Bai Jingshen had hoped for the same thing Alex had, so when Alex let him know that he was alone, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Do you have any idea where Pearl or the others could be?" Bai Jingshen asked.

Alex could only shatter his hopes. "Let us meet first. Where are you exactly?" he asked.

"Southwest," Bai Jingshen said. "In a place called the Woodwind Forest."

"I don't know where that is. How far away are you from the northwestern claw of the Talon?" Alex asked.

Bai Jingshen looked at the map. "I can reach there in about four hours if I rush. The damn teleportation formations are broken apparently; we can't use them."

"I'll be there in seven hours," Alex said. "I'll stop by where the Receiving Teleportation Formation is and see if Pearl and the rest arrived there before heading over to the western claw."

"Sounds good. I'll see you soon."

Alex put away the talisman and looked at the two owls. "Thank you, seniors, for your help," he said, before bringing out two small bottles of pills. "Please take this as my gratitude."

One of the owls tried to refuse, but the other one accepted the pills readily.

Alex nodded and left before they could open the bottles. The two owls quickly returned to their conversation, each forgetting about the pills for some time before one of them decided to randomly open his.

When he did, his eyes went wide in surprise. The other one opened his bottle as well, failing to stare at his pill in shock.

The two owls could only remain stunned, as neither of them understood who it was that they had just helped, and why he was so generous.

Alex flew in his Divine ship, flying south along the shore of the lava sea. So long as he took the path next to the shore, he would arrive at his destination, the Receiving Teleportation Formation.

It took him three hours to find the place. The massive stone platform was visible from the air. He flew out of his Divine ship, storing it away, before going down to meet the beasts that were around the place.

"Greetings, seniors. Has anyone come by here recently?" he asked the beasts.

An alligator beast turned toward Alex and shook its head. "No one has been here since the Talon came alive."

Alex frowned. "My friends and I teleported here from the Land of the Blessed Sun and were separated. Would you have any idea where my friends could be?"

The alligator gave a sympathetic smile. "We have no idea. I'm sorry. People now appear anywhere around the realm. Some appear in the sky. Some underground. Some appear in the ocean, and some even appear outside in space."

Alex stared at the alligator with a befuddled look. "So this formation really isn't working?"

The alligator shook its head.

"If it's been happening for three decades, why haven't the others been notified?" Alex asked.

"No teleportation formation works anymore," the alligator explained. "We've sent a few to warn the other realms the long way, but considering they keep sending people here, those few haven't reached the other realms yet. So until they do, this will continue."

Alex frowned a little. "How many realms do you get people from? Just the two, right?"

"Yes," the alligator said. "Again, I'm sorry about your friends, but I can't help you. And I fear it isn't just your group either. There have been six such groups before you that have been scattered throughout this world. And we can do nothing about it. It would've even been seven, maybe. One group missed the disaster by mere minutes."

"I see," Alex said, feeling a little disheartened. He had hoped to see Pearl and the rest here, but it seemed they truly were spread around.

Alex tried contacting Pearl and Scarlet again, but there was no reply. He couldn't even contact Whisker, as his talisman was burned for some reason.

Since there was no more information, Alex made his way north, this time following the shore of the other claw of the Talon. He stared to the west, watching the glowing orange light of the lava seep in through the thick smog.

He wanted to understand what had happened here. Why the Talon had come alive so suddenly. What was the point of the trial, exactly. And most important, was it happening because of him?

This all had started three decades ago. Three decades ago, he would've still been in the place that he had no memories of. Had something happened there that brought on this change?

'It would've been some two decades before I left there,' Alex thought. 'Memory did say I was talking to myself. I must've been talking to the Sun God. What did I tell him?'

He could hardly remember at this point, and he wasn't even sure if it mattered whether or not he was correct.

He would have to find out where Pearl and the rest were, and then start taking the trial. He needed to reach the center of the Talon that the Sun God kept pointing toward.

After nearly four hours, Alex arrived at the location that was considered the tip of the first claw.

The sun came out of the sky in the east, bringing with it bright morning light. A cool breeze flew through the land in the morning, making its way toward the sea of lava.

Alex pulled out his talisman and messaged Bai Jingshen. Bai Jingshen had already arrived and answered Alex.

The two met each other not long after.

"Any news of Pearl?" Bai Jingshen asked.

Alex shook his head. "What should we do?" he asked.

Bai Jingshen had no answer. He had checked Pearl's Soul Lamp, and it did say that he was alive, but that was hard to trust when things were so weird around here. The lamp could just be late to change."

Just then, Alex felt a talisman with him buzz. He quickly brought it out, eyes slightly wide.

"It's Scarlet!"

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