Chapter 26: The Arrival of the Adventurers

At the entrance of the cave, Gu Feng accelerated toward the Spirit Master, his body erupting with a formidable, turbulent aura to its utmost. Sensing Gu Feng’s unstable and explosive energy, as if he might detonate at any moment, the Spirit Master’s face twisted in horror and he cursed, “You lunatic.”

By now, the Spirit Master understood all too well: this youth, knowing he was no match, had chosen to self-destruct. No wonder he’d found a cave—he’d arranged for his sister’s safety, then prepared to blow himself up.

“Damn it.” The Spirit Master hastily retreated, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and Gu Feng.

“Ding! Countdown to the end of the third death opportunity: 10, 9, 8...”

“Damn, that was close.”

“Blow him to pieces for me!”

Boom!

Gu Feng was triggered by the system and exploded.

The Spirit Master, less than two meters from Gu Feng, was engulfed in the shockwave, terror etched on his face.

He mustered all his defenses, believing that at such a distance, with full effort, he would at worst be seriously injured.

Unfortunately, he didn’t realize Gu Feng had a cheat device. With his growing strength, Gu Feng’s explosion had a three-meter spherical range; anyone within that radius—even just a foot inside—was doomed.

Gu Feng returned to the resurrection space, having perfectly completed the third death opportunity’s task. Seeing his strength soar by a hundred, he was elated.

The Spirit Master was blown to pieces, becoming a stepping stone for Gu Feng’s rise in power. The only thing that left Gu Feng disgruntled was that he’d gained no experience from the kill.

Inside the cave, Gu Yan heard the thunderous blast outside. Anxious, she wanted to go out and check, but remembering Gu Feng’s words—to wait and not move—she forced herself to stay put.

Far away in the basin, a group of five—three men, two women, all strikingly handsome or beautiful and fully equipped—stood out clearly as no ordinary people.

Hearing the tremendous explosion from the direction of the basin, the five exchanged looks of shock and confusion.

The only single among them, Xue Zhulin, gazed enviously at the two couples and said, “That was a huge blast—maybe some experts are fighting. Should we go take a look?”

The others, upon hearing this, all grew excited and agreed in unison.

Despite their youth, each already possessed the strength of a level five or six warrior. The future stretched before them, filled with promise; they yearned to witness the battles of the strong, hoping perhaps to glean some insight.

The five sped toward the basin.

Elsewhere, many cultivators lurked, yet none dared draw near like these five; the most experienced even chose to leave. Veterans knew all too well that the battles of the strong were always about interests and secrets—matters outsiders must not know. Anyone caught in the crossfire would be targeted and eliminated.

Xue Zhulin and his companions raced for over half an hour before finally arriving at the basin, confirming the explosion had originated there.

They exchanged puzzled glances. Had the fight already ended?

“No sign of movement—could it be that both experts perished together?” Xue Zhulin speculated.

At his words, the group’s faces lit with excitement. If two experts had fallen together, the treasures left behind would surely be extraordinary.

“Come on, let’s go see.”

With that, the five of them entered the basin, heading toward the cliff wall.

After more than ten minutes, they neared the cliff and spotted a gaping black hole. As they approached, they saw, at its mouth, a large, gruesome pile of blood, flesh, and human remains.

“Ugh!” All five retched nearly in unison.

The scene was too bloody, too revolting to imagine—had both experts self-destructed at once?

The two young women could endure no more; they turned and left the cave entrance. Only the three men persevered.

Xue Zhulin, convinced this was the aftermath of a master’s self-destruction, stifled his nausea and examined the grisly heap. There, amid the mess of viscera, he spotted a ring; his eyes flashed with excitement.

Seeing his two companions’ bewildered expressions, he hurried over, snatched the ring, and pocketed it.

Clear footprints remained in the blood and flesh.

The two companions’ eyes shone as they realized what Xue Zhulin had found—a spatial ring.

Spatial rings were precious; anyone who possessed one was no ordinary figure, and its contents were surely treasures.

“Xue Zhulin, hand over the spatial ring,” both demanded in unison.

Xue Zhulin eyed them warily, clutching his pocket tightly and lied, “What spatial ring? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The two young women, hearing about the spatial ring, returned, eyes gleaming. One said, “Xue Zhulin, we’re a team. Since you found the spatial ring, you should share it with us.”

Xue Zhulin glanced at the two women, his heart itching as he took in their alluring figures—he’d long desired them but never had the chance. He protested, “I don’t have any spatial ring.”

One of the young men warned, “Xue Zhulin, don’t force us to act.”

At his words, all four gripped their weapons, ready to strike him down should he persist.

Realizing the situation was dire, Xue Zhulin couldn’t bear to part with his hard-won treasure. He turned and sprinted deeper into the cave.

Furious, one of the four shouted, “Damn you, Xue Zhulin. You’re dead today. After him!”

Inside the cave, Gu Yan heard voices outside and desperately wanted to look but remembered her brother’s warning and stayed still.

In the resurrection space, Gu Feng, observing the situation, felt uneasy. Seeing Xue Zhulin flee into the cave, his expression changed drastically.

He checked the resurrection timer; only fifty minutes had passed.

Sensing someone charging into the cave, Gu Yan instinctively cried out, “Ah!”

The sudden scream startled Xue Zhulin, making cold sweat pour down his face. He shouted angrily, “Who’s there?”

Hearing the menacing voice, Gu Yan shrank into the cave’s corner, curling into a ball, panic-stricken. Once again, she desperately wished she could cultivate and gain strength.

In the resurrection space, Gu Feng was just as anxious.

Cultivators’ eyesight was keener than ordinary people’s; Xue Zhulin spotted Gu Yan and, sensing she was a commoner, wondered how she’d ended up here. But he had no time to dwell on it and rushed past her deeper into the cave.

Fortunately, with Gu Yan curled up, he didn’t see her face or figure—otherwise, who knows what he might have done.

The four pursuers also noticed Gu Yan, equally perplexed.

One of the men said to the two women, “Liang Zi, Ke Yan, you stay here. Dong Haohu, let’s go.”