Zhou Yuan accepted the Life Fruit Mu Feng handed over. The fruit's rich aura of life instantly spread through the air. Taking a deep breath, he felt as though every cell in his body was cheering within that pure energy.
The Life Fruit contained extremely pure life force. To a World Lord-level powerhouse, it was a second life, something rarely seen under normal circumstances. The first time Zhou Yuan had seen one was at the Purple Zenith Auction.
"Feed it to Yun Yan quickly. Don't let the medicinal effect dissipate!" Seeing Zhou Yuan's entranced expression, Gao Tao hurriedly reminded him.
He knew this was not the time to immerse himself in the fruit's aura. Yun Yan's condition was critical, and he needed to absorb the life force as soon as possible.
Zhou Yuan jolted awake and hurriedly brought the Life Fruit to Yun Yan's mouth. With a hard squeeze, pale green juice gushed out like spring water and dripped onto Yun Yan's lips.
The moment the juice touched his skin, it rapidly seeped in. Yun Yan's skin, blackened by the toxin's corrosion, returned to normal at a visible rate, while his previously feeble life aura gradually grew vigorous again.
As the juice continued to drip in, new flesh slowly began to grow around Yun Yan's neck, sprouting and spreading bit by bit like a budding plant.
Before long, his eyes slowly opened. Although he still could not speak, clarity had returned to his gaze. He was clearly conscious again.
"This Life Fruit was provided by Mu Feng. Absorb its medicinal effect quickly. Don't waste it," Zhou Yuan said as he continued squeezing the fruit.
He could feel Yun Yan's vitality rapidly recovering. He believed Yun Yan would soon be able to reconstruct his body completely.
"The value of this Life Fruit will be deducted from your gains this time and given to Mu Feng. No objections, right?" Gao Tao asked once Yun Yan had awakened.
Within the team, all resources were distributed according to contribution. This Life Fruit had come from Mu Feng's personal reserves, so its value naturally had to be deducted from the beneficiary's share.
"Of... of course..." Yun Yan's newly grown throat was still hoarse, but his tone was firm.
He knew that if Mu Feng and Zhou Yuan had not acted in time, he would likely already be dead. Giving up some resources as repayment was only natural.
Gao Tao nodded, a trace of lingering fear flashing through his eyes. "This was a harsh lesson. From now on, we must scout carefully before every operation. We absolutely cannot be careless again. Let's find somewhere safe to rest first. Once everyone has recovered from their injuries, we'll decide where to explore next."
Everyone nodded, the excitement on their faces long replaced by solemnity. This unexpected battle had made them deeply realize that the dangers in the depths of these mountains far exceeded their imagination. One careless move could lead to death. Even with their experience, they no longer dared to relax in the slightest.
"I think the valley where we killed the giant bear before would be a good choice. It's on the outskirts of the mountains and isn't too far from here.
"Mu Feng and I are at full fighting strength now. Once Yun Yan's body finishes growing, he'll recover completely as well. The captain and Suo Lin aren't seriously injured, and although Ka En suffered severe injuries, he should be able to make it there if we proceed carefully.
"Retreating to the outskirts will ensure our safety and make it easier for us to observe any movement deeper in the mountains," Zhou Yuan suggested after pondering for a moment.
"What do you all think?" Gao Tao looked toward the others and asked for their opinions.
"I have no objections. That valley really is a good place to rest," Mu Feng was the first to state his position. He also felt that a stable period of recovery was the best choice under the current circumstances.
Suo Lin nodded as well. "I agree. The ferocious beasts on the outskirts are relatively weaker, so it'll be safer."
"Ka En, what about you? Can you make it there?" Gao Tao asked Ka En, who was the most seriously injured, with concern.
Ka En's body had previously been severely wounded by two World Lord eighth-level giant scorpions. Although his injuries had been temporarily stabilized, traveling such a long distance would still be no small challenge for him.
"Don't worry, Captain. I can manage that distance," Ka En replied in a muffled voice. He circulated the origin energy within his body to stabilize his injuries, his eyes filled with determination.
As they spoke, Yun Yan's body had already fully regenerated.
His new body gleamed with healthy radiance. Under the effects of the Life Fruit, all of his previous injuries had completely healed, and he was even somewhat stronger than before.
"Move!" Seeing that Yun Yan had fully recovered, Gao Tao hesitated no longer. He took the lead in flying toward the outskirts of the mountains, clearing the way for the others. The group hurriedly rose and followed, their figures quickly vanishing into the depths of the forest as they sped toward safety.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye. After resting in the valley for over a year following their first expedition, Zhou Yuan's six-man team continued exploring the mountains, going through more than ten battles and gaining quite a lot.
That day, they had just killed a group of lizard-like ferocious beasts. Standing amid the blood-scented battlefield, relaxed smiles finally appeared on their faces again.
"Captain, this haul is pretty good. Those few Grolin Fruits Suo Lin collected alone are worth dozens of Hunyuan units!" Mu Feng said excitedly as he counted the spoils.
The Grolin Fruit was an extremely rare spirit fruit that could help cultivators rapidly accumulate origin energy. It was highly useful even to World Lord-level powerhouses and was in great demand on the cosmic market.
"The main thing is that no one got hurt this time. It's a rare, complete victory," Ka En said, a gratified smile appearing on his face as he looked at his uninjured teammates.
The earlier accident still haunted him, so as long as everyone could return safely after each battle, he felt deeply satisfied.
"Captain, there's a D9-level Tungsten-Sodium Metal vein over here. I've already surveyed dozens of kilometers, but I still haven't reached the end. The reserves should be enormous, and its value is incalculable!" At that moment, Suo Lin, who was responsible for clearing the battlefield and scouting resources, spoke in the team chat. Her tone carried barely concealed excitement.
"I only found a little Void Gold on my side. It's worth just a few Hunyuan units, nowhere near what you found," Zhou Yuan said with a smile as he flew over to Gao Tao after surveying the other area.
Although Void Gold was also a decent metal, it was indeed far less valuable than Tungsten-Sodium Metal.
"Captain, I found a Tungsten-Sodium Metal vein here too. It looks super-large as well, and it should be connected to Suo Lin's vein!" Yun Yan's voice came from the other side, equally excited.
"Everyone, come over. Let's discuss how to deal with this vein!" Gao Tao was greatly excited by their reports and immediately summoned everyone to discuss it.
Very soon, Suo Lin and Yun Yan, who had been scouting farther away, both rushed over.
Gao Tao opened the virtual map and pointed to the areas Suo Lin and Mu Feng had surveyed. "Suo Lin and Mu Feng both discovered Tungsten-Sodium Metal veins just now, in these two areas. Neither side has finished surveying yet, but judging from the direction of the veins, they should be connected. This is an enormous ore vein."