175: First come, first served

Lin Xingyu immediately quickened his pace, heading deeper.

After going a certain distance, a vast cave appeared ahead.

The cave was a mess, with huge claw marks and traces of energy impacts covering the stone walls.

Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here.

On the ground lay two massive corpses, belonging to the one-eyed giant apes.

However, their size was several circles smaller than the beast king outside.

Their bodies were a bloody mess, and their blood stained the ground red.

"They're beast king cubs..."

Lin Xingyu's heart sank, and he quickly stepped forward to examine them carefully.

These cubs had only recently been killed, and judging from the wounds, it didn't seem like they were caused by fierce beasts; it looked more like human action.

Lin Xingyu put away the corpses of the fierce beasts and scanned his surroundings.

The cave was littered with a large number of spirit crystals, spirit seeds, and mecha wreckage... These items were all very valuable, yet the other party killed the beast king cubs but didn't take them... This indicated that their target was something even more precious.

Lin Xingyu looked around, searching carefully.

Soon, he found an unusual spot in a corner.

This was a stone platform, likely where the beast king previously placed important items.

He quickly walked over and examined the stone platform carefully.

It was empty, but from the remaining traces, it was clear that a spherical object had originally been placed there.

Just then, a System prompt sounded in Lin Xingyu's mind.

"Ding! The System has detected the aura of the secret realm core. Do you wish to track it?"

His eyes lit up.

It really was the "secret realm core"!

"Track!"

Lin Xingyu shouted in his mind.

As soon as he finished speaking, a virtual arrow appeared before him, pointing out of the cave... Simultaneously.

Outside the cave, a large number of Withered Bone Mercenary Group members gathered.

"This is the place!"

The Shadow Squad leader pointed forward and said.

This time, Lady Luck was finally on their side.

After the distress signal was sent out, nearby squads immediately rushed to provide support.

At this moment, over two hundred people had already gathered.

As for the other party, because two individuals had advanced to Fifth-Rank, they were repelled by the Secret Realm, leaving only one person.

With the ebb and flow, they now held an absolute advantage.

If they could take down the opponent, they would undoubtedly gain substantial profits.

Putting everything else aside, the opponent's spatial equipment alone was priceless.

According to his subordinates, that person could even collect an entire giant tree, which showed how enormous his storage space was... After confirming this, everyone immediately grew excited.

"Brothers, a chance to get rich is right before us, charge!"

They held various weapons and frantically poured into the cave.

The moment they rushed into the cave, they collided head-on with a figure speeding out.

"It's him! Attack!"

The Shadow Squad leader reacted the fastest, shouting loudly as his spear thrust straight out.

The others also launched attacks at Lin Xingyu.

"Get lost!"

Lin Xingyu let out a low growl, and the star ray shuttle flashed out, blocking the attacks coming from all directions.

Immediately after, he opened a spatial passage, and the treant army poured out, launching a counter-charge against the opponents.

In just one encounter, a large number of enemies were killed.

The moment of contact, Lin Xingyu had already seen the information of these people.

It's the Withered Bone Mercenary Group again!

This was already the second time.

Once he finished with his current affairs, he would definitely settle accounts with them.

Right now, he was in a hurry to find the "secret realm core" and had no time to get entangled with them.

"Oh no! It's treants!"

"Damn it, he's the guy who refined the Treant Secret Realm!"

"We're no match, retreat quickly!"

Facing the treant's charge, the Withered Bone Mercenary Group instantly fell into chaos.

Their Battle Intent completely vanished, and they fled in disarray out of the cave.

After routing the enemies, Lin Xingyu dispatched a squad of Puppets to Wang Chiyao to continue the pursuit.

He himself followed the System's guidance and advanced rapidly... On the other side.

Outskirts of the Central Mountain Range.

A severely damaged mecha was speeding towards the mountain range exit.

Multiple dents marred its outer shell, and its left arm hung limply, clearly having endured an extremely fierce battle.

Inside the cockpit, Legion Commander Furnace Slag's face was pale, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

He pushed the control stick with one hand and caressed the empty chain around his neck with the other, his expression complex.

A simple pendant, the only relic left by his deceased grandfather, was once tied to that chain.

His grandfather had mysteriously told him that it was an extremely powerful treasure that could save his life at a crucial moment.

Because the pendant looked ordinary, Furnace Slag had always thought his grandfather was boasting and didn't take it seriously.

It wasn't until recently, deep within the beast king's lair, that he was cornered by two one-eyed giant ape cubs.

That unremarkable pendant suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.

Once the light dissipated, the two powerful fierce beasts had already been killed.

The pendant had also completed its mission, turning into dust and dissipating into the air.

Furnace Slag looked down at the empty rope, then at the spherical object beside him emitting a strange light, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He never expected that the pendant left by his grandfather could help him obtain the "heart of the earth."

It was all worth it!

Now, the only thing Furnace Slag had to do was to leave the Central Mountain Range as quickly as possible and find a secluded place.

Refining the "heart of the earth" would take a considerable amount of time, and he couldn't afford to be disturbed by others.

He had already received news of the Seventh Legion's complete annihilation.

But these things no longer mattered.

Once he refined the "heart of the earth," he would become the Dominator of the goblin clan world.

By then... Just as Furnace Slag was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed a mecha standing in front of him.

"Furnace Slag, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

The Speaker's voice came from ahead, making Furnace Slag's body tremble.

"Damn it, it's that old geezer!"

Furnace Slag unhesitatingly changed direction and fled into the distance.

However, before he could escape far, an unexpected change occurred.

"Buzz—"

A low hum sounded, and the surrounding space instantly became viscous, firmly immobilizing him.

The Speaker manipulated his mecha to walk over unhurriedly, broke open the cockpit, and took the "heart of the earth."

"It seems the High Priest's prophecy was not wrong..."

The Speaker scrutinized the "heart of the earth" in his hand, a smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

He had secretly planted a tracking device in Furnace Slag's mecha long ago, precisely for this moment.

The High Priest had prophesied that Furnace Slag was "half a Child of Luck."

The reason he was "half" was because although Furnace Slag could briefly obtain the "heart of the earth," it would ultimately be taken away by someone else.

Just as the Speaker was about to inquire further, the High Priest suffered a backlash and died, never managing to reveal the ultimate whereabouts of the "heart of the earth."

"It seems my Luck is too strong, which implicated the High Priest..."

The Speaker weighed the "heart of the earth" in his hand, muttering to himself.

It made sense; as the Speaker of the goblin clan, his Luck was far beyond what others could compare to.

The High Priest must have prophesied about him, which led to the backlash...