They continued to move forward, successively encountering a few more people who were entirely stained purple, slumped on the ground like a pile of mud.
Were it not for the slight movement in their bodies, no one would believe they were still alive. Wei Huan loaded all these people into the abdominal cavities of the Burrow Beasts. Their personal equipment was not picked up by the Undead but was left with their bodies. He had no use for this equipment, which was at best Gold-tier. His entire body was Platinum-tier, along with three Diamond-tier pieces and Divine Artifact fragments.
Jones and Cynthia, however, eyed the equipment with a bit of envy, but seeing that Wei Huan did not take it, they naturally did not dare to. However, the Colossus fragments they carried were all taken and absorbed by Wei Huan.
Unconsciously, the Colossus had grown to the size of five heads. It still floated spherically beside Wei Huan's shoulder, but indistinct angular lines seemed to be emerging on the stone.
"Are those facial features?" Jones asked.
Cynthia said: "Since it's a Colossus, the emergence of facial features is normal."
"Could it be a Buddhist statue?" Jones was a little expectant, as he had faith.
Cynthia said: "It can't be a Buddhist statue. The data glasses show that this is a trial from the Titans. Do you know about the Titans?"
"They are an ancient life form, great from birth, with massive bodies, capable of plucking stars and breaking moons. Our researchers suggest that Pangu from Daxia's legends might be a Titan, or perhaps the Hercules of European mythology. Also, the Vikings might have some Titan blood. In short, any life form with immense physical strength could be a Titan."
After listening to Jones's singing-like explanation, Cynthia nodded: "So you see, it will definitely become a Titan in the end, if it completes its form."
Wei Huan listened to their conversation, gradually opening up his own line of thought. All equipment reaching Platinum-tier would have a suffix. Some were
"Gift from the Stars," others "Gift from the Titans." Divine Artifacts also had "Gift from the ," but the true name was concealed. This suggests that these specifically mentioned life forms might be some unknown power or unknown species existing outside this world, participating in the "Challenge World" as observers.
Therefore, by going through this assessment, he might gain some understanding of the Titans. Could he also use this to glimpse the truth of this world?
While thinking, Wei Huan connected his Soul Sense to the Colossus, carefully examining the changes within. The natural power inside had indeed become very dense, but it did not seem to be developing consciousness, indicating that the Colossus fragments were far from being fully collected.
This trial ground could not possibly hold only a few of them. As far as Wei Huan knew, Captain Fang and Aglis had not been seen yet, and he believed they, like him, must have ways to deal with these purple spots. He couldn't underestimate the top-ranked human powerhouses; they all possessed many unknown means, and formidable combat power was only one of them.
In this manner, Wei Huan continued to move forward. The time seemed to have passed for the better part of a day. If it were outside, the sky should have darkened. But here, the sky remained a shade of reddish-purple to black. The forest on the ground was not only glowing purple but also many trees had withered under the continuous pollution, leaving only bare branches barely standing. The ground was covered in purple-black dead leaves. The monochromatic black tone, both in the sky and on the ground, made one feel extremely uncomfortable, as if in a space where every breath was poisonous, making it difficult to relax.
Wei Huan had collected 9 people along the way, and apart from Jones and Cynthia, the others were in a state between life and death. But moving further forward, he couldn't see a single one. Clearly, most people, upon discovering the anomaly after venturing deep into the purple forest, intended to run back. Of course, those with real capability would continue to move forward, and Wei Huan wouldn't necessarily encounter them.
"Colonel Wei," Cynthia reminded, "the pollution here is heavier."
Wei Huan was prompted to look up. How long has it been? Not even half an hour, and the Undead's bodies were already showing large purple spots. Was there even slight deformation? Replacing the Undead was simple; the unknown is what breeds fear.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before something different finally appeared ahead.
"What is that?" Cynthia noticed the anomaly almost simultaneously with Wei Huan. She stood up, pointing towards the end of the area—which had decayed and collapsed from forest into a large purple-red plain—where the sky met the ground. Something seemed to have been added. It was too far to see clearly, but it was clearly different from the monotonous forest they had traveled through.
Wei Huan issued a command, and the Undead army slightly accelerated towards that direction. During this process, the shape of the anomalous object gradually became clearer. At first, it looked like a slender mountain standing on the earth. Slowly, it was realized that the mountain was tilted. Later, it was not a mountain but looked like a wooden stick plunged into the earth. Closer still, it became a mountain again, so massive that its imposing grandeur could be seen even from such a distance, seemingly cutting across this world.
One "runs their legs off" chasing a mountain. Even with such a straight flight path at a speed of over 500 kilometers per hour, it took Wei Huan nearly 20 minutes to finally see clearly what it was.
