In a bitter battle, four members of the Yellow Bear Exploration Team sustained minor injuries, and three had their combat effectiveness impaired.

The only unexpected incident involved the young Flying Bear who sacrificed himself to save others and was "abducted" by a monstrous bird.

Casualties were normal during the exploration of a Sub-legendary level Secret Realm, but no one had anticipated the first "fatality" to occur so swiftly.

The expressions of many turned grave.

Yin Muqing pulled up Lu Yuan's file, surprised to find that this "self-sacrificing individual" had previously made a certain impression on her. This was mainly due to his remarkably sparse record. Theoretically, he should never have been able to join this "pioneering" team. However, because he was apparently a key contributor to the artifact that unlocked this Secret Realm, coupled with a seemingly special background, he had been forcibly included.

Yin Muqing's initial impression of him had been exceedingly mediocre, but it had now shifted slightly. While she still considered the actions of this young Flying Bear named Lu Yuan—rushing to save someone without first assessing his own strength—to be incredibly foolish.

But she had to admit, a team truly needed people like him.

"Can anyone contact... this Flying Bear named Lu Yuan?" Yin Muqing asked the assembled Flying Bear Generals, scanning Lu Yuan's information.

Most shook their heads; they were unfamiliar with the name. A few felt they might have heard it before, but they were far from any real acquaintance.

"I might be able to find him!" a voice declared as someone stepped forward.

All eyes turned to the speaker, Han Xun. Only then did they recall that Han Xun was indeed quite close to Lu Yuan. They had been partnered for exploration back in the forest.

Yin Muqing pondered for a moment before quickly deciding, "Then take two others and try to locate him. Report back immediately if you find any clues."

Although, due to the influence of Evil Energy Fluctuation, technological communication methods often failed within the Secret Realm, it was still possible to achieve some level of sensing within a certain range.

"Understood," Han Xun nodded, his expression solemn.

Lu Yuan's "fate" was entirely unexpected, and Han Xun was now likely the most worried person in the entire team. Although he could now sense that Lu Yuan had likely concealed some of his true strength from him.

But in this perilous environment, the risks were significant. Unless one's strength reached Yin Muqing's level, even a Four-winged Flying Bear like himself faced a considerable chance of death. He could only hope Lu Yuan's luck would hold.

Han Xun quickly selected two individuals, one of whom was the very person Lu Yuan had saved from the flock of monstrous birds. The three of them then separated from the main force and hurried away.

Barely moments after Han Xun's trio departed, the Yellow Bear Exploration Team saw them: two figures emanating auras as powerful as Yin Muqing's, emerging from the strange forest they had just exited nearby.

Havel's Egersis had caught up!

Yin Muqing's expression turned grim. She immediately issued orders to clean up the battlefield and continue their advance.

「...」

That's far enough.

Having "escorted" the monstrous bird a considerable distance, Lu Yuan decided it was time. He decisively slammed a ferocious punch into the bird's abdomen above him.

His fist, imbued with Platinum Universe Qi and amplified by Grandmaster Force, sank into the monstrous bird's belly as easily as a knife slicing through tofu.

The terrifying power within erupted a second later.

BANG!

The strange bird's body swelled grotesquely, then with a final shriek, it exploded into a shower of debris that filled the sky.

Lu Yuan instantly released his Grandmaster Domain, and the surrounding air immediately distorted and blurred.

He descended step by step from several hundred meters high, as if treading on invisible stairs.

The blood mist from the bird's explosion coalesced into countless tiny sanguine tornadoes swirling around him. Its Flesh and Blood Essence was absorbed through every pore of his body.

By the time Lu Yuan's feet touched the ground, the blood mist had long since vanished.

This is a completely different experience from landing with wings... Lu Yuan mused, exhaling lightly as he surveyed his surroundings.

He figured he must now be deep within the Black Plain.

Lu Yuan squinted into the distance. A small mountain, over a hundred meters high, came into view.

To call it a mountain wasn't entirely accurate. More precisely, it was... a Stone Pestle, a massive cairn formed from a large quantity of black stones. Only, this Stone Pestle was rather too large for an ordinary person.

Around this colossal black Stone Pestle, and upon it, figures of Elephantmen could be seen moving.

This was the first time Lu Yuan had encountered Elephantmen since entering the Elephant God's Secret Realm.

An Elephantman tribe, a gathering place? Lu Yuan's eyes flickered. But why do these Elephantmen look... as if they're dead?

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yuan strode swiftly towards the giant Stone Pestle. The closer he got, the hotter the Elephant God's curse on his chest burned. He knew full well that danger awaited him, but for him, this crisis was also a rare opportunity.

Lu Yuan reached the foot of the Stone Pestle.

Elephantmen surrounded the Stone Pestle, each kneeling on one knee, their single forehead-eye tightly shut.

Numerous huge, pale beast bones were thrust like banners into the crevices between the stones of the Stone Pestle.

At the very summit of the Stone Pestle, an Elephantman with four arms and two heads was also in a kneeling posture.

Lu Yuan looked in the direction the two-headed, four-armed Elephantman was kneeling. The mist ahead was murky, obscuring details, but he could vaguely discern many small hills similar to the Stone Pestle before him; the farther away they were, the taller they appeared.

