Chapter 454 - 339: Re-entering the Shadow, a First Exploration of the Gloomy Domain

No. 7 Wisteria Lane, underground laboratory.

Gaga stood in the center of the newly constructed Shadow Array, its wings fully spread, the edges of its feathers gleaming with a dark luster.

The surrounding Shadow Energy began to stir. Shadows writhed like living things, seeping from the walls, the floor, and the ceiling.

Finally, they converged around Gaga, forming a swirling, dark vortex.

"Ian, are you ready, gaga?"

Gaga’s voice had become deep, carrying the unique echo of the shadows.

Ian stood beside the little fellow, his dark gray Long Robe stirring though there was no wind. Deep within his pupils, three Star Orbits slowly rotated.

"Let’s begin."

Gaga’s wings beat fiercely. The dark vortex suddenly expanded, completely engulfing the man and the bird.

The surrounding light vanished in an instant.

The walls, the lab bench, the Crystal Stone Lamp—all familiar objects became hazy gray silhouettes.

Ian looked down at his hand.

The surface of his skin was covered in a faint gray halo, as if it had been "dyed" by this world.

The air was as viscous as mercury. The temperature was low, the chill piercing to the bone.

’What a peculiar world!’

Ian murmured to himself, his voice rippling outward with a strange echo.

Even though this was his second time here, he was still stunned by the profound mysteries of the Shadow World.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but varying shades of gray. In the distance, he could make out the distorted, blurry outlines of some buildings.

They were reflections of the real world.

On the ground, one could occasionally see some strange "plants."

They had no leaves, only twisted black branches covered in honeycomb-like holes.

Farther away, some writhing black figures of all shapes and sizes were visible.

Some resembled giant centipedes, crawling slowly through the gray mist.

Others were like amorphous black jellyfish, floating low in the air, their Tentacles dangling as the tips glinted with a dangerous purple light.

And others... were pure "Shadows."

They had no physical form, just masses of constantly morphing darkness that wandered against the gray background.

[Scanning environment...]

A light blue panel silently appeared at the edge of his vision.

A stream of data refreshed like a waterfall, so fast it was nearly impossible to read.

[Shadow World Rules detected...]

[Rule Attributes: Shadow, Void, Concealment, Devouring...]

[Energy Concentration: Middle Level]

[Space-Time Curvature: Unstable. Multiple local distortion nodes present.]

[Warning: Rule rejection detected. Estimated time remaining: 25 minutes 47 seconds (continuously decreasing)]

Ian’s pupils constricted slightly. "Twenty-five minutes. Shorter than I expected."

It seemed the Shadow World’s rejection of outsiders was stronger than Gaga had described.

"Ian, this way." Gaga’s voice rang out in his mind.

The little fellow was in a peculiar state.

The color of its feathers had completely blended into the surroundings, making its physical body nearly invisible.

Only a pair of silver-gray pupils could be seen, flickering in and out of sight within the gray mist.

It flew off in one direction, the trajectory of its wings leaving faint black ripples in the air.

Ian followed, his flight completely silent.

Here... the concept of "sound" didn’t seem to exist, or at least, the way it propagated was completely different.

He could hear his own heartbeat, but that was through bone conduction.

Everything in the outside world was frighteningly silent.

Only with Spiritual Power could one perceive the subtle fluctuations from the shadow-like creatures as they moved.

After about five minutes, they were already far from their entry point.

The gray mist around them gradually thinned, revealing a peculiar sight ahead.

It was a... bizarre ore vein composed of countless dark purple crystals.

The crystals grew out of the ground like a twisted, black forest.

Each was several meters tall, its surface covered in fine facets. Inside, liquid Shadow Energy writhed slowly.

"This is it. The Shadow Crystal Ore Vein."

Gaga landed on top of a crystal, its small claws gripping the smooth, faceted surface.

Ian descended to the ground, his Spiritual Power sweeping over the area.

The ore vein was massive, stretching for at least a thousand meters. The quality of the crystals... was mostly Tier Two.

A small portion in the core area emitted the energy fluctuations of Tier Three.

Those crystals were darker in color, almost pure black, and the dark purple halo flowing across their surfaces was even richer.

"These... are high-purity Shadow Energy Crystals. At least ten thousand of them."

Tier Two made up the vast majority, but there were also Tier Three crystals in the core.

He stared at the ore vein before him, his eyes practically glowing green.

Ian raised his right hand, his palm aimed at the nearest Tier Two Crystal.

The Gravity Rule activated.

An invisible Power spread out like countless unseen threads, wrapping around the base of the crystal and giving it a gentle tug.

CRACK.

The crystal snapped off and was pulled by Gravity, flying into his hand.

It felt cool to the touch. Shadow Energy flowed within it, exuding a strong aura of the "Void."

Ian stored it in his Dimension Ring. He then collected another, and as he aimed for a third crystal...

AWOOO...

A low howl echoed from the depths of the ore vein, filled with warning, hostility, and... greed.

Ian froze and turned to face the direction the sound came from.

In the gray mist, pairs of dark red eyes lit up—a dense swarm of them, at least a hundred pairs.

The owners of the eyes emerged from the mist.

"Are these... Shadow Wolves?"

They were completely different from the wolves of the real world, their entire bodies formed from pure Shadow Energy, with no physical form.

Their outlines were blurry, their edges constantly wavering like smoke that could dissipate at any moment.

They varied in size. The small ones were only half a meter tall, their auras at the Initial Stage of Tier Two.

The large ones were over two meters tall, their auras reaching Tier Two Peak.

Deep within their dark red pupils, black vortexes spun slowly.

They stared at Ian, or rather... at the crystal in his hand, their greed completely undisguised.