Chapter 371: Ranqingmo's Decision, Re‑Exploring the Alien Castle

Liuyan, though arrogant, still has a clear sense of the situation.

Yuanxi, that cursed place, even the strongest Martial Artist faces an unknown fate after entering.

Facing Zhu Xingyao's goading, Liuyan laughed: "What do you call being afraid to go in? On what right do we go in to find him—does he have a big ego?"

"Exactly, that kid Lu Jing has been inside for so many days without emerging; he's probably trapped. Do you want us to go in and retrieve his corpse?"

Gongyuande sneered beside them, echoing the sentiment.

The two exchanged a glance, their mouths curling slightly.

If Lu Jing truly perished inside, it would be a cause for universal rejoicing.

They would not only save the effort of battling Lu Jing, but Ran Jianfeng would also change his mind.

"Tch, if you lack courage, don't spout such grand talk—laughable."

Zhu Xingyao rolled her eyes, "It's only been that short a time; I told the teammates who went with Lu Jing that he must stay at least a week."

"Hmph."

Liuyan and Gongyuande, unwilling to continue the Yuanxi discussion, let out a cold snort and fell silent.

"Dong Ningxue, arrange it for me; I need to enter Yuanxi to find him."

As the camp fell into silence, Ranqingmo suddenly spoke.

"Ranqingmo, what is this?!"

Gongyuande's expression changed dramatically; he hadn't expected Ranqingmo to actually enter Yuanxi to search for Lu Jing.

Liuyan furrowed his brow, his tone urgent, saying: "Ranqingmo, you mustn't. Yuanxi is extremely perilous; don't act on impulse. At worst we can wait a while longer—if Lu Jing isn't dead, he'll surely emerge."

"If you are scared, you can stay out."

Ranqingmo was unmoved, speaking calmly.

"It's not that we won't go," Liuyan explained, "Yuanxi is a prohibited zone of the military headquarters. We're not part of the military, so even if we wanted to, we couldn't enter."

Dong Ningxue stepped forward, sat beside Ranqingmo, and asked, "Ranqingmo, are you serious?"

Hearing that, Ranqingmo fixed his gaze on Dong Ningxue and said earnestly, "Arrange it for me, the sooner the better."

Dong Ningxue was silent for two seconds, then nodded, "Fine, I'll help you apply for a Yuanxi entry slot, though the superiors may refuse."

The military high command is eager for someone to voluntarily explore Yuanxi, as that would allow them to collect more information and data about it.

But Ranqingmo's identity is special; as the granddaughter of the Sword Martial God, who would dare let her take such a risk?

Nevertheless, Ranqingmo's decision surprised Dong Ningxue.

It seems her relationship with Lu Jing is more than just ordinary friends.

"By the way, should I apply for a few Yuanxi slots—are both of you going in?"

Dong Ningxue looked toward the slightly pallid Liuyan and Gongyuande beside her.

"I..."

Liuyan was slightly startled, feeling a chill run through him.

He has lived this long, having only hunted some Demon Beasts, never even set foot on a Cave battlefield.

Now being told to enter the perilous Yuanxi, he naturally has countless reasons to refuse.

But Liuyan reconsidered: if he truly follows Ranqingmo into Yuanxi, whether or not he finds Lu Jing's corpse, he could earn Ranqingmo's favor.

As he hesitated, Gongyuande rose to his feet.

"I'll go, apply a slot for me."

After speaking, Gongyuande looked at Ranqingmo with admiration, but Ranqingmo didn't even spare him a glance.

With Gongyuande taking the lead, Liuyan gritted his teeth and said, "Add me as well; Ranqingmo going alone is too dangerous—I'll go protect her!"

"Alright, I'll report it now; you wait patiently for the notice."

Dong Ningxue finished speaking, turned, and left the camp.

Third Division, Headquarters.

Xiahou Jie hung up Dong Ningxue's phone, his expression turning grim.

"The Ran family's girl applying to enter Yuanxi—troublesome. If something happens inside, wouldn't that old Ran Jianfeng go berserk?"

The adjutant beside him mused for a moment, then said, "Commander, it's not that severe. The first exploration squad, aside from Lu Jing, all returned safely. According to the intelligence they brought back, that Yuanxi isn't particularly dangerous."

"Given Ranqingmo's party's strength, it should be fine; if not, we can send a few people to go in and protect her?"

"Alright, then approve it. Go to the mission hall and post an escort mission, increase the military reward a bit."

Xiahou Jie tapped his right index finger on the table, "I wonder how Lu Jing is doing now—could there be some new finding? It's been so long and he still hasn't emerged."

Inside Yuanxi.

"Ziling, well done!"

Watching Ziling gather a large horde of other races together, Lu Jing praised without reservation.

After a day's acclimation, the master and servant's coordination grew increasingly seamless.

Ziling handled the monster pull, drawing the attention of Demon Beasts or other races, saving Lu Jing considerable time.

"Move quickly!"

Lu Jing shouted to Ziling.

Immediately, a surge of crimson‑golden flame and dazzling thunder burst from his body.

The Blood Qi power ignited, and Blade Intent instantly refined.

These glows, like flowing water, surged into the Thousand‑Blade Demon Sword in his hand.

"Ravage Life—"

Lu Jing rose into the air like an enraged dragon, swinging his long sword down fiercely.

Clang—

The clanging of metal halberds suddenly rang out.

A dazzling blade-light shot out, making the surrounding space tremble.

The blade-light's range was terrifyingly huge, wrapping up all the foreign tribes gathered ahead.

A visible, terrifying shockwave mixed with flesh and grass foam spread outward.

Like a bulldozer, wherever it passed the foreign tribes' flesh and blood sprayed, torn to shreds.

After the blade-light faded, only a few scattered foreign tribes remained dazed on the spot.

Without Lu Jing issuing commands, Zi Ling had already charged forward, gripping her mithril sword.

In a few quick moves they cleared the battlefield.

"Whoosh—"

Lu Jing exhaled; after days of fighting, his battle attire was slightly torn and his hair became a bit disheveled.

"The foreign tribes nearby are getting fewer; should we find a chance to explore the foreign tribe's castle again?"

Lu Jing sheathed the Thousand-Blade Demon Sword, lost in thought.

"I don't know what strength the entity in that castle has; I've slaughtered many foreign tribes these past days, yet it hasn't come out seeking revenge—could it be..."

Lu Jing's eyes lit up; could it be that the castle's master is trapped inside, or restricted to acting only within the castle?

After the previous castle battle, Lu Jing vaguely sensed something was off.

The other side merely exuded a terrifying aura, yet did not come out to pursue him.

It was as if they wanted to drive him out.

"The spiritual power inside the castle is shielded; this time we might as well take advantage of daylight to explore again!"

The foreign tribes have excellent night vision; fighting at night is undoubtedly a disadvantage for Lu Jing.

Having made up his mind, Lu Jing brought Zi Ling to the castle's base once more.