Giant Spirit Realm, center of the royal city.

Deep within this magnificent city constructed entirely of metal stood the most majestic mechanical sanctum.

Countless thick energy conduits clung to the sanctum both inside and out like blood vessels, pulsing with heart-palpitating light.

At this moment, beneath the sanctum’s core dome, upon the metal throne symbolizing supreme authority, space blurred and twisted. A shadow far larger than any ordinary native of the Giant Spirit Realm—several times their size—materialized from thin air, slowly coalescing into form.

It was none other than the lord of the Giant Spirit Realm—Korg!

Its true body similarly exhibited a slime-like semi-fluid nature, but far more solid, as if forged from molten obsidian.

Countless natural patterns as intricate as circuit boards flowed across its surface.

Three pairs of compound eyes, positioned in different locations, swept over the empty sanctum like six cold stars.

“An unknown… enemy?”

Korg’s voice echoed through the sanctum, calm without the slightest ripple, leaking not a trace of imposing might.

Yet these plain words pressed down upon a Giant Spirit Realm general prostrated beneath the throne like an invisible mountain.

Even though its body was clad in advanced battle armor, the general still felt its entire slime-like form on the verge of collapse. Fear disrupted the energy circulation within it.

Korg’s three pairs of compound eyes focused simultaneously, like six searchlights locking onto the subordinate.

Invisible pressure nearly crushed the other’s consciousness: “Such a ferocious battle has erupted, the barriers torn asunder, our territory invaded—yet you tell me not even a shred of core information about the enemy has been captured?”

The subordinate’s body trembled violently, but it forced out intermittent mental fluctuations laced with energy static:

“F-Forgive me, my lord! All… all attempts to collect enemy corpses or captives… f-failed utterly!”

“Whether the corpses themselves or the units tasked with collection, the instant success seemed at hand, they were… erased from existence by some force! We… we only have images and energy fluctuation records from the battle.”

“However… we’ve… we’ve preliminarily deciphered their language, though many key terms remain unparseable. We… we only know they call themselves—’wizards’.”

For those final two words, the general expended all its strength, mimicking the precise pronunciation parsed from battlefield communication fragments belonging to the wizard civilization.

“Wizards…” Korg repeated the term in a low voice, a glint of interest flashing simultaneously in its six compound eyes. “They came prepared, perhaps even aware of our ‘absorption evolution’ trait. This does not seem a chance encounter but a conspiracy targeted at the Giant Spirit Realm.”

Sensing no immediate descent of destruction in its sovereign’s tone, the general’s mind raced desperately for ways to shift blame and survive.

Suddenly, it perked up and hurriedly said: “My lord’s wisdom shines! The gods (referring to those seventh-tier natives) have all lost contact—they must have been lured by those petty, lowly wizards into a trap preset by their ‘God of Wizards’!”

“Moreover… my lord, you had just launched a new conquest against the ‘Desolate Bone Star Domain’ when these self-proclaimed wizards conveniently appeared, so knowledgeable about us… This subordinate believes it highly likely to be the scheme of ‘Sylas,’ or even the ‘Mycelord’!”

The Sylas and Mycelord it mentioned were the world lords of the other two powerful civilizations in the Triangular Plane Cluster: the Mind Realm and the Proliferation Realm.

“From the battlefield imagery, these wizards also command multiple races of varied forms to fight alongside them. The enemy must be a mighty civilization ruling territories spanning multiple worlds!”

Korg’s massive body shifted slightly on the throne, emitting a low metallic scraping sound:

“Sylas… with her penchant for scheming minds, she could indeed orchestrate something like this. Colluding with outsiders, diverting calamity eastward… hmph!”

It let out a chilling cold snort, causing the surrounding metal walls to resonate and hum.

“I’ll see what excuses that Sylas can concoct to shirk blame once I personally capture the leaders of these wizards and pry open their memory cores!”

In truth, the three civilizations of the Triangular Plane Cluster had long realized the importance of banding together in the endless void amid prolonged competition and external expansion.

Compared to utterly foreign civilizations, though friction abounded among the three, they had formed a loose alliance, especially when facing common external threats or shared interests.

Korg set these thoughts aside and turned its compound eyes to the subordinate: “How fares the army’s mobilization?”

Hearing this, the subordinate inwardly sighed in relief, knowing it had temporarily escaped doom.

