After waiting a little longer, Lu Chenxing slowly approached the cave entrance. The bat cave, which had been reeking, now had a much fainter smell, turning into a mixed scent.
Some residual ammonia still emitted a pungent odor, while the colorless nitric oxide and reddish-brown nitrogen dioxide produced by the burning of ammonia brought a sour, metallic, rust-like smell.
The remaining scent was the burnt smell from the explosion. The three smells mixed together, making it even more unpleasant than before.
Standing at the cave entrance, Lu Chenxing waved his hand, summoning a gust of Wind Element into the cave, sweeping out most of the gases. He then used a wisp of Wind Element to protect himself, dispelling the surrounding stench, before stepping inside.
This was a downward slope of thirty-five degrees. The entrance wasn't too long, only about twenty meters. Some First Order crystal nuclei were scattered on the path. Lu Chenxing picked them up and continued forward.
When he truly entered the cave, it was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything. So, Lu Chenxing condensed a light element orb to illuminate it.
Bright light instantly filled the entire cave. Seeing this scene, Lu Chenxing couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy cow..."
The cave wasn't very large, only about fifty meters in diameter, with a height of around five meters. After the explosion, some rock pillars had fractured, but overall, it didn't affect the safety of the cave.
However, within this fifty-meter radius, the ground was covered with sparkling First Order crystal nuclei and the charred corpses of Screaming Bats. Roughly estimated, there must have been over one hundred and seventy crystal nuclei. Although they were all First Order, it was still a considerable sum of money!
"This must be worth hundreds of thousands!" Lu Chenxing's eyes sparkled as he muttered to himself, "Hundreds of thousands for one Bombardment Art? Isn't this a surefire wealth code? Who said my Screaming Bats aren't valuable? They're incredibly valuable!"
Among the corpses covering the ground, there was one exceptionally large one, almost human-sized. Beside its charred body lay a Second Order Early Stage crystal nucleus, which was the target for this mission.
Being a Second Order Early Stage creature, it was bombarded by the Bombardment Art, which was comparable in power to a Second Order Mid Stage attack, and the explosion caused by the high concentration of ammonia. It was utterly, irrevocably dead.
At this point, one-third of Lu Chenxing's mission progress was complete.
"Next, I'll collect the crystal nuclei while looking for the long night pearl," Lu Chenxing said, unable to hide his smile.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Second Order Early Stage gambler kept walking inward, not associating with anyone, heading straight for the central area of this secret realm.
As he walked, he occasionally took out a map to check his position.
While Lu Chenxing was collecting his spoils of war, the gambler also arrived at his destination.
This was a patch of grassland deep within the forest, with no trees for two hundred meters in every direction, only soft, carpet-like green grass.
The gambler walked to the center of the grassland, then put away his map. He then knelt on the ground, drew a dagger from his waist, and looked at it with struggling eyes. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably, a sign of tension and fear.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Once this job is done, I can clear my debts. Then I'll borrow a bit more, and I'll definitely turn things around!"
"When I turn things around! I'll redeem my wife and child and live a good life. Yes, live a good life..."
A subtle red glow flashed in his eyes, and his voice trembled, as if he was hypnotizing himself. Then he swallowed hard, suddenly raised the dagger, and plunged it into his abdomen!
"Pfft..."
"Ah!!!!" As the blade entered his flesh, he let out a miserable scream, tears and snot flowing. But he still yanked the dagger, tearing open his stomach. Blood and gastric fluid mixed, constantly flowing out, staining the green grass. At the same time, a small pouch emerged from his stomach.
The gambler gasped for breath, looking at the small pouch. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a packet of hemostatic powder, applying it to his wound. Moments later, the bleeding stopped.
He quickly picked up the small pouch, looking at the red powder inside. The smile on his face grew even more excited, and he spoke incoherently, "I succeeded! I succeeded!"
Just as he was excitedly opening the small pouch, the blood flowing from his feet transformed into blood-red flames, instantly engulfing him!
Amidst his shrill screams, the blood-red flames used him as fuel, burning his flesh and igniting the red powder in the small pouch.
After the powder ignited, it transformed into wisps of red smoke that dispersed into the air, vanishing without a trace. Only a vague, indescribable feeling permeated the secret realm.
Moments later, the blood-red flames disappeared, along with the gambler and all the blood on the ground. The area remained lush green, leaving only a few tattered clothes and a transparent small pouch fluttering in the air.
"I found it!" Lu Chenxing's face finally broke into a smile again as he looked at the transparent spherical stone buried beneath thick layers of excrement.
He had been searching here for over an hour and finally found it. This was the key to his advancement, the long night pearl!
"Excellent, very smooth! Next, I just need to kill two more Second Order Early Stage exotic beasts, and the mission will be perfectly complete!"
Lu Chenxing put away his items and left the Screaming Bat's cave. After exiting the cave, fresh air wafted over him, making him feel refreshed and comfortable!
Now he wasn't in a hurry, because there was no specific type of Second Order Early Stage exotic beast he had to kill. He could just kill a few if he encountered them on the way, and that would be it.
He opened his map and took a look. He was currently on the edge of the Second Order area. To encounter Second Order exotic beasts, he would have to go a bit further in.
Not long after he started walking, the Wind Element informed him that someone was approaching from ahead. His heart stirred, and he jumped onto a nearby tree canopy, waiting quietly.
Moments later, three professionals, two men and one woman, came sprinting towards his direction, their faces still showing signs of lingering fear. They didn't stop for a moment, directly dashing past beneath Lu Chenxing!
Just as Lu Chenxing was feeling bewildered, the Wind Element informed him again that exotic beasts were approaching from behind, heading in his direction.
"Exotic beasts?" Lu Chenxing felt a bit confused. He was only First Order now, and the range of his Wind Element for scouting was a linear few hundred meters, not an area, so the information he received was very limited.
A moment later, a "rumbling" sound, accompanied by vibrations, reached him. Lu Chenxing's expression immediately changed, and he instantly used the Wind Element to boost himself, sprinting wildly in the direction the three people had left!
He no longer needed to scout. He already knew what it was. The exotic beasts in the secret realm were inexplicably rioting; a "beast tide" was coming!
Although he didn't know if it was a large or small one, it was definitely not something Lu Chenxing, a First Order Consummation, could withstand. The best course of action was to run with them!