Chapter 239: Chaotic Spirit Monster

She pointed to an area on the map marked with light red.

The projection also changed accordingly, showing a wasteland shrouded by an eternal blood-red sky, the ground wriggling from time to time, as if possessing life:

"But the real challenge begins at the 'Blood-Colored Shoals'—the first and second layers of the abyss. On the surface, it looks like just a wasteland shrouded by an eternal blood-red sky, but in reality, thousands of 'spatial vesicles' are hidden there, each with its own unique ecosystem."

An astonishing scene appeared in the projection—an invisible dividing line, with two completely different worlds on the left and right sides.

On one side was a swamp ravaged by acid rain, and on the other was an ice field flashing with crystalline light.

A flash of vigilance crossed Lady Ailan's eyes, as if she were recalling some unpleasant experiences:

"I once witnessed two completely different worlds within a step's distance. The most terrifying thing is that this boundary sometimes suddenly moves or disappears, suddenly throwing unprepared explorers into a completely strange environment."

She paused, her eyes becoming distant, and the figure of an explorer appeared in the projection.

He took a wrong step, suddenly fell into an invisible swamp, and was completely swallowed in the blink of an eye:

"Once, I witnessed an experienced explorer who, just because he took a wrong step, stepped from dry sandy ground into an invisible swamp. He was swallowed almost instantly, without even time to struggle.

And even more terrifying is that the 'swamp' is actually a conscious liquid creature that will remember the scent of its prey and learn to imitate their calls to lure companions closer."

Luo En thought seriously about this information, his mind already beginning to conceive possible response strategies.

This weird change characteristic strengthened his determination not to explore in person, but to send the substitute puppet as a remote control.

"In the 'Blood-Colored Shoals,' you will encounter more powerful mutants, some of which have even evolved power close to the formal wizard level."

Lady Ailan's voice became low and serious.

A huge spider appeared in the projection, its whole body covered with crystallized red hard shells, and eight eyes flashing with unsettling wisdom.

"'Blood Crystal Spider' is one of them; this creature might have just been an ordinary spider originally.

But under the influence of abyssal energy, they became huge and terrifying, capable of spraying webs condensed from blood crystals, and any creature captured by the web would gradually be transformed into blood crystals.

It is said that the oldest Blood Crystal Spiders can even create perfect blood crystal replicas, imitating the appearance and behavior of the prey they captured."

In the projection, a huge Blood Crystal Spider sprayed a crystal-clear web, capturing an explorer.

That unfortunate person was gradually covered by red crystals, finally turning into a lifelike blood crystal statue, even maintaining the expression on their face.

Lady Ailan's gaze was deep, as if she had seen through Luo En's thoughts.

She reached out and grabbed a blood crystal in the projection, and the crystal actually materialized, falling into her palm, emitting a faint red light.

"You might think that with your current strength, dealing with these mutants shouldn't be a problem.

But remember, the battle in the abyss is completely different from the surface world.

The energy there is chaotic and violent, and ordinary spells may produce unexpected reactions;

While physical attacks may lose their accuracy due to spatial distortion.

More importantly, many mutants possess unique adaptive abilities, capable of quickly analyzing and adapting to the opponent's attack patterns during battle."

Lady Ailan looked at Luo En meaningfully, and the blood crystal powder in her hand began to change, forming different types of abyssal materials:

"It is worth noting that different spatial vesicles will produce different types of abyssal materials. The key to finding specific materials lies in finding the correct vesicle."

Her expression suddenly became complex.

"The weirdest thing is that these vesicles seem to be able to 'perceive' the needs of explorers. If you are extremely eager for a certain material in your heart, you will often 'happen' to discover a vesicle rich in that material, as if the abyss were deliberately luring you deeper."

