Chapter 484: The Medicine Clan, a Dungeon Drawing to a Close (Two in One)

"After the Source of Mutation descended, the original purpose behind our great tribal alliance was simple: unite, resist the environmental changes, and survive the painful transition."

Huo Tong's gaze deepened as she spoke slowly.

"But as time passed, things didn't improve the way we had hoped."

"The original Domains were gradually devoured by the Source of Mutation, shrinking until they became the fragmented Domains we see today. The spiritual energy in the air slowly dissipated. No matter how strong you were, it became almost impossible to maintain abundant spiritual energy in the later stages."

"Aside from the mighty figures capable of converting other energies into spiritual energy, everyone else found the spiritual energy in their bodies depleting with every use. Meanwhile, a completely new, unseen energy began appearing in the bodies of newborns. This energy was the exact opposite of spiritual energy—you could even say they were as incompatible as fire and water. Yet, this new energy filled the world in absolute abundance."

"With this shift in balance, two distinct factions gradually formed within the tribes: the new generation and the old."

"According to the original plan, if everything progressed step by step, the older generation would slowly hand over power while the new generation took the helm. By exploring this new weird energy, we would have made it through that painful transition."

"Unfortunately..."

Huo Tong paused for a few seconds, her voice sounding like a sigh.

"My father always said the heart is the most complex thing in this world."

"Among the new generation, some couldn't wait. Among the old, some refused to let go of power. The conflict between the two sides grew increasingly fierce, and the great alliance was soon left in name only. Different tribes slowly began scheming for their own interests, while the young and old within each tribe took their respective sides."

"Life grew harder by the day, yet not a single ray of hope was in sight."

"It was during this period that a third faction emerged, independent of the other two."

"If the new generation advocated for embracing the Source of Mutation and the older generation chose to fight it, then this final movement chose waiting and fleeing."

Her voice carried the weight of past memories, her eyes flickering.

"The leaders of this movement were the Medicine Clan, the Slumber Clan, and the Moon Tribe."

"They believed that rather than taking radical risks, it would be better to stockpile strength, rest, and outlast this era. Or, they could abandon these Domains entirely, holding onto the hope that one day they might return."

"Sounds absurd, right? Like we were deserters."

She looked at Yan Jing, laughing self-deprecatingly.

"But for us at the time, that was perhaps the best path."

"You never experienced those barbaric times. No matter how strong you were, you lived in constant anxiety. No matter how massive your faction was, you spent every day on edge. You might survive today, but there was no guarantee of tomorrow, let alone the day after. No one could predict what the future held."

"And right then, someone stepped up and told everyone to unite, to stop the infighting. Forget about being radical or conservative—just focus on putting food in our bellies and living a decent life."

"Under those circumstances, more and more people joined them."

"This movement slowly overpowered the others and seized the initiative. Ultimately, the upper echelon of the great tribes was forced to push forward a proposal that became a turning point."

"The Three Paths Proposal."

"In order to survive the hardest times, the tribes decided to divide their active forces into three groups."

"The old guard would take the tribes' heavy artifacts and head to the largest Domain at the time, the Sacred Domain. First, to spread the prestige of our great tribes and exchange resources with the outside world. Second, because the Sacred Domain was the only place left with spiritual energy, offering them a chance to break through to the legendary supreme realm and gain the power to slay the Source of Mutation."

"The new generation would continue to explore the use of weird energy. They earned the right to stay in our homeland, but they also had to shoulder the heaviest burden. Everyone was required to sign an unbreakable vow to protect our people forever—especially the preservation faction."

"Finally, the preservation faction was tasked with exploration and discovery. They searched for new Domains and sought ways to outlast that era."

"In the end, this proposal earned the approval of almost everyone."

"For about five or six years after the proposal, the great tribes finally enjoyed a rare period of peace. Then, one day, the patriarchs of the Medicine Clan and the Moon Tribe announced they had found a God Storage Land."

"And so, we came here."

Huo Tong paused and looked at Yan Jing.

"Sorry, I've talked a bit too much."

She hadn't had anyone to confide in for so many years. Facing a man who looked exactly like her old friend, she had briefly lost control. Yan Jing nodded.

"It's fine. You told it well. I felt fully immersed."

Without realizing it, the two had walked back into the open wilderness.

By now, there was hardly anyone in sight.

Bloodstains, traces of weird energy, the scars of battle—everything had been reduced to nothing in the blazing flames.

The only things left were massive, roaming hordes of divine monstrous progeny, still searching for remaining prey.

They were an endless swarm of monsters.

The will of the Deity manipulated the bones of the deceased. With the awakening of the God Storage Land, they had plunged into complete madness.

