Wizard: I Can Refine Everything-Chapter 170 - 70 Soul Stealing Canyon

Chapter 170: Chapter 70 Soul Stealing Canyon

On Black Bone Plain, the once bustling Floating City Fortress had become somewhat desolate.

Now, thirty years after the decisive battle, Wizards had been steadily progressing with the development of the Insect Nest World, and the counterattacks of the bugs had been suppressed to a minimal extent.

Newly born bugs birthed by the enslaved Mother Worms were returning to the Insect Nest. These bugs were no different from the former Black Crystal Insects, the only distinction being that they were branded with the Slave Mark from birth.

The Black Crystal Worm Clan had now become a slave race to the Wizards.

Their fate, though tragic, was far better than those creatures completely exterminated by the Wizards.

In the cruel wars of the Planes, the weaker races did not even qualify to be dogs.

...

The Wizards had modified the Black Crystal Worms’ history; they were no longer the offspring of the Mother Worm God but the product of Wizard experiments, with Wizards becoming their creators.

The cause of this Plane War was recast as an internal conflict within the swarm, where the evil Mother Worm God ensorcelled the majority of bugs to rebel against the great Wizards, and the bugs still resisting were called Sin Worms by the new generation.

The Wizards, instead, became victims of this war.

Under the Wizards’ systematic revision, the new generation of Black Crystal Worms had completely embraced the concept of being a subsidiary race to the Wizards, ensuring that if this notion continued for three to five generations, even if Sin Worms spread the true history among the new worms, it would not make any difference.

By that time, the Black Crystal Worms would have completely become a slave race to the Wizards.

He who controls the past, controls the present.

…

Ring, ring, ring… Ring, ring, ring…

A series of noisy rings woke Richard from his research. He switched off the alarm and then tucked the Crystal Fragments in front of him into his pocket.

Richard had set the alarm to sound every one hundred and eighty days, each ringing signaling that he had tasks to perform as distributed by the Command Tower.

Stepping out of his wooden cabin, he noticed the faint glow emanating from the nearby Azure Ice Mountain, within which the Mother Worm God appeared both sacred and ferocious.

This Ice Mountain had become a symbol of the Wizards’ might, the vile Mother Worm God frozen by the great Wizards as a warning to the new worms not to make the same mistakes.

Upon reaching the Command Tower, which had once served as the command center during the Plane War but had now turned into the task hall, Richard saw every Black Wizard remaining in the Insect Nest World collecting their assignments there.

As the exploration of the Insect Nest World neared completion, the tasks from the headquarters dwindled, transforming from direct assignments to requiring Wizards to collect them themselves, and the rewards decreased as well.

Every Wizard staying in the Insect Nest World had to undertake at least two tasks annually.

Many Black Wizards thus opted to return to the Wizard World. A world without profit, the Otherworld paled in comparison to the comfort of the Wizard World.

In the Insect Nest World, Wizards would always remain outsiders.

Surveying the assignment board in the task hall, Richard picked out a particularly interesting task.

“Reconnaissance of Soul Stealing Canyon… sounds intriguing.”

According to the task description, Soul Stealing Canyon was a peculiar gorge situated at the fringe of the Insect Nest World.

In the legends of the Black Crystal Worms, it was an ill-omened place, within which a demon capable of swallowing souls was sealed.

This demon, trapped and slumbering within the gorge, would devour the souls of all living beings inside the canyon upon awakening, leaving only empty shells behind.

Despite the frightening description, according to a Three Rings Wizard who once passed by, there appeared to be some disturbance in the Earth Veins beneath the canyon. The chaotic magnetic field could disorient the Black Crystal Insects’ senses, making them lose direction, and in severe cases, even destroy their cognitive organs.

The goal of this task was to thoroughly investigate the specific conditions of the canyon and then submit a written report to the Command Tower, with a paltry reward of ten Magic Essences.

However, this was enough for Richard. What he required was to remain in this world, not the minor compensation.

Although useful to most Wizards, for Richard, the Ice Mountain that held the sealed Mother Worm God was a goldmine.

Thanks to his Energy Vision, Richard had made progress in his research on the Ice Mountain over the years, discovering a special energy structure and applying it to the Rune Chain Sealing Technique.

This significantly enhanced the effectiveness of the Rune Chain Sealing Technique.

Leaving the task hall, Richard intended to head straight to the task location, but outside the door, he unexpectedly ran into someone.

“Ali, are you heading back to the Wizard World?”

Among the squad of Black Wizards, Lawrence had left the Insect Nest World in the fifteenth year after the decisive battle, preparing for his promotion to the rank of Second Ring Wizard, while Ali had stayed until now.

“Yep, my knowledge level is insufficient to continue my research,” Ali said with some distress.

At this moment, Ali, holding a notebook in her hands and wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, looked both intellectual and beautiful.

Ali’s purpose for staying in the Insect Nest World was the same as Richard’s, to study the Dead Silence Ice Mountain Sealing Technique. However, compared with Richard, who had the benefit of Energy Vision, her progress was much slower, and by now, she had barely achieved some results.

“Alright then,” Richard said with some regret. It was pleasant having Ali accompany him during his research. With her departure, he would be truly alone in his ascetic pursuit.

