Seeing the outcome, the surrounding mages instinctively took a step back.
In that fleeting moment, they had all witnessed the scene: a mage attempted to ambush the man who had seized the fire crystal, only to meet instant death.
No one even noticed how it happened—the attacker simply collapsed lifelessly.
At this moment, the crowd fully understood that the man who casually caught the fire crystal was no ordinary individual. He was a top-tier powerhouse, someone capable of feats beyond their imagination.
Those who had been watching from afar quickly averted their gaze, fearing that this formidable figure might direct his ire toward them.
Daniel calmly stored the fire crystal in his possession.
“It seems that only common fire stones are present here. To find better fire crystals, we’ll have to delve deeper,” he remarked, beginning to move forward.
The others followed behind him, treading carefully.
…
As the group ventured deeper, the heat grew increasingly unbearable.
Sparks ignited on the ground wherever their footsteps landed, prompting Daniel to halt and address the group.
“This isn’t a place you should venture further into. Stay here for now.”
Leaving the others behind, Daniel proceeded alone.
Reed turned to the rest of the group.
“Let’s search for fire crystals in the nearby area,” he suggested.
The others agreed and began to spread out in search of the elusive crystals.
…
As Daniel continued his descent, he noticed that the environment grew harsher.
For mages, the extreme conditions posed a severe risk of losing control over their magic. The violent forces in the area influenced the flow of mana, causing it to accelerate uncontrollably or become tainted with volatile energies.
The oppressive heat intensified, creating an environment unfit for low-level mages, who would likely be incinerated by the sheer temperatures.
For Daniel, however, the conditions posed no threat. He pressed on, moving faster and faster, his figure becoming a blur.
…
After some time, Daniel detected an unusual area ahead, one radiating spatial energy.
“A secret realm?”
Upon further inspection, Daniel confirmed that it was indeed a secret realm.
“This must be the site of the battle,” he mused.
He hadn’t expected the secret realm to be so deep within the pit. Even at his full speed, it had taken him a significant amount of time to reach it.
Given the average strength of the participants in the Battle for Dominance—most of whom were on par with or slightly weaker than Nora—it would be nearly impossible for them to reach this location unaided.
“There must be another entrance,” Daniel speculated.
Otherwise, very few competitors would survive the journey.
Examining the secret realm more closely, Daniel discovered something intriguing: it wasn’t a single unified space but rather divided into five distinct regions.
Each region corresponded to one of the five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth.
The rules governing each region varied, forcing any mage entering to adapt to its unique conditions.
Within each region resided a powerful spell beast, perfectly attuned to the elemental properties of its domain. These creatures could fully leverage the advantages of their respective areas, making them formidable opponents.
“Interesting,” Daniel remarked, intrigued by the secret realm’s design.
The concept sparked an idea: perhaps he could create a similar secret realm near Crossbridge Academy. By crafting elemental domains and sealing them with magic arrays, he could introduce spell beasts—or even, as Reed had once done, extract entities from the
Sacred Time River
…
“Oh, wait. The Sacred Time River was destroyed by me, wasn’t it?” Daniel chuckled at the thought.
Fortunately, he had retained a backup in Reed’s possession. He could replicate tier-sage phantoms and place them in the elemental domains, giving students a chance to hone their skills against diverse opponents.
This, however, was a matter for the future. For now, Daniel chose not to interfere with this secret realm.
“I’ll let the so-called geniuses from other superpowers showcase their talents first,” he thought with a smirk.
…
As Daniel delved further, the number of fire crystals increased significantly. With a mere sweep of his hand, he collected a dozen fire crystals.
His curiosity grew as he neared the pit’s depths, eager to uncover what lay at its very bottom.
After about half an hour of descending, Daniel finally reached the lowest level of the pit.
The world here was a sea of crimson, the oppressive heat kept at bay by Daniel’s aura. Despite his resistance, he could still sense how uninhabitable this place was, saturated with an overwhelming aura of destruction and desolation.
Not far away, a river of molten lava flowed slowly, its surface occasionally bubbling and releasing bursts of energy.
When these bubbles burst, the resulting fire stones were carried upward by thermal currents.
More potent creations, resembling living entities, became fire crystals. While some fire crystals shot upward, most lay quietly along the riverbed.
Curious, Daniel moved toward the river’s source, wondering where the lava originated.
To his surprise, he found the answer at the river’s end—a flower.
A fiery red flower, vibrant and glowing as if aflame, was the source of the lava.
As Daniel approached, he realized that the flower was not alive but had long since turned to stone.
The lava flowed from its petals like blood, creating the river and the fire crystals it spawned.
“A single flower gave rise to this entire landscape… The lava river, the bottomless pit, fire stones, fire crystals, and even Sunken City itself,” Daniel marveled at the phenomenon.
…
Reaching out, Daniel placed his hand on the petrified flower.
In an instant, his surroundings transformed.
It felt as though he had entered another world.
Daniel had encountered such a phenomenon before—when using the
Ring of Origin
to observe the universe’s underlying structure.
From the flower, countless
rules Explore more adventures at empire
radiated outward, connecting to unknown destinations.
Daniel extended his vast mind power along these rules, tracing their paths.
He discovered other petrified flowers in distant locations, each transformed into a unique state.
The flower before him, however, appeared to be the central hub, connecting all the others like a trunk to its branches.
“What exactly is this?” Daniel wondered aloud, delving deeper with his mind power.
Soon, a massive map materialized in his mind, showing a network of lines formed by the connections between the dead flowers.
This network outlined an enormous domain.
As he studied the map, realization dawned on Daniel.
This was a
world node
, once a part of the world’s consciousness—a remnant of its lifeblood.
The flowers had once bloomed in radiant glory. But with the death of the world’s consciousness, this place had withered into desolation.
The death of the flowers had given rise to these unique, perilous regions.