Not to mention, the wilderness was the very first region to awaken.

"Why do these corpses turn into such bizarre shapes after being controlled by the Deity's will?"

Yan Jing casually crushed a lunging divine monstrous progeny to pieces.

That particular divine monstrous progeny had its head growing between its legs and waist. Giant eyes bulged from its abdomen and back, and every ounce of its flesh had hardened into dense muscle, making it look like an ear of corn.

"What exactly is a Deity?"

Huo Tong shook her head. She had no answer to that question either.

Deities were far too ancient—not just for her, but even for those great tribes from that severed era.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been reduced to such a desperate state back then.

Yan Jing didn't press the matter. Instead, he pointed to the horde of divine monstrous progeny that had first emerged from the wilderness in the distance and smiled.

"Didn't you ask why I insisted on sending someone to find you?"

"Look at that one."

Following Yan Jing's finger, Huo Tong looked over at the horde.

They were densely packed and massive in number, each one grotesque and misshapen. It was impossible to tell which one Yan Jing was pointing at.

But since Yan Jing just smiled without speaking, she could only keep searching.

Suddenly, her gaze locked. She stared at a single figure among the divine monstrous progeny and froze.

It was a woman.

Compared to the other monsters, her body wasn't heavily twisted. Her skin was merely charred black, with many areas reduced to a bloody pulp. That was the only reason she blended into the horde without looking out of place.

But that face...

That face.

Huo Tong's eyes widened. She looked at Yan Jing, then at the face, then back at Yan Jing.

"Are you really not Wu Xu?"

That face was identical to Wu Xu's older sister's!

The fact that Yan Jing recognized that face was incredibly eerie.

Yan Jing chuckled.

"I think there's definitely a connection between Wu Xu and me, but as to what it is..."

"I'd like to know too."

Because in Wen Xu's memories, the woman imprisoned in the Great Prison also had this exact face.

[Player Phantom has exited the Dungeon.]

[Player Dragon Caller is near death and has exited the Dungeon.]

[In the battle against player Ehuang: player Steel King is the victor, player Ghost Face suffered minor injuries, and player River of Destiny secured the victory.] [Player Ehuang has exited the Dungeon.]

Zhao Dongchuan let out a long breath. He stepped forward and pulled up Wang Gang, Zhou Xian, and Qi Ming one by one.

"We got careless."

Zhou Xian's face was grim.

"I didn't expect them to have a trump card left."

Qi Ming didn't look much better. They had thought dealing with two heavily injured opponents would be a walk in the park. Instead, the enemy's desperate resistance had managed to force Mo Lian out of the Dungeon.

"It's my fault. I didn't command well. We should have eliminated the one holding the doll first."

Although the short-haired woman was clearly stronger, in this kind of battle where neither side was likely to die, victory wasn't just about combat power—it was about who could be crazier.

Clearly, the girl holding the doll was far crazier.

To ensure the short-haired woman could escape, she had launched a practically suicidal assault at the end. After triggering that Deity's power, she suffered a severe backlash and was forced out of the Dungeon.

"We can't blame you. They had the power of a Deity. Even if it didn't count as a true ability, it was a qualitative change."

Zhou Xian spoke up, offering a few words of comfort.

If it hadn't been for Zhao Dongchuan, that short-haired woman really would have gotten away.

Through this, the group gained a new understanding of Zhao Dongchuan's strength.

Zhao Dongchuan's strength was absolutely no weaker than that First Echelon expert from the Beast Lord faction they had encountered earlier. If compared to Yueyin, he was at least at the level of the First Ring Domain.

"Awesome, Brother Chuan!"

Wang Gang gave a thumbs-up, then immediately sighed.

"But Sister Mo is gone. I don't know how we're going to explain this to the boss."

"It's fine. Mo Lian making it this far is good enough." Suddenly, Yan Jing's voice rang out. The group froze, realizing a figure had appeared behind them without them noticing.

"Boss!" Wang Gang was the first to stand on her tiptoes and wave.

"Captain," the other three greeted.

Yan Jing nodded.

"You did very well. The entire Tianzi region only provides resources for nine people to cultivate. They are genuine heavenly prodigies. Winning is already an achievement."

"Let's go. Judging by the headcount, there should only be two left."

In the top right corner of the system interface, the count showed there were only seven players left in the Dungeon.

As for the remaining two, Yan Jing had already sent Xiao Xin ahead to find them.

It wasn't long before they arrived at a lake.

When they had passed by the lake earlier, they had sensed someone's presence. But Yan Jing had been rushing, and since the other party hadn't attacked, he hadn't wasted time hunting them down.

