Boom!
Another deafening explosion was heard coming from Gigantic Willow City!
The infuriated Willow King and Willow Tree Monster could sense Zhao Xingwu’s aura approaching. They did not even care if they were fighting in Royal City. The big willow tree detached itself from the ground. Its countless tree branches were just like arms, whipping through the air!
Under Willow King’s rage, he gathered massive energies in the sky, absorbing them into his body and smacking them out like thunder. There was an explosion in the air, forming a second sun.
Both Rank-9 powerhouses erupted with rage. Even Zhao Xingwu, whose ability was extremely powerful, was sent flying tens of li away. Without saying a word, he dashed for his life!
Madness!
Were all Nanjiang Catacombs’ powerhouses lunatics?
He witnessed the scene in which earth split, city walls came crashing down, and massive amounts of Catacombs citizens dying on the spot after both Rank-9s unleashed full force.
How savage!
This was his first time entering this Catacombs.
Did all powerhouses here behave the same way?
It was no wonder Old Zheng claimed that the Catacombs’ fight was beyond terrifying when he returned. Judging from this situation, it was bizarre that Wu Chuan was still alive.
These Rank-9s cared nothing for their lair, going all out whenever they saw humans. Wu Chuan should most certainly feel privileged for being alive.
Zhao Xingwu was completely dumbfounded. Truly. He had fought in a few Catacombs too.
However, seeing a city lord and monster plant going all out, so much so that they were risking their lives, was truly a rare sight.
He had only chased his way here to take a look. It was never his intention to risk his life right now.
On the other hand, the other party did not even think twice. Ignoring the lives of the people in the city, they unleashed full force the moment they saw him. This was such a straightforward battle!
If this was in other Catacombs, he could understand. They had all fought for tens of hundreds of years, all of them had suffered heavy casualties.
As for this place—he had just arrived!
“But... who collapsed the fort?”
Watching the faint golden glow in the distance, Zhao Xingwu seemed to recall something. He mumbled, “That’s not right. I saw Li Changsheng in the beginning. What’s... what’s going on with him?”
Zhao Xingwu was completely baffled right now!
Li Changsheng did not die. Not only that, but he also lured a Rank-9 to him.
This Rank-9 did not come to trap Wu Chuan. Instead, he came after Li Changsheng.
This was a really weird place. Logically speaking, if the other party wanted to kill someone, he should be killing Wu Chuan. For any powerhouses, they would typically surround the strongest powerhouse first, and the remaining would be the meat on their chopping blocks.
However, the Rank-9 he had just met insisted on doing it differently, choosing to chase after Li Changsheng instead. Was it because Li Changsheng killed the other party’s Rank-8?
Not only that, the other party’s fort had been devastated. Who actually destroyed the enemy’s fort under a Monster Plant’s watch?
Wu Chuan?
That was not right. He could still sense Wu Chuan’s aura. He was really far away!
Li Changsheng did it?
Even Li Changsheng could tear down a fort under the nose of a Rank-9 Monster Plant now?
Zhao Xingwu was utterly flummoxed. Forget it. To hell with it. Both Rank-9s were currently in a berserk state.
The purpose of entering the Catacombs for the first time was not to beat the enemy to death but to establish a foothold.
Right now, there was no point going all out to fight the other party.
Besides... he was gone now. The two Rank-9s did not chase after him and were only guarding their lair. What was this?
“Aren’t they going to the passageway?”
“They’re not fighting anymore?”
“I really can’t figure out what’s going on in Nanjiang Catacombs.”
“...”
In Zhao Xingwu’s life, he had been to many Catacombs.
The Catacombs in the country, including this one, totaled at 23. He had been to almost all of them.
Right now, Nanjiang’s Catacombs was one that he truly could not grasp.
It was filled with a strange aura!
Both Rank-9s in this city that was nearest to the passageway actually pulled back and gave up fighting. How strange!
Zhao Xingwu shook his head. Forget it. To hell with it. Help Wu Chuan out and return to the passageway entrance first!
...
More than an hour later.
The passageway entrance.
Wu Chuan and Zhao Xingwu were at a loss. After a while, Zhao Xingwu could not contain himself anymore. He blurted, “What’s going on? They’re not fighting anymore? Are they just going to let us build our city here? Are they scheming on something?”
It was not that simple!
