Meanwhile, far from the wizard camp, near the core of the Frostflame Plane, a vastly different scene unfolded in a deep underground cavern.

The cavern was immense, a geological marvel.

Vast and profound, it was perfectly divided into two zones by searing lava flows and icy crystals.

Within these zones, countless lava giants and snow monsters gathered, sharply divided.

Their numbers were staggering.

More striking, every lava giant and ice-armored snow monster in the cavern was at least Grade 3!

So many powerful beings in such a confined space exuded the oppressive aura unique to high-grade elemental creatures with every breath.

Beyond the masses waiting silently inside, even more Grade 2 snow monsters and lava giants lurked outside, closer to the dividing line, hidden in their respective zones.

These forces were like two floodwaters poised to burst, ready for battle.

Clearly, the “missing” high-grade snow monsters and lava giants—Grade 3, Grade 4, and higher—were all gathered here!

This was the essence of both civilizations, their core strength!

Between the opposing lava giants and snow monsters, on an invisible boundary formed by intertwining red-black lava and crystalline frost, two towering figures faced each other.

One was a king of pure flame and stone, his body etched with glowing magma veins—the Lava Giant King, Karamos.

The other, equally massive, radiated a chilling aura that froze all, his sinews brimming with explosive power—the Snow Monster King, Aglon.

These were the supreme rulers of the Frostflame Plane’s two native civilizations, the embodiment of their greatest combat power.

Their gazes met in the air.

It was well-known that snow monsters and lava giants were ancestral enemies.

This enmity, spanning millennia, was ingrained in their blood, etched into the deepest imprints of their souls.

Even with their kings’ orders to cease hostilities, the high-grade warriors gathered here glared at each other, their eyes filled with intense killing intent and disdain.

The atmosphere was tense, and without the presence of the two kings, violence would have erupted.

Yet, bizarrely, the Snow Monster King Aglon and the Lava Giant King Karamos, the ultimate representatives of this ancient feud, remained eerily calm.

Their eyes held no hostility, no trace of hatred, as if they were merely acquaintances conducting routine business.

Without hypocritical pleasantries, they cut straight to the point.

“Aglon, my lava giants are fully assembled. The earth’s veins are adjusted, ready to assist in ‘charging’ at any time,” Karamos said, his voice deep and resonant like a volcano’s pulse.

“Good. My snow monster forces are also fully gathered,” Aglon replied, his voice sharp like metal scraping.

“But to handle higher energy intensity, our ‘strategic weapon’ needs further tuning. It will take… about half a cycle.”

A “cycle” was the Frostflame Plane’s unique timekeeping, based on elemental pulses rather than day-night shifts.

One cycle equaled roughly four standard years in the wizard plane.

Karamos listened calmly, showing no surprise or discontent.

His fiery eyes flickered slightly, as if he’d anticipated the delay.

“Half a cycle is acceptable,” Karamos nodded nonchalantly, displaying remarkable leniency.

For elemental beings with their long lifespans, two years were but a fleeting moment.

The exchange between the two monster kings ended swiftly, almost eerily efficient, without quarrel or hesitation.

As they prepared to lead their forces back to their respective territories, Aglon couldn’t fully suppress a faint unease rising within.

His massive form paused, and he turned, his emerald eyes fixed on the roiling magma within Karamos, a trace of deep contemplation flickering.

After a moment’s silence, he said gravely, “I hope our plan succeeds.”

Karamos’s deep voice responded without pause, radiating absolute, almost brutish confidence from his molten chest. “It will. We… will not allow failure!”

…

As the two monster kings led their forces away, among the snow monsters, one unremarkable, slightly smaller creature suddenly lowered its head.

It hid its blue eyes beneath thick fur, concealing any glint of thought.

This was no true snow monster but a seasoned soul wizard from the camp, disguised and infiltrating their ranks.

His luck had held—he’d blended into the snow monster horde long ago and had just witnessed the entire exchange between Aglon and Karamos.

“Their cooperation isn’t too surprising. The wizard leadership predicted this…” the soul wizard mused silently.

It was logical for the two races to temporarily ally against a common external threat.

“But…” He recalled details from their dialogue, particularly the terms “strategic weapon” and “saving the world.”

“The snow monsters’ ‘strategic weapon’ is that powerful?” he wondered, genuinely puzzled.

“To be entrusted with ‘saving the world’? Even if it requires the lava giants’ cooperation, to have such confidence after witnessing the wizards’ power—it’s no simple thing…”

More perplexing than the weapon’s potential was the kings’ attitudes.

