Above the mage!

Chapter 534 Void Dimension
"That monster is skilled at stealth and observation. I don't know how long it has been lurking in Phoenix, but it chose to approach me, and I don't know what its purpose is."

"It's not that it's arrogant or reckless. In fact, its ability to conceal itself is truly outstanding. Even I wouldn't dare say that I could detect its presence on my own," Master Yang said in a deep voice.

"The reason I was able to find it so easily this time is because, in order to better find the object that the master craftsman was concerned about, which has the power to overturn the Northern Territory, before leaving the Molten Plains, the clan elders asked me to take with me an extraordinary treasure that is exceptionally sensitive to abnormal energy."

"It was thanks to this extraordinary device that I was able to discover its existence immediately."

"This is like hitting a brick wall!" Gaode couldn't help but sigh at his own good luck upon hearing this.

If it weren't for Master Yang's presence in Phoenix at that time, and the fact that he happened to be carrying a reconnaissance artifact...

And this unknown monster just happened to choose to approach Master Sheep. It is highly likely that it wandered freely in Phoenix, leaving behind a bunch of troubles, without them even realizing it.

"It clearly had ill intentions, and after spotting it, I immediately took action to arrest it."

"I didn't expect this thing to be so strong. It should be at the peak of the fifth tier, and it's also extremely good at escaping. It also has some strange abilities. So I chased it all the way but still couldn't capture it. Fortunately, the War Mother Sunafa arrived in time."

After Master Yang finished explaining the general situation, Sunefa added from the side: "Under Master Yang's attack, the monster died instantly, and all its flesh and blood were melted into ashes."

Only its eyeballs remained intact despite being scorched by the intense heat of the flames, so I collected them all and brought them back.”

As she spoke, she took out a cloth bag.

After untying the rope, she tilted the bag slightly, and dozens of eyeballs of varying sizes rolled onto the table.

These eyes matched Catherine's description: some were as small as mung beans, others as large as fists, with varying pupil colors. Even after being separated from their bodies, the pupils still shimmered with a faint dark purple halo, exuding an eerie aura.

The spot on the table where the eyeball touched could even feel a faint chill, clearly indicating that the monster's energy still lingered.

Seeing this, Gao De also became curious. He picked up one of the smaller eyeballs, took a deep breath, mobilized his magic power, and cast [Appraisal+] in an attempt to identify some information.

However, the moment the spell touched his eyes, the magic within him surged out like a burst dam, flowing from his fingertips into his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Gao De's magic power was almost completely depleted, and his face turned pale, startling Gao De into immediately stopping the spellcasting.

This eyeball could drain most of his magic power in an instant, which means that the object is of too high a level and too extraordinary. The amount of magic power required to identify it is beyond his capacity.

"What kind of monster is this, and where did it come from?" Gao De stared at the eyeball and murmured to himself.

The monster's ability to vanish and its eerie residual energy far exceeded his understanding of leyline creatures.

“I might know some of its origins,” Master Yang said again.

"How so?" Gao De's gaze narrowed slightly.

"The methods it exhibits, including its ability to become ethereal, its dark purple energy, and its deformed body covered in eyes, are very similar to the void creatures recorded in our clan's ancient texts."

“Void creatures?” Gao De frowned; this was a term he had never heard of before.

He subconsciously turned to look at Sunaifa, only to see her gently shaking her head.

Clearly, this was also a foreign concept to her.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Master Yang slowly began to explain to them: "You should both know that there are many planes in this world. Each plane has its own natural laws and characteristics, as well as its own unique environment and creatures."

These planes intertwine, forming a vast and intricate network of diverse worlds.

"Planets are often divided into four categories: matter planes, transition planes, inner planes, and outer planes."

“Let’s start with the material plane,” Master Yang said, holding up a finger. “This is the type of plane that is closest to our understanding of the real world.”

"It has natural laws similar to the real world, and natural material life exists, such as the mage plane we live in, and the ley line planes to which the ley line creatures that intersect with our mage plane belong."

"Transitional planes serve as channels connecting other planes. For example, the astral plane is a transitional plane connecting the outside of matter with outer planes; it is a boundless wilderness."

