Chapter 264: Soul Cleansing Flower, City of All Things

"Howl!"

The wilderness was filled with the echoing howls of wolves.

Countless crimson beast eyes stared intently at the figure hovering above, eager to attack but grounded by their inability to fly, leaving them to only glare helplessly.

"These black wolves appear no different from naturally bred animals, yet they're creatures condensed entirely from energy. The existence of a nest truly is a fascinating phenomenon," Xieman remarked with intrigue as his gaze swept over the dense pack of wolves below.

Koray's face remained expressionless. "If you're that interested, capture a few later for study. For now, focus on finding the nest."

Xieman chuckled, unfazed by Koray's bluntness. He had long grown accustomed to his companion's demeanor.

"No need to be so tense. The red-eyed crows have already been released. We'll know immediately if they find anything."

Recently, the Star Alliance had issued a mission to locate the "Dusk Valley" nest. Given the potential threat of Dusk Wolves still inhabiting the Wolf Tide Plane, the mission was restricted to wizards only.

Xieman and Koray had taken up the task and ventured into the Wolf Tide Plane. To enhance their search efficiency, they enlisted the help of red-eyed crows.

These birds, known for their exceptional long-distance vision, were ideal for locating hidden areas. The Star Alliance had also enhanced these crows, making them far superior to their ordinary counterparts.

At each location, the pair released the crows, allowing them to scout a hundred-kilometer radius. If no results were found, they moved on to the next area.

Though this method seemed primitive, it was the most effective approach given the circumstances.

While the Wolf Tide Plane was smaller than the Starlight Continent, it was still an entire plane teeming with life. Moreover, the resident species were mostly non-sentient beasts, incapable of communication or providing information.

The plane itself remained untamed and raw, dominated by forests, plains, lakes, and mountains. The only foreign presence consisted of the clay golems left behind by Yuxi to mine resources.

In such a scenario, finding the nest required a meticulous and manual search.

"If only the Magic Golem Army could enter without provoking the wolves into an all-out battle, the search would be much easier," Xieman sighed.

Initially, he had hoped to track the wolves back to their nest. However, upon discovering the wolves were unusually scattered across the plane, he abandoned the idea.

Fortunately, the Star Alliance had responded swiftly during the Wolf Tide Plane invasion, deploying forces to intercept the wolves before they could solidify their foothold. Had the wolves gained sufficient time to expand the planar gate, the Alliance would have faced a far larger wolf army.

Koray glanced at the endless tide of black wolves below. After a brief pause, he said, "This is precisely why the Star Eye Network and teleportation systems were established."

"Our master certainly has foresight," Xieman said admiringly before bringing up another topic. "Speaking of which, Master Starlight is gathering materials for body reconstruction. Artyl should soon regain his human form."

At the mention of Artyl, Koray's typically rigid expression softened slightly. Artyl was one of his few close friends.

"Reconstructing a body isn't particularly challenging. The real difficulty lies in gathering the materials. Some of them are exceedingly rare."

"The Codex of Wisdom should have everything needed. Of all the wizard factions, they undoubtedly have the most comprehensive resource collection."

"Not necessarily," Koray replied. "The Codex only makes certain resources available to affiliate organizations. Many rare resources are reserved for internal members and require contribution points for exchange, much like our Star Alliance."

Xieman gave Koray a surprised look. "How do you know so much about this?"

"Tanar told me."

"You're in contact with him?" Xieman asked, genuinely surprised. He didn't recall Koray being particularly sociable.

"I was curious about other planes and traded some resources with him for information."

"That makes sense." Xieman nodded, realizing Koray's practicality hadn't changed.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, he froze. His expression shifted abruptly.

At the same moment, Koray's gaze sharpened.

The two exchanged a glance before shooting off at full speed toward the northwest.

Moments earlier, they had sensed the life force of one of their red-eyed crows abruptly vanish.

In the Wolf Tide Plane, few creatures capable of flight could also kill a red-eyed crow. Among them were the elusive Dusk Wolves.

