Chapter Bonanza (1/5)

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Tong Zhanyan was instantly wide awake.

He immediately looked again. The crack narrowed as it went, and where he was standing, it narrowed even more sharply—it would be difficult to squeeze through even if he turned sideways. On top of that, the crack was winding, so there was absolutely no possibility that anyone could be hiding inside to play a prank.

But he had definitely heard a sound.

“What’s the matter?” asked the guard in charge of watching, along with Yang Hong, noticing something was off.

Hearing this, Yang Hong also turned around.

It was the hottest part of the day, and the temperature inside the crevice was at least forty degrees. It wasn’t so bad for those who were asleep—though they were sweating, at least they were unconscious. But for those who were awake, it was miserable. Not only were they drenched in sweat from head to toe, but they also had to remain constantly vigilant.

For a moment, Tong Zhanyan wasn’t sure if he should speak up—it was quite possible he’d misheard it, after all; he’d been drowsy earlier. After thinking it over, he said, “I just heard a cough; the sound came from inside the crevice.”

Anything could happen out there; it never hurts to be extra cautious.

“A cough?” Yang Hong exchanged a glance with the person next to him, and they both immediately looked into the depths of the crack.

“Right.”

“Did you hear it?” Yang Hong asked the man beside him.

“I didn’t notice.” The man shook his head. “Could it have been an echo? Echoes are common in narrow spaces like this, so it might have sounded like it was coming from inside.”

Tong Zhanyan tried to recall the moment, but he’d been sleepy, hot, and drowsy at the time, so his memory was hazy. Yang Hong turned around, took a flashlight from his backpack, moved closer to the crevice, and peered inside.

The crevice wound its way through the rock, growing narrower and narrower; the light couldn’t penetrate very far, and wherever it reached, there was nothing but rock. “What’s going on?” Qing Jiyue was on high alert—they’d made such a commotion right next to him, and the noise had woken him up. Tong Zhanyan briefly recounted what had just happened.

“We come here often; it’s a regular rest stop for us, and it’s always been safe.” The other guard looked at Qing Jiyue and Yang Hong. After all, this was Tong Zhanyan’s first time out, so he was probably just too nervous.

Qing Jiyue and Yang Hong exchanged glances; they couldn’t think of a better explanation either.

“It’s still early. You two should get some more sleep,” Yang Hong said after glancing at the time. “I’ll keep an eye on things over here for a bit.”

Tong Zhanyan glanced at the time as well. He’d thought at least three hours had passed, but it was only just past noon. That meant they’d have to stay here for at least another four hours, and the intense heat would continue for another four hours as well.

“Tong Zhanyan.” Qing Jiyue took the initiative to switch places with Tong Zhanyan and pressed his backpack against the crack, so that even if there really was something inside, it couldn’t get out.

Tong Zhanyan had intended to refuse, but swallowed his words just as they reached his lips. Qing Jiyue was more experienced than he was.

As soon as he lay down, Qing Jiyue’s breathing became rapid and then steady.

When out in the wild, there was rarely time to sleep if danger lurked, so whenever the chance to rest arose, they had to make the most of every second to rest as much as possible. Falling asleep the moment their heads hit the ground was an essential skill for Qing Jiyue and his group of seasoned travelers.

Perhaps because he was truly exhausted, Tong Zhanyan also felt drowsy very quickly this time. Tong Zhanyan was awakened by someone calling out to him.

It was already past four o’clock; the sun was setting in the west, and the temperature was dropping accordingly.

Most of the group was already awake. They removed the cloth blocking the entrance to the crevice, allowing air to circulate and the temperature inside the cave to drop. Qing Jiyue handed Tong Zhanyan a bottle of water; rehydrating after heavy sweating in the heat was essential.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t hesitate; he took it and drank several big gulps.

“Are we setting out?” asked Su Yanran.

“Let’s wait a bit longer—the sun’s too strong today,” said Devil King Wang.

Although they’d previously agreed to set out at four o’clock, they had to assess the situation on a case-by-case basis. Qing Jiyue put the water bottle back in his backpack.

It was only then that Tong Zhanyan noticed the crack beside him had reappeared.

After the cloth covering the opening was removed, light shone from within the crack, but unlike a flashlight, it couldn’t illuminate the depths, which only served to make the darkness further inside seem even more profound.

“Did you hear anything after that?” Qing Jiyue asked. “No, I fell asleep after that,” Tong Zhanyan replied.

