Even the former Emperor, after being heavily injured and fleeing beyond the boundaries, found it hard to resist the siege of many King-level powerhouses.

Without the continuous support of terrain energy, the man could no longer maintain that terrifying king-level peak pressure and rule control.

He stumbled back and fell onto the stone Platform, his face as pale as paper, blood flowing incessantly from the wounds on his chest and neck, his aura chaotic and weak, clearly having suffered heavy damage.

Bai Cheng and the others were also nearly exhausted, each of them injured, panting as they gathered around him, their weapons still aimed at the man, blocking all possible escape or counterattack routes.

The raging energy turbulence in the valley gradually subsided, and those activated tentacles, deformed monsters, and crystal cluster storms also lost their vitality, either turning into solid rock or disintegrating into dust.

The entire valley was left with only broken chains, mottled battle traces, and the dying man on the central stone Platform who might have once been the Emperor.

The man raised his dim eyes, scanning these scarred but firm-eyed Immortal Level monsters around him, his mouth curling into a bitter and complex arc.

He didn't try to resist again, only saying in a raspy voice:

"You... won. But what I said... about Him, about the Infinite Realm, about the truth of the chess pieces... one day, you will see it with your own eyes."

Bai Cheng took a step forward, the tip of her Scythe against the man's throat, her voice cold and weary: "Those things, we will verify for ourselves. Now, your mission is over."

At the same time, the huge spot of light on the detection console that originally flashed, representing the source of the anomaly in #1 Channel, was now rapidly dimming and disappearing.

The barrier in this valley used to isolate the influence of the system's power was also rapidly dissipating.

This place will soon no longer be special, becoming consistent with other terrains outside the domain.

The chains broke, and energy turbulence from different terrains, like wild horses off the leash, crashed and blended recklessly in the ruined valley.

Beneath the stone Platform, those mixed energies forcibly absorbed by the man and now losing their restraint—the violence of lava, the forest chill of frost, the eeriness of the Rainforest—these terrain energies did not completely dissipate.

Instead, under the influence of some residual gravity or the material of the stone Platform itself, they began to slowly rotate and converge.

At first, it was just a vortex of energy, but soon, as three distinct rule fragments underwent unpredictable collisions and annihilations in the chaos, the space in the center of the stone Platform began to distort and collapse.

A deep vortex, its interior flickering with an unstable three-colored halo, gradually took shape. The space at the edge rippled like water, emitting strong, heart-palpitating spatial fluctuations.

"This is..." Yu Nian covered her wound, looking warily at the vortex.

Bai Cheng and Leng Ningxue stepped forward almost simultaneously, focusing their senses.

Immediately, their expressions changed slightly.

"The frequency of this spatial fluctuation... and that unique pulling sensation, as if it's going to pull out the soul..."

Leng Ningxue's voice carried a hint of uncertain surprise, "It's exactly the same as the teleportation array the Marauders activated when we encountered them in Infinite City."

Bai Cheng nodded slowly, her sharp gaze scrutinizing the spatial rift in the vortex core that was constantly tearing and closing, confirming:

"It's not just similar; it's the same nature. Only this one... is more primitive and more unstable, but the source points to the same place."

"Inside the Infinite Realm." Yu Nian took a deep breath, finishing Bai Cheng's sentence.

"That guy said the Platform is a coordinate for destroying base points and loosening barriers... Could this stone Platform, or rather this valley he modified, itself be a primitive 'Platform' not yet fully'standardized' by the system?

After his death, the residual energy and broken rules accidentally opened a... crack directly leading to the interior of the realm?"

This speculation made everyone's hearts shake violently.

If true, this meant they might have bypassed the system's preset 'mission complete-teleportation' process and found a back door directly into the final target!

Ye Liangchen, who had been silently watching the vortex with a furrowed brow, now spoke slowly, his tone carrying a rare solemnity and deep thought:

"Wait... if this really leads to the interior of the Infinite Realm, and the aura is consistent with the teleportation array in Infinite City... then who established that teleportation array in Infinite City in the first place? The Marauders clearly didn't have the ability.

Arranged by the system? Or..."

He paused, his gaze scanning everyone before finally landing on the vortex, saying word by word:

"Or rather, like him, a 'remnant of the previous term,' or some other 'thing',"

"Had they already built more than one... 'Smuggling channel' inside and outside the realm using similar methods, ones not completely controlled by the system?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the already heavy atmosphere instantly dropped to the freezing point.

If the reappearance of Infinite City's prosperity was related to this teleportation array, and if a hidden network built by unknown forces existed inside and outside the realm, then what they were about to step into was definitely not just a mission's end.

But possibly a... brand new battlefield where undercurrents were already surging and various forces were intertwined.

The vortex continued to rotate slowly, emitting an alluring yet dangerous light, like a deep eye quietly waiting for their decision.

Ye Liangchen's breathing was exceptionally clear amidst the hum of the energy turbulence.

He stared at the vortex gradually forming beneath the stone Platform, emitting an ominous and seductive aura.

The man's words before death, the possible truth about the system, and the path of being invisibly manipulated all along, were like cold venomous snakes coiling around his heart.

A thought that was almost crazy, yet carried a certain temptation of extreme freedom, sprouted and quickly took root.

He suddenly raised his head, a look of determination flashing in his eyes, his voice decisive as he broke the brief silence:

"I've decided. I'm going in."

"What?!" Yu Nian cried out, looking at him like he was a madman. "Are you crazy? You don't even know where that thing leads!"

Bai Cheng's pupils constricted, and she immediately took a step forward, saying in a low voice: "Ye Liangchen, calm down, this is very likely a trap!

The truth of that man's words before death is hard to discern, and this vortex might be a trump card he left behind. The other side might be the lair of some unknown race, or even a spatial rift torn by energy turbulence!

Entering rashly is certain death!"

Ye Liangchen slowly shook his head, his gaze scanning the shocked faces of everyone, finally fixing on Bai Cheng's face.

A hint of an almost provocative arc even curled at the corner of his mouth:

"What if what he said is true? If the system really is 'Him' and we really are just chess pieces... then this path not under the system's surveillance might be the only variable."

He raised his finger and pointed at the valley barrier that was slowly dissipating, isolating ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the system's perception: "Look, the power here hasn't completely disappeared yet."

"This is my chance, and perhaps the only chance."