Unlike the common black wolves, Dusk Wolves were rare and rarely strayed far from their nest. Spotting one was a near-certain indicator that the nest was nearby.

Flying at full speed, they soon reached the crow's last known location. From over a kilometer away, they spotted a massive wolf with jet-black fur and blood-red eyes and fangs.

"It's a Bloodfang!" Xieman exclaimed in delight. "Looks like Dusk Valley is nearby."

After days of fruitless searching, they finally had a breakthrough. Even Koray's usually impassive eyes showed a glimmer of excitement.

The Bloodfang noticed them and howled, charging toward them aggressively.

Far from alarmed, Xieman grinned. The Bloodfang's behavior confirmed his suspicion: the nest was close.

Bloodfangs, part of the Dusk Wolf lineage, specialized in physical combat but lacked the natural elemental strength of Misthowl or Nightshadow. Confident, Xieman and Koray met the beast head-on.

Within five minutes, the Bloodfang lay defeated.

The duo immediately began a thorough search of the surrounding area and quickly located their target.

The so-called "Dusk Valley" was not an actual valley but a cavern nestled deep within the mountains.

Its dark entrance resembled the gaping maw of a beast, ominous and foreboding. A palpable energy radiated from within, far denser than the surrounding environment.

After waiting patiently, they saw juvenile black wolves emerge from the cavern. Barely half a meter long and covered in a glistening membrane, the pups rapidly grew as they stepped out, expanding to the size of a carriage. The membrane dried quickly, revealing fully-formed wolves.

The black wolves snarled at the pair, baring their fangs in warning.

Unfazed, Xieman and Koray exchanged knowing smiles.

"This is definitely it."

"Let's notify the Star Alliance."

Xieman pulled out a communication crystal, relaying the discovery to the Magic Inscription Knights stationed near the planar gate. They, in turn, would inform the Star Alliance.

Shortly after the message was sent, a figure appeared mid-air above the valley, seemingly out of nowhere.

Recognizing the newcomer, Xieman and Koray straightened immediately, bowing respectfully.

"Master!"

Sunan acknowledged them with a slight nod before turning his attention to the cavern. From outside, he could feel the dense concentration of energy particles within.

"This is undoubtedly the nest."

He glanced back at Xieman and Koray with a faint smile.

"Good work. You may return to report the mission."

"Yes, Master."

The pair bowed again and left without hesitation.

With the valley now quiet except for the howls of wolves, Sunan ignored the creatures entirely, casting Blink to teleport directly into the cavern.

Inside, the space was vast yet unsettling. The walls and floor resembled living flesh, their pinkish hues veined with blood vessel-like patterns. Standing within, it felt as though he had stepped into the organs of a massive beast.

The cavern exuded an oppressive force, strong enough to crush a Tier 3 or Tier 4 Legendary Knight into pulp.

Sensing danger, the nest began summoning wolves. The black wolves outside howled and surged toward the entrance.

Unfazed, Sunan activated Absolute Zone, neutralizing the oppressive force while simultaneously creating an impassable barrier that kept the wolves at bay.

The pressure from Absolute Zone caused the cavern to tremble, its fleshy walls emitting squelching sounds as they strained under the weight.

Sunan raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on the innermost wall of the nest, where a deep crimson sphere about the size of a human head was embedded, its color distinct from the surrounding fleshy walls.

Approaching it, Sunan placed his hand on the sphere and channeled his mental energy into it.

For a biological nest of the level of Dusk Valley, there was almost no resistance against a Tier 3 wizard. This was precisely why, upon sensing Sunan's power, the nest instinctively surrendered without hesitation.

In mere moments, Sunan located Yuxi's soul imprint within the nest. With a surge of mental energy, he obliterated it, replacing it with his own.

As soon as the soul imprint was completed, Sunan felt an indescribable connection form between him and the nest.

When he withdrew his hand, a black crystalline object shaped like a wolf's fang appeared in his palm.

This was the key to controlling the wolf packs.

By holding the wolf fang crystal, Sunan could command all the wolves spawned by the nest. Moreover, the crystal could generate subordinate crystals with limited authority to control specific groups of wolves.

