164: Chapter 164 Surrounding the Source of Pollution

He turned his gaze toward the southeast, his eyes becoming deep and profound.

With this frantic expansion of the city, the southeastern border of the territory was already very close to the strange spatial anomaly point discovered earlier.

That place, which constantly seeped out Polluted Monsterss, was like a poisonous thorn stuck in flesh; if it wasn't pulled out, he would not be able to eat or sleep in peace.

"The highest priority is to resolve it."

Lin Tian decided to himself.

The goal for the rest of today was to take the Void Ranger, who were the most sensitive to spatial fluctuations, to thoroughly Inspect and even attempt to solve this problem.

Breakfast was a rushed affair; hot wheat porridge and crispy, savory meat pies were consumed, dispelling the last bit of morning chill and replenishing the energy his body needed.

Lin Tian pushed away his bowl and wiped his mouth; there was no longer a trace of leisure in his eyes, only a focus as sharp as an unsheathed blade.

"Depart!"

The command was concise and powerful.

He flipped onto the back of the Crimson Flame already waiting outside.

Sensing its master's Battle Intent, the flames on the Crimson Flame Dragon Horse's four hooves flared up, and it let out a crisp neigh mixed with dragon might.

Following his movements, the sky over the southeastern region of Lin Tian City suddenly darkened.

It was not dark clouds, but dragon wings.

A full one hundred thousand Epic-tier units—Golden Armored Spearmans, Pale Moon Hunters, Earth Spirit Guards, Holy Spirit Priests, and Crimson Flame Mages—were all equipped with Dragon-Blood Steeds!

Following closely behind were two hundred thousand heavy armored cavalry.

At this moment, they were riding the winged dragon horses, ascending into the sky in unison.

Huge dragon wings unfolded one after another, the muffled sound of them beating the air merging into a low, terrifying roar!

The sunlight was blocked, casting large, moving shadows.

The reflection of iron armor, the dark luster of dragon scales, and the cold gleam of staves and blades intertwined in the low sky, creating a breathtaking display of golden dust and silver light.

The one hundred thousand-strong army was as silent as a forest, with only the occasional snort of the mounts and the whistling of wings cutting through the wind.

Disciplined and strict, like a cloud of death composed of steel and flesh, they swept grandly toward the area in the southeast marked as a "Spatial Anomaly."

Half an hour later.

"Halt! Descend, formation for encirclement!"

Lin Tian reined in his Crimson Flame, hovering in the air a few dozen meters above the ground, and raised his hand to signal.

Behind him, the three hundred thousand dragon cavalry quickly and orderly descended, forming a massive, impenetrable encirclement about five hundred meters from the area of chaotic energy.

The dragon horses folded their wings, their heavy bodies landing on the ground with dull thuds, kicking up clouds of dust.

The soldiers dismounted in silence, relying on their mounts and the terrain to quickly construct simple defensive positions.

Bows were strung, staves glowed, and spears stood like a forest, completely locking down the twisted and blurred area in the center.

Lin Tian jumped off his Crimson Flame, stepping onto the slightly soft ground, which had a strange, grayish, decayed hue.

He narrowed his eyes and looked forward.

Even without using any Inspect skills, one could perceive the abnormality there with the naked eye.

The air rippled and twisted slightly like a heated asphalt road, and light refracted strangely there.

A low-frequency, unsettling buzzing sound could be faintly heard, as if countless tiny insects were gnawing on space itself.

What was even more uncomfortable was...

A faint scent, a mixture of decay, sulfur, and some deeper evil, permeated the area, completely out of place with the surrounding environment.

"Lin Yin." Lin Tian called out in a deep voice without turning back.

Dressed in moon-white, Lin Yin appeared like a silent ghost, instantly appearing half a step behind him and to his side, her cold gaze also locked onto the anomalous area.

"Brother Tian, what are your orders?"

"Have the Void Ranger under your command step forward and Inspect carefully. Use 'Dimensional Insight' to see what kind of tricks this haunted place is hiding, how the energy flows, what the structure is like, and if there is... a possibility of entering."

Lin Tian's tone was calm, carrying an unquestionable command.

"Yes."

Lin Yin nodded slightly, turned around, and made a few concise gestures toward the two thousand Void Ranger standing by, waiting for orders.

These rangers, with their mysterious aura and armor shimmering with spatial ripples, immediately stepped out.

They did not ride the dragon horses; instead, like the most agile cheetahs, they dispersed silently and slowly approached the edge of the twisted area from different directions.

Upon reaching a certain distance, they all stopped, knelt on one knee, and took down the stringless longbows they carried on their backs, which seemed to be condensed from Void Realm energy.

They did not nock an arrow but slightly raised the bow body, aiming it at the anomalous area.

The next moment, a faint, silver-gray light like shattered crystal lit up in their eyes simultaneously—the skill 'Dimensional Insight' was activated!

In their special vision, the world in front of them changed.

The conventional material scene faded, replaced by countless raging, colorful, yet filthy and dark flows of spatial energy!

These energies, like chaotic torrents, surged out from a "breach" in the Void Realm, constantly annihilating, regenerating, and twisting under the pressure of the rules of the current world.

That "breach" was unstable, flickering in and out of existence, like an ugly scar constantly oozing pus, embedded in the curtain of space.

The other end of the scar connected to a bizarre, ominous, and blurred scene, as if it were the reflection of another world.

A squad leader of the Void Ranger sensed carefully for a moment, then withdrew his gaze, the silver-gray light in his eyes fading.

He hurried back to Lin Yin's side, saluted by placing his hand on his chest, his voice carrying a strange echo:

"Commander, Inspect complete. The spatial structure here is abnormally fragile and chaotic; there is an unstable spatial rift."

"After analyzing the spatial energy, we discovered that the space connected to the other end of the rift has an Origin attribute that highly matches that of common Polluted Monsterss; it is highly likely to be one of their source worlds."

Lin Yin listened quietly, her cold eyes showing no fluctuation, and she only asked one key question: "Can we enter?"

The squad leader pondered for a moment and answered cautiously:

"With the abilities of my subordinates and myself, by concentrating our power, we might be able to find its weakest 'anchor point' during a relatively calm interval of the rift's energy tide."

"And then... join forces to use the 'Dimensional Rending Arrow' to attempt to forcibly tear open a temporarily sustainable passage."

"But this carries risks; the passage may be unstable, the situation on the other end is unknown, and our actions might trigger a violent reaction from the rift."

He looked up at Lin Yin, then glanced at Lin Tian, who was surrounded by the army in the distance, and added, "Just in case, I suggest that you, Commander, and the Lord, as well as the main force, temporarily retreat to a safe distance. Leave this place to us. Whether it will succeed, we will only know after trying."

Lin Yin nodded, indicating she understood.

She did not say much more, turned around, and with a few light leaps, returned to Lin Tian's side.

The news she brought concisely and clearly recounted the squad leader's investigation results and plan.

"Connected to the source world of the Polluted Monsterss? Can open a passage?"