Standing at the edge of the "Ship" Plane, staring at the massive space rift in the void ahead, constantly twisting and shifting, emitting ominous ripples.

Blake took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the slight unease and regret within him, his expression once again resumed the calm and rational demeanor of a Wizard.

To be fair, his preparation this time wasn’t that bad.

Custom witchcraft artifacts can certainly better align with one’s own soul characteristics and are more cost-effective, but top-tier standard witchcraft artifacts often provide more reliable pure protective strength.

To ensure nothing went wrong, the two standard witchcraft artifacts he bought this time were both top quality among the sixth level.

Judging solely by mental protection strength, they’re probably even stronger than some custom creations made by Alchemy Masters.

"But the depletion of my savings is huge, I managed to buy only three pieces in total... let’s hope they’re enough," Blake sighed helplessly.

This time, the information had been sent back from the other side of the Plane by a Sixth Level Wizard. It seems that sixth-level mental protection should suffice to handle most situations in this Plane.

The problem was, he had prepared too few "quantities."

This meant he had to be more cautious to avoid getting into a prolonged battle or facing multiple psychic shocks simultaneously.

But for a Soul System Wizard lacking strong offensive means, being too cautious often meant missing out on many precious spoils.

Blake roughly calculated in his head. If luck was bad, the gains from this Plane war might truly not cover the enormous expense of purchasing these three witchcraft artifacts.

"I hope the witchcraft artifact Jeming gave has a longer protective duration..." His gaze landed on the simple-designed bracelet on his left wrist.

The transparent crystal stone inside, with a magnificent flow of golden liquid, gently streamed, exuding a steady breath that reassured the heart.

Constrained by a contract, he wasn’t worried that Jeming would deceive him on the basics.

But it’s well known that even within the sixth level, the strength gap could be massive.

The other two pieces he spent a lot on were undoubtedly of high caliber in the sixth-level category.

And Jeming’s witchcraft artifact, made by a Second Level Wizard, even if reaching the sixth-level threshold using some special materials and techniques, was most likely just at the entry-level.

He had also secretly tested the "Heart Barrier Bracelet"; its protective effect was indeed good, effectively isolating several kinds of middle to low-intensity soul illusions he cast.

But every time he tested it, watching the golden liquid in the crystal stone decrease at a visible speed, he felt a pain in his heart—those were genuine military merits!

As for the short-term resistance to Seventh Level Sorcery and the early warning function against Eighth Level Sorcery mentioned by Jeming,

due to the lack of testing conditions, Blake didn’t take it to heart, considering it optimistic speculation at best.

"However, for Jeming to create a witchcraft artifact reaching the sixth-level threshold with the ability of a Second Level Wizard, even if mainly relying on material characteristics, his technique is quite terrifying."

"After returning this time, maybe I can ask him what other types of witchcraft artifacts he’s proficient in..." Blake was contemplating when the ice-cold voice of the Expeditionary Army Commander spread through the minds of all participating Wizards, interrupting his thoughts.

There was no unnecessary mobilization; the order was directly given.

In an instant, the edge of the Ship Plane lit up with various colors of light.

The Wizards activated their prepared mental protection methods one after the other; some had crystal stones hovering above their heads, some were surrounded by invisible mental barriers, while others, like Blake, wore special accessories or bracelets.

Subsequently, following behind vast numbers of cannon fodder units, figures turned into streams of light, resolutely charging toward the space rift that opened like the mouth of a Giant Beast.

Blake dared not neglect; he immediately activated a badge carved with intricate eye-like patterns in his arms—one of the two Sixth Level Protective Witchcraft artifacts he purchased: [Gazer’s Badge].

A cool and stable spiritual power instantly enveloped his consciousness, forming a resilient barrier.

Simultaneously, by habit, he cast the Soul Magic "Existence Concealment," making his presence utterly inconspicuous among the other Wizards.

He then took off, merging with the stream of people flying into the bizarre and colorful space rift.

Just as soon as he entered the rift passage, he felt the expected spatial pull, but immediately, an intense dizziness far surpassing ordinary experiences overwhelmed his senses!

"Ugh!" Blake grunted, feeling like his soul was tossed into a high-speed spinning washing machine.

Amidst the distorted light and chaotic spatial perception, he seemed to hear a faint, soul-level "crack" sound.

"Not good!"

Soul System Wizards are extraordinarily sensitive to changes in their own status, alarms blared in Blake’s heart!

This was definitely not a normal space traversal reaction!

He endured the discomfort, frantically channeling spiritual power to stabilize himself.

A few breaths later, that raging dizziness receded like a tide, and he found himself away from the space passage, within an... abnormal space.

All around were reddish rocky "walls" without tops, warm to the touch, soft and slippery, pulsing gently.

The floor below was pitch-black and cold, hard as a carapace.

Looking up, the high "vaulted ceiling" was also made of wriggling fleshy material, like the inner belly lining of some creature!

Blake quickly realized.

He wasn’t transported into some underground cavern but swallowed into the body of a unimaginably massive creature!

Blake instantly understood it had been no random spatial disruption earlier, but a hunting behavior of this unknown Giant Beast!

The exit of the space rift was likely blocked by its "mouth"!

He immediately looked around, seeing more Wizards like himself who were "swallowed."

They descended slowly from mid-air like dumplings but in a peculiar state—their eyes closed tightly, faces showing utmost satisfaction, serenity, even bliss, as if immersed in the most beautiful dream, completely unaware of their predicament.

Soon, the flesh walls around convulsed, and countless slimy tentacles with suckers extended out, precisely entangling the descending Wizards, effortlessly dragging them towards the flesh wall.

The flesh, alive-like, squirmed to envelop them, slowly "absorbing" them, leaving only faint human-shaped silhouettes barely visible on the flesh wall surface.

It’s an illusion!

A powerful group hallucination ability!

No, not just hallucination, there must also be strong cognitive interference capacity.

Seeing some units, which theoretically should have no intelligence, probably even no soul, surrendering so willingly to the tentacles, Blake revised his thoughts.

His heart pounded fiercely, and he immediately recalled that faint fracturing sound earlier.

That must have been the sound of the Sixth Level Psychic Mental Barrier formed by the [Gazer’s Badge] shattering instantly upon entering this place!

Could what I see and feel now also be an illusion?

This idea sent shivers down his spine.

But if this is an illusion meant to make people let down their guard to be devoured, why are the scenes so grotesque and terrifying?

Could his subconscious mind build such a "beautiful dream"?

No, something’s wrong!

Blake suddenly realized, instinctively looking down at his left wrist.

There, the "Heart Barrier Bracelet," originally unassuming, was now emitting a steady and soft white glow.

And inside the crystal, the gold liquid, said to sustain consumption for ten years, was rapidly vanishing at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Like ice and snow under the sun, it was quickly melting away!

This terrifying consumption speed told him straightaway that an enormous, bizarre force was relentlessly assaulting his mental defenses!

The bracelet hadn’t failed; it was faithfully performing its "isolation" duty.

Blocking off the terrifying illusions and cognitive interferences that would overwhelm other Wizards.

The horrific scene he witnessed inside this Giant Beast was likely... a bloody reality of this Plane!