In the vicinity of the Sunken Caverns Anchor, the perimeter set up against the foreign creatures coming out of the breached Anchor continued to be defended by cultivators and barbarians.

None of the Decrint Tribe or even weaker Amalgamations could get out of the net the moment they appeared outside the Anchor.

Watching those creatures fall one by one, Chieftain Borok stood at the command post. Next to him, Elder Liu Jingshan was meticulously adjusting the deployment of the cultivator squads based on the flow of the battle. They wouldn’t allow those who could be affected by the Highland Energy being emitted by the foreign creatures to be deployed without proper countermeasures.

Since it’s outside the Anchor, the aura released from the deployment of [Store Beacon] was naturally nonexistent, making it more challenging. But with their numbers, the lack of advantage was mitigated.

"This... the frequency of their emergence is increasing," Liu Jingshan noted, his brow furrowed as he watched another wave of Decrints get shredded by a barrage of spells and a few [Stardust Repeater] fires. "What the Shopkeeper said about it stabilizing is looming closer."

"Hmph. Doesn’t matter. This will end soon." Borok grunted as his hand gripped his heavy axe. "It is good practice for young bloods. Fills their pockets with that Dimension Essence."

He glanced behind him, where Liu Tianfeng, along with the Spirit Severing Stage Ancestors, was having a quiet, intense meditation session around a makeshift incense burner.

Plumes of thick, calming smoke rose from several sticks of [Soul-Soothing Incense], blanketing the elite strike team in a veil of absolute tranquility. Beside the burner lay empty vials of the [Mind-Fortress Syrup] that the Alchemist Guild had painstakingly brewed overnight using Danzhu’s formulas.

Patriarch Liu Tianfeng sat at the head of the circle, his peak Void Refinement Stage aura drawn tightly into his body, contained like a coiled spring. Next to him was his son, Liu Zhongzu, radiating the aura of the early Spirit Severing Stage.

To their left and right were the respective Spirit Severing Ancestors of the pillars of the Eastern Abyssal Domain.

Verdant Sky Pavilion, Azure Gale Sect, Crimson Vale Sect, White Ember Sect, Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect, Lightning Amethyst Sect.

Then, surrounding the circle were the various Nascent Soul Stage experts who would be accompanying them in sieging the last area before the Core Area.

Some sect masters, such as Hong Ying, Li Changqing, and Yan Tianfeng, were among them.

The Southern Wu Kingdom also sent its representative, the commander of their most elite army known only as the Mountain-Breaker General. He wore a black dragon armor that gleamed with a stern, immovable resolve.

While he was only at the late Nascent Soul Stage, his combat experience and tactical mind, coupled with the unyielding techniques bestowed by the Royal Family, earned him a place in the secondary support ring.

To the onlookers outside the protective perimeter, this gathering of titans was a sight of mythic proportions. Never in the recorded history of the Eastern Abyssal Domain had so many peak-stage experts, individuals who usually treated one another with intense suspicion and rivalry, sat shoulder-to-shoulder in complete harmony.

And they were all wearing the same subtle expressions of individuals preparing to clock in for a highly hazardous, but exceedingly well-compensated, shift.

Suddenly, a melodic chime cut through the ambient roars of the dying Decrints.

Every Viewing Jade possessed by the strike team flared to life simultaneously. The holographic projection of Lin Mo, seated comfortably in the store’s second-floor lounge with a cup of coffee in hand, appeared before them.

"Dear customers... and esteemed Ancestor Yu," Lin Mo began with a voice projecting a calm, business-like authority that instantly lulled the heavy spiritual tension in the air. "Have you finished your preparations?"

He paused for a moment before Liu Xiaoyu also appeared on the holographic screen.

Then, Lin Mo pulled out the loaned divine artifact and handed it to her.

"This is a divine artifact loaned by Zhenren Lihua that generates a 5-meter field of Absolute Harmony. This will allow everyone inside the field to be immune to ’Domination’ and ’Charm’ effects that were brought by the Highland Energy and the inherent ability of the Dreilling, especially the Mind-Weavers. Liu Xiaoyu here will be joining you in this operation."

With a wry smile, he continued explaining that after testing it, it was impossible to hand it over to someone not part of the Divine Convenience Store. That’s why when his prodigious assistant learned of it, she excitedly volunteered to wield it for the operation. She didn’t even allow Lin Mo to refuse, saying he needed to be at the store when the ’visitors’ from the West arrived.

