76. New Plane

Valerie stood with blood dripping from her arm, surrounded by the corpses of horses and vampire guards. Her eyes remained fixed on the spot where the carriage—which had carried her, Gavin, and Sterza—once stood. 

"The Golden Fighting Race is looking for dead," she muttered, watching the space turbulence where the carriage had vanished. 

Rosalin, missing an arm, walked up beside her. "The carriage will protect them for a while in the space channel, but why did the Golden Fighting Race attack us?" 

Valerie's gaze darkened. "They were behind Lucaius' disappearance three thousand years ago. I'm certain of it." 

Rosalin's expression hardened. "Then we need to return to the family immediately. The elders must track where the Golden Fighting Race sent them—they could be in danger." 

Valerie nodded. "I attacked the space channel at the last moment. They won't have gone far, and the carriage will keep them safe in the Astral World." 

She turned her eyes back toward the turbulence. "Something is about to happen here. We must return to Gate City quickly, and I need to inform the family." She and the Golden Fighting Race stopped fighting because they felt the eyes of other Legendary on them. Among the eyes, she sensed an aura from Angel Race and Heavenly Centuar, a member of the beast race.

She thought," Among the 10 top races, seven of them are in this small continent."

--- 

"Ugh… what happened?" Sterza groaned waking up, looking around. 

Gavin, standing nearby, surveyed the dense forest. Noticing Sterza had woken, he asked, "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine," she replied, sitting up. Her eyes scanned their surroundings—an unfamiliar forest, the destroyed carriage, and two dead Aspheri lying nearby. 

Memories rushed back. They had been returning to Gate City when Valerie suddenly ordered the carriage to stop and stepped outside to fight an unknown enemy. Before leaving, she had warned them not to step out. Then, after a time, everything changed—they found themselves in the Astral World, and now they were here. 

Gavin spoke. "We may not be in the main plane anymore." 

Sterza closed her eyes and sensed the energy around them. "Yes, the energy level confirms it. This is a lower plane." 

Gavin nodded. "Let's find the residents of this plane. In a lower plane, I can protect us from any danger." 

On a lower plane, the highest strength possible was Golden Rank, with only a 1% chance of someone advancing to Legend. 

Sterza nodded. "Let's go, Grandfather." 

Gavin stopped abruptly and turned to her. "What did you just call me?" 

Sterza tilted her head. "According to our bloodline, you would be my great-grandfather." She then asked, "What should I call you?" 

Gavin sighed. "Do I look like a grandfather to you? Didn't you call me Lord Gavin before?" 

Sterza shrugged. "That was only because Rosalin was around. She's very strict." 

Gavin shook his head. "Just call me by my name." 

Without another word, Gavin started walking, with Sterza following close behind. 

Two days later, they were still in the forest when they heard the sounds of battle coming from their right. They exchanged a glance and stopped. Gavin spread his spiritual field to investigate. 

A second later, he said, "Looks like bandits are attacking a convoy." 

Sterza immediately replied, "Let's help them. Then we can gather information and blend into this plane." 

Before Gavin could say anything, she was already running toward the fight. Letting out a heavy sigh, he shook his head. She hadn't given him a chance to explain that he was already aware of this plane's details. 

This plane was called Qinglong, and they were on a continent the size of Pride Continent—also named Qinglong. 

He followed at a leisurely pace, and by the time he reached the road, Sterza had already killed the last bandit. 

A man in armor stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Miss, thank you for helping us." 

Sterza replied, "It was nothing." 

The man continued, "If you need anything, just ask." 

Before Sterza could respond, Gavin stepped out of the forest and said, "How about giving us two horses?" 

The man turned to him with a serious expression. "Who are you?" 

Sterza, looking at Gavin in surprise, answered, "He is my friend." 

Gavin added, "We are heading to Heilou City." 

The man's expression relaxed. "We are also traveling to Heilou City. You may join us." 

Gavin nodded as the man walked away. He watched as the armored man approached the carriage, speaking with someone inside. 

