331: Chapter 331 The Second World

"We have arrived, Mr. Mage. According to the regulations, I can only take you as far as here."

The centaur who claimed to be "the fastest and most enduring" clearly lived up to his reputation.

Despite the divine power suppressing flight, he had ascended the dozens of kilometers of mountain roads to the peak in just two hours.

"Thank you for your trouble."

Zhang Huaiyuan leaped down, straightened his sleeves, bid farewell to the centaur, and walked toward the Seven Holy Pillars.

This mountain seemed to have been baptized by an incredible, mighty power; the summit appeared to be a massive platform pieced together from multiple rocks, strangely forming an inverted cone shape with the mountain body below.

Seven stone pillars emitting majestic power stood silently.

At their end, a huge magic circle was deeply embedded in the void.

However, the array patterns were dim, seemingly requiring certain conditions to activate.

At this moment, many pilgrims were walking among the Seven Holy Pillars.

They looked up at the towering stone pillars with devout expressions, as if they were monks in deep meditation.

Zhang Huaiyuan raised his head, his gaze flickering slightly as he activated True Sight.

Vaguely, countless strange points of light could be seen converging from all directions toward the Seven Holy Pillars, emitting a holy aura.

"Hmm... This must be the unique power system of this world, interacting with the power of the Holy Pillars through the cultivation of character. And the Holy Pillars become stronger because of it."

"No impurity or contamination detected..."

Zhang Huaiyuan breathed a sigh of relief; that should be fine. As long as he obtained the recognition of the Seven Holy Pillars, he could enter the next world.

Although he did not possess those character traits, fortunately, he had a privilege that allowed him to gain direct recognition.

Thinking this, he took a few steps forward and entered the range of the Holy Pillars.

In an instant, one of the stone pillars suddenly lit up, and a holy halo descended, hovering beneath Zhang Huaiyuan's feet.

"A mage who has obtained the recognition of the Pillar of Courage!"

A small portion of the people turned their heads from their prayers, a flash of surprise in their eyes.

However, they quickly withdrew their gaze.

In the atmosphere of this world, it was not uncommon to see noble individuals who had obtained the recognition of a single Holy Pillar.

Rumble!

As Zhang Huaiyuan stepped forward, another stone pillar lit up, and a halo of a slightly different color descended.

"The Pillar of Justice! Which ascetic mage is this!"

More people recovered from their meditation and looked at Zhang Huaiyuan; that apprentice mage robe had become a symbol of an ascetic in everyone's eyes.

"Would this be a bit too high-profile?"

Zhang Huaiyuan communicated with the World Will with some helplessness.

"Respected Special Envoy, you need not worry. In this world, there are beings who obtain the recognition of the Seven Holy Pillars every year; it is not rare. Furthermore, this is the only way to leave."

"Then I can rest easy..."

Zhang Huaiyuan nodded secretly and continued walking forward.

Sacrifice, Selflessness, Compassion, Humility, Honesty... The remaining five stone pillars also descended their halos one by one.

"Another Saint has been born."

This time, all the meditating pilgrims looked in unison toward the center where the halos converged, their expressions pure and devout:

"He will go beyond the heavens, just like countless sages before him, to eternally suppress the demons and protect the peace of this world."

"Farewell, Saint!"

"Farewell, Saint!"

Uniform shouts rang out; they were not loud, but there seemed to be a solemn sense of ritual.

"A world with such faith... it looks perfectly fine, but I cannot live up to the title of Saint."

Zhang Huaiyuan shook his head with a sigh and walked to the front of the magic circle.

The seven layers of halos beneath his feet poured in one by one, and the silent magic circle instantly erupted with brilliant light, enveloping him completely and teleporting him away.

...

"Respected Scholar, welcome to the Mutated World."

"Supernatural powers are forbidden here, and the air carries a special virus that causes the vast majority of living beings to mutate. The only entrance to the next world is in the base camp of the mutated creatures; please proceed with caution."

The moment the magic power dissipated, Zhang Huaiyuan only felt a pungent smell assaulting him.

"It's actually a technological wasteland world. That makes sense... The location I teleported to is one of those seventeen connected worlds, which is quite different from the place where the natives of that world ascend."

He squinted and looked around at the scorched remains of modern civilization. Through True Sight, he could see an aggressive virus constantly wriggling in the air, seemingly trying to burrow into his body through his skin.

However, Zhang Huaiyuan's body had been strengthened by multiple potions; the strength of his cells far exceeded the upper limit that this low-level world's virus could erode.

"They say supernatural powers are forbidden, but it has no impact on me."

Zhang Huaiyuan stretched his muscles and bones.

All his power originated from rational gene potion formulation and evolution, not belonging to supernatural power.

Moreover, a technological world felt like returning home to him.

"Statue of Liberty, connect to the surviving equipment in this world and share important intelligence with me."

"Please wait, sir."

The integrated device on his right wrist lit up, and in less than three seconds, the surviving equipment of the entire world was forcibly requisitioned.

"Sir, the main mutated monsters in this world are similar to the zombies in old movies and are continuously evolving. Currently, their strength and speed are approximately 2.31 times that of a normal human, and their instantaneous burst kinetic energy is between 500 Joules and 3500 Joules. They are not expected to pose any threat to us within ten thousand years."

"In addition, there are traces of human civilization remaining in some underground areas far from the town districts, but their situation is not optimistic."

As the Statue of Liberty narrated, she synchronized the intercepted footage.

"Hmm... That's not bad."

Zhang Huaiyuan's eyes brightened slightly.

He was still considering that if he went directly to the monsters' lair, it would be a bit too flashy; after all, this place was different from the previous world.

"Since there are survivors, that makes it simple."

Zhang Huaiyuan pondered for a moment, stroked his right wrist, and ordered:

"Statue of Liberty, observe the situation in the survivor areas for any abnormalities. At the same time, analyze the composition of the virus and, as quickly as possible, screen and develop an antidote within the scope of the existing conditions in this world."

"If there are no abnormalities, select a suitable candidate and secretly guide him to develop the antidote."

(Author's Note: I originally intended to construct a series of progressive worlds to draw out the enemy, but later found that if I wrote it all out, it would take too long and deviate from the theme. Writing it roughly seems like a tedious log, so I plan to skim over the rest and return to the main plot as soon as possible.)