As they discussed some details, on the other side of the barren land, in a deserted cave.
A group of people dressed in grey were lazily sitting on the ground.
A bonfire had been lit in the middle of the cave, with four men gathered around it.
One of the men, appearing to be in his thirties, had a burn scar on his right eye, giving him a somewhat eerie look.
The man was holding a string of meat from an unknown exotic beast, roasting it over the fire, his eyes filled with cold indifference.
"How long until the appointed time?"
The man suddenly spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, sounding like a middle-aged man of forty or fifty.
To his left sat a man in his forties. Despite his age, he appeared somewhat respectful to the man's words.
"Snow Lord, three more hours."
Sitting opposite Snow Lord was a burly man with a full beard, his black hair casually draped over his shoulders. A large purple sword was strapped to his back.
The burly man was holding a string of well-roasted meat, stuffing it into his mouth as he spoke, "I really don't know what you're thinking. They're just rookies, what use are they?"
"Bringing in new blood is also one of our responsibilities."
The man called Snow Lord's eyes never left the meat in his hand, his gaze as indifferent as a robot's as he answered the burly man.
"Tch, the higher-ups are just bored. Isn't it enough to have us from the pioneering team? Bringing in new people will only cause us trouble."
The older man chimed in, "You can't say that, Shan Gui. We all grew up as rookies back in the day. Who can guarantee that accidents will never happen?"
"Don't drag me into this. I earned my position by killing my way up."
The burly man, Shan Gui, disdainfully spat out a bone, a look of contempt on his face.
A flicker of displeasure flashed in the man's eyes. Seeing that the two were about to argue, Snow Lord suddenly asked, "Have those little wolves been driven in yet?"
"They've already been driven in. The blood of the wolf has a natural attraction to rock monsters. They'll probably have to face a King-grade rock monster this time."
The man continued with a hint of worry, "But Snow Lord, is this really okay? The higher-ups didn't ask us to increase the difficulty privately, and this is a King-grade rock monster. Without last year's pioneering experience, it'll be hard to even get away from it."
Snow Lord said calmly, "Just a mere King-grade monster. If they can't even handle this, they should go back to the headquarters and study honestly."
"I heard that that brat, Li Chonglou, is also coming this time?"
Shan Gui suddenly interjected. The man's expression suddenly changed, as if he had remembered something.
"Shan Gui, don't do anything reckless. I know you lost quite a bit from the terminated cooperation last time, but that kid is someone sent by the higher-ups. If anything happens, the冥队 won't be able to protect you!"
Shan Gui sneered, "He's just a kid. I have a hundred ways to make him die!"
The youngest man among them, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, "This kid seems to be related to the power of the peak. You guys better not have any ideas."
The actions of the three immediately froze. Even Snow Lord's expression showed a distinct change.
He looked at the young man, "Xiao En, is that true?"
Snow Lord's brow furrowed slightly. The young man, Xiao En, nodded slightly, "The news just came in yesterday. The peak power group has already sent people to contact him. The reason he's here for this mission is probably related to that."
Shan Gui, who was beside him, suddenly realized, "I knew it. Why is there suddenly a mission to bring in new people? It's because of this."
"Tsk, tsk, this makes it even more interesting. The power of the peak seems to be related to karma, right? I heard that if you can subdue the chosen candidate, you might also have a chance to snatch the power of the Heavenly Dao from him?"
The faces of the three changed simultaneously, but this time, the man no longer spoke in objection.
Snow Lord's gaze fell back onto the meat skewer in his hand, and he murmured, "The power of the Heavenly Dao, I seem to have a bit of interest now."
A sudden silence fell upon the cave.
If Fan Li and the other three were here, they would be astonished beyond measure to see the four people sitting by the campfire.
Snow Lord and Shan Gui – these two were the second and third ranked on the pioneering team's strength leaderboard!
The teams they led were also among the top five of all pioneering teams!
There was an unwritten rule for pioneering missions: the stronger the leader, the higher the mission's danger level!
According to the execution records of the various bases in the past, their promotion missions were usually in cooperation with pioneering teams ranked outside the top ten!
Unaware of their predicament, the seven people at this moment had also entered the barren land in a formation.
Fan Li led the way, responsible for the main assault. Wang Liqiang and Wu Yin were on the flanks, coordinating their efforts. Li Chonglou and the other two were in the middle as reserves, with Qiu Wenying bringing up the rear.
The seven spread out, several meters apart. This distance prevented them from being wiped out in one go and allowed for the fastest combat coordination, making it the most conventional tactical formation.
Having left the green zone, every step forward was, in a sense, considered pioneering. This formation was also the most commonly used in pioneering, something Fan Li had specifically learned from some seniors.
"In the underground world, there are many things you are not allowed to access until you reach a certain status. So, after you go out, don't tell anyone else about the formation's principles. Once you violate the rules, at best you'll be permanently removed from the underground world roster, and at worst, there are specialized personnel who will hold you accountable."
Fan Li reminded them with a serious expression. Just then, a strong wind, different from what they had felt before, suddenly blew from ahead.
Firstly, its force was more than double what they had felt upon arrival.
Secondly, this wind, when it hit their bodies, seemed to have the effect of consuming internal energy. Their expressions instantly changed.
"Alert!"
As soon as he spoke, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. Li Chonglou felt a sudden earth-shattering tremor, and then, about ten meters ahead, a giant arm, comparable to three people hugging it, burst out of the ground with a bang.
The expressions of everyone present changed drastically, and they retreated backwards without any hesitation.
"No, there's something behind us too!"
Qiu Wenying shouted. Li Chonglou turned his head and saw that about ten meters behind them, a dense mass of arms had emerged from the soil, forming a circle.
It was like a scene from a zombie movie, making one's scalp tingle!
However, compared to the giant arm in front, these arms were only slightly larger than normal. Fan Li made a swift decision, "Run forward!"
The four of them had all experienced life in the underground world. Their reactions and默契 were as if they were one. Before Fan Li could finish speaking, all four of them had already charged towards the direction of the giant arm!