Half an hour later, when the sunlight was barely visible through the trees, Yang Hong went out alone to take a look, then began making preparations for their departure. Tong Zhanyan followed suit and shouldered his backpack.

He and Qing Jiyue were at the very back of the group, so they were among the last to leave. Outside the cave entrance, another group was undergoing beast transformation.

Since Yang Hong and his group hadn’t transformed, they helped load the luggage onto the backs of those who had.

While they waited, Tong Zhanyan looked around, trying to commit the area to memory so he could find his way back in case of an emergency.

“Cough, cough…” A familiar cough suddenly rang out from behind him, and Tong Zhanyan immediately turned to look.

The crevice was empty, with nothing but a set of footprints remaining.

“Tong Zhanyan?” Qing Jiyue’s voice called out. Tong Zhanyan turned to look at Qing’s back.

Ning Langdong and the others were climbing onto the backs of other fused humans. Tong Zhanyan made his way over to Qing Jiyue.

Qing Jiyue reached out and steadied himself.

The fissure was just as it had been before, showing no signs of anything unusual.

“Tong Zhanyan?” Qing Jiyue asked, puzzled.

“I just heard that cough again,” Tong Zhanyan said.

They should go.

He hadn’t seen anything.

He furrowed his brow slightly, lost in thought.

“Let’s go, then,” said Yang Hong, the man at the very front.

No one objected, and in their fused state, the group began to move.

The mountain where the fissure was located consisted of only one large peak and three smaller ones—hardly a mountain range. Once the group started running, it took them less than ten minutes to reach the end.

It was nearly five o’clock; the sun had long since set behind the mountains, and from their vantage point, they could only see a patch of afterglow. The heat was still there, but it was much milder than it had been that morning.

At the edge of the woods, they didn’t see another forest or mountain range, but rather a vast meadow dotted with clusters of dry, thorny shrubs about a meter apart.

In some places, the thickets were sparse, with only one bush visible in the distance; in others, they formed vast expanses.

The areas with dense clusters resembled a giant maze—not only were the paths intricate, but the thorns looked downright intimidating.

Once the group had determined their direction, they steered clear of the thickets and ran swiftly toward their destination.

Tong Zhanyan was taking in the unfamiliar scenery when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something moving.

“A mutant beast—to the right rear!” Almost simultaneously, Tang Shijin’s voice rang out from behind them. The group immediately turned to look.

Sure enough, over there was a beast that looked like a leopard but was more than twice its size, with a set of teeth like a crocodile’s, drooling as it stared at them.

“Kill it,” someone said.

The very next moment, someone summoned a spirit beast.

Tong Zhanyan was somewhat surprised. Previously, whenever they’d encountered strange beasts, they’d simply run away—so why were they ready to fight this time?

The creature was clearly far more intelligent than ordinary wild beasts; as soon as it saw them turn around, it immediately dashed deeper into the thicket.

“Don’t let it run—” The Devil King hadn’t even finished his warning when the beast suddenly stopped. Immediately afterward, as if seized and crushed by some invisible force, one of its heads caved in and shattered in an instant.

The group all turned to look at Qing Jiyue.

“Let’s go,” Qing Jiyue said, his face expressionless. The group began to move.

Almost the moment they began to move, more of those leopard-like beasts burst out from the nearby thicket.

“Roar—” At the same moment, the beasts’ roars echoed through the air.

Tong Zhanyan realized almost immediately why they’d launched the attack so abruptly—these creatures lived in packs.

Not to mention Qing Jiyue and Chu Yi—Yang Hong and the Devil King were both seasoned combatants. With them around, a few beasts were nothing to worry about. But what if there were dozens?

They had indeed come to wipe them out—but not all of them.

“Run!” Devil King growled.

Without a word, the vehicle carrying their group immediately surged forward at top speed.

Tong Zhanyan and his group all crouched low, clinging as tightly as possible to the people beneath them.

The leopards gave chase without hesitation.

They weren’t just chasing from behind; they were also flanking them from the sides, trying to drive them into the thicket.

Those thickets were their hunting grounds.

They were smart, and the group led by Tong Zhanyan wasn’t exactly stupid either. The whole group immediately sped up, heading toward an area without bushes. They were still slightly faster, and the gap gradually widened, but the beasts were hot on their heels, determined not to give up until they caught them.

Moreover, as this unfolded, more and more of those beasts were drawn to the scene.

Qing Jiyue seized the opportunity; just as they gathered in one spot, he summoned his spirit beast and crushed them with a single blow. More than ten leopards were instantly reduced to a bloody pulp.