"The spirit world is a transitional plane connecting the outer and inner planes of matter, where one can glimpse the vague appearance of the material plane."

"The inner planes are the source of elemental power and the basic constituent elements of reality. The most typical examples are the four elemental planes of earth, wind, water, and fire."

"The Fire Elemental Plane is a perpetually burning plane where flames require no fuel or air, the ground is composed of thick flames and ash, rivers are lava, oceans are flowing fire, mountains are permeated with molten lava, and danger is everywhere."
The wind elemental plane is a world of gales and clouds, with floating islands moving across the endless sky;
The Earth Elemental Plane is a labyrinth of caves, containing countless mineral treasures;
The water elemental plane is a bottomless ocean, inhabited by mysterious marine creatures.

"In addition, there are quasi-elemental planes or secondary planes extending from the boundaries of elemental planes, where elemental forces intermingle and form unique properties such as ash, ice, and magma."

"As for the outer plane," Master Yang said with a hint of uncertainty, "it is the most mysterious existence among them. There are not many records of it in our clan's records. It is said that the spirits and demons summoned by magic come from the outer plane."

Gao De listened quietly, and his understanding of the world became clearer.

"Among so many planes, there is only one prime plane, which is the mage plane we are in."

"The Mage Plane is very special, which is why it can become the prime plane. But what makes it special is something that we, the Sheep Clan, do not know. We only know that it is a special and core existence."

"But in short, because it is the primary plane, the Mage Plane is like a magnet, possessing a peculiar attraction that often draws other planes to intersect with our Mage Plane."

"The most significant impact will undoubtedly come from the convergence of the ley lines."

"The intersection of the two planes created many stable channels, and the appearance of ley line creatures in the mage plane completely changed the mage plane."

"But in fact, within a period of no more than a hundred years before and after the intersection of the Earth Vein Plane and the Mage Plane, there was another plane that intersected with the Mage Plane."

“That is, the Void Plane.” Master Yang gradually unveiled a long-forgotten ancient secret for Gaode and Sunafa.

"The reason why the ley line plane is known to everyone, but the intersection of the void plane is little known, is because this intersection was not as successful as the ley line plane."

"It did not form a stable channel, but only a very small number of 'low-level spatial rifts' were generated in a few places in the mage plane."

"These cracks have extremely low load-bearing capacity and can only allow small and weak creatures to pass through."

"The creatures of the ley line plane are called ley line creatures, and the creatures of the void plane are naturally called void creatures."

"Because the inter-plane convergence was unsuccessful, the powerful void creatures of the void plane could not come to our mage plane through the spatial rifts, and the weak void creatures could hardly survive in the mage plane. In addition, there were too few spatial rifts, so they were not well known." "According to the records of our clan, only two spatial rifts connecting the void planes have been discovered in total, one of which happens to be in the northern region."

"Therefore, we sheep people have seen void creatures before, and have some rough understanding and records of them."

"In the North?" After hearing Master Yang's account, Gao De became highly vigilant: "Where is that? If it's in the North, why have I never heard of their existence before?"

"Because that spatial rift is located in the eastern part of the northern region, which is considered an absolute forbidden zone," Master Yang said slowly.

Upon hearing this, both Gao De and Sunafa were startled and exchanged a glance.

Clearly, they both wanted to go to the same place.

That was the area where the Frostguard tribe, one of the three major Iceborn tribes, had gone.

"Master Yang, have you ever heard of the All-Knowing Eye?" Gao De asked carefully, choosing his words carefully before speaking.

According to fragmented information passed down by the Zhenbing tribe, the route taken by the Frostguard tribe's War Mother to the eastern region was guided by an all-knowing eye.

Upon hearing this, Master Yang's eyes flashed with a strange light. He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "I've heard of it."

"Not only have I heard of it, but my clan's records also clearly state that the All-Knowing Eye is a kind of Void creature."

Gao De was startled.

That means if Master Yang wasn't lying, and the All-Knowing Eye really is a Void creature, then wouldn't the Frostguard tribe's migration have been related to the Void Plane from the very beginning?
Combined with the Void creature that just infiltrated Phoenix, the connection between the Frostguard tribe and the Void is no longer speculation, but a near-certain fact.

