The vertigo from inter-plane teleportation had barely faded, and Jie Ming and Viola’s feet had only just touched solid ground. They hadn’t even had time to take in their surroundings when a vicious gust of wind, accompanied by a piercing howl, came smashing down toward their heads!

“Hm?!”

“Careful!”

Both were seasoned veterans; startled but not panicked.

Almost the instant they sensed danger, Jie Ming brought two fingers together like a sword and thrust upward. A field of extremely condensed Spatial Distortion surged forth like an invisible barrier.

Viola was even faster. Without even looking up, she flicked her wrist skyward. A shockwave infused with her unique law power shot out, overtaking everything else!

BOOM!!

A massive meteorite over five meters in diameter, wrapped in blazing flame and earth elemental power, was struck simultaneously by their two attacks less than ten meters above their heads. It instantly exploded into countless fragments and sparks, falling like a brief meteor shower.

Only then did they finally have a chance to observe their surroundings.

They were inside what appeared to be a laboratory or observation station, but the dome overhead had been smashed open, leaving a jagged, gaping hole.

Through the breach they could see not the tranquil, peaceful sky they expected, but a chaotic battlefield crisscrossed with interwoven beams of energy and frequent flashes of explosive fire.

Fortunately, the protective arrays inscribed around the laboratory were still stubbornly active, emanating a steady halo of energy.

Even if they had failed to react in time, that meteorite would most likely have been deflected or blocked by this defensive field.

“What the hell is going on?!” Viola’s brows shot up in fury. She exchanged a glance with Jie Ming, and the two instantly flashed upward through the broken dome, hovering in midair.

Once outside, the scene before them left both momentarily stunned.

Not far away, a sphere of light constantly shifting between crimson, azure, and earthen yellow—radiating berserk elemental fluctuations—was locked in fierce combat with a colossal demonic flower formed from countless thick, twisted vines. At its apex bloomed a gigantic blossom emitting waves of mental pollution.

The sphere spewed molten rays and icy storm winds, while the demonic flower whipped thorn-covered tendrils and continuously spat clouds of spores capable of corroding energy shields.

The shockwaves of their battle had plowed the surrounding terrain into utter ruin.

And this was merely a tiny microcosm of the vast battlefield.

Jie Ming instinctively activated his Eye of Detection and several scouting spells, rapidly expanding his perception.

Within his sensing range, the entire continent they stood upon seemed engulfed in total war!

One side consisted of light-state beings formed of pure elemental energy in myriad shapes. The other was a host of bizarre, hyper-vivified plants that seemed infused with frenzied life force.

Energy cannons and exploding spores bombarded one another; elemental wails intertwined with the grotesque snapping of plant limbs, composing a symphony of chaos and brutality.

The sudden appearance of Jie Ming and Viola—these two “uninvited guests”—was like a drop of cold water into boiling oil. They instantly drew the attention of numerous “denizens” on the nearby battlefield.

Immediately, several “Blazing Walkers” formed of flickering flames and several “Howling Venus Flytraps” sporting jagged teeth and swinging thorny canes turned toward them. Emitting incomprehensible psychic waves and electromagnetic radiation, they charged!

Though he couldn’t understand their exact language, through psychic perception Jie Ming clearly caught the meaning both sides conveyed:

[Light-element beings]: “Quick! Kill those two ugly, asymmetrical flesh monsters!”

[Living plants]: “Monsters! These flesh abominations without roots or leaves, with such drab coloring—they’re hideous! Purify them!”

The corners of Jie Ming’s mouth twitched slightly. He remained relatively calm in the face of this racially motivated “insult.”

But Viola, upon clearly receiving the psychic impressions of “ugly” and “monster,” flushed crimson with rage. Her silver-gray hair seemed to stir of its own accord!

“Who… did you just call ugly?!”

A maiden’s fury surpasses all else. Without waiting for Jie Ming to act, Viola raised her hand and clenched the air toward the incoming creatures!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling elemental brilliance.

Yet the charging Blazing Walkers and Howling Venus Flytraps froze mid-motion!

Then they let out shrieks far more wretched and agonized than anything they had uttered during the earlier battle!

The flames on the Blazing Walkers flickered wildly; their forms twisted and collapsed while emitting piercing electromagnetic screeches.

The Howling Venus Flytraps convulsed violently, their jaws clacking, radiating ripples of extreme suffering.

Even more terrifying—the pain seemed contagious!

Farther away, other elemental beings and living plants that had intended to reinforce their comrades suddenly plummeted from the sky or crumpled to the ground without warning, joining this silent yet unimaginably horrific chorus of agony!

For a moment, actual combat in the entire area bizarrely ground to a halt.

