Soon, after a brief period of calm, the entire underwater world became lively once again. Countless giants left their base and ventured to remote and sparsely populated areas of the underwater world, searching for new world portals.

Before long, a discovery was made in a ruined city.

"What? A world portal!"

"Hodgson and the other four have found other world portals and entered the surface world? That’s wonderful, absolutely wonderful!"

Upon receiving this news, the Second General was overjoyed and immediately informed the three main gods who were waiting on the Red Sun for news. He also alerted the Fifth General and the others and sped up their journey to the site.

In no time, the four quasi-deities gathered at the ruined city.

"Indeed! It is a world portal! This is fantastic! Haha! The surface humans could never have imagined that there are other world portals! This time, they won’t have time to set up an ambush. Even if we arrive in the surface world, they won’t detect us, and we won’t have to fear attacks from their secret weapons!"

The four quasi-deities laughed heartily, in high spirits, and swiftly issued a series of orders that sent shockwaves throughout the entire underwater world.

"Immediately assemble the legions here!"

"As a precaution, send a team in to gather intelligence!"

In the West, Gold City:

Upon learning of the impending invasion by the underwater world, countless survivors abandoned their cities and headed for Dawn City. Gold City, however, made a peculiar decision and stood apart.

City Lord Hart directly prohibited anyone from leaving Gold City.

More than 56,000 people within the city chose to remain in Gold City. This was a rare decision globally, with Gold City being the exception.

City Lord Hart had three main reasons for making this decision:

First, he was afraid that if he went to Dawn City, he would lose his position and power entirely. After the underwater world withdrew, would Waldo return his authority to him? Hart had serious doubts.

Second, Hart had a sense of luckiness.

He had once told his subordinates, "The world is so vast, and our little Gold City won’t attract the attention of the underwater giants. On the contrary, Dawn City is too conspicuous and could be easily discovered. Moreover, it’s a sure bet that it will draw the main forces of the underwater world for an attack. At that time, casualties are sure to be quite devastating. How many will die? This number is likely not small. So, it’s better to stay in Gold City."

In addition, there was another crucial reason. Outside Gold City, they had discovered an important relic! In any case, due to various reasons, Hart chose to stay. Most of the survivors within Gold City also supported his decision.

City Lord’s Mansion in Gold City:

Hart, a tall, muscular figure with blond hair and blue eyes, like a giant bear, sat at the high seat of the City Lord’s Mansion. His large, piercing eyes scanned the room, imposing great pressure on those present.

He spoke slowly, "Now, you’ve all heard the news, haven’t you? Dawn City is under attack by the underwater world, while we, on the other hand, have not been affected in the least. Don’t think that Dawn City has repelled the first wave of the underwater world’s forces, and it’s all over."

"That’s impossible! Who knows how vast the underwater world is, and how many life forms exist there? They’ve only eliminated the first wave; there will undoubtedly be an endless stream of underwater giants continually attacking Dawn City! Even if they ultimately win, what then? There probably won’t be many survivors."

He paused and continued, "Instead, we are better off staying in our Gold City, concealed in the West region. The underwater world won’t notice us. In the end, we might come out unscathed."

At this moment, Hart was rather pleased.

Dawn City was tens of thousands of miles away, drawing the complete attention of the underwater world. Gold City, on the other hand, was safer.

Upon hearing this, the other commanders of Gold City couldn’t help but smile.

"City Lord’s wisdom shines through. If we were to go to Dawn City, we’d not only be subject to Dawn City’s regulations, but we might even lose our lives defending the city. Indeed, it’s better for us to stay here, amassing our strength."

"Ha, we can also take advantage of this opportunity to explore the ancient relics. Who knows, our strength might greatly increase by then!"

Everyone’s faces lit up with excitement.

As they discussed these relics, the eyes of those present couldn’t help but gleam. The relic was discovered not long ago, located not far from the outskirts of Gold City.

They had sent personnel to explore and found it to be a vast ruined city. It was highly likely that it belonged to an ancient era, evident from the unique architectural forms.

This was a significant discovery. If they could find some special items within, it could greatly enhance Gold City’s power. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Hart nodded slowly.

"Intensify your exploration efforts and send more people if possible. By the way, any updates on the ten individuals we sent last time?"

At this, one person’s expression darkened.

"Reporting to the City Lord, the relic was filled with the unknown. Our explorers not only encountered undead beings from an unknown era, but also numerous exotic creatures. We’ve lost contact with them, and unless there’s an unexpected turn, they may have already perished."

Hart’s expression darkened upon hearing this. He said, "Send more people in. Since it’s a relic, there must be something worth exploring, and the greater the danger, the greater the potential reward."

Upon hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.

They didn’t dare to argue. Just then, outside Gold City, at the entrance to the passage leading to the relics, a powerful storm suddenly erupted, causing countless snowflakes to swirl.

"What’s happening? What’s going on?" The survivors stationed there were filled with suspicion.

Suddenly, a massive and formidable figure leaped out from the passage!

Boom!

It was as if a heavy tank had landed on the ground, causing the earth to tremble. The figure that appeared was over twenty feet tall, and its muscles seemed like iron lumps embedded in its body, radiating explosive power.

Its eyes, resembling those of a wild beast, swept the area, as if it could devour all the survivors present. The survivors’ faces turned pale, and they instinctively retreated.

"This is..."

Hodgson took a deep breath of the cold but refreshingly different air, unlike the underwater world. His eyes emitted an unprecedented, intense radiance.

"The surface world!!!"

"Haha! I have arrived in the surface world! Excellent! We shall conquer this realm and make everything bow before the main gods!"

This was the figure’s exclamation as it reveled in reaching the surface world.