Now that he had the time, he lightly stepped onto the water's surface, walking on it as if it were solid ground. Shortly after, he arrived in front of a boat near the edge of the lake. The woman sitting at the bow looked at Yan Jing as he approached and smiled.

"I really must thank Mr. Yan this time for clearing away so many obstacles for our Self Faction."

"I hope that if I win, Mr. Yan won't blame me for snatching—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Yan Jing's fist had already buried itself in her abdomen.

[Player Yi brutally crushed Hongmao.]

The group continued forward. Just as they were about to reach the single-log bridge...

Suddenly, the number in the top right corner of the system dropped from six to five.

This meant that the final opponent, Bai Ya, hadn't held on and had left the Dungeon.

Yan Jing's eyes flickered. He looked at the others and said, "You guys head out first."

"Boss, you by yourself..." Wang Gang's eyes widened. She wanted to say more, but Zhao Dongchuan patted her shoulder.

"Then we'll withdraw first, Captain. Stay safe,"

Qi Ming said.

They played rock-paper-scissors to decide the order.

In the end, Wang Gang was fifth, Zhao Dongchuan fourth, Zhou Xian third, and Qi Ming second.

After they left, the surroundings fell silent once more.

A system notification appeared before Yan Jing's eyes.

[Congratulations, you have taken the top rank in the ranked match Dungeon.]

[You may leave the Dungeon at any time.]

[Notice: The divine soul from the side quest cannot be brought out of the Dungeon.]

[Notice: You have uncovered the second layer of truth for the main quest. Only the final layer of truth remains.]

His expression calm, Yan Jing continued forward until he reached the single-log bridge.

There was nothing left here.

For some unknown reason, the staff from the Great Prison had ultimately attacked Bai Ya. Yan Jing called out Xiao Xin and learned the final battle results: one staff member was dead, one was heavily injured, and four were completely unharmed. Bai Ya had exited the Dungeon after being pushed near his absolute limit.

According to Xiao Xin, every single one of those four possessed strength comparable to Bai Ya's.

One of them was even far stronger than Bai Ya.

Yan Jing nodded and gave Xiao Xin a new task.

"Yiya, yaya~~"

Just as they were parting ways, Xiao Xin spoke up, telling Yan Jing about the matter involving Shen Youran in the Surface World.

Then, she pulled a ticket from her pocket and placed it in Yan Jing's hand.

"Yiya, yaya~~"

Xiao Xin turned and left.

Yan Jing quietly stared at the ticket he had once held before. After a few seconds, he let out a soft breath, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.

A man with sand blowing through his hair stood at the edge of the Chaos zone, looking somewhat confused.

He had received a message from the iron-tower man, which was why he had specifically come here to wait and plan their next move.

But unexpectedly, there was no sign of the iron-tower man at all.

Suddenly, a voice rang out behind him.

"Stop waiting. He isn't coming."

The man's eyes narrowed. Hearing that familiar yet strange voice, he turned around, only to see someone he had never expected. It was a man with his long hair tied high. His skin was pale and smooth as jade; if not for his Adam's apple, many would have mistaken him for a girl.

But the most striking thing about him was his right eyebrow.

There, a faint green light glowed in the shape of a leaf.

"Fang Xun..."

He was in disbelief.

Everyone, including Huo Tong, thought Fang Xun was already dead.

"It's me."

Fang Xun smiled faintly and snapped his fingers. A spine-chilling dread instantly washed over the man. Before he could react, pitch-black liquid surged from the Chaos zone behind him, reaching out like massive hands to clamp over his mouth and seize his limbs.

He fought back desperately. The wind and sand coalesced out of thin air, rushing toward the black liquid, but Fang Xun charged straight forward and drove a brutal knee into his abdomen.

The black liquid seized the opening to pry the man's mouth open. A pill dropped into Fang Xun's palm, and with a swift punch to the man's jaw, he forced him to swallow it.

In merely a split second, the man's eyes rolled back as he was instantly swallowed by the pitch-black liquid behind him.

Confirming that the man had been swallowed, a glint of joy surfaced in Fang Xun's eyes.

He bent over slightly, a low chuckle rumbling in his throat.

Ecstasy.

True ecstasy.

He frantically reached out and clamped a hand over his own mouth, not wanting the sound to carry too far.

Now, he was only short one person.

As long as that human exited the God Storage Land and the divine soul he carried returned, everything would be over.

All he had to do was wait.

Sooner or later, that person was bound to leave.

"You seem very happy."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind him.

Fang Xun's pupils instantly trembled.