"It's fine, I know this isn't easy to find out. Have the Evil Spirit group keep an eye out..." Bai Ye's words suddenly stopped. He looked at Gao Ming in surprise. "Wait, you said you know?"
"Yeah, I know," Gao Ming replied. "This matter actually has something to do with you."
Bai Ye looked astonished. "Me?"
"Didn't you ask me to investigate Liu Shiyue?" Gao Ming said.
Bai Ye nodded. "Is there new information?"
"Not yet," Gao Ming said. "Liu Shiyue is still in the area I mentioned last time. She's currently building ships and coordinating with captured sea beasts to set sail. To be precise, she's been at sea for a week."
Bai Ye asked, "So, what does this have to do with what I was asking about?"
"It doesn't have anything to do with Liu Shiyue," Gao Ming said. "However, while I had people watching Liu Shiyue, they discovered a place when she sailed out. That place is called Fang Hu."
Bai Ye raised an eyebrow. "Not a cultivation area?"
"Definitely not," Gao Ming said. "The reason that place is inaccessible is because there's a 'Turtle Rider' roaming the outer perimeter. This guy is incredibly strong, and you can't enter Fang Hu without defeating him."
Bai Ye questioned, "Your people didn't go in, so how did you determine it's not a cultivation area?"
Gao Ming explained, "First, there's something wrong with the turtle the Turtle Rider is riding. It's no ordinary turtle, but a giant mechanical tortoise. When it fights, missiles and energy beams fly everywhere. I feel like this thing is a small mecha. So, is the area guarded by this thing a cultivation area?"
"Second, that place is inaccessible and shrouded in mist. But when the weather is clear, you can vaguely see glimpses of what's inside. How should I put it? The architecture there is ancient in style, but..."
Gao Ming scratched his head, unsure how to describe it. After a moment of thought, he continued.
"But it has a very strong cyberpunk vibe."
"Huh?" Bai Ye exclaimed. "Ancient style? Cyberpunk? Those two terms are quite far apart."
Gao Ming clarified, "The style of the buildings is ancient, but they are actually in a futuristic technological style."
Bai Ye became even more confused. Aren't these two terms antonyms?
Ancient style is definitely retro, and futuristic technology certainly represents the future.
If viewed on a timeline, they are in completely opposite directions. How can they be combined?
Gao Ming said helplessly, "I don't know how to explain it either. But it's definitely not the traditional immortal island Fang Hu you'd expect."
Bai Ye pondered, "Ask your people to draw a picture for me later."
Gao Ming nodded. "Sure."
Jinsha, Liu Shiyue, the Summit War, the overseas Fang Hu...
It seems I really need to go out to sea.
At this moment, cheers of celebration echoed from the front. Liang Jie had led his men to defeat General Dong.
Liang Jie walked towards Bai Ye and Gao Ming with a smile. "We got lucky. Two red-quality items, and both are of good caliber."
Bai Ye nodded. "Let's go, next one."
The group moved on to find the next boss. The battle was equally smooth, with no interference from the Hidden Dragon Association.
Gao Ming thought for a moment. "The two game dungeons on the third floor are for five and seven players, respectively. Based on the dungeon refresh times, the other side probably hasn't been in for too long and hasn't cleared them yet. So, after subtracting those people, the remaining manpower is likely all that Wang Ling has with him."
Bai Ye nodded, understanding Gao Ming's point.
The other members of the Hidden Dragon group were tied up in the game dungeons. If Wang Ling had all his people with him, having just been beaten by Bai Ye, they wouldn't dare to come looking for trouble again.
After successfully taking down the second boss, Crimson Tongue, Bai Ye checked the time. "Let's go, we'll find the Earth Spider."
Gao Ming asked, "Going now?"
"I'm very busy, I don't have this much time to waste," Bai Ye said. "My plan is to resolve your issues within two days."
That sounded a bit arrogant, considering they had to tackle bosses and confront the Hidden Dragon Association.
But for some reason, Gao Ming found Bai Ye's words quite convincing.
In a way, efficiency is indeed a crucial factor.
If it takes others a week to clear a restricted zone, and you can clear one in three days, you naturally have more time to clear more zones and obtain more items and God Stone fragments.
That's efficiency.
Of course, with strength comes efficiency, and with efficiency comes strength.
Therefore, Gao Ming felt that Bai Ye's confidence was perfectly justified. Furthermore, it was indeed a good time since the Hidden Dragon Association was occupied elsewhere.
The Earth Spider was a hidden boss. If the Hidden Dragon Association knew, they would surely intervene.
Gao Ming said, "Let's hurry then."
The Earth Spider was located on the outskirts of the town.
A separate wilderness area contained a temple, but the temple was long abandoned and showed signs of extensive damage.
The torii gates and stone statues had collapsed, the temple roof was tattered, and the doors and windows were drafty.
As for why it was a hidden boss, the first reason was that to kill the Earth Spider, one had to complete a hidden quest and obtain an Yin-Yang Talisman to make it appear.
However, if there was no hidden quest, one could force their way in, which was why they were concerned about the Hidden Dragon Association causing trouble.
But...
Bai Ye actually wanted to tell Gao Ming that even without the Hidden Dragon Association, his group of 'muddy legs and dogs' couldn't defeat the Earth Spider. After all, it was a hidden boss.
Upon arriving in front of the temple, Bai Ye instructed Gao Ming, "Have them use the Yin-Yang Talisman, then retreat to the very edge."
Gao Ming asked, "You're going in alone again?"
Bai Ye replied, "If your men want to try, they can come up and play."
Gao Ming nodded, then had someone use the Yin-Yang Talisman.
An Evil Spirit member quickly produced the Yin-Yang Talisman. The method of use was similar to a Taoist charm. Holding the charm, they drew a pentagram in the air, and then the Yin-Yang Talisman ignited, and...
"Who dares disturb my slumber?"
Suddenly, the surrounding space began to tremble.
The earth shook, making it difficult for everyone to stand. Dust fell from the surrounding buildings, and the torii gate on the path they came from began to collapse again.
Abruptly, the ground let out a tremendous roar and then exploded, creating a large hole.
A massive spider leg emerged from the earth and slashed towards the group.
With a thunderous boom!
The ground shattered, bursting open into a huge crack.
The immense impact generated a shockwave, instantly sending the members of the Evil Spirit group flying in all directions.
Bai Ye looked at Gao Ming and asked, "How was it? Still want to play?"
Gao Ming awkwardly scratched his head, climbed up from the ground, and decisively led his men back to the entrance. "Please, go ahead. We'll just watch, we definitely won't go in."
...