"This time, Hall Master Lin, when you hit Star Tower City so hard, making Star Tower City give out something, it would at most only make the old guy Hu Lei feel a bit of pain."

"I see." Lin Qi nodded in understanding after hearing this.

Although the Golden Stone Statue could indeed grant entry into the prison constructed by that civilization, there were too many forces entering the prison. A single city's dispatched individuals were far from sufficient. Even if there are some gains, they would be very limited. The truly valuable items are likely controlled by the major powers.

Since nothing significant could be gained by going in, letting one out wasn't a major loss.

"My visit here has two purposes: first, to acquaint myself with Hall Master Lin, and second, to propose cooperation with Hall Master Lin," Fan Sen said proactively, seeing the dawning realization on Lin Qi's face. "Now that Hall Master Lin has the prison key, I hope to join forces with you in exploring the prison during the next inspection. I believe we can gain more within the prison."

"Brother Fan Sen, as a super genius from Domain City, is there really anyone who dares to compete with Domain City?" Lin Qi asked in surprise.

He wasn't oblivious to Fan Sen's reputation.

After all, there were always rumors in Chasing Light City that City Lord Diroya had invited Domain City's super genius. Despite being in the Bone Forging Realm, this super genius was indeed a match for masters in the Blood Coagulation Realm.

And the Mist Mountain Prison in the Mist Mountain Region, needless to say, was like the backyard of Domain City. As someone from Domain City, exploring the prison should be akin to strolling in his own garden. Given his strength rivaling those in the Blood Coagulation Realm, he should be able to move unhindered within the prison. It's hard to imagine him needing to partner with anyone else.

"Hall Master Lin may have some misunderstandings about that prison," Fan Sen said with a wry smile. "Although on the surface, Domain City appears to control that prison, each entry by Domain City is not exclusive to one family, not to mention the major forces from the Four Domains. Although my personal strength is formidable, it isn't invincible. In my last two visits, I could only linger in the prison's upper and middle-level areas, with no way to enter the lower-level area."

"That's why I want to collaborate with Hall Master Lin this time. With our combined forces, entering the prison's lower-level area isn't impossible. The lower-level area barely explored by any forces is the place where major gains are possible. Over the years, the upper and middle-level areas of the prison have nearly been thoroughly explored, leaving the lower-level area housing high-profile criminals as the only place for potential discoveries."

This time, Star Tower City offered the Golden Stone Statue primarily because of him. Otherwise, City Lord Diroya would only seek more catastrophe-level monster remnants from Hu Lei.

He recommended asking for the Golden Stone Statue precisely because he noticed the prowess of the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall's disciples. They managed to outshine both Star Tower City and the Holy Blood Mercenary Corps, proving that the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall indeed had some capabilities in the Bone Forging Realm.

With such strength, although far from matching those genuine major powers, there was already value in cooperation.

"Brother Fan Sen, do you know how many people this key can bring in? And when is the next inspection?" Lin Qi pondered briefly and asked back instead of hastily responding.

He had fully understood the reason for obtaining the Golden Stone Statue.

Previously, he wondered why City Lord Diroya was so generous. Even if he were trying to win him over, there was no need to offer something as valuable as the Golden Stone Statue.

Now it seemed clear that Diroya aimed to kill two birds with one stone.

One reason was to ingratiate himself, and the other was to curry favor with Fan Sen.

Of course, the main reason was likely for Fan Sen, or else he wouldn't even have the chance to obtain the Golden Stone Statue.

However, cooperating with Fan Sen was also a significant issue.

As Fan Sen mentioned, although Mist Mountain Prison hosted inconceivable opportunities and was built by a civilization that once produced a demigod — whose might was unimaginable, capable of playing with stars as if they were glass beads, almost godlike — the number of forces entering Mist Mountain Prison was overwhelming. Fetching treasures inside wasn't difficult, but leaving afterwards would pose a significant problem.

Inside the prison, those in the Blood Coagulation Realm cannot act, but once outside, masters from the major forces in the Blood Coagulation Realm can do as they please. Without the power to resist, one would be walking into self-destruction.

"This key can bring up to a hundred people each time, and the next prison inspection is in a week's time." Fan Sen explained without much thought.

"A week?" Lin Qi couldn't help but frown slightly.

A week was neither a long nor short duration, and now the top experts from various teams were all striving to break through to the Bone Forging Realm. Within a week, it's possible for a breakthrough to happen, though the chances weren't high. After all, the Bone Forging Realm was a significant threshold, blocking many Refining Organ Realm martial artists. Even for genius martial artists who did succeed, it still required a considerable amount of time.

Once a player reached the Bone Forging Realm, his strength would undergo a qualitative change. At that point, even if a Blood Coagulation Realm master attacked, he would be confident in holding them off.

But if the players couldn't reach the Bone Forging Realm, exploring Mist Mountain Prison would become a major hassle.

"Is there a problem with this timing?" Fan Sen asked, noticing Lin Qi's slight frown, quite puzzled.

For such an excellent opportunity to explore Mist Mountain Prison, anyone obtaining such a chance for the first time would usually be eager to proceed as soon as possible. However, seeing Lin Qi's expression, it seemed like the timing was somewhat rushed.

"No problem at all." Lin Qi bit his lip and chose to agree. "Then shall we meet in Chasing Light City and head over together?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.