Survival for All: I can deconstruct projections and synthesize everything.

On the highest tower of the Eternal Alliance, the night breeze brushed against Lin Xiao's clothes, creating subtle ripples in the rules.

He looked down at the brightly lit Alliance territory below.

The spiritual light of the Sacred Realm of Creation intertwined with the starlight of the Temple of Prophecy, the verdant vines of the Wood Soul Domain entwined with the divine fire totem of the Fire Soul Domain, and the purifying glow of the Rainbow Cloud Clan enveloped all directions like a light veil.

The prosperity of the All-Spirit Alliance is a reality, but Lin Xiao's sense of urgency has not diminished in the slightest.

The King of Gold's words:

The words read, "The God of Mist is getting anxious, as if someone more terrifying than himself is threatening him."

Like a sword hanging over Lin Xiao's head, it constantly reminded him that time was running out, but Lin Xiao temporarily ignored the deeper meaning of those words.

The God of Mist is already troublesome enough, but the matter that even the God of Mist is worried about... is simply beyond Lin Xiao's current ability to get involved.

What he cares about more now is the figure he briefly met in the ruins, who then mysteriously disappeared: Nelly Velsaladze.

"Controlling destiny... the embodiment of a faint will in the misty world..."

Lin Xiao muttered to himself, the Omniscient Rules in his mind slowly operating, and he retrieved the information he had analyzed in Chapter 361.

[Neri Velsalazer, formed from an extremely faint wisp of will awakened in the Mist World.]

That extremely faint will suddenly awakened to its own power and parted ways with the will of the misty world itself.

However, since she herself was born from the mist, the misty world's unconscious favoritism towards her led her to awaken the talent to control destiny.

[While it's said to control one's fortune, in reality, it can also manipulate a wisp of the source of the mist.]

These fragments of information were arranged and combined in my mind, but I still couldn't piece together Nelly's current whereabouts.

The limitations of the omniscient rule (pseudo) are now fully revealed. For beings of higher rank or those involved in the core secrets of the Mist World, it can only provide fragments, not the whole picture.

"It seems we have no choice but to go find Xingyan."

Lin Xiao's figure flashed, transforming into a streak of seven-colored light, and swept from the top of the tower towards the astronomical instrument area where the Prophecy Sanctuary was located.

------

Inside the core hall of the Prophecy Sanctuary, Xingyan is suspended in the center of a giant astronomical instrument.

His eyes were closed, and the crystal ball in his hand slowly rotated, with countless phantom images of future fragments flowing inside the crystal ball, like a miniature galaxy.

The star chart runes engraved on the walls of the hall emitted a faint blue light, which intertwined with the beams of light projected by the astrolabe, illuminating the entire space as if one were in the depths of the universe.

"Alliance Leader Lin Xiao."

Xingyan didn't open his eyes, but he had already sensed Lin Xiao's arrival. His voice rang out calmly: "I have already foreseen the questions in your heart."

Lin Xiao landed three zhang in front of Xing Yan, and the seven-colored halo naturally subsided: "Since that's the case, then I won't beat around the bush. I want to know the whereabouts of Nelly Velsaladze."

The crystal ball in Xingyan's hand spun slightly faster.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, a complex emotion flashing in his deep, star-like eyes: "Nellie... she is one of the most unique beings in this misty world."

"My prophetic talent allows me to see the trajectory of most existences, but her fate... seems to be shrouded in a thick fog of origin, and even the flow of time is distorted around her."

Lin Xiao frowned and asked, "Even you can't see through it?"

"It's not that we can't see through it, but that we can't directly observe it."

Xingyan raised his hand and pointed, and a blurry scene appeared in the crystal ball: a forest shrouded in gray-black mist.

A faint golden halo swirled deep within the forest, but its location was unpredictable, sometimes appearing in the eastern valley and sometimes flickering in the western swamp.

"This is the clearest image I could capture. Nellie's last presence was within the Dark Sun Forest, but her exact location... she was constantly moving, or rather, the space she was in was constantly changing."

Lin Xiao stared at the scene in the crystal ball: "Dark Sun Forest? Isn't that the one that invaded the Wood Soul Domain before?"

"Exactly."

Xingyan nodded: "The Dark Sun Forest is one of the few ancient forces in the Mist World that is not directly controlled by the Mist God."

