Holding a lantern, with a pair of demon-like curved horns, tall and imposing—who else could that be?
It could only be Thresh!
How should I put it… Spirit Blossom Thresh and Shadow Isles Thresh are basically two different people—independent individuals.
The Physical Realm and the Spirit Realm do affect each other, sure, but that doesn't mean the heroes in Spirit Blossom are the incarnations of the heroes in Runeterra. Their relationship to the Runeterra champions is strange—something you can't explain clearly in just a few lines. There is a connection, but it isn't that direct or that deep.
In a certain sense, the heroes of Spirit Blossom are all a kind of "obsession"—bizarre existences born from Ionian folklore and ghost stories passed down among the people.
That's why, in the stories, they appeared before the heroes of Runeterra ever did. They're mythic figures from old legends, not the "after-death forms" of Runeterra's champions.
Take the Akana Exile, Riven. Her connection to Runeterra's Riven—beyond the same appearance—is an obsession she can't let go of, and guilt and regret carved into the depths of her soul, impossible to discard.
So even though they exist on the same planet—and it isn't a skin universe—you still can't just treat them as "the heroes," right?
The heroes of Spirit Blossom are unique. They have nothing to do with the main universe, and yet they truly appear within the main universe all the same.
Logan rubbed his cheek, feeling like the more he dug into it, the more complicated it became. Because in the end… was it the Physical Realm influencing the Spirit Realm, or was it the Spirit Realm influencing the Physical World?
"Forget it. That's not what I should be thinking about right now."
He patted his cheeks, then reached out and touched the ink-wash scroll.
"What I should be thinking about is how to escape the Blinding Gang's threat."
Pressing the descent button, Logan vanished from the Spirit Blossom space.
——————
[Successfully descended to Purple Prison Mountain]
[This descent time is 30 minutes. Good luck, Summoner.]
"Whoosh—"
The light screen scattered. The familiar purple forest sea reappeared before his eyes. Logan looked around—the scene still felt familiar, but the towering purple woods made it impossible for him to tell where he was.
And the fact that dying on his first descent hadn't carried any punishment made him feel a lot more at ease.
No penalty on death. Discover a creature to activate the Codex and increase exploration value. Raise his stats and get stronger.
This was amazing.
Calling it a "no-difficulty cheat" wouldn't even be an exaggeration.
It was just this descent attempt limit…
Logan thought about it and decided it probably wouldn't be a real problem. There had to be a way to replenish descent attempts. As for whether it would be hard or not—right now, besides choosing to descend, did he even have any other choice?
Picking a direction at random, Logan walked forward.
Unlike the cautiousness of the first time, Logan even deliberately made noise, hoping to attract the attention of the living things in Purple Prison Mountain. Just meeting them was enough to activate the Codex—how great was that?!
After pushing through the forest sea for about five minutes, Logan came across a patch of purple bamboo hidden within the woods. In the center of it was a dim green lake.
[Discovered Purple Bamboo Forest. Exploration value accumulating]
[Discovered Moonwatch Lake. Exploration value accumulating]
"…That counts too?"
Blinking, Logan looked a little dazed.
So it wasn't only discovering living things that increased exploration value—even locations counted?
He started walking forward—then suddenly stopped.
Because something moved by the lake.
Narrowing his eyes, Logan took a closer look, then instinctively stepped back.
In the bamboo by the water, something shifted again. Logan stared harder, fear rising in his eyes as he retreated two more steps without thinking.
"Hissssss—"
The sound rang out.
This massive creature—hidden in the Purple Bamboo Forest and almost perfectly blended into the purple bamboo surroundings—lifted itself up.
It was an absurdly huge snake.
Just its upper body, rising upright, was dozens of meters long. Its enormous head was like a house. Two pairs of blood-red eyes fixed on Logan, and a red-purple tongue flicked in and out incessantly.
Gathering his courage, Logan looked to the system.
[Detected a living entity in Purple Prison Mountain. Relevant Codex has been unlocked]
[Purple Prison Mountain exploration value +8]
[Rewards accumulating]
"Not bad. Even if I die, it's worth it." Logan let out a breath.
Not bad—at least this descent attempt wouldn't be wasted. Exploration value +8. Way more than what the Akana Beast gave earlier.
But thinking about it, that made sense. This thing's body was terrifyingly huge—there was no comparison between it and something like an Akana Beast.
"Come on."
Logan spread his arms, waiting for death to arrive.
If possible, he hoped he'd be crushed or smashed to death—rather than swallowed whole by this snake.
Seeing Logan's provocative posture, the purple giant snake's scarlet eyes flashed. In the next instant, its enormous body became a blur as it charged straight at him.
"Wonder how much Soul Points this reward will convert into…"
Logan muttered quietly. With his naked-eye vision, he couldn't even see the snake's movement at all. If not for the sheer noise and impact produced by that colossal body, the moment it vanished, Logan would've thought it had simply disappeared.
Arms spread, waiting to die, Logan closed his eyes.
But when he opened them again, he realized he hadn't returned to the Spirit Blossom space.
Looking forward, Logan's mouth fell open.
"How interesting… A weak little soul like you, and yet you haven't gotten lost in the Purple Prison Woods?"
A deep voice sounded.
Logan saw the giant snake lower its head to the ground. And on its purple skull sat a man.
One leg dangled and kicked lightly, swinging back and forth. The other knee was raised, his elbow resting on it. He wore a gorgeous brocade robe. His chest was open, the muscles there even and well-defined. Long fingers curved as they propped up his chin.
On his handsome face was a look of delighted interest as he stared at Logan.
[Warning!]
[A Purple Prison Mountain deity has been discovered!]
[Escape immediately and avoid them!]
Inside Logan's mind, the system blared warnings nonstop, urging him to flee as fast as possible.
But… flee?
Logan's mouth twitched.
System, please tell me—how exactly am I supposed to flee in front of a deity?
This wasn't the Shadow Isles Thresh everyone hunted down, stabbing people in the back from the shadows…
This was Spirit Blossom Thresh—an honest-to-god demigod-tier existence!
And in Spirit Blossom's setting, if nothing unexpected happened, Ahri and Thresh were basically the ceiling. Which meant that… even in Runeterra terms, those two would still be ridiculously powerful demigods.
Haha.
Logan gave a bitter smile.
Run?
He couldn't even outrun that snake, so how was he supposed to escape in front of Thresh? That was pure fantasy.
But at least…
When the descent time ended, he'd be able to go back.
Just as Logan was thinking that, he heard the system's prompt tone.
[Warning! The Purple Prison Mountain deity possesses the power to influence the living world!]
[They have locked onto your soul and are extremely interested in you. If you are captured, your Soul Strength will plummet. If it reaches zero, you will no longer be able to leave the Spirit Blossom world!]
[Summoner, escape immediately!]
Logan, who had been relaxed just a moment ago, gaped.
"…Huh?"