Is That A Wisp?

Huken City was the closest settlement to the Four Sectors' Border Region. It had been established and built from scratch by a group of merchants that thought that profit could be made from the place.

The Four Sector's Border Region was the most chaotic place in Zamuria Continent. It was incredibly vast and had unusual terrain. Moreover, thanks to the Restriction Law in the region, flying was impossible beyond a certain height. On top of that, thanks to the Predominated Vine, traveling wasn't easy through the region.

Then again, due to the massive area it covered, the Four Sectors' Border Region basically became a main region of travel if one wished to go from one sector to another in the Zamuria Continent. 

Thanks to this, bandits were rampant in the area. Well, they wouldn't be rampant if it weren't goods from the entire Continent circulating in the region. Unsurprisingly, the merchants thought there was something to gain here. That was why they formed a group and jointly created Huken City. 

But now, powerful experts beyond their capabilities trashed their city and stole all their goods and resources. Most of the merchants had no way to recover from this setback, which was akin to crippling them permanently.

Even the big merchant groups that were the backbone of Huken City were in shambles, barely able to sustain themselves. They still possessed a few resources they had stashed away. But other than that, their finances were already in the red. If they didn't do anything to save that, then their merchant organizations would eventually crumble. 

Krune noticed how all the merchants were gearing up for battle as they packed their belongings. He went to a nearby merchant and asked him, "What are you guys planning to do?"

"What else can we do but risk our lives?" the merchant snapped back, crying immediately as he spoke. "We no longer have enough resources to sustain ourselves. The only method left for us to recover is the Sub-Realm. We can only hope to obtain something there that would help us."

"That's an incredibly risky choice you're doing." Krune frowned as he looked at the merchant, noticing how he was only in the Fourth Stage God Foundation Realm. He then said with good intentions, "With your strength, death is guaranteed."

"All our guards have been killed." Another merchant appeared as he spoke, "On top of that, we no longer have anything to sustain ourselves with. No items, no equipment, no pills, nothing. We can't even protect ourselves anymore."

His face seemed to have aged a decade as the merchant spoke, trying his best to control the waterworks. "In these turbulent times, we would be abused by the strong. Our lives would turn miserable. So, instead of that, why not die trying to make our lives better?"

Krune looked around and suggested, "Instead of risking your lives, can't you set up an energy-gathering formation in a secluded location and cultivate there peacefully? As long as your strengths increase, you can make a comeback."

"Our energy-gathering formation was destroyed by those bastards," a tall demon beast in human form said as he appeared, each of his steps causing a mild tremor.

"Boss!" All the merchants shouted with a tone of respect. It seemed that he was their emotional pillar. 

The boss arrived before Krune, possessing an imposing momentum. He stared at Krune for a moment, realizing that he was unable to see through the other party's strength. His tone became respectful as he continued, "Just a simple energy-gathering formation cannot solve our issue. We wouldn't have become merchants if we were gifted in the path of cultivation."

Krune noticed how this boss was at the Second Stage of the Nascent God Realm. Though, it seemed that he was the only person in this cultivation realm. The rest were either in the God Core or the God Foundation Realm. 

They weren't strong, weaker than what their cultivation bases stated. Krune was confident he could take on everyone in the area and still emerge victoriously. After all, the people before him only cultivated to maintain a healthy physique.

Plus, they did so by consuming expensive tonic, pills, and other cultivation resources. After all, they weren't gifted in the field of cultivation. That's why a simple energy-gathering formation that would have helped most cultivators was almost useless to them.

Shaking his head, Krune walked away. He didn't have much of a solution to their problems and left them to their devices. Seeing him walk away all of a sudden, the boss sighed, feeling mildly disappointed.

He then resolved himself as he rallied up all the merchants to depart to the Four Sectors' Border Region, intending to head into the Sub-Realm. After all, they were situated quite close to it. It would be a waste not to use that to their advantage.

"Unless you wish to waste your time and forge equipment here nonstop, you can't help their situation. And besides, they probably don't even have enough materials to forge good equipment," Cultivator said with an apathetic expression. "Best to leave them to their fate. They haven't asked us for help anyway."

Cultivator didn't seem bothered about their struggles. He didn't seem to care. In retrospect, he seemed to be more worried about the damage to the city. He soon went around the city, inspecting the changes in the surroundings, expressing his relief when he noticed the foundation of the city remained. 

