From the Abyss Invasion to the Blasting Star.

Stonehammer Fortress, Forge.

Tiebi pulled Lu Heng to visit their newly built forging workshop.

This forging workshop is more than ten times larger than it was thirty years ago, and hundreds of forging craftsmen are currently at work.

Of course, not all forging was for weapons; most of it consisted of production tools such as shovels and hammers.

Since the threat of the evil god Barton was removed, the Bancel tribe has entered a period of revival, with all industries waiting to be revitalized and a greater demand for production tools.

"It's great to see you gradually developing." Lu Heng watched the group of dwarfs busy at work, and they even bowed respectfully as they passed by. He immediately felt that his initial efforts were worthwhile.

“Not only the forging workshop, I also built a large ranch in the valley. I’ll take you to see it.” Mia said, pulling Lu Heng to the valley to see the ranch.

The ranch has many goats.

A little girl from the Banser tribe rode up on a goat and waved to Mia: "Mommy..."

The little girl rushed into Mia's arms, then peeked out at Lu Heng and whispered in Mia's ear, "Is this the great hero Mommy was talking about?"

“Yes, little Daisy, you can call him Uncle Lu.” Mia patted her daughter’s head.

Little Daisy looked at Lu Heng curiously for a while, then reached out and pulled Lu Heng's hand, running towards the sheepfold: "I want to give you a lamb. You can name it, and when it grows up, you can ride it around the valley."

Looking at the little girl from the Banser tribe, Lu Heng could vaguely see the shadow of Mia from back then—lively, brave, and curious about everything.

Finally, at Daisy's request, Lu Heng chose a little lamb that wasn't very sociable and named it "Hope".

After visiting the ranch, the group returned to Stonehammer Castle as night fell.

After dinner, Tiebi took out a bottle of fine wine that he had treasured for many years and invited Lu Heng to taste it.

After having a few drinks, Lu Heng took the initiative to ask if the Banser ethnic group had encountered any difficulties in its development.

Iron Arm pondered for a long time without answering, clearly having something he hadn't said.

the next day.

Mia rode her newly tamed dragon eagle and flew around in the sky with Lu Heng. More than 100 kilometers west of Stonehammer Fortress, they saw the black swamp polluted by the abyss.

The dragon eagle landed beside the swamp, and Mia picked up a twig and poked at the mud that had been polluted by the abyss.

"We discovered it three years ago; the pollution from the abyss was spreading. We tried many methods to stop the pollution from continuing to spread eastward, but all of them failed."

"In three years, the polluted area has spread 70 kilometers eastward. At this rate, Shichuibao will also be eroded by the abyss in five years at most."

"My father, the elders of the tribe, and I have been discussing whether the tribe will have to migrate again."

Her tone betrayed a sense of helplessness.

Her generation of Banser people were born in Stonehammer Fortress, and Stonehammer Valley is their home.

Now that Shichuibao has finally prospered and its population has reached 100,000, if it continues to develop like this, the Bansel people have hope of revival.

However, once they migrate again, no one can predict what will happen in the future.

If they cannot find a new habitat, the entire population will perish during the migration.

Even if they find a new habitat, it may not be as good as the environment of Stonehammer Valley.

Therefore, Mia insisted on finding a way to stop the abyss pollution from spreading further east.

A significant portion of the tribe, however, hoped that the tribe would continue migrating eastward, leaving Stonehammer Valley.

Lu Heng surveyed the abyss and swamp, estimating that the contaminated area was over two hundred kilometers in diameter, making complete eradication extremely difficult.

Not to mention that the Bansel tribe simply doesn't have that capability.

After returning to Stonehammer Fortress, Lu Heng summoned Ironarm Leader, and the three of them sat down to discuss how to deal with the abyss pollution.

“That abyss and swamp covers too much area to be completely cleared, but I can try to stop the source of pollution from spreading further east.”

Iron Arm and Mia both showed hopeful expressions and pressed for an answer: "Is there really a way?"

Lu Heng did not give a definite answer: "I will try my best to find a solution, but we will only know how effective it will be after trying."

Mia immediately grasped Lu Heng's hand and said excitedly, "As long as we can stop the abyss pollution source from spreading eastward, Stonehammer Fortress will be saved."

Lu Heng pondered for a moment and said, "There's one more thing. I've established a cross-world anti-magic council called the Swordholders. In the future, I will invite more civilizations to join us, so that we can share resources, teach each other magic and skills, and work together to find a way to fight against the Abyss."