Her fingers swiped across the map, stopping at an area marked in deep purple, and the projection also changed accordingly, showing a strange desert made of black sand:

"And when you enter the third layer 'Black Sand Wasteland,' the difficulty will further increase. The environment becomes more activated and corrosive, and the curse effect is also significantly enhanced. Even a formal wizard finds it difficult to stay in it for more than a few days without being significantly affected."

Lady Ailan's eyes became abnormally bright, as if she were recalling some terrifying but unforgettable scene.

The black sand in the projection began to wriggle slightly, forming various weird patterns and shapes:

"The 'sand' there—if you can still call it sand—has thoughts. Each grain is a micro-organism with collective intelligence. They will analyze the behavior patterns of intruders and then quietly change the terrain to trap the prey."

Her voice trembled slightly, and the scene of an exploration team appeared in the projection.

"I once witnessed an exploration team get lost in the 'Black Sand Wasteland.' At first, they just found that no matter how they walked, they returned to the starting point, as if trapped in some spatial cycle. Then, the sandy ground began to deform subtly, quietly separating the team members, making them unable to see each other. Finally..."

Lady Ailan's voice lowered, her fingertips gently swiped across the projection, and those explorers swallowed by the black sand gradually disappeared into the sand:

"The sand began to seep into their equipment, erode their skin, and drill into their lungs. The entire process was silent and slow, just like a carefully arranged murder."

As for the detailed process of how the sand murdered them, she, as a bystander, could not see it and naturally could not record it.

But Luo En could feel a real fear seeping out from Lady Ailan's description and projection.

The memories flickering in her eyes and her slightly trembling fingertips told him that this was not a fabricated warning, but a nightmare she had experienced personally.

Lady Ailan's voice suddenly became more serious.

A weird mist appeared in the projection, constantly changing its form on the surface, with countless tiny light spots flickering inside, looking like a piece of imprisoned starry sky:

"But the most dangerous existence starting from the third layer is not those powerful mutants, nor the activated sandy ground, but the 'Chaotic Spirit Monster'."

A flash of real fear crossed her eyes, which was extremely rare for Lady Ailan, who was always calm.

The mist in the projection materialized, slowly rotating between the two.

"They are abnormal existences in the abyss, looking like a mass of mist constantly changing its form, with countless tiny light spots flickering inside, just like a piece of imprisoned starry sky..."

Following her description, the mist suddenly rotated violently, forming a small vortex, and the image of an explorer in the projection disappeared instantly.

"When you are targeted by them, you will be randomly teleported to any layer of the abyss, to any place."

Her voice became extremely low:

"One of my companions was once targeted by a 'Chaotic Spirit Monster.' In an instant, he disappeared from my sight."

Years later, I found a part of him in a corner of the sixth layer—just a part. Judging from the traces, he might have struggled to survive there for months, but eventually failed to escape."

Lady Ailan paused, her gaze becoming deep:

"The most terrifying thing is that the more a team gains in the abyss and the more mutants they hunt, the greater the probability of 'Chaotic Spirit Monsters' appearing—as if it were a self-protection mechanism of the abyss itself."

A flash of painful memory crossed her eyes:

"I once led a team deep into the third layer to collect 'Black Sand Essence.' We were extremely lucky and collected enough materials in just three days.

But on the way back, three 'Chaotic Spirit Monsters' appeared simultaneously, scattering the entire team to every corner of the abyss.

Only I and two others eventually found the way back; the others never came out."

Luo En frowned slightly, pondering the strategic adjustments brought by this new information:

"It sounds really tricky; is there any way to avoid these 'Chaotic Spirit Monsters'?"

"Theoretically, you can reduce the probability of being discovered by them through special energy shielding devices,"

Lady Ailan replied, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the teacup.

"But there is no completely effective method. The best defense is not to be greedy—leave the abyss immediately after collecting enough materials, instead of continuing to take risks."

She clasped her hands around the teacup, her deep green eyes flickering with concern:

"The most dangerous thing in the abyss is not those visible monsters, but its corruption of the human heart.

