Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 160 Search

The moment Kate pushed open the ancient wooden door to the quiet room, Amber and several Thorn Guards waiting outside simultaneously looked up, their gazes fixed on him.

At this point, Kate was a completely different person from before her seclusion.

The aura emanating from him was not simply powerful, but rather a profound and unfathomable depth.

Between the opening and closing of her eyes, it seemed as if countless tiny, flowing fragments of dream light were appearing and disappearing, able to see through the most subtle thoughts and hidden fears in people's hearts at a glance, yet carrying a kind of all-encompassing tranquility.

The emerald green of the Heart of Life, the gray of the Core of Death, the silvery blue of the Garden of Space, and the newly integrated, ever-changing amber of the Dream Realm—these four forces of law achieved an unprecedented harmony and cycle within him, forming a more complex and powerful foundation for reincarnation.

"Kate!" Amber greeted her with delight. She could clearly feel the transformative change in Kate and the reassuring sense of power she exuded.

"Yes." Kate nodded, her tone steady and swift. "Time is of the essence. Immediately summon Elder Qingye and all the elders who are in charge. I need to know all the unusual events that have occurred in the Eternal Night Forest over the past month."

Especially detailed reports related to dreams, mental confusion, and collective hallucinations.

His words carried an undeniable decisiveness.

"Yes! I'll go right away!"

Without hesitation, Amber turned and ran away.

Kate took a deep breath, slowly closed her eyes, and her newly acquired "mind weaving" ability spread silently.

His perception was no longer limited to the material world, but rather, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, it created invisible ripples that gently swept over every corner of the Eternal Song Giant Tree settlement.

It seeps into the faint ocean of the collective subconscious that permeates the air.

He "heard" the elves' hidden anxieties, their worries about the future, the occasional fragments of nightmares, and their lingering instinctive fear of the "darkness"—

These chaotic thoughts were like background noise, but soon, he accurately captured a few extremely faint "ripples" that were out of place with the overall atmosphere and carried a twisted malice and greedy sucking meaning.

They are like a few barely perceptible streaks of oil in a clear stream, exuding an unsettling stickiness and coldness.

"As expected—they've already started their activities—" Kate thought with a chill.

Soon, in the central council hall of the Eternal Song Tree, Elder Qingye, Elder Chenlu, and even the withered tree priest, whose face was still grim but who had become much more silent, gathered together.

Kate skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Elder, please report all recent anomalies to me."

Elder Qingye nodded, and Elder Chenlu immediately handed Kate a leaf-shaped magic record that emitted a fresh woody scent: "All sentinel reports and settlement anomaly records are here, categorized and labeled according to time, location, and event type."

Kate took the leaf and instantly scanned it with her mental energy.

A massive influx of information flowed into his mind, and under the efficient processing of the Seed of Origin, it was quickly cross-referenced, located, and analyzed with the "malicious ripples" he perceived.

[Information integration and analysis in progress—]

[137 anomaly reports. Natural phenomena and low-probability events have been excluded.]

[21 incidents highly suspected to be characteristic of the "Seed of Nightmare" event.]

Location distribution: Southeast edge of "Misty Swamp" (7 cases), outer perimeter of "Echo Valley" (5 cases)

(starting point), deep within the "Ironthorn Bush Area" (4 starts), and the area where the "Petrified Forest" and "Small Thunder River" meet (3 starts).

[Starting point), and the area surrounding the Eternal Song Giant Tree settlement (2 incidents).]

[Event Types: Small-scale collective nightmares (9 cases), brief loss of mental control/aggressive tendencies (6 cases), discovery of unknown black fungal carpet/twisted plants (4 cases), abnormal fluctuations in energy perception (2 cases).]

[“Malicious Ripple” Perception Intensity Matching: Misty Swamp (Strong), Echo Valley (Medium-Strong), Ironthorn Zone (Medium), Petrified Forest/Shattered Thunder River Border (Weak), Settlement Surroundings (Very Weak—Possibly Interference or Probing).]

The conclusion became clear instantly.

"The most likely hiding area is deep within the Misty Swamp to the southeast, followed by Echo Valley."

Kate opened her eyes, her gaze sharp as lightning, and pointed to the corresponding area on the magic sand table. "It amplifies its influence through the characteristics of these areas—the psychedelic fog of the swamp, the sound distortion effect of Echo Valley, are perfect breeding grounds for it to weave nightmares and spread pollution."

