Chapter 559 - 380: Silver Moon Highlands, Void Insect Race

Ian stepped out of a spatial tear, the passage sealing silently behind him.

He was now in the central region of the Wizard Continent, on the edge of the Silver Moon Highlands.

The air was thick with a dense, energy-rich fog, shrouding the sprawling mountain range. Only the faint, towering silhouettes of the peaks were visible.

"Ian, the space here is incredibly fractured. You need to be careful," Gaga said, emerging from the shadows and warily scanning their surroundings.

Ian gave a slight nod, his Perception already spreading silently to pierce through the dense fog.

Deep within the mountains, amidst the chaotic Earth Vein Energy and Magic Power, was a subtle ’hollow’ sensation—a trace left behind by the Void’s Erosion.

"Go."

With a flicker of movement, he refrained from tearing open the Void again. Instead, he transformed into a streak of light, flying low along the mountain ridges and into the mist.

After venturing dozens of miles deeper into the mountains, the ’hollow’ sensation abruptly grew sharper and more concentrated.

With a tearing sound, the mist ahead abruptly parted as dozens of grey figures came shrieking and pouncing toward him.

They were not large, standing about half the height of a man. With compound eyes and forms resembling a cross between a mantis and a beetle, their bodies were covered in chitinous shells, their mandibles snapping open and shut.

These were the lowest-tier "Male Bees" of the Void Insect Race. To think they had already spread this far.

Upon spotting Ian, they swarmed him without a moment’s hesitation—a simple, brutal charge. Their goal was to tear the intruder to shreds, devour him, and convert his remains into nutrients for their nests.

Ian didn’t break stride. With a mere flicker of his will, the space within a three-mile radius around him instantly solidified.

The dozens of charging Low Tier Void Insects were frozen mid-pounce, forcibly pinned in place by this vast, invisible power.

The chaotic light in their compound eyes flashed wildly, betraying their instinctual terror, yet they couldn’t so much as twitch a single appendage.

A spark of crimson-gold light ignited in the depths of Ian’s eyes.

The temperature within the solidified space skyrocketed. The Void Insects didn’t last a tenth of a second before they were incinerated, starting from the molecular level.

Without a sound, the dozens of Low Tier Void Insects were reduced to a cloud of fine ash.

"Clearing out these Insects is certainly easier than dealing with Mutants," Ian muttered to himself as he continued onward.

Along the way, similar ambushes occurred three or four more times.

The swarms seemed to be everywhere, surging from crevices in the rocks and from deep within the mist. They grew in scale with each attack, and eventually, "Swift Beasts"—Insects with thicker shells and forelimbs evolved into blades—began to appear.

But in the face of such an absolute disparity in Power, numbers were meaningless.

Ian didn’t even break stride. An invisible domain of death seemed to surround him.

Any swarm that entered the range of his Rule Perception—be it the "Swift Beasts" on the ground or the "Shadow Wing Insects" attacking from the air as fast as shadows—was instantly solidified and reduced to ash.

As he flew onward, he left behind temporary zones of "purity" in his wake, which were quickly filled once more by the mist and the lingering presence of the Void.

After passing through the mist at the edge of the highlands, the scene changed abruptly. A vast Moonlight Plateau stretched out before him.

The ground was not made of ordinary earth and rock, but composed entirely of Moonlight Stone that glowed with a soft, silvery-white luster.

The plateau was dotted with silvery forests.

The branches and leaves of the trees shimmered with silver-gray and crystalline hues. They stood in silence, slowly absorbing the ambient Void Energy from the air.

A pale purple fissure stretched across the sky, hanging in midair.

Beneath the fissure, a silvery-white membrane of light covered the entire plateau like an overturned bowl, holding the violet halo at bay.

This was the renowned "Silver Moon Barrier." At this moment, however, several spots on its luminous surface had grown dim and shattered.

Pale violet Energy seeped from the breaches, dripping onto the plateau, while countless tiny black specks continuously poured in through those same gaps.

At the edge of the plateau stood several watchtowers inlaid with intricate Silver Runes.

A slender figure stood looking in Ian’s direction, having clearly sensed the undisguised Rule Fluctuation he emitted as he approached.

In a flash, Ian appeared before the watchtower. The figure, a female Moon Elf, descended gracefully from its peak to meet him.

She was tall and slender, half a head taller than an average human female. Her skin had the soft luster of pearl, and pointed ears peeked out from her long, silver hair. The fluctuations of her aura placed her at the peak of a Level Three Wizard.

She regarded Ian with unconcealed scrutiny and wariness.

"Human Wizard, state your identity and purpose. This area is under the control of the Silver Moon Council. Entry is by invitation only."

"I am Ian Marcus, a Level Four Morning Star Wizard."

Ian replied calmly, his gaze sweeping past her to the watchtower and the conspicuous breach in the Barrier farther out on the plateau.

"I was invited by the Alliance Council to assist with the Void Rift."

Hearing the words "Level Four Morning Star," the wariness in the Moon Elf captain’s eyes subsided slightly.

Three months ago, two Level Four Elders sent by the Council had entered the Rift to investigate and hadn’t been heard from since.

The pressure on the Barrier was mounting daily, and the insect tide’s incursions were growing more frequent. Any powerful outside assistance was a welcome prospect.

"I am Cecilia, captain of the Eastern Patrol of the Silver Moon Highlands." She gave a slight nod, acknowledging his right to pass.

"The High Priest is aware of your arrival and has ordered me to escort you. Please follow me and do not stray from the path. The spatial structure in some areas has been affected by the Rift and is quite unstable."

Ian nodded and followed a few paces behind Cecilia.

Her gait was light and agile, a clear sign of her deep familiarity with the Moonlight Stone landscape.

Ian observed silently along the way.

The landscape of the Silver Moon Highlands was exotic and beautiful, but the Rift in the sky marred the magnificent view.