Chapter 995: Chapter 1004: Treasure Hunt (2)
Lin Xi raised an eyebrow; he hadnât expected the giant bearâs reaction to be so quick, and with a single punch, it managed to turn seamlessly.
If it were a person instead, he wouldnât doubt that it was a very seasoned martial arts expert.
But seeing such skill on a bear thatâs as big as a small house was quite astonishing.
But without such prowess, it wouldnât have driven this group to such a desperate situation.
Judging from the corpses on the ground, itâs evident that the people who entered here were at least as strong as those who entered the Secret Realm last time, if not stronger.
After all, last time, only a few people and forces were aware of the Secret Realm.
This time, from what Avril said earlier, the United Kingdomâs top forces all knew about the opening of this Holy Land.
And they even allocated entry slots.
Itâs conceivable that the people entering the Holy Land this time are indeed the UKâs strongest.
"Bang!" went the sound, and Lin Xi quickly retreated.
He hadnât dodged the bearâs punch just now, choosing instead to meet it head-on with his own fist.
He wasnât foolish; he wouldnât have tried this if the bear were at full strength.
Now, he felt this attempt was justified.
Even though he had the lesser hand in the exchange, he could feel that the bearâs strength wasnât overwhelmingly beyond his own.
The bear, on the other hand, seemed surprised for a brief moment.
Lin Xi noticed this change instantly.
"This doesnât look particularly good!" he thought to himself.
From this subtle change, he could tell that this giant bear wasnât the mindless brute everyone imagined, but a bear with intelligence.
The degree of difficulty between dealing with something with or without intelligence is absolutely incomparable.
But taking advantage of the bearâs astonishment, Lin Xi suddenly darted to the right.
By the time the bear reacted again, Lin Xi was already at the stone door.
The bear was now less than two meters from Lin Xi.
"Bang!"
The bearâs fist followed through with a powerful smash.
Lin Xi made a thrilling leap into the stone door.
If he had been just a bit slower, he surely would have been hit by the bearâs punch; even with Lin Xiâs strength, he would have been seriously injured, or if the bear had reacted a bit faster, Lin Xi would be in a sorry state.
After all, he had circled halfway around.
"Iâll deal with you later!" Lin Xi said to the bearâs massive body, waving his hand.
"Roar roar roar!!"
The bear was greatly enraged by Lin Xiâs taunt.
The "bang bang bang!" sounds echoed without cease, but no matter how hard it smashed, the bear had no way to deal with the stone mountain ahead.
In fact, the stone door was large enough for it to crawl inside.
However, doing so would make it vulnerable, almost like meat on a chopping block, ready to be slaughtered.
As Lin Xi walked into the stone door, he walked about ten meters before his vision suddenly opened up.
He found himself in a stone chamber about three to four hundred square meters in size, not empty, but filled with numerous stone platforms.
On the stone platforms were many ancient texts.
However, these ancient texts were in such a bad state that they looked like theyâd disintegrate at the slightest breeze or touch.
In fact, about a dozen books had already crumbled to ashes.
Judging by the marks, someone had moved them a few hours ago, causing this condition.
"No one is here?" he glanced around the spacious interior, seeing no one inside.
Of course, the footprints on the ground and the marks on the stone benches indicated that people had been here not long ago and had spent substantial time here.
In the next moment, he followed the chaotic footprints on the ground and walked in a particular direction.
"Is it here?"
He pressed against a stone wall, and with a push, discovered a door. As he pushed harder, the door opened.
Inside was a deep passage leading to unknown places.
Every seven or eight meters along the passage, there was an oil lamp flickering with a dim glow.
Without these, the passage, lacking natural light from outside, would be in complete darkness.
He didnât hesitate to enter.
The passage was winding, and after walking for several hundred meters, he finally saw some light ahead, seemingly a place similar to the stone chamber earlier.
Throughout his journey, he sensed that the passage was continually ascending; though not very apparent, the overall impression was correct.
"Elders, do we still need to move upwards?" Avril appeared slightly filthy, but aside from that, she seemed unharmed.
Yet her expression was one of exhaustion.
Next to her were two old men, one was missing a hand, and the other had a massive claw mark on his waist.
The claw mark seemed to be a glancing hit.
Nevertheless, his injuries revealed bone, given his advanced age he was nearly skin and bone.
But their eyes sparkled with fervor, showing they cared little for their injuries.
"Of course we do; this opportunity is not to be missed!" the elder with a severed hand replied, "And if we donât search, others may seize the fortune!"
"You know, we have searched only four stone chambers and found two hundred Spirit Stones and five secret books!"
"That harvest is even greater than what you obtained in the Oriental Secret Realm!"
This elder patted a cloth bag tied to his chest, his face full of joy.
The elder with the injured waist also beamed with joy.
Because regardless of secret books or Spirit Stones, they could greatly enhance their strength.
Spirit Stones are undoubtedly used for cultivation.
The secret books improve attack techniques and better utilization of strength.
Though the Butte Clan possessed excellent secret books, compared to these five, theirs were slightly inferior.
Donât underestimate slight inferiority; it could lead to substantial power increases.
Moreover, they found five.
"But how do we exit once we find them?" Avril asked worriedly, "That giant bear forced everyone into here!"
"Even together, we arenât its match; so many have died."
"Its intention is clearâto trap us here."
She continued, "Elders, have you considered why it hasnât killed us directly but forced us here instead?"
"Given its strength, it could have killed more of us along the way."
"Yet it hasnât."
"And if Iâm not mistaken, it might also be at its limit, and didnât you notice that itâs quite old?"
The eldersâ faces were still excited and eager, seemingly indifferent to Avrilâs words.
Then the elder with the waist injury said, "Avril, enough!"
"We understand what youâre saying, but you must realize, among us all, thereâs barely any mutual trust, no consensus."
"If we donât search, they will!"
"Moreover, if we gather enough Spirit Stones and secret books, then absorb and recover to peak condition, weâll have a better chance against the giant bear!"
Upon hearing this, Avril just smiled bitterly and said nothing more.
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