"It is jointly ruled by nine seventh-tier rulers, each of whom occupies a region. Their relationships are complex, involving both cooperation and conflict."

"Nellie chose to hide here probably because the unique properties of the Dark Sun Forest interfere with tracking in the Mist World."

"The rules there were each modified by the nine rulers, forming nine different realms that conflicted with each other yet maintained a delicate balance. This chaotic environment was the best place to hide one's tracks."

Lin Xiao pondered for a moment: "In other words, Nelly may have reached some kind of agreement with a ruler, or... she may simply be hiding deep within the territory of a ruler, unknown even to that ruler."

"Very likely."

Xingyan added, "But I must remind you, Alliance Leader Lin Xiao."

"The Dark Sun Forest is far more dangerous than the Wood Soul Domain. Among the nine rulers, the weakest seventh-rank can fight to a draw with the Heavenly Venerable, and the strongest may even have touched the threshold of the eighth rank."

"I've learned a bit about the battle in the Wood Soul Domain recently. It was all thanks to the establishment of the Faith Array; otherwise, the Celestial Venerable would definitely not have been a match for that Dark Flame Overlord!"

"Moreover... their attitude towards survivors... especially special survivors like you, is unpredictable."

"I know."

Lin Xiao's eyes were grave: "But I have to go. Nelly's talent for fortune is crucial to my upcoming plans, and... I also need to find an opportunity to break through to the seventh rank!"

Xingyan gave Lin Xiao a deep look, and finally sighed: "Since you have made up your mind, I will not try to dissuade you anymore."

"I will transmit all the information I know about the Dark Sun Forest to you, but please note that my prophecies will be severely disrupted in the Dark Sun Forest. Once you enter, I will be unable to provide remote warnings."

"That's enough."

Lin Xiao nodded: "During my absence, the affairs of the Myriad Spirits Alliance will be handled by Zhuge Duo, Yun Xi, and you. The Golden King has agreed to oversee the situation, and if any eighth-tier attacks occur, he will take action to resolve the situation."

"rest assured."

The crystal ball in Xingyan's hand shone brightly, and countless streams of information turned into blue light spots that flooded into Lin Xiao's consciousness: "This is the known information about the nine rulers of the Dark Sun Forest. Although it is not complete, it should be able to help you avoid some obvious traps."

The information was quickly integrated into Lin Xiao's mind—

The Dark Sun Forest has a total area approximately seventeen times that of the Wood Soul Domain, but the area of ​​just the Wood Soul Domain is already several times the size of Blue Star.

The interior of the Dark Sun Forest is divided into nine domains:

1. Dark Flame Domain: Ruler "Dark Flame Overlord", seventh rank, controls the dual rules of darkness and fire. He once invaded the Wood Soul Domain, but his power was damaged after being repelled by Lin Xiao, and his status among the nine rulers declined.

2. Blood Vine Domain: Ruler "Blood Vine Queen", seventh rank, whose true form is a vampire vine that has lived for millions of years, specializing in life devouring and soul corrosion.

3. Shadowmoon Domain: Ruler "Shadowmoon Wolf King", seventh rank, speed rule reached the extreme, the Shadowmoon Wolf pack under his command is extremely good at assassination and tracking.

4. Crystal Peak Domain: The ruler "Crystal Rock Giant", seventh rank, with the ultimate defensive rules. Its body is composed of countless rule crystals, making it almost immune to most physical and energy attacks.

5. Wind and Thunder Domain: Ruler "Storm Dragon", Rank 7, controls the rules of storms and thunder. Although he is irritable, he advocates fair duels.

6. Bone Tomb Domain: Ruler "Bone King", 7th rank, controller of the rules of the undead, capable of controlling an army of billions of skeletons.

7. Poison Swamp Domain: Ruler "Lady Corruption", seventh rank, proficient in billions of toxin rules, the domain is filled with highly poisonous swamps.

8. Dream Realm: Ruler "Nightmare Weaver", Rank 7, skilled in dream and illusion rules, capable of killing in dreams.

9. Netherworld Domain: The ruler, "Netherworld Ferryman," is a seventh-tier being who has seemingly reached the threshold of the eighth tier. He has mastered some of the rules of life and death and is the most mysterious in terms of whereabouts.

The nine domains are adjacent to each other yet mutually exclusive, with chaotic rules and frequent conflicts at their boundaries.