In the past, in order to build a stronghold in the Catacombs, the other party would never give up and fight tooth and nail until they could not fight anymore.
The Catacombs had gained the upper hand in terms of favorable time and conditions. On the other hand, humans were not allowed to send too many powerhouses in as this might lure even more enemy powerhouses.
Hence, under normal circumstances, humans would send only one or two Rank-9s in. The second person rarely fought but mainly strove to prevent the other party from attacking first.
What about now?
The Catacombs’ situation did not seem so good. Two cities had joined forces. It was only then that Zhao Xingwu entered to lend a hand.
However, Zhao Xingwu felt like he had not even killed anyone yet, and the assault had already ended.
One was constantly guarding the lair and refused to come out; the other returned to the lair urgently too, refusing to come back.
Wu Chuan was bewildered too. He frowned, “It may be a trap! But I don’t care anymore. Our top priority is to occupy the passageway and build a stronghold! The more time is delayed, the more advantageous it is for us!
“As long as the passageway is completely stabilized, then, with us guarding here, our people can come and go freely.
“At that time, we can attack and defend as we like. That’s better than how it is right now.”
They risked their lives to enter the Catacombs all for peace and stability for the ones coming in later.
Earlier, they were worried that the Catacombs’ people would come out to earth first, hence they risked their lives to enter before that happened.
Now, not only did the Catacombs’ people not go out, but they were also guarding their lair persistently. If that was the case, they would not take the initiative to seek trouble either. Perhaps they would just wait and see who could wear the other party out first.
Although both of them could not quite understand what the exact reason was, they accepted it as a good thing.
If every Catacombs was so understanding and sensible, perhaps they would not be fighting at all.
Despite the thoughts they were having, both of them dared not let their guards down.
Wu Chuan was particularly cautious. He would never forget how much importance this side attached to the passageway the first day they entered.
They turned out in full force!
Nearly killing all of them in a siege!
If it was not for the final outburst from Li Changsheng, killing a Rank-8 and messing up the situation...
Yes, Li Changsheng!
Wu Chuan asked suddenly, “What’s going on with Changsheng?”
Zhao Xingwu looked at him suspiciously. ‘You’re asking me now? I was about to ask you!’
What was going on with Li Changsheng!
Both of them exchanged glances, feeling a little stressed out. What exactly happened?
The situation right now was difficult to grasp.
...
Meanwhile.
A place more than 600 li away from the passageway and more than 300 li away from Gigantic Willow City.
A few people climbed out of the underground gingerly.
Watching Fang Ping doing it skillfully, Li Hansong could not help himself and commented softly, “You... you dig holes quite fast.”
Fang Ping darted him a look and said flatly, “This is an essential mine-digging skill. If you don’t know this, it means that you’re inexperienced! Look at Qin Fengqing and the rest. Is there anyone who can’t dig holes well?”
Qin Fengqing did not find that inappropriate, though. Spitting out a mouthful of soil, he shook his head and said, “I haven’t dug holes in ages. Why? You haven’t dug mines before?”
When he said this, Qin Fengqing saw Li Hansong looking slightly confused. He let out tutting sounds and teased, “Are you serious? I’ve dug a few times as a Rank-3. It’s just that I didn’t get anything. You’ve never dug one before? Not even once?”
“That...”
Li Hansong felt inferior once again!
So that was how it was. Hole-digging was a professional skill. And he did not master it. How embarrassing.
As he said that, Li Hansong turned his attention to Wang Jinyang. ‘Nanjiang’s Catacombs had just opened. You wouldn’t know how to do it too, would you?’
Wang Jinyang chuckled. “Don’t listen to their nonsense. Hole-digging is used mainly to escape from getting hunted. Our auras stand out too much. By digging a hole that’s tens of meters deep, even a typical Rank-7 will find it difficult to notice us.”
‘In other words, I know how to dig holes. I’m rather skilled too.’
“Is this how you survive in other Catacombs too?”
Li Hansong pitied them slightly now. So, the conditions in other Catacombs were actually so terrible!
All his life, he had only been to Capital City Catacombs.
Martial artists there were different.
Over there, martial artists would make a frontal attack. It was rare for humans to get chased after.
So, Capital City Catacombs was actually different.
Old Man Li darted him a look. Fool!
Who would f*cking rely on digging holes to survive?
These bastards were too aggressive. They were often chased after and got hunted from Rank-3 all the way up to Rank-5. Now, they were still being hunted. Was there anyone else like this?
