Chapter 996: The advantage is significant.

Guided by the deconstruction results, Noland Lee formulated his plan to venture towards the City of Exiles on the spot.

During this time, Nolin cleared all traces of the ceremony from the site and packed up all the Mole Man skeletons.

In total, there were four thousand Mole Man skeletons, half of which Noland Lee had used in the previous ceremony. noveldrama

The remaining two thousand skeletons would be carried with him, so he could perform the “Bone Seeker Ritual” at any time.

These were ready-made bone materials, and Noland Lee would not waste them.

Once Nolin had cleaned up the site, Noland Lee had his plan to the City of Exiles drafted.

...

He put away the Mechanos, summoned the Rock Spirit, and retraced his steps back to ground level.

It was now two points past midnight.

The moon, haloed with radiance, hung high in the sky, surrounded by a starry host.

Noland Lee traveled overnight to the central area of Thousand Peak Ridge, stopping in an uninhabited valley.

After sending Denise Green a message of safety via “Mind Induction” and meditating briefly for spiritual recovery,

he summoned the Rock Spirit again and ventured downwards before the sun began to rise.

Going underground before the Rock Spirit were fifty Ground Drilling Mechanisms controlled by Nolin.

Together, these Mechanism dug straight down, quickly reaching a special zone 5,000 meters underground.

The geological structure of this world was peculiar, with no increase in heat as one descended; instead, it became more intimidating and colder.

At 5,000 meters underground, near the ceiling of the Dark Zone, there was a “Slate Layer” with a thickness of over a hundred meters.

The hardness of the Slate Layer was astounding, impervious to ordinary drill bits and also resistant to energy.

This layer, posing great difficulty in cutting through and lying atop the entire Dark Zone, acted as a natural barrier separating the 5,000 meters aboveground from the 5,000 meters below.

The Wizards did not know how it had formed.

Over the years, the Wizard Advancement Association had merely researched methods to penetrate it.

These methods were written into textbooks, now providing guidance for Noland Lee.

One of the quicker methods was to use a high-level Earth Rock Magic specifically designed for the Slate Layer—”Slate Layer Crossing Technique.”

Noland Lee did not know this magic spell.

But he was wealthy.

He activated his psychic sense to contact Selena, having her discreetly purchase several magic scrolls from the Magic Items Exchange in the Ulnas Circle.

Each “Slate Layer Traveling Spell Scroll” was priced at 1.5 million gold coins, containing 5 million points of Rock and Soil Energy, just enough for one-way travel through the Slate Layer.

Noland Lee was extravagant and bought six scrolls at once.

After receiving the magic scrolls sent by Selena, he didn’t hesitate to dismiss the Rock Spirit, tore open one of the scrolls, and slapped it onto himself.

A tawny radiance flowed from the scroll, enveloping Noland Lee’s entire body, temporarily transforming him into a pure energy body.

Likely diving off a high platform, Noland Lee hopped in place and plunged headfirst into the Slate Layer.

The instant his body fully merged with the Slate Layer, a sensation of being covered in mud overwhelmed him, making Noland Lee feel as though his body was weighed down with lead.

He surrendered control of his body to the spell.

“Slate Layer Crossing Technique” led his body downward, forging ahead with difficulty.

The view during transit was peculiar.

Countless tawny light points brushed past Noland Lee, passing through his body and brain.

The further down they went, the denser the light points became, and the more pronounced the sensation of bodily stagnation.

The System continuously refreshed characters in his mind, reminding him that he was being hindered by the Slate Layer, as the “Slate Layer Crossing Technique” helped him overcome the obstruction.

As the remaining duration of the “Crossing Technique” was about to expire, the tawny light points in front of Noland Lee suddenly vanished, and his body was suddenly released.

He broke free from the ceiling of the Dark Zone.

Greeting him was the solid darkness and the utter stillness.

Enshrouded by the Slate Layer, the Dark Zone naturally had no sunlight or starry sky.

Here, light was both a beacon of hope for surface creatures and a signal drawing hostile beings.

Even the faintest glimmer could beckon Shadow Demons that wandered through the darkness.

Fortunately, most Shadow Demons were disinterested in the undead.

Noland Lee activated his Skeleton Form and the “Levitation Spell” on his magic boots, floating in the air as one of the Lost Souls.

He then activated “Perception Enhancement” and “Life and Death Tracking.”

Looking around, aside from the darkness, he saw nothing.

Moreover, the effectiveness of “Perception Enhancement” had been halved by environmental factors, producing only fifty percent of its normal effect.

“The Dark Zone is indeed a forbidden zone for non-shadow type Wizards. This abysmal place has neither light nor landmarks for direction. If I hadn’t placed ‘Tracking Marks’ on the surface, I really might have had trouble distinguishing north from south…”

Noland tried to mobilize the magic energy in his Magic Power Internal Organs.

Whether it was Death Energy, Silent power, or Thunder and Lightning Energy, all of them inevitably experienced a “lag.”

They flowed sluggishly, as if coated in glue.

Noland opened his status bar and saw a negative status called “Suppression of Non-Shadow Magic.”

All non-shadow type spells in the “Dark Zone” had their cast time increased by at least 30%.

Previously instant non-shadow spells now required an additional 1 second for casting.

“Ah, no wonder the Dark Zone is a treasure land for Shadow Wizards. Just with this environmental buff alone, the combat strength of Shadow Wizards is at least thirty percent higher.”