"Stop shouting! I'm saving your life!"
On a small wooden boat, Summon was practically straddling Mobeni, stabbing him with a small knife with all her might. Under the constraints of soul domination, Blackscaled Mobeni could only obey orders, completely unable to move.
"See that?"
Meanwhile, Fang Mo, who had witnessed the entire scene, picked up Quong'qng and said, "This is our Queen of Scheme... you'd better not provoke her."
"I... I understand..."
Quong'qng was terrified, her face turning pale.
Of course, despite the joke, the small knife with healing properties was indeed quite useful. It wasn't long before the wounds on Blackscaled Mobeni's body mostly healed.
So, without further delay, the group continued their journey toward the forbidden zone.
However, as Summon had mentioned, it was impossible to reach their destination by simply rowing a small boat. After a brief discussion, they decided to fly instead.
But now there was a problem.
Summon didn't have a suitable summon to ride on.
"Sigh, you're really a handful."
Seeing this, Fang Mo deliberately sighed and said, "I advised you back on the Arad Continent to make a master-servant contract with the Behemoth... but you just wouldn't listen."
"Is that thing even considered a mount?"
Summon replied, "Do you know how much mana it takes to summon? With the size of the Behemoth... are you trying to kill me?"
"Apologies, I didn't consider that."
Unexpectedly, Fang Mo bowed his head and apologized, surprising Summon. But before she could react, Fang Mo mischievously added, "It really is too big for you... it could kill you."
"???"
Summon was dumbfounded.
Blackscaled Mobeni, however, immediately understood but wisely turned his head away, clenching his fists tightly, not daring to laugh.
"You..."
"Alright, alright, I'll summon this time."
Before Summon could speak, Fang Mo drew a small dagger and said, "Come forth, EX Doniel!"
As Fang Mo spoke, a flash of white light appeared, and everyone felt a sudden heaviness in their chests.
A large shadow appeared in the surrounding sea, as if something was rapidly approaching from the depths. Blackscaled Mobeni was the first to react, his battle instincts as a sea creature kicking in, but within an instant, he felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
It was a twisted, distorted, and horrifyingly evil aura.
Suddenly, with a loud crash, a massive white creature emerged from the sea.
The air was instantly filled with a pungent sulfuric smell, so thick that it seemed to seep into one's pores, making them question if this was truly the atmosphere of the real world.
Under this ominous presence, everyone instinctively looked up.
Piercing through the clouds and sea mist, they saw its true form.
It was like a nightmarish vision—a colossal, pale head with human-like features, yet grotesquely distorted. Below the head extended endless tentacles, writhing and twisting in the air like waves.
Its sickly pale skin was marred with splotches that resembled bloodstains, adding to its terrifying appearance.
At this moment, it hovered above the group, gazing down at them with a condescending look.
"What is this thing?!"
Even the well-traveled Summon was nearly scared out of her wits, cold sweat soaking her back. "You call this monstrosity Doniel?!"
"Uh..."
Fang Mo glanced at the creature in the sky, seemingly a bit surprised himself. "How did this evil spirit turn into such a Lovecraftian nightmare?"
Yes, what Fang Mo had summoned was none other than the Twilight Evil Spirit, a counterpart to the Hydra in the Twilight Forest module—a ruler of the sky.
Though Fang Mo had learned about its origins from his little companion earlier, he hadn't expected the creature's appearance to be so terrifying in reality. He wiped his face in frustration. "Alright, my bad..."
"Then why did you summon something so frightening?"
Summon seemed uncomfortable. "My skin's crawling... where's that dragon daughter of yours? Didn't you say you love riding your daughter?"
"Sister, we're in the Empyrean Realm."
Fang Mo glanced at Summon. "Bakal tormented this realm for hundreds of years. Do you know how much the people here hate dragons? They'd go crazy at the sight of one... if they start a fight, I won't hold back."
"Enough, just stop."
Summon sighed in despair. "Let's go with this."
Since even the Queen of Scheme had resigned herself, the others had no reason to object. Soon, the Twilight Evil Spirit extended several tentacles, lifting everyone onto its head.