Cynthia called out first: "Is that shape a foreign object that crashed down from outside the sky?"
It looked like a wooden stick broken in the middle, or half of a spindle-shaped spaceship, or perhaps a star trailing a tail like a meteor. In short, it looked as if something had fallen from the outside, plunging deep into the ground at an angle. Wei Huan had speculated many things, but he certainly hadn't expected that this purple spot anomaly seemed to originate from an invasion from outer space—if this world had outer space.
In any case, as they approached, the purple contamination accelerated. By the time they were close enough to discern the patterns on this object, they needed to replace the Burrow Beasts every ten minutes. And as they drew near, this seemingly aimless assessment finally offered a clue.
Wei Huan discovered people who were still active beneath this object. And they were acquaintances.
Aglis's body glowed crimson, just like the Blood Servant demons she used to summon. She looked horrifying, as if she were stripped of her skin, wrapped in a blood mist that was ten meters thick. But the fact that she could still move, and that she met Wei Huan's gaze as he appeared, confirmed that the blood energy came from her own body. She was resisting the purple contamination through this method.
"Colonel Wei," Aglis looked up with her blood-red face, smiling, "Your entrances are always so shocking. I knew you were coming from a great distance." Then, Aglis's gaze fell on the abdominal cavities of the other Burrow Beasts, immediately noticing the anomaly. "You kind man, you never forget mercy."
Wei Huan did not waste time with pleasantries but commanded the Burrow Beasts to approach Aglis, asking, "Did you discover anything?"
Aglis smiled, blinking. Her blood-soaked face possessed a strange, inexplicable charm. She had a graceful figure, and the blood mist danced around her as she neared Wei Huan: "The first thing you do is ask. Do you have something to exchange?"
Wei Huan said: "I have explored the edge of the assessment area. The exit is shrouded in white fog. It's a huge circle, and we are trapped in the middle, unable to leave."
Aglis's expression subtly changed, and she stopped joking, saying seriously: "I only arrived recently and am currently looking for an entrance. I haven't seen anyone else. Fang William and Yake also came in. I believe they must be able to reach here. Maybe we need to wait a little longer, or..." Speaking of this, Aglis looked back at the massive, purple-black object, "they have found a way to go inside."
"We can wait a little longer. I'll study this first," Wei Huan did not dwell on it. He genuinely needed to understand what this object in front of him was.
This was a "mountain" stabbed into the earth at an angle, dark purple and black in color—the culprit behind the forest's pollution. Close up, the material was very peculiar, like charcoal with unique facets, yet also reflecting light like glass. Of course, this object could not be charcoal, because a careful observation revealed that energy flowed through the patterns on it, like deliberately carved demonic runes. However, the runes were somewhat fragmented due to a violent impact.
A few were still complete. Wei Huan thought for a moment, summoned a Facehugger, took out a dagger from his storage bag, and began to copy one. The rune looked complex, but a rough imitation was not too difficult. The first two attempts yielded no change. Just as Wei Huan thought this was meaningless and was about to give up, the third, larger rune he copied suddenly made the Facehugger glow.
The light was dazzling, attracting Aglis to swiftly fly over. She tilted her head, looking at the glowing Facehugger, and asked: "What is that?"
Wei Huan did not speak, because in that short moment, the Facehugger died. It turned into ash and fell to the ground in less than a second. What astonished Wei Huan was that he could not summon this Facehugger from his Great Tomb either. It was as if it had been purified by Holy Light, allowing him to encounter an energy that could directly kill the Undead again. He instantly grew wary of this light.
On the other side, Aglis also looked at her slightly thinned blood mist and said:
"This is an energy that can counter my blood-flesh energy. It feels terrible. So what exactly is this?"
Wei Huan gestured for Aglis to watch. He summoned another Facehugger and drew the rune again. The Facehugger once again released a dazzling light, then instantly died and turned to ash. Aglis looked back in surprise at the massive purple-black object behind her, staring at the complete or broken runes on it, her eyes widening little by little.
Finally, she said: "So you're saying that this ominous-looking thing has Light-based runes carved on it? And the runes point directly to the essence, allowing even us Dark-based types to utilize them?"
Wei Huan shook his head: "We can copy them, but we probably can't utilize them."
"So, what exactly is this thing?"
"I don't know."
"What's the meaning of you drawing it?"
"Research."
"Have you figured it out yet?"
"In progress."
"..." Aglis's bloody hair behind her flew up, and she called out angrily, "It's so difficult to talk to you! Can't you say a little more?"
Wei Huan ignored her anger, commanding the Undead to continue observing with him. Aglis was clearly accustomed to being adored. Since Wei Huan ignored her, she lost interest in crowding him and flew off in the opposite direction.