The remaining mobile elementals and plants, as though witnessing something utterly horrifying, retreated in panic while frantically screaming via psychic waves:

[Light-element beings]: “Careful! Ugly flesh monsters that spread invisible pain! Retreat and report to the Elders!”

[Living plants]: “Terrifying! The ugly monsters can make us tie ourselves in knots! Flee! Find the Mother of the Forest!”

Like a receding tide, they fled in disorder, abandoning this region now filled only with “pain” to Jie Ming and Viola.

Jie Ming raised a hand and released several black giant priests, pointing at the convulsing, near-collapsing “prisoners” on the ground and indicating they be restrained and collected for later soul-searching and intelligence extraction.

Only after finishing this did he turn to Viola, who was still fuming, and speak with a trace of odd amusement: “Senior Sister Viola, your friend’s usual approach to ‘ecological maintenance’ is… rather unique, isn’t it?”

By now Viola had regained her composure. Hearing his words, she looked utterly bewildered and innocent, shaking her head vigorously. “It wasn’t me! The last time I came, Starfall’s ‘Garden of a Hundred Flowers’ was a beautiful, harmonious place! There were glowing gentle mushrooms everywhere, singing flowers, and adorable little spirits! It absolutely did not look like the apocalypse!”

Jie Ming began to seriously doubt. “Senior Sister, are you sure you didn’t input the wrong coordinates? Did we accidentally teleport into some random plane that’s currently at war?”

“As if I could get it wrong!” Viola stomped in indignation and reflexively chopped the side of her hand down on Jie Ming’s head with a dull thunk.

Immediately after, she clutched her own hand and sucked in a pained breath, grimacing—the hardness of Jie Ming’s skull, tempered through countless trials, rivaled high-grade magical alloy.

Watching her reaction, Jie Ming rubbed the top of his head (which felt nothing) and scratched it in puzzlement.

It seemed the coordinates were indeed correct; this truly was the plane of Viola’s friend.

But this scene…

“Could another plane’s biological legion have launched an invasion?” Jie Ming speculated.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, even he couldn’t help sucking in a cold breath. His eyes instantly blazed with irrepressible excitement!

An invasion?

For a wizard who owned a private plane, this… this was no different from military merits, rare materials, and research specimens raining down from the heavens!

It was practically a feast!

Still, Jie Ming knew full well that the odds of such a “pie falling from the sky” were astronomically low.

The priority right now was to figure out exactly what was happening here.

Once the black giant priests brought back the captives and searched their souls, everything would become clear.

However, before the priests could return, both Jie Ming and Viola tensed simultaneously, sensing a powerful life signature rapidly entering their alert perimeter!

They instantly went on guard, energy condensing within them.

But soon they relaxed again.

Though the aura was powerful, it did not belong to any of the chaotic creatures they had sensed earlier. Its energy structure was stable and orderly, bearing clear wizard characteristics.

Moreover… Jie Ming felt this energy signature was faintly familiar?

The next moment, a blazing crimson light streaked across the horizon like a falling star!

The red light rapidly closed in, revealing its true form—a colossal elemental spirit resembling a Western dragon, composed entirely of pure fire element!

Scorching heat radiated from its body; the moisture in the air evaporated wherever it passed.

The flame-dragon elemental spirit landed with a thunderous impact that trembled the ground.

Yet the moment it touched down, its enormous body swiftly shrank and solidified, transforming in the blink of an eye into a palm-sized miniature dragon carved from exquisite ruby, hovering obediently in midair.

The human figure that had been protected at the core of its elemental body now clearly revealed herself.

A petite young lady with soft silver hair woven from moonlight and limpid azure eyes like high-mountain lakes.

Her power contained an immense affinity for life and nature.

Several small spirits and elemental sprites of varying forms, radiating gentle light, danced and circled happily around her like loyal guards and companions—a stark contrast to the war-torn desolation all around.

Seeing that familiar face, Jie Ming blurted out involuntarily:

“Anya?”

The newcomer was none other than the super-genius with tenth-grade talent whom he had met several times during the elite trials of the Noren Workshop years ago—Anya Starfall!

A young lady who excelled at summoning and commanding elemental spirits and magical beasts, possessing perception and understanding of life and soul far beyond ordinary people.

Viola leaned over from the side, looking back and forth between Jie Ming and Anya in surprise. “Eh? You two know each other?”

Jie Ming nodded. “We met a few times during the graduation trials.”

He then turned to Anya with even greater confusion. “But Wizard Anya, why are you here?”

Viola clapped Jie Ming on the shoulder, her tone tinged with a sigh of “what a small world.” “No need to guess. Allow me to introduce you. Anya is the direct descendant of that friend of mine—and currently her primary assistant and disciple.”