The stealth-field-equipped transport ship carried Yang Ying and Landon down, setting down in a dense forest, slightly to the east—the location from which the spatial fluctuation signal had emanated.

Intelligence gathered beforehand indicated that the extra-dimensional space was located a hundred meters underground, covered by layers of solid rock. Directly above it sat a small town, home to about two thousand residents. The transport had flown over the town on its approach, but due to the stealth system being active, no one had noticed it.

Once the transport settled, Yang Ying opened the hatch and stepped out, surveying the surroundings. He inwardly praised the good state of the natural environment, perhaps because the inhabitants hadn't yet industrialized.

Of course, compared to the purely pristine landscapes of Planet Aier and Planet Yiluosi, this world was a considerable step down. Yang Ying's perspective had broadened a hundredfold since leaving the solar system; even excellent surroundings elicited only a brief nod of appreciation before he moved on, unperturbed.

Landon emerged from the transport, drawing a breath of the fresh air. "The oxygen content here is three percent higher than Earth's average. No harmful gases either; quite habitable."

Yang Ying shrugged, noncommittal. "The direction is east. Let's go check it out."

"Agreed."

The two walked slowly through the forest. Since the distance wasn't far, there was no need to employ earth-shattering techniques like the Earth Shrink maneuver.

After a few steps, they reached a main thoroughfare cutting through the woods. Before they had gone far, they heard the sound of rattling chains from behind, accompanied by human shouts, the thud of livestock hooves, the grinding of wooden wheels, and the creak of axles.

From these sounds alone, Yang Ying and Landon, both Peak Masters, could construct an image in their minds: a two-wheeled carriage approaching, drawn by two strong teams of horses, carrying a driver and two passengers.

As the carriage drew nearer, the two could even discern the structure of the vehicle—much like ancient Earth carriages. However, the beasts pulling it were clearly not "horses" but some unique substitute creature native to this planet, which they provisionally decided to call horses as well.

Yang Ying and Landon were uninterested in the carriage itself. However, noticing that the passengers’ attire was still Earth-style, Yang Ying remarked, "Use illusions; change your clothes. Our Earth outfits are too conspicuous here. Change your faces too."

Landon nodded, transformed in a shimmer, instantly layering an illusory garment over her existing one, her features settling into an extremely ordinary appearance. Yang Ying did the same. Both sets of clothing were mentally sourced from the town they had just flown over.

The hearing of two Peak Masters was exceptionally acute; the carriage only managed to catch up just as the outline of the town became visible to them.

Seeing the carriage firsthand confirmed what their ears had suggested. The driver was a middle-aged man, his hands calloused, knuckles thick. When cracking his whip, he used only wrist strength, yet made the leather snap sharply with a convincing crack-crack.

Yang Ying glanced at the carriage once and then looked away. The driver was clearly a martial practitioner, but one who focused solely on the physical, without delving into the spiritual domain. The two passengers were ordinary people, unremarkable in any way.

Seeing the town's outline, the driver’s face lit up with relief. He shouted something toward the carriage box. Although Yang Ying had never heard this language, it was clear the driver was announcing the town's arrival to the two occupants.

Yang Ying and Landon attracted no notice from the driver. First, their assumed appearances were utterly common. Second, they had cast spells to lower their own presence, making them easier to overlook.

Thus, the two merged seamlessly into the town without drawing any attention.

The town’s buildings were constructed of stone, with thatched roofs. People bustled along the streets; they could see vendors selling produce and housewives bargaining in the distant marketplace, while shops and stalls lined both sides of the main avenue, offering various goods.

It seemed Yang Ying and Landon arrived at an opportune moment; perhaps it was market day or a local festival, as the atmosphere was far livelier than usual.

Several children, certainly under ten years old, darted through the crowds, playing boisterously. Watching them, Yang Ying realized these children were shrewd. Their roughhousing served a purpose.

Using their play as cover, they maneuvered close to seemingly affluent individuals, then jostled and pushed, subtly slipping their hands to snatch coin purses from waists.

Landon noticed as well and let out a cold snort. "These children, truly unruly."

Just then, another child reached for a wealthy man’s purse. Landon flicked out a finger ever so slightly. The child suddenly cried out, his hand losing its grip, dropping the freshly stolen coin purse onto the ground.

"Thief! Scoundrel!" The man whose purse had been targeted spotted the children’s actions and bellowed loudly.

The leader of the children saw the situation turning sour, shouted a warning, and the small group scattered like startled birds. The others whose purses had been lifted quickly realized their loss and immediately joined the chase to apprehend the youngsters.

Yang Ying said to Landon, "Enough playtime. Let’s focus on the main task."

Landon nodded, and the two vanished into the throng.

They reached the center of the town, toward the eastern side, where the quality of the buildings was markedly superior to those on the outskirts. Rows of three-story stone villas stood neatly aligned. The people walking here, both in attire and demeanor, carried an air of higher standing than those in the outer districts.

