Ore Vein

Zhou Yuan took the Life Fruit Mu Feng handed him. The fruit's dense life aura instantly spread through the air, and as he took a deep breath, it was as if every cell in his body were cheering in the pure energy.

The life force contained in the Life Fruit was incredibly pure. To a World Lord-level powerhouse, it was a second life, and it was nearly impossible to see one under ordinary 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!" Gao Tao hurriedly reminded Zhou Yuan when he saw his intoxicated expression.

He knew this wasn't the time to immerse himself in the fruit's aura. Yun Yan's condition was extremely critical, and he had to absorb the life force as soon as possible.

Zhou Yuan jolted and abruptly came back to his senses. He quickly brought the Life Fruit to Yun Yan's lips and squeezed hard. Pale green juice gushed out like a spring and dripped onto Yun Yan's lips.

The moment the juice touched his skin, it rapidly seeped inside. Yun Yan's skin, blackened by the corrosion of the toxins, returned to normal at a visible speed, while his originally feeble life aura gradually grew vigorous.

As the juice continued to drip in, new flesh slowly began growing around Yun Yan's neck. Like a plant sprouting, it extended and grew bit by bit.

Not long afterward, his eyes slowly opened. Although he still couldn't speak, clarity had returned to his gaze, clearly showing that his consciousness had awakened.

"This is the Life Fruit Mu Feng brought out. Absorb its medicinal effect quickly and don't waste it." Zhou Yuan continued squeezing the fruit as he spoke to Yun Yan.

He could feel the life force inside Yun Yan rapidly recovering. He believed it wouldn't be long before Yun Yan could reconstruct his complete body.

"The value of this Life Fruit will be deducted from your earnings and given to Mu Feng. Is that all right?" Seeing that Yun Yan had regained consciousness, Gao Tao asked.

Within the team, all resources were allocated 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.

"It... it should..." Yun Yan's newly formed throat was still hoarse, but his tone was firm.

He knew that if Mu Feng and Zhou Yuan hadn't intervened in time, he would probably already be dead. It was only natural to pay some resources in return.

Gao Tao nodded, a trace of lingering fear flashing through his eyes. "This was a profound lesson. From now on, we must conduct careful reconnaissance before every operation and absolutely cannot be careless again. Let's first find a safe place to recover. Once everyone's injuries have healed, we'll decide where to explore next."

Everyone nodded one after another, the excitement on their faces long since replaced by solemnity. The unexpected turn in this battle had made them deeply realize that the dangers in the depths of this mountain range far exceeded their imagination. The slightest carelessness could result in death and the destruction of their souls. Even with their wealth of experience, they no longer dared relax in the slightest.

"I think the valley where we eliminated the giant bear earlier would be suitable. It's on the outskirts of the mountain range and isn't too far from here.

"Mu Feng and I still have our full combat strength. Once Yun Yan's body finishes growing, he'll be completely healed as well. The captain and Suo Lin's injuries aren't serious. Although Ka En suffered severe injuries, he should be able to hold out until we get there as long as we proceed carefully.

"Retreating to the outskirts will ensure our safety while also making it convenient for us to observe any movements in the depths of the mountain range at any time." After pondering for a moment, Zhou Yuan offered his suggestion.

"What do you think?" Gao Tao looked at the others and asked for their opinions.

"I have no objections. That valley is indeed a good place to recover." Mu Feng was the first to speak. He also felt that stabilizing their condition and recovering was the best choice under the circumstances.

Suo Lin also nodded. "I agree. The ferocious beasts on the outskirts are relatively weaker, so it's safer there."

"Ka En, what about you? Can you hold out until we get there?" Gao Tao asked with concern as he looked at the most heavily injured Ka En.

Ka En's body had previously been gravely wounded by two World Lord eighth level giant scorpions. Although his injuries had been temporarily stabilized, the long journey would still be a considerable test for him.

"Don't worry, Captain. I can hold out for this distance." Ka En answered in a deep, muffled voice. He circulated the origin force within his body to stabilize his injuries, his eyes filled with determination.

While the few of them were talking, Yun Yan's body had already completely grown back.

His brand-new body shimmered with a healthy radiance. The injuries he had suffered earlier had been completely healed by the Life Fruit, and he was even somewhat stronger than before.

"Let's go!" Seeing that Yun Yan had fully recovered, Gao Tao no longer hesitated. He flew toward the outskirts of the mountain range first to lead the way. Everyone hurriedly rose and followed, and the team's figures soon disappeared into the depths of the forest as they sped toward the safe area.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye. After spending more than a year recovering in the valley, Zhou Yuan's six-person team continued exploring the mountain range. They had experienced more than a dozen battles and gained a great deal.

That day, they had just killed a group of lizard-like ferocious beasts. Standing amid the battlefield filled with the stench of blood, they wore rare, relaxed smiles.

"Captain, our gains this time are pretty good. Those few Grolin Fruits Suo Lin collected alone are worth dozens of Hunyuan units!" Mu Feng excitedly spoke as he counted the spoils.

Grolin Fruit was an extremely rare spirit fruit that could assist cultivators in rapidly accumulating origin force. It was also highly effective for World Lord-level powerhouses and was in great demand on the cosmic market.

"The main reason this time was that no one was injured. It was a rare major victory." Ka En looked at his unharmed teammates and smiled in relief.

The previous accident had left him shaken, so whenever everyone returned safely from a battle, he felt deeply satisfied.

"Captain, there's a D9-level tungsten-sodium metal vein here. I've already surveyed dozens of kilometers, but I still haven't reached the end of the vein. The quantity should be enormous, and its value is incalculable!" At that moment, Suo Lin, who was responsible for cleaning up the battlefield and searching for resources, spoke in the chat channel, her voice carrying barely concealed excitement.

"I only found a little Void Gold on my side, worth just a few Hunyuan units. Compared with what you found, it's far inferior." After finishing his survey of the area on the other side, Zhou Yuan flew to Gao Tao's side and spoke with a smile.

Although Void Gold was a decent metal, its value was indeed far lower than that of tungsten-sodium metal.

"Captain, I also found a tungsten-sodium metal vein here. It looks like an enormous one as well, and it should be connected to Suo Lin's side!" Yun Yan sent word from the other side, his voice equally excited.

"Everyone, come over. Let's discuss what to do with this vein!" Gao Tao was also extremely excited after hearing their reports, and immediately called everyone over to discuss it.

Soon, Suo Lin and Yun Yan, who had been surveying the distance, both hurried over.

Gao Tao opened the virtual map and pointed at the areas Suo Lin and Mu Feng had surveyed. "Suo Lin and Mu Feng both just discovered tungsten-sodium metal veins in these two areas. Neither has been fully surveyed yet. Judging from the direction of the veins, the two sides should be connected. It's one enormous vein."