Chapter 25: Mystical Realm Key: The Land of Fortune

Looking at Fang Shi's intimidating gaze, Xiao Xi felt a chill in his heart.

Fang Shi's performance today had already proven that he was very familiar with this apocalypse, and Xiao Xi hoped to draw out some topics to get him to reveal more information.

Who knew Fang Shi would react so strongly.

"Xiao Xi, how come I didn't know about this?" Zhai Yan said in surprise.

"You never asked me," Xiao Xi shot Zhai Yan a glare, then continued speaking to Fang Shi, "This is what Feng Ren told me. Feng Ren has some connection with Hong Yuankai."

So Xiao Xi told Fang Shi about Hong Yuankai's deeds.

Fang Shi listened for a while and finally understood.

Xiao Xi also had a simp called Feng Ren, but because his looks were very ordinary, Xiao Xi didn't like him much.

But one day the simp got his hands on a secret vault, ready to make his fortune, and came over to give Xiao Xi a heads-up.

Just like in TV dramas where they say they'll come back to marry you after winning the battle.

Of course, the above was just Fang Shi's interpretation of Xiao Xi's words; the original wasn't quite like that.

However, Fang Shi also obtained important information, confirming that Hong Yuankai's group indeed had a key in their hands.

As a reborn person, Fang Shi knew about many keys.

But based on Hong Yuankai's actions, he roughly guessed that the key Hong Yuankai's group obtained was a Mystical Realm key.

The so-called Mystical Realm, in short, was a dungeon.

After entering the apocalypse, there were attribute panels, and naturally there was also killing monsters for loot.

Only the drop rate was very, very low—about as low as winning the lottery.

Let alone the king of dropped items, the Mystical Realm key.

The apocalypse emphasized being one step ahead at every turn; leading with the first reward, even a pig could take off.

But in reality, latecomers also had chances to catch up with those ahead.

The first method was to grind monsters and level up diligently—this was the honest approach. It worked in the early stages with a big organization, but in the later stages the success rate was basically zero.

When your strength was already inferior to others, going to compete with people grinding monsters—wasn't that just a dream?

The second method was relying on fortuitous encounters. After the apocalypse there were many, many such encounters; those with fate could ascend to the heavens in a single step.

Even becoming a legendary divine being wasn't impossible.

The Mystical Realm key was one such fortuitous encounter. Dungeon monsters gave high experience and high drop rates—it could truly be called a legendary treasure land.

No wonder it drew Fang Shi's serious attention.

In fact, if the Mystical Realm key was used well, there was another very powerful effect.

That was evading the incoming crisis.

The First Impact was about to arrive, and Fang Shi had nowhere to keep leveling. Wouldn't it be wonderful to go to a Mystical Realm, grind out a set of godly gear, and come out cutting through everything like chopping melons and vegetables?

The more Fang Shi thought about it, the more excited he got, and the more eagerly he looked at Xiao Xi.

Xiao Xi was stared at by Fang Shi until his scalp went numb. Holy shit, this demon wouldn't be taking a liking to him, would he?

His strength was so overwhelming—what if he forced the issue?

Looks like he'd just have to submit, or his little life wouldn't be preserved. What a pity he'd be letting down Zhai Yan.

Fang Shi had no idea about Xiao Xi's wild thoughts, but even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

In the apocalypse, strange people and strange things were everywhere; some people acting respectful on the surface while secretly wanting to kill you was just the norm.

"Where did they die? Take me there immediately."

"Right now?"

"That's right, right now."

In the end, under Xiao Xi's gaze, Zhai Yan reluctantly left the food behind and led Fang Shi to the crime scene.

……

At the crime scene, Zhai Yan held up a torch made of cooking oil, standing to light the way for Fang Shi.

Because it was daytime, and after Fang Shi's slaughter,

there wasn't a single walking corpse on the street—completely empty. It was a rare sight of safety.

As for the powerful nighttime king, the Flame-Winged Bird, Fang Shi would have welcomed a few more.

Going from level 3 to level 4 required 6,000 experience points; he was still far short.

None, none, none.

Fang Shi sifted through the remains on the ground,

trying to search for any key that might remain.

As long as a Mystical Realm key wasn't cleared, it would persist, and it had an extremely solid hardness that wouldn't be damaged by ordinary attacks.

Based on Xiao Xi and the other's account, Fang Shi quickly deduced that Hong Yuankai's group absolutely hadn't cleared it.

Otherwise there wouldn't have been such a miserable scene—if they couldn't beat it, they should at least have been able to struggle a bit.

Where did it go? Fang Shi was puzzled in his heart. The key would definitely be brought out of the dungeon.

This was mandatory—not that the living had to bring out the key even in death, but the mechanism of the key itself.

Fang Shi believed that once they left the dungeon and the key dropped, no one would be willing to give up such a precious key.

Moreover, you entered from somewhere and exited from the same place; the survivors were seen by Xiao Xi and the other at first glance appearing right here.

He couldn't believe that, knowing the dangers of the night, this group would trek all the way back to this building.

This wasn't some treasure land—just find a nearby place to hide, wouldn't that do? Most people had turned into walking corpses anyway, and there were so many empty rooms.

Of course there was another important reason: Fang Shi understood the Flame-Winged Birds. With the abilities of these otherworldly creatures, they absolutely wouldn't have let the survivors walk that far.

Unfortunately, these remains were too clean—apart from leftover scraps of clothing and bones that couldn't be consumed, there wasn't a trace of flesh or blood.

