Chapter 364: Another Universe

Priam got up from the bed, overwhelmed by a feeling of helplessness. He had never felt so frustrated and angry with himself in this life.

After taking a deep breath, he activated teleportation and moved to the deepest region of the sect.

When he arrived in front of his family’s building, he found the place surprisingly lively.

It was a sunny day. Mirra was running across the field alongside several enormous wolves. She was making the most of her mandatory rest period.

His mother and father were happily talking with several wolves who had used their transformation abilities. Dandara was also there beside Seien, listening to the conversation with a slightly peculiar expression.

As Priam approached, everyone’s gazes quickly turned toward him.

Only two dozen members of that beastly race had survived, but now they were all gathered in the same place as Priam’s family, happily living together.

As he walked closer, Priam realized that the topic of the moment was none other than him—his parents were sharing stories from the Mortal Plane and memories of his journey.

Feeling a little out of place and with his mind in chaos, he decided to move away and sit on a log in the corner of the property.

Inside the house, Orlaith, Shione, and Lumiere were preparing a large lunch for everyone.

The moment Priam settled down, Dandara approached and calmly sat beside him.

She turned her face toward him, a look of genuine concern shining in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" she murmured softly, lowering her voice so no one else could hear.

Priam let out a brief breath and nodded.

"I just failed again... becoming a Philosopher isn’t easy..."

Before the frustration could weigh heavily on his chest again, Priam felt Dandara’s fingers intertwine with his. The gentle warmth of her skin spread through his body, instantly dispersing the heavy fog clouding his thoughts.

"Everything will be fine. You’ll make it," she murmured, holding his gaze with calm, unwavering conviction.

Priam took a deep breath. Faced with that touch and that unshakable certainty, all the suffocating anger and negative feelings seemed to dissolve into the air, leaving his body.

He firmly held her hand and nodded.

That woman had absolute confidence in him—a faith so complete that it would have worried him at any other moment. But there, side by side, he felt incredibly at peace, as if no obstacle in the world was truly insurmountable.

With his heart finally calm, Priam turned his gaze forward, contemplating the blue sky and drifting clouds as he allowed himself to completely relax.

...

...

...

Two days later, the news from the central sect finally arrived.

Mishnar went to Priam and handed him a fragment of Primordial Chaos.

Priam remembered the past, when Flaris had given him something similar to travel to the demonic universe. Back then, he had faced an emotional whirlwind; now, he would cross the borders into another universe once again.

"You have five days to leave. Once you arrive, you’ll be able to stay there for exactly thirty days. However, the space-time there is chaotic, and your senses can easily lose track of the passage of time. You’ll need to bring a timer," Mishnar explained with a serious expression.

"The entire planet can be explored. It’s a world dominated by sacred forests and untouched nature. But stay extremely alert. Besides the Primordial Chaos Beasts that will certainly attack you, it’s one of the few places where the pure nature races still survive. Although their base power is comparable to that of ordinary beasts, these races can use their roots to draw out the planet’s terrifying natural power. If you’re caught off guard, they can seriously injure you."

Priam nodded, surprised. He had already read about the nature races in the past: in short, they were like trees and plants endowed with intelligence and strength comparable to those of beasts.

In that world’s past, they had existed in abundance. However, after the change of era, practically all of them became extinct, as none managed to adapt to Ether.

"After activating the Primordial Chaos fragment, you’ll appear at a random point on the planet. To return, however, you’ll have to go back to the exact same place where you first set foot and use it again."

"If the thirty-day period expires and you haven’t returned, the planet’s intruder alarm will be activated. At that moment, everyone will know exactly where you are and will hunt you down to the death, without mercy. Remember that you’ll be in a universe populated by the greatest enemies of the humanoids; don’t be careless." Mishnar held Priam’s gaze gravely.

"If you’re detected by Primordial Chaos Beasts, even if you manage to escape, that won’t break the protocol. But exceeding the time limit will. The agreement we have with the ruler of that place is absolute."

After hearing every instruction, Priam nodded without hesitation.

"No problem. I don’t need to prepare. I’ll leave immediately."

As soon as he answered, Priam called Mirra and Dandara. Then, the three of them were guided by Mishnar to an internal teleportation inscription within the sect.

---

Priam and Dandara used the teleportation of a high-level inscription.

As soon as they crossed the spatial channel, they found themselves in the heart of a monumental forest.

Before they could carefully assess their surroundings...

Priam’s eyes widened. He grabbed Dandara’s hand and violently dodged to the side.

*BANG!*

A massive root burst from the ground like a spear, piercing exactly where they had been standing a second ago.

