Section 580: You Are My Strength
Rui Bing and her two companions came to a halt. Before them stretched a vast sea of grass. Perhaps it couldn't strictly be called grass, but neither Rui Bing nor Sang Kan could find a better word for these hair-like strands floating upright in the air, swaying slowly. In the end, they both agreed on Aliyode's term: the Silk Grass Sea.
The Silk Grass Sea, a coincidence as fated as destiny.
"Something's strange." Rui Bing quickly noticed something unusual about the Silk Grass Sea. Here, her keen mental waves couldn't spread outward at all.
Sang Kan asked curiously, "What's wrong?" He excelled in strength and speed, but was far less sensitive in mental aspects, making him unaware of the anomaly.
Rui Bing didn't know how to explain the peculiarity to him. In fact, this was the first time they had encountered such a situation. When Rui Bing summoned her Guardian, her face paled dramatically. Even within the Purple Mist of the Red-Tailed Beasts, her vision had remained clear, but now she could see nothing—her field of view was completely blank.
"The Guardian is unusable." Rui Bing's words sent a shock through Sang Kan and Aliyode. Among the three, Rui Bing had always been the main combat force, and the Guardian played a crucial role in that. Without the Guardian's assistance, they would never have made it this far.
The trio couldn't imagine what they would do if they encountered danger without the Guardian. Sang Kan and Aliyode exchanged uneasy glances; they had never anticipated such a situation.
"Should we still move forward?" Aliyode asked hesitantly, his voice barely a whisper.
Sang Kan also looked at Rui Bing. She stood straight as a spear, her snow-white training suit flapping loudly in the wind. Rui Bing stared blankly at the seemingly endless Silk Grass Sea. The silent sea was accompanied only by the sound of the whistling wind. Unconsciously, the figure of a cold, stern young man drifted into her mind.
"When will you marry me?"
"Marry? Why should I marry you?"
"You kissed me."
"I did not kiss you."
"You did!"
"I don't think I did."
"You did!"
"Did I really?"
"Yes!"
...
The memories of their past conversation echoed in her ears. A blush crept up from beneath Rui Bing's snow-white neck, spreading quietly. Suddenly, she felt her face grow warm. She took a deep breath, and her body, weary from days of travel, seemed to fill with renewed strength. A peculiar emotion churned in her chest, and her cool, clear eyes once again became resolute.
Gazing into the distance, she slowly uttered a single word: "Forward!"
※※※※
Ye Zhong continued to methodically manage the development of the fortress. With ample resources at his disposal, he began pushing deeper into Dark Nexus. Their current location was not far from the cave where Mei Wu had once lived. Building a moderately sized fortress was now a familiar task for Ye Zhong and his team.
In just three days, a fortress stood tall.
Near the fortress, large stacks of metal ingots were piled up like mountains. Ye Zhong now possessed not only twenty-seven automatic extraction devices but also thirteen mineral deposits and six rare mineral sinks. These sites operated day and night, providing him with vast quantities of metal. The resources he currently controlled would be more than enough to dominate a territory in the He Yue Star Domain or the Five Major Star Domains. And this was only from the resources already developed; he still had a long list of discovered but untapped resources. The few sites already in operation fully met his needs. Aside from the rare mineral sinks, Ye Zhong had no plans to develop additional deposits. Developing resources that couldn't be utilized would be a waste, entirely unnecessary.
All living creatures in the vicinity of this fortress, designated as Outpost Four, had been cleared out. Now, the trainees equipped with mechs had become the dominant force in the entire Dark Nexus. Not far to the right of the fortress gate, an area approximately ten kilometers long and two and a half kilometers wide had been completely leveled.
In this area, there was nothing but smooth, flat rock.
The trainees were already accustomed to all sorts of novelties by now; they wouldn’t return to their former backward lives even if beaten to death. Moreover, Ye Zhong had long ago arranged for their families through certain channels. Just recently, each of their families had received a large sum of money, which made them even more devoted to the Lord and more willing to stay here with peace of mind.
The Lord’s demands on them grew increasingly strict, and their training standards continuously rose, far surpassing what they had been initially. Training — combat — review — targeted training: this cycle brought them rapid progress. They could genuinely feel this improvement; creatures that were once difficult to defeat could now be easily killed by them.
