Chapter 449 - 211: Soul-Catching and Dream-Planting, an Unassailable Lead
Chapter 449: Chapter 211: Soul-Catching and Dream-Planting, an Unassailable Lead
The moment they saw the leaderboard, the morale of the Firewood members, which had just been boosted by reaching the second level, was doused with cold water.
Zhang Daoming!
It was him again!
His points were actually three times Lin Ye’s!
What was even more important was the status displayed after his name.
Has entered the depths of the second level!
This meant that as the team captain, he hadn’t cared at all about the other members of the Kunlun Martial Hall and had been acting alone the entire time.
He had actually found the correct path even earlier than they had, and he had already explored a great distance into this incredibly bizarre second level!
"He’s actually ahead of us...!"
Hu Dahai stared at the name, unable to stop himself from cursing under his breath, his face filled with anxiety.
Zhang Daoxuan’s expression was grim.
He had to admit that this elder brother of his was countless times stronger than him in terms of raw power and experience exploring the Celestial Abyss Rift.
However, before everyone could fully process this news, another leaderboard popped up.
[Team Point Rankings]
[Firewood Martial Hall, Total Points: 214,110]
[Kunlun Martial Hall, Total Points: 145,980]
Seeing this list, everyone from Firewood was stunned.
The next second, a wave of irrepressible cheers erupted!
"HOLY SHIT! We just snuck up and blasted past Kunlun!"
"Hahaha! We’ve overtaken them! I remember we were behind by a lot of points. How did we suddenly pull ahead?"
Zhang Daoxuan began to analyze the situation. "All of our remaining members have successfully made it here. I estimate the system gives bonus points for exploration progress."
On one side, there was a super-individual with off-the-charts power and a wealth of experience.
On the other, there was a team that worked together and earned the highest score.
The competition between the two Martial Halls still had some suspense after all.
Just as everyone was getting excited, a Firewood member tried to walk a few steps forward along the stone bridge underfoot.
"I’ll go scout ahead!"
However, he had only taken a few steps.
"AH—!"
With a cry of alarm, the ground beneath his feet vanished, and he plummeted straight down off the bridge!
"Watch out!"
Everyone’s hearts tightened.
But then, a bizarre scene unfolded.
The man’s cry of alarm, in the next second, actually came from above their heads!
Everyone instinctively looked up and was instantly dumbfounded.
Their fallen comrade had somehow landed on another stone bridge about ten meters above them.
He was completely upside down, scrambling to hold onto the bridge’s surface with his hands and feet, his face a mask of terror and confusion.
Then, he stood up and stared down at the group below, utterly bewildered.
From each other’s perspectives, the two groups were just hanging there, upside down relative to one another, staring blankly.
’What is this?’
Lin Ye frowned and instantly activated his pure perception of gravity.
A moment later, he explained to the others, "The Gravity Field here is far more chaotic than on the first level."
"Each stone bridge has its own independent, localized Gravity Field."
"The gravity of the bridge we’re on pulls downward, but the gravity of the bridge he fell onto pulls toward the bridge itself."
After hearing this, a wry smile appeared on Hu Dahai’s face.
"How are we supposed to search like this?"
"In a godforsaken place like this, forget finding the Ark Fire Seed Source—it’ll be a feat just to not get lost."
He fell silent for a moment, seemingly having made a decision.
"Brothers, I don’t think we can stick together as a group anymore."
"In this environment, staying together is too inefficient. It will only make our chances slimmer and slimmer."
"From now on, I suggest we split up. Go solo or in pairs."
He looked at Lin Ye and Zhang Daoxuan, paused, and then continued.
"Of course, if Lin Ye or Daoxuan need our help, or if you need people to scout the path like before, or if you run into any trouble, it won’t be too late for us to regroup then."
"Along the way, if any of you discover anything, use your terminals to upload it to the Martial Hall’s internal mission channel immediately. Share the information."
Finally, Hu Dahai took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over every Firewood member present.
