After leaving the Nameless Village, Wang Yi noticed Watermelon’s silence and troubled expression. "What’s wrong?" he asked. "Sad to leave?"

"It’s not that... It’s just that after parting ways this time, I don’t know if we’ll ever see them again, or if they’ll even be able to survive. Boss..."

Watermelon trailed off, hesitant to continue.

Wang Yi knew what she wanted to say. He shook his head. "I’m sorry, Watermelon, but I can’t take them in. I’m responsible for my own subordinates. You might not want to hear this, but to us, taking them in would just be taking on a burden."

"Mm."

Watermelon pressed her lips together and said no more. A moment later, she asked, "Boss, what’s our next move?"

"We’re going to kill an Earth Deity named Xinghai. Then we’ll travel far, find more ruins, gather more information, and keep going until we clear this world and get out of here." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"What? Kill an Earth Deity?" Watermelon was stunned. "Boss, you can’t kill an Earth Deity."

"Why not?"

"There is no ’why’! You just can’t! It’s common knowledge!"

"Common knowledge is made to be broken. Let’s give it a try first. What if we succeed?"

A short while later, Wang Yi and Watermelon returned to the top of the cliff. He immediately used his [Luxury Shack] skill to build a temporary base there.

Wang Yi didn’t rush to attack the crimson grassland at the bottom of the cliff. Instead, he had everyone rest well and wait.

The next day was clear and sunny, a beautiful day with a gentle breeze, but everyone remained on standby. The Soldiers trained on the clifftop, resting when they were tired and eating when they were hungry.

Watermelon was baffled. She found Wang Yi and asked, "Boss, are we just going to do nothing? Consuming our food and fresh water like this isn’t a wise move."

Wang Yi was currently trying to use the [Construction Drawings for Shanhai Pass]. A system notification had already informed him that he couldn’t use any Construction Drawings here.

Hearing Watermelon’s question, Wang Yi looked at the sky, sighed, and said, "As they say, ’Everything is ready, we’re just waiting for the east wind.’ Let’s wait a bit longer."

And so, another day passed.

On this day, the sky was overcast, and a cool breeze was blowing.

Wang Yi stood on the clifftop, feeling the strength of the wind. He nodded. "This should be enough. We can’t afford to waste any more time. This wind will have to do! Even if the heavens won’t cooperate, we’d have to create our own wind. Today’s the day we attack! Someone, get the tank over here..."

At Wang Yi’s command, the Grizzly Tank slowly drove to the edge of the cliff.

The person driving the tank was none other than Hai Pei!

To this day, Hai Pei still didn’t understand why the boss had brought him along. ’I’m just an old man. Sure, I’ve started Cultivation, but I’m a complete beginner—barely have one foot in the door. I’m no different from a Mortal. I’m useless in a fight and have no other skills. What can I possibly do here?’

He had been feeling insecure. Seeing the tank sitting idle for the past two days, he had volunteered to drive it, hoping to contribute something and prove his worth in some small way.

In truth, Wang Yi hadn’t brought Hai Pei along expecting him to be a fighter. He simply felt that Cultivation required time, and the flow of time in the Secret Realm World was different—one year here was only one day outside. This way, Hai Pei could get in several extra years of Cultivation.

Once the Grizzly Tank was in position, Wang Yi issued another command, telling Watermelon to bring over the Crossbow Machine Carriage as well.

Watermelon didn’t have much combat strength, but she was a suitable choice for a temporary gunner.

Next, Wang Yi took out two Bubble Guns.

He kept the Acid Bubble Gun for himself and handed the three-meter-long Super Bubble Gun to the Earth Warrior, Yang Qingniu, telling him to set up the massive weapon at the cliff’s edge.

Yang Qingniu, with his usual dazed look, underwent his Transformation into a towering Stone Golem. Cradling the Super Bubble Gun’s trigger, he waited for the order to fire.

Seeing that everyone was more or less in position, Wang Yi shouted, "Anyone without a ranged attack, stand guard on the perimeter! I now declare the battle has begun! Target: the grassland below! Fire, fire, fire! Blast the hell out of it!"

Everyone responded at once.

Instantly, the sound of children’s songs filled the air as swarms of bubbles flew from the clifftop.

The Crossbow Machine Carriage also roared to life, unleashing a torrent of Flying Light Arrows onto the grassland below.

Man Datou drew his Iron-Clad Bow. Oiled Bamboo Section Arrows went Breaking the Sky, ignited in mid-air, and exploded on impact.

Inside the Grizzly Tank, Hai Pei frantically loaded a shell, with Zhang Lengzi helping him!

