MY WIFE IS A BEAUTIFUL CEO

Chapter 1061 - Chapter 1070

Chapter 1061 - She's Obviously Against Me

Noticing Ning Guodong's presence, Luo Cuishan had the decency to pick up the discarded clothes and began dressing.

Wen Tao's eyes remained glued to the screen. He only responded nonchalantly, "Is that so? Where's he going?"

Ning Guodong answered, "His plane ride will land in Singapore but his final destination is in Brisbane, Australia. Our source notified me that Yang Chen had arranged for a civil aircraft. He's probably headed to somewhere else from there."

"He's using a plane?" That bought Wen Tao's attention.

Ning Guodong continued, "Yeah, he's bringing two women with him. One of them is named Xiao Zhiqing but we don't know much about her. The other is one of his lovers, Liu Mingyu. She's the daughter of Liu Qingshan, head of the Green Dragon Society in Beijing. He's probably using the plane due to considerations for his companions."

Wen Tao squinted at him. "My, my, he's quite the gentleman. As long as he's not coming to the North Pole, I say we let him be."

"Are you not curious as to what he is there for?"

"I'm certain it has nothing to do with us."

Now fully clothed, Luo Cuishan turned around to exclaim. "Dumbass! Are you really not going to take this opportunity?! Shouldn't we go capture all of his women and threaten him with them?"

Wen Tao turned to stare at her in disdain. "That's stupid. If you really think that just kidnapping all of his women will get the job done, you've clearly underestimated him.

When Yan Buwen sent a team to assassinate Tang Xin back then, the mission failed miserably. Intel told them that Yang Chen was far away in Europe. But he returned to Beijing in the blink of an eye!"

"We'll go there ourselves instead of those dumb cyborgs. I believe that we would be able to capture at least two of them!"

Wen Tao shook his head disapprovingly. "We don't know what tricks Yang Chen has up his sleeves. If we really went ahead with the plan and failed to kill Yang Chen but took the lives of his women instead, it'll be no different than asking for death!"

"But... Are we really going to do nothing?" Luo Cuishan wasn't pleased.

"Of course we definitely have to come up with something but now is not the time." Something sinister glimmered in Wen Tao's eye. "Yan Buwen failed because of his confidence. He trusted himself too much. Though he left room for escape, it was already too late as the matter had garnered sufficient attention from Yang Chen.

Our best advantage now is Yang Chen's lack of understanding of our abilities. He probably isn't aware of our existence too. As soon as we take action, it'll be the same as exposing ourselves. We'll be losing one layer of security."

Finishing his sentence, Wen Tao turned around to look at the screen. The image on it was only comprehensible by him. The man grinned maliciously. "Yang Chen... It's best to not leave him alive. Or else it'd be difficult for us to do anything in the future. Now that we've got bad blood with him, he'd definitely not go easy on us the next time we meet.

We stay immobile for now, or else we'll make ourselves extremely vulnerable to what comes next. When the right time comes, we'll destroy and wipe him out clean!"

Ning Guodong hummed quietly. "There are plenty of people around the world that want Yang Chen dead. Yan Buwen had outstanding strategy yet we don't know why he had failed so miserably. Are you sure we'll eventually be able to get rid of him?"

Wen Tao scoffed. "Yan Buwen is nothing. In the end, he died in my hands! There is no room for failure. Only those who had thought a few steps ahead will receive the final victory.

I've already extracted information about his undisclosed information on the maximum utilization of God's Stone from his memories. I'll be able to take control of that unprecedented power and have Yang Chen beg for my mercy!"

The hatred Luo Cuishan had towards Yang Chen was deep, listening to Wen Tao's maddened statements brought joy to her. "So... Does this mean we can expect bigger things?"

Wen Tao cackled. "We'll let him enjoy life for a little and observe in the dark. I'll make sure that the next time he sees me, it'll be the day of his death!"

"I hope so too," muttered Ning Guodong calmly, turning around to leave.

