My health recovery is incredibly fast.

The faceless man sat at his desk, observing the current situation in the altar square through the broadcast provided by the image orb.

The strange white tree emerging from the thick smoke also caught the attention of the faceless man.

The pearl-like spheres floating around the white tree, the tree's translucent shape, and other elements are all mysterious to the faceless man.

He didn't know what this strange tree was.

However, during his contact with the shamanic school, he learned how to open the dimensional rift to the Land of the Long Sleep, so he instinctively associated the strange white tree with the Land of the Long Sleep.

The faceless man looked at Rena Crestor on the soft sofa.

This sleeping female pureblood mage was brought by Merlindora.

Prior to this, Rena Crestor was in the thick smoke of the altar plaza, which was located in the dimensional rift of the [Land of the Slumber].

This is what the Faceless Man thinks:

Merlindora was able to bring Rena out of the dimensional rift in the [Land of the Slumber], so she likely knows something about the [Land of the Slumber] and the White Tree.

The faceless man walked towards the potted plant by the wall:

"Merlindora, do you know what that strange white tree in the dimensional rift is? When you were using plants to take Rena away from there, did you encounter that strange tree?"

The potted plant shook and stood up from the pot, but did not leave the pot.

"I didn't encounter any of those white trees."

Merlindora's response:

"Based on my years of experience dealing with plants, I think that's not a tree, but a strange creature that exists in the form of a spirit, something unique to the [Land of Long Sleep]. It's obvious that the [Land of Long Sleep] that you've been hoping to enter already has an owner, and it doesn't seem to welcome creatures from the natural world."

In this world, only a very lucky few can learn the truth about the world from the words of plants.

Faceless people are not included.

The same applies to shamanistic schools.

The plants that came into contact with the shamanistic school and taught them how to open the dimensional rift to the Land of the Dead did not reveal the origins of the Land of the Dead.

All those who gather information about the "Land of the Long Sleep" through the shamanic school—the Tower Scholars, Alchemists, Faceless Men, and so on—have their understanding of the "Land of the Long Sleep" limited to the information available within the shamanic school itself.

In the eyes of the faceless people, plants are a whole, and apart from different species, they do not have the same factions as human society.

The plants that came into contact with the shamanic school explicitly stated that they only knew how to enter the "Land of the Long Sleep" and were unaware of what was in this sub-plane... The Golden Vitex, which is closely related to Merlindora, should be in a similar situation.

Based on the above reasons, the Faceless Man naturally accepted Merlindora's explanation without suspecting that she was hiding anything.

"Who do you think I should ask about the origin of that white tree?" the faceless man asked.

“Hmm…” Merlindora thought for a few seconds, “Perhaps we can go and ask that tree directly. It seems to be a sentient being.”

“Oh, right.” The faceless man clapped his hands. “You reminded me. Why should I bother with roundabout ways of gathering information about it? I can just go and make contact with that tree directly.”

The faceless man was somewhat agitated.

He strode to the shelf, opened his arms, and summoned several silver sand hands to change his clothes and add bionic alchemical features to his face.

"Are you going yourself?" Merlindora was slightly taken aback. "I can easily do it for you."

“No, Merlindora, I must go myself.” The Faceless Man continued to disguise himself.

“Alright.” Merlindora “sat down” in the brazier, burying her roots and legs in the soil. “I’m waiting for your good news. I’m also very curious about what this strange white tree is.”

The potted plant was restored to its original state.

Merlindora did not point out the unique features of that dimensional rift.

The Faceless Man already knew about the separation of body and soul from the shamanic school, so Merlindora didn't need to warn him further.

The faceless man disguised himself as an ordinary dimensional scholar, covering his face with a hood and mask, and took a temple emblem from a hidden compartment in his desk and put it in his pocket.

Before leaving, he cast a spell to seal the alchemy room, then used a teleportation spell to leave in a flash of white light.

...

The outer hall's secret chamber.

The door to Xia Zuo's alchemy room was tightly closed.

Outside the alchemy chamber, everywhere was bustling with activity, as the scholars and alchemists of the tower discussed the origins of the strange white tree.

These people were unaware that the dense fog in the altar plaza was a dimensional rift in the [Land of the Long Sleep], and still treated it as an accidental product of a sacrificial ritual being disrupted.

As for the strange white tree in the thick fog, everyone assumed it was something related to shamanistic rituals.

While everyone was discussing this, almost simultaneously, several of the alchemists present proposed the same solution:

The strange white tree might possess intelligence, perhaps even being a peculiar creature capable of communication. The temple would be best advised to send a well-intentioned delegation to formally engage with it. With luck, effective communication might be achieved, clarifying the cause of the dense fog in the altar plaza.

This plan resonated with everyone present. Alchemists and Tower scholars alike expressed their approval, and even the Temple Guards who were listening in thought the plan was feasible.

Soon, the plan was approved by the Holy Mark Department.

The group began to organize a visiting team with the aim of contacting Bai Shu and extracting information.

Previously, when using alchemical clones to explore the dense smoke, all the alchemical teams that wrapped the clone cores with heavy metals or other alchemical materials reached the same conclusion:

As long as the core of the clone is completely sealed, the thick smoke will not have any unknown effects on the alchemical clone or the magical clone.

If Xia Zuo were here, he would definitely warn these people that their conclusion is wrong.

The reason why clones are unaffected by the dense smoke is that clones do not possess a spirit body, and the characteristics of dense smoke such as "separation of spirit and flesh" only apply to things that possess a spirit body.

The fact that the clone's core is sealed in packaging is not the key reason why the clone is immune to the effects of dense smoke.