After the two sides were far apart, Cynthia suddenly spoke: "Colonel Wei, Major General Franglin's Colossus is bigger than yours."
Wei Huan turned to look at her.
Cynthia lowered her eyes and did not speak.
Wei Huan frowned slightly. Cynthia was reminding him that Aglis seemed to have collected quite a few Colossus fragments along the way, but no one was found near her. Therefore, it was highly likely that she took the fragments from those people and left them to die, or... Aglis took action herself.
Cynthia saw Wei Huan's silence, assuming he didn't understand, and couldn't help but directly prompt: "Perhaps the Colossus is the key to opening the gate of this ruin, or a clue to the assessment. If your Colossus fuses with hers, perhaps it will trigger something?"
Then, Cynthia leaned forward slightly, looking expectantly at Wei Huan: "Your strength is already greater than Major General Franglin. With the assistance of me and Captain Jones, we can definitely succeed in one fell swoop."
Wei Huan finally turned his gaze to her, but contrary to her imagination, Wei Huan's eyes held a cold smile.
The next second, a red shadow suddenly appeared, violently crashing into the Burrow Beast that Cynthia was on. The fierce attack overturned the Burrow Beast, and another spin shattered the creature. Cynthia screamed and fell out, landing miserably on the ground, exposed to the contamination.
"Ah!"
Cynthia bounced back up, transforming in a roll. A red-haired lioness, the same color as her hair, stood on the ground with a roar. Sharp claws extended from its paws, but it hesitated to strike the red shadow.
The red shadow rolled, and a Blood Servant appeared. The man in the tailcoat was handsome and sinister, floating in mid-air, silently staring at Cynthia. After a few seconds, the Blood Servant spoke, but it was Aglis's voice: "What do you know about my relationship with Wei Huan? I hate women who sow discord like you the most. I kill every one I see."
Cynthia was stunned, looking at Wei Huan in disbelief. Wei Huan did not deny it. Compared to this woman, Wei Huan definitely trusted Aglis more. That person who, in the previous life, could stand in front of humanity and resist the Dark Beast Lord with her flesh and blood—the "Pillar of Humanity"—no matter how spoiled she was, her heart was definitely warm.
Of course, Wei Huan was not very familiar with Aglis. Their only meeting was the last battle on Five-Star Island, but that was not enough for an ill-intentioned woman to sow discord. Wei Huan and Aglis would absolutely not fight among themselves. This was an unspoken understanding between them. If necessary, Wei Huan would not mind giving his Colossus fragment to Aglis.
Because one thing Wei Huan firmly believed was that their ultimate goal in risking coming here was to lead humanity to victory against the Dark Beast Lord on the grand battlefield. Therefore, anyone could do it, as long as they were willing to bear that responsibility.
Aglis clearly thought the same. She spoke through the Blood Servant: "You think a mere trial can make us kill each other? Only fools like you are still immersed in a stupid dream of manipulating the strong and controlling the situation! Do you think this war of civilization can be won by just one person? No wonder you can only stay in the Tier 4 world and cannot enter the Tier 5 world. Foolish creatures don't deserve to advance further."
Cynthia's face was extremely pale. More importantly, Wei Huan's Burrow Beast did not come down to protect her. With her schemes exposed, she had clearly lost the protection of both strong figures simultaneously.
"I was just trying to help you find a way. What if this is the way to pass the assessment? You can't be trapped here, others are waiting outside..." Cynthia still tried to argue.
Aglis's Blood Servant suddenly struck, slapping her away. She fell to the ground with a smack. Aglis chuckled: "Then give him mine. Is that so difficult?"
Wei Huan stopped looking at Cynthia. He commanded the Undead army to leave. There was no need to keep this kind of woman who couldn't read the situation and had too many petty schemes. Let her be contaminated first. Whether she could be saved depended on her own fate.
Wei Huan's abandonment terrified Cynthia. She screamed Wei Huan's name, first pleading for his forgiveness, then apologizing loudly, and finally saying:
"...You are the hero of humanity! I am also human! Why won't you protect me? You have hundreds of thousands of Undead! Why won't you send one to protect me? I only need a tiny bit of your pity. Please!"
Wei Huan didn't actually hear Cynthia's wailing; he had already flown to a higher altitude with the help of the Burrow Beast. And even if he had heard, he wouldn't change his mind. Was this woman trying to morally blackmail him? He was indeed a hero of humanity and willing to bear the responsibility of saving humanity, but that didn't mean he would protect someone full of schemes, who lacked ability herself, yet wanted to control the powerful through words.
Just when Wei Huan was at his wit's end, a mass of blood shadow flew over. A handsome Blood Servant revealed himself, speaking in Aglis's voice: "Colonel Wei, I think I've found something. Come take a look."
