198: Chapter 198 The Relic Team

"So this is the ruin... it feels... quite evil," Chu Xiaolian said with a hint of unease on her face.

"Since it's limited to those under thirty and below Gold Rank, it means the challenges inside the ruin are also within that range," Wei Long analyzed calmly.

Feng Hou remained silent, his expression somewhat grave. As a professional thief, he had stolen items from ruins before and was well aware of how eerie they could be.

If he hadn't been forcibly assigned this mission, he wouldn't have come to the Blood Refining Ruins even if it killed him.

Whatever, at least he didn't lose out; he got a free evolution for nothing.

In the dark of night.

This small corner of the world didn't even require lighting. A blood-red light shrouded everyone, and the thick scent of blood was something only elite soldiers, long-hardened by the battlefield, could stand amidst without a change in expression.

Hearing the sound of the vehicle, Liu Zhanxing walked out of the tent toward Li Yu and the others, smiling. "How is it? Spectacular, right?"

"Spectacular, more so than a Secret Realm," Li Yu looked up and praised.

"A Secret Realm is actually a weakened ruin. Some ruins, once their inheritance is complete and they lose the support of a will, gradually degrade into Secret Realms."

"I see."

"The ruin opens at midnight. There's still over an hour left. Let's get something to eat and chat while we do."

"Alright."

The group followed Liu Zhanxing into the tent. As the flap was lifted, a thick aroma of hotpot accompanied by steam wafted toward them. The dominant spicy scent invaded their nostrils, instantly refreshing them.

It was already autumn, and the night was slightly chilly. The taste of the spicy hotpot dispelled the cold.

"Come, come, let's eat and talk." Liu Zhanxing sat down first and gestured for everyone to join.

The group looked at each other and then at Li Yu. Li Yu smiled and took a seat, and the others followed suit.

After eating a few servings of tripe and several plates of Diao Long beef, Li Yu felt like he had come back to life, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Seeing this, Liu Zhanxing breathed a sigh of relief. When he first saw Li Yu just now, he felt like the young man was shrouded in an air of death, as if... his end was near.

That simply wouldn't do.

What kind of joke would it be if a grand Breeding Master died in a ruin?

Given Li Yu's miraculous breeding methods, if he died in the ruin, it would be a massive loss for all of Huaxia.

Fortunately, a few plates of tripe and Diao Long beef had restored his vitality.

Hmm?

It seemed there were still two plates of San Hua beef.

Oh no!

The meat was going to be overcooked...

In a panic, Liu Zhanxing fished out the San Hua beef that should have been blanched for eight seconds but had been in for two minutes, and stuffed it all into his mouth.

Its chewiness was like beef tendon.

"Are you confident about this ruin trip?" Liu Zhanxing asked with a muffled voice.

Li Yu smiled. "Confidence in living or confidence in dying?"

"Cough, cough..." Liu Zhanxing choked, swallowing the whole clump of barely chewed meat. It got stuck in his throat, so he gulped down several mouthfuls of wine. He glanced at Li Yu speechlessly and said, "Confidence in living, of course. If you die, kid, what then?"

"Confidence in living... fifty-fifty."

"How so?"

"If it's not random teleportation and I'm with my teammates, the probability of survival is high. If it's random... the chance of death is ninety-nine percent."

As Li Yu spoke, he looked toward his teammates.

Chu Xiaolian and Wei Long were visibly moved. Li Yu really... I'm so touched, so this is what it feels like to be trusted. It's wonderful.

Feng Hou kept his head down and ate, as if it had nothing to do with him.

It was just as well he didn't see the reaction of the first two, otherwise he would have rolled his eyes and said, "Give me a break. Is he looking at you two? He's looking at the big boss, Chen Qing."

Such was the truth.

Li Yu knew that although the ruin had a Rank limit, Chen Qing had exploited a bug. With her strength, as long as they didn't get separated, she could easily crush the monsters and other teams, allowing him to clear the ruin without taking any damage.

Even if there really was some big boss monster inside the ruin, with Chen Qing's strength, it shouldn't be hard to get through.

But conversely, if it was random teleportation...

If everyone's starting location was not fixed, Li Yu might be torn apart and eaten by the ferocious monsters inside the moment he appeared.

"I'm not sure about the rules of the ruin either," Liu Zhanxing shook his head. "However, I do know a bit about the teams entering the ruin this time."

Li Yu and the others perked up and looked at Liu Zhanxing.

Liu Zhanxing said, "A total of thirteen human teams and three alien race teams are entering the ruin this time. The human teams include those from Sakura Country, Iron Monkey Country, Black Cloud Country, and several other nations. Unfortunately, the only team from Great Xia is yours; there is no other support."

Wei Long and the others looked troubled.

"What about the alien races?" Li Yu asked.

Li Yu was quite curious about the alien races. If nothing else, their appearance—similar yet different from humans—piqued his curiosity.

"The three alien race teams are the Shengqiong Winged Clan, the Canglan Mermen, and the Gongqin Clan."

Liu Zhanxing introduced, "The Shengqiong Winged Clan lives far from Great Xia. They are a race that resides in a sky city. They look very much like humans but have wings. They call themselves sky elves and are very arrogant, looking down on land and sea creatures."

"As for the Canglan Mermen, you've already met one, Li Yu. The fellow who disguised himself as Qi Mao to deal with you was a Canglan Merman."

Upon hearing this, Wei Long and the others tensed up and looked at Li Yu. Li Yu shook his head, indicating he was fine, but his gaze instinctively swept over Feng Hou.

The latter had his head buried almost completely in his bowl.

He was playing dead.

Liu Zhanxing also glanced at Feng Hou and continued, "According to the intelligence received so far, the Canglan Mermen seem to hold the secrets of the Blood Refining Ruins. Li Yu, you must be careful. Once inside, observe the movements of the Canglan Mermen closely."

Li Yu nodded heavily and asked, "Then, what about the Gongqin Clan?"

"The Gongqin Clan..."

Liu Zhanxing thought for a moment, seemingly pondering how best to describe them.

"The Gongqin Clan is the most human-like of all the alien races. Their personality, intelligence, and habits are incredibly close to humans. They are relatively neutral; generally, if you don't provoke them, they won't target you," Liu Zhanxing said.

"That's good then." Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

At least that way, not everyone in the ruin would be his enemy.

Just as Li Yu was thinking this, Liu Zhanxing shifted the topic. "However, this time might be an exception."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't forget about the matter of the captain. Since you obtained the blood jade and hold the key to the ruin's core, it's destined that among the eighty people in the thirteen teams, everyone except your own team will target you as their prey."

Li Yu suddenly felt terrible.

"However, most of these people have average strength, and your teammates should be able to handle them. There are only a few special ones you need to pay extra attention to."

"Which ones?" Li Yu asked.

"First, Kuroda Sasuke, a Beast Tamer from Sakura Country and the young master of the Kuroda Enterprise. His grandfather once participated in the war of aggression against Xia and was later killed on the battlefield by our Beast Tamers. He is full of hatred for Great Xia."

"Kuroda Sasuke himself has been exceptionally gifted since childhood. As a child, he once tore apart a Wind Wolf with his bare hands. He has a contract with a Lord Quality, Silver Rank 9 Wood Leaf Tengu. His strength is extraordinary."

Li Yu remained expressionless, a cold light in his eyes. Not just him—Wei Long, Chu Xiaolian, and even Feng Hou all had looks of hatred on their faces.

Although the path of civilization was different, the history of the two worlds was similar.

Great Xia also had a period of humiliation and pain.

Hatred?

Those damn bastards, how dare they speak of hatred?!