The iron-thorny areas and border zones may be its backup nests or activity routes.

His analysis was precise and rapid, combining factual reporting with a sense of rules, making it convincing.

The High Priest of the Dead Trees moved his lips, seemingly wanting to question this "ethereal" perception, but seeing the unwavering expressions of Elder Qingye and Elder Chenlu, and Kate's unquestionable demeanor, he ultimately swallowed his words.

"Immediately organize elite teams to conduct a thorough search of the Misty Swamp and Echo Valley!"

Elder Qingye gave the order without hesitation.

“No,” Kate shook her head, her tone grave. “Elder, ordinary search teams can’t handle it, and might even be used by it to spread its contamination. It’s extremely vigilant and cunning now.”

He looked at the group, his eyes resolute: "Aishie, Amber, and I will go. The fewer people, the better. What we need is precise positioning and a decisive strike, not to alert the enemy."

"This is too dangerous!" Elder Chenlu said worriedly, "You just broke through, and the Dream Demon Seed's abilities are bizarre—"

"It's precisely because I've broken through that I can deal with it," Kate interrupted her, confident and calm. "Its power originates from dreams and the spirit, and I can now touch the rules of that level. Believe me, this is the most effective way."

Elder Qingye looked intently at Kate, and after a moment, nodded emphatically: "Very well! Lady Kate, the safety of the Tranquil Forest is entrusted to you. Please do not hesitate to ask for any assistance you may require."

"Give me the most detailed map of the swamp and valley, especially the energy vein nodes."

Kate didn't mince words. "Furthermore, the settlement should remain on high alert. Once it receives my signal, immediately activate all protective arrays to prevent it from resorting to desperate measures and attacking here in the opposite direction."

"clear!"

A moment later, Kate and Amber quietly left the Eversong Tree, like three ghosts blending into the light and shadow of the forest, and sped towards the Misty Swamp in the southeast.

Kate made the most of her newfound abilities.

He no longer relied entirely on vision and conventional perception, but instead spread his "mind-woven" perception like a spider web, capturing the subtle, malicious ripples in the air that originated from the seed of the nightmare.

The closer one gets to the Misty Swamp, the clearer the distorted, icy sensation becomes.

The scene at the edge of the swamp was already eerie.

The fog here is no longer ordinary water vapor, but has an ominous, very pale grayish-green hue that causes mild dizziness and auditory hallucinations when inhaled.

On the ground, the ordinary moss and fungi underwent a mutation, growing twisted patterns that resembled painful faces, emanating faint negative emotional fluctuations.

Some swamp creatures have exhibited abnormal behavior, becoming extremely aggressive, and even engaging in cannibalism.

"It's right here—and its influence is growing—"

Amber's face tightened as she gripped the branch-shaped staff in her hand.

Kate's gaze swept across the swamp, and the Heart of Reincarnation stirred slightly: "Follow my guidance and avoid the emotional traps it has laid."

He could clearly "see" that some areas were filled with intense fear and despair, like invisible tethers that would immediately pull any living being that approached into a pre-set nightmare.

He led the two women, as if they were precognizers, precisely avoiding these trap areas and continuing to venture deeper.

Along the way, they encountered several waves of swamp creatures that had been completely bewitched and driven mad, but these attacks were quickly dealt with by Kate's precise mental attacks and Ash's spatial cutting, without causing much of a commotion.

Finally, after traversing an area filled with twisted, strange trees and thick, impenetrable fog, Kate abruptly stopped.

"Ahead—that's one of its nests."

He whispered, his sharp gaze fixed on a seemingly ordinary, bubbling black mud pit ahead.

In his perception, beneath that swamp lay a small, distorted nest constructed of nightmare energy, clinging to the swamp's energy veins like a malignant tumor, constantly drawing nourishment and radiating pollution outwards.

"How do we get in?" Amber asked, sensing the danger there but unable to find the entrance.

"It distorted the spatial entrance with a dream, making it impossible to find using conventional methods." Kate focused her senses. "Aishie, three meters to the left front, and three feet to the right and below that half-rotten dead tree, that's the weakest point of the spatial fold. Tear it apart!"

"Understood!" Aisha instantly disengaged from her bracelet form, transforming into her crystalline plant form, with the Star Fruit shimmering with light.

"Spatial Cutting - Hidden Marks!"

A very thin, almost invisible silver thread swept across the direction Aisha had indicated.

scoff!

