Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

"Um, I mean... what about the sighs?"

Shea, entering the Wailing Wall for the first time, looked around curiously.

The terrifying forbidden zone she had imagined was now... unusually quiet.

As far as the eye could see, there was only a thick, swirling, grayish-white fog.

The ground was damp, dark soil, scattered with withered vegetation and oddly shaped rocks.

Visibility was very low; you could only see objects within about ten steps.

Further away, everything was shrouded in a hazy gray-white.

The air carried a musty, damp, and cold smell, and it felt cool when you breathed it into your lungs.

They secretly followed him after the bidding ended at the selection meeting.

The flying boat, shrouded in a veil of night, hovered silently above the head of Ryan, the leader of the "Blade of the Blades" guild.

When Ryan asked Blackbeard if he had something to say.

Shia was still covering her mouth and giggling to herself:

"I bet this little dwarf thinks we've given up and run away."

Follow the Sharp Edge all the way to the fifth node.

Afterwards, Ryan and the others, led by the guide, plunged straight into the fog.

After confirming that the guide could indeed drive away those "invisible things".

They then accelerated completely, following the route marked on the blueprints.

They ran desperately deeper into the wall.

No stealth magic was used.

They didn't even set up a protective barrier.

With sheer willpower, they charged forward headlong.

For the Wailing Wall, this seemingly reckless act is actually the most efficient.

Unseen, untouchable, and extremely aggressive spirit demons.

Aside from enduring it, almost no other conventional methods can prevent it.

But the spirit demons despise the characteristics of "the dying".

And this forbidden land, burdened with the responsibility of a guide, was thus exposed.

It became much easier to traverse than other wildernesses inhabited by demons.

Therefore, the speed of the Blade's Edge team has never slowed down.

Aside from encountering several dangerous areas marked with red crosses on the map, requiring detours,

They've basically been running at full speed the whole time.

However, no matter how fast it is, it can't outrun the flying boat controlled by Lin Gui.

The airship hovered silently a few meters above the formation, moving forward in sync.

Lin Gui kept the [Eye of the Netherworld] active.

His grey eyes calmly surveyed everything around him.

Since they followed the Blade of the Blade into the Wailing Wall.

Apart from the initial glimpses of a few wandering pale blue shadows on the edge.

The shadowy figures were indistinct in shape; some resembled distorted human figures, while others were irregular clusters of light.

They drifted aimlessly, making soft, almost mournful rustling sounds.

Apart from that, Lin Gui didn't see a single demon approach along the way.

He couldn't help but sigh softly:

"That's really amazing."

"Not a single decent demon has come to us."

"Are they really that afraid of 'the dying'?"

"What kind of logic is this...?"

After speaking, Lin Gui lowered his gaze and curiously examined the elderly guide being carried on Ryan's back.

In the vision of the Eye of the Underworld, the old man's soul appeared in a peculiar state.

It was a soul that was constantly "dissipating".

It is detached and insignificant, like a wisp of smoke that may be extinguished at any moment.

But one feature is very obvious.

The old man's soul as a whole was like a tiny, faint flame.

The flame was not still, but flickered slightly and continuously in a fixed direction.

It was as if they were being drawn by some invisible force from afar.

Lin Gui speculated that that direction... should be the so-called "Netherworld Sea".

According to legend, the Nether Sea is the final resting place for the souls of all living beings after death.

This is not a baseless fantasy.

Some even claim to have been there.

That was a master in the realm of soul magic—

The City of a Thousand Towers, Master of the Purple Tower, Augustine.

A centenarian who has devoted his life to the study of soul magic and is said to have "died" several times.

According to the scattered notes he left behind:

The Nether Sea is an ocean constructed from the power of endless souls.

A place that exists on the "other side" of the world, a place that can only be reached by death.

When a living being is on the verge of death but not quite dead, its soul begins to be drawn to it.

Lin Gui stared at the swaying "soul flame".

Perhaps this is the key to the guide's safe passage through the Wailing Wall.

Their souls had already stepped one foot into the realm of death.

And this is precisely what the spirits and demons within the walls despise, and even... fear.

While keeping the airship in sync, Lin Gui kept staring at the old man below.

He wanted to observe carefully how this expulsion effect was produced.

See if you can find the key, or even... try to replicate it.

But he didn't notice.

Shia, who was standing behind them, had somehow poked her head over.

Her chin rested gently on his shoulder, his warm breath close to her ear.

