“No! Go and check! Oro’s energy signature is gone!” Xia Fei’s smile froze on his lips as he sternly spoke.
*Whoosh!*
Everyone was startled, and then everyone rushed out, not caring if something had actually happened to Oro or if he had not had time to pick up his pants yet.
The grass rose up to their waists, lush and dense, but there was no sign of Oro!
“He’s gone?!”
“He’s gone?!”
“What happened to him?!”
Everyone looked around, helpless looks on their faces. None of them could fathom what had happened.
Xia Fei and the others analyzed the footprints and odor until they reached a clearing in the center of the grass, their faces very dark.
“Oro was last here,” Xia Fei said solemnly.
“And after that?” Ulan and Fuchen asked in unison, their brows furrowed.
“There is no ‘and’. The footprints stop here. It’s as if Oro simply vanished.” Xia Fei shook his head.
“Did that guy learn how to make an excuse for a pee break just to run away?” Xia Guanghai made an untimely joke.
Xia Fei, Fuchen, and Ulan shot him with sharp looks at once. No matter what, Oro was their comrade in arms, and it was not right for Xia Guanghai to still be thinking about his petty quarrels with Oro at a time like this.
Shrugging, Xia Guanghai said awkwardly, “Then I’ll go and look around. You guys stay here and look for him. Radix’s inexplicable disappearance is bad enough; we can’t add Oro to that. Really, what’s going on here?”
Xia Guanghai slapped his head in frustration. This was really touching a sore spot. While Xia Fei had not said anything, he was still very saddened by Radix’s disappearance, yet Xia Guanghai had brought up the matter again.
If even Oro had truly disappeared, Xia Fei would probably go crazy. These were old brothers who had been with him for many years, and he had a deep affection for them.
“Something’s really weird today,” Xia Guanghai muttered as he accelerated away to look around the area.
“How can someone just disappear?” Ulan muttered, one hand stroking a precious plant kept in his sleeve.
Xia Fei looked around and whispered, “He’s really disappeared. As Oro was worried about them, he secretly left me with his seal. He’s able to call to me even from a long distance, but he didn’t do such a thing. In other words, either Oro isn’t in this region of space or there’s something blocking the signal, preventing him from asking for help from me.
“Oro’s long-distance cry for help is extremely powerful, and their Lionheart Royal Clan has a special Law of Darkness skill. Only an incredibly powerful screen or death will be able to stop him from doing so.”
Fuchen and Ulan frowned at this. “Remember: This is the Collapsed Expanse of Founders, a place where anything can happen at any time. I think that Oro’s sudden disappearance is no accident, and it may not be an isolated incident.”
Xia Fei nodded. He had already mentally prepared himself for the consequences of entering the mysterious Collapsed Expanse of Founders.
However, the consequences had come too quickly and without the slightest warning. In the blink of an eye, Oro had disappeared. This was definitely not a good omen.
Be it Xia Fei, Fuchen, or Ulan, they all possessed incredibly powerful senses. If they said Oro was gone, then he was gone, and there was actually no need to check.
Even so, they searched the area for two whole hours until all of them had thoroughly lost hope.
“Forget about it. We have to be forward-looking. Oro is no ordinary person. That guy was imprisoned in the Eternal Ice Plains for ten thousand years and still didn’t die, and he was still getting by just fine even after I turned him into a human. This time should be no exception,” Xia Fei said with a smile.
Fuchen did not know what to say to that, and all he could do was pat Xia Fei on the shoulder. Everyone could tell that Xia Fei was just saying this for their sake. After all, this was the Collapsed Expanse of Founders, where they had to keep up their confidence at all times.
The three went up to the Azurewing Tiger Gate, the same one at which the Dark Spiritualists had disappeared.
Strangely, while there had been a door here once, when Xia Fei’s group arrived, they found only a smooth wall, with no trace of any door.
“The life signs radar clearly indicated that the Dark Spiritualists had disappeared in this area,” Xia Fei said, kicking at the corpse on the ground.
“They were fighting with one another?” Ulan said, staring at the corpse.
Xia Fei shook his head. “This person was ambushed. An experienced warrior would never expose the back of his head to an enemy, yet this man was attacked from the back by spirit energy, obliterating his brain and killing him. Someone must’ve struck him by surprise while he wasn’t paying attention.”
Ulan sighed. “Killing him while he wasn’t paying attention? When did the Dark Spiritualists become so ununited, killing their own and disappearing? The Collapsed Expanse of Founders is getting weirder and weirder.”
Fuchen remarked suddenly, “The Dark Spiritualists disappeared, and so did Oro. Could it all be the same thing? Maybe they’re all together right now…”
“That is one possibility. Oro is only a level 1 Law God and is still far from unlocking his Soul Mark. If he’s attacked by those Dark Spiritualists, then he should be in a bad spot.” Xia Fei lit a cigarette and took a deep drag from it.
All fell silent. A bizarre Collapsed Expanse of Founders and a bizarre ‘missing person’ case!
