24: Rolling around for praise, everyone backed off half a step

Finally, Gun Gun once again gathered all his strength, and the green light from the bamboo surged to its peak as he smashed it downwards.

Bang!!!

There was an extremely dull thud.

The Elite Ice Armor Beast's head, already covered in cracks,

could no longer withstand this destructive power, and it exploded like a watermelon shattered by a heavy hammer!

Mixed with deep blue blood, bone fragments, and ice crystals, it splattered everywhere!

Its massive body crashed to the ground, completely losing its breath.

The third Elite Ice Armor Beast, dead!

It died... an extremely aggrieved death!

Gun Gun landed on the ground, his small chest heaving violently, his face splattered with a few cold bloodstains.

He looked at the dead Ice Armor Beast's corpse and poked it with the bamboo.

He grumbled in a childishly fierce voice, "Hmph, so big, yet still can't beat Gun Gun!"

He seemed to have expended a lot of energy, holding the bamboo and walking somewhat unsteadily towards Mo Yan.

He lifted his small, blood-stained face, his bright black eyes sparkling with anticipation.

He asked in a childish voice, "Mo Yan~ Is Gun Gun amazing?"

The surrounding Soldiers heard this soft question and all trembled, as if electrocuted, instinctively retreating half a step.

Their eyes darted away, not daring to look directly at the cub that had just been so ferocious.

Amazing? More than amazing!

It was terrifying! It was world-shattering!

Who could imagine that a seemingly harmless cub could single-handedly kill an Elite Ice Armor Beast in seconds?

Who could believe that the verdant bamboo was even harder and sharper than a weapon made of fine steel?

This had completely exceeded their cognitive scope!

They now only wanted to pretend they hadn't seen anything, and didn't know anything.

The terrifying combat power of this Iron-Eating Beast cub was deeply imprinted in their minds, becoming an inescapable shadow.

Mo Yan looked at the adorable beast in front of him, seeking praise, and his mouth twitched involuntarily.

The impact of that scene just now was too strong; his heart hadn't fully calmed down yet.

He suppressed the shock in his heart, a smile appeared on his face, and he gently ruffled Gun Gun's blood-stained fur:

"Mm, Gun Gun is very amazing, you're my big hero."

"Goo!" Hearing Mo Yan's praise, Gun Gun immediately narrowed his eyes and rubbed against his hand comfortably.

Just then, a series of System prompts rang out in Mo Yan's mind.

"Prompt: Congratulations! You have leveled up to Rank 4!

Lord Rank has increased, and the talent Resource Collector—Automatic Production Rank 4, its effect has improved!"

"Prompt: Hero Gun Gun has grown in battle, leveling up to LV2!"

"Prompt: Resident Wang Wu has grown in battle, leveling up to LV2!"

"Prompt: Soldiers have grown in battle, some Soldiers have leveled up to LV4!"

Mo Yan's eyes lit up, and the fatigue from the battle lessened considerably.

Leveled up!

Not only himself, but Gun Gun, Wang Wu, and even some Soldiers had leveled up!

He immediately opened the Lord panel to check his attributes after leveling up.

"Basic Resources (food, wood, stone, iron ore): +10 every 3 minutes"

"Common Resources (jerky, wolf fangs, wolf meat, wolf bones): +10 every 16 minutes"

"First-tier – Beast Carcasses (Frost Spider): +3 every 58 minutes"

"Gold Coins: +10 every 16 minutes"

The speed of automatic production had increased again!

Although the amount added for each resource wasn't much, accumulated over time, it was a considerable income, and the overall strength of the territory had risen another step!

More importantly, the overall strength of the territory had improved even further!

"Gun Gun, you did very well. When we go back, I'll make you something delicious."

The pervasive scent of blood mixed with the chill of ice and snow lingered at the entrance of the Ice Rift Valley.

Mo Yan looked at the three dead Elite Ice Armor Beasts, and with a slight thought, their massive bodies instantly disappeared, collected into his talent space.

"These big guys are full of treasures. When I go back, I'll throw them onto the Butchering Platform for decomposition; I should get a lot of good Materials."