The collective breath of the assembled powerhouses seemed to be caught by something.

A divine artifact. Actually loaned by a true, existing divine being of the Pantheon.

To the Spirit Severing Ancestors, who had spent hundreds of years gazing at the impenetrable ceiling of their cultivation, the mere concept of being in the presence of a divine artifact was enough to make their Dao hearts tremble.

To be protected by it? It was a validation of their entire existence. It was a different kind of experience from listening to the Divine Lecture held by Sage Danzhu and Goddess Xingxing a week ago.

Patriarch Liu Tianfeng, however, had a slightly different reaction. His stormy eyes widened, and he let out a booming cough that sounded more like a choked laugh.

"My granddaughter," Liu Tianfeng grinned in satisfaction as his chest puffed out with an absurd amount of pride. "The vanguard of the Divine Convenience Store! Protecting a circle of old bones like us! Shopkeeper, your trust in the Liu Clan’s bloodline is a testament to your unparalleled wisdom!"

"Don’t flatter yourself too much, old man," Yu Qingmei, the Verdant Sky Pavilion Ancestor, remarked with a serene but cutting smile. "The Shopkeeper is entrusting the artifact to his Assistant Shopkeeper. Her surname happens to be Liu, but her allegiance is clearly to the uniform she wears. We are merely the escorts for her ’business trip’."

Before Liu Tianfeng could retort, Liu Xiaoyu, who immediately boarded one of the saucer carriages as soon as Lin Mo finished his explanation, stepped out of the Celestial Shuttle Hub.

She wasn’t wearing her usual casual attire. She was fully decked out in her golden-hued [Argentum-II Legionary Set].

The Aether Shard in her chest plate shone with a suppressed, violent energy, perfectly synchronizing with the golden lightning that danced across the metallic surface. At her hip hung the [Stardust Repeater], and slung over her back was the crude, spiked iron mace she had taken a bizarre liking to.

Hanging securely from a woven lanyard around her neck was the [Harmonic Resonance Instrument]. The silver tuning fork vibrated softly as it emitted a melodious hum that instantly cut through the oppressive, itching sensation of the ambient Highland Energy leaking from the Anchor.

Sparky, her storm-soul wolf, trotted beside her, its electric tail wagging excitedly as it sensed the immense concentration of spiritual power in the camp.

"Alright, grandpas and grandmas!" Liu Xiaoyu declared with barely hidden amusement. "Boss says we’re on a tight schedule. I have a 5-meter radius of ’No-Brainwashing-Allowed’ space. If you step out of the circle, you can be mind-controlled, so make sure to re-enter before it happens. If you get mind-controlled, I have Boss’s strict permission to use my mace to knock some sense back into you. Understood?"

The image of a young woman lecturing a group of cultivators whose combined ages spanned several millennia, was utterly surreal. Yet, looking at the divine artifact glowing softly against her golden armor, not a single Ancestor dared to voice an objection. Besides, she’s not a simple young woman. She’s the one with the Heavenly Physique.

In the future, her achievements would be higher than theirs.

"We understand, Assistant Shopkeeper," Sect Master Li Changqing said, bowing his head slightly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "We shall remain within the bounds of your... convenience."

After getting his Viewing Jade, the old swordmaster had already familiarized himself with the strange terms being used by the patrons of the store. Even his disciple, the Sword Fairy, has become more accustomed to it.

Just that, he also noticed how she became so interested in everything related to the Shopkeeper.

"Excellent!" Lin Mo’s holographic projection clapped his hands together. "Now, onto the final operational details. Remember the restriction lift. Because Xylos forced his way in, the Anchor penalized them, but it also raised the entry cap to the Spirit Severing Stage. This means there might be additional Dreillings other than the three we identified. Furthermore, the environment inside will be far more hostile than what Xiaoyu and I experienced."

Lin Mo’s expression didn’t change much but the seriousness in his voice became more pronounced.

"You will bypass Areas 1 and 2. Do not engage the stragglers. Leave them to be dealt with by Chieftain Borok and the patrons below Nascent Soul Stage. Your destination is Area 3. According to the system, it is the last gauntlet before the Core Area. Expect heavy resistance. Amalgamations, upgraded Decrints, and potentially, traps laid by the Flesh-Shaper Xylos. Do not conserve your store products. Eat the candies, chew the gum, slap on the stickers. Clear the path, breach the Core, and let the tuning fork do its work against Vespera."