Chapter 19: The True Qilin Lair

Liu Qi and Zhang Jie, armed with bows and arrows, maintained a distance of about ten meters behind Yang Fan, following closely.

Yang Fan paid little attention to any threats from Liu Qi and the others. Since they had reached the Qilin Lair, even if Liu Qi didn’t regard him as a person, he wouldn’t harm Yang Fan without reason.

Currently, the greatest threat came from the Qilin Lair itself.

The surrounding dark mist had no distinct scent or texture, reminding Yang Fan of the “dark energy” he had encountered in his consciousness space.

However, the orb within Yang Fan’s body had yet to exhibit any abnormalities, indicating that these dark mists were not what it sought.

As he approached the cave entrance, the enormity of it became increasingly apparent.

“If it’s called the Qilin Lair, perhaps it truly was the habitat of a Qilin in the past.”

Standing at the cave entrance, Yang Fan distinctly felt the temperature inside the cave was significantly cooler than outside.

From the outside, the cave appeared pitch black, with nothing discernible. However, upon closer inspection at the entrance, one would notice that the interior was not entirely dark.

Once his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Yang Fan could see that the cave’s interior was spacious, with a stone path faintly extending deeper, its destination unknown.

The black mist uniformly pervaded the cave, adding an eerie veil to the already dimly lit space.

“That black mist should be emanating from the Qilin Lair.”

Liu Qi’s urging voice came from behind.

In the past, Yang Fan would never dare enter such a mysterious and unpredictable cave, but now he had no choice but to muster his courage and continue forward.

Finally, Yang Fan stepped into the Qilin Lair.

Although the cave’s interior was vast, the ground was uneven, littered with rocks and steep terrain.

For gigantic exotic beasts, navigating such terrain was effortless, but for humans, it posed numerous challenges.

Given Yang Fan’s current condition, even progressing was arduous, let alone attempting to flee. He could only proceed with great difficulty, each step a struggle.

Since entering the Qilin Lair, Liu Qi had remained silent. Yang Fan’s slower pace had its advantages; it could lure out any lurking dangers effectively.

After traversing the initial rocky area, the light within the cave gradually dimmed.

The good news was that the rocky terrain began to smooth out, with fewer obstacles in the path.

Yang Fan breathed a slight sigh of relief and continued along the stone path.

Just as he had walked for less than a minute, suddenly, Yang Fan’s footing gave way, and his body plummeted downward!

Fortunately, he reacted swiftly, disregarding everything else, and urgently leaned backward, propping himself against a rock and plopping down on the ground.

Behind him, Liu Qi hissed in a low voice, “What trick are you trying to pull? Don’t think I won’t kill you!”

Yang Fan hurriedly explained, “There’s… a cliff ahead!”

Finishing his words, Yang Fan, terrified, looked down at his feet just a step away.

There was no path ahead, only a pitch-black emptiness. Due to the lighting and the dark mist’s effects, the abyss and the ground blended seamlessly in color. His attention focused on the surroundings, he had failed to notice it.

That last step nearly led him to plummet from this edge!

Turning his head to both sides, Yang Fan saw no other way out. His current position unmistakably marked the end of the Qilin Lair.

“There’s no way forward,” Yang Fan informed the others behind him.

After a while, Liu Qi and Zhang Jie joined Yang Fan’s side.

“Zhang Jie, I don’t mind you giving him the Grey Pine Spear, but for now, please put it away and keep an eye on him!” Liu Qi commanded.

Zhang Jie nodded, confiscated Yang Fan’s Grey Pine Spear, and with no resistance from Yang Fan, who lacked the support of the spear for his injured leg, he could only sit on the ground.

Learning from Yang Fan’s experience, Liu Qi and Zhang Jie ensured they wouldn’t fall off the cliff. They stood by the edge, peering down.

“We can’t see the bottom at all,” Zhang Jie remarked. “The second objective is simply impossible to achieve!”

Liu Qi furrowed his brow, peering downward, “Perhaps, it might just be too dark to see.”

At that moment, the familiar voice resounded once more, “You have entered the Qilin Lair.”

All three heard the voice, and whether it was Liu Qi, Zhang Jie, or Yang Fan, they all felt a shiver down their spines.

It was no wonder the voice hadn’t appeared upon entering the Qilin Lair; the previous cave was merely a passageway. The cliff standing before them now was the true Qilin Lair!

Finally, Liu Qi retracted his neck, muttering to himself, “So this is the Qilin Lair. Excellent, fits the principle of gradually increasing difficulty.”

With that, he picked up a piece of rubble from the ground and tossed it over the cliff.

