76: Chapter 76 Unexpected Gain

"Five days?!"

The news Zhang Hao brought back was like another heavy hammer smashing into everyone's hearts. Even Su Qingyu, who had remained calm throughout, turned several shades paler. The already tight schedule had been compressed once again, and a tangible aura of despair began to spread.

Inside the Fortress command room, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt as if it could drip like water.

Lin Chen stood before a massive virtual map, his gaze sharp as a blade. His fingers swept across the map, finally stopping on three markers that were slowly shifting and emitting an ominous red light—based on the vague information Zhang Hao had obtained from his Bizarre Monster underlings combined with system calculations, these were the approximate areas where the Lord of the Ultimate End's three power cores might be located. The three regions were extremely far apart, and their positions were constantly changing.

"Three cores... they must be destroyed simultaneously..." Lin Chen repeated this crucial information in a low voice, his brow furrowed. This meant he needed to organize three sufficiently powerful teams to launch fatal strikes on three different locations at the exact same time. Coordination, combat power, and timing—none could be missing.

"Master! Let me lead a team!" Zhang Hao immediately volunteered. Having just awakened his Ghost-Taming ability and with a motley crew of Bizarre Monsters under his command, his confidence was bursting. "My boys and I guarantee we'll take down one of the cores!"

Lin Chen glanced at him but didn't agree immediately. Instead, he looked at Su Qingyu. "With our current strength, how many of these special attack teams can we organize?"

Su Qingyu quickly pulled up the personnel list and equipment data, analyzing calmly: "If we give it our all regardless of losses, we can form one main assault team with General Bai Qi as the core to attack the core with the strongest energy reaction. Zhang Hao's Bizarre Monster legion has unique characteristics and can serve as a surprise force to handle a second one. But as for the third... we lack a top-tier combatant of sufficient caliber to lead it. While the Underworld Soldier generals are strong, facing a core of the Lord of the Ultimate End, I'm afraid..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear. The lack of high-end combat power was their most fatal weakness right now. Bai Qi was powerful but couldn't be in two places at once. Zhang Hao's ability was newly acquired and unstable, and his own foundational strength was limited. Ordinary Underworld Soldier generals were more than enough for average Bizarre Monsters, but against the core of a world-ending existence, they might struggle to even get close.

Silence fell over the command room once more. There were only five days left; where could they find a third top-tier combatant capable of standing alone?

Amidst this suffocating predicament, one of Zhang Hao's Bizarre Monsters—a 'Death-Announcing Crow' that looked like a rotting crow but possessed four blood-red eyes—suddenly flapped its wings and flew onto Zhang Hao's shoulder. In a raspy, jarring voice, it haltingly conveyed a piece of information.

Zhang Hao was stunned for a moment. After 'listening' carefully, his face suddenly erupted in wild joy!

"Master! There's a way! There's a way to get top-tier combat power, and... and maybe even nether talismans!" His voice was slightly distorted with excitement.

Lin Chen and Su Qingyu's gazes instantly locked onto him.

"Explain clearly."

Zhang Hao hurried to relay the Death-Announcing Crow's information. It turned out that before submitting to Zhang Hao, this Death-Announcing Crow had wandered the edge of a forbidden zone known as the 'Ancient Battlefield Skeleton Canyon.' It sensed that deep within that canyon lay the remains of more than one powerful existence from ancient times. Due to the unique environment and the resentment held before death, some of these remains still retained powerful combat instincts and portions of their strength. If they could be 'awakened' or 'driven,' they would absolutely be terrifying combat assets!

More importantly, because experts had fallen there for countless years, the space in that ancient battlefield was unstable. Occasionally, pure, ownerless nether energy would seep through spatial rifts. This energy could be directly absorbed and converted into nether talismans! Although the amount wasn't large each time, it added up, and it was said that small 'Nether Energy Veins' might exist deep within the canyon!

Ancient battlefield! Ancient remains! Nether Energy Veins!

These three terms were like lightning flashing through the darkness, instantly illuminating Lin Chen's train of thought!

A source of top-tier combat power, and... a way to quickly obtain nether talismans!

"Location!" Lin Chen asked immediately.

Zhang Hao reported a coordinate roughly two hundred kilometers northwest of the Fortress. That area was marked in deep red on the system map, representing extreme danger.

