Chapter 470: Bone-Eroding (Two in One)

Two days later.

Snow fluttered like goose feathers, scattering in every direction on the biting wind. Across the snow-white expanse, a group blanketed in frost slowly trudged forward.

White snow blanketed their clothes. Only their hands were stained dark red.

They had spilled so much blood that it seemed to have seeped directly into their skin.

"We're getting out, we're getting out!"

Wang Gang looked ahead happily. A smudge of yellow had appeared at the edge of her vision.

It was the first time in days that anyone had seen bare earth.

Zhou Xian carried two large burlap sacks over his shoulder. Hearing Mo Lian's words, he squinted into the distance. "So, this region really is cleared of other teams."

"Even if there were any, they wouldn't dare come," Qi Ming said with a smile. "That guy I interrogated earlier said this area is famous now. You can't leave once you enter—they're calling it a true death trap."

Over the past few days, the group had swept through like a plague of locusts. Whenever they saw a team, they robbed them. After they robbed them, they took photos, and after they took photos, they threatened and squeezed them dry.

It was no exaggeration to say that every item containing a heart of reaching the summit in the entire Glacial Region was currently stuffed into the sacks on Zhou Xian's back.

Items infused with divinity were primarily kept in Mo Lian and Yan Jing's Inventory.

As for divine souls, everyone carried dozens of them—and that was only because Yan Jing had taken a large portion to feed to Fei Yu.

"Boss! There's a fork in the road!" Wang Gang carried a large rucksack half as tall as she was, but she was the fastest among them. Kicking up snow like a plow, she dashed to the front to scout the way.

The group stepped out of the Glacial Region and looked at the signpost ahead.

[Left: Bone-Eroding Valley] [Right: Wanyao Cliff]

"This isn't right..." Qi Ming frowned, holding his map. "According to the map, there should only be the Bone-Eroding Valley ahead. Wanyao Cliff is supposed to be located near a broken wall inside the valley."

Wang Gang suddenly lowered her head, eyes widening. "There's a map here too!"

She reached between the two wooden signs and picked up a dust-covered piece of paper.

After wiping off the dust, she stared wide-eyed, glancing back and forth between the map in her hand and the one Qi Ming held. "Huh? Why are they different?"

Qi Ming also frowned, scanning back and forth between the two maps. "Based on the route we've taken so far, ours is definitely the more accurate one."

"I just don't know if maybe each map is only partially correct."

Zhao Dongchuan looked at Yan Jing. "Captain, what do you think?"

"It's a fake," Yan Jing said decisively.

"Why?" Mo Lian looked at him curiously.

The others were equally curious.

Yan Jing pondered for a moment. "Because..."

Because he was the one who had made the fake map.

He certainly couldn't say that.

"Intuition."

At this, everyone nodded in agreement. "Then it must be right."

Zhao Dongchuan smiled. "Then we'll follow our map."

"Whoever left this fake map and signpost probably wanted to lure us to Wanyao Cliff because it sounds more interesting."

"Of course, it's possible they're playing reverse psychology."

"But according to our map, we should..."

He pointed forward. Golden threads unfurled from his fingertip, stretching all the way into the distance.

As if slicing through a curtain, the path ahead suddenly broadened. The area that had been blocked by trees just moments ago was now wide enough for a carriage to pass through.

"You're improving incredibly fast, Brother Chuan."

The group had grown close over the past few days. Wang Gang looked at Zhao Dongchuan.

She remembered him explaining just the day before yesterday that the flaw of Fate lay in its rigidity; logically speaking, a predetermined destiny could not be altered.

Even if observed, Fate was not supposed to be able to influence the present reality.

The only reason he had been able to use Fate to influence the choices of Wang Yan and Meng Bing was because of the guidance of a big shot from a Dungeon he frequently visited.

But even then, he could only influence a person's judgment and psychology; it was very difficult to materialize it physically into a specific event.

Yet the ability Zhao Dongchuan had just displayed was clearly using Fate to influence the present reality.

Zhao Dongchuan smiled. "Thanks to the captain, my heart of reaching the summit is nearly half-filled now."

Combined with what he had figured out on his own, all he had to do now was devote himself to studying his own path, and he might actually have a chance to reach the summit.

Even if he ultimately failed to reach the summit, he would still become the top tier right beneath it.

Yan Jing smiled. "You're the one who found your own path, Dongchuan."

"Let's go."

The person Zhao Dongchuan knew in the Dungeon was, of course, Tiger.

Tiger was now a prominent figure on the Path of Destiny. His understanding of Fate was unmatched, and just a few casual pointers had been enough to help Zhao Dongchuan find his way forward.

In truth, it wasn't just Zhao Dongchuan; the external heart of reaching the summit absorbed by the rest of the group was also approaching saturation.