Mia immediately turned to her father, asking for his opinion.

Iron Arm stroked his beard and said, "Mia, you are the leader now."

Mia reached out and slapped Lu Heng's hand, readily agreeing, "Our Bansel tribe will join."

Lu Heng nodded and said, "Okay, I'm going to other worlds to help you find a way to stop the spread of the abyss's pollution. I'll be back soon."

“Okay, we’ll wait for you. Stonehammer Fortress will never relocate until you come back,” Mia promised firmly.

……

Lu Heng left Stonehammer Keep and used Astral Travel to travel to the continent of Quel'dorei.

There was originally a spatial anchor point on the continent of Quel'dorei, so teleporting there was very convenient.

Lu Heng's reputation among the elves had reached its peak, so when he entered the elven capital city of Kolos, the guards not only did not stop him, but even bowed to him.

They hadn't gone far into the city of Kolos when they saw a unicorn galloping towards them. Fiona dismounted, gave Lu Heng a high five, and then they walked together toward the palace area.

"How is it?" Lu Heng looked Fiona up and down and asked a vague question.

Fiona understood the question and replied with a smile, "Fortunately, the bloodline power within me has not been completely purified, but most of it has been cleared. With the support of the Spirit Orb, even if the Bloodline Prince appears, he will not be able to directly control me."

Back on Earth, Fiona was injected with a bloodline conversion drug.

At the time, Will Berg could control her as a prince of blood.

After the battle in the abyss ended, Fiona returned to the main world of the elves and has been undergoing purification by natural magic ever since.

The process may be a bit slow, but as long as it's effective, it will eventually be completely removed.

The two entered the palace area to meet Queen Aureanna.

Queen Oriana smiled and said upon seeing Lu Heng, "Your growth rate always surprises me; you're even stronger than when we last met."

The last time they joined forces to fight the Skeleton Lord, Lu Heng had just obtained the fourth-tier class [Judgment Blade], and now he is the fifth-tier [Astral Sword Saint].

This is already a certified Sword Saint, and in terms of class, he is on par with Tyrese.

"Where is Elder Tyrese?" Lu Heng asked casually, remembering the elven swordsman who was both his mentor and friend.

"There's been some unusual activity in the Ice Rift. Teacher Tyrese has led the guards to investigate." Queen Orianna closed her eyes slightly.

"No problem?"

"There's nothing seriously wrong. If you stay a few more days, you'll be able to see Professor Teresa." "I can't stay too long this time." Lu Heng tilted his head. He wasn't here for sightseeing; he had other things to do.

"Oh, that means something's up. Tell me, what can we do to help?" Oriana smiled, already guessing Lu Heng's purpose in coming.

Lu Heng organized his thoughts and said, "I created a cross-world anti-demonic council called the Swordholders. It means to wield the sword for civilization, protect its future, and work together to find a way to fight against the abyss."

"Several civilizations have already joined, so I am formally extending an invitation to the Elven race, hoping that you can also become a member of the Swordholders."

Queen Aureanna did not immediately agree, but instead inquired in detail about the structure, discipline, and ideology of the Swordholders.

This is different from the Banser tribe. Mia didn't think too much about it. She trusted Lu Heng, so as long as her father didn't object, she immediately agreed to join.

The Elven civilization is at a higher level, and therefore has more issues to consider.

As the Queen of the Elves, Alleanna needs to consider the interests of her people and listen to the opinions of other elven elders.

Therefore, she cannot join an unfamiliar organization simply because she trusts Lu Heng.

Lu Heng used concise language to introduce the philosophy of the Swordholder.

Although the Swordholders are a cross-world council, the connections between civilizations are not actually very deep.

After all, each civilization exists in a different world, and there is very little overlap between them.

There is no spatial conflict, nor is there an inevitability of being bound by fate.

If one civilization perishes in the erosion of the abyss, it will not cause serious damage to other civilizations.

Therefore, among different civilizations, the Swordholders are a relatively loose organization.

To be precise, the Swordholders are a group of people who share the same ideals, unite together, help each other, and work together to find a way to fight against the Abyss.

Therefore, the Swordholder will not impose any restrictions on the civilizations that join them.

Moreover, the Swordholders actually joined in their individual capacity, rather than as a whole civilization.

After all, civilizations can change their rulers, and once a new ruler takes over, if his or her ideas differ from the previous one, he or she may not be willing to stay with the Swordholder.