The thick root was covered in sinister thorns, from which a viscous green liquid dripped. As he stared at that poison, Priam felt that a single drop would be enough to easily kill a Sage, leaving him stunned.

The attacker was a tree located nearly 50 meters away. Priam could sense that distant connection through the ground.

As he dodged, countless vines burst out of nowhere like venomous vipers, rushing toward him. They were incredibly fast and numerous—it was impossible to dodge all of them in midair.

Priam snorted and threw a direct punch, channeling a burst of wind power. The impact completely pulverized the roots and vines.

The attacker seemed frightened by the overwhelming force and, under Priam’s watchful gaze, withdrew everything at extreme speed.

When he looked at the distant tree again, Priam realized that it had also disappeared without a trace.

A tree running away? He regretted not getting to see that sight.

This place was bizarrely strange.

Dandara sighed, a little frustrated. She was no longer the weakling Priam needed to protect, but she was still a Mage Master; faced with that level of danger, there wasn’t much she could do.

The forest was incredibly dense, with colossal trees and an astonishingly concentrated spiritual energy.

Fortunately, they had only been caught off guard because they had just landed there. Priam quickly focused, activating his senses and effortlessly mapping the surrounding area.

This place was far too dangerous. Any carelessness could be fatal for Dandara—even the power of a Sage didn’t mean much here.

Priam placed a pill infused with some of his energy on the ground. Deep beneath the earth, he also sensed a strange spatial energy. When he returned and activated the Primordial Chaos fragment in this exact spot, they would be teleported back.

That pill was meant to ensure that he could easily return to this place.

"Have you started the countdown?" Priam asked.

"Yes."

A mystical hourglass, precisely measuring the passage of time, was already active in Dandara’s spatial ring.

Then, the two began moving forward.

The terrain was filled with imposing mountains and stretches of jungle containing completely exotic plant species. With the poor visibility, Priam didn’t dare fly—it would make him an easy target for any powerful Primordial Chaos Beast in the area.

As they advanced, Dandara found the forest increasingly terrifying. Even the insects seemed to be permanently enraged, with most of them being extremely poisonous. As soon as they detected the two of them, they charged at them in a frenzy.

Even the vegetation possessed a terrifying offensive capability, launching surprise attacks directly from underground.

Priam didn’t bother dodging them, even though he could sense them from far away, because those attackers posed no threat whatsoever.

He was looking for suitable beasts for Dandara, and this was a good opportunity to test the level of the local creatures by letting them attack. He couldn’t identify those with more advanced mutations, but Dandara would quickly figure it out by watching them in action.

"Wow, how beautiful!" Dandara cried out in delighted surprise at the sight that appeared on the horizon.

Ahead of them stretched an enormous lake. On one of its shores stood a cliff several kilometers high, from which a monumental waterfall cascaded down, releasing a white mist. Under the sunlight, a vivid rainbow reflected through the water droplets.

Surrounded by majestic mountains, the lake displayed truly breathtaking beauty.

*FLAP! FLAP! FLAP!*

Suddenly, the sky darkened. Dandara was startled and hurriedly looked up. A colossal figure cut across the sky.

"An almost fully transformed Mutant Beast!" Dandara exclaimed in astonishment.

She had never seen a Mutant Beast before, much less one this powerful and on the verge of evolving into a Primordial Chaos Beast!

The creature didn’t even notice them, crossing the sky above them with complete indifference.

"This beast controls wind and space. On top of that, its greatest strength is its defense. It’s a bizarre combination of speed and durability."

With just one glance, Dandara could sense the creature’s Bloodline and diagnose its strengths with surgical precision.

"So you’re saying it would be extremely useful?" Priam asked calmly.

"Yes! Right now, it can’t compare to Arvid and Mo Lan, but I’m certain that, given enough time, I can make its Bloodline complete the mutation. When that happens, this creature could become my strongest ally," Dandara murmured.

"Unfortunately, to establish the contract, the beast has to agree voluntarily. This specimen must be the King of this region, and it would rather die than submit. Beasts are proud... Maybe it’s better to look for a weaker one. As long as it’s a Mutant, it’ll be enough."

Priam let out a sarcastic chuckle. "No. The stronger, the better. Let’s go after this one."

Dandara jolted. She was about to say there was absolutely no way they could subdue it, but... she ended up quickly nodding. She trusted that Priam had a plan; after all, she had already explained exactly how her contract ability worked.

"If Boss is going to help me, I’ll give it my all!"

Priam agreed. "First, we need to figure out what it’s doing. Its lair should be nearby."

The two kept their eyes fixed on the giant creature, watching the enormous eagle dive directly toward the lake.