The great battle was over, and the force of a thousand had dwindled to less than five hundred. Most of the dead were Opening Realm Martial Artists; relatively few Qi Sea Realm Martial Artists had fallen.

No one dared to linger. The stench of blood was overpowering, and it wouldn’t be long before other Demon Beasts were drawn to it.

The force of five hundred, consolidated from ten large squads down to five, proceeded cautiously into the depths of the Yunlu Mountain Range.

After a long march, the group finally passed through the territory of the Tier Two Demon Beasts by dusk, arriving deep within the Yunlu Mountain Range, which was still engulfed in a raging inferno.

’What a potent Demon Beast aura...’ Sensing the thick miasma of demonic energy, Lin Yun couldn’t help but frown. A moment later, however, his expression froze.

’This is... this is an aura that should only exist in the Divine Realm...’ The deeper he ventured into the mountains, the more Lin Yun sensed faint traces of this divine presence. ’This aura... it shouldn’t be on the Celestial Spirit Continent.’

Only Lin Yun could perceive this aura; it was completely undetectable to everyone else, including Iron Blood and the Blood Refining Ancestor.

"Be careful," he said to Li Tian. ’The presence of a Divine Realm aura here can’t be a good sign,’ he thought.

Amidst the raging flames, the group advanced slowly. Strangely, there wasn’t a single Demon Beast to be found in this area; it was eerily quiet.

The silence was unsettling. Deep within the forest, even Primordial Ocean Realm experts like Iron Blood and the Blood Refining Ancestor began to feel a sense of dread.

"Send the Opening Realm cultivators to scout ahead." The situation was too bizarre. Ultimately, Iron Blood and the Blood Refining Ancestor made their decision: the Opening Realm Martial Artists would have to clear the path.

They called it scouting, but to put it bluntly, they were being used as cannon fodder. If there was any disturbance, the Opening Realm Martial Artists would be the first to die, giving an early warning to the Qi Sea Realm cultivators and the two leaders in the rear.

"Why are you making us scout?"

"Yeah, you’re just sending us to our deaths! We’re not going!" Hearing the command, the three hundred-odd surviving Opening Realm Martial Artists all began to protest. ’Aren’t they just sending us to die?’

For a moment, the entire group fell into chaos as the Opening Realm Martial Artists shouted in protest. However, their angry cries came to an abrupt halt when a gigantic palm print descended from the sky, instantly crushing a dozen of them to death.

"Don’t go, and you die." Floating in mid-air, the Blood Refining Ancestor gazed down at the hundreds of Opening Realm Martial Artists and spoke in a cold voice.

By killing over a dozen Opening Realm Martial Artists with a single palm strike, the Blood Refining Ancestor’s ferocity made the survivors realize with sudden clarity just how powerless their resistance was against a Primordial Ocean Realm expert.

"Can’t we just leave? We don’t want to go on. We’ll head back to Mysterious City right now," one of them pleaded. As soon as he spoke, many others chimed in with their agreement.

"That’s right, we’re not going! We don’t want the treasure anymore!"

Watching the Opening Realm Martial Artists plead, Lin Yun remained silent. ’It’s definitely too late to back out now.’

Just as he expected, upon hearing their pleas, the Blood Refining Ancestor casually launched two more palm strikes, killing several more Opening Realm Martial Artists. Only then did everyone understand that even retreat was no longer an option.

The allure of treasure was undeniable, but many had been blinded by greed. Now, most of the Opening Realm Martial Artists were consumed by regret.

"Come and go as you please? You’ve followed me this far, and now you want to quit?" the Blood Refining Ancestor said, his expression unchanged. "I’ll give you three breaths. Anyone who isn’t moving to the front to scout by then, I’ll personally send on their way."

In the face of a Primordial Ocean Realm expert, cultivators of the Opening Realm had no power to resist. Though scared to death, many of the Opening Realm Martial Artists still began to walk slowly forward.

If they went, they might not die. If they didn’t, they definitely would. As the first Opening Realm Martial Artist moved forward, the rest began to follow, one after another.

"You two, why aren’t you moving?" A Qi Sea Realm Martial Artist strode over and barked at Lin Yun and Li Tian, who were still standing in the crowd.

Hearing this, Lin Yun said nothing and simply fell in line behind the others, moving forward.

The Opening Realm cultivators served as cannon fodder, with the Qi Sea Realm group following a hundred meters behind them. As for Iron Blood and the Blood Refining Ancestor, they hid at the very rear.

"What a pair of spineless cowards. And they call themselves Primordial Ocean Realm experts? Pathetic."

"Stop complaining. What can you do? They’re the ones with the power. When you reach the Primordial Ocean Realm, you can act like that too."

"I really shouldn’t have come. If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve just stayed safely in the city."

Many wore miserable expressions. By now, they were finally starting to regret their greed. They had thought they might find treasure; who would have known they’d just end up as someone else’s cannon fodder?

In contrast to their miserable faces, Lin Yun and Li Tian appeared quite calm. Lin Yun had been clear from the very beginning that entering the mountain range was extremely dangerous. He had been mentally prepared for anything—including, of course, being used as cannon fodder.

"I mean, are you all stupid or something?" Li Tian suddenly spoke up. "You want to get the treasure, but you don’t want to take any risks? Since when does the world work like that?"

Hearing this, many turned to glare at him as angry shouts erupted. "What did you say, kid? Believe it or not, I’ll take care of you first."

Instead of getting angry at the rebukes, Li Tian actually walked toward the very people cursing him, his chatterbox nature flaring up instantly.

"Sigh. Look, let me tell you, from what I’ve observed, this place..."

"You don’t believe me? How about a bet, then? You dare?"

"My name is Li Tian. And actually, I’m not from Mysterious City. I’m just here to get some experience. I’ll tell you what..."

"Get lost! Stop bothering me!"

Angry curses were hurled at Li Tian from all directions, but he remained unfazed, chattering on without a pause.

Thanks to Li Tian’s antics, the group’s tension unknowingly eased a little. Soon, however, the principle of survival of the fittest within the Opening Realm group became clear.

The cultivators, who ranged from the First Layer of Opening to the Ninth Layer of Opening, quickly sorted themselves out. Those with the lowest Cultivation walked at the very front, while those with the highest stayed at the back.

’It seems the law of the jungle applies everywhere,’ Lin Yun mused. As someone at the Fifth Layer of Opening, he was positioned toward the front of the group. However, he wasn’t particularly worried; he had great confidence in his Body Technique.

"Hurry up! What are you dawdling for?" the Qi Sea Realm cultivators behind them urged. Taking their cue, the Martial Artists at the Eighth and Ninth Layers of the Opening Realm, who were at the rear of the cannon fodder group, also began to harass those ahead of them.

With each person being urged on by the one behind, the group was forced to press deeper into the mountains. After they had gone for several miles, the people at the very front came to a halt.

"Why have you stopped walking?" a Qi Sea Realm expert from the rear demanded. But when they got a look at the scene up ahead, they too froze in place, utterly dumbfounded.

Sitting there weakly was a Vajra Ape. Its body was as massive as a small hill, covered in golden fur. Even its blood, which coated its wounds, shimmered with a golden light.

Looking at the crowd, the Golden War Ape let out a furious roar. The sheer force of the sound wave instantly killed nearly half of the Opening Realm Martial Artists on the spot.