Everyone was speechless. That’s it? How is that a brilliant idea?! Isn’t it just brute force?! If anything, it’s the dumbest method!

Yuan Gang frowned deeply. “If we do that, we will inevitably suffer losses.”

The monsters were even stronger than when they first transformed, and he knew it well.

Meng Xing didn’t miss his chance to sneer incessantly. “Truly, such a brilliant idea!”

Gu Han smiled without letting it affect him. “Does Brother Meng have any good ideas?”

Meng Xing was rendered speechless. Having focused solely on Gu Han, he wouldn’t have any strategies.

“Everyone, listen. Before I possessed this body, I encountered a monster who had recovered most of his sanity! You should know what this means, right?” Gu Han said, though it was only half the truth.

Recovered sanity? Everyone’s hearts sank. Sanity, or the lack of it, made all the difference. If it was truly as Gu Han said, even if they hid, they would no longer be safe.

Chu Kuang grew serious. “Fellow Daoist Jiang, is that true?”

Gu Han smiled. “Fellow Daoist Chu, if you don’t believe me, you can go find a monster and see for yourself!”

Chu Kuang sank into thought.

To put even more pressure on everyone, Gu Han raised the stakes. “Before I possessed this body, that monster wasn’t much. Now, he’s only slightly weaker!”

He withheld the full truth to avoid frightening them and causing the opposite effect.

Chu Kuang’s expression shifted slightly. “What?!”

No one understood Gu Han’s strength better than him. Even with Jiang Xuan’s soul at only seventy percent compatibility, it was enough to place him among the top experts.

The longer Meng Xing looked at Gu Han, the more his dislike grew, and he opposed him. “So what?! They’re so strong! Those monsters won’t necessarily find us first?! Don’t forget, Murong Yan and the others are still inside! If we make a move first, wouldn’t we basically be rescuing them?! Why not wait a bit, let the monsters find them first, then—”

Gu Han suddenly interrupted him. “Brother Meng, do you have good luck?”

Meng Xing was dumbfounded. “Why ask that?”

Yuan Gang sighed emotionally. “Brother Meng’s fortune is something even I envy. He obtained his treasure physique during childhood by fusing with a piece of immortal metal. Who else in the world would have such an opportunity and destiny?!”

Gu Han suddenly understood. “As expected! Even an idiot can live a long time if his luck is good.”

Meng Xing’s eyes became bloodshot. “I dare you to say that again!”

Gu Han glanced at him. “Oh, do those monsters suddenly listen to us now? How long do we have to wait until they find them first? Two days? Three days? By that time, how strong do you think the monster will be? Need I say more? What else could you be, if not stupid?”

The series of questions rendered Meng Xing completely speechless. Still, he couldn’t refute it as every word Gu Han said was true.

Gu Han glanced at Chu Kuang again. “Of course, by saying these things, I am also worrying needlessly. With Fellow Daoist Chu here, in the worst-case scenario, we can just use that trump card!”

Chu Kuang frowned deeply, knowing Gu Han was referring to his Saint Weapon. However, it was too important to him. He didn’t want to waste it on these monsters.

In an instant, he made a decision. “I think Fellow Daoist Jiang makes sense. The monsters are extremely dangerous. We have to nip it in the bud. The longer we wait, the more difficult it becomes. Eliminating them early will do us more good than harm.”

Of course, Yuan Gang supported him unconditionally. “I agree. Acting first has its advantages. We just need to defeat them one by one to avoid heavy casualties!”

Meng Xing was somewhat unwilling. “But Murong Yan and the others—”

Yuan Gang waved his hand. “It doesn’t matter. Brother Jiang should know their whereabouts. When the time comes, we can just lead the monsters straight to them. Why would we need to do it ourselves?”

Gu Han exclaimed in admiration, “Brilliant! No one is more suitable than me for this kind of thing!”

Meng Xing fell silent, afraid of enraging Chu Kuang if he said more.

Chu Kuang no longer hesitated. “We must find traces of those monsters quickly. Delaying only heightens the risk!”

***

Deep within the secret realm, about twenty monsters knelt on the ground, staring at the massive entity before them.

“Pay respects to the divine emissary!”

Unlike before, the divine emissary now appeared transformed, his thoughts lucid.

“The glory of our god is not to be sullied! You insignificant ants, how dare you! To even dream of stealing the divine power, your crime is unforgivable!” he declared coldly. Subsequently, he turned to the outer area, his vertical eye suddenly opening. “Follow me! Exterminate the ants! Welcome the return of our god!”

He pushed off the ground with all his strength.

“Our god returns!”

“Our god returns!”

The monsters trailed closely behind him, their eagerness unmistakable. All around, endless red mist churned incessantly.

***

Yuan Gang stood on top of a small hill, dumbfounded. “That’s strange. How come we can’t find a single one?”

Their plan was actually quite simple: find the monster as a team and kill it together. A bit of an inefficient method, but also the safest. And yet, even after several hours had passed, they hadn’t even seen a shadow of a monster.

Chu Kuang felt uneasy. “Something’s not right. These monsters seem to be hiding from us.”

Gu Han hurriedly reassured him. “It’s okay! Let’s keep looking! Perhaps they’ve gone deeper in. There’s more red mist there, which is also beneficial for their evolution!”

He was more anxious than anyone.

Meng Xing also felt something was very off. “In my opinion, we should head back—”

Suddenly, the ground trembled slightly, cutting off his words.

Gu Han was overjoyed. “Here they are! We just said we couldn’t find them, and here they are delivered to our doorstep! Hah, this is indeed fate! Everyone, the Great Dao made this possible for us! We must use this opportunity well!”

