Chapter 355:

“It’s taken so long, but finally, there’s progress.”

The night was pitch-black.

Souls surged.

Pages turned.

At dusk, beneath the lamplight, Xu Xi stood, searching for hidden knowledge.

Thirteen full years had passed since he became a Four-Ring Sorcerer. After long and intense research, he finally made progress in cross-planar technology.

“Spatial rift, anchor point stabilization, plane traversal…”

“And a colossal magical device to convert soul flames…”

“At last, with the collected data and the remnants of the Sorcerer Towers, I’ve completed the first step of replication.”

His voice echoed softly through the quiet study.

Xu Xi sat half-reclined in a chair, eyes lowered, reflecting on the years of effort he had poured in.

Gathering soul flames.

Studying cross-planar magic.

Transforming the Sorcerer Tower.

And never stopping his personal cultivation.

Everything had gone according to plan—without a single slip.

From here on, as long as he kept gathering soul flames and refining the accuracy of cross-planar travel, he could safely send Sylvia and the others away.

Yes.

That’s how it was supposed to be.

“Accidents always come without warning,” Xu Xi murmured as he reached for a magic book on the table. Its cover was cool and smooth.

It wasn’t his work.

The Tower of Salvation had drifted across the Sorcerer World and passed a previously unexplored ruin of a Sorcerer Tower.

It was from there that he recovered the book.

The Plateau of the Gods was where many sorcerer factions gathered, but the world was vast. Some powerful Sorcerer Towers had chosen to settle elsewhere.

This ruin was one of them—desolate, silent, overgrown with weeds.

At first glance, it seemed no different from other ruins.

But the magic book found inside held incredibly rare information—precious records about the Endless Underworld.

“A long time ago, I was confused,” Xu Xi whispered.

“Why did the sorcerers retreat in such a hurry?”

“At the start of the simulation, there was still a long way to go before the black sun fell.”

“And for sorcerers, even high-tier undead are rare materials—yet they discarded them like dust on the roadside, without a second thought.”

“It turns out… they didn’t abandon them willingly.”

“They were too afraid.”

Pages fluttered.

The contents he had read many times once again appeared before his eyes.

They documented the findings of a former Seven-Ring Sorcerer who had studied the Endless Underworld.

It is the dark side of existence—where the dead pass on and souls rest.

The inevitable end for all life.

Countless worlds, countless planes, all nurture countless living beings.

And those beings, after death, are drawn into the Endless Underworld.

Over long ages, the Underworld had grown unimaginably vast.

Within it are countless layers of soul planes, like stars in the sky, always absorbing souls from the living worlds.

Seven-Ring powerhouses can connect to the core of the Underworld and oversee a layer of soul planes.

It’s a minor authority granted by the Underworld.

But even that is enough to give a Seven-Ring sorcerer a glimpse of greater possibilities.

Snap—

Xu Xi closed the book.

The lamplight brushed past his nose and glinted off the reddish-brown cover.

“The number of soul planes an Immortal controls isn’t limited.”

“The more planes they oversee, the greater their authority in the Underworld.”

“And a world like the Sorcerer World—capable of producing Seven-Ring sorcerers—once swallowed by the Underworld, will inevitably become a new soul plane.”

“In other words…”

Xu Xi paused, lifting his eyes toward the dim ceiling.

His deep gaze, through soul-vision, faced the boundless majesty of the Endless Underworld—the cold, silent, all-consuming chaos.

“From the moment the summoning ritual began, the Sorcerer World was no longer safe.”

“Immortals on the level of Seven-Ring sorcerers…”

“Could be watching at any moment.”

“They are like wolves, circling this sumptuous ‘feast.'”

…

The study was eerily silent.

Soft yellow light spilled down.

Xu Xi reached up, covering his eyes and rubbing them heavily. His spirit felt drained, his eyes sore.

“Immortals of the Underworld are forbidden from corrupting living worlds with intentional malice.”

“That’s the only reason the Sorcerer World has lasted this long.”

“But their gaze… will never leave.”

“The closer the world comes to destruction, the more Immortals will covet it—and even the weakest among them could destroy the Tower of Salvation in an instant.”

What should he do?

How could he avoid them?

Xu Xi thought the same thing the sorcerers of old had once thought—

Leave the Sorcerer World as soon as possible.

Before the very end arrives.

Get out of this doomed place.

Only that way could he ensure Sylvia’s safety—and the safety of everyone else.

But right now, his cross-planar technology wasn’t yet usable.

As for the soul flames needed to power it, the tower’s formidable firepower had helped him gather almost enough.

Almost.

“Not enough. Still not enough,” Xu Xi muttered.

He opened his eyes. Soul energy surged, distorting the space around him, cracking the air with sharp snaps.

“Just collecting soul flames for one crossing still isn’t enough.”

“It’s too late.”

“At this point in time, some Immortals have definitely noticed the Tower of Salvation.”

“I can’t guarantee… they won’t take an interest in it.”

“I need… to prepare a countermeasure.”

Immortals at the Seven-Ring level possessed power beyond the world itself.

No one wanted to be noticed by such beings.

That was why the upper-level sorcerers of this world had all fled early.

But Xu Xi was in a unique situation.

From the very beginning of the simulation, he had arrived at the tail end of the world’s destruction.

He had no choice but to face the unknown Immortals.

“Soul Collector… it’s my only lifeline.”

“I hope it works…”

“When the modifications to the tower are complete, we leave the Sorcerer World immediately.”

He looked down at his right hand, slowly clenching it as his magic staff floated up on its own.

Even now, Xu Xi still wanted to slash at the mastermind behind everything.

But by the look of things, that probably wouldn’t happen.

With limited soul flames, surrounded by danger, Xu Xi cared more about protecting Sylvia and the others than venting his own rage.

“If it comes down to it, I can act as bait.”

“Draw the Immortals’ attention.”

“Let the Tower of Salvation escape safely.”

“Until then, I need to collect more soul flames… and speed up the cross-planar modifications.”

[The dying Sorcerer World is far more dangerous than you imagined]

[Aside from the devouring force of the Endless Underworld]

[You now realize there are multiple hidden gazes watching from the chaos]

[You have no confidence in victory—nor did you ever expect to win]

[A convergence of Immortals—some even beyond Seven-Ring level—will bring unimaginable destruction]

[Even though Sylvia is undead, staying in this world would eventually spell her end]

[You quietly make a decision]

[You will make sure Sylvia and the others leave this hell alive]