Chapter 514 - 362: Star Realm Refined Gold, Ah Ya

The sky was overcast, and a purple sun hung high above, casting a violet haze over the land.

Ian stood on the massive ruins of a collapsed building. The metal platform beneath his feet was mostly rusted, and a slimy fungal mat drooped over its edges.

The architecture was intricate and the metal smelting techniques exquisite. Faint rune grooves were still visible.

This world’s civilization was no less advanced than the Profound Yellow World, and was perhaps even more outstanding in some respects.

Gaga emerged from the shadows, shaking a palm-sized piece of metal from its wing. Its surface was a sickly green.

"There’s nothing left inside. This is the only thing that hasn’t been corroded."

Ian caught it. A light of Purification swept over the metal, and the sickly green filth vanished, revealing star-like specks of light scattered across the entire piece.

He gave it a light squeeze. It was surprisingly sturdy and didn’t deform in the slightest.

"This is... Star Realm Refined Gold?!"

Star Realm Refined Gold was one of the core materials for constructing a High Tier Wizard Tower and was an extremely rare material even in the Wizard World.

Its appearance was easily recognizable. It was incredibly hard, capable of withstanding the Erosion of Void storms, had nearly lossless Energy Conduction, and could be infinitely reshaped... Aside from being difficult to gather, it was nothing but advantages.

"What a pleasant surprise. This world’s civilization must have its unique qualities."

Ian’s eyes narrowed slightly as his Spiritual Perception enveloped the entire ruin.

The restlessness of the Mutants, the flow of foul Energy, the tremors deep within the Earth—all of it was reflected in his mind.

Unfortunately, he didn’t find a second piece of Star Realm Refined Gold. The range of his Perception continued to expand.

Suddenly, 3,700 kilometers to the southeast, a distorted life signal appeared in his Perception.

Its strength far surpassed that of a Level Three Wizard at their peak, roughly equivalent to the Morning Star Initial Stage.

It was another enormous, eyeball-shaped creature, over a hundred meters in diameter, floating in midair. It was surrounded by tens of thousands of humanoid Mutants.

They knelt on the ground, prostrating themselves before the eyeball and letting out muffled roars.

’This world has so many Level Four Mutant Beasts...’

Ian opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them. Now was not the time to act.

Then, to the northeast, the southwest, the due north...

Within a ten-thousand-li radius, he discovered seven Pollution Sources of equal strength, all maintaining a strange balance with one another.

Some were slumbering, some were evolving by Devouring their own kind, and others, like that eyeball monster, were raising large numbers of Mutants, establishing crude and twisted "Domains."

’There are quite a few big Insects. I should figure out this world first.’

With a subtle shift of his will, the Gravity Rule contracted, concealing his aura completely.

He needed intelligence: about how this world had been corrupted, about any survivors, about the civilization’s knowledge and legacy from before the Erosion, and... about Star Realm Refined Gold.

Ian leaped down from the ruins. His Purification Domain unfurled to a hundred-meter radius, and he shot westward as a streak of incandescent white light, skimming just above the Earth.

All nearby pollution was instantly Purified, leaving a clean, grayish-white trail in his wake.

An hour later, a range of twisted mountains appeared on the horizon.

The mountains’ surfaces were covered in writhing, fleshy tumors. Tentacles would occasionally poke out from crevices, greedily snatching spores floating in the air.

Over thirty Mutants were fighting at the foot of the mountains. Their auras were equivalent to a Level Three Wizard at their peak, more than five times stronger than a Legendary Peak from the Profound Yellow world.

They tore at their own kind, Devouring flesh and blood. With every piece they ate, the foul Energy on their bodies grew a fraction denser.

It was a never-ending evolutionary race.

Ian stopped and looked a thousand meters beneath the fleshy mountains. Down there was a faint aura that did not belong to a Mutant Beast.

Gaga emerged from the shadows, its pupils glinting with a hunter’s light.

Ian chuckled. "Want to stretch your legs?"

The little guy nodded eagerly. Its body instantly swelled, transforming into a Shadow Night Kite with a hundred-meter wingspan.

The Mutants sensed the unfamiliar aura and simultaneously stopped their fighting.

Over thirty twisted heads swiveled toward them in unison. Purple flames danced in their eye sockets—the greed for fresh flesh and blood.

The next moment, they let out piercing shrieks and lunged at Ian and Gaga.

Ian gave a slight flick of his finger, and the charging forms of the thirty-odd Mutants froze abruptly.

The Mutant Beasts at the very front instantly had their bones shattered. Dark purple blood gushed from their seven orifices, and a human-like terror appeared on their faces.

SKREEE!

With a sharp cry, Gaga transformed into a bolt of black lightning. Its talons tore through the air, easily piercing through a Mutant’s skull before giving a sharp tug.

The entire head was ripped clean off, splattering dark purple brain matter all over the ground.

The other Mutants let out furious roars but were unable to break free from the gravitational Imprisonment.

Gaga zipped back and forth through the pack of beasts. Every swipe of its claws tore a body apart. Soon, nothing was left at the foot of the mountain but a field of dismembered limbs.

Gaga shrank back to its small size and landed on Ian’s shoulder, preening its feathers in satisfaction.

Ian’s gaze turned to the ground below. His Gravity Perception extended a thousand meters underground.

There were no twisted, foul fluctuations of Mutants underground, only the faint heartbeats of humans.

’A survivor settlement.’

Ian strode toward the mountains. The Earth beneath his feet automatically parted, forming a sloping downward passage.

The deeper he went, the murkier the air became. It carried a thick, rotten stench mixed with the scent of some kind of herbal Potion.

One hundred meters down, signs of manual excavation began to appear in the rock strata.

There were crude chisel marks, simple support structures, and guide markers daubed with fluorescent moss.

At five hundred meters, the passage became more orderly. The walls on both sides were reinforced with Metal, and though they were severely rusted, they still revealed something of this world’s technological level.