"With the Captain here, it's definitely much safer, but it's still best not to confront them directly."
Nan Jue nodded. Zhou Haoyu's strength spoke for itself.
Back on the island, Zhou Haoyu could easily slay a Commander-level opponent. Dealing with these earth-element creatures would be no problem at all.
However, they were a large team of over ten people; Zhou Haoyu couldn't split his attention to protect everyone.
"Nan Jue is right; it's better not to engage them."
Zhou Haoyu first glanced at the strange Lu Yilin before nodding in agreement.
Does this Lu Yilin harbor feelings for Jiang Shaoxu, and now he's holding a grudge against me?
"The activation condition is for Mo Fan to kill Lu Yilin, but now Lu Yilin's murderous intent is directed at me."
Zhou Haoyu pondered silently. Since that was the case, he would have to create the opportunity himself.
Actually, Zhou Haoyu didn't need to kill Lu Yilin, but who asked him to seek death?
"I've already prepared the Elemental Devices that can manipulate the ground fluctuations. Even if we walk across their territory, we won't alert them."
"But the Elemental Devices need to be placed by someone, like a Tangram puzzle; only with each device laid in pairs can we move safely."
Nan Jue explained the function of the Elemental Devices.
"In that case, there's nothing to worry about. Get ready, everyone; we're setting off now."
Zhou Haoyu said to the group.
"Ah? We just returned from that Gobi Valley. Can't we rest for one night before going again?"
Mo Fan looked exhausted. Traveling such a long distance back and forth was grueling.
Zhou Haoyu glanced at him and said lightly, "Do you want me to give you a proper massage?"
"You can massage too?"
"What do you think?"
Zhou Haoyu placed a hand on Mo Fan's shoulder. The next moment, a creaking sound came from the joints.
Immediately, Mo Fan's face twisted in pain, and he howled loudly.
"Nan Rongni, heal him." Zhou Haoyu said casually.
Nan Rongni was stunned for a moment, then quickly summoned a Healing Spirit, rapidly restoring Mo Fan's injuries.
"Damn, Captain, you're too ruthless."
Mo Fan was completely subdued, complaining about the severity of Zhou Haoyu's actions.
As for resisting authority, haha, he wasn't foolish.
Even with Ai Jiangtu, Zhao Manyan, Jiang Yu, and the others, they couldn't compete with Zhou Haoyu.
The others also trembled slightly. The Captain's methods seemed like those of a completely different person.
"If no one has objections, then get ready to move out."
After leaving Hanmi City, they traveled a long distance until finally seeing the dark-red Gobi Valley.
"There are only three Elemental Devices, spaced 100 meters apart. So we need one person to place the devices forward and one to retrieve them, then we can continue."
Nan Jue held the devices and explained to everyone.
"I'm a Spatial Mage, and so is the Captain. We just need one person to handle retrieval."
Ai Jiangtu suggested this plan. It was simple and efficient, saving a lot of time.
Everyone agreed with this plan.
"Then who will retrieve the Elemental Devices?" Guan Yu asked.
Guan Yu considered himself one of the fastest in the team, but he didn't dare take risks in the Gobi Valley.
"I'll do it," Mu Nu Jiao volunteered.
Mu Nu Jiao had already trained her Wind element to Advanced level; her speed wasn't much slower than Guan Yu's.
At this moment, Lu Yilin suddenly stepped forward, "Captain, I have Advanced Magic Tool. Maybe I should do it."
Zhou Haoyu was a bit surprised. What was Lu Yilin scheming?
But this worked perfectly; he had intended for Lu Yilin and Mo Fan to be responsible for retrieving the devices.
"Alright, Mo Fan and Lu Yilin, you two handle the retrieval of the Elemental Devices."
Zhou Haoyu put on a facade of careful consideration.
Mo Fan paused. Why was he involved again?
Oh well, it wasn't a troublesome task.
After arranging the steps, the group began advancing into the Gobi Valley.
Zhou Haoyu took the first leg, Ai Jiangtu handled the second, and Mo Fan and Lu Yilin stayed behind to retrieve the devices.
After repeating this process a few times, they had successfully crossed more than half of the Gobi Valley. They only needed to go around one large bend to see the exit.
Because it was a sharp turn, everyone had to wait for Lu Yilin and Mo Fan to finish retrieving the devices on the other side.
Beyond the bend, Lu Yilin crossed his arms, a look of impatience on his face as he stared at Mo Fan, who was retrieving the devices.
Suddenly, Lu Yilin fell into an illusion.
In the illusion, past conflicts with Mo Fan were intensified.
The illusion pierced deeply into the mind; even someone with strong will would find it hard to stay true to themselves, let alone a mentally unstable person like Lu Yilin.
In just an instant, Lu Yilin's eyes widened like a bull's, his gaze filled with uncontrollable rage as he stared at Mo Fan's back.
All rationality was replaced by pure anger.
Mo Fan was just about to retrieve an Elemental Device when he suddenly felt a chill behind him. He turned to look.
He saw Lu Yilin's blood-red eyes. Mo Fan felt a bit bewildered but still spoke up:
"Hey, leave this Elemental Device to me. You retrieve the next one."
Lu Yilin ignored him, still walking coldly toward the position of the second device.
Mo Fan's expression darkened. Though there had been some unpleasantness between them, he didn't believe Lu Yilin would do something as foolish as harm a teammate.
After all, they already had Zhu Jiming as a cautionary example.
But in the next moment, Mo Fan froze completely.
This guy actually dared to pull out the Elemental Device!
Though there had been some conflicts between them, Mo Fan hadn't taken it seriously; a team could never be completely harmonious.
But he had underestimated Lu Yilin's narrow-mindedness, which was a hundred times more disgusting than Zhu Jiming.
Zhu Jiming acted out of self-preservation, but Lu Yilin was utterly ruthless and vicious!
After removing the second Elemental Device, Lu Yilin fled the scene.
The illusion Zhou Haoyu had set differed from that of a Psychic Mage. Psychic Mages only trapped enemies in a void illusion.
Zhou Haoyu's illusion directly altered Lu Yilin's perception, making him believe the illusion represented actual events.
In short, Zhou Haoyu had amplified Lu Yilin's hatred for Mo Fan.
If it weren't for the treasure chest's activation condition, Zhou Haoyu wouldn't have gone through such trouble.
"Ka ka ka ka ka!!!!!!"
At that moment, the stone walls on both sides trembled violently. Countless Moon Stone Demons awoke from the walls.
Lu Yilin had removed the middle Elemental Device, instantly putting everyone in danger.
Elemental Devices must communicate signals with each other to ensure safety.
.....
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