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墨書 Inktalez
As he passed through the grand gate, a feeling of rebirth after a calamity washed over him.
However, fearing the terrifying Shuang Lei Giant might emerge from the gate to harvest them, Lu Fei Fan sprinted for hundreds of meters before finally stopping. It was only then that he realized he had arrived at a platform shrouded in thick mist after crossing the threshold.
Before him appeared a winding staircase, constructed from white stone, ascending endlessly into the clouds. The staircase was wide, spanning thirty to forty meters, and its construction was a mystery. It stretched upwards towards the mountain peak, and Lu Fei Fan estimated that there were nearly ten thousand steps visible to him, not to mention that the higher steps were obscured by the fog. This staircase was undoubtedly a grand project or perhaps a divine marvel.
No one knew how these magnificent stairs were built or who had constructed them. Every few hundred steps stood an archway of gray-green stone, weathered and blending seamlessly with the surrounding flora and rock. The higher tiers of the staircase and their archways vanished into the mist, creating an otherworldly paradise that many sought after.
Yet Lu Fei Fan could distinctly feel the abundant Pulse Energy in this place, astonishingly rich and far beyond what a human could normally withstand. If he were to use ordinary Fu Mai Xi Shu techniques, the Pulse Energy absorbed into his body would be incredibly slow to refine into his own energy. It felt akin to trying to breathe underwater where oxygen was plentiful, yet he could not assimilate it.
Lu Fei Fan was the first to stand on the plaza at the base of the staircase. Before long, dozens of others arrived behind him. The members of the Lian Family were particularly organized; hardly anyone had fallen victim at the Shuang Lei Giant's entrance. It seemed that Lian Chongtang, this old fox, had calculated well and led his relatives safely past the Frost Thunder Giant's attacks.
Dressed in red armor and wielding a fire cloud broad sword, Lian Qingzong naturally followed closely behind this foundational figure of their family, appearing quite spirited. Meanwhile, several generals from the Dongfang Family had perished earlier; Dongfang Hui looked pale as he set down Dongfang Jun, who brushed off dust from his clothes to mask his embarrassment. Behind them, the ever-stoic Sh Soul and Duo Hun remained unchanged in expression, though some of their subordinates were noticeably missing. A hooded man beside Dongfang Hui raised some wariness among those present.
Although it appeared that the Dongfang Family had numerical superiority, the combat strength of Lian Family's dozen members clearly surpassed theirs. Just Dongfang Hui alone could easily crush most opponents; thus, a direct comparison was futile.
The rest of the crowd was a mixed bag; amidst the chaos of entering this realm, many began forming small groups on the plaza. Lu Fei Fan, resting in a corner, became a prime target for recruitment among various stragglers.
"Hey there, brother! I noticed your impressive skills earlier. Would you be interested in teaming up with us?" A rough-voiced woman approached him. She sported short hair typical of men but bore no Adam's apple; her skin was adorned with tattoos visible beneath her tactical vest, which accentuated her fierce demeanor. She wore an eye patch and had several fine scars on her face.
If it weren't for her lack of an Adam's apple, Lu Fei Fan might have mistaken her for a rugged mercenary reeking of sweat and blood.
As she extended her invitation to Lu Fei Fan, four or five men stood behind her. Their attire varied widely; some wore high-quality gear clearly issued by major groups or unified forces while others sported mismatched tactical vests cobbled together from various sources.
Lu Fei Fan surveyed the plaza; indeed, the Dongfang Family and Lian Family formed the largest teams while others had roughly assembled into seven or eight groups. Those who managed to pass through the Frost Thunder Giant into this plaza were mostly gathered here now.
As for whether anyone else would come through later—that remained uncertain—but Lu Fei Fan sensed that this staircase would be fraught with challenges ahead.
Thus he nodded in agreement to the woman's invitation; being part of a team was better than fighting alone. It would prevent him from being targeted without any backup along the way. Although these groups offered no guarantees in terms of loyalty when faced with profit-driven motives, at least they would provide a semblance of caution among others.
"That's great. You can call me Ma Er, and let me introduce you to these people..."
