174: Beast King's Nest

"Heh, quite thorough, even a contract has been prepared!"

Hidden Shadow revealed his figure, picked up the contract, and examined it carefully.

To ensure the mission was foolproof, he had been hiding near Baron.

The content of the contract was simple: it required Baron to transfer the secret realm core to the other party's people after refining it.

If he did not act according to the agreement, the power of the curse would erupt, instantly taking his life.

However, this was irrelevant to them.

As an Apostle, possessing a heaven-obscuring pearl Clone, he was not affected by the power of the curse at all.

"Ultimately, I am just a tool in their hands; the real beneficiaries are ultimately those major powers."

Baron gave a self-deprecating laugh.

The other party made him bear the risk of refining, but after success, he had to hand over the "secret realm core."

He himself could only get a meager compensation.

Thinking about it carefully, it was reasonable.

How could those major powers hand over control of a Secret Realm to an outsider?

"No choice, that's just how the world is. To avoid being exploited, one must be strong oneself."

Hidden Shadow nodded.

As a former Imperial Prince, he had a deep understanding of this.

Weakness was inherently a sin.

"Alright, you be careful, I'll go report to the boss."

Hidden Shadow instructed, then disappeared from the spot, entering the Inner World... Inside the Inner World.

Wang Chiyao's Black Plume Eagle, after swallowing the marrow-shedding fruit, successfully transformed into a Thunderclap Eagle.

On its huge wings, lightning patterns flowed, and electric light swirled.

When flying at full speed, it was extremely fast, accompanied by bursts of thunder.

It could even condense lightning to attack enemies.

"Chi Yao, you can fly yourself anyway, why don't you lend it to me for a few days?"

Wang Ledian's mouth watered with envy.

"I'll return it to you once my eagle refreshes!"

Compared to the Thunderclap Eagle, his Crimson Flame Eagle instantly lost its appeal.

"No!"

Wang Chiyao refused without hesitation.

Flying mounts were not to be lent out!

Ever since gaining the ability to fly, she had played with it for a long time, and the novelty had worn off.

Now, when traveling, she mostly rode a flying mount, too lazy to fly herself.

"Alright..."

Wang Ledian sighed with regret and turned to walk in front of the Crimson Flame Eagle.

"Crimson Flame, let's go, let's take a spin in the sky!"

With that, he leaped up, landing steadily on the Crimson Flame Eagle's back.

"Caw—"

With a cry, the Crimson Flame Eagle's body suddenly erupted with scorching flames, instantly engulfing Wang Le.

"Holy crap..."

Wang Ledian hastily jumped down, frantically patting out the flames on his body.

"You were doing that on purpose, weren't you!"

Just like that, his clothes had already turned into "beggar's rags."

"Caw—"

The Crimson Flame Eagle let out a low cry, looking innocent.

"Hahahaha, I can't, I'm dying of laughter!"

Wang Chiyao laughed so hard she couldn't straighten up.

When Wang Ledian tried to borrow the eagle just now, the Crimson Flame Eagle had been watching.

This guy was clearly doing it on purpose!

Lin Xingyu was also amused by this pair of jokers.

The effect of the marrow-shedding fruit was quite good; the mutations it caused were all positive, making the exotic beasts stronger and stronger.

However, the mutation process was a great burden on the exotic beasts.

It needed a period of time before it could be used again.

It was equivalent to having a cooldown period.

Like the spirit shaping fruit, generating marrow-shedding fruit also required consuming spirit crystals.

Currently, they were not short of spirit crystals and could generate them in large quantities.

According to the information panel, the heavenly spirit tree was currently in an incomplete state.

There were other fragments in the outside world; after more Fusion, new functions should be unlocked.

As a treasure of a race, the heavenly spirit tree was definitely not that simple.

After a moment of thought, Lin Xingyu also opened up the marrow-shedding fruit to residents; those in need could exchange it with points.

Some time ago, with the help of the conqueror mecha, he had perfected the task System of the Inner World.

Completing tasks could earn points, which could be exchanged for various items, including spirit shaping fruit.

Not only that, residents could also use points for transactions among themselves.

To some extent, points had already become the circulating currency of the Inner World.

As the number of residents increased, this System would gradually improve... On the other side.

Looking at the bustling scene not far away, Hidden Shadow couldn't help but gasp.

"Good heavens, where did the boss get so many Goblins!"

Looking at the scale, the number of Goblins probably exceeded a million.

Every time he came to the Inner World, he always discovered new changes.

If he didn't come for a few days, he probably wouldn't even recognize the way.

"Boss, the Secret Realm has been selected. In five days..."

Hidden Shadow found Lin Xingyu and reported the situation in detail.

He had been keeping an eye on this matter recently, and now it had finally reached a critical moment.

"Good, continue to monitor the movements, and notify me immediately before refining the Secret Realm!"

Lin Xingyu's eyes lit up.

The "secret realm core" not only concerned his advancement but was also linked to the number of Apostles, making it a key focus for him.

After such a long layout, it was finally time to reap the rewards... Early the next morning.

Lin Xingyu teleported to the outside world, continuing to search for the "heart of the earth."

Last night, he had thoroughly questioned the Silver Nightmare Tiger about the situation in the main peak area, locking onto several locations most likely to contain the "heart of the earth."

These places were all very special, either with abnormal environments or guarded by powerful exotic beasts.

The first place they were going was the Beast King's lair.

It was a one-eyed giant ape, currently leading its beast horde in battle against the Goblins.

"Let's go!"

Lin Xingyu mounted the Silver Nightmare Tiger and patted its head.

The Silver Nightmare Tiger let out a low growl and galloped forward.

The star ray shuttle circled around, clearing any exotic beasts encountered along the way.

If they encountered a beast horde, Lin Xingyu would have the Silver Nightmare Tiger bypass it to avoid wasting time... At the same time.

In a dark canyon on the outskirts of the Central Mountain Range.

A completely dark black mecha stood silently.

This mecha had a very peculiar shape, with a huge disc embedded in its back.

As the disc rotated, it emitted a low hum.

The Speaker sat in the cockpit, staring at the light spot on the screen, muttering:

"It's coming soon..."

...Outside Zhu Lang City, deep in the dense forest.

A large number of Black Robed Men wearing vertical-eye masks were busily working, their numbers doubled compared to before.

"Hurry up! We must complete it within two days!"

Black Eye urged loudly.

Just now, the Hall Master issued an order, requiring all battle teams to speed up their progress.

To ensure the smooth execution of the plan, they had dispatched a large number of additional personnel.

"It seems there's some movement on the Federation's side, prompting them to advance the plan."

Black Eye walked to a corner and quietly sent this intelligence to Lin Xingyu.

"I wonder if master will make it in time..."

...Goblin Secret Realm, Central Mountain Range.

In front of a huge cave.

"Is this the Beast King's lair?"

Lin Xingyu leaped off the Silver Nightmare Tiger's back, surveying the front.

The cave entrance was deep, like a giant abyss mouth.

A large number of carcasses were piled around, emitting a strong foul odor.

The Silver Nightmare Tiger let out an uneasy low growl, its body crouched low, its silver fur standing on end.

It was extremely sensitive to the aura here.

"Let's go in."

Lin Xingyu patted its head and stepped forward.

The star ray shuttle flew in front, guarding against possible attacks.

The cave was much wider than expected, with bloodstains covering the uneven ground.

The deeper they went, the stronger the smell of blood became.

"Something's not right..."

Lin Xingyu's brows gradually furrowed.

The smell of blood was very fresh, and it was unusually quiet inside.

A sudden ominous premonition welled up in his heart.