Translator: AnubisTL
After hastily returning to the Golden Garden on the Elosia Plane from the graduation ceremony, only one thing remained on Jieming's mind: traveling to the demon plane that belonged to him.
He was filled with curiosity and anticipation for the "Purgatory Sulfur Plane" described by his mentor, Mentor Clark.
This would be the first plane he would independently control, and it represented the initial foundation for building his own wizard tower.
The wizard civilization had continuously evolved over time, including changes in terminology and the definition of certain concepts.
For instance, in the earliest days, there was an insurmountable chasm between formal wizards and wizard apprentices. Formal wizards possessed numerous unique traits that wizard apprentices lacked.
However, as wizard civilization evolved, wizard apprentices gradually improved their skills, and some traits once exclusive to formal wizards became accessible to them.
By now, the primary distinctions between a first-tier official wizard and a wizard apprentice might be the growth in mental power and lifespan; beyond that, there were few differences.
The same applied to wizard towers. The earliest wizard towers were merely simple, tower-shaped structures.
Wizards, through their constant modifications of their residences, could significantly enhance their combat effectiveness within their wizard towers.
As time progressed, the concept of the wizard tower evolved, transforming from a mere tower-like structure into a symbol of a central base of operations.
Examples include the later floating cities and, in the present day, the... planar fortresses.
However, true mastery over a plane typically required reaching the sixth-tier. Only then could one control a plane by directly interacting with its plane origin. This is a key reason why sixth-tier and above wizards are considered high-rank wizards.
After all, fifth-tier wizards remained individuals, while sixth-tier wizards represented entire war systems, centered around a planar fortress.
Without delay, Jieming returned to the underground laboratory beneath his mansion.
He swiftly approached the teleportation formation, retrieved a faintly glowing rune core, and placed it at the formation's center.
This was the spatial portal "key" given by Mentor Clark, connecting to the Noren Workshop's Permanent Teleportation Point in the Purgatory Sulfur Plane.
Jieming took a deep breath, calming the excitement surging within him.
He extended his hand and channeled his mental power into the rune core.
In an instant, the rune core erupted in a blinding light, resonating with the base of the teleportation formation in the underground laboratory.
The space began to distort, an ear-splitting hum filled his ears, and a stable spatial rift slowly tore open, revealing a blurry and scorching landscape on the other side.
Jieming roused himself, confirmed that his protective magic was intact, and then stepped into the rift.
Instantly, a thick and acrid smell of sulfur flooded his nostrils. Jieming instinctively wrinkled his nose, nearly sneezing.
This was no ordinary sulfur stench; it carried a tangible heat that seemed to penetrate to the core of his lungs, making breathing difficult.
Fortunately, the protective magic blocked most of the scorching air, leaving the air merely foul-smelling rather than physically harmful.
He looked up, and the scene before him made him deeply understand the meaning of the name "Purgatory Sulfur."
Everywhere he looked, there was only churning crimson.
Not a trace of blue could be seen in the sky or the earth; the heavens were shrouded in a thick, dark-red sulfurous cloud.
Occasionally, lightning flashed deep within the clouds, bringing a momentary, ghastly white light.
The air was thick with scorching steam and choking fumes, and beneath his feet lay a blackened earth that seemed to have been burned countless times, hard and rough.
Jieming's body slowly rose, his gaze sweeping across the distant horizon.
In the distance, massive volcanoes erupted from the earth, not as dormant peaks, but as living furnaces.
Their slopes were as black as charcoal and as rust-red as iron, their gaping craters like the throats of giant beasts, spewing forth torrents of scalding steam and fiery ash.
Even unsolidified lava flowed like viscous blood along the mountainsides, coalescing into rivers of molten red.
These lava rivers crept across the ground, devouring and melting everything in their path.
The air was scorching. Even for Jieming, a formal wizard, his skin felt faintly hot, as if he were trapped inside a colossal steam oven.
Not a trace of green was visible; only a few dark red or charred mosses and fungi, adapted to the extreme heat, clung tenaciously to the cracks in the rock walls.
"Truly worthy of its name as the demon plane," Jieming marveled inwardly. "An ordinary person who stumbled here would likely perish instantly."
At his mental command, an invisible magical shield materialized around him, completely isolating him from the sulfurous stench and searing heat.
He didn't rush into action. Instead, he unleashed his mental power, spreading it out like an invisible, colossal net in all directions.