In other Catacombs, including Magic City Catacombs, even if humans leave the city, they would not venture too deep.
Now, the battle had turned into a tug of war. There were rarely times when people snuck deep into hostile territory and got hunted by the enemy.
Did you think that everyone was like these three stooges, provoking high ranks like they had nothing better to do?
Watching Li Hansong looking with admiration and empathy, Old Man Li figured that it was better for this fellow to revert while he had the chance. Otherwise, he would die one day or another, with not a single clue how he died.
These three were used to being hunted. How to run, how fast to run, how to conserve physical energy and how to maintain combat strength. These were the things that they were experienced in.
It was obvious that Li Hansong lacked such experience.
During critical moments, the one who ran the slowest and lacked experience would die first.
No one paid Li Hansong any more attention. Fang Ping exhaled, saying, “There’s no way for us to return to Gigantic Willow City anymore. But, I do know Gigantic Pine City’s location...”
Old Man Li suddenly shook his head, saying, “The Rank-9 battle has ended!”
In a battle between Rank-9s, energy waves surged constantly. Even if there were no movements, one could still sense it.
Right now, there was not the slightest stir in the air.
Fang Ping’s expression changed. “Gigantic Pine City’s people have returned too?”
“Maybe.”
“What about us?”
Fang Ping’s head hurt. He held his chin and said, “Why don’t we go to Cretaceous City? Here, a Monster Plant is guarding the fort, its roots densely covering the ground. Digging our way there is actually really risky.
“Monster Life Clan, though, is not that troublesome...”
The three other guys could not quite understand what he was talking about. Old Man Li shook his head, explaining, “Firstly, when humans enter the Catacombs, they definitely won’t take the initiative to provoke Monster Life Clan. This is a universal rule. All except the Capital City Catacombs.
“Secondly, regarding Monster Life Clan, do you really think that they don’t have any means of doing things?
“There are monsters living underground as well. Some of them are really powerful. I’ve encountered monsters who live underground before. High-ranked ones, a whole nest of them too!”
Fang Ping gulped. Experience. Having an elderly person around was like having a treasure!
He was not even aware of this. Or perhaps the massive amounts of Wealth had blinded him of this fact.
That was true. If Monster Life Clan did not have any defenses, their underground energy mines would have been hollowed out a long time ago, would they not?
There were high-ranked monsters underground. Those were much more difficult to handle than monster plants.
At least monster plants only had their roots underground. They practically only existed on the ground surface.
Willow Tree Monster, for example, had no way of displaying its powerful ability underground. Only when something was within the range of its roots would it be able to make full use of its strength.
Monsters, on the other hand, especially underground monsters, were professionals. Talking about hole-digging skill alone, no one could possibly be their match.
If you had the misfortune of encountering them, you might be killed instantly.
Fang Ping’s head was throbbing again. He racked his brains and asked, “Who should we rob now, then?”
Li Hansong could take it no more. He said hurriedly, “We’re still robbing? Why don’t we go to the passageway? Didn’t Instructor Li say that the battle between Rank-9s has stopped?”
‘Why were all your ways of thinking so different!’
‘Why were all of you only thinking of robbing someone?’
There was nowhere else to rob now. These fellows behaved like they were at a loss. They had completely forgotten that they could return to the passageway!
Their purpose of entering—the main purpose—was to build a stronghold, was it not?
Now, the battle between Rank-9s had ended. Instructor Li also mentioned that reinforcements had arrived. Leader Zhao had come. At this time and moment, joining a Rank-9 was the safest option!
As soon as Qin Fengqing heard those words, he was stunned for a bit. Then, he said unwillingly, “No! Why don’t we rob a few more towns... Wait, Instructor Li is here. Let’s go and rob a small city! I know a small city’s location. It’s the one we went around last time. We’ll rob that one!”
Fang Ping was interested. “Is it far from Gigantic Pine City?”
“About 80 li.”
“It’s too near.”
Fang Ping frowned. “A Rank-9’s speed is too fast! They can exceed the speed of sound.”
As energy was rich in the Catacombs, sound traveled at a slightly slower pace. Even so, Fang Ping felt that there would be at least a limit of 300 meters per second.
If a Rank-9 unleashed full force, they might be able to launch a long-range attack from 80 li away within three minutes. That was really terrifying.
