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"Brother Ma, it's normal that you haven't heard of this before; it's top secret."

Before Fang Cheng could speak, Hou Peng whispered in response:
"Ancient civilization relics are actually a new world that is completely different from the world we live in."

"It contains all sorts of cutting-edge technologies that transcend modern society, or cultivation resources and rare treasures that can transform a person."

“Bringing out anything, even just a tiny bit of fur, is like having a mountain of gold to outsiders.”

"This is a treasure that even governments and militaries around the world covet, and they regard it as a top-level strategic resource!"

After Hou Peng finished speaking, he swallowed hard, a fiery glint flashing in his eyes.

Clearly, he had heard the rumors long ago and had been coveting it for a long time.

Ma Donghe stared wide-eyed as he listened, his breathing becoming heavier.

"The opportunities are indeed great, but the dangers are equally deadly."

Fang Cheng nodded, gazing intently at the mist ahead, and added:

"The natural laws and strange creatures inside are beyond the resistance of ordinary people. Rushing in will only result in a nine-out-of-ten chance of death."

"You all saw the old dog go berserk just now. He was only infected by a little bit of energy leaked from the ruins, and he completely lost his mind and mutated into a man-eating monster."

At this point, Fang Cheng turned his gaze to Ma Donghe and Hou Peng:
“You don’t need to come along and risk your lives. You can stay here and wait for me to find the entrance to the ruins before we come out.”

"That won't do."

Upon hearing this, Ma Donghe slapped his chest forcefully with his large, fan-like hand, making a loud thud.

"Ah Cheng, what do you take me for, Ma Donghe? Since we came in as a team, how can we just run away when danger comes our way?"

"Besides, if it weren't for you, I might have already died here. Wherever you go, I, Old Ma, will follow!"

Hou Peng also gripped the dagger tightly, his eyes resolute:
"Brother Fang, fortune favors the bold. I may lack the skills, but I certainly have the guts. Count me in!"

Seeing their determined expressions, Fang Cheng did not continue to try to dissuade them.

Adults make decisions and naturally bear the consequences themselves.

If things really get dangerous later, we can just remind them to evacuate.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Fang Cheng turned to look at the Gray Eagles, whose bandages had already been hastily bandaged:
"Lead the way."

The gray eagle nodded repeatedly, like a hunting dog that had smelled blood, and plunged headlong into the fog ahead.

Fang Cheng glanced at the three examinees leaning against the tree stump, said nothing more, and followed them with Ma Donghe and Hou Peng.

The lynx and the bald rat, supporting each other, limped along at the back.

The group's figures were quickly swallowed up by the thick fog and disappeared into the dark depths of the forest.

On the open ground, only a few mangled corpses and the pungent smell of blood remained.

The three police academy students leaned against the broken tree stump, staring blankly in the direction Fang Cheng and the others had left.

Two groups of people who were fighting to the death and were like oil and water just moments ago have suddenly come together and teamed up to go treasure hunting?

"Brother Yan Rui, what do we do now?"

The police academy student on the left, clutching his knife-slashed shoulder, looked at the man with the buzz cut, seeking advice:
"That so-called civilization ruins sounds like a huge secret. Should we go and take a look?"

Yan Rui endured the excruciating pain in his ribs, gritted his teeth, and shook his head:

"Our injuries are too severe; it's best to stay put and wait for rescue."

Although he was unclear about the specifics of the so-called ruins, judging from the almost perverse killing just now, this matter had far exceeded the scope of the special search team's physical fitness test.

That was something that ordinary police academy students like them, who weren't even superhumans, could not possibly get involved in.

Moreover, given their current condition, let alone participating in the treasure hunt, it would be difficult for them to even safely leave this forest.

"No matter what those people are up to, we just need to do our own thing and contact the authorities as soon as possible."

Yan Rui took a deep breath and, after careful consideration, made a decision.

He quickly took off his packing bag from his shoulder and deftly pulled out a red signal pistol and a signal flare.

Click.

Load the ammunition.

Yan Rui raised his right arm, pointed the gun at the dark night sky above, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

boom!
A red signal flare was fired from the barrel.

It left a long, hot trail, instantly tearing through the intertwined tree canopy and thick fog.

Like a shooting star going against the current, it shot straight up hundreds of meters into the sky.

boom--

A crimson light suddenly exploded in the night sky, turning the mist for miles around into a blood red glow.

After firing the signal flare, Yan Rui leaned against the tree trunk, his arms hanging limply.

He looked up, gazing at the red speck of light slowly drifting down into the night sky, and murmured to himself:
"I hope the examiners...can see this."

