Chapter 144 Give Up All Hope

Rumble—

In the wild mountains, explosions echoed.

Figures of men and horses flashed amidst more than a dozen eagle-like fierce beasts. The white horse, Lightning, remained the most ferocious entity, wantonly trampling the dozen beasts as bursts of fresh blood exploded into the air.

The sheer terror of the scene made Yang Xiaoman and Linghu Jinjiu gasp in astonishment once again. As for Fang Junmei and the other two, their only task was to entangle the opponents while protecting themselves.

Those dozen eagle-like beasts were quickly kicked to death—five or six of them—while the rest, though lacking in high intelligence, still valued their lives and scattered in all directions to flee.

One had to admit that ever since Lightning made its grand appearance, fighting battles had become infinitely easier.

Had it been before, whether Fang Junmei, Yang Xiaoman, and the Luan Shi siblings would have dared to provoke such a massive horde of fierce beasts was entirely unknown, let alone easily beating them into retreat.

Linghu Jinjiu glided over to the lair of the fierce beasts, retrieved a few pieces of golden, metallic materials, and inspected them closely.

"Indeed, it is Heavenly Gold Stone. Many top-grade magical treasures require this material during their refinement. We are quite lucky."

Linghu Jinjiu said indifferently, splitting the two larger portions among Yang Xiaoman and Fang Junmei.

After stowing away his own share, he pulled out a flask of wine and took several heavy gulps. His expression and demeanor seemed to recover slightly.

No matter what, there was no deep enmity or grievance between them; the stiff atmosphere among the three had to be broken somehow. As their senior brother, he ought to take the initiative.

After a sip of wine, he complimented Fang Junmei, saying, "Junior Brother Five, your horse is simply too formidable. Even I wish I had one."

Hearing this, Lightning cast a sidelong glance at him and flashed a haughty, disdainful look.

Fang Junmei nodded slightly and said, "Let's move on. We've been in here for nearly half a month, and half our time has already been consumed."

The two nodded and once again proceeded to explore ahead.

...

"Hey you, surnamed Fang, if the three of you continue to walk, search, and fight like this, advancing at a snail's pace, I'm afraid that even in another seven or eight days, I won't be able to calculate just how far that strange anomaly is from here."

Once they were on the move again, Lightning sent a telepathic message to Fang Junmei.

Hearing this, Fang Junmei knitted his brows and asked, "Then what should we do?"

Lightning snorted coldly, "If these bullshit Heavenly Gold Stone opportunities are already enough to satisfy you, then consider I said nothing and carry on searching as you are. If you hold greater ambitions, think it through carefully yourself."

After all, having an extraordinary origin, its vision and knowledge were vast.

Fang Junmei fell silent.

Were these minor opportunities truly the goal of entering this place this time?

Involuntarily, he thought of Long Jinyu and Gu Xijin. Ever since entering the Bottomless Realm of Light, Fang Junmei had not laid eyes on the two of them again.

Had these two most outstanding cultivators simply abandoned everything along the way upon entering this place and bolted straight for the deepest depths?

At this thought, Fang Junmei suddenly felt as though he had no idea what he was even doing, as if he had squandered his time and wasted a magnificent opportunity. Regret welled up within him.

Was it still possible to make up for it now?

Knitting his brows in deep thought for a moment, Fang Junmei looked toward Lightning and asked, "Lightning, if I asked you to venture alone far ahead, sense the spatial fluctuations, calculate the distance, and return to tell me, would you have the guts?"

"Such a trivial matter, what guts could it possibly require? If I, Lightning, deliberately choose to run, no matter how many fierce beasts lie ahead, they'll never catch me."

Lightning said with utter disdain.

Fang Junmei gave it a white-eyed look and said, "What I'm worried about is not those fierce beasts, but other cultivators."

Hearing him bring up the past embarrassing incident, Lightning said with dissatisfaction, "Do you think everyone knows of my existence and prowess and can make all sorts of advance preparations?"

Fang Junmei thought about it and realized it had a point.

"You'd better worry about yourself instead, lest I leave only to find you slaughtered and dragging me down with you."

Lightning sneered.

Fang Junmei smiled, raised his voice, and said to Yang Xiaoman and Linghu Jinjiu, "Senior Brother, Senior Sister, Lightning has discovered something peculiar. I need to send it ahead to investigate. It might take a few days, so the road ahead will be up to the three of us to face. Let's not take too many risks and be careful."

"What peculiarity?"

Linghu Jinjiu turned his head to ask.

Yang Xiaoman also shot him a curious gaze.

However, since this matter involved spatial phenomena, it was inconvenient for Fang Junmei to disclose it, lest it bring trouble to Lightning. After a moment of thought, he casually made up an excuse: "There is some strange power in the sky, and Lightning wants to trace its source."

The two nodded in understanding.

Linghu Jinjiu said, "Junior Brother Five, your horse can be said to be a tremendous asset. Once it leaves, the speed and quantity of the opportunities we obtain will surely diminish. You should think this through carefully."

Fang Junmei nodded and said, "I have already thought it over carefully. Although the opportunities we have obtained so far are quite good, they are all items that can be bought with spirit stones. Such a once-in-a-millennium opportunity must never pass us by like this. I am determined to unearth a priceless fortune here!"

His words were filled with soaring passion and ambitious aspiration.

Hearing him speak thus, even if Linghu Jinjiu disagreed inwardly, it was hard to say anything more. After all, the horse belonged to Fang Junmei, so he could only nod in agreement.

"Lightning, go ahead, and be careful on the way!"

Fang Junmei exhorted.