'So, he's that type of character,' Krune thought to himself as he nodded in understanding. Cultivator was an odd individual. Also, it seemed like his mind was wired differently from a regular person. It functioned differently at times, placing greater importance on something worth less than something worthwhile. 

The bullshit story Krune made up on the spot worked on garnering his intention. So, that showed Cultivator's tendencies. 

Moreover, he had also pestered Krune for the remainder of the story. Though, only after Krune made up something to satisfy his curiosity did he relent. 

After the city was fully vacated, Krune and Cultivator roamed in it for a couple of hours before they set forth on the ring spirit that flew past the treacherous terrain. They were less than a hundred kilometers away before they would reach the Four Sector's Border Region.

So, after two hours, they arrived at their destination, landing on the ground as Cultivator retracted his ring spirit. He looked at the scenery before him, asking Krune, "Remarkable, right?"

"Indeed," Krune replied with his mouth agape, looking at the scene of vines that stood ramrod straight in the air like blades of grass. They stretched over his entire field of vision. The only difference was the fact that they were hundreds of meters long. Not only that, but he felt like they could also extend in length if necessary. 

The ground was filled with canyons they had to traverse into. It was a maze, spanning a massive area, the likes of which even traversing by flight would take at least a week, if not more. 

"I don't know if you know about them or not, but let me warn you just in case," Cultivator warned after pointing towards the vines that reached the sky. "If you touch them, whether physically or through Divine Sense, they would attack you and devour you. So, don't use your Divine Sense when you are in this place. Even if you have to, keep it as close to yourself. Also, no matter what, make sure your attacks don't even graze them."

He shuddered for a moment at the thought as he continued, "If you do that, hundreds of vines would latch onto you and consume you whole. Even your Spiritual Incarnation wouldn't save you since these vines would slowly digest it over centuries. The moment you're killed, it's best if you forget about reviving here."

Predominated Vine!

This was the reason that made the Four Sectors' Border Region dangerous and made it the place with the highest death rate in the entire Zamuria Continent. Moreover, they rapidly multiplied and increased the concentration of the Restriction Law in the region using the Predominated Fruits they grew.

Moreover, it was because of this that the Four Sectors' Border Region was slowly but surely expanding in size. Krune recalled some information he had obtained from Trivar before their journey had begun. It stated how the Four Sectors' Border Region barely spanned 100 square kilometers, 20,000 years ago.

But thanks to the growth propelled by the Predominated Vines, the region continuously grew until it became the massive stretch of land today. 

"Understood." Krune nodded as he neared a Predominated Vine, holding a couple of shields as he planned to back away the moment something happened. Slowly, he extended his Mental Energy Scan, making it touch a vine, sighing in relief after a couple of seconds when nothing happened.

He then looked at Cultivator with a smile as he asked, "Shall we get going, then?"

"Alright." Cultivator didn't comment on his actions, smiling as he accompanied Krune. The two of them stepped foot into the canyon and began their journey. The path was narrow, so they couldn't ride a demon beast.

To avoid running into strong enemies and risk turning the Predominated Vines into enemies, they proceeded through the narrow paths. Even though it might take them a lot of time this way, they still had a month before the Sub-Realm opened. So, they were confident in making it there. They had officially entered…

The Four Sectors' Border Region!

…

Zamuria Imperial Palace. Seated on the throne was the current generation Emperor of the Zamuria Empire. He was one of the powerhouses of the Continent, an immortal that had been in power for a millennium.

Kneeling on the ground before him were eight people, six of which formed the back row while two people, a man and a woman, formed the front row. 

Of them, the woman looked slightly older for her age but still retained her youthful beauty. The man, on the other hand, had a hardened expression on his stoic face. His lean physique and slender body frame made him seem like someone who hadn't practiced martial arts since young. 

Though, the sheer imposing presence emanating from him dictated otherwise. Even the Godly Energy in the air around him seemed to be submitting to his presence, moving up and down according to his breaths. 

The Emperor looked at the woman kneeling at the front and uttered, "What you did 30 years ago was a disgraceful act. But as I am magnanimous, there's a chance to redeem yourself and reclaim your honor. I believe you won't miss this chance."

"The spawn you have abandoned has arrived at our doorsteps. And now, you have an opportunity to get rid of it…."

"Princess Zamuria."