They just needed to break through to the Seventh Rank to soar straight up.

By their estimates, Zhou Xian should also barely be able to break through to the Seventh Rank after this Dungeon.

On the contrary, it was Yan Jing himself whose growth remained limited. Even though he had absorbed the vast majority of the heart of reaching the summit, his own heart of reaching the summit only grew so much. Toward the end, he had even developed a strong feeling:

He couldn't absorb anyone else's heart of reaching the summit anymore.

He hadn't yet found his own future path. If he forced himself to absorb more, something might go wrong.

That was why Zhou Xian was currently carrying so many items containing the heart of reaching the summit.

The group set foot on the newly opened path Zhao Dongchuan had just forged.

Several minutes after their silhouettes vanished, two figures approached from the left and right, appearing at the signpost where the group had just been.

"Damn it, they didn't fall for it. What now? Do we chase them?"

The person on the left cursed and looked at the one on the right.

He seemed to be waiting for the other man to make the call.

"Let's not."

The person on the right thought for a moment before speaking. "There's something off about that team."

"It's been a long time since any team came out of the Glacial Region."

"Maybe that rumor is true."

"You mean..." The man on the left's pupils trembled.

The man on the right nodded. "The stench of blood on them is incredibly heavy."

"And the technique that guy in the White Windbreaker just used? He's Seventh Rank, at the very least."

"So we're going back empty-handed again?" The man on the left was shaking all over. "If we go back like this, what if we just get beaten to death?"

"We won't," the man on the right shook his head. "That guy seems to have a lot of subordinates, but we're the only ones who were scammed out of our Crystal Stones."

"Let's go. We'll bring him this news. He should be satisfied enough with it. That guy carrying the sacks was definitely hauling items containing the heart of reaching the summit..."

"What's wrong?" Mo Lian looked confusedly at Yan Jing, who had suddenly started laughing.

"Nothing," Yan Jing smiled.

Sand Domain.

The expressions on the faces of the First Ring Domain's group were terrifyingly dark.

Everyone's brows were tightly knitted, their eyes gloomy.

Because after three or four days of excavation, they had finally come to a conclusion.

They had been played.

—

—

—

These items weren't useful Ancient Relics at all; they were just worthless "fakes"!

Never mind being from an ancient civilization—they didn't even count as writing!!

It all started when they bumped into a team from another region. After capturing a few of their opponents, the group learned that items containing the heart of reaching the summit were currently being discovered in many other areas.

Even more outrageously, some had even found items infused with divinity.

Yet here they were. For three whole days, they had dug up nothing but a bunch of messy Ancient Relics.

And out in those other regions, there were highly dangerous locales, grotesque monsters, and inheritances from ancient eras.

But in the Sand Domain, aside from the restriction that disabled weird energy, there was absolutely nothing.

Hearing the opponents' stories, Wan Yicheng, who had already been harboring suspicions, sensed that something was wrong.

He thought of a possibility:

Someone might have arrived in this region before them.

It could have been players, or it could have been some other entity entirely.

Regardless, someone had beaten them to the punch.

He used his weird energy to investigate, but he couldn't find any trace of anyone else using weird energy.

That was until he began scouring the area relentlessly.

He finally discovered an incredibly well-hidden set of footprints.

Tracking those footprints backward, he made a shocking realization—the tracks had been following them from the very beginning!!!

Confirming this fact sent a rush of fury straight to his head.

That person might have been watching them make fools of themselves this entire time!!!

When the others received the news, they all clenched their fists as well.

The situation inside the Dungeon was being broadcast to the Surface World right now.

They didn't know if this matter would be described to the public.

If it was...

Didn't that mean...

Every single person in Yueyin was currently laughing at them?!

"Damn, the people from the First Ring Domain are so weak!!"

"They can't even compare to a single strand of Emperor Yan's hair."

"Not even a curly one."

"Which curly hair are you talking about?"

"I yield, I really yield. Thank God for Emperor Yan, otherwise our Yueyin would have lost all its face this time!"

"Three days! Three whole days! What exactly are those guys' brains made of?"

That was the current consensus on the Yueyin network regarding the group from the First Ring Domain.

—

Of course, there were still some who supported the six from the First Ring Domain.

"You're all making snide remarks from the safety of your homes. Let's see you talk tough inside the Dungeon."

But they were quickly shut down by people using the "fridge cooling" theory.

Overall, public opinion was entirely one-sided.

It couldn't be helped. Over the past few days, everyone had watched the text broadcasts. The First Ring Domain team had gone from "taking the wrong path" to "sprinting down the wrong path," while on the other side, "the player with the honorary title Yi is on a rampage, slaughtering everyone in sight."

The contrast was simply too stark!!!

Back in the First Ring Domain, a deeply oppressive atmosphere had completely shrouded the air.