Simultaneously, he activated his flight spell, transforming into a streak of light as he soared above the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, conducting a preliminary survey.
The Purgatory Sulfur Plane appeared utterly desolate.
As Jieming flew, he spotted numerous crude, dilapidated artificial caves and stone palaces. Most of them were built against mountainsides or carved directly into the rock. However, these structures were now riddled with damage, and there was not the slightest sign of life within, leaving them empty and deathly silent.
This wasn't surprising. Mentor Clark had already explained that the greater demons who once inhabited this plane, being intelligent beings, had been "packed away" by the wizards during their plane cleansing. It was likely that these greater demons now served as research subjects or slaves for some wizards, leaving only these ruins behind.
But he soon discovered the plane's most striking characteristic: the fire element was exceptionally active!
In wizard civilization, the fire element represented far more than mere flames. Among the four fundamental particles that form the bedrock of the world—earth, fire, wind, and water—the "fire" component symbolized "energy."
The energy activity in the Purgatory Sulfur Plane was extraordinarily intense.
The density of free energy particles in the air was simply astonishing.
Moreover, the energy here was more agitated and aggressive than in other planes.
"This means the plane's energy reserves are incredibly vast," Jieming thought, his heart soaring with joy. "Perhaps the constant activity of these volcanoes is due to the plane's overwhelming energy."
Although he had already been told that demon planes were energy-rich, Jieming had never imagined they could be this rich.
Despite the harsh environment, he discovered that the Purgatory Sulfur Plane possessed a surprisingly complete and brutal ecosystem.
He stopped at the edge of a smoking volcanic crater.
Through the yellowish-gray sulfurous mist, he witnessed a cruel tableau of survival.
At the edge of the lava lived a creature at the very bottom of the plane's food chain—a red, maggot-like being.
These creatures were plump, their bodies a dark crimson, their skin covered in rough folds. They had no eyes or discernible mouths, as if they had been formed from solidified lava.
They survived and reproduced by absorbing energy from the lava. Countless such maggots wriggled densely in the crevices of the solidified lava, forming a hair-raising "red carpet."
As Jieming observed these peculiar creatures, a lizard-like being dozens of times larger than the maggots silently emerged from a lava fissure.
Its skin was covered in thick, volcanic scales, its limbs thick and powerful, and corrosive saliva dripped from its mouth.
A glint of greed flashed in the lizard's eyes as it lunged at the "red carpet" of maggots.
It devoured the maggots in massive gulps, the crunching sounds standing out sharply against the roar of the volcano.
To it, each maggot was a juicy, succulent morsel—the ultimate delicacy.
However, as a wizard, Jieming could sense the energy composition of these creatures.
He was astonished to discover that even though the maggots had no biological rank, their bodies contained vast amounts of highly polymerized energy.
Their seemingly fragile bodies, which looked like they would burst into juice at the slightest squeeze, were actually filled with a fluid brimming with volatile energy.
If spilled on a mortal, this fluid would cause horrific burns, easily searing through flesh and even melting steel plates.
But to the creatures of this plane, the fluid merely added a spicy kick to the taste—like mortals eating chili peppers.
Their bodies had fully adapted to this high-energy diet, perfectly absorbing and integrating the energy into their own evolution.
Just as the lizard creature was devouring its meal, a black shadow descended from the sky, swooping down like lightning!
It was a massive winged demon, its wings spanning ten meters. Crimson flames swirled around its body, and its sharp claws gleamed with a cold light.
It was clear at a glance that this creature was the apex predator of the region!
Without hesitation, the winged demon tore the feeding lizard creature in half and began ravenously devouring its flesh and blood.
A torrent of steaming, energy-rich fluids gushed from the torn lizard, but the demon paid it no mind, clearly accustomed to such sights.
Jieming observed the scene from the air, his joy growing even greater.
Due to the harsh environment, the creatures here possessed formidable combat capabilities.
Even those at the bottom of the food chain contained far more energy than creatures from other planes, and the apex predators of this region were all second-tier beings.
Such naturally powerful creatures made for excellent research subjects for wizards.
Their unique biological structures, energy transformation mechanisms, and evolutionary adaptations to extreme environments held immense research value.
After assessing the ecosystem and energy levels, Jieming turned his attention to analyzing the region's mineral resources.
(End of the Chapter)
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