Then, he looked at the exhausted, scarred Soldiers, his voice returning to calm as he issued orders.

"Clear the battlefield! Treat the wounded!"

He walked over to the Soldiers who were injured in the battle and checked their injuries.

"Can you still hold on?"

"Don't worry, my Lord, I won't die!" A Soldier who had been knocked flying struggled to sit up, grinning, but the movement pulled his wound, making him wince in pain.

Mo Yan nodded, taking out some clean cloth strips and basic wound medicine he had prepared earlier from his talent space.

"Treat the wounds."

He also took out jerky and water skins, distributing them to all the Soldiers.

"Rest in place, replenish your strength."

"Yes, my Lord!" The Soldiers took the food and water and began to devour them.

Gun Gun also received a large piece of jerky. He held the jerky, nibbling on it in small bites, his big, dark eyes curiously watching Mo Yan busy himself.

The battle just now had consumed a lot of his energy, and he also needed to replenish energy at this moment.

Mo Yan himself leaned against an ice rock, tearing off a strip of jerky and slowly chewing, his gaze fixed on the deep entrance of the Ice Rift Valley.

The guardians were gone; now it was time to see what was inside.

He walked to the edge of the rift and looked down.

A cold wind howled up from below, carrying a more concentrated and pure energy aura.

The interior of the rift was not as bottomless as the notes described; it was more like a giant ice cave that sloped downwards and wound intricately.

The cave walls were covered with thick layers of ice, presenting a deep blue color, and faint specks of light could be vaguely seen flickering deep within the ice.

"It's indeed a place where energy gathers."

That pure energy fluctuation was far more concentrated than outside, indicating the possible existence of the Qi stones he urgently needed.

The Soldiers rested for about half an hour, regaining some strength, and the wounded's injuries were also simply bandaged.

Mo Yan stood up, brushing off the ice shards from his body.

"Wang Wu!"

"Here, my Lord!" Wang Wu immediately stepped forward.

Mo Yan ordered, "You take ten Soldiers, including the wounded, to guard here and hold the entrance."

"Yes, my Lord!" Wang Wu acknowledged the order.

Mo Yan then selected twelve Soldiers who were in relatively good condition.

"You twelve, follow me in!"

"Yes!"

He glanced at Gun Gun at his feet: "Gun Gun, stick close to me."

"Goo!" Gun Gun immediately dropped the unfinished jerky, hugged the verdant bamboo tightly, and stood by Mo Yan's leg.

Mo Yan drew his Frost Sword and led the way towards the entrance of the Ice Rift Valley.

The guardians were gone; now it was time to see what secrets were hidden inside.

Twelve Soldiers followed closely, and Gun Gun trotted alongside Mo Yan with his short legs.

The group cautiously entered the Ice Rift Valley.

The entrance was wide, but the further they went in, the steeper the slope and the dimmer the light became.

Only the faint glow from the deep blue ice layers on the cave walls and the cold light emitted by Mo Yan's Frost Sword provided limited illumination.

The chill in the air became even more biting, but the pure energy fluctuation also became clearer and more concentrated.

The spiritual Qi within Mo Yan's body seemed to be drawn by something, circulating on its own, at a much faster rate than usual.

"Stay alert."

The Soldiers gripped their weapons, descending step by step, their footsteps echoing in the silent ice cave.

Gun Gun curiously looked around, his small nose constantly sniffing, as the scent of Ore here held a strong attraction for him.

After walking down for about several hundred meters, the front suddenly opened up.

They arrived inside a massive underground ice cavern.

The cavern's dome hung high, with countless ice prisms resembling inverted sharp swords, shimmering with a deep blue light, exuding a bone-chilling cold.

And in the very center of the ice cavern, a massive ice wall presented a scene completely different from anywhere else.

That ice wall was no longer purely deep blue.

Instead, it was densely embedded with countless fist-sized crystals emitting a soft white light!

Those crystals were like stars in the night sky, their dazzling light illuminating the entire ice cavern as if it were daylight.

A majestic and pure energy was emanating from that crystal-embedded ice wall.

"Qi stone vein!" Mo Yan's pupils suddenly contracted, his breathing instantly hitched, and his heart pounded wildly!