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Yang Fan was about to turn and leave, but due to the inconvenience of his left leg and the hours of walking, he accidentally stumbled and fell to the ground.
As he lay there, Yang Fan realized that his stamina had been completely depleted.
After sitting up, Yang Fan dragged his left leg and moved his body closer to the wall, gazing at the enormous plant in the chamber, lost in thought.
Rashly searching for the Qilin Fruit like this is akin to finding a needle in a haystack; the time saved is utterly meaningless.
On the other hand, if he neglects the injury on his leg and continues without rest, it might worsen, leading to further trouble.
Although Liu Qi and Zhang Jie had descended, everyone was currently in danger. They wouldn’t recklessly search for him, especially with their primary focus now being on the Crimson Qilin Fruit, not himself.
Unless they happen to stumble upon this chamber, finding Yang Fan won’t be easy.
Even with thorough planning, no one can guarantee avoiding accidents. It’s better to use the current time to recover quickly!
After weighing the options, Yang Fan decided to forgo directly searching for the Crimson Qilin Fruit and opted to rest first.
He retrieved a piece of Rank 1 Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh from his pocket.
Upon completing the first part of the objective, Yang Fan acquired a total of four pieces of Rank 1 Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh. However, he could only consume one per day now.
Having consumed one yesterday, he could eat the second today. It would not only replenish his strength but also likely aid in recovering from his leg injury.
After consuming the Rank 1 Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh, the energy within it swiftly circulated throughout Yang Fan’s body.
Especially as it flowed through his left leg, a warm current lingered there for a considerable time.
As the warm current nurtured him, the pain in his left leg gradually diminished until it was completely healed.
Digesting the Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh took much longer this time compared to the previous occasion, lasting over twenty minutes. However, most of that time was spent on the warm current repairing Yang Fan’s injured leg.
Upon the warm current’s disappearance, Yang Fan self-assessed his condition.
Strength: 66, Speed: 61, Stamina: 50.
This time, the improvement was slightly less than the previous one, but Yang Fan didn’t feel regretful. The crucial point was that his left leg felt much better.
“I can finally walk normally!” Yang Fan exclaimed joyfully as he moved his left leg.
After a minor enhancement in his physical body, Yang Fan immediately began meditating to refine the impurities in the Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh.
The impurities in the Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh were richer compared to the Tianxiang Fruit, requiring Yang Fan nearly forty minutes to digest them.
When he opened his eyes, he felt heightened senses and a vigorous spirit.
Ever since Yang Fan birthed the mysterious orb, after several cultivation sessions, he increasingly realized the miraculous nature of this orb.
“I wonder what changes breaking through the third level will bring,” Yang Fan thought with anticipation, glancing once again at the Demon Lotus Thousand Hands emitting a green light.
For Yang Fan, the impurities contained in this plant were like a mountain of gold! Unfortunately, as tempting as the gold mountain was, it couldn’t be moved.
“If one day I become strong enough, can I absorb impurities directly from treasures like the Demon Lotus Thousand Hands, just like a Qilin?” Yang Fan pondered. “Wouldn’t that allow me to break through multiple levels at once?!”
Thinking about it, Yang Fan chuckled and shook his head, realizing how insatiable human desires can be.
Setting aside unrealistic thoughts, Yang Fan took a deep breath and stood up.
His condition had almost fully recovered, with his physical body even experiencing some improvement, feeling even better than before.
“Now, Liu Qi, let’s see who can find that Qilin Fruit first!”
Walking out of the chamber into the passage, Yang Fan only took about twenty minutes, feeling much more agile and at ease.
As he approached the exit of the cave, Yang Fan slowed down, cautiously approaching the opening, pressing his body against the wall.
Using his sense of hearing and smell, Yang Fan confirmed that there were no dangers within a hundred meters. Only then did he carefully emerge from the wall, keeping close to it.
On either side of the entrance where Yang Fan stood, about seven to eight meters away, there were two openings from which dark mist emanated.
Yang Fan’s gaze extended further, revealing similar openings evenly distributed for tens of meters. Each one released dark mist into the surroundings.
“Indeed, each opening leads to a chamber with a Demon Lotus Thousand Hands inside!” Yang Fan suddenly found the situation quite challenging.
Should he search through each one?
He had only observed one side of the cliff so far. Who knew how vast this abyss was and how many such openings existed.
“If I continue like this, I don’t know when I’ll find the Qilin Fruit.”
Just as Yang Fan felt a bit lost, a faint sound unexpectedly emanated from a distant opening.
Yang Fan quickly turned back, retreated into the previous opening, pressed against the wall, and observed discreetly.
Before long, the sound from the distance became clearer.
“Liu Qi and Zhang Jie?”
In the cave passage, five or six caves away from where Yang Fan was, Liu Qi and Zhang Jie were walking outward, conversing in hushed tones.
Both men kept their voices low to avoid detection.
“This is the third cave. Apart from the shortest distance in the passage, the chamber inside with the Demon Lotus Thousand Hands is the same as the other two,” Liu Qi pondered while speaking.
“Zhang Jie, I think we should change our approach.”
Zhang Jie inquired, “How should we change it? Should we split up? That way, we might search faster.”
Liu Qi glanced at Zhang Jie, then thought for a moment. “Let me ask you this: if you were alone and encountered Yang Fan, would you let him go?”
