Boom!

A terrifying torrent of crimson flames roared out, the air twisted, and the horrifying heat instantly vaporized the muddy swamp.

Rolling waves of heat slammed into the nearby Psionics, making hot beads of sweat form on their heads.

Even though this attack wasn't aimed at them, they couldn't help but feel their scalps prickling.

"What the hell is that?!"

"It's the entrance!"

In the cracked swampland, a pool of pitch-black water was clearly visible, slowly flowing.

"The entrance is open. Let's move."

The Valois family vassals stepped in first, with the other mercenaries following close behind. Under Red Spirit's watchful gaze, everyone had entered within moments...

...

Heaven and earth shifted—they were in a completely different world.

Frigid winds howled, one wave after another, constantly colliding to form even bigger ice storms raging across the sky.

Looking around, everything was gray and white—nothing but desolate ice crystals everywhere, lifeless and freezing everything solid.

"Uncharted territory!"

The group of mid-tier Psionics huddled together, staying alert in case of monster attacks.

A new entrance meant a new landing point, which meant completely unfamiliar terrain, unknown monsters, and danger around every corner.

Plus the first dark mist layer was incredibly vast—humans were like drops in the ocean here. One wrong step and you'd be lost forever.

Even the few landing points humans had figured out still hadn't been fully explored and connected to each other—that said it all.

"Sara, where do we meet up with Young Master Carlos?"

The mercenaries pressed for answers. They wanted to wrap up the mission as quickly as possible.

In this kind of unexplored, unfamiliar territory, they didn't dare wander around like they would in other landing zones—they needed someone to guide them.

Sara, the Valois vassal, shook her head.

"I don't know either. We'll have to wait for Lord Red Spirit to come in for the specifics."

"What? Lord Red Spirit?"

"The first dark mist layer has a spiritual essence cap of 29 points. How could Lord Red Spirit, as a Controller, possibly get in?"

"Yolanda, Sara's not pulling our leg, is she?"

The mercenaries couldn't help firing off questions. Everyone knew about the first dark mist layer's spiritual essence restrictions.

Just then, a powerful pressure descended, immediately making everyone's hearts race.

Looking ahead, a tall crimson figure appeared before them.

"Lord... Lord Red Spirit!!!"

"How is this possible! Did the spiritual essence restriction crap out?"

"..."

The appearance of Red Spirit as a Controller truly shocked the hell out of the Psionics. Even though they didn't dare ask the being directly out of respect for its power, they all turned their gazes to Sara and Yolanda, the two Valois family vassals.

"The spiritual essence restriction hasn't disappeared."

Sara and Yolanda only explained this much before claming up.

Lord Red Spirit was Young Master Carlos's summoned creature. Though Grand Duke Iris hadn't specifically told them to keep it secret, only a few people knew about it, so the two women were playing it safe.

Though the Psionics were bursting with questions and wanted to ask more, when they saw Lord Red Spirit mount its steed and head in a certain direction, they could only swallow their curiosity and follow...

Red Spirit rode its Phantom Dark Horse ahead as a guide. They occasionally ran into small groups of monsters that made the Psionics extremely nervous.

But before the Psionics could do jack, a red light flashed through the monster group like lightning. Along with a series of cracking sounds, the monsters were brutally ripped apart, scattered all over the ground.

Within moments, all they could see was the cold blood dripping from Lord Red Spirit's casually withdrawn lance, drip drop drip drop.

"Holy shit! Is this the power of a Controller?"

"Such terrifying speed—our eyes couldn't even track it!"

"Monsters that would be life-threatening to us were just that helpless!"

As the saying goes, seeing is believing.

Knowing beforehand that Lord Red Spirit was a Controller-level powerhouse was nothing compared to witnessing this effortless monster slaughter.

"With Lord Red Spirit here, couldn't we basically run wild in the first dark mist layer!"

The Psionics quickly caught on, their eyes burning with excitement.

A Controller-level powerhouse was practically like a god dropping into the first dark mist layer. What monster could possibly stand in their way?

"We still have to rely on ourselves for killing monsters. There's no way Lord Red Spirit would babysit us all the time—think about it."

Even so, having a human powerhouse who exceeded the first dark mist layer's limits nearby gave them a sense of security that was beyond words.

At the back of the group, many Psionics couldn't help whispering among themselves.

"Speaking of which, how come we've never heard of a powerhouse like Lord Red Spirit before?"

"Maybe he's from another city-state."

"The Valois family really lives up to being old nobility—they've gotten strong again in just a few years."

"Yeah, not long ago Grand Duke Iris reached the Controller realm and became a commander. Now there's this Lord Red Spirit working for the Valois family."

"Don't forget, Young Master Carlos only awakened recently and he's already mid-tier. If nothing goes sideways, he'll be like Grand Duke Iris in the future."

"Damn! Three Controllers in one family!"

"..."

The mercenaries' amazed chatter made the Valois family vassals and subordinates smile. The brighter the Valois family's future, the brighter their own futures would be.

Sara and Yolanda were also talking quietly.

"Little Carlos's strength is improving way too fast. I remember when we met him again, he was still in the Withered Lands, and now he's already in the first dark mist layer."

Sara couldn't help thinking of their meeting a few months ago, feeling emotional.

"But this time it's his turn to get his mind blown!"

Sara couldn't wait to see the shocked expression on little Carlos's usually serious face when they appeared before him.

She and Yolanda had wasted ten years because of the Spirit-Devouring Mayflies.

But after testing, their souls had actually become unexpectedly powerful—even stronger than those mid-tier Psionics.

These past days, under Grand Duke Iris's arrangements and using massive amounts of precious materials, the two women had successfully undergone several rounds of spiritual enhancement rituals, gradually nurturing their powerful souls into powerful spiritual essence. Their strength had undergone earth-shaking changes—they were now mid-tier powerhouses with 28 spiritual essence.

Compared to Sara's carefree attitude, her best friend Yolanda couldn't shake the worry from her eyes.

"Sara, Riley and Anna..."

They'd already learned about the twins' disappearance. This trip wasn't just because of orders—they also wanted to ask Carlos if he had any way to find them.

No matter what power had influenced them, the two women had genuinely raised the twins for nearly 10 years. Even if they weren't daughters, they were like daughters.

Their sudden disappearance—and from the heavily guarded Valois mansion no less—left even Controller-level Grand Duke Iris completely stumped. How could they not worry?

Sara was equally worried, but she buried it deep inside.

"Yolanda, trust little Carlos. He'll definitely have a way.

Remember? He was the one who figured out Riley and Anna's extraordinary nature in the first place."

Hearing her best friend's words, Yolanda's full figure trembled slightly as she murmured:

"That's right, Young Master Carlos will definitely have a way..."

The two women held onto hope. Besides hope, they didn't have jack else...