431: Chapter 431 Dispelling the Idea

Afterward, King Fenghai and the others walked toward Ye Qing. Arriving at his side, they looked at the shattered bones before them with puzzled expressions.

"Ye Qing, what happened? Why did you shatter all these bones?"

"Exactly. Could there be something inside? However, it certainly isn't easy to break them. When we were experimenting at the Imperial Capital Barrier and retrieved bones from the Fissure last time, it took quite a lot of effort just to crack one."

At these words, War King looked at Ye Qing, seemingly realizing something. Could it be that Ye Qing was testing the colorful stone from his recent Third Ancestral Return?

"Ye Qing, did your artifact spirit from the colorful stone of your recent Third Ancestral Return do this? To think it could possess such power!"

War King's words were like a sudden thunderclap on flat ground, causing everyone's eyes to widen in shock. They could hardly believe what they were hearing.

Good heavens, so it really was Ye Qing's artifact spirit!

And an artifact spirit that had just completed its Ancestral Return, at that!

In that case, this power is truly terrifying!

In an instant, they felt a chill rise from their feet and rush toward their scalps, causing them to shiver involuntarily while their hearts hammered in their chests.

Ye Qing looked at them and shook his head.

"It wasn't me."

Huh?! It wasn't Ye Qing? Then who else could it be? In an instant, they were struck with amazement.

"Ye Qing, do you mean to say that after we left this place last time, something else came here and bit these bones apart?"

"Yes, that should be the case. Look, the cracks in these bones are quite interesting. Judging by the appearance, it must have been an exotic beast; after all, there are faint traces of teeth marks. As for its intention, it's quite clear: it wanted to crush them to see if there were any golden light orbs inside."

"However, it must have left disappointed, as we had already taken the light orbs previously, and there are none left in the remaining ones."

Hiss! Everyone gasped. To think this was the work of an exotic beast! If so, what Rank of exotic beast could it be? It must be a King-level Exotic Beast!

"This is, at the very least, a King-level Exotic Beast."

"Indeed."

"It seems there are still many unknowns within this mist. If only the Leader were here; there are many things we could ask him, as he is so knowledgeable." War King sighed as he spoke.

Beside him, King of the Western Frontier looked at War King and voiced his inner confusion, "War King, you all serve within the Imperial Capital Barrier and are close to the Leader. Since he has been gone for such a long time this trip, where exactly did he go?"

After this question, King of Nanling and King Fenghai also looked at War King, as if they shared the same doubt. Even Ye Qing looked over, though his thoughts were different; while the others were worried and confused, Ye Qing was simply curious.

War King met everyone's gaze and sighed.

"According to our estimates, the Leader should have come into this Fissure to investigate..."

Boom! This statement was like a sudden thunderclap, causing everyone's eyes to widen in shock. They could hardly believe what they were hearing.

The Leader had actually entered this Fissure... And had been inside for such a long time! Wouldn't that mean...? As they thought about this, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

"War King, do you mean the Leader has been inside the Fissure for this long? It's so easy to get lost in here, and given how long he's been gone, could it be that..." King of the Western Frontier trailed off, and everyone understood what he meant.

"We should trust the Leader. After all, this isn't his first time entering a Fissure, nor is it the first time he's been missing for so long. He has done this several times before. We were worried at first, but the Leader always returned safely, so we probably shouldn't worry so much." As War King spoke, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Afterward, they turned their attention back to the bones. King Fenghai looked at them; this time was not bad, as the bones had been bitten open.

These were originally the bones of a King-level Exotic Beast and possessed a powerful beastly aura. Initially, this aura had dissipated somewhat over time, but now that they had been crushed, the aura had become much stronger.

This was a good opportunity to take these bones back to the Barrier. Placing them at the entrance could deter many exotic beasts.

"Ye Qing, I think this won't be a waste. Since there are many of us here this time, we can take these bones out. We could place them at the gate of the Modu Barrier. Using them to release this aura could make quite a few exotic beasts that covet the Modu Barrier back off. What do you think?" King Fenghai said.

King of the Western Frontier: "..." King of Nanling: "..." Everyone: "..."

Holy crap?! You really bring anything and everything back to the Barrier! You're taking this stuff back too? What did you just say? You want to put these bones at the Barrier entrance to deter exotic beasts?

Damn it! Don't you already have plenty of Marquis Realm exotic beasts at your Barrier gate?! Aren't those enough to guard your Modu Barrier?! People who know will realize it's the Modu Barrier, but those who don't might mistake it for the Imperial Capital Barrier!

In an instant, everyone started grumbling in their hearts. They looked at King Fenghai with helpless expressions; this guy was truly a miser.

Ye Qing listened to King Fenghai's words and nodded; it was actually a good idea. After all, these bones would just be sitting here; it would be great if they could be brought back.

"Alright, let's take them back when we leave later. However, isn't it a bit too hasty for us to leave just like this? I feel like we should go take a look ahead and explore deeper."

Ye Qing's words made everyone narrow their eyes.

King Fenghai looked on, also feeling that Ye Qing was taking a bit of a risk this time. "Ye Qing, let's just stop here. After all, I've never been further ahead. That area is considered quite far, and there might be some dangers inside."

"..." King Fenghai said, preparing to convince Ye Qing to dismiss the idea.