“Something feels off… There’s definitely more I don’t know…”

After a moment’s thought, he used a spell to diminish his presence and slipped away from the snow monster horde.

“Just in case, I should report this to the camp for preparations…”

…

Two years, for mortals, could change seas into fields.

For wizards, it was merely a few cycles of meditation and experiments.

Under Master Augustine’s direction, the wizard camp was thoroughly reinforced and expanded.

Towering defense spires rose like steel fingers into the sky, complex composite barriers encased the camp like an unbreakable bucket, and the energy core was fortified with multiple rune arrays to withstand a Grade 5 wizard’s full assault.

The camp’s area grew several times over, its facilities perfected to accommodate more reinforcements.

Jie Ming spent these two years safely in the camp.

He followed his plan, working on protective array node construction while researching in his lab.

Most satisfyingly, the wizards’ anxiety and anticipation during Augustine’s absence provided him with a steady stream of Mortal Dust Qi.

Yet, no amount of preparation could halt the inevitable.

On this day, the camp was shrouded in a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

Augustine, the expedition’s commander, having completed all handovers, was preparing to depart.

Jie Ming stood atop a watchtower, like many other wizards, gazing at the lead-gray sky of the Frostflame Plane.

There, a massive, wound-like rift had been the camp’s only link to the outside world for four years.

The circular glow within the rift was the “ship plane’s” shell, hanging like a giant “eye” in the sky.

But now, that “eye’s” pupil was visibly shrinking.

Buzz…

A low hum, as if twisting space itself, echoed as the rift slowly contracted.

The pupil’s light dimmed, and the eye-like rift irreversibly closed.

The ship plane was departing the Frostflame Plane.

Jie Ming could feel it—as the ship plane carrying Master Augustine moved farther away, an increasing discomfort weighed on him.

An intangible repulsion from the plane’s rules enveloped him like an inescapable tide.

At first, it was a slight pressure, but as the rift closed, it intensified, as if the entire Frostflame Plane were consciously rejecting him, an “outsider”!

His body felt sluggish, his blood flow hindered, his mental energy less fluid.

“It’s like wearing your autumn clothes inside out, with burrs on the inner lining…” Jie Ming’s mind conjured an absurd analogy.

Every part of him felt uncomfortable, a grating sensation as if every cell beneath his skin were protesting.

When the sky’s rift fully closed, the light vanished, and the sky reverted to its oppressive lead-gray hue.

The plane’s repulsion reached a new peak.

Jie Ming immediately used his Alchemy Technique to probe, channeling mental energy to manipulate the surrounding spatial elemental fluctuations.

He found casting spells was now significantly harder—about a full degree more difficult.

What once flowed effortlessly—elemental extraction and energy construction—now felt sluggish.

Worse, his spell effects were impacted, his leverage over surrounding elements reduced by nearly 30%!

This meant his effective combat power on the Frostflame Plane was reduced by a third!

“See now?” A soft, smug laugh came from nearby.

Viola had appeared beside him, her playful gaze sweeping over him, clearly amused by his discomfort.

“This is plane repulsion,” she explained softly, dispelling his confusion. “We didn’t feel it this strongly before because Lord Augustine, a Grade 6 wizard, extended his rule stabilization to all wizards on the Frostflame Plane, forming an invisible ‘shelter.’”

She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly brushing the air, as if touching the edge of an intangible rule.

“But now, with his departure, that shelter is gone. The wizards here will now fully experience the disadvantage of being the ‘invaders’ in a true plane war!”

Plane repulsion was an unavoidable challenge when invading a foreign plane.

Native beings naturally received the plane’s will’s blessing, while outsiders faced intangible weakening.

Viola’s gaze shifted to the camp below, where wizards showed discomfort, some even disbelief.

Her lips curved upward, her eyes glinting with a strange light.

“What an intoxicating sight…” she murmured, her voice thick with undisguised satisfaction.

Watching the wizards’ faces grow grim, their physiological discomfort manifesting as subtle “pain,” a flush of unnatural excitement colored Viola’s cheeks.

Jie Ming ignored her morbid glee. Frowning deeply, he turned his worried gaze toward the core of the Frostflame Plane.

For Augustine, a Grade 6 wizard, to leave so decisively, even at the cost of leaving the camp vulnerable, confirmed there was a deeper plan at play.

“Whether he’s luring the enemy or has bolder, riskier ideas…” Jie Ming sighed inwardly, “I just hope this Augustine has some humanity, or the wizards left behind will face a perilous situation.”

Without their highest combat power, weakened by 30% due to plane repulsion, and with the plane’s anomalies…

All signs pointed to a war far crueler than they could imagine!