Down below, the grassland reacted like a field of sensitive plants. Once disturbed, the surrounding blades of grass instantly stood on end, a reaction that rippled like a wave deep into the field.

Then the bubbles landed, and a ferocious bombardment began.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground shook and dirt flew into the air.

The blades of grass rolled like waves. Suddenly, countless arms shot out from the ground, and then Mummy-like "Grass Blades" began to crawl out frantically.

It was as if the gates of hell had been thrown open. The Grass Blades quickly became a dense, teeming mass, and upon emerging, they all swarmed toward the cliff.

However, they could not leave their territory. They gathered at the base of the cliff, staring up with cold, expressionless eyes. They made no further moves, standing like wooden stakes, quietly waiting to be slaughtered.

In the distance, behind a small hill, Wild Wolf and Water Monkey, who had been watching from afar, stared with wide eyes, unable to believe that Wang Yi’s group was bombing the grassland.

"Gods, they’re actually bombing a Divine! Do they have a death wish?"

"This grassland is the strongest Divine within a hundred-li radius! What are they doing, committing suicide?"

The more the two watched, the more horrified they became. After exchanging a look, they quickly retreated.

Once a Divine was provoked, the consequences would be dire.

In fact, Wild Wolf and Water Monkey had been surveilling the opposite cliff for a long time, but now they didn’t dare to linger. They turned tail and ran for their lives, desperate to get away from this powder keg before they got caught in the blast.

After running for a long time, the two of them stopped. Water Monkey said, "Boss, that group is asking for death. Looks like we don’t have to worry about them anymore."

Wild Wolf frowned in thought for a moment, then said, "Follow me."

He led Water Monkey on another run. After they had circled several hills, the skinny Water Monkey was gasping for breath. "Boss, where on earth are you going?" he asked, confused.

"We’re here."

Wild Wolf turned around, his face icy and his eyes glinting with murderous intent. With lightning speed, his hands shot out and clamped around Water Monkey’s neck.

Water Monkey’s eyes flew wide in shock. His face instantly turned crimson, and veins bulged on his scalp. He tried to break free from Wild Wolf’s grasp, but those hands were like iron pincers, impossible to budge.

"Gak... cough... cough..."

Water Monkey let out a pained cough.

Wild Wolf said, "When you were plotting with those other guys, I was hiding nearby! Hmph, a good-for-nothing like you thought you could get me killed and become the boss yourself? I’ve said it before: anyone who betrays me dies. You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last!"

CRACK!

Water Monkey’s neck was snapped.

As if he had just done something utterly trivial, Wild Wolf quickly hoisted Water Monkey’s corpse onto his shoulder and ducked into a cave.

From his movements, it was clear he was very familiar with this place.

Deep inside the cave stood a strange, giant black bamboo stalk.

Wild Wolf tossed Water Monkey’s corpse next to the giant bamboo, then fell to his knees and kowtowed. "My lord," he said, "I have brought you a body. For the sake of my many years of faithful service, could you do me a small favor?"

The black bamboo swayed gently, then twisted and slithered like a giant serpent.

At its base was a massive Wood Knot, shaped like a human brain, which pulsed in and out like a beating heart.

Wild Wolf continued, "I ask that you take action, my lord. Help me get a woman back!"

With a cracking sound, a slit opened on the Wood Knot, and a small white creature emerged. It was the size of an adult’s thumb and looked like a silkworm pupa.

Wild Wolf was overjoyed. He immediately pinched the small creature and brought it to Water Monkey’s mouth.

The creature immediately burrowed into Water Monkey’s mouth. An instant later, Water Monkey’s eyes snapped open. A series of CRACKS and POPS echoed from within his body as he shot up from the ground. He wobbled his neck, took a couple of clumsy steps, and then suddenly spoke: "Go!"

Wild Wolf hurriedly led the way, adding, "My lord, my woman was abducted. I don’t know the background of the people who took her, but right now they’re bombing the grassland."

"The grassland."

The "Water Monkey" abruptly froze, standing motionless for two minutes. Then, it spoke in a dry, raspy voice, "Xinghai? I can’t find its spatial anchor! There’s no arrival point! Take me there!"

"Yes!"

Wild Wolf led the way with the Water Monkey following behind. A constant crackling sound came from within its body as its physique and height slowly began to change.

If Wang Yi had been there, he would have been utterly astonished, because the "Water Monkey’s" body and face were becoming more and more like Ma Changgui’s!

Another ten minutes passed, and it became completely indistinguishable from Ma Changgui.