Departure (2)

"Say what you need to say." A flicker of impatience crossed the woman's eyes.

"Do you really think you're some trailblazing expedition?" The man suddenly laughed. "Jian An seems to know more than any of us. Why don't you and I join forces and share our intelligence?"

"You people have it easy—just hire a random squad and call it an investigation mission. Aren't you afraid someone will spot the holes in your story?" the woman said coldly.

"They're just cannon fodder for cover. It doesn't matter either way." Shen Jing smiled, but his expression quickly darkened slightly. "That isn't the key. For some reason, I keep feeling that the fellow who joined last is a little strange."

"We were a temporary team to begin with. Why care so much?" The woman was utterly unconcerned. "Everyone came for the same purpose. When the time comes, each of us will rely on our own abilities."

"Easy to say. I'm afraid that when the time comes, it won't be ability that decides things, but methods." Shen Jing let out a chilly chuckle.

"I won't join forces with anyone. Leave." The woman remained completely unmoved.

"Won't you reconsider?" Shen Jing's expression did not change as he smiled.

"No need," the woman said flatly.

Shen Jing shrugged, then could only turn and disappear into the darkness. Within moments, he had vanished.

The woman withdrew her gaze and slowly walked toward her designated direction.

"You could consider exchanging intelligence with him." A man's voice rang out within her mind.

"No need." A fierce glint flashed through the woman's eyes. "That thing is destined to be mine. Anyone who stands in my way must die."

"You're certainly decisive. Still, with that thing, it really is..." The man's voice fell silent.

To the west.

"How did it go?"

Another woman crouched halfway to the ground, clutching a handful of dirt as though inspecting something.

Shen Jing slowly emerged from the shadows. His expression was calm as he shook his head slightly.

"She refused."

The woman on the ground showed no surprise. She stood up. Beneath the hood of her crimson robe was a beautiful, aloof face, as though untouched by the dust of the mortal world.

"What exactly did Jade Clarity Dao give her to make her so confident?"

Shen Jing merely smiled.

"Our Transformation Cave isn't made of clay either. If it truly comes to a fight, are we really supposed to fear her?"

"Don't let your guard down," the woman said blandly.

"Understood." Shen Jing lowered his head slightly toward her with a hint of respect.

"And that person who joined last, as well as Jian An. We don't know which factions those two belong to, but they seem to be hiding quite a lot," the woman said softly.

"No matter where they came from, with you personally taking action, what is there—"

"Mind your words." The woman cut Shen Jing off.

"What about the Netherworld Mansion Child's squad afterward?" Shen Jing asked again.

"Ignore them. Though they are Netherworld Mansion Children, and their actual combat strength far exceeds others of their level, their level is too low. They cannot affect the larger picture." The woman lowered her eyes, her face calm.

"I only wonder how things are going in the other directions."

"With so many separate teams advancing from every direction, one of them will surely manage to enter successfully. We just don't know which team it will be," Shen Jing said quietly.

The woman remained silent.

Before long, the members sent out to scout the various directions gradually returned.

The area around the Rune Carriage was now filled with white light. The glow emitted by its body seemed to be growing brighter and brighter.

By the time Lin Xin returned to the carriage, nearly everyone else had already come back. Only he was the slowest.

Since he was not the real Xia Haiji, he was not very skilled at this sort of thing. Naturally, he had fallen behind.

"Did something happen?" Mei Zi came over and asked with concern.

Lin Xin shook his head.

"Nothing. I was just distracted for a moment, so I moved a little slowly."

Mei Zi looked at him worriedly. Her lips parted, but in the end she did not continue asking. She had clearly misunderstood something.

"This point has been confirmed. Then, following the Cross Star Method, we'll head for the second point. With five points in total, we should be able to roughly determine the map of this region. Does anyone have any objections?" Gu Lin Ce called out.

"We'll follow Captain Gu's arrangements in everything," Jian An said with a smile.

The others had no objections either.

The Rune Carriage slowly began moving, heading into the distance.

For the next several days, whenever the Rune Carriage reached a location, everyone would split up to investigate the surrounding area.

The black, cake-shaped monsters were named Black Pillars. The smaller ones stood over a person's height, while the larger ones were more than ten meters tall—as large as an entire house.

Black Pillars were covered in deadly poison and were also the most common creatures on this land.

There was also a beetle-like creature with a single eye split open on its back. It was not aggressive either.

Other than them, they did not encounter any additional living creatures.

The Rune Carriage gradually explored more and more territory.

Yet they never encountered any trouble—until the Seventh Heaven.

A strange temple appeared before them.

Upon a murky gray mountainside stood an enormous Buddha statue, smiling with a flower in hand. One of its eyes was open, gazing at the endless rolling hills ahead.

Crack!

A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the entire region.

The Rune Carriage was parked before an enormous black mountain whose edges could not be seen. Directly before them stood the giant Buddha statue, dozens of meters tall.

