Antares, the ancient Dragon who had lived for countless years, might have had a slightly muddled mind, but it was still quite cunningânever missing a chance to take advantage of others.
That said, Lin Moyu had tricked Antares first, so he couldnât exactly play the victim.
As he held the scale in his hand, he instantly grasped Antaresâ intentions.
He could leave the lower layer at any time using the scale.
But Mu Xianxian was another story entirely. With her current strength, staying here meant facing constant danger. And with ordinary teleportation items rendered useless in this place, escaping wasnât easy.
Lin Moyu checked his inventory. Just as he suspected, the Teleportation Stone Meng Anwen had given him was now ineffective.
The platinum-grade stone had been designed for returning from the upper layer, including dungeons and secret realms found there. But no oneânot even Meng Anwenâhad anticipated him ending up in the lower layer.
Though both the upper and lower layers were part of the Immemorial Battlefield, the distance between them was vast. As a result, the stone had lost its function.
Still... a faint smile played at the corner of Lin Moyuâs lips.
The Abyssal Teleportation Stone still worked.
With it, he could go directly to the Abyssal World.
But after a moment of thought, he carefully put the stone away. The Abyssal World was far too dangerous. Last time, heâd only survived by sheer luck.
If he was unlucky enough to teleport directly in front of a Demon Kingâor into a Demon Kingâs king cityâheâd be forfeiting his life.
Compared to that, staying here was the safer option.
"It looks like Iâll have to head to Lightning Burial Canyon to complete the deal with Antares." Lin Moyu muttered to himself.
He was convinced that if Antares truly wanted this deal done, he must have a backup plan.
As long as he fulfilled his end and got the item, Antares would have a way to bring him back.
âMmm...â
A soft moan broke the stillness. Mu Xianxian was finally waking up.
She rubbed her eyes groggily, a confused look on her face, âHuh? When did I fall asleep?â
She hadnât even realized sheâd lost consciousnessâproof of Antaresâs terrifying methods.
Lin Moyu didnât explain. Instead, he quietly handed her the scale.
Still half-asleep, Mu Xianxian took it without thinking, staring at it with a puzzled expression, âWhatâs this?â
Lin Moyu glanced around and said calmly, âWeâre in the lower layer of the Immemorial Battlefield.â
âAh!â Mu Xianxian gasped, quickly covering her mouth. Her wide eyes shimmered with disbelief,
âHow is that possible? Isnât the lower layer restricted to level 70 and above?â
âIt doesnât matter how we got here. What matters isâweâre here now. There could be danger at any moment. The scale youâre holdingâit can send you away.â
Mu Xianxian let out a quiet âOhâ and instinctively tightened her grip on the scale. It was clearly her lifeline now.
But after a pause, realization dawned on her face, âWhat about you?â
She mightâve been innocent, but she wasnât foolish.
Lin Moyu gave a slight smile, âOf course I have one too. Just rememberâif anything happens, run. I might not be able to protect you.â
Mu Xianxian nodded seriously, âGot it.â
She understood clearlyâif she stayed, she wouldnât be helping Lin Moyu. On the contrary, she might become a burden.
So she made up her mind: if danger came, she would run. She wouldnât drag him down.
Lin Moyu scanned the surroundings, eyes calm and calculating.
Since he was already here, there was no point in wasting time.
He had agreed to Antaresâs deal, and now that heâd landed in the lower layer, the next step was obviousâhead to Lightning Burial Canyon.
Of course, he wasnât someone who would throw his life away just to uphold a deal. If things went south, he wouldnât hesitate to use the Abyssal Teleportation Stone.
âLetâs go.â
With that, Lin Moyu leapt off the massive leaf.
The leaf swayed gently, sending out a soft breeze. It stirred the leaves around, and soon, a wave of rustling filled the air.
Mu Xianxian followed, jumping down after him. The moment her feet touched the ground, she let out a tiny yelp.
âWhatâs wrong?â Lin Moyu turned to her instantly.
âI think I stepped on somethingâŠâ She said softly.
Lin Moyu looked down, but there was nothing beneath her feet. However, just behind her, there was a faint, dragging mark along the ground.
