The Phantom Lantern emits a warm glow, and inside the lantern, instead of pulp, there are countless tiny, living-like energy tendrils wriggling.

These tendrils are the source of spiritual induction. Once prey approaches the tree, these tendrils explode instantly, piercing into the prey's mental core, completely paralyzing or destroying their consciousness, and then slowly absorbing their life energy.

The whole process can be incredibly tranquil, without a drop of blood, yet extremely deadly.

Duke initially wanted to steer clear of the Phantom Lantern Forest, but then he had some other thoughts.

It was already late, unsuitable for traveling further, so he planned to spend the night directly inside the Radiant Divine Court, as it was the safest option.

The only issue was that upon exiting, there might be unforeseen circumstances outside, which are beyond his perception and control. He might find himself right in front of a demon.

However, with the Phantom Lantern Forest here, it could help avoid this problem to some extent.

The most dangerous areas are often the safest; it is life's instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm, so no demon would voluntarily approach here, making it relatively safer.

Duke found a secluded spot, used the Eye of Darkness to scout the surroundings, and after confirming no one was watching in secret, he entered the Light God Court.

As soon as he stepped into the Light God Court, he felt an extremely warm sensation, brought about by the dense elemental energy particles of light.

The area within the Light God Court had expanded from one square kilometer to nearly five square kilometers, a result of continuous expansion relying on the power of faith.

Apart from retaining a necessary portion of the power of faith, Duke used most of it for the development of the Light God Court itself.

Recently, the influx of power of faith had gradually increased, indicating that the Light Sect on the Oracle Plane was developing well, probably gaining a lot of followers, which led to the increase in power of faith.

Duke looked at the significantly wider land, considering that he could plant some trees next.

However, he couldn't just plant simple trees. It's said that many trees from the Elf Plane are quite good; he could study them and transplant them into the Light God Court.

Upon Duke's arrival, his three slave creatures perceived him and all looked over.

Dog-man Reed was sitting cross-legged practicing. Seeing Duke, he immediately stood up and approached, awaiting instructions.

The Storm Dragon Eagle, which had been soaring high, also flew down and landed on the ground.

The Three-headed Magma Lizard climbed out from a pool of magma it had excavated for itself, still dripping with magma onto the ground, sizzling and emitting black smoke.

Duke glanced at the three of them and said, "No task at hand, carry on with your own activities."

The three slave creatures then stopped approaching and did not disturb Duke.

Duke had a wooden house here, a temporary resting place, not very well-equipped, but much better than the conditions at the Seventh Outpost.

This place served as an absolutely safe location, free from any interruptions.

He stored a large amount of food and water here. Once the Light God Court developed and grew, it should establish an ecological cycle like a small world, eliminating food and water concerns.

However, these issues couldn't be resolved immediately and required time.

The next morning, after setting up various defenses, Duke left the Light God Court. Upon landing, he faced no attacks, surrounded by serene tranquility.

He glanced at the distant Phantom Lantern Forest. The lanterns had already extinguished and retracted like flower buds, only to extend and bloom again at night.

The straight-line distance from the Seventh Outpost to the Fluorescent Swamp was just over a hundred kilometers, yet it took Duke five whole days to traverse, which was considered quite fast.

Along the way, he encountered lots of unique flora and fauna specific to the Devourer Plane, each more peculiar than the last.

The Fluorescent Swamp was a vast low-lying area, with relatively flat terrain. The ground was covered with thick, soft blue or green fluorescent moss and short fungi, resembling a sea of stars fallen to earth.

Among them, countless mushrooms of various shapes and sizes thrived, some resembling small lamps, others as large as umbrella canopies, with their rims also exuding gentle fluorescence.

The air was filled with a humid scent, heavy with unique sweetness and a faint spore aroma.

In the center of the swamp, a meandering stream emitted a faint milky-white glow, quietly flowing, enveloping the entire swamp in a magical atmosphere of tranquility.

Yet, this seemingly fantastical scene concealed its dangers as the spores released by the fluorescent moss and mushrooms themselves possessed mild paralyzing and hallucinogenic effects.

Some seemingly harmless large mushroom canopies could be hiding pools of poisonous mucus or deadly predatory structures beneath.

Hela had long beforehand informed Duke of this information. Hence, Duke had already shielded himself using magic power to block the spores from entering.

Upon reaching the Fluorescent Swamp, Duke cautiously followed Hela's guidance, skirting several clusters of spore-releasing sneeze mushrooms and bypassing sweet-smelling, suspected predatory plant areas.

Eventually, he found Hela's temporary camp at a slightly elevated, sheltered spot formed by several large glowing rocks.

There were five people with Hela, all members of this small team.

Their current task was to investigate the unique plants and animals here, recording relevant data and characteristics, and bringing back some samples.

Duke had already informed Hela about the curse situation through the Wizard's Mark, but with others around, it was inconvenient to address it, so neither mentioned it yet.

Hela's investigation of the Fluorescent Swamp was practically complete, and they were now organizing data and collecting samples before returning.

Calculating the round trip, Duke noted it would take nearly half a month, which was too long for him to wait.

Any slight change could easily extend the time to over a month.

Hela remained the same as before, dressed in a loose, bulky robe that enveloped her entire being. Her left eye was still a gear component, while her right eye was a pitch-black vortex, Momo's favorite place to stay.

Momo seemed to sense Duke's presence and crawled out, staring with its two little black eyes fixated on Duke, particularly his left arm, its two long antennae on its head continuously swaying, seemingly collecting some sort of scent.

The other four were two men and two women, all Level 1 Mages, with the weakest being a Liquidation Wizard, and two others being Crystalized Wizards. Duke was the weakest among them.

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