Sterza leaned toward Gavin and whispered, "How did you know this road leads to Heilou City?" 

Without speaking aloud, Gavin sent his answer directly into her mind using his spirit. "I read the memories of the dead souls." 

Sterza's eyes widened. "You can read memories from souls? Why didn't you tell me? We wouldn't have needed to interact with them!" 

Gavin replied, "You ran off before I could say anything." 

Sterza sighed. "So, you already know some things about this plane?" 

"Yes." He didn't elaborate further as the armored man returned, leading two horses by the reins. 

The man handed them over. "Miss… and?" 

Sterza answered, "Sterza. And this is Gavin." 

The man nodded. "I am Lou Xi. Both of you can follow behind us." He then mounted his horse. 

Gavin swung onto his horse and said, "Let's go." 

With that, he and Sterza followed behind the convoy.

After an hour, Lou Xi rode up beside Sterza and asked, "Miss, may I ask why you're heading to Heilou City?" 

Seeing her questioning look, he continued, "I don't mean to intrude, but Heilou City has kept its gates closed for a month. This is well known among the surrounding villages, towns, and cities." 

Sterza replied, "We know about the plague in Heilou City." 

Lou Xi nodded. "Then why are you still going there?" 

Sterza answered, "My friend Gavin is a doctor. We've decided to go and help." 

Lou Xi smiled. "Miss, you and your friend are truly righteous. You must belong to a well-known sect." 

Sterza shook her head. "No, we are free warriors, not part of any sect." 

Lou Xi simply nodded and, after a few more words, rode ahead. 

Watching him go, Sterza turned to Gavin and said, "Great-grandfather, it looks like you really can read memories." 

While Lou Xi had been probing for information, Gavin had been sending the appropriate answers directly into Sterza's mind. 

Gavin smirked. "Do I need to lie to you?" 

Sterza glanced at him. "If you know so much about what's around us, why are we going to Heilou City?" 

Gavin replied, "Because of my profession—Life Sculptor." 

The Life Sculptor profession was similar to that of a doctor. By helping others, he could deepen his understanding of his craft and gain experience. The ultimate goal of a Life Sculptor was to sculpt the perfect body, and to do so, knowledge of different bodies was essential. 

Sterza nodded in understanding, and in silence, they rode the rest of the way.

Lou Xi, riding ahead by the carriage, said, "Princess, they claim to be going to Heilou City to help. The man, Gavin, is a doctor—Miss Sterza told me." 

A voice came from inside the carriage. "With their strength, they have no reason to lie to us." 

Lou Xi nodded. "I think so too." He then added, "I found a Spider Sect symbol on the inner wrist of the bandit leader." 

The princess's voice grew serious. "Then someone doesn't want us to reach Heilou City." 

She continued, "If there's any truth to the rumors that the plague is man-made, we must hurry. Brother Feng could be in danger." 

Lou Xi responded, "Yes, Princess." 

A short distance behind them, Gavin heard their conversation through his spirit field. His mind processed the information he had gathered about the princess. 

This continent had only ten kingdoms, and the princess was Yu Liqing, the Seventh Princess of Yu Kingdom, sent from the capital to handle the situation in Heilou City. 

Unlike his world, this plane had no profession system. Its cultivation relied on martial arts, divided into: 

- Third Grade, Second Grade, First Grade (equivalent to Professions 1-5) 

- True Rank (Expert Rank) 

- Earth Rank (Master Rank) 

- Heavenly Rank

- God Rank 

"The highest realm in the memories I read was Earth Rank. That means Heavenly Rank should be Grand Master, and God Rank should be Legendary," Gavin thought. 

The Martial God Realm was considered mythical. According to the memories, 10,000 years ago, a Martial God briefly spread martial arts across the continent before vanishing. Since then, no one had ever reached that realm. 

Snapping out of his thoughts, Gavin pulled his horse to a stop as they arrived at Heilou City—with its gates firmly closed.