Her emerald green eyes narrowed slightly as she curiously examined Lin Gui's gray eyes.

Her eyes were full of surprise, but she didn't say anything to disturb her.

After watching for a while, she turned around and faced Eve, who was sitting obediently.

He leaned closer and whispered:

"Eve, Lin Gui's eyes have turned gray."

"It must be the magic you mentioned before, the magic that can see through souls, right?"

"As a magician, do you know what kind of spell this is?"

Eve gave a slight, bitter smile upon hearing this.

She lowered her voice and explained to Shia:

"Soul magic is the most profound and difficult branch of magic to learn."

"Whether it was the Golden Age or the current City-State Era."

"Magicians have explored it very in a very limited way."

"The number of soul magic spells that are openly circulated these days is very small."

She thought for a moment, then softly recounted:

"The most common one is 'soul tracking,' used to lock onto a target."

"And the 'awakening technique' we are currently using."

"There's also 'mental disorder,' which falls under the category of aggression."

"Apart from that, there are very few records."

Shia blinked and pressed for an answer:

"What kind of magic does Lin Gui have that... that can change the color of one's eyes?"

Eve shook her head, her gaze fixed on Lin Gui's retreating figure.

"I don't know. Perhaps... it's a secret technique he developed himself."

"Like the 'Night Veil'."

"As far as I know, among the existing soul magic..."

"There is no way to directly see through the specific form of the soul."

Shea clicked her tongue, her expression somewhat exaggerated.

"So, is Lin Gui... a bit too powerful?"

Eve stared at the focused black figure ahead.

His gaze became deep and complex.

She paused for a moment before replying in a very soft voice:

"Amazing... that's probably not enough to describe his skill."

If we only consider Lin Gui's own mage rank and magic power.

He wasn't particularly outstanding, and couldn't even be called a genius.

A high-ranking mage, aged twenty-three.

In the city of a thousand towers, one doesn't even qualify to apply for long-term stay.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Lin Gui and Eve seem to be only one major rank apart.

The difference in magical power between these major ranks far exceeds the sum of the power between lower and upper ranks.

For Lin Gui to break through to a minor rank, he usually only needs to accumulate a few thousand magic power.

The threshold for leaping to a higher rank often exceeds 20,000 points.

Furthermore, the difficulty of obtaining the magic power and insights required for breakthroughs increases exponentially as one progresses.

What's more, Eve has only just turned eighteen this year.

Unlike Shia, the knight who calls herself "forever eighteen".

Eve is the real eighteen-year-old girl.

As for Shia, she is currently stuck at the lower level of the extraordinary.

More often than not, it was the long years of wandering that eroded their ambition.

Before meeting Lin Gui, she hardly ever cultivated.

For her, becoming stronger didn't mean much.

My family is long gone, and friends are a distant dream.

If no one accepts you and no one needs you, why struggle?

This resulted in her being classmates with the forest elf Lysa.

However, their strength had already fallen far behind that of their opponent.

Lin Gui is not a magical genius with extraordinary talent in the conventional sense.

Eve was quite certain that if he participated in the entrance exam for the City of a Thousand Towers...

The results are unlikely to be very good.

However, his understanding and application of magic itself...

It has already overturned many common sense in the field of magic.

At least, Eve gazed at Lin Gui's focused back, her eyes filled with complex anticipation.

A top-tier stealth magic that is powered by high-level magic but can evade the senses of legendary figures.

Hone the basic levitation technique to a level of perfection that is almost instinctive.

And those grey eyes that seem to see into the very essence of the soul…

Any one of these qualities, if possessed by someone else, would be enough to make them a master in their own right.

It has become the capital of a thousand towers, a true object of admiration.

All of this is concentrated on one person.

Recalling the secret prophecies passed down orally by the saints of past generations.

Eve took a soft breath and murmured in an almost inaudible voice:

"I really hope... I can always witness you truly soaring through the sky."

"Unfortunately, I'll have to get off halfway through this journey."

She instinctively raised her hand and gently covered her chest.

A steady, slightly slow heartbeat came through my fingertips.

But beneath that flesh and blood lies the depths of the soul's perception.

Her "heart" is undergoing subtle changes.

Its pulsating rhythm is gradually synchronizing with some kind of "pulse" from a distant place.

A heavy, ancient pull is slowly increasing.

This means that time is running out, and they are coming to find him.

The Black Tide is approaching, and the "Warrior's Journey" is about to begin again.

And she, too, must embark on that predetermined journey, destined to lead to destruction.