No one said anything, but they felt like they had knives pressed on their backs. Oftentimes, the scariest thing in the universe was not the most powerful enemy but rather the unseen one, the one in the shadows, the one who could be anywhere!
A cold wind blew, causing Fuchen to shiver. The oppressive atmosphere grew even more oppressive.
“Right. Why hasn’t Xia Guanghai been back? With his speed, he should’ve finished scouting the whole planet by now,” Ulan commented casually.
*Whoosh!*
Xia Fei and Fuchen both took a sharp breath of cold air. Yes, they were so focused on Oro that they had not noticed how Xia Guanghai had also gone missing!
…
Alpha was a universe full of dark energy, which was led by Spiritualists.
On this day, countless warships of varying sizes lined up in space, quiet and solemn. The warriors and Spiritualists aboard these ships all had grim faces, an indescribable passion in their eyes.
All of these warships belonged to the Alpha Universe’s various factions and clans. In terms of grudges, these people held many grievances against one another, but for some reason, everything was calm and peaceful at this moment. Nobody cared about the enemies next to them, gazing only at the dazzling sea of stars.
There were even more spaceships at a more distant location, but these were not fully equipped warships. Most of them were civilian ships all crammed together.
There were many people in this fleet, but they mostly consisted of the old, the young, the women, and the infirm, their eyes misting over as they looked at the first fleet.
All of this was happening because of the Collapsed Expanse of Founders, for today was the day that this mysterious place opened and they had to bid their loved ones goodbye.
“The Collapsed Expanse of Founders will open in a few more minutes,” an old man said, his face glowing as he held his hands behind his back.
The old man appeared to be very excited, yet the old woman next to him was constantly wiping her tears away. For fear of her husband hearing her, she had to suppress her sobs.
Turning his head, the old man rebuked, “Hmph! Inexperienced old woman, what are you crying about?! It’s the clan’s great fortune that our son, Old Seventh, was chosen to be sent into the Collapsed Expanse of Founders! The day we bring glory and honor to our ancestors is today!”
Alpha was a universe of the strong, and martial strength was often used to decide things. Ordinary people, even those businessmen as rich as countries, were not respected in such society. In the Alpha Universe, being a warrior was what represented glory! Thus, ordinary people saw members of their clan being sent into the Collapsed Expanse of Founders as an honor. If they could come out alive, the clan would prosper.
Of course, Spiritualists were stronger and even more revered. Alas, Spiritualists were too few in number, and ordinary people could never hope that their clan would be able to produce even one.
This old couple’s son was extremely talented and had risen high up in a major clan. He had been added into the team that would venture into the Collapsed Expanse of Founders, and so these two had taken a commercial vessel here to send off their child. This was good business in the Alpha Universe, with every person clamoring to pay a fee of at least three thousand pearls just so they could get a seat to witness the magnificent sight of the Collapsed Expanse of Founders opening. Besides those seeing off their loved ones, there were many people who came specifically to witness the spectacle. Such things had been going on for eons.
The old lady wiped away her tears and grumbled, “You’re truly a heartless father. Everyone knows that the chances of survival in the Collapsed Expanse of Founders are slim, with only one out of a hundred living at most. Our seventh is my lifeline! If something were to happen to him, I’d never let you rest!”
“Softhearted old woman!” The old man snorted and turned away.
In truth, he was also worried. After all, only a few could bask in the glory of the Collapsed Expanse of Founders, with everyone else basically dying!
This was a gamble. In a month, when the Collapsed Expanse of Founders closed, the people who survived would naturally be the center of attention, the various factions trying their best to recruit them. However, this would also be accompanied by an ocean of tears, for success was reserved for a select few. The vast majority of people would be leaving in mourning.
As the saying went, a general’s success was made on a mountain of bones.
Suddenly, a white point of light appeared in front of the fleet, growing brighter and brighter, stronger and stronger!
*Whoosh!*
A massive tear opened up in space, enough to let several hundred ships through at the same time. The sea of stars on the other side disappeared, replaced by the Collapsed Expanse of Founders! The legendary region of space where death and opportunity coexisted!
“Wow!”
The mouths of countless people dropped, their eyes widening in disbelief!
“Awoo~”
A command ship blared with the siren of farewell, and countless warships surged into the Collapsed Expanse of Founders; behind them, the weeping of their loved ones grew louder and louder.
…
It had been fourteen days. Xia Fei stood alone on a mountain summit, his eyes bloodshot. Beneath his feet was a dreamy sea of clouds.
A nightmarish fourteen days!
Xia Fei had never imagined that he would be the only one left after fourteen days!
Xia Guanghai, Oro, Fuchen, Ulan, and even that Lionheart youth Risode, who had nothing to do with the matter, had all disappeared.
They were all gone. Xia Fei was the only one left…
At this moment, the entrance between Alpha and the Collapsed Expanse of Founders opened. Countless warriors, Spiritualists, adventurers, and opportunists raced one another to rush into this Collapsed Expanse of Founders, which was solely occupied by Xia Fei!
