Chapter 243: Plane Community

In the skies above Dragonwood Forest, Rose hovered several hundred meters high, gazing down at the dense canopy below.

The view was breathtaking—a vast expanse of lush greenery stretching endlessly toward the horizon. The sight was so magnificent and serene that it swept away the restlessness brought on by over a decade of seclusion.

Suddenly, a deafening roar shattered the tranquility.

Embedded within the roar was an oppressive aura that seemed to penetrate one's soul.

Rose immediately recognized it as a dragon's roar, and her expression shifted slightly.

"I've heard that the Magma Tyrannosaurus clan in Zone 2 has begun evolving. Several of them have already turned into true dragons—this must be one of them," she thought.

Curious, Rose moved toward the source of the roar and spotted a massive, ferocious dragon pacing through the forest. Its enormous head turned left and right, as if searching for prey.

The dragon was colossal, standing over fifty meters tall, its body covered in a layer of bronze-colored scales that shimmered with a cold metallic luster under the sunlight.

Its appearance still faintly resembled that of its predecessor, the Magma Tyrannosaurus, but it was now even more fearsome. Despite the armor-like scales, its limbs and torso displayed defined, streamlined muscles, exuding explosive power.

At that moment, a streak of light shot toward Rose from the distance and stopped beside her.

As the light dissipated, it revealed the figure of Scepter.

"I was wondering if you'd come out of seclusion after hearing about Lord Su Nan summoning the mages. As expected, here you are," Scepter said with a smile.

Rose scrutinized him for a moment before speaking in surprise. "You've had a breakthrough?"

Scepter's smile deepened, and he nodded. "I just broke through not long ago."

"Congratulations," Rose said, feeling a twinge of envy.

Aside from Lord Su Nan, Scepter was now the second mage in the Star Alliance to achieve the liquefied stage.

"The energy particle density in the Starlight Continent has been steadily rising," Scepter said. "Everyone's mental refinement is improving faster. I believe it won't be long before you break through to the liquefied stage as well."

Rose smiled faintly. "I'll take your good wishes to heart."

Scepter looked down at the dragon below. "Is that one of the newly evolved dragons?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, it's part of the Magma Tyrannosaurus clan. They're now called Flame Tyrant Dragons."

"Flame Tyrant Dragon?" Scepter glanced at the sparks flickering between the dragon's teeth and nodded in understanding. "Awakening flame mastery upon evolution—that name fits well."

The Flame Tyrant Dragon noticed Rose and Scepter overhead and let out a low, irritable growl. Its icy vertical pupils swept over them coldly before it turned and left.

Watching this, Scepter clicked his tongue in amazement.

"I heard Lord Su Nan has developed a method to control dragons. I was skeptical at first, but it seems to be true."

Ordinary dragons, with their immense pride, wouldn't tolerate anyone lingering above their heads and pointing at them. Yet this dragon managed to restrain itself, evidence that it had been tamed.

Rose's eyes also showed a hint of amazement.

Taming a dragon was something they wouldn't have dared to imagine before. Only Lord Su Nan could achieve such a feat.

In the distance, another roar resounded, accompanied by a wave of overwhelming pressure that momentarily made breathing difficult.

Rose looked out and saw a massive black shadow flicker through the forest before vanishing from sight.

"That's Lord Su Nan's magical pet," Scepter immediately identified, a hint of admiration on his face. "I heard that recently it sparred with Xieman and Corell. Even with the two of them teaming up, they were defeated."

Rose, hearing this for the first time, was astonished. "That strong? Its combat prowess must be nearing the crystallized stage."

Xieman and Corell were both exceptionally talented and had been nurtured by Su Nan, receiving more resources than the other mages. Their rapid progress meant their strength was now comparable to Rose's.

Even the average first-level liquefied mage would struggle to defeat the two of them working together.

"Indeed," Scepter said with a sigh. "Lord Su Nan's magical pet is far stronger than these dragons."