Nelly's whereabouts are elusive, appearing and disappearing in the gaps between these nine realms.

"grateful."

After processing the information, Lin Xiao's body shimmered with a seven-colored aura once more: "I'll set off immediately."

Three days later, at dawn, Lin Xiao stood on the barrier at the edge of the Eternal Alliance.

Zhuge Duo, Yun Xi, Xing Yan, Zhao Da, Bobo Sha, Mary Keith and other core members gathered together, while Mu Hun Yu Tian Zun, Feng Yan and Yun Yin also attended via projection.

"Leader, be careful."

Zhuge Duo stepped forward, first smoothing Lin Xiao's clothes, then wrapping the threads of fate around her fingertips: "I have blessed you with a destiny deflection, which can slightly increase your chances of survival in the event of a crisis."

Yunxi handed over a jade-green crystal: "This is an improved version of the Creation Crystal, containing 30% of my Creation Power. It can repair fatal injuries at critical moments."

Although these things were of little use to Lin Xiao, he still accepted the crystal and put it into his pocket: "I'm leaving the alliance to you. If you encounter any crisis, you can activate the Myriad Spirits Guardian Array, and the Golden King will also sense it."

"Brother Lin Xiao."

The projection of the Wood Soul Domain Celestial Venerable spoke: "You've met the Dark Flame Overlord of the Dark Sun Forest, and he harbors considerable hatred towards us. Be careful!"

Lin Xiao nodded to everyone, said no more, and turned to step into the barrier.

A rainbow of light flashed, and his figure disappeared into the ripples of the void.

------

At the edge of the Dark Sun Forest, a twisted gray zone.

The sky here is always shrouded in a dark red halo, like a frozen blood-red sunset.

The branches and leaves of the towering ancient trees were an ominous purplish-black, the ground was covered with a sticky shadow, and the air was filled with the smell of decay and sulfur.

Lin Xiao stepped out of the edge of the barrier, and the shadow beneath his feet automatically receded. The seven-colored halo of the Eternal Domain formed a clean area with a radius of three meters around him.

"The suppression of the rules is stronger than expected..."

He frowned slightly, the omniscient rules now fully in place, as he analyzed the surrounding environment.

The rules of the Dark Sun Forest are completely different from those of the outside world. The powers of the nine dominant domains converge at the edge of this place, forming a chaotic flow of rules.

An ordinary sixth-tier expert here would probably find it difficult to even unleash 30% of their strength.

But the rule of all things returning to their source demonstrates astonishing adaptability at this moment.

With a slight thought, Lin Xiao's seven-colored halo began to adjust its frequency, simulating regular fluctuations similar to those of the surrounding environment.

A few breaths later, the oppressive feeling from the Dark Sun Forest greatly diminished, and his strength had been fully restored.

"Let's find out what's going on first."

Lin Xiao's figure transformed into a faint shadow and merged into the shadows.

The Manifestation of All Things rule was activated, and his clothes transformed into the attire commonly seen in the Dark Sun Forest.

He wore a dark gray cloak, leather armor inlaid with dark purple crystals, and a seemingly ordinary short sword hanging at his waist.

At the same time, he suppressed most of the rule fluctuations, retaining only the energy level equivalent to the fourth rank.

In this region ruled by a seventh-tier overlord, it would be unwise to stand out too much.

This territory is quite interesting; under the rule of multiple seventh-tier rulers, a unique situation has emerged.

Some creatures with dark attributes have already made this place their stronghold.

Even groups of creatures have already established settlements here.

There are even many low-level local tribes and outsiders who make a living here, gathering rare resources, hunting mutated magical beasts, and even serving a certain ruler.

Lin Xiao sped towards the nearest gathering place.

Half an hour later, a village built on the roots of a giant tree came into view.

The village is not large, with about two hundred treehouses, and various creatures walk on the streets.

There were tree spirits with dark purple skin, werewolves with bone spurs on their backs, short creatures covered in crystal clusters, and even a few survivors whose auras were elusive.

Lin Xiao entered the village and stopped in front of a treehouse with a sign that read "Intelligence and Supplies".

Upon entering, the interior space appears much larger than the exterior, clearly indicating the use of a space expansion technology.

Behind the counter sat a one-eyed old man. His left eye was a constantly spinning dark red crystal, radiating an eerie sense of being watched.