It quickly reported: “Reporting to my lord! Native legions are rapidly assembling, and many powerhouses on external campaigns have received orders, hurrying back via hyperspace channels! In ten descent days, we shall have a grand army ready to crush all invaders!”

Korg nodded in satisfaction. The Giant Spirit Realm’s efficient war machine was already in motion, its prowess unmatched by any world.

“Good. In the meantime, we cannot idle. Mobilize all intelligence networks, spare no cost—uncover more about these ‘wizards’ as swiftly as possible! Their power system, civilization structure, weaknesses… I want everything! On that basis, formulate a specific annihilation plan!”

“Yes! As my lord commands!”

Granted reprieve, the subordinate wriggled its body in terror, maneuvering its armor to swiftly exit the suffocating mechanical sanctum.

In the now-empty sanctum, Korg fell silent for a moment. Its massive body slid from the throne like a flowing mountain range, moving to a chamber behind the hall filled with various precision instruments.

It first activated a peculiarly shaped communicator among them.

The display screen lit up, revealing profound darkness on the other side, from which an ethereal voice acting directly on the mind emerged:

“Korg? Contacting me at this hour—what now? Trouble with your new toy (referring to the Desolate Bone Star Domain)?”

Korg wasted no words, demanding directly: “Sylas, is this so-called ‘wizard’ civilization that suddenly appeared in my domain your little scheme behind the scenes?”

A brief silence from Sylas on the screen, then her voice carried a hint of displeasure and gravity: “Korg, mind your accusations. I know nothing of this.”

“Handle your own troubles and deal with them quickly. Don’t forget, the time to fulfill our ‘contract’ approaches.”

Though lacking concrete evidence, Korg’s furrowed brow—if that writhing body structure could be called a brow—eased slightly.

It, Sylas, and the Mycelord were old rivals and old “friends.”

All were ancient monsters who had lived countless ages—truly clever beings.

Most crucially, recently, the three world lords were cooperating with—or rather, employed by—a far larger, far more terrifying powerful world, soon to jointly undertake a dangerous yet richly rewarded mission.

With this vital cooperation as premise, the odds of Sylas provoking an unknown powerful civilization to sabotage it at this juncture were indeed slim.

The earlier inquiry was more a warning and probe to prevent any hidden machinations from Sylas.

“Best it be so.” Korg responded in a low rumble, then ended the communication.

Silence returned to the chamber.

Calculating light flickered in Korg’s three pairs of compound eyes.

“Wizards… commanding multiple races in battle… highly targeted information shielding…” it murmured.

Though it had largely ruled out Sylas striking from the shadows, for safety’s sake, the Giant Spirit Realm needed more intelligence on this sudden enemy.

It required a more proactive, deeper understanding of these self-proclaimed “wizards.”

Since the battlefield yielded no relevant information, then…

Korg’s massive, solid semi-fluid body writhed slightly with impatience in the empty chamber.

Its three pairs of compound eyes stared fixedly at the far end: a massive array constructed from countless rare metals and spatial crystals.

The array’s lines were complex and ancient, emanating faint fluctuations spanning dimensions.

Hesitation and struggle alternated on its indistinct facial features.

Finally, it seemed to resolve itself, with deep reluctance “rolling” out an object from nearby space.

It was a fist-sized crystal, deep gold throughout, with liquid-like radiance slowly flowing within.

The moment it appeared, the chamber filled with a pure, warm soul energy aura that invigorated the spirit.

Thousand Soul Gold Crystal!

A soul treasure condensed from hundreds of billions of high-tier souls over vast epochs!

Even for one of Korg’s status and accumulation, such an item was finite—truly the apple of its eye.

Ripples undulated regularly across Korg’s surface, its bodily expression of heartache.

“Fine. Sylas is right—the contract looms. All contingencies must be nipped in the bud… I hope this self-proclaimed wizard civilization yields enough resources to offset this loss!”

Carefully, it embedded the golden crystal into the perfectly fitting central groove of the array.

Buzz!!!!!

With the crystal’s placement, the array activated instantly. All lines and runes lit up one by one, radiating intense spatial fluctuations and soul resonance.

Golden energy flowed from the crystal like blood, surging along the array’s patterns, ultimately constructing a twisting, blurred light gate above.

After about a quarter-hour, the gate stabilized.

A grand will, tinged with ethereality and jest, descended slowly across unknowable voids, filling the entire chamber.