Carrying their group, they continued at full speed for another three minutes before finally looking back. The leopards had stopped pursuing them.

“Those beasts only live in this shrubby area; they generally don’t venture over to the protective barrier, so we didn’t bother to wipe them out.” The Devil King glanced at Tong Zhanyan, Ning Langdong, and the other two, explaining this specifically for their benefit.

Tong Zhanyan nodded.

Those beasts were clearly carnivorous and lived only in this area; in a sense, they were actually helping them. Any beasts coming from farther away that wanted to reach the protective shield would first have to get past them.

“Can’t we raise them on a larger scale?” Tong Zhanyan asked.

The entire group turned to look at him, their eyes filled with surprise and mixed emotions.

“Is that not possible?” Tong Zhanyan asked, bewildered.

He thought this was a good idea; after all, raising a large number of them on the outer perimeter of the protective shield would create a natural protective barrier.

Yang Hong smiled and said, “Those shrubs are only found in this area, unless…” 

Yang Hong had originally wanted to say “unless they’re planted on a large scale,” but he stopped himself just as the words reached his lips, because he suddenly remembered that Tong Zhanyan specialized in cultivation.

Tong Zhanyan looked at the shrubs and began to ponder the feasibility of planting them. However, he merely gave it some thought and didn’t take it too seriously.

The protective shield was vast, housing tens of millions of people.

Even if he could actually plant those shrubs all around the perimeter of the protective shield, feeding such a vast number of leopards and other beasts would be nearly impossible.

If they weren’t fed enough, they might leave the thicket to hunt elsewhere; if they were to attack the protective shield, the consequences would far outweigh the benefits.

After this brief interlude, as the group continued on their way, the setting sun had completely disappeared, replaced by twilight. It was late summer; the sky was clear of dark clouds, and the moon shone brightly, so it didn’t hinder their journey.

Even more welcome was the fact that the heat dissipated with the arrival of the night breeze, and the temperature finally returned to a normal level in the low twenties. Feeling the coolness, Tong Zhanyan and his three companions were quite happy, but the Devil King’s group was visibly on edge. Seeing this, Tong Zhanyan and his companions couldn’t help but grow tense as well.

After running for another half hour or so, they finally spotted a different landscape ahead.

It was a vast mountain range composed of countless peaks of varying sizes, covering an immense area and overgrown with countless layers of trees, vines, and waist-high weeds.

Green is supposed to be the color of life, but when it’s too intense, it can feel terrifying. That mountain looks as if it might come to life at any moment.

Never mind going inside—just looking at it from the outside made us feel as if we couldn’t catch our breath.

“Are we going in?” Su Yanran couldn’t help but ask.

“This is the quickest route,” Yang Hong said, his face devoid of a smile. “Our destination is on the other side of this mountain. We could take a detour, but that would add at least a week to the round trip.”

Moreover, even if they avoided the midday sun when it was at its fiercest, the sunlight would still take a toll on their bodies. Their plan was to spend five days there and five days returning, with the five days in between dedicated to eliminating the strange beasts.

Of course, this allowed for some leeway; if they moved quickly and everything went smoothly, they could wrap things up in about ten days.

“Let’s go,” said the Devil King.

The group reorganized: Tong Zhanyan, Ning Langdong, Tian Xinqing, and Su Yanran—the four in their fused state—were shielded in the center. Yang Hong and the Devil King took up positions at the front and rear, respectively.

As he spoke, the man carrying the Devil King led the way deeper into the area.

The reason the Devil King and his group took this route wasn’t purely for the sake of taking a shortcut; this area wasn’t particularly far from the protective shield, and it was likely that others had already explored it before.

Once inside, they quickly found a relatively wide and flat “path.”

The path was relatively smooth, but since it was overgrown with weeds, they didn’t run at full speed like before; instead, they jogged along. The woods were pitch-black, and although the section they were walking through was relatively well-lit, the moonlight still flickered in and out from behind the tree canopy. Tong Zhanyan had to stay on high alert.

On second thought, he summoned the chicken and held it close to his chest—just in case things went wrong… The chicken looked up at him with a wary expression.

Tong Zhanyan flashed a sincere smile.

“Snap.” 

The sound of something snapping came from the woods to the side, and everyone immediately looked over.

A creature that looked part deer, part pig turned and dashed into the depths of the woods. It wasn’t even as tall as a person; it seemed rather timid and posed no real danger. The group didn’t linger and continued onward.