Lu Yuan circled the Stone Pestle and counted. Including the four-armed Elephantman at the top, there were twenty-three Elephantmen in total. He felt no signs of life from these Elephantmen, utterly different from the Ancient Elephant God's creatures he had encountered before.

Suddenly, Lu Yuan noticed a mysterious pattern on a large black stone several meters above his head. His body moved, and he instinctively started to approach it for a closer look.

However, the moment he touched the massive Stone Pestle, the Elephant God's curse on his chest flared, burning like a brand, as if he had triggered some hidden mechanism.

The Elephantmen kneeling around the Stone Pestle all opened their eyes in perfect unison!

ROAR!

Dozens of elephantine roars erupted simultaneously by Lu Yuan's ears. The immense sound waves converged, causing the entire Stone Pestle to tremble faintly.

Then, in the next instant, the Elephantmen awakened from their slumber around the Stone Pestle and launched themselves at Lu Yuan.

In a flash, Lu Yuan was engulfed by a dense shadow, the tsunami-like pressure threatening to completely submerge him in an eyeblink...

Half a second later…

BOOM!

An invisible, terrifying force exploded upon the Stone Pestle. Platinum Universe Qi erupted like thunder, accompanied by the severed limbs of Elephantmen!

WHOOSH—

Lu Yuan, enveloped by his Grandmaster Domain, became a blur of distorted, formless energy. He violently stomped, crushing the stones beneath his feet. Wreathed in Platinum Universe Qi, he moved like a white lightning bolt, weaving through the revived Elephantmen.

Each time the lightning flashed, an Elephantman would explode into pieces.

Within a few breaths, the dense shadow that had enveloped the Stone Pestle was torn to shreds.

These ordinary Walker Level Elephantmen, whose combat power was generally only SS-level, stood no chance against Lu Yuan. Unleashing his full Martial Arts Grandmaster strength, he tore them apart as if they were fragile dolls.

The twenty-odd Elephantmen dwindled rapidly, their rock-like bodies exploding into fragments that splattered like rain.

Just as Lu Yuan was indulging in the "slaughter," a colossal figure suddenly plummeted from above.

A two-headed, four-armed Elephantman was charging at him, its eyes crimson.

Two golden glints flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes. His lean body, wreathed in Universe Qi, abruptly swelled—

[Grandmaster: Overload Mode]!

His rapidly vibrating muscles, like countless bowstrings being drawn taut and released in an instant, unleashed terrifying power exceeding a thousand tons.

"Grandmaster God Elephant Sect: Double Swallowing Dragon!"

Lu Yuan punched out with both hands simultaneously. His arms vanished and reappeared in the air.

The ferociously charging two-headed, four-armed Elephantman faltered for an instant...

Then, with a thunderous BOOM, it utterly disintegrated!

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH—

Lu Yuan moved without pause, leaving several afterimages in the air.

When he returned to his original position, the few remaining Elephantmen on the Stone Pestle froze, then exploded one after another.

PHEW—

Amidst the shower of black flesh and blood, Lu Yuan exhaled softly. His enlarged body swiftly shrank, and copious amounts of white steam vented from every pore. His expression was calm, his tousled hair gradually settling, and his flushed skin slowly returning to its original fairness.

A few breaths later, the massive Stone Pestle was restored to its initial tranquility. The only difference was that the Elephantmen who had been kneeling around the Stone Pestle had all vanished, leaving behind only piles of rubble resembling shattered stone.

One, two, three, four...

Lu Yuan counted the Elephantman hearts remaining on the ground. There were twenty-three in total: twenty-two of roughly the same size, and one about three times larger than the others.

Lu Yuan crushed these stone-like hearts one by one, absorbing the faint light within them. He watched his Elephant God panel's progress bar shoot up.

17%...

18%...

19%...

Yet, Lu Yuan couldn't help but frown slightly.

Why does the energy feel so minimal...

After absorbing all twenty-three hearts, Lu Yuan found that his [Elephant God: Ming King Stance (Extraordinary)] experience bar had only just reached 42%.

The heart of an ordinary Elephantman provided him with about 1% progress on his experience bar, while the one from the two-headed, four-armed Elephantman offered a good deal more, around 5%.

This is far worse than the Elephant God Walks I killed outside the Secret Realm. Their quality is only comparable to ordinary Ancient Elephant God's creatures... Lu Yuan mused. He guessed that the Elephant God Walks that had chased him outside the Secret Realm previously must have been "fully charged." These Elephantmen, idling in the Secret Realm, were all in a "low battery" state.

Charging these half-dead Elephantmen must be quite an arduous task. Otherwise, if even a few more had appeared during the previous curse attacks, I probably wouldn't have been able to withstand it...

As for who or what is charging these Elephantmen... A three-headed, six-armed figure standing atop Demon Mountain subconsciously surfaced in Lu Yuan's mind.

Fortunately, there are plenty of Elephantmen in the Secret Realm. If the quality isn't there, quantity will have to suffice. It should be enough to fill my experience bar...

With these thoughts, Lu Yuan turned, his gaze finally settling on the pattern he had noticed etched into the stone earlier.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be some kind of pictograph.

As Lu Yuan attempted to decipher the pictograph's meaning, the fusion progress of his [Student] and [Ancient Language Expert] profession panels, which had long been integrating, finally began to tick upwards once more.

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