However, even though they were now far stronger than before, they still dared not venture too deep. Caution and prudence had always been Ye Zhong’s requirement for them.
Within this approximately ten-kilometer-long area, an enormous metal framework began to rise bit by bit. This framework spanned the entire area, meaning it reached a length of ten kilometers. Every day, all the weaponcrafters would appear here, working tirelessly.
Was the Lord planning to build a metal fortress? The trainees were filled with curiosity. But no one dared to ask—their courage had not reached that level. The project continued, and the metal framework grew increasingly complex and intricate day by day. Even at this stage, its vastness and sophistication were evident. This was bound to be a monumental, miraculous project—almost all the trainees thought so.
※※※※
After thirteen days of constant fleeing, Rui Bing’s lips had begun to peel from dryness, and her face showed unmistakable fatigue. Only the determination in her eyes remained unshaken.
Their water was running low and needed to be used sparingly. Surprisingly, no water sources could be found in this sea of silk grass. They had no choice but to cross it as quickly as possible. Over these thirteen days, neither Rui Bing nor Sang Kan had ever stopped moving, maintaining a high speed throughout.
Sang Kan’s spirit had dimmed considerably. He had been carrying Ali Yuede the entire time, to the point where he was too exhausted to even move a finger. Yet, the resilience unique to the Sang Clan was fully evident in him—he had not uttered a single complaint in these thirteen days.
The scenery in the silk grass sea was monotonous: aside from the pale blue, thread-like grass, there was nothing else. They encountered no living creatures and found no water sources. In this vast land, the only thing that thrived was this pale blue, thread-like grass.
“Look!” Ali Yuede, on Sang Kan’s back, suddenly became excited, pointing a trembling hand ahead.
The scenery ahead had finally changed—they had finally crossed the silk grass sea! Sang Kan and Rui Bing’s spirits lifted simultaneously, their steps becoming lighter and their speed increasing significantly.
After stepping over the last strand of silk grass, Sang Kan could hold on no longer. His legs gave way, and he fell face-first with a thud. Ali Yuede cried out in pain as he was flung forward.
Seeing this, Rui Bing mustered her last bit of strength, darted forward, and did her utmost to catch Ali Yuede.
Seeing each other’s disheveled states, the three of them exchanged glances and couldn’t help but smile wryly.
After resting briefly, Sang Kan struggled to his feet and went to search for water in the vicinity, as he had already caught the scent of moisture in the air. He knew there must be a water source nearby.
Soon, he found it—a small lake, its calm water mirror-like. Sang Kan was overjoyed. Around the lake, he discovered numerous animal tracks.
This was a drinkable water source, he concluded immediately. Still, out of caution, he checked whether the water was toxic. The results pleased him greatly—the water here was safe to drink. He drank his fill, and his lungs, nearly parched over the past days, were quickly moistened. The feeling was marvelous.
He filled his water pouch and prepared to return to Rui Bing and Ali Yuede. As his gaze swept across the ground, something caught his attention.
He bent down to examine the ground closely.
After a brief inspection, his expression tightened. Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted back to where Rui Bing and Ali Yuede were resting.
“What’s wrong?” Rui Bing, seeing the expression on Sang Kan’s face as he ran back at high speed, understood that he must have discovered something.
Sang Kan handed the water pouch to the two of them, his expression somewhat peculiar. “I found footprints! There are people nearby!”
“What?!” Rui Bing and Ali Yuede exclaimed in unison. Ali Yuede, who had been about to drink from the water pouch, froze, stunned by Sang Kan’s news.
“They’re human footprints, I’m sure of it. Over by the lake, likely a woman’s. Beside those footprints, there are many scattered animal tracks. She was probably being pursued by beasts.” As Sang Kan spoke, he showed little excitement. In their experience, humans were far more dangerous than beasts, especially strangers.
This news was immensely shocking to the three of them.
Sangkan added another sentence: "The footprints are very fresh; they shouldn't be more than two hours old."
