Chapter 295: The Other Shore

Lin Yifan spun around abruptly and saw that the speaker was a hunched figure entirely shrouded in a gray robe.

The person leaned on a twisted wooden staff; his height was indeed not much shorter than Lin Yifan, who is 1.8 meters tall, yet his posture made him look like a hunched‑backed old man.

But what kind of being can be 1.85 meters tall while hunched over like that?

Perhaps, most likely, this isn't a human at all!

Moreover, the gray robe he wore was dirty and tattered, bearing the marks of age, and its style resembled a Western wizard's robe.

The robe concealed his body completely, and only within the shadow under the hood could two faint crimson glimmers be seen.

This made Lin Yifan even more certain that the figure could not possibly be Human!

What unsettled him even more was the aura emanating from the figure.

The aura was strange—a damp, dark, rotting stench that made anyone who inhaled it feel sick.

And this smell was not new to Lin Yifan; every Maggot Human Bone he had encountered before emitted the same odor.

Thus, if his guess was correct, this figure was likely also a Maggot Human Bone!

What puzzled Lin Yifan, however, was why this roadblock chose to converse instead of attacking outright.

What exactly is this figure's purpose?

Or, what is the purpose of the Red Moon behind this figure?

Faced with such an enigmatic, purpose‑less, face‑hiding stranger, Lin Yifan truly could not trust him.

"Who are you? What place is this?" He instinctively tightened his grip on the Dawnbreak, shielding the unconscious Ruan Qingtan behind him, his face full of vigilance as he stared at the newcomer.

The other survivors also formed a wary circle, eyeing the figure with predatory gazes.

After all, having survived this world for so long, they knew best that nothing falls from the sky like a free lunch.

Now, in such a place, the sudden appearance of this person would make anyone sane sense that something was off.

At that moment, the gray‑robed figure let out a hoarse laugh and said calmly:

"You need not fear; I am merely a guide. The fact that you have arrived here means you have already brushed against secrets you ought not to know, so you must also go to places you were never meant to go."

"Oh, right. This is the Abyssal Boundary, essentially the edge of this plane, so you cannot proceed further. Ahead lies spacetime turbulence, and with your current Life Tier, entering it would guarantee death."

Lin Yifan glanced warily around and only then noticed that the ground beneath his feet extended only a short distance forward before giving way to a gray‑white Mist.

What lies within the Mist?

Everything is indistinguishable!

Yet this plane normally has no Mist; now a Mist has appeared, and it looks strikingly familiar.

When he was previously in the Initial Domain, during the densest Mist, it was almost identical to the Mist before him now.

This caused a question to rise unbidden in Lin Yifan's mind.

Is this so‑called Instance plane truly a separate plane?

Could it merely be a small compartment carved out of the Survival Realm?

And this so‑called Abyssal Boundary might just be a border split off from the Survival Realm.

He even involuntarily entertained the thought that if he could pass through the Mist, perhaps he would return directly to the Initial Domain.

But thoughts are just thoughts; Lin Yifan has no intention of pursuing it now.

What lies within the dense Mist?

No one knows, because although the Initial Domain often has fog, it never gets this thick.

In a place with such heavy fog, merely stepping a foot closer lets one feel a lethal threat, as if entering would guarantee death.

Thus, even with his confidence, Lin Yifan has never risked venturing into the farms' territories up to now.

Of course, now is not the time for such thoughts; the ideas in Lin Yifan's mind only swirled briefly before being set aside.

He turned his head and asked the figure again:

"What does Aieriliya mean by 'the Other Shore'? Is the place you say we shouldn't go exactly the 'Other Shore'?"

"What is the Other Shore? The Other Shore is a beautiful Eden!"

The gray‑robed figure slowly lifted his head, gazing at the black tower; his eyes held recollection, sighs, and fear, a tangled mix of emotions that finally intertwined as he calmly said:

"Do you see that tower? That is the gateway to the Other Shore. Within the Other Shore lies eternal undying life, the aura of becoming a god, but all depends on fate; when your fate is poor, you may become a sacrifice."

"I know you don't understand what I'm saying, so I won't waste any more words. Once you see with your own eyes what the Other Shore truly is, you'll realize that it is the place where the mysterious reside."

"There, you will have endless food, never again suffer storms or other natural disasters; you can live happily, carefree, and multiply abundantly. Being able to go there would be your blessing."

Lin Yifan's brows knit tightly, and the people behind him began to argue loudly:

"Is there really such a wonderful place? I can't help but doubt it—could it be another trap of an Instance?"

"I also think there must be something wrong here; this world is full of pits, how could such a utopia exist? If it truly exists, why didn't those other races go to the Other Shore earlier?"

"Exactly, they didn't go, so this so‑called Other Shore can't be a good place. If you all intend to go, I don't want to go either!"

"I don't want to go either; we could return to the Initial Domain immediately. Though there we face natural disasters and various dangers, as long as we work hard, surviving isn't a problem. Going to that so‑called Other Shore, however, is uncertain."

"Then I won't go either; being alone now, I'll live as many days as I can, no need to risk anything further…"

…

Lin Yifan shared the same thought as the others, and his sixth sense kept warning him of danger!

At that moment, the old man suddenly raised his staff and, with a speed faster than the ear could catch, struck the ground heavily.

Boom!

In an instant, the once charred yet flat ground erupted with countless fissures; though they weren't deep enough to swallow a person, the tremor of the cracking made everyone lose their footing.

As they barely steadied themselves, dark‑red mist rose from the fissures.

The mist spewed from deep beneath the earth, instantly enveloping everyone.