As the wizards in the plaza were still seeking out familiar teams, a figure descended unannounced from the inverted continent-like black landmass in the sky.
Jie Ming froze, sensing something amiss.
Something was off!
Per the Junction’s standard protocol, regardless of who issued the expedition commission, the three resident factions—Noren Workshop, Tower of Annihilation, and Chaos Secret Cult—each dispatched a powerful overseer to accompany the voyage.
These three wizards served as both combat and research support, as well as overseers for the entire journey.
After all, without supervision, what would stop these profit-driven wizards from wreaking havoc in the chaotic void?
If the commissioning wizard, for personal gain, damaged the “ship plane,” what then?
Though these were discarded planes, their strategic value, post-modification by the three factions, remained immense.
Using another’s property as a “cost” for personal profit was something wizards could do without a shred of guilt if the opportunity arose.
Thus, overseers were essential.Normally, to avoid usurping the commissioner’s authority, the factions sent at least fifth-level wizards as overseers.
But now, only one figure descended…
Unless…
Jie Ming’s pupils constricted!
His expression shifted as a possibility dawned on him.
At the same time, many seasoned wizards in the plaza noticed the anomaly.
As speculation stirred, a terrifying pressure, capable of freezing souls, crashed down like an invisible tide, sweeping the entire plaza!
The figure, or rather It, exuded an unfathomable, abyss-like aura!
The sudden pressure sent shivers through every wizard, silencing them as they looked up.
As the figure drew closer, the oppressive force intensified, surpassing the comprehension of all present!
The once-noisy plaza fell deathly silent under this weight.
Every wizard’s expression turned reverent.
All eyes fixed on this terrifying entity, their faces poised as if awaiting a deity’s arrival.
The aura emanating from the figure was like the most ferocious polar blizzard.
Not only did it unsteady their footing, but it also pierced their souls with bone-chilling cold!
Watching his hands tremble uncontrollably under the pressure, Jie Ming confirmed his earlier suspicion:
The expedition leader was a seventh-level Grand Wizard!
No wonder there were no overseers from the three factions!
With a seventh-level wizard’s vast wealth—enough to buy multiple planes—and unmatched power, such tedious oversight was unnecessary.
Jie Ming unconsciously licked his now-dry lips, struggling to lift his gaze toward the rapidly approaching figure.
The figure’s body appeared normal in size.
Yet, in Jie Ming’s perception, he glimpsed a colossal shadow behind it, too vast for words.
The shadow seemed an amalgamation of pure chaos and ice, radiating the terrifying pressure of a higher lifeform, casting a boundless shade from a higher dimension that eclipsed even the Junction’s artificial sun!
As the figure neared, low-level first-tier wizards turned purple, struggling to breathe, on the verge of suffocation.
Many wizards’ faces flushed unnaturally, their internal energies showing signs of disruption.
Jie Ming stared at the illusory yet real black shadow, feeling his heart gripped by an invisible hand.
His body convulsed involuntarily!
In the oppressive atmosphere, where even the air seemed frozen, Jie Ming couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: “This is the true pressure of a seventh-level wizard?!”
He had once witnessed a seventh-level wizard in action from afar on the Elosia plane.
It was grand, altering the heavens with a gesture.
But the distance and the wizards’ restrained auras had dulled the impact.
This unknown seventh-level wizard might not match the strength of Noren Workshop’s deans, but as the expedition leader, his unbridled pressure was worlds apart from what Jie Ming felt on Elosia!
Under countless gazes, the frost-shrouded seventh-level wizard finally descended above the plaza.
His ice-blue eyes scanned the crowd below, giving a curt nod.
In a brief, frigid tone devoid of emotion, he announced: “I am Dionysius Spencer.”
Then, his voice rang like a winter decree in every wizard’s mind: “All personnel, board the ‘ship plane’ immediately. We depart now!”
As the command issued, the tangible pressure blanketing the plaza receded like a tide.
The wizards, gasping for air, felt alive again.
Jie Ming was used to the wizard civilization’s efficiency, skipping morale-boosting speeches before expeditions.
But Dionysius Spencer’s brevity still caught him off guard.
Now wasn’t the time for dwelling.
Following Dionysius’s order, Jie Ming joined the other wizards, suppressing their shock and now brimming with excitement, as they soared toward the black landmass above.
Like a swarm of locusts, the wizards boarded the massive “ship plane” with remarkable efficiency.
Rumble…
As the last wizard landed, the long-dormant war machine let out a low roar.
Its colossal form slowly “ascended,” vanishing into the Junction’s thick cloud sea.
A seventh-level wizard’s plane manipulation was staggeringly efficient, detaching the ship plane from the Junction’s stable harbor in an instant, setting it adrift in the endless chaotic void.
Drawing on past experience, Jie Ming summoned his five towering Black Giants from his spatial inventory the moment he landed on the black terrain.
Surrounding wizards began their pre-battle preparations.
Biochemical beasts, elemental puppets, and alien servant armies of all kinds were summoned, filling the black land with a chaotic dance of creatures.
Minutes later, as all wizards readied themselves, a deafening roar tore through the sky, and a massive spatial rift, spanning the horizon, was violently ripped open by an unseen force!
Beyond the rift, a world shrouded in dense white mist came into view.
The new battlefield had arrived!