“I… I wouldn’t,” Zhang Jie hesitated to respond to Liu Qi.
Liu Qi chuckled softly. “Come on, I know you would let him go.”
Then, Liu Qi’s expression turned serious. “Zhang Jie, I must make one thing clear to you now. Yang Fan must die!”
Zhang Jie turned to Liu Qi in astonishment. “Why do you insist on killing him? You mentioned being an archer before, and we are law-abiding individuals. I can’t accept killing.”
“Moreover, I think Yang Fan was right earlier. Even if he leaves alive and exposes us, as long as we deny it, no one will believe him.”
Liu Qi chuckled lightly. “I’ve never killed before, but I’ve never faced a life-threatening situation like this before.”
“Being kind to enemies is being cruel to oneself. Since we’ve marked him as an enemy, we must not show any mercy!”
As he spoke, Liu Qi’s emotions eased, and he said, “Let me ask you a question.”
“What is it?”
“Between me and Yang Fan, who do you think is the real protagonist?”
Zhang Jie was momentarily stunned.
Everyone is the protagonist in their own world, but gradually, people realize they are just a part of the masses, merely a drop in the river of time, not truly a protagonist.
However, Liu Qi seemed different. His strategic thinking, courage, boldness, charisma, and even ruthlessness destined him to be extraordinary.
“If we compare Yang Fan and you, it seems like he and you are not in the same league,” Zhang Jie said after careful consideration.
Liu Qi sneered, “It’s hard to say.” His gaze gradually turned sharp, even making Zhang Jie feel a bit intimidated.
“I suddenly remembered something. When we shot and killed the juvenile Mengji before, Yang Fan was nearby and was ready to act!”
“With his physique, what gives him the audacity to do so? Was it just luck that he happened to be there?”
“But later, we found out that two Mengji had been poisoned!”
Zhang Jie gleaned some clues from Liu Qi’s words.
“Are you suggesting that Yang Fan poisoned the two Mengji? I find it unlikely. Exotic beasts generally have strong resistance to toxins unless they ingest the poison themselves.”
“With the reaction speed of Exotic beasts, we can’t even achieve it with bows and arrows, let alone Yang Fan. Could he have used his Grey Pine spear?”
Liu Qi sneered, “I never considered this before. I always thought he was useless, but when he successfully escaped from us, my perspective on him began to shift.”
“You have to understand, earlier, if we had pulled the rope while he was wearing it down, he would have either fallen to his death or fallen into my hands. His audacity in that moment made me truly respect him!”
“Thinking about it now, I even suspect that he poisoned the Mengji!”
“As I follow this line of thought, the more I think about it, the more unsettled I become.”
“Even though we took his prey, he could easily have prioritized his own interests and betrayed us. Despite following us for so long without attempting to escape, making us believe he had given up.”
“But when the time was right, he seized the opportunity without hesitation.”
“Although his physical condition may be lacking, in terms of endurance, mental strength, quick thinking, decision-making, he is not inferior to me!”
“And it’s precisely for this reason that I absolutely cannot let him leave alive!”
After hearing this, Zhang Jie felt a chill run down his spine.
He had only felt sympathy for Yang Fan before, without truly recognizing his strength. However, now, after Liu Qi’s analysis, he finally realized the extraordinary nature of Yang Fan.
No wonder Liu Qi had asked such a peculiar question.
After a while, Zhang Jie exhaled and said, “I understand. If I encounter him, I won’t let him go.”
Liu Qi, upon hearing this, smiled with satisfaction. “I believe you this time!”
“Oh, by the way, while chatting with you, I’ve already come up with a new approach.”
“Huh? You’ve already thought of something?” Zhang Jie realized his intelligence was once again overshadowed by Liu Qi. “How do you plan to search?”
Liu Qi explained, “There are too many caves here, even if we split up, it’s impossible to search through all the chambers within nine days.”
“Most importantly, I suspect that the Crimson Qilin Fruit may not even be in these chambers.”
Zhang Jie widened his eyes, “Why do you think so?”
“Because if this Demon Lotus Thousand Hands plant has been contaminated, then the fruits it produces are likely contaminated too!”
Perplexed, Zhang Jie asked, “Does that mean there may not be a Crimson Qilin Fruit?”
“No! There is a possibility for the existence of a Crimson Qilin Fruit.”
“What possibility?”
“That Crimson Qilin Fruit might not have been nurtured by this Demon Lotus Thousand Hands plant or was harvested before the plant got contaminated…”
“It’s possible that it was left behind by the Qilin that used to reside here!”
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!” Zhang Jie’s eyes widened.
Liu Qi smiled faintly. “If my guess is correct, then that Qilin Fruit is not in these caves.”
“It should be in… the Qilin’s nest! I speculate it should be near the center of the abyss.”
Yang Fan observed the two figures heading towards the center of the abyss, cautiously sneaking past while crouched, feeling a sense of relief.
However, Liu Qi’s words did leave him pondering.
He and Liu Qi were both searching for the Crimson Qilin Fruit, yet they arrived at two different conclusions.
Yang Fan believed it was due to some special conditions that led to the appearance of the Crimson Qilin Fruit, while Liu Qi thought the fruit was left behind from before.
It was akin to two top students in class, providing two different answers to the same question.