The statue's head was damaged, with nearly half of it apparently shattered and fallen away by something.

At the center beneath it, on the lotus pedestal, was an opening of moderate size: the temple entrance.

Piercingly cold winds swept past in gust after gust, carrying mournful howls with them.

The Rune Carriage emitted a faint white glow that covered an area more than ten meters around it, keeping the cold wind and shadows outside. Yet compared to the Buddha statue, it was like an elephant beside a mouse—exceptionally tiny.

Other than the Rune Carriage, the surroundings were completely dark. Even the moonlight was blocked by black clouds. The furthest they could see was only twenty or thirty meters away. Beyond that lay utter darkness.

The two squads seemed completely surrounded by boundless darkness, as though they could be swallowed whole at any moment.

Gu Lin Ce frowned at the towering Buddha statue before him, unable to shake the feeling that something about it was indescribably strange.

The faint glow of the Rune Carriage illuminated the statue from the bottom up, lending its originally solemn appearance a trace of eerie gloom that made people shudder.

"There's actually a place like this here," he murmured.

"I knew this mission wouldn't be so easy." Chen Fan gave a bitter smile. "One look tells you this place is not to be trifled with. Captain, are you sure we're going in?"

"There's no choice. Since we accepted the mission, it's best to complete it. Otherwise, our squad's reputation will fall, and it will be difficult to take on missions like this in the future." Gu Lin Ce shook his head.

"But I keep feeling that something isn't right," Chen Fan said quietly.

Lin Xin looked up at the Buddha statue. He could not shake the feeling that its single enormous eye was intentionally or unintentionally watching their group.

"Brother Haiji, you really haven't been yourself on this mission." Mei Zi approached and said softly. "Why don't you stay outside this time and not go in?"

"How could I do that? Since this is everyone's mission, if I don't go in, how could I have the nerve to take my share of the Demon Talisman Seed reward?" Lin Xin firmly rejected her goodwill.

"But Brother Haiji, your current state..." Mei Zi was worried.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." Lin Xin smiled at her.

Mei Zi's cheeks immediately flushed faintly. She lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.

"This is for you, Brother Haiji. Be careful."

She quickly stuffed something into Lin Xin's hand, then turned and ran away.

Lin Xin had long noticed that the girl seemed to like Xia Haiji, while Xia Haiji liked the woman named Ming Qiao. Their relationship was tangled and complicated, making it troublesome as well.

"Let's go in."

Gu Lin Ce's voice came at that moment.

Lin Xin swept his gaze around, then followed the Rune Carriage toward the temple entrance.

He vaguely noticed that the members of the other crimson-robed squad did not seem particularly surprised. Though they had deliberately put on expressions, eyes could not lie.

These people seem to have known all along that there was a temple here. Things are becoming interesting.

He made a quiet mental preparation.

The group slowly walked before the Buddha statue's lotus pedestal.

Ahead was a pitch-black square gate. Half of its doors had already been opened. Because the petal-like rocks extending from the lotus pedestal on both sides blocked the airflow, the ground at the entrance was covered in rubble and thick dust.

This was a dead corner where the wind could not carry away the dust.

Lin Xin glanced at the item in his hand. It was a small, exquisite lantern, entirely white, with a single red character written upon it: Soul.

"A Soul Suppressing Lantern?"

He recognized it. It was one of the more famous high-powered items among one-use magical artifacts. It could release marvelous soul-body shockwaves, blasting apart all presences around the user that carried hostility or killing intent.

This thing was probably one of Mei Zi's trump cards prepared for herself, yet she gave it to me just like that. Her feelings for Xia Haiji truly run deep. Lin Xin put it away. Even an idiot could see Mei Zi's feelings for Xia Haiji. Unfortunately, he could never return them.

The Rune Carriage was parked in a wind-sheltered corner by the entrance, then carefully put away by Mei Zi. It turned back into a gleaming golden little box.

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a temple dedicated to the Shagula Evil God. Once we enter, we may encounter Rotten Warriors who serve the evil god. Be careful, everyone. Those things self-destruct when they die."

Jian An, who had hardly spoken much until now, suddenly spoke up in warning.

"Rotten Warriors..." Gu Lin Ce's eyes narrowed. "I'll keep it in mind."

Jian An grinned, but his gaze drifted faintly toward several other members of his own team.

Shen Jing quietly followed behind the ethereal woman, saying nothing, only smiling.

The woman carrying a meteor hammer had a blank expression as she followed behind Gu Lin Ce.

That thing must be mine! What Jian An truly cared about, however, was the final person—the fellow wrapped from head to toe, wearing a black mask over his face that did not even reveal his eyes.

This team had originally been assembled only temporarily. He had merely not expected so many people of unknown backgrounds to suddenly appear and interfere.

Yet among them all, the one who made him feel the most danger was that mysterious person who had joined last.