Chapter 335: Formless Filth, Imaginary Territory Contract, The Title Arrives

Chapter 335: Chapter 335: Formless Filth, Imaginary Territory Contract, The Title Arrives

Based on what Lance knew about the draw pool for a **Star Spirit Base**,

if he was lucky enough to pull a **Heroic Spirit Specialization** related to the **Bronze Dragon**, it would be a massive boon.

However,

**Lance** wasn’t so swept away by the excitement that he decided to use the items immediately.

He cautiously stored all his spoils in his **Imaginary Number Dark Grid**.

Because

at that very moment, his **Intuition** was sending him an unsettling premonition of danger.

**Lance** suspected that an unexpected turn of events might occur during the upcoming settlement phase.

Using these items rashly in such a perilous environment was asking for trouble. If some uncontrollable accident occurred while he was using them, he would be in a world of hurt.

It would be just like when he had fused with the **Thousand Descendants’ Blessing**—the agonizing experience of a **Dragon Horn** violently tearing its way out of his forehead.

**Lance** had no desire to go through that again at such a critical moment.

’But where is this feeling of danger coming from?’

**Lance** quickly ran through the possibilities in his mind.

’Surely the **Evil God** summoned by the **Faceless Hermitage Association** outside wouldn’t stoop so low as to personally intervene and snatch the spoils from a mere mortal like me, right? That would be a complete disregard for its divine dignity.’

’If that were the case, it would be too much of a violation of the rules.’

He thought back.

Even back in the **Star Realm**, when he played against **Chaos**, the so-called **God of Rebellion**...

...despite his opponent’s foul, almost childish, temperament...

...after **Lance** had won the game, the god hadn’t flown into a rage and come down to beat him up just to vent his frustration.

At the very least, as gods who wielded great authority, they should possess some measure of dignity befitting **Deities**.

Just as **Lance** was on high alert,

a brilliant beam of starlight shot down with pinpoint accuracy from a crack in the dome, enveloping him completely.

**Lance** felt his body go weightless as the starlight began to pull him slowly into the air.

To his amazement, he found himself breaking through the very fabric of the space he was in.

’Where is it taking me?’

’Am I leaving the **Underground City** to begin the settlement process?’

With a faint POP,

**Lance** felt as if he had passed through a soap bubble, forcefully torn from the **Underground City’s** original space.

He entered a completely unfamiliar space.

The moment he entered, peering through the halo of starlight still surrounding him, **Lance** immediately sensed that something was wrong with his surroundings.

He appeared to be in front of a massive structure suspended in a void.

The sky at the edges of this space looked like a shattered pane of glass.

Beyond the dense, shocking web of spatial rifts

swirled vast expanses of a dark red aurora.

This aurora seemed to possess a life of its own,

constantly eroding the stability of this pocket dimension.

Directly in front of **Lance**,

countless massive white stone blocks and golden pillars were in a bizarre state of assembly.

It was as if an invisible, giant hand was struggling to construct some kind of building with these materials.

But the stones attempting to reassemble were constantly being disturbed by the dark red aurora flooding in from the periphery.

Every so often, a completed section would come crashing down, only to be forcibly pieced together again.

The entire scene looked both dilapidated and exuded an indescribable, eerie feeling.

’This must be the temporary venue the **Underground City’s** will constructed specifically for this settlement, right?’

**Lance** thought to himself.

’But this place has clearly been severely compromised and contaminated by the **Power** of that **Evil God** outside.’

’Are they sure there won’t be any problems handing out rewards in a place like this?’

**Lance**’s feet finally touched solid ground.

He was standing outside the gates of a barely constructed, ring-shaped **Pantheon**.

The starlight that had enveloped him faded away.

**Lance** glanced back.

Behind him was an endless void; there was no way back.

However, without the starlight’s obscuring halo, the **Outer World True Vision** ability inherent to **Lance’s** **Source Material**, **[Foreigner]**, began to activate.

He instantly parsed the true nature of the dark red aurora.

[**Formless Filth**]

Seeing this name pop up on his panel, **Lance** frowned.

’Leave it to an **Evil God** to have a **Divine Power** with such a dirty-sounding name.’

Just in case, **Lance** clutched the **[Hand Decree of the Great Monarch of the Void]** tightly in his palm.

If something went wrong during the settlement process, or if his life was threatened, he would not hesitate to crush the **Scroll** and use its one-time forced-escape ability to end the settlement and flee back to the **Material Realm**.

**Lance** tightened his grip on the **Scroll**, took a deep breath, and strode into the dilapidated **Pantheon**.

The conditions inside the grand hall were even worse than they appeared from the outside.

Dozens of towering golden pillars should have stood here.

