An hour later!
On a rise in the mountain woods, Wu Yu leaned against a boulder to rest.
He had fled all the way here. There were no longer any pursuers behind him, but he had kept running for quite a while before stopping to rest.
Along the way, he had killed more than a dozen burly men wielding broadswords. The [Vitality Pill] and [Beast Meat] cards that appeared after their deaths totaled four or five.
"If we're talking drop rates, [Unpleasant Meat Chunk] has the highest, followed by [Beast Meat], with [Vitality Pill] coming last!"
"Makes sense. [Vitality Pill] is the only green-quality item, and it can increase vitality."
Wu Yu had not dared to take one recklessly.
After all, its description differed from that of "Exquisite Food." It increased vitality rather than restoring it!
Since this [Newcomer Secret Realm], with its ancient setting, had [Vitality Pill], could there be even better pills, perhaps ones that could rival [Nine Dragons' Might]?
Intrigued, Wu Yu took out the Bronze Token and opened the map.
The marker for "Evil Tiger Stronghold" was a menacing skull, indicating the danger of that location.
"The [Newcomer Secret Realm] has five Evacuation Points. From here, they're all about the same distance."
He glanced at the map. It showed his position, updating in real time.
In ancient times, this would have counted as an immortal treasure.
"So, the Mysterious Tower sent us into the [Newcomer Secret Realm]..."
Wu Yu began to think.
"If I treat this as a game, exploring the secret realm, defeating enemies, and looting treasures are the main objectives!"
"No, there's also the pressure from the fog. I have to reach an Evacuation Point before the fog covers it!"
"And... there's no respawning here. The [Newcomer Secret Realm] is described as a cooperative secret realm. Does that mean there are competitive ones too? And even the Newcomer Secret Realm doesn't forbid people from attacking each other!"
Wu Yu took a deep breath, but did not panic.
Ever since entering the Tower, he had maintained a certain wariness toward the others. Unfortunately, Liu Zheng's status was special. Hiding his name from him would only have backfired...
"They seemed to misunderstand something earlier..."
"Whatever. Once Liu Zheng gets back and looks into it, he'll realize the problem was on his end."
Wu Yu shook his head and sank into thought.
With the [Bi Fang Sigil], Wu Yu could ensure his safety in the [Newcomer Secret Realm] even under such crude conditions.
Not long ago, one of the burly swordsmen pursuing him had been farther away, so the blast had merely left him gravely injured on the ground.
Wu Yu had experimented on him and discovered that he could currently inscribe the [Bi Fang Sigil] anywhere within ten meters, provided it was in his line of sight.
As for what he could inscribe it on... a pebble, a leaf, even a human body would work.
There was nothing he could not place it on, nothing it could not settle upon!
The [Bi Fang Sigil] was silent and undetectable, and multiple sigils could be stacked.
Its destructive power was already considerable, but Wu Yu was only a mortal. Once he returned and began cultivating, gaining Spirit Power, the [Bi Fang Sigil] would surely have more advanced applications.
Like the talismans among the Hundred Arts of immortal cultivation, a [Bi Fang Sigil] inscribed using Spirit Power would presumably have a different level of power.
He suspected that the [Bi Fang Sigil] was meant to consume immortal power or Spirit Power. Since mortals possessed neither, it consumed a certain amount of vitality instead.
And with a cultivator's Divine Sense, the range of the [Bi Fang Sigil] would probably expand considerably. He would no longer have to rely on his eyes to inscribe it.
"I have destructive power and recovery items now. At full strength, anyone I glare at dies!"
A flicker of ambition quietly rose in Wu Yu's heart.
Before the fog arrived, could he kill more monsters, or even explore "Evil Tiger Stronghold," "Redfang Village," and "Lostway Cave" to obtain better things?
"It's worth a try!"
"There's still plenty of time before the fog arrives. I can spend a little longer stockpiling objects to hold [Bi Fang Sigil]."
"And I can check out 'Redfang Village' first. That place doesn't look dangerous."
With that thought,
Wu Yu checked his inventory. He still had seven small pebbles left.
If his earlier experiments had not taken so much time, he would have stockpiled more than ten objects to hold the sigils.
Suddenly, a tremendous boom rang out!
A small pebble immediately appeared in Wu Yu's hand, and he turned to look.
In the distance, he saw a dazzling flash of light and smoke billowing into the sky.
"What's that?"
He immediately climbed higher, then scaled a large tree before finally getting a clear view of the scene.
On a path through the woods, burly men in Beastskin Garments fell one after another. Liu Zheng held a Psionic Pistol, and there was even a Micro Drone overhead. Low-level Psionic Shells exploded among the trees, blasting the men into pieces.
"More Spirit Energy weapons! And a drone..."
Wu Yu's pupils contracted as he recalled something.
"I knew it. Even if people in high places don't undergo modifications or become transcendent, they're bound to carry all sorts of weapons."
The louder the commotion, the more attention it naturally attracted.
Unlike the [Bi Fang Sigil], Spirit Energy weapons made much more noise, drawing ever more burly men in Beastskin Garments toward them.
Some archers found high ground and drew their bows. Arrows shot through the woods, aimed at Liu Zheng's head and chest.
But whenever an arrow drew near, a transparent barrier appeared and deflected it.
"A Psionic Shield Belt. Even a secondhand one can sell for five hundred thousand at the Black Crow Merchant Guild!"
Wu Yu observed in silence.
The two sides fought fiercely. Liu Zheng was forced to bring out several pieces of psionic equipment, some of which were top-of-the-line goods unavailable even on the Black Market.
Dozens of the burly men in Beastskin Garments were killed or wounded, and cards littered the ground.
At last,
the burly man standing two meters tall approached.
Unlike the others, this man carried a Tiger-head Broadsword, and every movement he made radiated an astonishing sense of pressure.
"The leader makes his entrance last?"
"No! He deliberately had his men wear down Liu Zheng's equipment. If he's stepping in now, he must have spotted something."
"These men in Beastskin Garments aren't mindless game monsters. They're highly intelligent!"
Wu Yu's heart skipped a beat. His newfound ambition faded, and he grew calmer.
Sure enough, by the time the burly swordsman approached, Liu Zheng had little energy left and was already backing away.
His Psionic Pistol's fire dwindled, and the Micro Drone flew back into his hand.
The burly man roared and charged, swinging his broadsword!
Boom-!
Like a great bear lunging forward, the burly man burst into motion with terrifying speed and strength.
Liu Zheng swiftly dodged his descending blade, which severed a large tree beside him.
The severed section of the tree toppled toward the burly man.
He punched it, knocking it aside.
Liu Zheng hurriedly fired. The Psionic Bullet struck the burly man, but rather than killing him instantly as it had the others, it merely opened a bloody wound. The injury was clearly not serious.
The burly man swung again. A Psionic Shield appeared, but the blow sent it shaking violently, and spiderweb cracks spread across its surface.
Bang-!
The Psionic Shield shattered.
At the same moment, an arrow shot toward Liu Zheng and struck his thigh!
"Aah!"
He screamed and collapsed to the ground.
At the critical moment, he sent the Micro Drone flying up, and a Low-level Psionic Shell slammed into the burly man!
Bang-!
At such close range, the burly man had no chance to dodge. The blast hurled him away, leaving him covered in blood!
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