An Understated Dominance

 While Dustin and the others explored the ruins within the mountain, the area at Buzhou Mountain's base shrouded by the golden barrier had completely devolved into hell. Tens of thousands of people had been randomly teleported to various platforms at the mountain's base. No organization, no order—only naked survival of the fittest. The strong plundered the weak at will; the weak became servants, or even... food. On the largest platform at the mountain's base, Qin Hao stood with hands clasped behind his back, coldly watching the chaotic slaughter below. Beside him, Qin Xue toyed idly with a wildflower she had picked from somewhere. "Brother, these ants are so noisy." Qin Xue frowned. Qin Hao said flatly: "They won't be noisy for long. Survival of the fittest is simply heaven's law. They'll be eliminated soon enough." "But we're trapped here too." Qin Xue was somewhat displeased. "I wanted to sit back and reap the benefits, b...

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the canopy at the valley entrance, dispelling the night's chill. After a night of rest, everyone's wounds had mostly healed, and their spiritual energy was nearly replenished. Dustin informed everyone about the cave opening in the cliff face. Margaret gathered the core members to discuss. "We don't know where this cave leads. But since the demon beasts won't approach this cliff, there's something here that frightens them. Either a great opportunity, or a great danger." Margaret said. Adam analyzed: "By Buzhou Mountain's rules, the more dangerous a place, the greater the opportunity. We're trapped here now, and going up is our only way out. If this cave is a shortcut upward, it's worth exploring." Scarlet looked at Dustin with concern: "But Brother Dustin's cultivation is sealed. If there's something inside..." Dustin waved his hand: "Don't worry about me. Since we ...

 Spirit Fruit Valley—the name lived up to its promise. The valley was lush with vegetation, spiritual energy permeating the air, with rare flowers and unusual plants everywhere. Even more exciting were several short trees heavy with vermilion fruits, radiating dense spiritual energy fluctuations—"Vermilion Spirit Fruits" that could rapidly restore spiritual power and even slightly enhance cultivation! "Wonderful! With these spirit fruits, we can recover from our wounds and exhaustion!" Everyone was overjoyed. But Dustin didn't let down his guard. He carefully observed the valley's environment, sensing something was off. This valley was too quiet—abnormally quiet. No birdsong, no insect chirps, even the wind seemed to have stopped. "Careful, there may be danger." He warned in a low voice. The moment he spoke, the ground began to shake violently. A dull rumbling came from deep in the valley, like ten thousand horses charging. Then everyone witnessed ...

 Twelve hours of rest allowed the team to recover some of their strength. The pills took effect—the wounded had their injuries under control, and their spiritual energy was mostly replenished. When the time expired, the protective golden barrier quietly dissipated, signaling they must set out once more. "Go up, or move horizontally to find other paths?" Margaret asked for opinions. "Go up. Heading upward is always the right choice," one court cultivator suggested. But Dustin shook his head slightly: "Buzhou Mountain's trials aren't necessarily just about height. I've observed that at our current elevation, there are many similar platforms and paths around us. Perhaps moving horizontally will give us a chance to meet up with other teams. There's strength in numbers." Margaret adopted Dustin's suggestion and decided to explore horizontally along the mountain ridge at their current elevation. The team advanced cautiously. The terrain here ...