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Up to now, I still don’t know how to use that thing. Keeping it with me is like harboring a hidden disaster. If I lose control of it, it will cause big trouble. If it can be used to break through the barriers, maybe it can provide the power you need.”

Li Ran said, “Turn it over so I can study it. Perhaps we can incorporate that thing into the barrier-breaking process.” He didn’t know much about it either; all he knew was that its power was astonishing. Back then, it had attracted countless mutated and aberrant beast symbols to fight each other, resulting in the formation of that terrifying Bone Mountain.

Guo Shier nodded and handed the thing to Li Ran. Then the three of them descended. Li Ran discussed it with Qi Wu Zhen and decided to redesign and refine the barrier-breaking process again.

Below was a swamp. The group had chosen a relatively dry high ground, not very large—only about a hundred square meters. After tidying it up, they laid thick animal skins as cushions and sat down to rest and eat.

There were all kinds of mosquitoes and insects in the swamp, swarming together and hovering around, causing great annoyance. Of course, these insects were only annoying; they couldn’t bite them. Professionals had skin as hard as steel, making it impossible for the insects to bite through.

After descending, Guo Shier casually cast a spell, creating a strong wind that instantly drove away all the flying insects.

Zhen Wu Ji asked, “What are you talking about? You’ve stopped for so long.”

Guo Shier replied, “We might need to stay here for a while to resolve some issues. Brother Li Ran and Sister Zhen need to refine the barrier-breaking process again.” Everyone pricked up their ears to listen. Halechi said worriedly, “Refine it again? But… how exactly?”

Li Ran said, “We plan to redesign it, so it will take some time to refine. Please be patient. Our goal is to successfully reach the greater world, not to wander around in this small world. We’ve already taken many unnecessary detours.”

Halechi opened his mouth but closed it again, not knowing what to say. He was well aware of how difficult it would be to refine the barrier-breaking process again, especially after redesigning it.

Zhen Wu Ji asked, “Then how long will we have to stay here?”

Li Ran said, “It might take a few months, or maybe a year, because this isn’t a Spellcraft World. During the refinement process, we need to take turns restoring the soul’s energy. Also, we need a large amount of materials and spiritual essence. This time, everyone will have to contribute—our materials are not enough.”
Zhen Wuji nodded. This wasn’t a Spellcraft World, where the unique materials were scarce and there was no place to collect them. They were currently relying on the materials they had accumulated in the past. Once those ran out, they would be in trouble. Materials and spiritual essence were the foundation for professionals. He glanced at Guo Shier and couldn’t help but feel envy and admiration for this guy. In the Spellcraft World, Guo Shier had frantically collected various materials, and it seemed his approach was indeed very wise.
Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen discussed for a day and came up with a list. After distributing it to everyone, Li Ran said, “Let’s gather the materials. All the items on this list are those that Xiao Zhenzhen and I have used up. Shier, I know you’ve collected a lot of materials. This time… it’s your turn to help.”
Guo Shier nodded. He collected materials precisely for use. He studied the list for a while, made another copy, and sent it directly to Old Shuai. He wasn’t entirely sure how much he had—Old Shuai was the one who truly controlled the materials, as all those put into the altar had been preliminarily purified and organized by him.
Everyone began to gather materials. Ge Ha crossed out a dozen items on the list and said, “I have these…” Then he handed the list to Yao Zebusong. After examining it for a while, Yao Zebusong also crossed out a dozen items and said, “I’ll provide these materials.”
In the end, the list ended up in Guo Shier’s hands. After a quick glance, he found that most of the high-grade materials on the list already had contributors, while the basic or ordinary materials had no one offering to provide them. He couldn’t help but laugh and say, “They’re all basic materials… Do you guys not use basic materials in daily life?”
Zhen Wuji smiled bitterly. “In the Spellcraft World, there are as many basic materials as we need. Why would we collect them?”
Guo Shier was different from these people. He was a wanderer who traveled everywhere, so he kept all his belongings in the altar—his collected wealth. He wouldn’t leave them outside, which meant he currently had the richest stock, especially of basic materials, of which he had plenty.

The materials were quickly gathered, and Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Even the two of them couldn’t obtain these basic materials on their own. Leaving the world of talismans was like leaving fish out of water—they could no longer act as freely as before.
Li Ran said, “Do as you please. We still need some time. You can go around and explore. Hehe, remember not to provoke the local experts. Of course, if there are any experts here… try not to use force. After we finish the ritual, we’ll give everyone a message talisman. Once you receive it, don’t delay—return immediately.”
Halechi said, “I’ll stay here and not go anywhere.”
Guo Shier was the kind of person who liked to wander around. He asked, “Is there anyone willing to go shopping with me?” No one paid him attention. Ezek and Meili chose to stay with Halechi, just as Goha and Yao Zebusong didn’t want to move around. Only Zhen Wuji wanted to go out and see things, but instead of joining Guo Shier, he left alone.
Li Ran smiled and said, “It’s up to you. Since some people are staying, the task of guarding will fall to you.”