With that, she introduced each member of the temporary group one by one. The two short twin brothers were called the Xiao Family Brothers, Xiao Lao Er and Xiao Lao Da. There was also a man with a thick beard, known as Tiger Back Bear Waist, who had been drinking and was called Lao Zhou. He was carrying a Hand Cannon.
Another man, who was smoking and did not introduce himself, simply nodded at Lu Fei Fan. This man was named Lao Qian.
Lu Fei Fan wore a Mask and referred to himself as Fei. No one found it strange that he wore a Mask; rather, the Xiao Family Brothers were curious about the Greatsword wrapped in cloth on his back. They figured that someone capable of wielding such a large weapon must be skilled in close combat.
After all, anyone who could make it through the Frost Thunder Giant was not to be underestimated; everyone had their own strengths.
As Lu Fei Fan began to climb, members of the Lian Family had already ascended, followed closely by the Dongfang Family. Lu Fei Fan's team lagged lazily behind.
The first few hundred steps were filled with laughter, and no one felt it was too strenuous. However, keen observers could sense that as they climbed higher, the difficulty of breathing became increasingly apparent. Many had already begun to subtly circulate their Pulse Breathing Technique to adjust to the conditions; this was just the beginning of their struggles.
This wasn't just ordinary altitude sickness; it was an intense Pulse Energy environmental pressure. Those who had reached a certain level in their Pulse Energy cultivation would likely face no significant issues, but those with lesser cultivation would find the ascent increasingly arduous.
Yet aside from battling the environment, the greatest enemy remained the conflict between humans.
Dense fog obscured the surroundings, and teams gradually spread out on the steps. Whether intentional or not, each team maintained a certain distance from others.
Lu Fei Fan's team led by Ma Erjie was no different; she did not trust anyone else and made sure her team kept their distance from others.
However, the dense vegetation on both sides of the Stairs naturally provided ample hiding spots for ambushes.
Boom!
In the fog, a burst of light shot through the air and struck one of the team members directly—Xiao Lao Er. Seeing his brother's head explode, Xiao Lao Da let out a desperate scream and charged toward where the shot had come from, firing his Energy Submachine Gun continuously in that direction.
"Xiao Lao Da, get back here!"
Thud, thud, thud—
Xiao Lao Da charged up the foggy steps, the sound of gunfire echoing for quite some time. With a loud bang, Xiao Lao Da's furious roar was abruptly silenced.
Ma Erjie immediately shouted for everyone to take cover. Bang!
Gunfire erupted again, striking the steps and creating a crater.
Lu Fei Fan could clearly sense that a sniper was lying in wait among the bushes, but the dense fog filled with Pulse Energy made it impossible to pinpoint his exact location. It was evident that the enemy was relying on sound to determine where to shoot. If that was the case, then if Lu Fei Fan made enough noise, the sniper would struggle to identify the precise direction of his shots.
Lu Fei Fan crouched low on the stairs and then sprang up like a frog, bouncing left and right with barely a sound—thud, thud.
The sniper fired twice into the spots where Lu Fei Fan had just jumped away from, leaving bullet craters behind. Lu Fei Fan had made the right call.
Ma Erjie also realized that the enemy was clearly using sound to locate them. Instantly, someone on the steps picked up stones and began throwing them around while rushing upward.
Bang, bang—
The sound of the sniper rifle intensified, clearly indicating that they were feeling threatened.
Lu Fei Fan's jumps became faster and faster. Ma Erjie disregarded everything else and led her team down to take cover. When she looked up again, she found that Lu Fei Fan had vanished into the fog. Moments later, two gunshots rang out from a distance, followed by a bloodied Energy Sniper Rifle rolling down the steps.
An Energy Sniper Rifle with a range of twelve hundred meters!
Ma Erjie exchanged glances with the others; they were astonished that Lu Fei Fan had managed to easily locate their enemy’s position.
With renewed determination, Ma Erjie and her team pressed onward to eliminate the sniper. They felt a sense of relief until Ma Erjie stood up for just a moment—crack.