Rose silently marveled and suddenly had the idea of contracting a sub-dragon species as a pet and nurturing it into a true dragon.

After chatting for a while, the two decided it was time to head to the Starlight Mage Tower.

When they arrived at the tower's meeting hall, over twenty mages had already gathered.

Scepter's gaze swept across the room and confirmed that aside from Su Nan, all twenty-six mages of the Star Alliance were present.

When Scepter and Rose entered, the group exchanged polite greetings.

During the small talk, someone brought up the itinerant mage.

"That itinerant mage is truly unlucky, teleporting to the Starlight Continent and getting stuck here."

"It's amazing how such a low-probability event happened to him. His luck is truly something else."

"What's he doing now?"

"Exploring the Starlight Continent. I heard he's currently at Rainbow Sea."

"I saw him once. He's wrapped up from head to toe. What's up with that?"

"That's because he's been partially assimilated by the Shadow Realm. His appearance has changed, so he covers himself to avoid scaring people," Fakado explained.

Rose was surprised. "How do you know that?"

"I spoke with him once," Fakado replied with a smile. "He was being chased by a Nightshade Worm in the Shadow Realm and couldn't escape for a long time. The prolonged exposure led to the assimilation. He should recover in time."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

As they talked, the doors suddenly opened, and a mechanical automaton girl entered, holding a book.

Countless thin beams of light radiated from the book, weaving together to form Lize's image.

"Lord Xingyun!"

The mages rose to their feet, their expressions filled with respect.

Though Lize was just a spirit, she had been a second-level mage in life and was highly trusted by Su Nan. Within the Star Alliance, she was second only to Su Nan, and no mage dared to show her disrespect.

"Please be seated."

Lize took the seat at the head of the room and raised her hand.

Once everyone was seated, she spoke slowly.

"I've gathered you all here because there is something important to discuss."

Hearing this, the mages became curious. What matter required summoning every mage in the Star Alliance?

"Based on Su Nan's and my observations, the time for the planar barrier to be fully repaired is near. In approximately 150 years, around the year 2000 of the Starlight Calendar, the planar seal will be lifted."

Her words brought smiles to many faces.

They had been eagerly awaiting the restoration of the Starlight Continent, which would allow for normal cultivation and trade with other planes, bringing in resources that would greatly enhance their power.

Only the older and more experienced mages like Scepter and Fakado remained calm.

If this were the only news, Lize wouldn't have summoned everyone. There had to be more.

Sure enough, Lize's expression turned serious, and she continued in a solemn tone:

"Don't celebrate just yet. The lifting of the planar seal is a good thing, but it also brings danger."

The room fell silent.

"What kind of danger?" someone asked instinctively.

"External invasion," Lize said plainly.

Her words left everyone exchanging uneasy glances, some looking lost.

"You're all aware of the mages' expeditions into the multiverse a thousand years ago. If the planar barrier is fully restored, do you think those mages won't want to reclaim control of the Starlight Continent?"

The atmosphere grew heavy.

Fakado's expression darkened. "Lord Xingyun, have you received any concrete information?"

Lize nodded slightly. "We've confirmed that two major mage factions in the multiverse, the Obsidian Throne and the Withered Council, have their eyes on the Starlight Continent. The Obsidian Throne, in particular, has been preparing for a long time and will invade the moment the planar barrier is fully repaired."

To add weight to her statement, Lize added, "This information comes from Su Nan himself."

Hearing this, any remaining doubts vanished. The mages trusted Su Nan implicitly, and his word was enough to convince them.

Still, worry filled the room.

Through ancient texts left by mages a millennium ago, they knew that the multiverse contained numerous mage factions, most of which far surpassed the Star Alliance in power.

Learning that they might soon face such formidable foes was a daunting revelation.

"Lord Xingyun, where do the Obsidian Throne and Withered Council rank among mage factions in the multiverse?" someone asked.

"The Obsidian Throne is a top-tier faction, firmly within the top ten. The Withered Council is slightly weaker but still considered second-tier," Lize replied calmly.