It looked like the mark left by a vine. Whatever sheâd stepped on must have been a vine that withdrew the moment she touched it, leaving that trail behind.
Lin Moyuâs eyes narrowed. Something wasnât right.
The giant leaves around them were still shakingâbut now the tremors grew stronger, and the rustling grew sharper and louder.
The glowing veins on the leaves flickered wildly, casting stuttering shadows across the space.
The atmosphere turned eerie.
Mu Xianxianâs face went pale, âSomethingâs not rightâŠâ
In that instant, a dark figure lunged at them.
It came from the side, fast and silent.
Mu Xianxian didnât even notice it. But Lin Moyu did.
He moved instantly, stepping in front of her. His finger snapped forward.
Skill: Bone Fangs!
A flash of white light exploded from his hand, bathing the area in stark brilliance.
Three thousand razor-sharp Bone Fangs erupted at point-blank range, converging on the incoming dark figure.
More than half struck true.
The dark figure recoiled. And in that brief flash of light, Lin Moyu saw it clearly.
It was a vine. A massive one. And not an ordinary one, eitherâdespite being struck by the Bone Fangs, it didnât tear.
It was incredibly tough.
Mu Xianxian, still frozen in place, hadnât processed what had just happened.
But Lin Moyu didnât have time to explain.
Because in the very next moment, dozens of dark figures shot toward them from all sides.
âLetâs go!â Without hesitation, Lin Moyu activated Lightning Deathwings, then grabbed Mu Xianxian and launched into the sky.
The vines immediately turned and gave chase.
This time, Mu Xianxian finally saw them clearly, âSo many vinesâŠâ
Lin Moyu didnât respondâhe was already moving at full speed.
At 600 meters per second, he cut through the air like a lightning bolt.
But the vines were even faster, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
Lin Moyu pointed a finger behind him.
Skill: Deterioration Curse!
A red light surged out, accompanied by a low, droning hum that vibrated through the air.
The effect was instantâthe pursuing vines slowed sharply.
Below, numerous red lights began to shimmer across the ground like a sea of embers.
The Deterioration Curse skill, now at level 50, had a base range of 200 meters. But thanks to Lin Moyuâs talent, that range had expandedâto 12,000 meters.
Within that radius, countless small red sword patterns linked by chains appeared.
Short trees with giant leaves covered the ground, and now, countless vines burst forth from the ground in a chaotic frenzy, dirt flying in all direction.
It looked like a den of vipers had risen, writhing above the surface.
Lin Moyuâs instincts screamedâhe had stirred up a hornet's nest.
An overwhelming wave of malice surged from below.
Mu Xianxian was shaken, âThat was scary⊠Why are there so many?â
âThey must be a communal species.â Lin Moyu said grimly.
Plant-type monsters werenât uncommon. But with these numbers? This was something else.
Lin Moyu cast Detection.
[Giant Leaf Dwarf Tree]
[Level: 72]
[Strength: 300,000]
[Agility: 100,000]
[Spirit: 80,000]
[Physique: 300,000]
[Skill: Vine Flail, Coil, Leaf Slice]
[Trait: 50% Wood Elemental Damage Reduction, 30% Physical Damage Reduction, 30% Fire Elemental Damage Increase, Enhanced Health]
Seeing the attributes, Lin Moyu felt speechless for a moment.
A level 72 monster with total attributes reaching 780,000âand it wasnât even a boss. Just a regular monster.
He realized his intuition had been correctâstarting at level 60, the increase in attributes skyrocketed. It was merely a transitional phase of adaptation.
The true leap came after level 70.
And it wasnât limited to monsters. Humans, Abyssal Demons, Dragonkindâall experienced the same thing.
Both level 40 and level 70 marked major thresholds.
Once a human class user completed their third class awakening, their base attributes would nearly double compared to level 69.
As a result, level 69 marked a high-level class user, while level 70 signified the threshold of a top-level one.
Now here he wasâsurrounded by monsters with sky-high attributes, three combat skills, and an arsenal of traits. And worst of all: they came in overwhelming numbers.
To most level 70-plus class users, this place would be nothing short of a death trap.
But to Lin Moyu, a smile tugged at his lipsâit was a treasure trove.