The territory was saved, but Ning Yu did not relax in the slightest.

The monster retreated too quickly, too abnormally, as if it were afraid of something. He took a deep breath, suppressing the churning blood in his throat, and his gaze swept across the ravaged battlefield, finally settling on the spot where the metal box had disappeared. There, only a patch of scorched earth and the lingering, strange energy fluctuations in the air remained.

"Beep! Abnormal energy fluctuations detected around the host. System upgrade imminent..."

The mechanical voice echoed in his mind again, and Ning Yu's spirits lifted. System upgrade! He had been looking forward to this moment. Only with greater power could he survive in the apocalypse and find his way home.

"What conditions are required for the upgrade?" Ning Yu suppressed his excitement and asked in his mind.

"High-purity energy reaction detected. The system is about to undergo a forced upgrade. Upgrade mission: Enter the target area and acquire the energy crystal."

"Forced upgrade? Target area?" Ning Yu frowned slightly. "What does that mean?"

The system didn't respond; instead, a holographic image appeared before Ning Yu. It was a massive, vortex-shaped energy body, radiating chilling fluctuations, and the surrounding space seemed to be distorted.

"This is... a spatial rift?" Ning Yu's heart sank. He knew what this meant; it was a passage to an unknown space, and it also meant unknown dangers.

"The target area is located inside a spatial rift. Please proceed there as soon as possible." The system's voice remained cold and devoid of emotion.

Ning Yu fell silent; he knew he had no other choice. Power always comes with risk. He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and golden energy shone from his body once more.

"System, initiate teleportation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Yu's figure was enveloped in a beam of light, and the next second, he vanished from his spot. Only the enormous spatial rift remained, like the gaping maw of an abyss, silently hovering in mid-air, waiting for its next prey.

When Ning Yu opened his eyes again, he found himself in a desolate desert, with crimson sand beneath his feet and a blood-red sky above. The air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur, and in the distance, the faint roars of wild beasts could be heard.

"This is..." Ning Yu looked around, but before he could finish speaking, a violent tremor suddenly came from beneath his feet. The ground cracked open, and a huge black shadow slowly crawled out of the crack, approaching him with a suffocating sense of oppression...

"roar-"

A wave of sweltering heat and foul odor washed over Ning Yu, who instinctively took a step back, barely dodging the monster's massive claws. The monster resembled a giant lizard, its body covered in black scales, its back studded with sharp spikes, and its scarlet eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light, sending chills down one's spine.

"What the hell is this thing?" Ning Yu was shocked. The energy fluctuations emitted by this monster were more powerful than any creature he had encountered before.

Before he could think, the monster's attacks came one after another. Ning Yu moved swiftly, maneuvering around the monster in the confined space. He wielded his long sword, golden energy flowing along its blade. Each swing brought a sharp gust of wind, but it could only leave shallow white marks on the monster's scales.

"Roar—" The monster roared, opened its blood-red maw, and spewed out a ball of scorching flames.

Ning Yu was prepared and dodged the attack with a roll. The flames landed on the rocks behind him, instantly melting them into lava.

"Damn it!" Ning Yu cursed inwardly. This monster's attacks were too powerful; at this rate, he would be worn down sooner or later. He had to finish this quickly!

Thinking this, Ning Yu stopped dodging. He mobilized all his energy, and golden light burst forth from his body, illuminating the entire space. He leaped high into the air, and the long sword in his hand transformed into a golden lightning bolt, piercing straight for the monster's eyes.

"Awooo—" The monster let out a painful howl, and its massive body crashed to the ground.

Before Ning Yu could even breathe a sigh of relief, a sudden change occurred!

The surrounding space began to tremble violently, the ground beneath their feet cracked inch by inch, and countless blinding beams of energy shot out from the cracks, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime.

"Warning! Warning! The space is about to collapse. Please leave as soon as possible!" The system's alarm sounded in my mind.

Ning Yu's expression changed drastically; he knew he couldn't delay any longer. He turned and ran, only to find that the path he had come from had vanished, replaced by a chaotic flow of energy.

Just then, several figures slowly emerged from the turbulent energy flow. They were tall and their entire bodies were composed of pure energy, radiating a chilling aura.

"Intruder, die!" one of them said in a cold, emotionless voice.

Before he could finish speaking, several beams of energy shot towards Ning Yu at the same time, moving so fast that he could not dodge them at all.

Ning Yu's heart sank; he knew he was in dire straits. Just then, at this critical moment, the metal box at his waist suddenly emitted a dazzling light, enveloping him...

"This is..." one of the energy beings exclaimed, a hint of emotion appearing in his voice for the first time.

The dazzling light faded, and Ning Yu stood unharmed, though the metal box at his waist had become dull and lifeless. He looked at the energy entities with lingering fear, only to find that they hadn't continued their attack, but were staring at him with incredulous eyes.

"Who exactly are you?" one of the energy beings asked in a deep voice, his tone tinged with apprehension.

"I'm just a traveler who stumbled upon this place by mistake," Ning Yu replied calmly, while remaining secretly on guard. He could sense that these energy beings possessed unfathomable strength; the light emitted from the metal box earlier must have saved his life, but it had also exhausted his energy.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!