The river water rose over his calves, spreading a stinging sensation across his skin, indistinguishable whether it was the work of leeches or just an illusion from the cold.

Leoz drifted downstream, taking forty minutes to finally crawl ashore from the river. Luckily, he didn't encounter the Border Abyss' Shark Tooth Salmon or ferocious crocodiles, the cold area's most common freshwater killers. Due to their small sizes, they can easily slip into the human body through gaps and wreak havoc from within.

Boom—

He ignited his qi energy, squeezing dry his clothes and warming himself by the fire. Based on the surrounding straight birch trees and coniferous forest, he estimated that he had been washed into the borders of the Edelweiss Kingdom. Thin snowflakes already began to drift down, and seeing no sign of the Sun Lifting Tree for a long time, the temperature was very low and the moist air only deepened his judgment.

Unlike Ozilia and other northern kingdoms, the Edelweiss Kingdom significantly lacks natural light sources. In usual times, it needs to import sealed stellar globes from the Void, hanging them on the specially cultivated Tree People—Sun Lifting Trees' branches for warmth and illumination.

With cheap technical workers from the Layer Abyss, Edelweiss could live quite comfortably.

But now, it seems the situation in Edelweiss isn't very sound, Leoz saw many wheel tracks and hoof prints, especially the burnt rocks of Sun Lifting Trees—this clearly indicated that a large settlement had migrated away.

And judging by the direction, it seemed they were headed west of Edelweiss—probably towards the capital or the largest northern port, Haral Port.

"I didn't expect the random teleportation scroll to send me west, and it looks like Edelweiss' situation isn't good—lucky I slipped away quickly. If I want to return now, I just need to find a safe Edelweiss village or town and take a boat along the waterway back."

His plan was completely without flaws. Although the sudden appearance of the Soul Ritualist was unexpected, Leoz had been fully prepared for all sorts of surprises from the beginning.

Leoz warmed himself by the fire, taking out the phalanx of a Rock Ghost from his pocket, and played with it in his hand.

Although in the 'past life' many players feverishly farmed "Thousand-Mile Rock Mountain Thousand-Mile Tower", buying out all the instance crystals, those who truly obtained the Holy Beast Rock Ghost as a pet couldn't even articulate how they achieved it.

After all, this task's difficulty is on the same level as "Frost Plated Bone White". Although not a main quest, its text volume reaches millions of words, featuring 118 characters, multiple side quests that affect some main storylines, with some plots even intermingled in daily random events.

It can be said that the Border Abyss excels in gameplay and content richness. Versions 6.0 to 8.0 are recognized as the best in terms of PVE content.

As for why the later versions were not... it's because by version 8.0, players started massive in-fighting, with no time for gaming—always thinking about crushing players from enemy factions, with some extreme players even doxxing opponents' real information and personal privacy online.

Under such circumstances, the fame of the "Thousand-Mile Rock Mountain Thousand-Mile Tower" task further increased, with veterans grinding it daily and newcomers following suit, raising its prestige even higher.

Despite no one truly knowing how to acquire the Holy Beast, the player who subdued the Rock Ghost as a companion released their game record publicly, and after several studies, people at least locked onto one direction.

That is, the phalanx now in Leoz's hand.

"Although this isn't my purpose, it at least gives me more opportunities in the future. If by chance I truly succeed in subduing the Holy Beast, it would be a great boon."

With clothes dried and after a simple meal of dry rations, Leoz embarked on his journey towards his actual destination.

The Holy Beast wasn't his goal; it's just the place he wanted to go required the use of the Holy Beast's phalanx to enter.

The forest stretched as boundlessly as an ocean; once ensnared within, escape seemed futile. The deep pools of water moved silently, occasionally with fish jumping to break the surface, causing a fleeting sound that reminded one the world had not paused but continued to operate normally.

This journey for Leoz was a fifteen-day affair.

Partly due to his overly young physique, but more so because his body lacked talent, rendering his daily travel mileage severely limited without taking enhancing substances.

Edelweiss's forest has a forbidden air flight array, rendering all flying tools unusable here; even projectile weapons like bows and arrows were rendered ineffective. Luckily, a True General had arrived at the Border Abyss, and Leoz could always use the character trading feature to send supplies remotely, ensuring smooth passage without significant hindrance.

By the fifteenth evening, Leoz finally reached his destination.

Trekking through a stony forest, a withered Sun Lifting Tree stood before him—towering as a mountain, its cold corpse torn and scattered like a broken fishing net, exposing the branch veins and growth rings of the colossal Tree People.

It had been slain.

Following the pathway formed by the tree's corpse, Leoz climbed swiftly upwards, slowing down only when ascending to the mid-mountain as pervasive mist impaired visibility, necessitating caution.

Through the thick fog, the dark path bloomed bright flowers—a star-sealing tree nest quietly hung at the mountain summit's cave entrance.

Leoz removed his scarf and mask, exhaling with relief:

"Anweng's tomb, finally reached."

This journey was nothing short of perilous. For a Border Abyss child under two years old, traversing the expansive forest unaccompanied, surviving through countless venomous creatures, wild beasts, and swamps unscathed, and now reaching such a summit—telling this would seem like fantasy.

Even for native Border Abyss inhabitants, including seasoned Edelweiss hunters and Pathway experts, none dared claim passage through this forest untouched; many would at least suffer ailments and inconveniences.

For Leoz, however, this was merely standing on countless players' experiences and countless trials' outcomes, adding a bit of personal information and understanding.

Regrettably, the game's system wasn't functional now; otherwise, an achievement notification should have popped up—being the first player to cross the Edelweiss Forest unharmed would likely merit a title—[Green Hell's Conqueror].

The effect would be, while moving through the forest, displaying all resources and life statuses within 400 yards on the mini-map.

Leoz wasn't bothered by the system; his journey's primary aim was to raid an appropriate Martial Arts Talent for himself.

And the target, naturally, was here.

"Mysterious Rock Sword Master—[Mysterious Rock Lord] Anweng Breton, a Border Abyss combat hero, contributed greatly in the war against the Void, but was betrayed by friends in the Mass Abyss' Godhood battle, ultimately leading to his regrettable defeat, withdrawal to the Border Abyss, and later in life, driven mad by an indissoluble Mass Abyss curse—choosing suicide after massacring his entire clan."

With descendants also affected by his curse, either dying or going insane, and even escaping to the Layer Abyss proved ineffectual, ultimately, his body and relics were arranged by other Feng Qing publics.

Time had long forgotten this once-hero against Void invasions.

Such a melancholic end wasn't unusual in the Border Abyss.

The Pathway is such; if you wish to advance just one step more, you must be drawn into this brutal struggle.

Yet his visit wasn't about criticizing the other.

No matter what, the Mysterious Rock Lord was a hero, deserving some respect one way or another.

Thus, Leoz parted the tree nest, traversed the stellar remains, and slowly walked to the mausoleum's gate.

The next moment, he lifted his foot and fiercely kicked the mausoleum door.

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