The deeper they went, the darker it became around them, and the path beneath their feet grew increasingly indistinct. For a moment, Tong Zhanyan even had the illusion that they were walking through an uninhabited, otherworldly realm.

A little over an hour later, just as Tong Zhanyan’s palms were once again growing hot with nervousness, the person leading the way suddenly stopped. Tong Zhanyan immediately looked ahead.

There was nothing ahead.

To be more precise, ahead lay a pitch-black forest.

“What’s wrong?” someone asked, their voice so low it was barely audible.

The Devil King at the very front said nothing, merely making a “shh” gesture. The group held their breath and waited.

One minute, two minutes—just as the third minute was about to pass, the world suddenly stirred. The movement didn’t come from the pitch-black forest ahead, but from the grass beneath their feet.

A swarm of insects suddenly took flight, the flapping of their wings ringing in his ears, just as lanterns began to light up one after another. Tong Zhanyan peered through his hands, which he’d raised to shield his face.

They were a swarm of insects that resembled fireflies, but they were much larger—each one as thick as a finger. This made the glow on their tails look just like a series of lanterns.

They must have been resting in this meadow when they were suddenly startled awake, causing them all to fly up into the sky. There were so many of them that they illuminated the entire area almost instantly.

“Let’s get out of here,” the Devil King warned.

Those fireflies didn’t look harmful, but the creatures they attracted might be. Feeling the person beneath him begin to move, Tong Zhanyan lowered the chicken he’d been holding in front of his face.

As he looked down, he met the chicken’s dangerous, half-closed gaze.

“I—” Before Tong Zhanyan could even begin his defense, a sharp pain shot through the back of his hand. The chicken wriggled free from Tong Zhanyan’s grasp, fluttered into the air, and landed on Qing Jiyue’s shoulder, “Cluck, cluck, cluck…”

Tong Zhanyan looked completely innocent.

Taking in the entire scene, Qing Jiyue’s eyes filled with exasperation. “Don’t go picking on it for no reason.” Tong Zhanyan looked at his in disbelief—how could Qing Jiyue possibly think he was picking on it for no reason?

“Cluck, cluck, cluck…” The chicken looked at Qing Jiyue with a pout. Tong Zhanyan’s mouth twitched; he couldn’t help but wish his spirit beast were a cat instead. If it were a cat, he would definitely treat it like a treasure.

Lost in thought, Tong Zhanyan turned to look back.

They were already quite far from the fireflies, and when he glanced back, he didn’t see a single one. Although the fireflies looked frighteningly large up close, the scene was still quite magical when he thought back on it.

It was too dark in the woods—especially where the tree canopy was dense—to see what was underfoot. Moving around in those conditions was far too dangerous.

After walking for over an hour, the group had no choice but to find a place to stop.

According to their plan, they were supposed to keep going for another hour, but running into something like that would only make things more complicated. This forest bordered the mountains, but caves weren’t found in every mountain.

After circling the area, the group chose a relatively secluded, flat clearing with a thick canopy. The main group stopped, while a few of them transformed into beasts and went to scout the vicinity again.

A few minutes later, the group returned.

After confirming it was safe, they first used the tarps they’d previously used to block the cave entrance to create a roof between the trees, then set up tents underneath.

To save time, they usually had three people set up each tent. Tong Zhanyan naturally shared one with Qing Jiyue.

These were all second-year skills; Tong Zhanyan didn’t know how to do them, but Qing Jiyue had mastered them at a very young age. The Devil King taught Ning Langdong and the other two, while Qing Jiyue taught Tong Zhanyan.

For safety reasons, they didn’t light any lamps or build a fire, but the moonlight was bright enough that they could see just fine.

“…Make sure to tie the rope tightly,” Qing Jiyue demonstrated. Tong Zhanyan followed his instructions and tied the other end securely.

Nearby, after the Devil King finished his demonstration, Ning Langdong and the other two got to work as well.

While they were busy, Yang Hong and his group of experienced members had already set up the tents and, working quickly, had even started eating dinner. By the time Tong Zhanyan sat down a little over ten minutes later, quite a few people had already finished their meals.

“Here,” Qing Jiyue handed Tong Zhanyan a bag of nutrient solution. Tong Zhanyan took it and looked at it.

Knowing he disliked flavored nutrient solutions, Qing Jiyue had prepared only the plain variety for him.

Since everyone had to carry a fifteen-day supply, the nutrient solution was highly concentrated; each packet was only three fingers wide, and the bag itself was no thicker than a finger. Tong Zhanyan twisted off the cap, took a deep breath, and downed it in one gulp.

