Volume 1, Chapter 26: At a Dead End

Su Haoming sprinted desperately through the pitch-black tunnel, every step sending sharp, needle-like pain through the soles of his feet. The temporary enhancement granted by the system was fading rapidly; his muscles burned with agony, and the cold sweat seeping from his pores was thick with the viscosity of sheer terror. Lin Feixue’s shrill laughter wormed its way into his ears, impossible to shake off.

Rounding a corner, a beam of light pierced the darkness. He had reached the end of the tunnel. Su Haoming stopped, bracing himself against the icy stone wall, gasping for air as his lungs felt as if they were on fire. The heavy bag of surveillance artifacts in his pocket pressed uncomfortably against his chest. What on earth was this junk for? Why had the system saddled him with it?

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, his mind a chaotic mess...

He had been terrified, completely shaken to his core by the peerless sword path of Lu Chen. His spirit was broken, and he had lost all courage to face Lu Chen in battle. However, when his strike hit the golden body of the Maitreya Buddha, it was like a raindrop falling into the vast ocean or mud sinking into a great river; it was completely absorbed, failing to stir even a ripple.

"Given your intelligence, I think you already know enough, so I hope you will consider this very carefully," Yu Kun said to Lao Jiu, his expression grave.

In that instant, seventy-two of Lu Chen’s thoughts were destroyed and reborn five times over.

About ten minutes later, the light outside returned. The two looked toward the opposite side of the pool and saw Ban Diaochun arrive safely at the other shore.

"That won't do. I can give you at most half the mining rights to one vein. We can purchase equipment with violet crystals; we will trade half the mining rights for the three technologies you hold," Li Xingchen said decisively.

He Piaopiao, hidden within her beast-hide cloak, watched him leave in silence. As for gratitude, she was merely atoning for her sins.

There was no helping it. Ye Tianyi had so thoroughly immersed himself in the role of a high school student that, seeing his classmates head home after school, he had subconsciously assumed that once he solved the test problems, he could return to his own home—forgetting entirely that, in a sense, he no longer had one.

"Who exactly are you? Inciting Yan Qinfeng to kill my husband—what wicked intentions are you harboring?!" Jia Yue bared her claws, trembling with uncontrollable rage.

Of the three peerless experts, all had fallen here, save for the Black Wolf King Bi Xuan, who had escaped with a mere wisp of his soul.

Behind the youth in green, many began to jeer. Luo Cheng possessed only the cultivation level of the third heaven of the Condensing Origin Realm, and many among them had cultivation levels no lower than his; naturally, they held him in contempt.

Tan Fei’s voice had barely faded when a dull, thunderous roar erupted. Before anyone could react, they were engulfed by gusts of eerie, chilling wind.

Wang Xue neither nodded nor refused, so Qin Jun took it upon himself to walk toward the young cat-folk.

Shen Hong lacked the vast accumulation of knowledge that Shen Zhe possessed; when faced with such professional questions, he could only nod and accept instruction.

After the old madman finished speaking, he suddenly vanished, reappearing instantly before Su Mo. He caught Su Mo with one hand while simultaneously striking out with the other toward the Sea Clan Emperor.

"Ten million is nothing. I thought you were asking for ten billion. But to me, even ten billion wouldn't matter," Daoist Lei Huo said.

"Wei Lan, stop making a scene. I have serious business to discuss with President Su," Zheng Longyun said, his face darkening with authority.

Zhu Rong said excitedly. He had spent the most time with Fuxi; the grievances of their past lives had dissipated, and they had even become friends.

Meanwhile, Ling Yu and Ye Ruxue were busy counting money. Ye Ruxue was stunned by the scene; they said celebrities made a lot of money, and it seemed that was true.

Those who couldn't make it had also called to send their regards. After all, four years of friendship during the prime of their lives had forged deep bonds that were hard to sever.

Generation after generation had painstakingly managed things, even committing acts that violated their conscience and morality, to reach the current situation.

"This is a six-person dormitory. Luggage is already placed in those two spots, likely by those who arrived earlier. You two should pick your beds first. Once you've unpacked, you can go buy some daily necessities, then we can clean up once everyone has arrived," Tian Yu said as he set down Niu Qingfeng's luggage.

"Human, break the contract with Lingyin. I can provide you with whatever compensation you require," Gabriel said in a deep voice after finishing the preparations.

He looked at her with hesitation, but followed her request, tugging at his lapels to wipe the water from her chin and collar. Just then, the carriage came to a sudden halt; due to the inertia, she tumbled over, and he fell to the floor with her.

Putting on the airs of a big shot, Yang Fanfeng immediately pulled a long face and began to loudly question them.

He walked into the main room in a few strides. Jian Wei was indeed lying there silently, and a middle-aged man with a black beard was knitting his brows as he checked her pulse, shaking his head and sighing repeatedly.

"Hello, hello, no need to be so formal. Just call me Zhou Bai. You’re likely a bit older than me, so I’ll call you Sister Yanni, is that alright?" Zhou Bai said pleasantly. Although her complexion wasn't particularly good, Yan Nni's image instantly overlapped with the Innkeeper Tong in Zhou Bai's memory.

"Hum..." A horn sounded. Under the orders of their respective commanders, the stone-throwers began to launch the rocks loaded into their catapults.

White Lion remained outwardly calm, but inwardly, it was astonished by the power of the rocket. If it had been in its prime, it might have had a chance to fight it, but now it could only try to keep the Fire Phoenix at bay and rely on its master's power to destroy it.

The massive hall fell into sudden silence. Everyone stopped their jade cups, gazing toward Wu Que in astonishment.

"Noel! We’ve made a fortune!" he called out to the space behind him, but the answer he received was a strange, unfamiliar voice.

Matt was caught off guard by Stick's words and couldn't respond, yet Stick did not stop.

Thus, when the group returned, Gong Liang took Yuan Gungun to continue searching the high mountains.

Fortunately, Wu Ying was not an enemy, otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to deal with an opponent who could see right through him.

The two continued forward, arriving at the animal specimen exhibition area. Once inside, Jackie Chan and Wang Dian were stunned once again. Although they knew all the exhibits in the museum might have come to life, walking into the animal specimen area felt exactly like walking into a zoo.