"And where does the Star Alliance stand?" another mage inquired.

"We barely qualify as third-tier," Lize said bluntly.

She had no intention of sugarcoating the truth. This was something she and Su Nan had agreed upon.

The mages would inevitably learn about the multiverse, so there was no point in hiding the reality. It was better to prepare them mentally in advance.

With Su Nan's promotion to a second-level mage, the Star Alliance had met the minimum criteria to be considered a legitimate mage faction.

Among unranked factions, the Star Alliance was one of the strongest, barely touching the edge of third-tier status.

However, compared to factions like the Obsidian Throne and the Withered Council, the gap was vast.

Hearing this, the mages' expressions grew heavier.

Did this mean they stood no chance of victory?

Lize observed their reactions and said calmly:

"There's no need to panic. Before the planar barrier is fully repaired, the Obsidian Throne won't be able to send a large force to invade the Starlight Continent. We can handle whatever they send."

"And once the barrier is fully repaired, we can trade with other mage factions for resources and protection. Many factions in the multiverse oppose the Obsidian Throne, so there will be plenty of opportunities to form alliances."

Hearing this, the mages visibly relaxed.

As long as there were options and they weren't completely at the mercy of their enemies, they could cope.

"In short, I hope you all prepare yourselves.

"The Starlight Continent is on the brink of great upheaval. Whether this change brings disaster or opportunity depends entirely on you."

The mages responded with a unified acknowledgment, their expressions solemn.

After they dispersed, Artil emerged from a side room, a hint of concern lingering on his face.

"Lord Xingyun, are you sure it's alright to be so open about this?"

Lize replied calmly, "Hiding it serves no purpose. It's better to let them prepare early than to panic when the situation unfolds."

"Besides, some people have grown lax in their cultivation recently. This is a good opportunity to reignite their motivation."

Hearing this, Artil nodded thoughtfully and said no more.

Lize asked, "Where is Tanner now?"

"He's gone to Rainbow Sea," Artil replied.

Lize nodded in understanding.

Not long ago, she had conducted a trade with Tanner, exchanging automatons and alchemical concoctions for over a dozen Frost Netherstones and several pieces of valuable intelligence.

It was no surprise that Tanner, an adventurous itinerant mage, possessed an extensive knowledge of various planar clusters in the multiverse. He even had rare intelligence on obscure and hidden planar clusters, information that had greatly impressed Su Nan upon review.

Now, Lize was considering how to extract even more valuable information from Tanner—specifically, the coordinates of some ununified planar clusters.

Planar clusters, as the name suggested, were groups of planes that included one or several primary planes and numerous subsidiary planes.

Compared to subsidiary planes, primary planes boasted more comprehensive planar laws, higher concentrations of energy particles, and richer resources.

On a hierarchical level, primary planes also exerted an invisible suppression over their subsidiary planes.

As a result, within a planar cluster, various factions or intelligent species often waged wars to seize control of the primary plane.

Whoever controlled the primary plane essentially held sway over the subsidiary planes as well.

Thus, wars between planar clusters usually centered on conquering each other's primary planes.

The multiverse itself was composed of numerous planar clusters and a smaller number of standalone planes.

For example, the Starlight Continent was not part of a planar cluster but rather a standalone plane.

Large mage factions like the Deep Blue Alliance or the Codex of Wisdom typically controlled at least one planar cluster.

If the Star Alliance aspired to grow into a major mage faction, the Starlight Continent alone would be far from sufficient. Eventually, they would need to conquer a planar cluster as well.

With this in mind, Lize planned to use Tanner as a starting point to acquire the coordinates of several planar clusters. In the future, when the Star Alliance had sufficient power, these coordinates would allow them to locate and conquer those clusters.

With alchemical conco

ctions in hand, convincing Tanner to trade wouldn't be a problem.

After all, planar cluster coordinates held little practical value for an itinerant mage like Tanner. Trading them for tangible resources would be far more beneficial to him.