Perhaps because it was concentrated, the taste was more pungent than he’d ever experienced.

“If only we had some mashed potatoes right now…” Yang Hong mused. “I brought some cornmeal,” Tang Shijin said.

Yang Hong immediately looked at him expectantly. “Xiao Tang…” 

“You dare to start a fire?” Tang Shijin reminded him in a low voice.

Yang Hong shut up immediately.

Starting a fire in pitch darkness like this would be suicide.

“Let’s get some sleep,” the Devil King said; he’d take the first half of the night’s watch.

As for Tong Zhanyan and his three companions, no one dared to include them in the night watch rotation. The four of them knew full well where they stood and didn’t cause any trouble.

Upon hearing they could rest, the group scattered toward their sleeping bags and tents. Tong Zhanyan followed Qing Jiyue.

Tong Zhanyan had slept very well the night before and had slept for over four hours during the day until 4:00 p.m. Now, it was only a little past 9:00 p.m., and he was supposed to sleep again, yet Tong Zhanyan felt no drowsiness at all.

Half an hour later, when Qing Jiyue’s breathing grew light once more, Tong Zhanyan was still so alert he could have gone out for a few laps. An hour later, he finally managed to muster a bit of sleepiness.

After nearly an hour, he finally drifted off to sleep.

But even while asleep, his sleep remained light, and his consciousness remained hazy. Not long after—probably around shift change—there was a brief commotion outside.

Tong Zhanyan rolled over, intending to go back to sleep, but having been woken by the noise, he simply couldn’t drift back off. After lying there with his eyes closed for a while, he decided to just open them.

Qing Jiyue was nowhere to be seen in the tent; he was alone. Had Qing Jiyue gone to stand watch?

But wasn’t someone else supposed to be on watch for the latter half of the night?

Tong Zhanyan pulled back the sleeping bag, struggled to sit up, and then opened the tent to look outside.

The moment he saw what was there, he shuddered; the last traces of drowsiness vanished without a trace, replaced by an inexplicable chill. Because in the once-crowded campsite, only his tent remained, and the person in charge of the night watch was nowhere to be seen.

Without bothering to put on his shoes, Tong Zhanyan crawled out of the tent and scanned the surroundings.

He hadn’t misseen it—the entire clearing was indeed empty except for his tent; Qing Jiyue and the others were all gone. In this unfamiliar environment, surrounded by a pitch-black forest and completely alone, a sense of unease instantly welled up in Tong Zhanyan’s heart.

What’s going on?

Did Qing Jiyue and the others just leave him here alone and sneak off?

Why?

Did they come under attack?

But even if they’d been attacked, that wouldn’t have stopped them from waking him up—and besides, he hadn’t heard a single sound just now…

He wasn’t sleeping deeply, so he’d been in a half-awake, half-asleep state the whole time. If Qing Jiyue and the others had really been attacked, there’s no way he wouldn’t have noticed.

Unless…

Unless Qing Jiyue and the others had deliberately slipped away. Tong Zhanyan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head; every hair on his body stood on end.

Why would Qing Jiyue and the others leave him here?

Was it because his time-travel secret had been exposed? But he was certain he’d never done anything to wrong Qing Jiyue and the others…

Was it because even the Four Greats couldn’t tolerate him, so Qing Jiyue and the others banded together to take him down, leading to this whole situation? But if they really wanted to kill him, they wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble…

And Qing Jiyue…

In that instant, Tong Zhanyan’s mind was in complete chaos. He looked around once more.

The woods, which had already been spine-chilling, now seemed even more menacing. He hurried toward the tent to check if his backpack was still there.

The outside world was too dangerous, so they were well-equipped: insect-proof tents, sleeping bags, various first-aid supplies, food, water, and tools—they had everything they needed.

Without his backpack, he wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. His backpack was still there.

Qing Jiyue was gone.

Tong Zhanyan tried hard not to think about why Qing Jiyue, Ning Langdong, and the others had done this; he focused solely on what to do next.

He remembered the general direction they’d come from. He still couldn’t fuse with his spirit beast, so he couldn’t fly; walking would take at least a week…

The challenges were the dangers along the way and how to get inside the protective shield.

If Qing Jiyue and the others had meant to do this, they certainly wouldn’t have let him in. “Ahem, ahem.” A familiar cough suddenly rang out.

Tong Zhanyan, who had been dragging his backpack, stopped abruptly—the cough had come from inside the backpack.

The backpack wasn’t big enough to hold a whole person, but if it were just a head…