But now, nearly all of them were snapped in half, their broken surfaces showing charred marks of corrosion left by some unknown **Power**.

At the edge of the main square, countless majestic statues once stood, representing the **Heroes** and kings of past eras.

But under the corrupting influence of the **Formless Filth**,

the statues had all become faceless!

All of their facial features had been violently wiped smooth.

**Lance** looked down at his feet.

Between the cracks of the platinum flagstones paving the floor,

long, **Purple Red** tendrils resembling blood vessels were growing.

The tendrils were still squirming faintly.

With every step **Lance** took, he felt a sticky, almost greasy, and repulsive texture underfoot.

The wretched environment made **Lance**’s skin crawl.

Just as he was hesitating about whether to proceed,

the voice of the **Underground City’s** will

echoed directly in his mind.

[King, please step forward.]

[Please take the throne and wear the crown that is yours...]

[Due to interference from an external **Power**, the rules have been compromised. This **Earth-Sundering Monarchy** will be unable to grant you a complete **Imaginary Territory Contract** (Current Status: None).]

Hearing that last part,

**Lance** felt a pang of disappointment.

’Damn, and here I thought I was about to score a private territory for free.’

According to the **Underground City’s** rules, the greatest reward from a complete **"Earth-Sundering Monarchy"** settlement

was that the **Trial Taker** could obtain a territory to command freely!

This territory wasn’t just some ordinary plot of land in the **Material Realm**; it was a special space, akin to a **Half-Plane**.

On the continent, the reason so many famous **Legendary Adventure Teams** were able to grow and prosper

was precisely because they possessed a completely secure **Imaginary Territory**—a rear base outside the jurisdiction of any **Kingdom**!

It was just that a settlement on the level of an **Earth-Sundering Monarchy** was incredibly rare.

Across the entire **Kingdom**, one might only be triggered by chance once every few decades.

The last time one had occurred was back in the era when the old guild master, **Necros**, was still active.

’It seems that because the ritual was interrupted, this incomplete **Earth-Sundering Monarchy** settlement is seriously flawed.’

While complaining internally, **Lance** followed the voice’s guidance toward the far end of the grand hall.

At the highest point of the hall stood a massive white stone throne.

But as **Lance** drew closer,

the throne that should have represented supreme glory instead made his skin crawl.

Because

while one half of the throne still emanated a holy light, the other half of its white stone surface was densely covered in tiny, fleshy pustules that looked as if they might burst at any moment!

**Lance** stood before the throne, using his **Outer World True Vision** to inspect it carefully.

After confirming that the pustules weren’t actively aggressive,

he gingerly sat down, keeping to the clean, white stone half.

As he took his seat,

the **Underground City’s** will-driven settlement voice once again echoed through the empty hall.

Along with the voice,

the system panel in front of **Lance** began to flash and refresh rapidly.

[**Earth-Sundering Monarchy** · Title Ascension Ritual Initiated...]

[Detecting **Trial Taker’s** Current Status: No Title Equipped...]

[Beginning Settlement of **Underground City** Comprehensive Evaluation...]

[You have achieved the unique hidden achievement "**Gathering Stars into Fire**" during this event!]

[Achievement **Trait** Triggered! Forcibly Condensing Exclusive Candidate Titles for You...]

Immediately after,

**Lance** saw

three phantom crowns, each emitting a different light, materialize out of thin air before him.

**Lance** understood at once.

Because the rules were in chaos, the highest-tier **"Earth-Sundering Monarchy"** settlement ritual and the lower-tier **"Lord’s Certificate"** ritual had been forcibly merged.

That explained this bizarre situation where he was being offered both a title ascension and a choice between new ones.

**Lance**’s gaze fell upon the first title.

[**Rank Breaker**]

**Lance** glanced at the description explaining how the title was generated.

It was a result of the high scores he had achieved in categories like **Insight** and **Overstepping** within the **"Extreme Path"** evaluation system,

combined with the high score he earned in the **Computation** dimension for his strategic planning in the **"King’s Way"** evaluation.

All of these factors combined to generate this title.

His score in the **Insight** dimension was particularly high, entirely because the **"Weakness Recognition"** ability—unlocked when his **Biological Research System** reached its first stage—had played a massive role in his battles.

The phantom crown for this title was currently flashing with a purple light.

This represented the title’s quality rank.

Just like **Heroic Spirit Protections** in this world, titles were also strictly divided into five quality ranks: white, green, blue, purple, and gold.

The greatest strength of a title didn’t lie in the direct **Attribute** bonuses it provided a **Professional**.

Generally, even a high-level title would only grant a few points in total to **Basic Attributes** and would often come with only one or two additional **Effects**.

However,

the core function of a title’s quality

was to determine the maximum number of **"Legends"** it could support!