After obtaining the Barrier Gemstone, Shi Feng didn't linger in the palace. He set off straight for the Forest of the Dead, which occupied the first level of the Bottomless Abyss.
The Forest of the Dead was the heart of the Abyss's first level. Not only were there large numbers of level 70+ undead creatures roaming its depths, but it was also the place where the dark energy of the first level was most concentrated. Even second-tier players who ventured in — unless they had very high dark resistance — could survive for no more than six hours at a stretch.
Although the Forest of the Dead was extremely dangerous within the first level, it was also one of the rare locations in the entire first level that could accommodate a guild city.
The whole of the Abyss's first level was made up of interconnected underground tunnels linking one pocket dimension to another, nothing like the open plains on the surface. That meant places spacious enough to house a guild city were few and far between — fewer than ten across the entire level when all was said and done. Most locations could only fit a small town.
So the initial site selection was critical. If you made a wrong choice, the guild settlement might never be able to upgrade simply because of its limited area.
Of course, Shi Feng had another reason for choosing the Forest of the Dead: it was close to the entrance to the second level of the Abyss. Of all the potential guild city locations on the first level, this one was nearest to the staircase leading down to the second.
The Bottomless Abyss was a massive zone dungeon spanning levels 60 to 100, larger than many neutral maps on the surface. It was divided into three levels, each progressively harder than the last, and the second level was the great dividing line.
To most players right now, the first level of the Abyss already felt terrifying. What they didn't realize was that it was nothing more than a baseline zone designed to let players acclimate. Its level range was only 60 to 75. Once they reached the second level, there would be no more hand-holding — the difficulty would jump an entire tier, and the level range would stretch from 70 all the way to 90, an enormous span.
But along with that spike in difficulty came the true rewards of a god-tier zone dungeon.
Not only could players farm Seven Luster Crystals here, but the drop rates for Gold-grade and Dark Gold-grade equipment were two to three times higher than on the surface. Combat techniques and rare skills poured out in droves. There were even legacies.
These legacies were nothing like the ones found outside. They were remnants left over from the ancient era, and any that dropped were generally high-tier legacies.
As for the third level of the Abyss — that was where the essence of a god-tier zone dungeon truly lay. Killing the bosses there offered a chance to obtain top-tier legacies, and a very small chance of obtaining Legendary item fragments.
Legendary item fragments were something you couldn't get by killing ordinary Legendary bosses out in the world. Generally, only specific Legendary bosses had a chance to drop them. But the third level of the Abyss was different — every Legendary boss there had a chance of dropping a fragment, and the final boss was guaranteed to drop one.
This was arguably the place where most people first learned that Legendary item fragments existed.
In his previous life, the major superpowers had first begun to acquire Legendary item fragments because of the Bottomless Abyss. From that point on, everyone finally understood that Epic-grade was no longer the best equipment. Legendary item fragments were the true god-tier gear — possessing even a single one could dramatically boost a player's combat power, something no Epic-grade item could hope to match.
Now that he was the first person in the Abyss to obtain a Barrier Gemstone, he naturally wanted to seize every advantage he could, to prepare for the eventual assault on the third level.
In under an hour, Shi Feng arrived at a vast pocket dimension. The entire area resembled a forest on the surface — bright sunlight, lush trees providing ample shade. It felt nothing like being inside a cave. It was more like stepping into paradise.
But this was the Forest of the Dead in the Bottomless Abyss. The dense dark energy was suffocating, and everywhere he looked, he could see Grand Lord-rank undead creatures at level 70 and above — even some High Grand Lords.
Dark energy affected these creatures the way mana affected players. The more concentrated the dark energy, the more powerful the monsters became. Any random Grand Lord here possessed the combat proficiency of a late-stage Trial Tower fifth-floor challenger — someone who would rank as a squad leader within the core team of a first-rate guild. Combined with their fearsome stats, even the main tanks of first-rate guilds would struggle to handle them.
As for High Grand Lords with early-stage sixth-floor Trial Tower proficiency, they were practically nightmares for the main raid parties of first-rate guilds. Coupled with the thick dark energy, only the main teams of the great superpowers could stand against them. Any other guild's main party that came here would have to take a detour.
"Good thing I have the Book of Darkness. Without it, I probably couldn't even set foot this deep." Shi Feng glanced through his Omniscient Eye at a level 74 High Grand Lord — an Undead Archmage — prowling in the distance and quietly felt relieved.
A level 74 Undead Archmage was extraordinarily powerful. Even he wouldn't dare provoke one carelessly. If he attracted its attention, his only option would be to flee, and if a fight broke out, it would be a dead end for certain.
The Book of Darkness gave him control over the power of darkness, and it also granted him strong resistance to dark energy. This drastically reduced the perception that dark creatures had of him, allowing him to navigate the Forest of the Dead while skirting around the monsters effectively.
Shi Feng had been walking for barely ten minutes, yet he had already detoured around more than thirty Grand Lords at levels 72 and 73. He had even encountered over three High Grand Lords at levels 74 and 75. If a superpower's main raid party were here, it would be a one-way trip to annihilation.
"This should be the spot." Shi Feng surveyed his surroundings, confirmed his bearings, then reached into his inventory and pulled out the Barrier Gemstone. He began chanting the incantation.
The spell consisted of ten segments. After thirty seconds of chanting, the Barrier Gemstone dissolved into nothingness and vanished. Immediately after, a massive silver magic circle formed beneath Shi Feng's feet and in the air above him. Every monster caught within the circle let out agonized screams, frantically trying to escape its range.
The magic circle itself kept expanding, growing larger and larger — from an initial radius of 500 yards to 1,000, then to 3,000. It continued to spread for a full thirty-plus seconds before finally coming to a stop.
A colossal magical barrier now stood within the Forest of the Dead, encompassing a full tenth of its total area. Within the zone covered by the circle, the air was clear and not a single monster remained.
"Next, I need to guide the Stone Forest Town over here." Shi Feng gazed at the verdant landscape enclosed by the magic circle, feeling thoroughly satisfied. He then reached into his inventory and withdrew the Settlement Transfer Token he had obtained from the Eclipse Throne, selecting the Stone Forest Town registered under his name for relocation.
This token had originally been intended to transfer the Stone Forest Town to a neutral map, but with the emergence of Silverwing Town, the plan had been shelved indefinitely. Now, it was finally going to serve its greatest purpose.
System: Do you wish to transfer the Stone Forest Town to this location?
"Yes!" Shi Feng selected yes without a moment's hesitation.