Holding onto this flawed conclusion and doing the wrong thing could very well lead to disaster... Just as the Holy Rune Department decided to send a real person encased in a metal shell into the thick smoke, Xia Zuo remained alone in the alchemy room, not coming out to participate in the discussion. A crisis with an extremely high mortality rate was already unavoidable.

The Holy Rune Department not only decided to send real people into the thick smoke, but also deliberately filled the visiting group with a large number of people. These people came from various departments of the Holy Temple, and each of them was outstanding in a certain field. They would meet with the White Tree one by one and try to communicate with him using the knowledge they had acquired.

And so, a visiting team of up to 30 people assembled in the secret room.

They arrived at the atoll under the escort of the temple guards. The Image Orb projected their images to everyone watching the broadcast.

Only then did Xia Zuo discover the team that had gone to their deaths in the thick smoke from the video footage…

"Has the Holy Rune Department gone mad? Why did they send so many people into the dimensional rift in the [Land of Long Sleep] all at once? Their metal armor can't stop the [Separation of Spirit and Flesh] at all."

Xia Zuo felt a chill run down his spine.

One can imagine what will happen when this team ventures deep into the smoke and finds the white tree... At least half of them will be unable to escape the fate of being separated from their bodies, and even if the rest manage to escape the smoke, they may only be left with half a life.

Given the character and knowledge of the scholars in the alchemy lab and the tower, the most sensible choice would be to have someone wrapped in metal and enter the thick smoke to observe the reaction.

In reality, the Holy Mark Department sent a large group of people in directly, without even conducting the most basic probing.

Why would the Holy Marks Department make such a careless and basic mistake?

While pondering the doubts surrounding this matter, Xia Zuo maintained his connection with Little Golden Bauhinia, transmitting his thoughts to her mind through the telepathic link.

The little golden chaste tree danced inside the glass dome, twisting its stems and swaying its leaves. After about ten seconds, it stopped dancing and said to Xia Zuo:

"I know what happened."

"What?" Xia Zuo came to his senses.

“I know why the temple acted so hastily.” Little Golden Vitex twisted its stem. “I spoke with my people and learned some things from them.”

The little golden chaste tree raised its branches and pointed to the team gathering at the edge of the thick fog on the video screen:

"The faceless man who wanted to harm your pure-blood mages was also involved in this operation, and this hastily assembled team was formed under his planning."

Two cold and resolute glints flashed in Xia Zuo's eyes. "Where is he? Which one is him? I'll make sure he never returns from this smoke."

A few minutes ago, Little Golden Bauhinia revealed to Xia Zuo the Faceless Man's plan to seize the power of the pure-blooded mage's bloodline.

The words spoken by the Faceless Man when he met with Xia Zuo and other pure-blooded mages were all false lies.

The promises of rewards and temple status, the powerful spells gained after opening the [Land of the Long Sleep], etc., were all fabricated by the Faceless Man.

His true purpose was nothing more than to lure the pure-blooded mage faction into a trap, and then "ignite" Xia Zuo and the others all at once, opening a stable dimensional rift in the [Land of Long Sleep].

Upon hearing this, Xia Zuo realized that this person had actually mingled with the visiting group and intended to personally enter the smoke-filled area. How could Xia Zuo possibly let go of such a good opportunity!

Even if it means sacrificing his bloodline servants, he must be left in the thick smoke to suffer the pain of separation of body and soul.

Hey?

That's not right...

Xia Zuo blinked, and he suddenly realized something very awkward...

The faceless man, lacking facial features, is not made of flesh and blood; his body is composed of pure energy and elements.

If that's the case, can the "separation of body and soul" still work?

Xia Zuo posed this question to Little Golden Bauhinia.

The little golden chaste tree swayed its buds from side to side and said regretfully:

"You guessed right. That faceless man doesn't need to worry about the [Separation of Body and Soul]. The negative effects of the [Land of Eternal Slumber] have no effect on him. Once this team enters the thick smoke, there will definitely be casualties, with heavy losses. He is the only one in the team who is completely unharmed."

"The only one who's completely unharmed is that guy?" Xia Zuo raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't that save me the trouble of looking for him?"

The enemy is in the open, while we are in the shadows. Xia Zuo rubbed his hands together, feeling somewhat excited.

"Let me think. It's definitely not appropriate to have the Blood Element Servants do it directly. Blood Element Servants are my signature spell, and it's easy for people to associate them with me. So I need to find someone to do it for me... Or, should I just report it to the Holy Rune Department? Let the Holy Rune Department and the Inquisition deal with that guy?"

Little Golden Thorn Flower shook her bud again, her tone still full of regret, "Xia Zuo, you're probably going to be disappointed. Only a very few people in the temple can trap him, and these people won't attack any members of the visiting team who still have legitimate identities just because of your report."

"Why?" Xia Zuo was taken aback. "I mean, why are only a very few people able to deal with that guy?"

"Hmm..." Little Golden Thorn Flower pondered for a few seconds, "Shazo, in this world, the 'microscopic creatures' that have survived since Vasaksat terraformed the planet include not only humans, alien demons, and plants, but also some other creatures... Don't be surprised by what I'm about to tell you..."

"Okay, go ahead and say it."

“On the Vasaksat emblem, the eighth-ranked orb of light actually represents a peculiar race.” Little Golden Bauhinia paused:

"That's a spirit, and the element is one of the spirits."

“Elements, spirits…” Xia Zuo was deeply stunned.

The little golden bougainvillea said:

"In your mind, elements should have the appearance of an octahedral crystal, with elemental patterns representing their characteristics and types on the crystal shell. But an octahedral crystal is not an element; the light clusters inside the crystal are the elements."

"In the Golden Vitex clan, we call elements with octahedral crystal shells temple elements or creation elements, that is, elements made from creation crystals."

"Elements that are not encased in octahedral crystals and directly expose their light clusters are called 'wild elements'."