Chapter 86: Underground Expanse, the Mysterious Giant Egg
"Roar!"
The blood-colored monster bellowed furiously. As Guo Ji and another individual were sent flying, it charged headlong into the remaining group.
Swoosh!
Its ebony claws left three afterimages in the air, and a disciple from the Purple Bamboo Spirit Mountain was instantly transformed into a mutilated cadaver, cleaved into four sections!
The scarlet creature ferociously charged once more, reducing a disciple from the Azure Jade Sect to a pulpy mass!
"Damn it, how can it be this powerful!"
The remaining disciples were deeply shaken, and they all sprang into action, launching their attacks.
Ye Fan repositioned himself, the light in his eyes flickering, unveiling a glint of brilliance.
Swiftly.
Following the initial panic.
Everyone finally regained their composure and resumed their assault on the monster while encircling it.
Guo Ji and the other Mysterious Platform realm cultivator swiftly recovered and joined the battle!
The creature's colossal size made it less nimble in the confined space, and as its injuries accumulated, its speed diminished as well.
Observing this.
Some adept and audacious cultivators promptly opted for close-quarters combat!
They brandished weapons imbued with enchantments, capable of delivering more potent strikes than pure spells.
'Now's my chance!'
Ye Fan thought to himself and covertly clasped the Wordless Heavenly Jade in his left hand, fusing it together.
Instantly.
He surged forward with a long sword in hand, moving at an incredibly rapid pace, elusive and unpredictable!
Slash!
As the sword swept past.
A torrent of blood spurted from the monster's thigh!
Simultaneously.
A surge of qi and blood imperceptibly flowed into the Wordless Heavenly Jade in Ye Fan's left hand.
Not only that.
The other injuries on the creature's body also had qi and blood being absorbed by the Wordless Heavenly Jade.
The situation was exceedingly chaotic.
In addition to Ye Fan prioritizing the concealment of the Wordless Heavenly Jade, and treating combat as secondary, he was exceptionally cautious in staying hidden.
Therefore.
No one detected his subtle maneuvers.
Behind the passageway.
Jiang Chen observed the scene with interest and murmured, "Rather than overtly flaunting his power, he's discreetly absorbing strength to fortify himself, which aligns perfectly with Ye Fan's prudent nature of amassing wealth in silence."
Although Ye Fan did not boast.
He still reaped the rewards.
The others remained completely unaware.
For Ye Fan, this was also an accomplishment worth taking pride in.
At this very moment.
Ye Fan had chosen not to flaunt his abilities and prove others wrong, allowing Jiang Chen to refrain from taking action.
Otherwise.
Jiang Chen would indeed find himself in a dilemma over whether or not to intervene.
Ultimately, stepping in would reveal his presence.
Even with his appearance and aura concealed, his involvement would be exposed.
Moreover, the window of opportunity for Ye Fan to absorb the qi and blood energy from the creature's wounds was relatively limited.
Upon defeating the creature, it was highly probable that the golden-red inner core would not end up in his possession.
Time gradually elapsed.
Jiang Chen persistently observed Ye Fan.
With Ye Fan's discreet maneuvers, the monster's strength diminished at an increasingly rapid pace!
The others believed the blood-colored creature was weakening as a result of its own wounds.
Shortly after.
Everyone collaborated to vanquish the monster.
"Quickly extract the monster's core!"
Guo Ji instructed, "Once it's removed, place it in a storage artifact right away, or it will lure more monsters!"
Evidently.
Guo Ji had encountered a monster's core before.
Furthermore, he was aware that this inner core could easily draw the attention of other monsters.
"I'll do it!"
A cultivator stepped forward, and astonishingly, he donned a claw-shaped artifact on his right hand. With a ferocious swipe, he thrust the claw into the monster's eye socket!
He extracted a monster's inner core.
Nonetheless.
Upon observing the monster's inner core, everyone displayed bewildered expressions.
Jiang Chen's eyebrows lifted as well!
As it turned out, the inner core was minuscule, nearly the size of a grain of rice!
"Why is it so tiny!?"
One cultivator remarked, "On our journey here, we vanquished an Early-stage Mysterious Platform realm monster, and its inner core was significantly larger!"