“When you go back, take a glance at my place. The half-breeds I kept might be on the verge of dying. Just bury them in the yard.”

Ali nodded: “Okay, I’ll take a look for you when I return.”

After bidding farewell to Ali, Richard headed straight for Soul Stealing Canyon as marked on the task map.

The Wizard’s exploration of the Insect Nest World was drawing to a close, and the map had become extremely detailed. In the Insect Nest World, there were no shortage of dangerous areas like the Source Sea Abyss and Mushroom Land, which attracted many wizards for research.

On his way, Richard encountered a group of Moth Army frolicking in the sky. These special insects had once caused huge losses to the wizards, with dozens of War Airships damaged by them, but now, they had become the wizards’ best assistants.

The Moth Army split in the middle, making way for Richard. They performed an awkward Wizard’s Salute to Richard and then shouted loudly,

“Wizard Lord!”

Richard nodded at them and continued flying towards his mission destination.

Compared to the Wizard World, the Insect Nest World wasn’t considered large. It took Richard roughly half a month to arrive at the place.

From the sky, the place named Soul Stealing Canyon didn’t seem large, only a few dozen kilometers in length. Low vegetation grew around the canyon, these plants used the Insect Nest World’s brilliant starlight for photosynthesis, bringing a bit of vitality to the desolate land of the Insect Nest World.

Landing on the ground, Richard opened the Secret Realm and fished out Ulysses, who was eating fungi.

“GAH, what are you doing? I was eating!” protested Ulysses, having been pulled out.

After several years of coexistence, the relationship between the World Mushroom and Ulysses had eased. With Richard’s request, the taste of the Sacrificial Fungus had improved, and Ulysses had begun to eat fungi whenever he felt like it.

“Can you take a look and tell me if there’s anything unusual about this place?” Richard asked, pointing towards the nearby Soul Stealing Canyon.

Although the area had been observed by a Three Rings Wizard, Richard, out of caution, still wanted Ulysses to have a look.

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“Gah, let me see.”

A faint glint flashed in Ulysses’ eyes, and then he shook his head.

“Gah, nothing’s wrong here. This place is the intersection point of two Earth Veins, with some chaotic geomagnetic fields. A Space Rift might occasionally appear.”

“A Space Rift?”

“Gah, don’t worry about that. Given the strength of this Earth Veins junction, even if a Space Rift formed, it would only be the size of a needle’s eye, and the probability is extremely slim,” Ulysses said nonchalantly.

Having said that, Ulysses opened a space rift himself and flew back into the Secret Realm.

As Ulysses’ soul injuries healed, his abilities also became more numerous, and after his relationship with the World Mushroom improved, he was permitted to enter and exit the Secret Realm at will.

Seeing Ulysses so nonchalant, Richard felt relieved and boldly entered the Soul Stealing Canyon.

As soon as he entered the canyon, Richard immediately sensed a faint energy fluctuation coming from beneath his feet, and the scenery before his eyes seemed a bit blurry, giving him a slight sense of dizziness.

“Such a strong geomagnetic field,” Richard remarked in surprise.

Richard activated his Magic Barrier and made some frequency adjustments to cope with the magnetic field. After the modification, the discomfort he felt vanished in an instant.

With sufficient knowledge, a wizard could often face various crises calmly.

After surveying the canyon, Richard recorded the entire canyon’s topography and collected many ore samples.

Under the influence of the Earth Veins’ magnetic field, many special magnets had formed in the Soul Stealing Canyon. These magnets had good alchemical uses in Alchemy Machines.

After the investigation, Richard found a place to stay in the canyon.

The report to the command center couldn’t be sloppy; although he had already determined that the anomalies were caused by the geomagnetic field, Richard still needed to investigate the intensity of the geomagnetic field and its fluctuation patterns.

These things would take a long time.

One day, two days, three days… Two weeks passed by peacefully in the Soul Stealing Canyon. Richard had already collected most of the data, and now he only needed to collect one more burst intensity, and his task would be complete.

Looking at the instrument in his hand, Richard silently awaited the eruption of the geomagnetic field.

“According to the pattern, three, two, one!”

As the countdown ended, a ripple spread over Richard’s Magic Barrier. The intense geomagnetic field even impacted the Magic Barrier.

Under the influence of the geomagnetic field, an enchanting Aurora even appeared in the sky.

Richard watched the sky somewhat mesmerized, taking out an Image Capturing Crystal Ball from his pocket.

“It’s so beautiful; I have to record this.”

The eruption of the geomagnetic field lasted for nearly thirty seconds. As the peak emerged, the geomagnetic field began to diminish.

Richard, looking at the scene in the Crystal Ball, thought to himself that this trip wasn’t in vain, completely unaware that a needle-sized Space Rift had appeared behind him.

A black and red mist surged out from the rift, filling the entire canyon in an instant.

Bang!

The Crystal Ball fell to the ground.

Richard’s body stiffened in place, his eyelids slowly closing, and his breathing became steady.

It was as if… he had fallen asleep.

Meanwhile, behind the rift, Richard slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the blood moon in the sky with some confusion:

“What is this place?”