A silent bullet pierced through her chest, erupting in a spray of blood. She glanced down at her teammates below who hadn’t yet managed to get back up. With one last look, bang bang—her body was struck by two more bullets, blood splattering everywhere before she fell heavily to the ground.
"Ambush!" Lao Zhou shouted as he hefted the Hand Cannon and fired at the thicket in the distance where gunfire had erupted.
Boom!
The thicket exploded, sending debris flying and leaving two hidden opponents sprawled on the ground, howling in pain.
However, it was clear that there was more than one Deployment team. Four or five Deployments opened fire simultaneously at the ascending figures. Before Lao Zhou could load a second round, he was riddled with bullets, turning him into a sieve.
Meanwhile, Lao Qian, cigarette in mouth, dodged left and right while wielding his gun. The Pulse Energy around him flickered to life. He raised his weapon and took down three enemies in quick succession. But upon seeing the fallen body of Ma Er and the tragic sight of Lao Zhou, he let out a deep breath. Raising his charged Pulse Energy Gun again, he fired at another target, dropping an enemy to the ground. However, he too was hit in the shoulder and thigh, collapsing before he could even cry out in pain. He lifted his gun once more and continued firing relentlessly.
In the thick fog, bullets zipped up and down the stairs like red threads harvesting insignificant lives, blood flowing down the white Stairs in a continuous stream.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Stones rained down on two shooters, knocking them to the ground with muffled groans. Lu Fei Fan, masked and wielding two bloodied Zhan Daos, emerged from the mist. Of the four who had been lying in ambush, only two remained standing. They raised their guns to defend themselves, but Lu Fei Fan's Zhan Daos sliced through their gun barrels like pure Pulse Energy cutting through ancient ruins, claiming their lives.
The remaining three Deployments suddenly opened fire on Lu Fei Fan. He hurled one of his Zhan Daos with lightning speed; it shot through two soldiers' bodies like a streak of light.
Lu Fei Fan then rummaged through the fallen enemies' belongings before vanishing into the fog like a wraith. Those searching for him suddenly felt something roll beneath their feet and looked down in confusion.
Boom! Boom!
A fiery explosion reverberated through the Stairs.
At the very front of the Stairs, Dongfang Jun struggled to pause for breath. He turned to look down at the Stairs obscured by fog; the sounds of gunfire and explosions did nothing to ease his racing heart.
A hand pressed firmly on his shoulder as a powerful Pulse Energy coursed through him, stabilizing his chaotic physiological functions and easing his breathing significantly.
Dongfang Jun had little interest in the chaotic fighting behind him; their greatest adversary lay ahead. He glanced helplessly at the seemingly endless Stairs, where not a trace of Lian Family members could be seen amidst the fog.
“Brother, what kind of Pulse Breathing Technique are they using? It's so much faster than ours!” Dongfang Jun couldn't understand this.
Dongfang Hui clearly didn't know either. She withdrew her hand from her brother's shoulder and said, “You shouldn't be here. If something happens to you, Father will blame me.”
With that, she turned to the two old men from the Soul Snatchers, lifted her brother and handed him over, instructing, “Take good care of him.”
The two men accepted Dongfang Jun without a hint of expression. They simply set him down. Dongfang Jun's face turned pale, but he understood he was a burden and dared not say more.
Suddenly, a dark figure appeared beside Dongfang Hui. It was the masked man who looked up at the Stairs and sniffed the air. “It's the Cell Gene Solution!”
Dongfang Hui snorted coldly, narrowing her eyes at the ascending steps, muttering, “What an Old Fox…”
Just as they began to climb again, an unexpected change occurred. A roaring sound intensified in everyone's ears, causing their expressions to shift dramatically.
In an instant, an astonishing invisible Pulse Energy surged like a tide from the Stairs and the surrounding environment. The most intense energy emanated from the blood-stained Stairs, which thunderously absorbed the blood and even drew in the flesh of the corpses with its overwhelming power!
The previously stable layers of Pulse Energy on the Stairs began to become chaotic and were even turning violent!
“Not good!” Dongfang Hui sensed the alarming changes in their surroundings and immediately turned serious. “We need to move quickly!”
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