This was exciting news. Encountering humans here was completely unexpected for the trio. They had originally thought that, in this dangerous place, they were lost souls searching for their way home alone. Now, however, they had discovered traces of humans—a piece of news that couldn't be better for the three of them.
Yet, instead of immediately setting off to find the human who had left the footprints, they rested.
Rui Bing sat upright, her eyes slightly closed, her hands resting naturally on her crossed knees. For a Boundary Master, knowing how to recover physical strength as quickly as possible was one of the most fundamental skills. Sangkan was even more straightforward—he lay down and fell asleep, his thunderous snoring nearly lulling Ariyode to sleep as well.
Nevertheless, Ariyode tried his best to keep his eyes wide open, observing their surroundings and standing guard for the other two.
An hour later, Rui Bing opened her eyes, and Sangkan's snoring abruptly stopped. As usual, Sangkan carried Ariyode on his back, but this time, he tied him securely with a rope. In his hand, he held the spiral wooden spear he had crafted himself. The wood here was extremely hard, and in the process of making that spear, his Flow-Gold Dagger had even been chipped.
His footsteps were very light, his expression alert. Half-crouching, he advanced quietly.
Rui Bing followed closely behind him. She did not summon her Guardian, instead following Sangkan empty-handed.
They returned to the lake, refilled their water pouches, while Sangkan carefully examined the footprints nearby.
"I don't recognize these beast footprints either. We need to be careful," Sangkan said. He was an experienced hunter, a fact that had been thoroughly proven along their journey. Both of them trusted his judgment without question.
The three began to follow the direction indicated by the footprints, moving at a cautious pace. This slow advance was due to Sangkan's prudence—no one knew what lay ahead. He wasn't arrogant enough to believe that the three of them were invincible. This place was filled with dangers, and the beasts here were no less formidable than those in the Thousand Domains. Moreover, judging by the chaotic footprints on the ground, the number of these beasts was astonishing.
Sangkan was like a hound—his nose was exceptionally sharp, and he was rich in hunting experience. Under his leadership, they found the right direction.
After advancing carefully and cautiously for an hour, they suddenly heard the wild roars of beasts.
Howl!—a long, drawn-out cry echoed across the wilderness, and the ground rumbled and trembled as if thousands of beasts were charging toward them. The sheer force of the sound was terrifying.
Sangkan and Rui Bing's expressions shifted slightly, while Ariyode turned pale as a ghost.
In the valley beneath them, herds of beasts surged forward like a tidal wave. These beasts seemed to be provoked by something, charging forward madly. Among this beast army, the types were mixed—some were massive, standing as tall as sixteen meters. When they ran, they were like heavy-duty light mechas, rumbling with terrifying momentum. The smaller ones, however, were exceptionally agile. They leaped off the cliffs on either side of the valley, their movements swift as arrows, displaying astonishing explosive power.
"Over there!" Sangkan pointed ahead of the beast herd.
Ahead of the beast herd, a petite and agile figure was running swiftly forward.
Her movements, in the eyes of Rui Bing and Sangkan, were naturally nothing remarkable, but compared to an ordinary person, she was much more agile. However, her physical strength was clearly not very high, and she was already beginning to slow down.
"She seems to be carrying something like a firearm on her back," Sangkan said with a grave expression.
The woman's speed had already started to decrease, and her steps were becoming somewhat unsteady. Rui Bing and Sangkan both knew she wouldn't last much longer.
"Save her!"
Exchanging a glance, the two abruptly exerted force in their steps and sprinted toward the woman.
However, the woman's capabilities clearly exceeded Rui Bing and Sangkan's expectations. Suddenly, she ducked into a narrow crevice in the mountain wall. This crevice was extremely narrow, with the tightest spots only wide enough for three people to walk side by side. The pursuing beasts had no intention of letting her go—the smaller ones followed closely, squeezing into the crevice.
The woman deftly took the light gun from her back and, without any apparent aiming, began firing beams of light—pfft, pfft, pfft.
Inside the crevice, the agonized cries of beasts immediately erupted. In moments, the entrance to the crevice was piled high with beast corpses, yet the beasts behind continued to press forward madly.
"Incredible shooting!" Rui Bing and Sangkan exchanged another glance, their hearts filled with shock.