....................................

The fog grew thicker and thicker, and visibility continued to decrease.

The outlines of the surrounding trees have been reduced to blurry black shadows.

The air also became damp, cold, and sticky, making it difficult to breathe.

The beam of the flashlight seemed to hit a solid wall, and the light was completely blocked within three meters.

Gray Eagle walked at the front, holding a palm-sized nuclear radiation detection instrument in his hands.

The red light on the instrument's surface flashed rapidly, emitting a sharp "beep beep" warning sound.

"Brother Cheng, these numbers keep going up."

Gray Eagle turned around, a fawning smile plastered on his face:
"Based on my intuition, and with this machine added on, it's definitely double insurance. We must be very close to the entrance!"

Ma Donghe snorted in a rough voice:
"Stop your damn nonsense and open your eyes. If you lead us into the lair of the mutated beasts, I'll sacrifice you to the heavens first."

Gray Eagle shrank its neck, chuckled dryly, and nodded repeatedly, not daring to take its eyes off the screen for even a second.

Fang Cheng walked between the two without saying a word.

The military boots underfoot snapped a dead branch with a crisp "crack".

Through the thick gray fog, his gaze swept over the twisted, monstrous shadows of the trees.

The surroundings were unusually quiet; even the chirping of insects had completely disappeared.

Just then, Hou Peng, who was walking on the left, suddenly stopped.

After his protruding ears twitched twice, he immediately lowered his center of gravity and assumed a defensive posture:
"Wait, there seems to be some movement."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng also stopped in his tracks and listened intently.

The surroundings were originally deathly silent, with only the heavy breathing of a few people.

But a few seconds later, an extremely faint buzzing sound pierced through the thick fog and entered the eardrums with the damp, cold wind.

At first, the sound sounded like hundreds or thousands of flying insects flapping their wings in the distance.

But as the cold wind intensified, it gradually became clearer and more rhythmic.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

A faint, ethereal, yet deep, tapping sound drifted from afar.

It sounds like the unique sound of a wooden mallet striking a wooden fish in a temple.

Accompanied by the rhythmic tapping, the noisy buzzing gradually converged and unified, forming a series of coherent syllables.

It was as if countless people were reciting scriptures in unison.

Soon, Ma Donghe and Gray Eagle also heard strange noises.

"In this desolate wilderness... where did this monk come from chanting scriptures?"

Ma Dong-hyuk's eyes widened, and his scalp tingled.

Drop drop drop-

The instrument in Gray Eagle's hand suddenly emitted a piercing long whistle, and the fluctuating curve on the screen turned into a straight red line.

"It's right ahead, the energy radiation is off the charts!"

He was startled, raised his hand and pointed straight ahead, his voice trembling with excitement.

Everyone instinctively quickened their pace and walked forward.

Whoosh— A gust of cold wind swept across the ground, dispelling the fog that had been blocking our view.

It was as if someone had drawn back a curtain, and the view suddenly opened up.

The deep mountains and forests, the dark night and the mist, all vanished completely in that instant.

Instead, there was a vast, boundless, and ever-surging sea of ​​clouds.

In the very center of this sea of ​​clouds, a magnificent temple is suspended.

The continuous palaces are arranged in a staggered pattern, and the glazed tiles reflect a dazzling halo, dyeing half of the sky a brilliant gold.

On the highest platform of the temple sits a colossal golden Buddha statue, hundreds of feet tall.

The golden Buddha's eyes were slightly lowered, its appearance solemn and dignified, looking down at the crowd from its high position.

Clearly, the source of those unusual sounds was Him.

At this moment, the mighty chanting of scriptures was like the resounding tolling of a great bell, deafeningly loud.

It even possesses a certain captivating magic, constantly drilling into people's minds.

"Is this... the Western Paradise?"

Ma Donghe stood frozen in place, the dagger in his hand hanging limply.

Fang Cheng's expression remained calm, his eyes slightly narrowed.

The brilliant Buddha light reflected in his pupils, but it failed to stir the slightest ripple.

Those magnificent chants of Sanskrit are enough to make ordinary people bow down in worship.

To him, it sounded like a swarm of flies buzzing around his head, extremely noisy.

But not everyone has Fang Cheng's unwavering will.

The lynx and the bald rat following behind were the first to give out.

The two assassins, who were originally seriously injured and needed each other to walk, suddenly let go of each other's hands at the same time.

Their cloudy eyes held a strange fervor and serenity as they mumbled incoherently as they chanted scriptures.

Then, the injured thigh seemed to recover instantly, and the two walked with stiff but steady steps.