Greed, fear, despair, anger... these emotions will be infinitely magnified in the abyss, eventually swallowing a person's sanity.

I have seen too many explorers who were originally determined, eventually dragged into the abyss of no return by their own desires."

Speaking of this, she seemed to think of something important, straightened her back, the projection disappeared completely, and the light in the room returned to normal.

Lady Ailan put the teacup aside, folded her hands on her lap, her expression becoming serious and solemn.

"Speaking of this, I must remind you of one thing—now is the golden period for you to improve your strength.

Having just broken through to a formal wizard, all your spiritual pollution has been cleared, and at this time you will experience a period of rapid magical power growth, usually lasting one to two years. This means that your body and spiritual power are gradually transitioning to a higher level."

Lady Ailan's gaze became abnormally sharp.

She leaned forward, tapping her fingers on the table to emphasize:

"This is an extremely precious window of time, and many wizards may only have this one chance in their lifetime.

During this period, your body will also automatically adapt to the growing magical power, forming a more stable and efficient circulatory system."

A wisp of magical power bloomed at her fingertips, forming a miniature growth curve chart, perfectly demonstrating the improvement period she described:

"Don't waste this precious time. Before truly stepping into the abyss, improve your strength as much as possible.

Because once you start exploring the abyss, spiritual pollution will accumulate again, and the speed will far exceed your experience on the surface.

By then, the difficulty of learning new spells will increase exponentially, and you will need to spend more time and energy to dispel the pollution."

After confirming that the other party clearly understood the importance of this growth period, she waved her hand to disperse the projection:

"In short, before you step into the abyss, it is best to at least be able to stabilize at the Morning Star level."

She stood up and walked to the window, the sunlight outside outlining her silhouette abnormally clearly.

"Even the most experienced exploration teams rarely go deep below the sixth layer. Those deeper layers are completely beyond the tolerance range of ordinary formal wizards, and only top powerhouses who have reached the Dark Sun level can possibly stay in the sixth layer for a short time. And deeper layers..."

She turned around, a flash of fear in her eyes:

"It is said that only Great Wizards can survive there, and even then, it can only be a short exploration. The rules there are completely twisted, the concepts of time and space become blurred, and thought itself becomes a plastic material that can be twisted and shaped by external forces."

She walked back to Luo En, gently pressing her hands on his shoulders, her voice becoming abnormally serious:

"Remember, the temptation of the abyss often coexists with danger.

Those most precious materials are often hidden in the most dangerous places;

And those seemingly most beautiful scenes may be the most deadly traps.

Always stay vigilant, and never underestimate the weirdness and cruelty of the abyss.

Especially be wary of those who 'luckily' discover exactly what they need in the abyss—that is usually a trap set by the abyss, just to lure you to explore deeper and more greedily."

Her voice became lower:

"Finally, and most importantly—no matter what you see or hear in the abyss, do not respond to those voices that speak directly to you.

Especially those that sound like people you are familiar with, or voices that promise to satisfy your deepest desires.

Those are traps; once you respond, your soul will be marked and become prey to the abyss."

"Thank you for your detailed guidance and generous gift."

Luo En stood up and bowed slightly to Lady Ailan, light of sincere gratitude sparkling in his eyes:

"I will keep these teachings in mind and verify and perfect them in practice."

Lady Ailan smiled slightly, a flash of relief in those deep green eyes, as if she had finally completed a long-standing promise.

She reached out and gently patted Luo En on the shoulder.

"From the moment you stepped into my herb shop, I saw that you were different. I only hope that when you stand at a higher place, you can occasionally look back at the scenery along this path."

Sunlight shone through the window, plating a golden edge on Lady Ailan's hair.

She turned around and looked at Luo En one last time, her eyes containing too many complex emotions:

Expectation, worry, pride, regret, and some unspeakable emotion, as if looking at some distant shadow of the past.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 240 =====