Chapter 499

Chapter 499: Venturing Into the Unknown Territory
The remaining two minutes flew by.
Sure enough, the place Qing Ling mentioned underwent a huge change once the time arrived.
Familiar forces of space!
A cave suddenly appeared in a spot that was empty just moments ago, starkly contrasting with the dense forest around it.
Those exotic creatures must have been transported from elsewhere through spatial portals created by the mastermind behind them.
“Qing Ling, are you ready to act?”
Zhang Mu asked Qing Ling, only to find her suppressing her presence before saying, “When those exotic creatures emerge, they will come out in groups. If we act too hastily, we might run into them. Their strength hovers between the peak of the fourth and third ranks. If they catch us in a large group, we’ll be done for.”
Relatively calm, Zhang Mu started to feel a bit more confident about this mission.
With teammates around, it wasn’t a battle fought alone.
It was evident that Qing Ling had exceptional intuition and observational skills, naturally suited to be a scout.
As soon as Qing Ling spoke, strange creatures poured out of the cave, a dark mass crowding outside. Qing Ling had found a hidden spot at just the right distance to see them clearly.
They were extremely ugly, like creatures from a pre-apocalyptic movie, covered in disgusting protrusions but walking upright.
This was Zhang Mu’s first close look at these creatures. Before, he had never dared to confront them directly to stay alive. If he saw them, it was usually a dead body.
What puzzled him was how organized these creatures were when they gathered. Despite their beastly appearance, they showed surprising discipline. Zhang Mu thought maybe they had evolved some level of intelligence.
“Zhang Mu, most of their forces have left, only a fourth-rank powerful strange creature remains, along with three peak third-rank ones. It seems they value this teleportation point greatly.”
“Hurry, we have less than thirty minutes. We’ll go in to investigate quickly and come back out. I’ll distract the leader of the fourth-rank, and you can go straight in. If possible later, I’ll find a chance to catch up with you.”
“I go in alone?”
Zhang Mu looked totally confused.
Qing Ling said somewhat angrily, “Either you handle that fourth-rank creature while I go in, or I’ll go first and you can follow when I make my escape.”
Zhang Mu didn’t want to take risks, but he knew that sometimes you have to take a chance to achieve something great. So, he decided to take a leap of faith.
Things weren’t looking good, so it was time to retreat.
“I can go in, but how will you distract that powerful creature?”
Qing Ling didn’t waste any time. Ignoring Zhang Mu’s stunned gaze, she suddenly left her hidden state, revealing her snow-white long legs as she stepped out of the bushes, catching the attention of the four creatures from another realm.
“Hey, big dark toad, I’m here! Come chase me!”
Then, much to Zhang Mu’s amazement, Qing Ling confidently strode out.
There was a sense of danger in the air, like the feeling when a hero sets off on a journey and may never return.
The other side seemed surprised for a moment, but when Qing Ling raised her wrist and shot a green thorn ball from the leaves, they finally understood her intention.
The fourth-rank creature blocked the attack, then shouted orders to the others before jumping out and creating a huge pit as it landed. With its gaping mouth dripping with blood, it charged towards Qing Ling.
When Qing Ling took the fourth-rank exotic creature away, she winked playfully at Zhang Mu.
Those godly eyes seemed to be telling Zhang Mu something.
“Aren’t I amazing?”
Is this okay?
How could this Qing Ling be so confident to directly challenge a fourth-rank exotic creature?
Although Zhang Mu was a bit worried for the girl, now was the best time, with only three peak third-rank guardians left.
Zhang Mu was not one to hesitate. With Qing Ling’s confidence, he knew it was time to act.
Initially, Zhang Mu had used illusions to conceal his senses. In Qing Ling’s eyes, he seemed to hide in shadows as he confidently walked out.
Zhang Mu was unsure if his illusions would work on these exotic creatures from other realms.
If you can, go in. If you can’t, hurry away. My strength is not enough to fight against someone alone at this early stage. Remembering the King of Warhorses, Zhang Mu feels deeply defeated.
For someone with ordinary awakening abilities like him, challenging beyond one’s level is almost like dreaming.
Luckily, it seems that the other side hasn’t noticed Zhang Mu approaching.
But as Zhang Mu gets within ten meters of them, these exotic creatures suddenly become restless.
Considering sight, hearing, smell, and even ground vibrations, why does it still feel like he might be discovered?
Zhang Mu stops in his tracks. He knows almost nothing about the abilities of these exotic creatures, so he doesn’t dare to act recklessly now.
Out of options and with time running out, Zhang Mu grits his teeth and directly releases all the power of his Sharira in his mind, reaching the level of an early fourth-rank. The illusion magic bursts out onto himself, soothing the emotions of the exotic creatures ahead.
Fourth-rank illusion magic is extremely terrifying compared to needing Zhang Mu to operate it at the peak of the third rank. It’s like night and day.
There’s no need for Zhang Mu to control it. It directly invades the other’s mind, adjusting what should be changed or kept the same based on previous memories.
Even if Zhang Mu were to attack them now, due to the suppression of their rank, even if they die, they will still think they are on a normal patrol and having routine conversations with their companions before they die.
But the prerequisite is that Zhang Mu can break through the defenses of these exotic creatures, so he is not going overboard.
The Buddhist Demon Pagoda on Zhang Mu’s chest gradually emerged, with the Buddha’s appearance solemn and the demon extremely fierce. The energy of the era followed the circuit of the tattoo, maximizing the abilities of the Sharira.
At the same time, stimulating the ups and downs of his spiritual sea, providing the most basic power for the continuous use of illusions.
Casually passing through the three peak third-rank exotic creatures, Zhang Mu felt somewhat lucky inside, as this was his first time using the power of a fourth-rank illusion.
The burden on his spiritual sea was also within a bearable range, with most of the loss being borne by the Buddhist Demon Pagoda on his chest.
This is so rewarding!
Looking at the cave devouring the light in front of him, like a gluttonous beast inviting him into its gaping mouth, Zhang Mu still felt a little apprehensive.
What if he doesn’t come back? What should he do?
Will I be stuck in that strange place forever?
These were the questions Zhang Mu had thought about many times, but he bravely decided to enter directly, ignoring his doubts.
The human race must win this battle between species!
This way, he could see the mysterious trigonal crystal that brought him back again.
This was Zhang Mu’s only chance to uncover the truth.
To live, one must pursue their thoughts and understandings.
Zhang Mu’s blood began to boil within him!
Now that I have the power of fourth-rank magic, I can do things that no one in the future dares to do – let me have some fun!
I have the ability, so I will have fun!
Zhang Mu’s eyes showed a hint of clarity, without leaving him much time, his speed suddenly increased and he started sprinting.
His figure gradually disappeared into the deep and unfathomable cave.