The first gold ring stretched before Zhao like a landscape of intermingled dreams and nightmares. Undulating hills covered in luminescent vegetation contrasted with abrupt cliffs where creatures of enormous power made their homes.
The air shimmered with concentrated mana, dense enough to be visible even to the untrained eye.
Zhao advanced with caution, his Mist Owl fused with him, granting the ability to move through the air with stealth. His Camouflage Raptor remained materialized at his side, ready to conceal him further from immediate threats.
'This route is much riskier than the previous one,' he thought, remembering the relatively safe path he had followed on his prior visit.
Every step here required constant vigilance; a moment's lapse could mean death.