"Remember, survival is the top priority! If you encounter a danger you can’t handle, don’t hesitate. Activate your Space-Folding Device and escape immediately. Don’t get bogged down in a fight!"
"That’s all... Dismissed!"
His words made everyone feel a little uneasy.
But splitting up to investigate was indeed the most rational and efficient choice at the moment.
Lin Ye had actually been thinking the same thing.
Because just a moment ago, he had seen vast patches of eerie blue Source Crystals growing on several stone bridges in the distance!
One of his goals for entering this level was to find Source Crystals, consume them, and grow stronger.
Without much more discussion, the members simply nodded to each other and wished one another well.
Then, one by one, figures—either alone or in groups of two or three—chose a direction and quickly vanished into the thick gray fog.
In the blink of an eye, only Lin Ye remained on the bridge.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he enveloped his body in a Gravity Field. Like a weightless feather, he floated silently toward one of the stone bridges covered in Source Crystals.
After confirming there were no other presences around, Lin Ye landed on the stone bridge that glowed with an eerie blue light.
He reached out and broke off a fist-sized Source Crystal from the bridge’s surface.
Without a moment’s delay, he opened his mouth and tossed the Source Crystal inside.
The instant the Source Crystal passed down his throat, it transformed into an incredibly hot, acrid torrent that surged violently through his entire body!
HISS—!
Lin Ye couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
If the purity of the Source Crystals he had obtained in the Celestial Abyss fragment within the Nirvana Tower was considered extremely high...
...then this Source Crystal, born in the true Celestial Abyss Realm, was what showed him the meaning of supreme quality!
Although the texture was terrible, so acrid it felt like swallowing a ball of molten lava, the energy density it contained was countless times higher than what he had consumed back in the abandoned chemical plant!
Lin Ye could clearly feel the surplus Gang Sha in his body—left over from his level up—being rapidly refined and compressed under the assault of this pure, domineering source energy!
The liquid energy was converting back into a solid state!
Lin Ye also noticed a problem.
This single, fist-sized Source Crystal was just a drop in the bucket for his current, ocean-vast reserves of Gang Sha.
As his power continued to grow, his demand for Source Crystals was also increasing.
Lin Ye no longer hesitated. Like a Taotie, he began to frantically devour all the Source Crystals on the stone bridge.
He consumed the entire bridge’s worth of Source Crystals—a weight dozens of times greater than his own body weight—swallowing it all.
All this energy turned into nourishment, thoroughly purifying and condensing all the Gang Sha within him once more.
At this moment, the solid Gangsha Core in his Dantian Qi Sea did not expand. It remained the size of a peach pit.
But its color had undergone a world-altering change.
It now had a color that was, in the truest sense, like the purest crystal—translucent and flawless, with what seemed to be a swirling galaxy within.
Lin Ye’s rough estimate was that the energy density contained within it was now several times greater than before!
He had no doubt that the quality of his Gang Sha, in terms of sheer energy density, could now rival that of the Divine Realm!
Lin Ye stood up and surveyed his surroundings.
The Source Crystals on this stone bridge had been completely cleared out by him.
He could feel that the Gang Sha in his body had reached a temporary saturation point; consuming more Source Crystals wouldn’t refine it any further.
However, his newly acquired skills, Soul Melting Bone Erosion and Soul-Catching and Dream-Planting, were like two bottomless pits. Even with this vast infusion of energy, they showed little change.
’I need more!’
Lin Ye’s figure vanished once more. He began to frantically search the chaotic maze for every location rich in Source Crystals.
He left not a single piece behind, stripping every place bare!
His efficiency was frighteningly high. He moved through the complex Gravity Field like a fish in water, and any Source Crystal Vein he discovered was devoured completely in an extremely short amount of time.
Just as Lin Ye arrived at the fifth stone bridge, preparing to continue consuming Source Crystals to strengthen his skills...
A hoarse, strange whisper suddenly sounded in his ear without any warning.
"I never thought that you, wearing the skin of a human, could also... accept this gift from the heavens, just like us!"