Bullshit fate! Everyone was mildly annoyed. For the past several hours, Gu Han’s mouth hadn’t stopped, dropping a few half-baked, dogshit lines disguised as reasonable on everyone.

Even Yuan Gang had a few complaints for Chu Kuang. What were you thinking, bringing back a piece of work like this?!

Meanwhile, Chu Kuang was too preoccupied to dwell on this matter. “No! By the sound of it, it doesn’t sound like just one!”

Gu Han waved his hand. “It doesn’t matter! With our combined strength, even if three or five come, it won’t be a problem!”

Chu Kuang hesitated for a moment. “Alright then! Then let’s go take a look!”

Being able to deal with several at once was much better than dealing with them one by one. As the distance closed, the trembling of the earth increased. Gu Han felt something was off. From the commotion, there was definitely more than just three or five.

Suddenly, Chu Kuang’s expression changed dramatically. “This isn’t good! Retreat, get out of here quickly—”

Since his soul was essentially at the Saint realm, he perceived the situation ahead sooner than others. There was an existence way stronger than expected.

Before they could do anything, someone’s cold voice reached them. “Ants, you defiled our god, you shall be executed!”

Accompanying the voice, a massive entity appeared within everyone’s sight.

Everyone sucked in a cold breath. Is this really the same kind of monster we saw before?

It was simply outrageous.

Meng Xing fixed his bloodshot eyes at Gu Han, full of killing intent. “Is this your plan?”

Gu Han forced himself to remain calm. “Steady. Don’t panic! We have numbers on our side. Dealing with him won’t be difficult!”

Everyone almost cursed out loud. Deal your ass! Numbers? What good does it do?!

Knowing that the monster was equivalent to a top-tier Soaring realm expert, Yuan Gang came to a swift decision. “Let’s go! We miscalculated! We would probably have to sacrifice half of our people just to take down this guy! Let’s go back and discuss further!”

Sacrificing lives to do this was the dumbest approach.

A low shout came. “Leave?”

The monster forcefully pushed off the ground, leaping high into the air before landing in front of the group. The earth shook and mountains trembled.

“Ants! You shall pay with your lives for daring to defile our divine majesty!”

Everyone was shaken to their core. Not only was the monster sane, he was even quite intelligent!

Amid the rolling red mist, about twenty monsters appeared from several directions, surrounding the group.

“Surround them!”

“Exterminate!”

“Use their blood to welcome our god!”

Meng Xing glared at Gu Han, dying to tear him apart.

Everyone looked like they’d seen a ghost. Even if their opponents were weaker, there were simply too many of them! Taking on twenty of them was asking to die, and the biggest one was still in front.

Chu Kuang stared intently at the biggest foe. “You seem to be their leader!”

He still clung to the faint hope that the monster, being aware, could understand him. If it could grasp his words, there was still a chance to survive today.

“Killing us actually holds no benefit for you. I have a suggestion, you might as well listen—”

Without even sparing him a look, the divine emissary’s tone remained cold. “Ant! You dare talk to me? Execute them immediately!”

In an instant, the monsters struck. A scream tore through the air as a Yuqing Sect disciple was snatched.

“Guys, save me—”

Before the last word left his lips, he was crushed into a pulp. The earth was stained red once more.

The monster’s intelligence was clearly not far off from the divine emissary. “Use your blood to welcome our god!”

Now that things had come to this, Chu Kuang no longer hesitated. “Escape, as many as are able!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he flashed, having chosen a direction to escape toward. Just then, a massive hand struck, blocking his path, leaving a deep print.

The divine emissary showed no reaction. “You’re leaving? Resisting to be sacrificed is the gravest crime!”

Chu Kuang was enraged. “You will regret this! Primordial Savage Devour the Heavens!”

His aura flared violently, revealing a monstrous maw looming faintly behind him. He flashed, instantly engaging the divine emissary in battle.

Yuan Gang was stunned, but not for long. Gritting his teeth, he rushed to Chu Kuang’s aid. “Junior Brother, I’ll help you!”

Loud rumbles continuously erupted. The roars of monsters and the screams of people twisted together in the thickening stench of blood. In just a moment, this place had transformed into a slaughterhouse.

At one corner of the battlefield, Gu Han and two Qingyun Pavilion disciples stood together, surrounded by four monsters. The two subtly stood behind Gu Han, intending to use him as their shield.

Feigning ignorance, Gu Han spat out blood wildly, fighting with his life on the line.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “You two go first, I’ll hold them off!”

The two were taken aback.

Gu Han was resolute. “Go! The plan was my idea! This responsibility is mine alone! Rest assured, I will protect you even if my life is forfeit!”

The two didn’t even hesitate. “Alright!”

They had only held Gu Han in contempt, so his words brought them a surprising sense of relief.

Of course, they still had to pretend to care.

“Take care!”

“Be careful!”

The four monsters seemed to have seen through their intentions. Their vertical eyes snapped open without warning.

"Glory!"

Gu Han was also struggling. “Hurry! I can’t hold on for long!”

Without needing his reminder, the two turned and ran. However, just as they turned around, Gu Han shot past them. The two were dumbfounded. Didn’t he say he would cover us?

No sooner had they started to react, four red lights landed on them. The two didn’t even get to show their true strength before they perished. Everyone was too busy to notice this trivial incident.

Suddenly, Meng Xing’s enraged roar came from afar. His silver light flared to its utmost brilliance. He was locked in battle with three monsters. Due to the sheer toughness of his physique, he was only at a slight disadvantage.

Gu Han’s eyes lit up. “Brother Meng, hold on! I’ll help you!”