Like two soulless marionettes, they walked straight toward the golden light.

Then, the gray eagle that was walking in front also fell victim to the attack.

His eyes were unfocused, and he muttered two lines of scripture.

Suddenly, a strong tearing sensation arose in his mind, as if he had been struck by lightning.

"what--"

Gray Eagle clutched his head tightly with both hands and knelt down in agony.

Meanwhile, the lynx and the bald rat had reached the edge of that golden light.

The two slowly raised their hands, their faces filled with rapture as they touched the golden halo.

Their fingers melted silently, like snow thrown into boiling water.

Next comes the wrist, forearm, torso...

There were no screams, no blood.

The golden light was like the most terrifying acid in the world, instantly evaporating the two of them completely, leaving not even a single hair behind.

However, this horrifying scene did not wake anyone else.

Ma Dong-hyuk's tense body relaxed, and his eyes gradually became vacant.

He stumbled forward, walking toward the deadly golden light.

Hou Peng followed closely behind, also appearing dazed and muttering to himself.

Fang Cheng remained standing in the same spot, motionless.

The chanting grew clearer and louder, becoming continuous.

Ultimately, it coalesced into a deep, ethereal sound wave, surging in wave after wave, impacting everyone's minds.

Fang Cheng, however, stood tall and proud, like a rock in a turbulent current, completely unaffected.

It seemed that they had noticed this unique outlier.

The deafening chanting abruptly stopped.

Above the clouds, the hundred-foot-tall golden Buddha slowly opened its eyes.

Two dazzling golden rays, seemingly tangible, pierced Fang Cheng like sharp swords.

A tremendous voice, like a thunderclap from the heavens, exploded in Fang Cheng's mind:

"Now that you have seen the World-Honored One, why do you not kneel?"

Fang Cheng raised his head, facing the overwhelming and terrifying pressure, a contemptuous sneer curling at the corner of his mouth:

"You mere beast disguised as a Buddha, do you think you're worthy of my kneeling?"

boom!
The sea of ​​clouds churned, and the originally compassionate Buddha light instantly transformed into a chilling killing intent.

The golden Buddha's eyes were wide open in anger, and a gigantic golden hand that blotted out the sky, carrying a terrifying power capable of crushing all living beings, slammed down towards Fang Cheng's head.

Fang Cheng neither dodged nor avoided, but instead assumed a horse stance, his military boots digging half a foot deep into the mud.

Then he took a deep breath.

Within his dantian, a powerful and boundless true energy surged forth like magma, erupting through his limbs and bones.

hum-

A golden aura, even purer than that of the golden Buddha in mid-air, burst forth from Fang Cheng's body.

boom!
Two destructive forces collided suddenly.

The golden light instantly created an absolute domain belonging to Fang Cheng.

In the pitch-black fog.

He seemed to transform into an incomparably dazzling sun, forcefully withstanding the downward slap of the Buddha's hand.

A tremendous wind pressure, accompanied by golden light, pressed down on Fang Cheng, causing his bones to crackle and pop.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down violently, and his chest bulged high.

The blood and qi surge wildly within the body, violently impacting the internal organs.

The spine trembled violently like a giant dragon, and the muscles, fascia, and bones rubbed together under the extremely high frequency of vibration, producing a series of dull rumbling sounds.

The sound initially echoed only within the chest, like the low growl of a tiger.

It then quickly spread throughout the body, transforming into rumbling thunder in the summer.

Muscles and bones roared in unison, like the thunderous roar of tigers and leopards!
"Roar--"

A violent sonic boom, like that of an ancient behemoth, exploded from Fang Cheng's mouth.

Visible, translucent ripples of sound, centered on him, swept upwards like a hurricane.

Click!

The giant golden hand in mid-air was struck by the sound wave and instantly became covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

Immediately afterwards, the cracks spread rapidly to the clouds.

wow-

It's like a huge pane of glass that's been smashed by a hammer.

A magnificent temple, a majestic golden Buddha, and a sky full of Buddha's light.

With Fang Cheng's roar, which was full of true energy, it shattered inch by inch, turning into countless light spots, and completely dissipated.

The cold, thick fog rolled back in.

"Hu Chi... Hu Chi..."

Ma Donghe and Hou Peng's legs went weak, and they collapsed onto the muddy ground with a thud, panting heavily.

The two were soaked in cold sweat, as if they had just been pulled out of the water.

Ma Donghe hastily wiped the cold sweat from his face, staring wide-eyed at his surroundings.

Where was the heavenly palace atop the clouds? All that remained were eerie, twisted old trees and an impenetrable thick fog. (End of Chapter)