Could it be…?

A sharp glint flashed in Fang Shi's eyes, so he called out to Zhai Yan to turn around and head back.

Because he thought of a possibility: perhaps the Fire-Winged Bird had accidentally swallowed the key while eating.

On the pitch-black, empty street, Zhai Yan wandered by the roadside, feeling like crying but having no tears.

The June night was so hot, yet his heart was so cold.

Realizing the key might be inside the Fire-Winged Bird's stomach, Fang Shi immediately turned and rushed back into the house, swiftly searching the bird's digestive system with sword in hand.

Unfortunately, none of the three had it; even the Level 4 Fire-Winged Bird, where the possibility was highest, did not.

Fang Shi was unwilling to give up, so he came up with an idea.

If he killed all the Fire-Winged Birds nearby and searched them all, wouldn't he find it?

As for whether the Fire-Winged Birds would defecate, and thus excrete the key into another world...

Those possibilities existed, but regardless, Fang Shi had to do it.

The manual key was such a precious thing; he could not easily give up.

Besides, even if the key wasn't found, grinding experience was still very rewarding.

Fang Shi considered that he was too powerful; the lingering scent of dead Fire-Winged Birds on him caused his monster-drawing attempt to fail.

He decided to find a new bait to go out in his place.

Thus, the unfortunate Zhai Yan was chosen again; he didn't want to come either.

But under the coercion of Fang Shi and Xiao Xi, and with Fang Shi's subsequent promise to give him some benefits, he could only helplessly step up.

"Damn it, why aren't they coming yet? I'm about to die of boredom."

Zhai Yan shouted loudly, venting his emotions, as per Fang Shi's request.

The result was that the volume was too great, creating an echo on the street that startled himself.

It also triggered the groans of the locked-up zombies inside the house, along with the dumbfounded stares of some survivors.

Although Fang Shi had made a huge commotion during the day, attracting the attention of many survivors.

But precisely because the commotion was so great, the survivors realized Fang Shi's strength was formidable and dared not come out to seek help.

After all, zombies have no eyes; if a string of zombies followed Fang Shi, and the zombies couldn't catch up to him, what would happen if he came out and they followed him?

As the joke goes: when meeting a tiger, you just need to run faster than the others.

However, they did try to communicate through some shouts.

Fang Shi was too lazy to pay attention to these people; those who didn't even have the courage to come out lacked cultivation value.

This group was no different from the deceased Hong Yuankai and the others.

The effort he spent saving them was too great; in the end, getting a laborer didn't make up for the wasted time.

If he really saved them, perhaps he wouldn't even be Level 3 yet.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, another crimson trail streaked across the sky. Zhai Yan's heart leaped with joy. "My ancestors, you've finally arrived."

But now was not the time for him to run; Fang Shi had clearly told him he could only flee when the Fire-Winged Bird dove toward him.

Given his speed, he would have at least five or six seconds to escape.

Those five or six seconds were Zhai Yan's lifeline.

As long as he lured the attacking Fire-Winged Bird to Fang Shi's ambush spot, the rest could be left to Fang Shi.

The crimson light did not disappoint Zhai Yan.

With dark vision, the Fire-Winged Bird instantly became excited upon discovering Zhai Yan, a strange figure wandering the street, and dove downward without hesitation.

While diving, it let out Gao Ang's bird call, expressing its joy.

These humans were too cunning, always hiding inside houses and refusing to come out, preventing it from enjoying the power of the laws.

Now, finally, a fool had appeared; it could once again feast its mouth.

Here it comes!

Zhai Yan turned and ran, not daring to look back, fearing that one second late would mean death beneath the bird's beak.

Seeing its prey flee, the Fire-Winged Bird became even more excited.

As a flying creature, when it came to speed, it had never feared anyone.

Even creatures stronger than it could not claim to surpass it in speed, especially when it was diving.

Such a slow-running human wasn't even enough to warm it up.

In the night, with a wingspan of nearly six meters and radiating red light, the Fire-Winged Bird resembled a giant fireball, eager to embrace Zhai Yan.

Zhai Yan was covered in sweat; it wasn't from exhaustion, nor from heat, but from fear.

His stamina also depleted rapidly during this time; in just fifty meters, he was panting heavily.

Yet his intense will to survive still supported him to keep moving forward until he reached the gap between two buildings.

"Whoosh!"

A sword light emerged from the alley like a bolt of lightning.

With a crack, the Fire-Winged Bird's cervical vertebrae snapped, separating its head from its body.

Blood gushed skyward from the severed end, drenching Zhai Yan, scorching his skin like hot water.

Zhai Yan couldn't care about these things; he hurriedly followed Fang Shi's instructions, ignoring his injuries, and threw himself flat on the ground.

His knees and palms struck with stinging pain; the skin was likely already broken.

But Zhai Yan's face pressed tightly against the rough road surface, daring not to rise even a bit.

The remaining head of the Fire-Winged Bird, driven by inertia, flew over Zhai Yan's head like a cannonball, soaring more than thirty meters away.

The beak struck the concrete ground so hard it created a small crater.

The corpse was deflected by Fang Shi with a deft twist of force, slamming into a shop on the side and shattering the glass of its storefront door across the ground.

"Pierce Attack activated."

"Target received fatal damage."

"You dealt 48.5 damage to the target."

"Target died."

"Absorbed target's soul energy. You gained 120 experience points and 12 survival points."