Clutching the crystal lightly, Sunan could clearly sense the presence of every black wolf. With a single thought, he could summon them all to his location.

"With this, nothing in the Wolf Tide Plane can stand against the Star Alliance's advance."

The other beast species in the plane posed no threat to the Star Alliance. With the black wolves under control, the Alliance could effortlessly claim the entire Wolf Tide Plane.

Stowing away the wolf fang crystal, Sunan turned his attention back to the crimson sphere embedded in the wall.

Upon mastering the Dusk Valley, the nest's data had naturally flowed into his mind.

Given the current concentration of energy particles in the Wolf Tide Plane, the Dusk Valley could spawn forty-five black wolves daily and one Dusk Wolf annually.

The upper limit was 434,800 black wolves and 285 Dusk Wolves.

This was the maximum capacity of the Dusk Valley to manage the creatures it birthed. Any wolves spawned beyond this limit would turn hostile, attacking the nest upon emerging.

Despite the constraints, Sunan was satisfied.

A wolf pack numbering over 430,000 was roughly equivalent to three large magic golem armies, if not more.

Not to mention the 200-plus Dusk Wolves, each possessing the combat strength of a wizard.

This provided a substantial boost to the Star Alliance's military strength.

Through the nest, Sunan also learned the current numbers of the wolf packs.

There were approximately 210,000 black wolves.

The prior war had decimated their numbers, while the Dusk Wolves had been entirely wiped out.

The sole recently spawned Dusk Wolf had also been slain by Xieman and Koray.

"The black wolves can recover their numbers to the cap within a decade or so, but the Dusk Wolves will take over 200 years, given their annual spawning rate."

Leaving the nest, Sunan returned to the Starlight Continent.

At the Starlight Wizard Tower, he immediately sought out Lize, handing her the wolf fang crystal.

"The Dusk Valley is handled. The advance can begin."

Lize smiled faintly. "We've been ready for some time."

"What about preparations for mining?"

"The new clay golems and mining equipment are still being prepared, but we can allocate an existing batch for now. It will be more than enough for initial development," Lize explained smoothly, clearly having planned extensively.

She continued, "The task of mapping the leyline nodes in the Wolf Tide Plane has also been issued. With the apprentices handling it, it will be completed quickly. Once done, we can begin developing the secondary magic stone mines simultaneously."

"Additionally, the Wolf Tide Plane's environment is well-suited for establishing plantations. I plan to set up 200 large-scale magic plantations to increase the production of dragon blood fruits."

Sunan listened attentively to Lize's report, nodding in satisfaction.

Delegating these tasks to Lize had indeed been the right decision.

"How is the collection of materials for the body reconstruction progressing?"

Lize shook her head. "Most of the materials have been gathered, but we're still missing one key component—the Purity Soul Flower. It's not listed in the Codex of Wisdom's trade inventory."

Sunan raised an eyebrow.

The Purity Soul Flower was essential for purifying the soul, minimizing rejection when binding it to a physical body, and significantly increasing the success rate of reconstruction. It was arguably the most critical material in the process.

While rare, the Codex of Wisdom undoubtedly possessed the flower. However, it was likely restricted to internal members.

After a moment of thought, Sunan suggested, "We could negotiate with Cyril to purchase the Purity Soul Flower. If we offer sufficient compensation, I'm sure he'd be willing to trade."

"I have a better idea," Lize interjected. "While it might not be available elsewhere, the Purity Soul Flower is almost certain to be found in the City of All Things."

"The City of All Things?" Sunan's expression shifted.

The City of All Things was a bustling hub for wizards from across the multiverse. While it was a melting pot of various factions and individuals, it was also the largest neutral trading platform, offering resources that were unavailable elsewhere.

If any place could provide the Purity Soul Flower, it would be there.

Without much deliberation, Sunan nodded in

agreement. Lize's plan was indeed preferable.

After all, enlisting Cyril's help would involve not just a cost but also a favor owed. Solving the problem independently was undoubtedly the better option

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