Holding a locator, Yang Ying stopped before one particular villa. According to the intelligence, the extra-dimensional space lay directly beneath this residence.

Coincidentally, the carriage Yang Ying and Landon had encountered on the road was parked at the villa's entrance. The skilled driver was in the adjacent stable, feeding the two fine carriage horses.

"Do you plan to communicate or just act directly?" Landon asked.

"Communicate? How? We don't speak their language," Yang Ying dismissed the idea of negotiation quickly. While time wasn't critically scarce, it wasn't worth wasting here.

The presence of the two before the villa finally drew the driver’s attention. He walked over and spoke in a questioning tone, uttering a string of unknown words.

Yang Ying shook his head and extended a finger, pointing directly at the center of the driver’s brow. The driver instinctively tried to dodge, but no matter how he moved, the finger seemed to arrive first, as if he were deliberately presenting his forehead to Yang Ying's fingertip.

Before astonishment could register, a dim, yellowish light was sent into the driver's mind—the Dark Regent’s Mind Control technique. Against someone like the driver, who possessed no spiritual power, this spell was utterly irresistible.

In less than a tenth of a second, his soul was completely reshaped by Yang Ying, turning him into Yang Ying’s most loyal servant.

Landon did not interfere. Yang Ying was not one of those petty children; even if she had wanted to stop him, she couldn't have, and she understood the necessity of prioritizing the mission over personal preference.

Passersby acted as if they saw nothing—this was Landon's illusionary technique, clouding everyone's vision and preventing them from witnessing the events unfolding before the villa.

"To communicate with the inhabitants of this world, we need a channel. This driver can serve that purpose, perhaps by translating my Telepathic Whisper into their language, or by loaning me his ears so I can understand what they say," Yang Ying explained to Landon.

Landon offered no rebuttal; there was nothing to argue against. She walked to the villa door and knocked.

A moment later, a white-haired man answered. Yang Ying sensed from his aura that this was one of the two passengers from the carriage. From the driver’s freshly implanted memories, he knew this man was the butler; the other passenger was the villa's master.

Yang Ying gestured to the driver to speak, "These two noble guests are friends of the Master, here specifically to pay their respects."

With a translator, things indeed became much simpler. After the driver spoke, the old butler showed no suspicion and ushered Yang Ying and Landon inside the villa.

"The Master has just returned and is currently in the bath. Please wait here for a moment," the old butler said.

"Thank you," Yang Ying said, extending his hand. A dim, yellowish light shot out, striking the butler’s forehead. The butler’s constitution was weaker than the driver’s; he was controlled by Yang Ying before he could even react.

Yang Ying could sense that besides the driver and the butler, only one other person remained in the villa—the Master, currently in the bathroom on the second floor.

"Are there only the three of you in this villa?" Yang Ying asked the butler.

"The Madam and Young Master have returned to the countryside to visit relatives. They will be back next week," the butler replied.

"I see," Yang Ying nodded.

Soon after, Yang Ying looked toward the staircase. A middle-aged man in his forties, draped in a loose bathrobe, descended the stairs, asking as he walked, "Who has arrived?"

Yang Ying pointed his hand, and a beam of yellowish light shot from his fingertip, striking the middle-aged man's brow.

"The entire villa is under control. Let’s proceed downstairs," Yang Ying retracted his finger, telling Landon.

Descending to the basement, Yang Ying instructed the Master, the butler, and the driver to return upstairs, resume their normal activities, and act as if Yang Ying and Landon had never appeared. Whatever happened in the basement was to be completely ignored.

The three obeyed and left. Yang Ying turned the locator sensitivity to maximum, pinpointing the exact location of the extra-dimensional space. He then nodded to Landon and thrust a foot down, shattering the floor to sink into the earth.

The Earth Treading technique had been known for many years, with records dating back to antiquity, including copies preserved at the Nian Neng Temple. Yang Ying was currently employing this very spell.

Landon, having been the one to teach Yang Ying this technique, naturally knew it as well. She followed Yang Ying down into the soil.

The two sank to a depth of one hundred meters. Here, even without the locator, Yang Ying could feel the powerful spatial fluctuations.

"Yes, this is the place."

Landon moved to his side, held out her right hand, palm open, and commanded, "Gate to the extra-dimensional space, open!"

With that, she unleashed a stream of energy from her hand that enveloped them both. They vanished instantly without a trace.

To all book friends, I sincerely apologize. My computer monitor broke, and I am currently using an unfamiliar laptop, which has significantly slowed down my typing speed. Many words memorized by the input method must now be retyped. Today, I can only post two chapters; I owe you one more chapter, which I will make up tomorrow. Again, my apologies regarding the 'Diamonds' [a site currency/reward].