"There must be something peculiar happening here!"
"Regardless, we still need to press on."
"I'll hold onto this monster's inner core for the time being, and we'll distribute it equitably once we leave this place."
After contemplating for a moment, Guo Ji proposed, "Well, let's adopt the approach of Jiang Chen from the Starry Abyss Sect and implement a contribution point system."
"No objections."
"The next loot we acquire will be entrusted to me."
The Mysterious Platform cultivator from the Purple Bamboo Spirit Mountain declared.
"Well then, let's confirm everyone's contributions..."
Guo Ji nodded and proceeded to confer with the others, ascertaining each person's contributions.
Subsequently.
The group proceeded onward.
Along their path, they encountered several blood-hued monsters once more.
Fortunately, the most formidable among them merely reached the Middle-stage Mysterious Platform realm.
Although they lost an unfortunate member, they still succeeded in vanquishing all the monsters.
Nevertheless.
All the monsters they came across had minuscule inner cores, approximately the size of a grain of rice.
Furthermore, solely Middle-stage Mysterious Platform realm monsters were present, which was both a boon and a cause for suspicion.
They had already slain twenty to thirty monsters; why had they not encountered any Late-stage Mysterious Platform realm monsters?
Everyone was perplexed.
With no choice but to hold their doubts, they proceeded onward.
Jiang Chen, too, kept a watchful eye on Ye Fan.
Throughout this journey.
Ye Fan solely utilized the Wordless Heavenly Jade to extract the qi and blood energy from the monsters' injuries, without even making contact with their lifeless bodies.
It seemed he intended to wait until he was alone before employing the Wordless Heavenly Jade to absorb the qi and blood energy fully.
Otherwise, the process would be far too conspicuous.
The group pressed on.
Unexpectedly.
A vast underground expanse emerged before them!
Intriguingly, sounds of conflict resonated from within.
"Is someone battling!?"
"Weren't we separated?"
"Could it be that all the passages ultimately lead to the same place?"
A person furrowed their brow and remarked.
Their group was already small, and dividing to seek opportunities was safer, with no concerns about confrontations with other sects.
However, now.
It appeared they had once again encountered individuals from different sects.
"Let's go and investigate!"
Guo Ji shook his head and moderated his stride as he advanced.
Everyone exchanged glances and swiftly trailed behind.
Having come this far.
There was no chance they would leave empty-handed!
'A vast underground expanse, huh?'
'And it has attracted numerous cultivators?'
'It appears that this location must be where the opportunity of the 'cave mansion' resides.'
Jiang Chen's lips formed a subtle grin. After trailing for so long, it was finally nearly time for him to act.
He took a step.
Silently, he tagged along.
In no time.
The sight of the underground expanse materialized within the reach of his divine sense.
Members of the Azure Jade Sect and the Purple Bamboo Spirit Mountain stood at the entrance, gazing inside with grave expressions.
The vast underground expanse soared to a height of tens of meters and extended for several kilometers!
Within, more than fifty cultivators were engaged in fierce combat, exerting their utmost efforts.
Facing them were twenty-three blood-colored monsters, each towering over ten meters tall!
Among these blood-colored creatures, three even possessed the formidable prowess of the Late-stage Mysterious Platform realm.
On the battlefield, the remains of over twenty human cultivators had already been strewn about, accompanied by the wreckage of more than ten blood-colored monsters.
Yet, this ferocious clash was not the most arresting sight.
Both Ye Fan and his companions, as well as Jiang Chen, found themselves transfixed by a mysterious giant egg suspended from the ceiling of the subterranean chamber!
The giant egg measured three meters in its shorter diameter and five meters in its longer diameter, encased in a semi-transparent, pale yellow membrane.
Countless scarlet blood vessels proliferated upon the membrane.
These vessels intertwined like the roots of a tree, descending to the ground and amassing into a small mound.
Within the crimson blood vessels, a fluid brimming with vitality could be observed circulating.
Additionally, the giant egg emanated an astoundingly fearsome power of qi and blood, vastly outstripping the Mysterious Platform realm.
This signified that the giant egg was indeed alive!
The identity of the formidable creature that had laid this egg remained shrouded in mystery.
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