A soft sound, like cloth being torn, was heard, and a long, twisting rift was forcibly torn open in the space.

Beyond the crack lies not the bottom of the quagmire, but a bizarre and nightmarish space filled with distorted light and shadow and muffled whispers!

"Go!" Kate shouted, rushing into the crevice first, followed closely by Ash and Amber.

The crack closed instantly.

Inside was a nest entirely constructed from the power of nightmares; the space was small, but extremely distorted.

The ground resembled a wall of writhing black viscera, upon which phantoms of painful struggles constantly appeared. The air was filled with a nauseating, sweet, putrid stench and sharp, soul-piercing negative emotional energy.

In the center of the nest, a pulsating, tumor-like object, composed of concentrated nightmare energy and black fungal carpet, beats like a heart, extending countless tiny tentacles that connect to the swamp's ley line energy.

"Destroy it!" Kate didn't hesitate and acted immediately.

"Life's Absorption, Purification of New Stars!"

Highly concentrated life energy, imbued with a strong will to purify, bombarded the nightmare tumor like a bomb.

Sizzle sizzle—!!

The tumor emitted a piercing shriek, its surface violently boiling and dissolving, as a large amount of black gas was forcibly purified.

But it also rebelled fiercely, unleashing powerful mental shocks and nightmarish dreamscapes, attempting to drag the three into endless fear.

"Starlight Imprisonment Field!" Ashe unleashed her domain, stabilizing the surrounding space and weakening the illusion's effects.

"Nature's Guardian!" Amber chanted the incantation, and emerald light protected everyone's minds.

Kate is completely immune to most mental attacks; as the Heart of Reincarnation flows, it neutralizes and transforms negative energy.

With the combined efforts of the three, the small nest node was quickly destroyed and purified.

However, at the moment the node collapsed, Kate caught a very subtle stream of thought, filled with shock and anger, which, like a startled venomous snake, instantly fled into the deeper part of the swamp.

"It's detected it! The main body is deeper inside! Chase it!"

Kate didn't stop, and following the direction the wisp of thought had fled, she tore through space again and gave chase.

Over the next half day, based on clues and Kate's perception, they successively destroyed two other nest nodes of the Dream Seed located deep in the Misty Swamp, as well as a sound transmission node located on the edge of Echo Valley that used the valley's echoes to amplify nightmare whispers.

The destruction of each node made the true aura of the Dream Demon Seed clearer, and its reaction became more frantic and panicked.

It began to stir up the energy of the surrounding area more violently, creating greater chaos and nightmares in an attempt to stop Kate's advance, and even sent out more completely enslaved and crazed creatures to intercept her.

But all of this had little effect on Kate, who had grasped the essence of its power.

Finally, just as the setting sun was about to completely sink into the dark green horizon of the Evernight Forest, Kate followed the most intense, almost tangible ripples of malice and tracked down to the fourth location—a secluded natural cave entrance deep within Echo Valley, composed of massive animal bones and twisted crystal clusters.

The air here is thick with a grayish-green fog, almost like liquid, and countless distorted, wailing phantoms appear and disappear within it.

Deep within the cave, a terrifying aura emanated, chilling and like the gaze of an abyss.

The true form of the Dream Demon Seed is definitely hidden here!

"It's inside—this is its last and strongest lair."

Kate felt the malice that almost solidified the space around her, and her expression became extremely solemn.

The cave entrance is shrouded in a powerful, nightmarish field of distorted light; forcibly entering will inevitably result in the most intense mental shock.

"Ashe, Amber, prepare for the strongest attack," Kate said in a deep voice, her hands beginning to gather power. The Heart of Reincarnation circulated at an unprecedented speed, and the four kinds of rule power began to merge, brewing a world-shattering blow.

"In the name of reincarnation, pierce through illusion!"

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he thrust both palms forward with a sudden burst!

A four-colored spiral beam of light, blending emerald life, gray death, silver-blue space, and amber dream, shot out like a spear of judgment and crashed hard into the nightmare force field!

Rumble—!!!

The terrifying explosion shook the entire Echo Valley.

The nightmare force field twisted and shattered violently, emitting a cracking sound as it struggled to break free.

The barrier at the cave entrance was forcibly torn open.

It revealed the unfathomable, dark lair behind it, radiating endless malice.

The hiding place of the Seed of Nightmare has been completely exposed!