"New faces."

The one-eyed old man spoke in a hoarse voice: "What do you want? A map? Intelligence? Or... something to save your life?"

Lin Xiao placed the three life crystals he brought from the Wood Soul Domain on the counter.

This is one of the universal currencies of the All-Spirit Alliance, containing pure life energy, and is quite valuable even in a place like the Dark Sun Forest.

Lin Xiao actually wanted to take the Source Crystal, but after thinking about its original identity, he decided to give up.

"The more detailed the latest information about the nine rulers, the better."

The one-eyed old man's single-eyed crystal glowed red, swept over the life crystal core, and nodded in satisfaction: "You're quite generous... It seems you're no ordinary adventurer."

"Fourth-tier strength...not bad at all!"

He put away the crystal cores and took out a dark purple memory crystal from under the counter: "This contains the latest developments in the nine major domains over the past three months, including changes in spheres of influence, conflicts between rulers, and which areas are off-limits... I'll give you a discount and add two more crystal cores."

Lin Xiao then took out two more life crystal cores.

After the transaction was completed, he immersed his consciousness in the memory crystal, and a massive amount of information flooded into his mind—

[Dark Flame Domain]: Since its defeat in the Battle of Wood Soul Domain, the Dark Flame Overlord's strength has been diminished, with its Dark Flame Flying Dragon Legion suffering a 40% loss. Recently, it has been suppressed by the combined forces of the Blood Vine Domain and Crystal Peak Domain, shrinking its territory by one-seventh, and its Flame Demon Legion has also lost 30%. The Dark Flame Overlord himself is suspected of being in seclusion attempting to research some kind of rule, but the success rate is unknown.

[Blood Vine Domain]: The Blood Vine Queen and the Crystal Rock Giants have reached a temporary alliance to jointly devour the Dark Flame Domain. The Blood Vine clan's expansion has accelerated, and it has already annexed three small to medium-sized native clans.

[Crystal Peak Domain]: The Crystal Giant is the most low-profile, but its defensive power is widely recognized as the strongest among the Nine Sovereigns. Recently, it has been acquiring large quantities of a certain defensive rule crystal, suggesting it may be forging some kind of large-scale defensive artifact.

【Shadowmoon Realm】: The Shadowmoon Wolf King's movements are elusive. Rumors say he has been tracking a target with a golden halo for two months, but without success.

Lin Xiao's heart stirred; the golden halo matched the characteristics of Nellie that Xingyan had shown!

Moreover, Lin Xiao also recalled the situation when she activated her fortune control while in the ruins, which also emitted a dazzling golden light.

He continued to examine:

[Wind and Thunder Domain]: Three months ago, the Storm Dragon clashed with the Skeleton King, and the two fought for three days at the border, ultimately ending in a draw. The Storm Dragon is upright and abhors intrigue, making him one of the more approachable of the nine rulers.

[Bone Tomb Realm]: The Skeleton King is collecting large quantities of fresh bones, seemingly building a new undead army. Adventurers have reported detecting an unusual golden fluctuation at the edge of the Bone Tomb Realm, but none who have ventured in have survived.

[Poison Swamp Domain]: Lady Corruption is cultivating a new type of mixed toxin, which has already poisoned fourteen fourth- and fifth-tier powerhouses who mistakenly entered her territory. Entry into the Poison Swamp Domain is currently prohibited for all outsiders.

[Dream Realm]: The Nightmare Weaver is the most mysterious, and eerie whispers often emanate from her realm. More than thirty beings have died mysteriously in their sleep. Rumors circulate that the Nightmare Weaver is weaving a grand dream array that covers the entire Dark Sun Forest, but the truth of this remains unknown.

[Netherworld Domain]: The Netherworld Ferryman has not made a public appearance for ten years, but the fluctuations in the rules of life and death within his domain are increasing daily. Some seventh-tier powerhouses speculate that the Netherworld Ferryman is attempting to break through to the eighth-tier bottleneck; if successful, the balance of the Dark Sun Forest will be completely shattered.

After browsing the information, Lin Xiao exited consciousness.

"It seems that Nelly is most likely to appear in two places: either the Shadowmoon Realm or the edge of the Bone Tomb Realm."

He quickly analyzed in his mind: "The Shadowmoon Wolf King is tracking the target of the golden halo, which is very likely Nelly. The abnormal golden fluctuations at the edge of the Bone Tomb Domain also match Nelly's fortune talent."

