[Map] "Fogfall": 13 hours 50 minutes 23 seconds.
"This weather-!"
Wu Yu climbed out of bed and closed the panel.
He had wanted to sleep a little longer, but since he was already awake, there was no point forcing himself to rest.
Nourished by the golden wondrous item [Heaven's Return], his body had already returned to peak condition.
His blood surged with vitality, and he was full of energy!
Wu Yu stretched, gathered his things, and strode downstairs.
"Hero! It hasn't been two hours yet, has it?"
Startled, the inn attendant hurried over cautiously.
"Hero?"
Wu Yu looked bemused, but he couldn't be bothered to waste time. He nodded. "I happened to wake up."
"Certainly! Would you like some food or wine, hero?"
The inn attendant hurriedly picked up a cloth and wiped down a nearby table and chairs.
Wu Yu stopped him and strode out of the inn.
"No need!"
Dusk was approaching again, and the sky had grown somewhat dim.
Thick clouds swept past, bringing a bone-chilling wind.
Redfang Village bustled with activity.
Someone spotted Wu Yu and greeted him warmly, prompting a whole crowd to join in.
"Hero!"
"Where are you headed, hero?"
"Come to my house for dinner, hero! We've got wine today!"
The villagers' warmth and kindness left Wu Yu momentarily dazed.
He said little and strode out of the village.
At the valley entrance, the Village Chief stood beside the Young Man in Green, watching Wu Yu leave.
"Grandpa, what are you looking at?"
"..."
The Village Chief's brows were tightly furrowed, his heart filled with confusion.
Why did this man give him the creeps after such a short time?
"Grandpa?"
The Young Man in Green pressed him.
Only then did the Village Chief come back to his senses, but he didn't answer.
"Back to the village. Don't go outside!"
Whoosh-!
Whoosh-!
The fierce wind sent howls through the woods now and then, like shrieking ghosts.
Wu Yu strode down the path, his body as agile and powerful as a young tiger.
Suddenly, he picked up speed and raced ahead.
Two bandits resting up ahead suddenly spotted Wu Yu. They hurriedly grabbed their cleavers and scrambled to their feet.
But before they could attack, a Short Blade shot through the air!
Whizz-!
A blood-red aura flashed, and the Short Blade tore through one bandit's neck. The second bandit recoiled in fright, then hurriedly lunged at Wu Yu.
But he had barely taken a step when a whistling sound came from behind him!
"Guh-!"
The bandit froze, a blossom of blood bursting from his chest.
Thud!
He, too, fell to the ground.
Before long, both bandits vanished into light, leaving a Card on the ground.
Wu Yu strolled over and picked up the Card.
It was an [Unpleasant Meat Chunk]!
"Only one?"
Wu Yu shook his head in disappointment, casually tossed the Card aside, and continued onward.
Before long, Wu Yu reached the end of the woodland path.
There was a massive cave!
It lay against the side of a mountain, with a river below and another mountain path leading upward.
Wu Yu opened the [Map] and immediately understood.
"Lostway Cave is here. If I follow that mountain path, I can reach the Evacuation Point in ten minutes at most."
Having reached his destination, Wu Yu stopped relaxing and tensed his body.
But he also knew this wouldn't be a short battle.
He still had [Lifeless Evil Pills], so he could find opportunities to deal with the bandits inside Lostway Cave. But would a being like the Mountain Lord really be affected by a [Lifeless Evil Pill]?
"A demon that exists only in ancient legends!"
Wu Yu's eyes shone as he stepped into Lostway Cave in the last light before nightfall.
Soon,
Dusk passed, and night arrived!
Darkness swept over the world. Faint moonlight pierced the clouds, only to be blocked outside by the mountain walls.
The cave was pitch-black.
Yet Wu Yu encountered no hindrance, moving nimbly through the cave.
His eyes glimmered faintly, his sight unobscured by the darkness.
This was part of his plan: to arrive here under cover of night!
"Those bastards in the [Spirit Cultivation Association] deserve to die, but I never expected the perks of joining to come in handy here."
Pay eternal life tuition, learn the path to eternal life.
At River City Advanced Academy, Wu Yu had been forced to join the [Spirit Cultivation Association] and undergo a simple ritual.
This was a perk the leader of the [Spirit Cultivation Association] gave newcomers. Washing their eyes with "pure spirit water" supposedly granted abilities such as night vision, aura sight, and the power to see through illusions.
But everyone knew that only night vision was real. Anyone who believed in aura sight or seeing through illusions was a fool.
And in modern society, sleepless cities had become the norm. Who would need night vision?
Besides, after opening the transcendent gate, neither cultivators, martial artists, nor augmented humans would have their vision obscured by darkness.
Fortune and misfortune go hand in hand! Now night vision has actually become my advantage!
Wu Yu sighed inwardly.
Lostway Cave was enormous. Perhaps because of the Mountain Lord's size, even its passageways were an astonishing ten meters high.
Wu Yu stood at the entrance to a passage, his brows slightly furrowed.
Three passages lay ahead, leading left, downward, and right!
"I'll try them one at a time."
Without overthinking it, Wu Yu took out small stones engraved with the [Bi Fang Sigil] and placed them at each passage entrance.
Once everything was ready, he carefully entered the passage on the left.
He had been walking for less than fifteen minutes when his pupils contracted. He hurriedly stepped back and hid against the wall.
There was firelight deep inside the cave!
"Brother Liu, what did I tell you? A place like this was bound to have a treasure chest!"
A clear voice rang out.
Bai Xiaotian grinned, his arms folded.
Beside him, Liu Zheng wore a solemn expression as he looked at the Silver Chest before them!
"It wasn't easy, but after fighting our way in, we've finally found something good."
Liu Zheng nodded slightly and said, "This Silver Chest is so big. There must be something good inside!"
"Yeah, but I won't take a share. If you hadn't brought me along, Brother Liu, I wouldn't have dared come here."
Bai Xiaotian spoke, then sighed. "It's just a shame we don't know how the others are doing."
"Mm, I did my best to kill those bandits!"
Liu Zheng shook his head and smiled. "Xiaotian, everyone here gets a share! You open the chest."
"Really?"
Bai Xiaotian's eyes lit up, his face full of delighted surprise.
"Brother Liu, can I really?"
"Stop fussing. It's just a little treasure chest."
Liu Zheng waved a hand.
Bai Xiaotian immediately cheered and grabbed the Silver Chest.
"Brother Liu, it takes fifteen minutes to open!"
"Mm, let's wait a little."
Watching the older and younger pair talking beside a planted torch, Wu Yu wore a strange expression.
Didn't Liu Zheng and the others head for the Evacuation Point ages ago?
Could bandits have attacked them again along the way? The same bandits who captured Captain Lu?
The others are missing, too. Did they become food like that middle-aged woman?
Just as doubt and alarm filled Wu Yu's mind,
Beside the Silver Chest,
Liu Zheng stood behind Bai Xiaotian and slowly raised his Psionic Pistol...
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