What exactly is their purpose?
What exactly happened back then?
What is the relationship between the Frostguard tribe and the Void?
A series of questions instantly popped into Gaode's mind.

“Yes, you’re not wrong,” Master Yang continued, having already seen through Gao De’s question. “The reason the Frostguard tribe chose to flee to the desolate lands was because the Frostguard tribe’s first War Mother established contact with the Void creatures.”

"No one knows exactly what they communicated or what agreement they reached, but it is certain that under the guidance of the void creatures, she led her tribe away from their homeland to that dead land, and then disappeared without a trace."

"But according to the few words revealed by the master craftsmen we believe in, since the Frostguard tribe moved in, there has been an 'inharmonious force' permeating the depths of the eastern forbidden zone."

"That power was cold and twisted, as if it were slowly accumulating, or as if it were giving birth to some terrifying existence."

He added, "The master craftsman dedicated his life to forging, pursuing 'order' and 'harmony' to the extreme. He found the 'chaos' and 'devouring' nature of that power extremely repulsive, and even warned us, the Sheep Family, never to approach the Eastern Forbidden Zone unless absolutely necessary."

Seeing the solemn expressions on their faces, Master Yang continued, "From this, it is not difficult to deduce that the Frost Guard tribe not only survived in the forbidden area, but is also carrying out a top-secret matter."

"Tens of thousands of years have passed since then, and neither the Frostguard tribe nor the Void creatures have appeared again."

"Now, a mysterious creature has appeared in Phoenix. If that creature is indeed a void being, what do you think its purpose is?" Master Yang suddenly asked the two of them.

Gaode fell silent.

He already had the answer in his heart, but he couldn't say it out loud for the time being.

Master Yang, however, was extremely straightforward. Seeing that Gao De did not answer, he said to himself, "It is highly likely that his situation is the same as mine. Someone on their side also sensed the birth of that creature or object that has the power to overthrow the Northern Territory."

"Only such a major event could prompt the Frostguard tribe, which has been in seclusion for so many years, to take action."

"Their purpose may be unease, fearing that this power threatens their survival; or it may be covetousness, wanting to seize this power for themselves—either is possible."

“However, I prefer the latter, after all, not everyone is a master craftsman,” Master Yang said calmly.

Their master craftsmen and their sheep family members are a very special group of people.

They only cared about the craftsmanship they loved and had little interest in external things or worldly matters such as power.

But people like them are ultimately a minority.

Any ambitious person, upon learning of the existence of a treasure capable of disrupting the status quo, would instinctively want to possess it.

Gao De's judgment is actually similar to that of Master Yang, especially the behavior of that unknown creature, which is a pure villain.

"If that's the case, then this unidentified creature might just be the beginning. We were lucky this time that I discovered it and joined forces with Sunefa to wipe it out."

"But what about next time? If I'm not here next time, will you be able to discover it or even solve it on your own?" Master Yang's tone was calm, but every word hit the nail on the head.

"I will not hide my purpose. The reason I am telling you so much is that if you have any news about what I am looking for, you can tell me as soon as possible."

"If it brings good changes to the North, I will return to Molten Plains immediately to report."

“According to our clan’s principles, we would definitely not want to see such a thing fall into the hands of the Frostguard tribe or even the Void creatures. We would most likely send people to protect it and prevent the Frostguard tribe from succeeding.”

Master Yang was very frank.

Gao De fell silent after hearing these words.

Previously, Gaode had already developed a certain level of trust in Master Yang.

However, this trust was not enough for him to take the risk of exposing Yugathira.

He needs to add more chips to his bet before he can break the scales in his heart.

Now, a new bargaining chip has emerged.

After thinking for a long time, Gao De looked up at Sunaifa.

He needs Sunefa's help to make the final decision.

Sunafa seemed to have been waiting for Gaode to ask her question, and nodded slightly the moment their eyes met.

Gao De took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and finally made a decision. He looked up at Master Yang and said solemnly, "Master Yang, you guessed right, we do know where what you are looking for is."

(End of this chapter)