"As for this Dark Flame Overlord..."

A cold glint flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes: "Since he's in a bad situation and has a grudge against me, perhaps we can use him as a starting point!"

Seeing that Lin Xiao had finished pondering, the one-eyed old man spoke again: "If you wish to gain a deeper understanding of a certain ruler, I have more detailed information here, but of course... the price will be higher."

"No need."

Lin Xiao gave him a deep look before turning and leaving the treehouse.

The situation in the Dark Sun Forest is very strange. According to the information revealed to him by the Celestial Venerable, this place seems to have been the territory of an eighth-order being a long time ago.

However, for millions of years, virtually no one has been able to find out who that eighth-order being is.

No one knows when it happened, but this place became a place jointly ruled by nine rulers.

Lin Xiao already had a plan: first, he would go to the Dark Flame Domain and make contact with the Dark Flame Overlord.

This ruler, who has a past grudge against the Wood Soul Domain, is now in a difficult situation. Perhaps we can obtain information about other rulers, especially the Shadow Moon Wolf King and the Skeleton King, from him.

There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.

Lin Xiao believed that as long as the benefits were sufficient, the Dark Flame Overlord wouldn't mind him!

Furthermore, as one of the nine rulers, the Dark Flame Overlord's understanding of the Dark Sun Forest must far exceed that of the outside world.

After leaving the village, Lin Xiao determined the direction and sped off towards the Dark Flame Domain.

The suppression of rules within the Dark Sun Forest intensifies as one delves deeper, but Lin Xiao's Myriad Phenomena Return to Flow rule continues to adapt.

He was like a drop of water merging into the ocean, silently traversing dangerous areas.

Along the way, he encountered three waves of mutated magical beasts, the strongest of which was a fifth-tier shadow leopard that could even briefly merge into the shadows to launch an attack.

But Lin Xiao didn't even use the power of the rules; he simply waved his hand and instantly killed him.

The Omniscient Rule allows him to see through all attack trajectories, and his physical attributes, which integrate multiple basic rules, have long surpassed the scope of ordinary sixth-order beings.

Three days later, Lin Xiao arrived at the border of the Dark Flame Domain.

Before me lay a scorched earth, the air thick with the smell of sulfur and ash.

The distorted outline of the volcano can be seen in the distance, with dark red lava flowing slowly in the ravines.

The sky was shrouded in thick volcanic ash, with only sporadic flashes of light piercing through the clouds, casting eerie shadows.

Consistent with the description in the memory crystal, the Darkflame Domain is shrinking its defenses. The defensive facilities at the border appear old and poorly maintained, and the number of patrolling fire demon soldiers is small, with most of them listless.

Lin Xiao hid behind a rock, and the Omniscient Rule quietly unfolded, scanning the information of a border outpost ahead.

There were only five Flame Demon soldiers at the outpost, their strength ranging from the third to the fourth tier. The commander, a fifth-tier Flame Demon leader, was currently pounding the table in frustration, muttering curses under his breath.

It seems that the situation in the Dark Sun Forest is the same as outside, with timid sixth-tier beings.

"Those Bloodvine scum... that old turtle Crystal Rock... once the Overlord's strength increases, you'll all pay..."

Lin Xiao waited patiently.

An hour later, it was time for the shift change.

Two Balrog soldiers lazily walked out of the outpost and headed towards the nearby lava pool, where the Balrogs replenished their fire energy.

The opportunity is here.

Lin Xiao's figure flashed out like a ghost, instantly appearing behind the two Flame Demon soldiers.

With a gentle press of both hands, the rule of the return of all things to its source transformed into two sealing runes, which silently disappeared into the back of the necks of the two fire demons.

The fire demon soldier froze, his eyes instantly becoming empty.

This is a composite sealing technique by Lin Xiao that combines mind control, soul suggestion, and rule-blocking, which can temporarily manipulate the target's consciousness without harming them.

"Take me to see your commander and tell him you have important intelligence to report."

Lin Xiao whispered, simultaneously conjuring two counterfeit Blood Vine Domain tokens.

This information was obtained from the memory crystal. The messengers under the Bloodvine Queen usually carry unique vine rune tokens.

The two Balrog soldiers nodded mechanically and turned back to the outpost.