Therefore, Lu Heng will only invite individuals to join the Swordholders.

Of course, if Queen Alleanna joins the Swordholders, it is in a sense equivalent to the Elves joining.

After listening, Queen Oriana considered for a moment and nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, I agree to join the Swordholders."

She smiled and then asked, "You came here for more than just this, right?"

Lu Heng scratched his head, laughed, and said, "I have another allied civilization called the Bancel. Their tribe has just begun to revive, but they have encountered the pollution of the abyss."

"The area currently contaminated by the abyss is still 200 kilometers away from their habitat."

"If left untreated, their habitat will be eroded by the abyss within four or five years."

"So I came here seeking help to see if I can help them resist the pollution of the abyss."

Queen Alleanna pondered, "Completely purifying the abyss's corruption is definitely impossible. If it were possible, Quel'dorei wouldn't be in this state now."

Lu Heng nodded and replied, "Of course. What I'm considering is slowing down the spread of the abyss's contaminated area as much as possible. If possible, I'd like to discuss this with Elder Serion."

Among the elves, the one who actually possesses the means to combat the corruption of the abyss is the forest elder, Serion.

Queen Aureanna agreed to the request: "Very well, I will ask Teacher Serene to discuss it."

As she spoke, she released a spell, which floated in front of her and formed a mirror.

The mirror emitted starlight, slowly revealing the scene of Moonshadow Forest, and then Serian appeared in the image.

"Elder Serene, it's been a long time." Lu Heng waved and greeted him.

Serene nodded and replied, "On behalf of the moon goddess, I bless you, my friend."

Lu Heng recounted the story of the Banser tribe again, then asked, "Does the elder have any ideas?"

Serene fell into deep thought, and after a moment replied, "The Golden Tree Seed can indeed slow the spread of Abyssal pollution, but the sources of Abyssal pollution are different in each world, so the specific effect cannot be guaranteed."

Lu Heng thought for a moment and said, "The elder must have been researching the Golden Tree Seed's ability to purify the abyss, right? In researching this matter, he is actually racing against time."

"If we can accelerate the growth of the golden tree species in other worlds, or even change the environment to unleash more potential in the golden tree species, it might be helpful to your research."

Serene was indeed tempted: "That's true. If I have enough time, even if I can't completely purify the abyss, I'm confident I can keep the abyss's corruption outside the main city."

"As you said, time is a hurdle. Perhaps research on the golden tree species in other worlds could yield results much faster."

"But how do I get to other worlds? Going once and staying for a few days is not enough; I need to travel back and forth between the two worlds frequently."

Lu Heng replied with a smile, "Leave this to me. I can take you there, and if the time is right in the future, we can even set up a teleportation array between the two worlds."

After careful consideration, Serian looked at Orianna and asked, "Does Your Highness approve of my going?"

Queen Aureanna nodded and replied, "I will follow my teacher's instructions."

Serene immediately decided, "Okay, I'm willing to go with you. We'll meet in Moonshadow Forest in two days."

"Okay, on behalf of the Banser tribe, I thank you." Lu Heng had accomplished this task, and he saw hope for the Banser tribe to stop the pollution of the abyss.

……

Two days later.

Lu Heng bid farewell to Queen Orianna and went to Moonshadow Forest. Then, he took Serene and a group of elven druids with him to the territory of the Bancel tribe.

The Bancels had only heard of elves but had never seen them, so when Serion and the elven druids arrived at Stonehammer Keep, they were immediately surrounded by onlookers.

The Bancel tribe had indeed never seen elves, because their world was not dangerous enough to warrant the recruitment of elves.

After the formal meeting, Lu Heng introduced Serene to Iron Arm and Mia, informing them that they were the guardians of nature magic among the elves.

Since he was leaving Quel'dorei, Therian didn't want to stay away for too long, so after understanding the situation, he officially began his work and went to investigate the pollution of the abyss.

The next day, he led the elven druids to plant golden tree seeds around the abyss swamp.

During the planting season, Mia led many Banser people to watch from the sidelines, and when they saw that digging was required, they immediately stepped forward to help.

The Bansal people are very hardworking; they will take the initiative to help with any work they are capable of doing.

Some Bancels were also asking the elf druids how to use nature magic.

However, learning magic requires talent, and it is closely related to racial traits.

Lu Heng didn't know if the Bancels had the talent to learn nature magic.

The Bancel tribe currently has a population of 100,000, and perhaps one or two of them possess magical talent. (End of Chapter)