24: Chapter 24 One possesses unparalleled combat prowess, the other possesses exceptional intelligence.

As the Skin-Stripping Worms completely died off, the temple immediately fell into silence.

Song Yiqing began to cultivate, while Zhang Qilin silently stood up to clean up the mess at the scene, remaining speechless throughout the process.

This eerie sense of harmony, however, caused the netizens in the live stream to lose their composure.

[ T-t-this... This dangerous situation was solved just like that?? And you, the Ancient Martial Arts Brother, are still calmly cleaning up the aftermath? Is this reasonable? ]

[ Wait, is this reasonable to you guys? The professor from the Flying Tiger Archaeology Team just sent a message explaining how dangerous this thing is, and you turn around and kill it? ]

[ I'm numb. I used to think only the Flying Tiger Archaeology Team could sweep across the wasteland and be the only expedition team capable of uncovering the secrets of the Taklamakan Desert Forbidden Zone. But now it seems the word "only" needs to be changed to "one of"! ]

[ Exactly. The pairing between Song Yiqing and the Ancient Martial Arts Brother is just perfect; one has unparalleled combat power, and the other has outstanding intellect. Tsk, tsk, tsk... ]

[ But brothers, didn't you notice something wrong with the Ancient Martial Arts Brother's blood? How could it kill these monsters? ]

[ Does it matter? Most Jianghu practitioners have some abnormalities; it's just that these two are exceptionally monstrous. ]

Within the Flying Tiger Archaeological Expedition Team, Fei Erfeng subconsciously rubbed his cheek, feeling a sense of nerve-twitching pain there.

Then, he slowly turned his head to look at Shi Zhishan. "Where on earth did Song Yiqing learn these methods? Does the Kyoto University of Archaeology have Jianghu practitioners teaching there now?"

"Probably not, right?" Shi Zhishan shook his head slightly, then looked toward Xue Xingye behind him. "What do you think?"

"..." Xue Xingye fell into a brief silence, then revealed a rather awkward smile. "I..."

But before he could finish, Fei Erfeng interrupted directly. "Forget it. Knowing these things is clearly meaningless.

After all, even if Song Yiqing learned these abilities while at university, Jianghu practitioners are quite strict about taking apprentices and aren't likely to teach many people.

It's a pity. Such a heaven-favored talent, possessing both scientific knowledge and Feng Shui knowledge—if he could join my Flying Tiger Archaeological Expedition Team, how great that would be."

"Indeed," Shi Zhishan nodded slightly. "If he could join, perhaps we would have already uncovered the secrets of the Taklamakan Desert Forbidden Zone."

As the two spoke, everyone at the scene nodded in agreement. "That's right. If someone that strong had joined, we wouldn't have been trapped by the Black Sandstorm that day, and we might have been able to go even further."

"Exactly. With him around, we might not even need the Meteorology Department."

"Oh, that's right. Doesn't Song Yiqing know that thing called Feng Shui Art? He can use positioning, right? My goodness, do you think the path he's taking might actually be the safest route to the core area of the inner circle?"

"Don't say that; such a possibility does exist. Since he is a graduate of the Kyoto University of Archaeology, he must have some considerations in this regard and wouldn't be careless."

As everyone at the scene spoke one sentence after another, Xue Xingye, standing to the side, felt as if bugs were crawling all over him. The more he listened, the more uncomfortable he felt.

He finally understood now that it wasn't that the person his father found was so awesome that he could suppress Fei Erfeng; it was simply that the person wouldn't expose things directly in front of the live stream camera.

Just these successive, pointed remarks were enough to show that Fei Erfeng was deliberately targeting him.

'Damn it!! You old geezer, you're so detestable. Damn it, why is Song Yiqing so heaven-defying? Why? Why on earth? Why don't I have such good luck! I should have let my dad find someone to kill him before he entered the Forbidden Zone!!'

The more Xue Xingye thought about it, the more he felt a fire of rage fermenting in his gut. At this moment, he didn't just hate Song Yiqing; he hated everyone at the scene.

'Why target me! What did I do wrong? I am also an excellent student from the Kyoto University of Archaeology! Why must I be scolded like this!'

However, the topic concerning Song Yiqing gradually subsided after a round of discussion. After all, everyone was an adult and wouldn't pay too much attention to such small details.

Since things had already happened, the difficulty of changing them was quite high. However, this thorn had clearly been planted, and removing it would be difficult.

Due to the rainstorm and the outbreak of floods, everyone at the scene began to discuss the direction for the next day's expedition and started determining several waypoints.

As pioneers of the Taklamakan Desert expedition, their duties and tasks were undoubtedly the heaviest.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. It's already late today; if we keep discussing, it'll be dawn," Fei Erfeng said, waving his hand to signal everyone to crawl into their sleeping bags. After giving Ban Licheng some final instructions, he prepared to rest as well.

Yet, inexplicably, a thought began to emerge in his mind: 'Would it be more correct to head in the direction Song Yiqing is taking?' But after this thought arose, he dismissed it, because that was still too dangerous.

The night passed without incident.

The entire Taklamakan Desert seemed to have undergone a major baptism; the previously arid desert was now distributed with countless tiny rivers.

Expedition teams that failed to find shelter during the night naturally perished entirely. From the one thousand expedition teams that entered yesterday, only fewer than five hundred remained now.

Just on the first day of the Forbidden Zone opening, five hundred expedition teams had already sacrificed their lives. When this news emerged, the internet became increasingly volatile, and many people were extremely worried.

[ If the secret behind the formation of the Forbidden Zone isn't uncovered, what will we do if it's our city's turn next? ]

[ I don't want to turn into those monsters! I don't want to die! ]

[ Expedition teams, you must work harder; our safety depends entirely on you! ]

[ What you shoulder is the future of us all. ]

There were many similar remarks, but the authorities kept comforting the public, stating that the secret behind the formation of the Forbidden Zone would definitely be uncovered. The online discussion continued unabated.

The scouring of this massive flood also caused some ancient cities that were once buried deep underground to gradually begin to appear. The Flying Tiger Archaeological Expedition Team, which had set out early, thus found an ancient city filled with a sense of history.

"Everyone, be careful. After being washed by the flood, the sand has a very high water content, and many places have already formed swamps. Watch your step!"