Two hundred kilometers was no distance at all for Lin Chen, who possessed the soul ferry boat. However, the reputation of the ancient battlefield forbidden zone was enough to make anyone hesitate.

"Prepare the soul ferry boat," Lin Chen ordered directly without any hesitation. "Su Qingyu, you stay at the Fortress to continue consolidating our forces and optimizing defenses. Zhang Hao, bring your 'elite' squad and come with me to this ancient battlefield."

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

Though Su Qingyu was worried, she knew this was currently their only breakthrough point. Zhang Hao was even more eager, ready to show off his skills on a new stage.

...

The soul ferry boat set off once again, speeding through the gray mist toward the northwest.

The closer they got to the Ancient Battlefield Skeleton Canyon, the more desolate and eerie the surrounding scenery became. The earth took on a sickly dark purple hue, and vegetation vanished completely, leaving only twisted, metallic crystal-like formations standing tall. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur and an ancient scent of blood; even space seemed slightly distorted, and the light became bizarre and kaleidoscopic.

When the soul ferry boat reached the edge of the canyon, the sight before them was even more soul-shaking.

It was a colossal rift in the earth, as if split by a god's giant axe, bottomless and stretching for dozens of miles in width. Within the canyon, a thick, inseparable gray-black baleful aura swirled. Amidst the aura, one could vaguely see countless massive and hideous skeletons half-buried! Some skeletons were like mountain ranges, some shaped like giant beasts, and some still maintained a humanoid form, but all emitted an ancient pressure and skyrocketing resentment that made the soul tremble!

Just standing at the edge of the canyon, one could hear the faint sounds of clashing weapons, neighing horses, and roars of indignant fury coming from the baleful aura! It was as if that tragic ancient war had never truly ended!

"What... what a terrifying place..." The members of Zhang Hao's squad turned pale, their legs shaking. Even the low-level Bizarre Monsters he had subdued became restless, letting out fearful whimpers.

Zhang Hao himself felt a heavy pressure, but he forced himself to stay calm and looked at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen stood at the bow, gazing down into the canyon that looked like an entrance to the underworld, his eyes exceptionally bright. He could feel the system's operation becoming more active here, as if this land contained extremely rich 'resources.'

"System, scan the canyon. Evaluate resource reserves and risks," Lin Chen thought to himself.

[Command received. Initiating deep environmental scan. Consuming 100,000 nether talismans.]

[Scanning... Detected ultra-high concentration of nether baleful aura, remnants of ancient war souls, unstable spatial rifts...]

[Discovered a large number of ancient remains with high energy reactions. Some remains still possess vitality and combat instincts. Threat Level: Extremely High.]

[Detected dissipated ownerless nether energy. Concentration: Medium. Speculated existence of small Nether Energy Veins deep within (Requires further exploration to confirm).]

[Comprehensive Evaluation: Resource Value: Extremely High (SS-rank). Risk Level: Nation-Destroying Level (SSS-rank). It is not recommended for the host to go deep alone with current strength.]

SS-rank resources! SSS-rank risk!

As expected, it was a place where opportunity and death coexisted!

Looking at the risk assessment, a curve formed at the corner of Lin Chen's mouth. Not recommended? That was for ordinary people. For him, risk often meant... greater rewards!

He didn't rush in blindly, choosing instead to try the most direct method first.

He locked onto an area at the edge of the canyon where the nether energy was relatively dense and no powerful remains were stationed.

"System, absorb and convert the dissipated nether energy in this area."

[Command received. Constructing temporary energy extraction channel. Consuming 50,000 nether talismans. Beginning absorption and conversion...]

[Absorbing... Obtained nether talismans +1,000... +800... +1,200...]

The system's notifications chimed continuously. Although the amount per absorption wasn't huge, the advantage was its continuity! In just ten minutes, nearly a hundred thousand nether talismans had been absorbed! This efficiency was hardly inferior to the Netherworld Express! And this was just energy dissipated in the peripheral area!

If he could find that vein...

Lin Chen's heart burned with anticipation. But he also knew the priority was to find the 'top-tier combat power' that could serve as the core of the third special attack team—the remains of those ancient powerhouses.

His gaze turned toward the depths of the canyon shrouded in baleful aura.

There slept the most important objective of this operation.