Jia Gui anxiously followed Han Wu. “Han Wu, buddy, where exactly are we going? Who are we fighting this time?”
Tagging along with Han Wu pretty much guaranteed trouble. The question was merely the target. Han Wu only ever played for the highest stakes.
“Potential opponents include the Light Faction, the War Faction, and the Destruction Clan,” Han Wu said over his shoulder.
Jia Gui swallowed hard. “Please let it be the Destruction Clan. They’re fewer in number.”
“It’s all three at once,” Han Wu clarified.
Jia Gui’s heart rate spiked. “How many on our side?”
Han Wu pointed at himself, then at Jia Gui.
“Just the two of us?!” Jia Gui asked in disbelief. He knew Han Wu played it bold, but this was another level entirely.
“Relax. We’re not trying to win a fight. We’re rescuing someone. Get them out, and we’re done,” Han Wu explained, sparing Jia Gui a complete meltdown.
Jia Gui let out a breath. He had genuinely thought Han Wu was planning to take on three factions solo. “Where are we headed?”
Han Wu contacted Sun Qingnian before answering, “Paradise Island.”
“Paradise Island!” Jia Gui’s legs nearly gave out.
He’d been around long enough to know the place by reputation. It was known as the closest point to heaven. Han Wu was dragging him on a one-way trip to the afterlife.
“Can I sit this one out?” Jia Gui asked weakly.
“Sure. Either you come with me to Paradise Island, or I send you to paradise. Your choice.”
Jia Gui gulped. “I know the way. I’ll lead.”
Paradise Island was a foreign civilization near the Divine Civilization. Light, fire, and lightning attributes were massively amplified inside, while other attributes were suppressed to varying degrees. Dark attributes in particular couldn’t reach even ten percent of their normal output.
These conditions had fueled rampant growth among the local creatures. Sage life forms were everywhere, and Heavenrender threats were a dime a dozen. Even powerful God Kings avoided the place unless absolutely necessary. It was known as the closest point to heaven for a reason.
After roughly ten hours of transit, Han Wu and Jia Gui arrived near Paradise Island. They hadn’t teleported directly into it because the Light Faction had locked down every teleportation station on the island. Large numbers of their faction members guarded every entry point.
From their ship, Han Wu spotted a God, backed by over a dozen humanoid figures draped in black cloaks, at their nearest entry point. Based on their auras, Han Wu estimated each of them at the Microcosm level.
One God and over a dozen Microcosm-rank life forms manned a single checkpoint. It seemed the Light Faction was dead serious about wiping out the Dark Faction’s remnants.
This didn’t intimidate Han Wu. He was ready to deploy his forces and fight through. Even dozens of Microcosm life forms were no problem for his units at this point.
Jia Gui stopped him. “If you start a fight here, you’ll draw guards from other sectors. Worse, you’ll alert the entire Light Faction that you’re here to rescue people. I don’t think that’s smart.”
Han Wu gave Jia Gui an appraising look. For once, something sensible had come out of that mouth. “Then what do you suggest?”
“We sneak in. I’ve gotten a basic handle on the Concealment Jurisdiction. I can mask both of us and slip past the guards without them noticing a thing.”
Han Wu’s view of Jia Gui went through a sudden revision. The man was evolving into a legitimate support asset. His progress genuinely surprised Han Wu.
“Lead the way,” Han Wu agreed.
They disembarked and approached the entry point on foot. Jia Gui activated Concealment Jurisdiction, wrapping both him and Han Wu in its effects as they crept toward the guards.
They passed right through without triggering a single alarm. While they passed by, Han Wu tried to peek at the figures under the black cloaks, but saw nothing. They were wrapped fairly tightly. Since time was of the essence, he put a pin in his curiosity and continued inward.
Han Wu immediately felt something restricting him the moment they set foot on Paradise Island. He tried to connect to his Microcosms but got no response. Some kind of barrier had been laid over the island, preventing him from summoning his units.
This was devastating to any other regular Gods from the Divine Civilization.
Testing his other abilities and finding them all functional, Han Wu breathed a sigh of relief. Even without his units, his personal strength was more than enough to handle anything on the island.
Jia Gui, by contrast, was on edge. Paradise Island’s fearsome reputation had him jumping at shadows. One wrong move, and they could attract the attention of some wild beast.
Han Wu was speechless. Jia Gui was still a Microcosm life form. Setting aside his subpar skills in fighting, he could at least use the strength of a Heavenrender life form during a fight. There was no reason to panic.
Ignoring Jia Gui’s jumpiness, Han Wu continued exploring the island. They were ten kilometers in when they encountered their first attack.
A fifty-meter python, as thick as a barrel, lunged at them, and Jia Gui instantly dove behind Han Wu.
Han Wu felt embarrassed on his behalf.
The python was only at the Sage rank. Jia Gui could’ve punched it to death. It appeared he had forgotten he was a powerful fighter beyond the World rank. He kept trying to run when there was an enemy, and would only fight if cornered. Deciding to help Jia Gui grow a spine, Han Wu grabbed him by the collar and tossed him straight into the python’s gaping mouth.
He watched as Jia Gui was swallowed whole.