Wei Huan followed the Blood Servant to Aglis. Aglis also floated in mid-air. The rolling red cloud and her crimson figure made her look sinister. But Wei Huan, sitting on a pile of bones, was no less sinister in appearance.
Aglis pointed to a spot that looked largely normal: "Many of the rune paths converged here."
Wei Huan looked closely. Indeed, as she said. Looking again, he realized that this nearly one-hundred-meter-high stone wall was extremely smooth. Then, Wei Huan discovered half a footprint at the bottom of the stone wall.
"This is half a footprint, the position of the heel. Someone has been here," Aglis said in surprise, stepping her small foot onto that half-footprint. "Oh, it's a man's shoe size."
Wei Huan guessed someone had entered. It would be best if it was Captain Fang; Yake was fine too. So the remaining problem was how to get in. Once the location was confirmed, examining the anomaly again became much simpler through reverse engineering.
Soon, both of them discovered that the paths of these demonic runes all converged at one spot. Aglis injected her energy into that spot. The runes instantly lit up, emitting a faint, flowing light. Wei Huan noticed that this light was not purple but the same brilliant light he had drawn on the Facehugger's back shell earlier.
The flowing light flickered, and then a square door appeared before them. The door was very large, exactly the one-hundred-meter height Wei Huan had observed earlier, extending down to the position of the half-footprint. Aglis was the first to land, stepping her foot onto the newly revealed front half of the footprint. She turned and smiled at Wei Huan: "See? Someone got in ahead of us."
Wei Huan's spirits lifted. He was looking forward to meeting up with Captain Fang William. "Let's go in," Wei Huan said.
Aglis flew up again. She glanced at Jones, protected inside the abdominal cavity of one of the dozens of Facehuggers behind Wei Huan, and the people who were purple blobs, neither dead nor alive, but said nothing.
Wei Huan sent out the Undead to explore ahead. Aglis's blood shadow also moved among his summoned Undead army. At the same time, Wei Huan left a large number of Undead behind, just in case. But they had only walked less than ten meters forward when the surroundings suddenly darkened. Looking back, the exit behind them was gone. Furthermore, Wei Huan lost contact with the Undead outside.
"The Blood Shadow Demon has lost contact," Aglis was clearly experiencing the same thing, looking at Wei Huan with a grave expression. Wei Huan re-summoned the Undead that had been isolated outside from the Great Tomb, then said: "It's just energy isolation between the inside and outside. We are not under attack."
Aglis also realized this, and relaxing, she said: "I know you wanted to leave the Undead to guide the way, hoping that woman might change her fate if she came in. Unfortunately, the God of Destiny is not on her side. Let's go. We don't know what awaits us ahead."
Wei Huan walked silently alongside Aglis. He had many reasons for leaving the Undead outside. He believed that some strong but slow individuals had yet to arrive, and it would be best if he could save them some searching time. As for Cynthia... she was nearby when they entered. She should be able to find her way in, right?
The inside, on the other hand, seemed to lack the polluting energy. After entering, his Undead had stopped changing. However, Wei Huan had more important things to do. He would not be a saint, wanting to save every life he saw. If he could explore the secrets of the Titans, it might benefit all of humanity.
Wei Huan and Aglis flew off along the passage. The passage was one hundred meters high, just like the entrance, making flying easy. Finally, Aglis saw how easily Wei Huan flew while sitting on the Burrow Beast and simply found a Burrow Beast to sit on herself. She glanced at Jones and then asked Wei Huan:
"How much do you really know about the Tier 5 world's Remnants Tribe deceiver? Tell me all about it."
Wei Huan replied without turning his head: "Everything that should be made public has been. The rest that hasn't been mentioned is business."
"You know that's not conducive to unity, right?"
Wei Huan was not morally blackmailed by her. Instead, he asked: "Do you want to join my alliance contract? Under a strategic alliance, you can get more detailed intelligence."
"I would like to, but reality doesn't allow it. Is there no other way to share intelligence?"
"There is. Once I go to the Tier 6 world, all intelligence on the Tier 5 world will be open."
"You should be able to go to the Tier 6 world soon, right?"
"I will set off within three months."
"Tsk. I also want to move forward, but those old folks won't agree."
"Humanity's foundation in the Tier 5 world is not yet stable."
"Fine, I know. With you in the lead, our whole will be able to enter the next world faster. But... you monster, how did you emerge? I hadn't even heard your name last year, and then in the blink of an eye, you rushed past me from the rookie king spot. The last time I fought you, I was certain that your strength far exceeded mine. Is there some secret to it?" Then, without waiting for Wei Huan to answer, Aglis added: "You're right. You're the only Tomb Keeper in the world. The resources of the entire sequence are concentrated in your hands. It's only natural that you're strong."