Last time, when Willow King was fighting a great battle at the passageway 500 li away, under full force, the other party rushed home in less than half an hour.
Of course, for any Rank-9, a speed like this was pushing their limits.
However, no matter how harmful traveling 80 li could be, for the Willow King who was currently beside himself with rage, he might still insist to charge over.
“Let’s not go near anywhere that’s within the 300 li range.”
Old Man Li let out a faint sigh. ‘You lot have killed so many martial artists of theirs and destroyed so many villages and towns. Even half of Royal City has been destroyed. If you make another move right now, Willow King may just give up on guarding the fort and come after these fellows even if it means risking his life.’
“Should we really return?”
Fang Ping thought for a moment and sighed. “Let’s go back first then.”
Having said that, he turned his attention to others and said, “Wait here, you guys. I’ll go and get some stuff. Instructor, bring me there for a bit.”
Old Man Li knew what he wanted to do. He nodded and said, “I’ll bring you there then. Don’t run around, all of you. We’ll come back soon.”
After saying those words, he grabbed Fang Ping and left.
Once the duo left, Qin Fengqing looked contemplative and asked, “Let’s guess, exactly how many valuables is he hiding?”
Taking a look at the small sack on him, Qin Fengqing knew even without taking a look. He had about 20 grams of cultivation-aiding energy stones, around 200 grams of basic ones, several herbs and some metals that were bent and balled up.
After totaling them up, he had acquired pretty much. Even thirty to fifty million was possible.
Moreover, in the past two days, he had also absorbed plenty of energy stones.
In three days’ time, he had earned a lot.
Wang Jinyang was similar to him. Li Hansong gained slightly less as he was slower at snatching things.
As for Fang Ping... how much did he rob exactly?
Li Hansong thought for a while and said, “He’s been chased after so badly. I think he may not have a lot.”
No matter how much treasure there was, one must still be able to carry them all away. Fang Ping was chased by high ranks, how many could he actually hide?
They chatted for a moment. In no time, Fang Ping returned.
At this moment, Fang Ping had changed into his own clothes, wielding a changdao on his waist and carrying a beast hide sack that was beyond massive!
Of course, it was not full.
However, just the sheer heaviness of it made it difficult for the three of them to contain their amazement.
‘Please don’t tell me that they were all energy stones!’
They were books, right?
Just ordinary metals, right?
It must be beast flesh, right?
Fang Ping paid them no attention at all. Carrying the beast hide sack behind him, he walked toward them, saying regretfully, “There are energy stones everywhere. High-ranked ones are all over the place. I’ve only carried a bag of basic energy stones back. This time I’ve really lost out a lot!”
Bang!
Qin Fengqing was sent flying by a punch from Fang Ping!
‘This guy must be insane. These are mine. How dare you try to rob me under my nose.’
Qin Fengqing had lost his mind. Even Wang Jinyang’s eyes were bloodshot!
In his entire life, he had never seen anyone carrying energy stones with a beast hide sack!
Even NMAU’s reserve did not have that many!
He was also a human and was a Rank-5... No, Fang Ping was only a Rank-4 earlier. All of them had been inside for three days now. The disparity was too great. Even he wished to snatch it!
Robbing Fang Ping should be much easier than robbing the Catacombs Royal City.
“So... you can really use the words ‘carry on your back’ to describe the number of energy stones?”
At this moment, Li Hansong had no intention of robbing him, though. He was only baffled. In Capital City, the Grandmasters would sometimes joke when they were going out, saying ‘I’ll wait for you to carry a bag of energy stones back.’
Of course, they were only joking.
Now, facts had proven to him that this was not a mere joke!
The amount of energy stones could be described with the words ‘carry a sack behind your back’.
Fang Ping eyed them with hostility. He shouted, “Don’t fool around. This bit isn’t much. The energy stones under Royal City’s ground are piling up into a mountain. You can carry as many sacks as you want. You can even fill up an entire train. You guys, stop being so ignorant—how inexperienced!”
Old Man Li behind him gulped secretly. He had a large reservoir of experience. Even so, in all his life, other than seeing so many of them in MCMAU’s reserves, he had never seen such a quantity anywhere else.
If Fang Ping was not one of their own, even he would have the urge to knock him unconscious right now.
Just these. These might not be all Fang Ping had!
At least, he did not see the Life Essence.