Regardless, Lan Chen was buzzing with excitement. He immediately pulled Lu Yuan and hurried towards the direction of the energy fluctuation, though he remained cautious, his speed only slightly faster than before.

"Not bad, Lu Yuan. You've really got something, being chosen by Lord Tong."

As Lan Chen carefully led the way, he lavished Lu Yuan with praise.

Lu Yuan patiently followed him for two kilometers before finally reminding him, "If we keep going like this, we might lose whatever's ahead. Don't forget we're not far from the safe zone, and someone else could find it..."

But Lan Chen shook his head, stubbornly saying, "No treasure is worth more than life. I've seen too many who rushed for Treasures without watching their steps and ended up falling just before reaching them. There are plenty of Treasures in the Secret Realm, but we only have one life..."

Lu Yuan had no choice but to follow his lead. The two slowly advanced another two kilometers, and finally, the silhouette of a treasure appeared in their sight.

It was a cluster of rocks encircled by vines. Among the thick, python-like vines, a small section of golden vine shone brilliantly.

The mysterious light was visible from hundreds of meters away. Lu Yuan felt the Evil God essence in the surrounding environment grow much denser.

With every breath, he felt as if his blood cells were strengthening, hearing the sound of his flesh and bones surging with growth.

Great stuff! Absolutely great stuff for me!

Lu Yuan's eyes were blazing, staring at the glowing golden vine without blinking.

Lan Chen was even more excited than him, his breathing growing rapid.

His exoskeleton armor directly entered Stage Two mode, its deep blue plating almost entirely encasing his body.

As the armor activated, he kept mumbling something.

Lu Yuan listened carefully and discovered he was estimating the possible Ash Value of the golden vine.

"Let's go!"

Lu Yuan called out, swiftly passed Lan Chen, and rushed towards the golden vine, with Lan Chen following closely.

But before they could get far, two imposing figures suddenly sprang out from several hundred meters to their right.

These two figures also wore exoskeleton armors similar to Lan Chen's—one black, one deep red—exuding a sense of technological and mechanical beauty. Energy fields pulsed across their bodies.

Their faces, marked by deep-set eyes and high noses, were filled with excitement and elation.

They were shouting excitedly as they charged.

Through the automatic translator configured by his auxiliary optical computer, Lu Yuan could hear phrases like—"We're rich!" and "We're in luck this time, mate!"

It was the language of the Distant Star Federation. Their exoskeleton armor also displayed the unique insignia of the Distant Star Federation—a shining star and a leaf.

The two groups shared the same goal and noticed each other almost instantly after emerging.

As their gazes met, information fed back from their chips flickered rapidly before their eyes.

When Lan Chen, behind Lu Yuan, read the information about the two men, his face turned ugly.

Conversely, the expressions of the two men from the Distant Star Federation shifted from astonishment to seriousness, and finally, to relaxation.

Their gazes towards Lu Yuan and Lan Chen became tinged with amusement and mockery.

Soon, the two explorers from the Distant Star Federation seemed to have made their decision.

The man in the deep red armor continued towards the golden vine, while the other man in black armor changed direction and charged swiftly towards Lu Yuan and Lan Chen.

His exposed face was filled with contempt and coldness.

Seeing this, Lan Chen's pupils contracted, and he shouted urgently, "Lu Yuan, stop! Stop now!"

Flames blasted from several joints of Lan Chen's exoskeleton armor as he lunged forward, trying to grab Lu Yuan.

Meanwhile, he muttered urgently, "These two guys are in the top three hundred on the Ash Value rankings! Their armor materials and modules are a whole tier above mine—definitely Tier Three combat strength! We probably can't even break their energy shields... Let's retreat immediately; we don't need this treasure..."

Before Lan Chen could finish his persuasive spiel, he suddenly felt his hand slip and his vision blur.

In front of him, Lu Yuan transformed into a blurred afterimage, darting forward at high speed like a slippery fish.

Lan Chen was taken aback. He was utterly shocked that Lu Yuan, who had been quite "honest" along the journey, had suddenly become so "recklessly impulsive" at such a critical moment.

Not only did Lu Yuan not retreat, he even dared to approach, and Lan Chen couldn't hold him back.

"Damn!" Lan Chen couldn't help but curse.

Those bastards from the Distant Star Federation are the most overbearing; they always strike ruthlessly. This kid has doomed us this time...

Lan Chen's expression changed rapidly. Clenching his teeth, he finally steeled himself and charged forward as well.

However, before he got very far, his figure suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

The scene unfolding before him made his eyes widen, his expression so shocked and exaggerated it was as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

How... How is this possible?!

BOOM!

A sound like thunder suddenly exploded in the jungle.

Following this, white vapor erupted from every pore on Lu Yuan's body as he leaped out.

Enveloped by the white vapor, he carved a dazzlingly beautiful trajectory through the mid-air, like a Swimming Dragon.

In barely an instant, he was in front of the man clad in black armor.

The large man in black armor was also startled by the sudden appearance of the white figure.

Numerous points on his exoskeleton armor instantly lit up.

A series of brightly colored energy beams, condensed to their utmost limit, shot rapidly from his body.

Directly in front of him, they wove into a dense, intricate network, under which the air shimmered with countless distorted waves, manifesting its terrifying power.

This was a perfect killing field, calculated by his advanced combat module.

It was designed to shred any intruder; even a moth daring to enter would be minced into grain-sized particles by the crisscrossing energy beams.

However, facing this terrifying kill zone, the figure shrouded in dense white mist seemed utterly oblivious.

Without the slightest pause, he passed straight through it, the process like moving through a dream, an illusion.

It was as if an ethereal body, not existing in reality, had slipped through in a flash.

Huh?!

Seeing this, the large man in black armor's eyes flew open, too stunned to react in time.

A semi-transparent energy shield, a finger's width thick, reflexively erupted from his body.

Yet, at the very moment this energy shield materialized, a platinum thunderbolt seemed to flash through the white mist.

BOOM!

Amidst a terrifying roar that ripped through the air, like thunder cracking or a colossal elephant trumpeting, a fist shrouded in a dense platinum glow suddenly extended from the mist and smashed ruthlessly into the energy shield.

CRACK—

The finger-thick energy shield lasted less than half a second before it exploded with a deafening BOOM!

Then, the fist continued its relentless advance, unimpeded, smashing straight into the chest of the man in the black armor.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment...

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