Interestingly, while the creature looked terrifying, once they were atop it, its grotesque face was out of sight... and the view wasn't bad at all.
With this small episode behind them, the group flew west toward the forbidden zone.
During the flight, Fang Mo tried to persuade little Quong'qng to come with him. The Empyrean Realm was dangerous, with battles and Apostle invasions happening all the time. It would be safer for her to live in his world.
Fang Mo was planning to create a refuge for the Apostles and had figured out the mechanics of the Mystery Island module. The Xiao Yaos could infinitely farm the Book of Ages, meaning Fang Mo could theoretically have countless dimensions.
He planned to give each Apostle their own dimension, like creating unique ecosystems. He'd place Quong'qng in the Sea Dimension to keep Lotus company.
As he was busy with these thoughts, they soon saw the horizon.
"My Lord, we have arrived."
Blackscaled Mobeni, who had been keeping watch, turned to Fang Mo as soon as he saw the horizon ahead. "The canyon ahead is Mist City Hethis, which seems to be a strategic stronghold of the Kartelt."
"A strategic stronghold?"
Fang Mo glanced ahead and indeed saw traces of buildings.
The fortress was built on rugged terrain, near the Sea of Heaven, with thick fog surrounding it, making the outline of the fortress difficult to discern.
"Should we go down and take a look?"
Summon asked, "Weren't you looking for the princess' whereabouts?"
"No need, she's not here." Fang Mo shook his head and casually waved his hand. "Evil Spirit, blow it up."
"What?"
Summon was taken aback.
But before she could react, the Twilight Evil Spirit received Fang Mo's order. It looked toward the fortress, slowly opening its mouth.
"Roaaaar!"
A chilling scream echoed, and a ball of magical fire shot downward.
With a flash of white light, the fireball exploded violently, the shockwave scattering the surrounding fog, revealing a massive, burning crater several dozen meters in diameter.
The surrounding buildings, though not directly hit, were also shattered by the blast.
"Hmm, the power's a bit underwhelming."
But Fang Mo was disappointed by the result. He had hoped the Twilight Evil Spirit's combat power could rival that of the MonsterVerse. But this shot was a letdown. Forget Godzilla or Ghidorah... this was barely enough to bully King Kong.
As Fang Mo pondered this, the Kartelt forces in the canyon began their counterattack.
Anti-aircraft guns, missiles, and all sorts of weapons were aimed at the Evil Spirit, and soon a barrage of projectiles flew towards it.
Bullets weren't much of a problem, but after several missile hits, the Evil Spirit was clearly in pain, letting out an angry roar.
"Enough with the noise."
Annoyed by the Evil Spirit's screeching, Fang Mo lightly tapped his finger. "Void Barrier."
A vast, translucent barrier appeared, blocking all attacks. Fang Mo then clapped his hands together. "Heaven's Quake."
"Alright, let's go."
After finishing, Fang Mo patted the Twilight Evil Spirit.
"?"
Summon was puzzled. "That's it? I thought you would go down and teach them a lesson."
"I can't personally squash every ant with my thumb, can I?"
Fang Mo replied casually, "Van Vladin is trash, and the Kartelt here are equally disgusting. Better to clear them out with one move."
"Clear out? I didn't see you use any moves..."
Summon started to ask but stopped mid-sentence as she saw a massive meteor crashing down from the sky, shattering the entire fortress in an instant.
In that apocalyptic scene, the stronghold was erased from the map. The ground rippled like water, the shockwave destroying everything in its path, only stopping when it reached the distant shore.
As the dust settled, the canyon itself had disappeared, replaced by a massive crater, with seawater pouring in, forming a terrifying lake.
"This... you..."
Summon was stunned, trying to speak but unable to find the words, as if they were stuck in her throat.
Quong'qng and Mobeni, equally shocked, couldn't comprehend how the once-dominant Kartelt organization had been wiped out in an instant.
"Why the surprised faces?"
But Fang Mo remained calm. "The most important thing is to keep one's word. Since I promised Marlene I'd destroy the Kartelt, I will destroy the Kartelt."
With that, Fang Mo clapped his hands. "Alright, let's not just stand around."
"It's time to head to Arden Plateau."