It was no longer just because of the dragon silhouette in the clouds; it was because of...

The wounded.

Because there were far too many wounded returning, someone had finally snapped and leaked Yan Jing's habit of taking compromising photos.

This behavior naturally infuriated several of the domain lords, especially the man in the T-shirt and the Tiger-Skin Skirt Woman.

"This violates the harmony of Heaven! It's against all human decency!"

The T-shirt man was so furious he practically spun around to snap at the domain lord of Yueyin, "Is this how Yueyin cultivates its talent?"

"I already told you, his family neglected his upbringing when he was a child. He didn't learn proper manners. I will discipline him strictly later," the domain lord of Yueyin replied calmly.

The Tiger-Skin Skirt Woman raged, "Up to this point, three people from our Beast Lord domain have crossed paths with him. Except for Wang Yan, they all lost either an arm or a leg. Someone even got robbed of their Crystal Stone! If they hadn't handed over everything they owned at the end, they probably wouldn't have made it back at all. Is this still a ranking match?!"

"Is this still a friendly competition?!"

"I said I would discipline him strictly later!" Truth be told, the domain lord of Yueyin was in a rather foul mood herself.

Although Yan Jing had infuriated the other two, he wasn't truly one of her own people after all.

And her actual subordinates...

Their performance was an absolute disaster.

The mere thought of it made her even angrier.

If Yan Jing had agreed to her request back then, he would likely be coordinating with the First Ring Domain team right now. How could something like this have happened?!

"This wind is a bit strong."

Walking down the narrow path between the towering cliffs on both sides, the group finally understood why this place was named the Bone-Eroding Valley.

The gloomy wind swept through the canyon, cutting against them continuously like bone-scraping knives. Every gust felt as if it were stripping flesh and drawing blood.

To make matters worse, they couldn't use weird energy here. If they did, the dark wind would intensify several times over, completely eradicating their weird energy.

Along the way, they had seen numerous white bones scattered by the roadside. Some of the skeletons and skulls clearly didn't belong to...

—

...humans.

Mo Lian was the first to give out. Her clothes had long since been shredded to pieces, but what peeked through the tatters wasn't pale skin—it was bright red bloody flesh.

With every gust of wind, a metallic stench of blood rose into the air.

If she were the only one struggling, it would be manageable, but the others were clearly reaching their limits as well.

Aside from Zhou Xian and Wang Gang, the rest of the group didn't excel in physical fortitude.

Yan Jing furrowed his brow.

Perhaps because it was once a trial ground for a Deity, the entire God Storage Land was extremely hostile to weird energy.

Conversely, it placed an enormous emphasis on the physical body.

If they pushed on, the group would probably end up leaving a layer of skin behind.

And even if he used his healing techniques, it wasn't a sustainable long-term solution.

"Let's stop for now."

Yan Jing, Wang Gang, and Zhou Xian each grabbed one of their struggling companions and took shelter at the base of the cliff wall.

This spot had the weakest wind in the entire Bone-Eroding Valley, making it a decent temporary rest stop.

Of course, they couldn't stay for long.

"Sorry, Captain..." Qi Ming pulled out the healing potion they had looted earlier and applied it to his wounds, grimacing in pain. "I'm dragging you down."

"Don't say that." Yan Jing looked at the map with a calm expression. "If we can't keep moving forward... it looks like there's no other path to take."

"Should we try seeing if we can climb the cliff?"

He glanced up at the cliff wall.

The wind up there looked even more violent than at the bottom of the valley, but if he carried them up one by one, it might be possible.

The main issue was whether the others could endure it.

It really was a difficult problem.

Naturally, there was one other option.

He could put everyone inside the Space Rift.

But he wanted to wait and see. He was waiting for an opportunity...

From the moment he set foot in this canyon, he had felt a pair of eyes watching him.

He needed an opportunity, not just for the group, but for the owner of those eyes.

"Let's rest for a while. If we can't manage, we'll retreat."

He did not speak quietly.

Just like that, the group leaned against the cliff wall and rested in place.

This rest lasted for six or seven hours.

And Yan Jing distinctly felt that the owner of those eyes was gradually losing patience.

Until night fell.

Suddenly, a bright torch was thrust out from a cave opening on the cliff wall. Then came another, and another, and another...

A continuous string of torches lit up across the upper reaches of the cliff.

Behind the flames, faces bathed in red light stared down at Yan Jing's group with eerie gazes.

They all looked like players.

For some unknown reason, they had all been hiding up on the cliff walls.

Nor was it known why they had banded together now.

And hovering in mid-air in the distance, behind the largest torch of all...

...stood a man as massive as a mountain.

His face—so obese it looked distorted, folding into six or seven chins—turned toward Yan Jing and the others. He smiled and said, "Everyone, I am the Eighth Prince of Tianzi. You may call me Kong Shan."