Lightning nodded, stepped into the void, and flashed away.

...

The further forward they went, the more cultivators they encountered. Sometimes they would run into two or three groups of other cultivators in a single day. This indicated that the area ahead was narrowing, much like moving from the edge of a circle toward its center.

Not only that, but fierce beasts had also grown more numerous.

Clashes with fierce beasts and contention with other cultivators occurred from time to time.

The three of them were no longer so fortunate. Instances where they sustained injuries yet gained nothing in the end and had to flee for their lives began to occur.

Four full days passed, during which the three reaped minimal rewards, while Lightning still hadn't returned. If not for the subtle connection between Fang Junmei and Lightning, he would surely have thought something had happened to it.

On this day, the three halted their steps and gazed intently at the mountain scenery ahead. The terrain before them had undergone unusual changes; the color of the vegetation had visibly deepened, shifting from emerald green to dark green, and further ahead, turning pitch black, as if infected by some potent poison, yet exuding a vitality even more exuberant than the mountains behind.

Roar—

Earth-shattering beast roars echoed from the mountains ahead, one after another. Their numbers were not only vast but densely packed. High up in the sky, flying fierce beasts darted back and forth.

Faintly sensing the oppressive auras of powerful fierce beasts at the later stage of the Dao Seed realm emanating from the mountains ahead, all three wore solemn expressions.

The expanse of this pitch-black wilderness was not as narrow as the Crystal Forest; it stretched on endlessly beyond the limits of sight.

"We cannot press forward anymore. According to the explanations given by Senior Uncle Tianfeng and the others, unless we possess the cultivation of the mid-to-late Dao Seed realm, we can only go this far. Even if we could push a little further, it would be extremely difficult to snatch any fortune from the jaws of those fierce beasts."

Yang Xiaoman said, "I imagine that seventy to eighty percent of the other cultivators are stuck at this very place, just like us."

Fang Junmei nodded in agreement.

Linghu Jinjiu let out a depressed sigh. The opportunities were right ahead, yet he dared not take them and could not reach them. No matter who experienced this feeling, it would be hard to bear.

However, if Lightning were still around, the three of them might have been able to push a little further. Thinking of this, he felt an even greater sense of dissatisfaction toward Fang Junmei's decision.

"Junior Brother Five, do you still not sense its return?"

Linghu Jinjiu asked.

Fang Junmei shook his head.

Yang Xiaoman said, "Right now, we can either wait here for Lightning to return or explore other directions."

Linghu Jinjiu thought for a moment and said, "Let's explore other directions first. We have less and less time left; we cannot afford to waste any more."

Yang Xiaoman looked at Fang Junmei.

Fang Junmei said, "You two go ahead. I will lie low in the vicinity and wait for Lightning to return."

"Junior Brother Five, you still refuse to give up and want to probe further ahead?"

Linghu Jinjiu saw right through Fang Junmei's intentions.

Fang Junmei gave a bitter smile and said, "I truly refuse to give up, but I am not foolish enough to march to my death. I only want to wait for Lightning here; I must wait for it. It is very important to me."

Hearing this, the two had nothing more to say. They felt conflicted as well; if they stayed behind to wait, it would certainly delay their own time, and they had no idea how long they would be waiting. But if they left and abandoned Fang Junmei alone here, it would seem unfeeling and disloyal.

"Junior Brother, I will stay and keep you company."

Yang Xiaoman said, ready to sacrifice the remainder of her time for Fang Junmei's sake.

Fang Junmei looked at her, reading a different meaning in her gaze.

However, if Yang Xiaoman stayed, Linghu Jinjiu alone would certainly be unable to defeat the fierce beasts or compete with other cultivators.

Glancing again at the conflicted Linghu Jinjiu, Fang Junmei said, "No, Senior Sister, you and Senior Brother Linghu go ahead together. There is no need to waste your time in vain. Opportunities are hard to come by."

Naturally, the two of them refused.

After a round of back-and-forth persuasion, they ultimately failed to sway Fang Junmei. Selecting a direction, they bid him farewell and urged him to seek them out once Lightning returned.

Fang Junmei naturally agreed. He found a spot nearby, carved out a cave dwelling, and began to wait.

...

This wait lasted another five days!

Of the one month allotted for entering the mystic realm, twenty days had already passed. Fang Junmei knew that even if Lightning brought back good news, there was likely no share left for him.

Sure enough, on this day, Lightning returned and quickly located Fang Junmei through their spiritual resonance.

This fellow had truly risked its life; it was covered in numerous injuries. After the man and horse reunited, Fang Junmei did not rush to ask questions, instead immediately setting about treating its wounds.

"You bastard, why didn't you tell me how dangerous it was ahead? This young master almost threw his life away this time!"

Lightning started cursing again.

Fang Junmei smiled sheepishly. In truth, because Daoist Tianfeng had already warned them not to go, he hadn't gone into great detail.

"As for the fortune at the source of that anomaly, you can completely banish the thought!"

Lightning snorted and huffed, "By my estimation, at your speed, even if you rushed there at full tilt without a single rest and without any interference, it would take you at least fifteen days. Your trip to the mystic realm would have long since ended!"

Hearing this, Fang Junmei smiled bitterly. It was indeed the expected outcome.

Having finished speaking, Lightning sprawled out on the ground and groaned, "I'm done for, I need to rest. In any case, don't even think about making me carry you over there. If you still refuse to give up, you'll just have to rely on blind luck and find a teleportation array leading straight there."

Upon hearing this last sentence, Fang Junmei's gaze trembled as if struck by lightning!