To their surprise, they heard the echo less than a second later.

“I was right; it seems much shallower than expected,” Liu Qi said to Zhang Jie. “Zhang Jie, how long is the rope we collected?”

After a moment of thought, Zhang Jie replied, “Around fifteen meters.”

Shaking his head, Liu Qi said, “Not enough… We used Iron Spider Silk, multi-strand twisted. If we split one strand into four, we’ll have sixty meters.”

Frowning, Zhang Jie asked, “Will it be sturdy enough?”

Liu Qi pondered for a moment before stating, “It may not be as secure as initially explained, but it should suffice. Iron Spider Silk is incredibly durable, and one strand can easily bear the weight of one person.”

“Who goes down first?” Zhang Jie inquired.

If they sent Yang Fan down first, he would be completely out of their sight. However, venturing below without any knowledge of the conditions posed significant risks.

Liu Qi turned to Yang Fan, his gaze shifting to the wrist screen on his arm.

“Hey, run a self-test for data,” as the wrist screen intelligently detected personal data, Liu Qi needed Yang Fan to do a self-check to understand his data.

Reluctantly, Yang Fan complied, though he was not pleased with the situation.

Upon seeing the results, Yang Fan was momentarily stunned but quickly recited the findings.

Strength: 56, Speed: Unable to detect due to injury, Stamina: 40.

Liu Qi couldn’t help but chuckle, “You truly are useless! But your stamina isn’t too far off.”

In contrast, Zhang Jie looked at Yang Fan in shock. Was his physique really that poor?

Ignoring their reactions, Yang Fan was bewildered. Why had his stats decreased?

He recalled that after consuming the Rank 1 Exotic Beast Spirit Flesh, his strength had reached 58, speed 54, and stamina 42.

While the undetectable speed could be explained by his leg injury from Liu Qi’s blow, what was the reason for the two-point decrease in strength and stamina?

Why had his stats decreased?!

Unaware of Yang Fan’s thoughts, Liu Qi, after a brief pause, produced a Tianxiang Fruit, handing it to Yang Fan, and coldly stated, “Even though your data is garbage, I’m still not convinced. Eat this.”

Before Yang Fan could understand why his stats had decreased, he was shocked by Liu Qi’s demand and retorted angrily, “If there are wild beasts below, consuming the Tianxiang Fruit would leave me defenseless! Moreover, the fruit might even kill me!”

Liu Qi sneered, “I’m not telling you to eat the whole thing, just half of it!”

“As for the dangers you might face, heh, do you think I care about your life or death? Your value lies in helping us discover the risks.”

“Eat it now! Or I’ll end you right here!”

Observing the icy glint in Liu Qi’s eyes, Yang Fan experienced firsthand the depths of someone’s malevolence and how shameless they could be!

“Eat!” Liu Qi barked.

Knowing Liu Qi’s merciless nature, Yang Fan locked eyes with him but reluctantly took the Tianxiang Fruit. Without a word, he took a bite.

As he bit into the fruit, a refreshing sweetness filled the air, and the juicy pulp trickled down his chin.

After consuming half, Yang Fan angrily tossed the remaining half of the Tianxiang Fruit off the cliff and glared at Liu Qi, “Done eating!”

Watching Yang Fan devour half of the Tianxiang Fruit without further confrontation, Liu Qi instructed Zhang Jie, “Split the rope, tie it around him, and lower him down.”

Since the rope was manually twisted, it easily unraveled. Quickly, Zhang Jie divided the rope into four strands, ensuring each individual strand was sturdy.

Approaching Yang Fan, Zhang Jie secured the rope around him and handed him back his Grey Pine Spear. Then, Zhang Jie and Liu Qi grasped the other end of the rope.

With a grin, Liu Qi looked at Yang Fan and without a word, kicked him off the cliff from behind.

Yang Fan plummeted rapidly, but soon a force halted his fall, causing his body to swing back and forth, repeatedly striking the cliff wall before stabilizing.

The individuals above slowly lowered Yang Fan downwards.

At that moment, Yang Fan began to feel discomfort, experiencing rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and muscle numbness.

“Liu Qi, don’t let me leave here alive!”

Throughout the ordeal, Yang Fan witnessed the darkest aspects of human nature, experiencing a level of malevolence he never thought possible.

Was it because of his own weakness that individuals like Liu Qi could act so ruthlessly?

“I can’t go on. I’m losing feeling in my body.”

“If I can’t escape from that man, I will surely meet my end at his hands!”

“Now is the only chance… I must find a way to escape!”