The next morning, as the sky began to lighten, Chen Bugu and Xing Yifu had already arrived at the bottom of the cliff.
The bottom of the cliff was a desolate, rocky landscape, strewn with boulders and with scarce weeds.
The closer one got to the cliff face, the more the exposed ground turned a muddy red, and on this reddish ground, various fragmented remains were piled.
This cliff bottom was the most famous Bone Burial Ground near High Heaven City.
The establishment of large settlements often spurred the creation of order, and even if this order was false and fragile, constrained by absolute power, it was still a superficial justice.
High Heaven City had a so-called explicit rule, which prohibited public slaughter within the city or its affiliated camps.
In a world where power was revered, such a rule seemed to protect the weak, but in reality, it was merely a hypocritical embellishment needed by the administrators.
If one couldn't kill openly, then let them disappear quietly.
What couldn't surface, let it sink to the bottom of the sea.
What couldn't see the light of day, let it hide in the shadows to bare its fangs and claws.
The cliff was towering and steep, the wind biting, and monsters rampant, making it a uniquely suited Bone Burial Ground, the best resting place for those who went missing.
Chen Bugu looked up at the cliff top, suddenly heard a whistling sound, and then several black dots rapidly expanded in his vision.
He calmly moved a step to the right, avoiding the falling objects.
Those were several broken bones, still stained with flesh that hadn't been completely gnawed clean.
The broken bones fell to the bottom of the cliff, adding a new mark to this Bone Burial Ground.
Sunlight shone on the cliff face, and Chen Bugu just happened to see several Zaoyan Spiders retreat, presumably having satisfied their hunger and simply cleaning up the garbage on schedule.
"Are you sure you won't be chased by spiders again?"
Chen Bugu turned his head and looked at Ailijia, who was on Xing Yifu's back.
Five minutes ago, Ailijia had sprinkled a lot of strong-smelling powder on herself and Xing Yifu, saying it was to mask their scent and avoid being recognized by the Zaoyan Spiders, but Chen Bugu still harbored doubts about its effectiveness.
"No problem. If you're worried, just stay a bit further away from us later."
Ailijia was very confident; thanks to the special medicinal powder, she now exuded a scent of cilantro with every movement.
"In that case, we'll meet at the cliff top. I hope you haven't been fully marinated by then."
After Chen Bugu finished speaking, he was the first to step onto a rock and began to climb up, using both his hands and feet.
The rock wall was towering and steep, extending straight up into the sky.
Layers of overlapping rocks displayed different colors and textures, covered with moss and vines, and dotted with strange flowers and shrubs, which were the only remaining natives on this cliff face apart from the monsters.
Amon, reduced in size, stood on Chen Bugu's shoulder, and whenever a monster attacked, Amon would control black ice crystal snakes to launch an assault.
The small snakes exploded, and the ice mist spread, instantly freezing the malevolent monsters.
The frozen monsters fell straight down from the rock wall, crashing onto the barren ground with a whistling sound, and blood seeped into the ground along with the melting ice water, adding another vibrant shade to that eerie muddy red.
Xing Yifu had also figured it out; although both of them brought one companion, Chen Bugu's battle pet was clearly much more reliable than the one on his back.
Thus, Xing Yifu was happy to save trouble and directly followed behind Chen Bugu, rapidly climbing upwards.
With Amon's cover, the two ascended to the top at an extremely fast pace.
When they were less than a few tens of meters from the top, a group of Stone Gargoyle Bats, attracted by the smell of blood, shed their petrified skin, opened their scarlet eyes, and swarmed out of a cave on one side.
Amon could no longer fully cope with this number of monsters, and given that they were already close to the cliff top, there was no room for error.
So, Chen Bugu grabbed two protruding rocks, placed his feet on the rock wall, and then used Rin Water to freeze his feet to the rock surface for reinforcement.
Once everything was done, he stretched out his hands, summoned his longbow, and stood vertically on the cliff face.
With his hands free, Chen Bugu took down more than ten Stone Gargoyle Bats with just one shot of Rin Rain Frost; they turned into ice blocks and fell straight down, instantly clearing a section of the battlefield.
The remaining Stone Gargoyle Bats fled at the sight, retreating into the rock caves and no longer showing themselves.
"Tsk tsk tsk, this guy's Water Element seems a bit off."
Although Ailijia herself did not control the Water Element, among the vast Elf Clan, there were always one or two Water Element controllers, but the power Chen Bugu displayed at this moment was completely different from theirs.
Xing Yifu looked up at Chen Bugu, who was wreaking havoc, and became increasingly curious about how strong this person truly was.
Seeing the crisis resolved, Chen Bugu removed the black ice from his feet, gripped the protruding parts of the rock wall with his hands, and continued to climb upwards.
Soon after, Chen Bugu was the first to reach the top.
Arriving at the top of the cliff, a vast wilderness lay before them, and the wind from the cliff top swept the wild grass across the wilderness, carrying it towards High Heaven City in the distance.
Yes, following the wilderness ahead, the terrain would gradually flatten, and in just a few tens of kilometers, they would see that majestic fortress city, which was also Chen Bugu's destination for this trip.
"Oh, nimble Wind Element, please become my legs." Ailijia's clear voice sounded from behind. Chen Bugu looked back and saw that she was Floating in the air with the power of wind.
Xing Yifu also climbed to the top of the cliff, and he brushed the dust off himself.
"Once we're here, it's easy to run into people from the city or camp sometimes, so she felt I couldn't carry her anymore, as it might damage her image as a genius."
As if noticing Chen Bugu's confusion, Xing Yifu explained.
"Thank you for your hard work, Big guy. Now, as long as you take me back to the city, I will pay you the remaining beast core."
"Hahahahaha, this time, this genius's potion will surely astound those mediocre Pharmacists in the Pharmacist Association."
Ailijia floated in the air, drifting towards High Heaven City on her own.
"The remaining beast core? Is this guy that rich? Hey, Xing Yifu, did you ever consider taking her out?"
Ailijia possessed wealth that seemed completely disproportionate to her strength and status, and this made Chen Bugu increasingly puzzled.
"Never considered it."
"Right, looking at her situation, she's probably not as simple as an ordinary Elf Clan member."
"Is that so?"
"You don't think so?"
"No, I'm just worried I wouldn't get the beast core after taking her out."
"..."
Chen Bugu almost forgot that not everyone could use Breaking to pry open storage rings.
"What are you two muttering about back there? Hurry up and catch up!"
The wind was noisy; Ailijia might have heard, or she might not have. She just turned her head and waved vigorously at Chen Bugu and Xing Yifu.
"Coming, coming!"
Chen Bugu looked at High Heaven City in the distance and ran towards Ailijia.