Noticing that, Luo Cuishan called after him. "Guodong, are you really going to leave?"

The man halted his footsteps to turn around and ask, "Is there anything else?"

Those words stunned Luo Cuishan, sorrow gripped her heart.

Ever since she had asked him to take Lin Ruoxi forcefully, yet decided to leave out the detail on how they shared the same father, things were different. Though they had successfully rescued Ning Guodong, he had his genetics altered.

Sadly, Ning Guodong no longer sees himself in the same light as he did before the ordeal.

To be fair, he was a man who had died once. How was he expected to still be the same old Ning Guodong?

The driving force behind his will to live was to see all his enemies die.

As her thoughts reached that point, a sudden smile appeared on Luo Cuishan's lips. "No, you can leave now."

Ning Guodong returned her a nod and left.

Wen Tao tossed her an unreadable look behind her. Nonchalantly, he uttered, "To him and Yang Lie, learning how to control the antimatter energy is an urgent matter. It's best for you to not get involved in this. Luo Cuishan is long dead."

Luo Cuishan turned around to face him with a deliberately raised brow. She cast him a seductive grin. "I thought you were going to call me a bitch."

"Haha." Wen Tao faked a laugh. "In fact, you are my favorite bitch..."

No words were said and suddenly Wen Tao's palms were tightly around Luo Cuishan's neck. Gripping her neck firm, he proceeded to squeeze it and pressed his weight on her.

Soon enough, the laboratory under the ice sheet was filled with lewd moans and groans.

Australia, in the hinterland of Arnhem.

Though it wasn't October yet, its weather condition was very different from the other coastal regions of Australia.

Covering a vast area of eighty thousand square kilometers, Arnhem's climate was that of a savanna. The temperature in the day hit ungodly levels, the place was suffocatingly hot.

This was one of the world's most ancient prehistoric continents, which so happened to be a very famous uninhabited territory.

The aboriginal tribes of Australia had left behind pieces of evidence of a civilization that could date back to fifty thousand years ago. Their descendants had remained in this piece of land.

However, that didn't mean that this place was suitable for long term inhibition. The aboriginal people were no idiots. Naturally, they wouldn't have chosen to reside in the wilderness portion of Arnhem.

With the booming development of Australia's tourism industry, there were more people who had invested and developed the areas surrounding Arnhem. With that, the aboriginals became more willing to stay behind in their hometown to earn some profit off tourists.

The whites had forcefully remodeled the lives of the aboriginals. Their actions had drastically reduced the population of authentic Australian aboriginals, which thinned out their willingness to stay behind in a hellish place like this.

Truthfully, in the depths of Arnhem, anyone would be subjected to the threats of brutal animals and unforgiving weather. There was no guarantee of a sustainable lifestyle here.

That was why the hinterlands of Arnhem were completely devoid of human presence.

However, in the sky above the piece of a forgotten land, a civil aircraft made its presence known.

"We've now entered the hinterlands, highland grassland, two hundred and seventy meters above sea level. The temperature on the ground is ninety-three Fahrenheit. The plane will now begin its descend."

After he was done with his routine report, the pilot waited for Yang Chen's instructions.

At this very moment, Liu Mingyu had her arms wound tight around Yang Chen. Her body was mashed against Yang Chen's. She looked like the world had wronged her. On the other hand, Xiao Zhiqing seemed to be very excited. She bounced around and scanned her surroundings restlessly.

The three of them were dressed in camo attire that had long sleeves and long pants made of the most durable materials. On their bags were parachutes.

"Darling Mingyu, didn't I say that I'll jump with you? There's nothing to be afraid of." Yang Chen couldn't help but smile helplessly.

He had mentioned to the two women that they'll be jumping off the plane. He had to give them a heads up knowing that this was a first for both of them.

Liu Mingyu had found the idea interesting at first, agreeing to it. But now it was her turn to jump, fear had overwhelmed her to the point of freezing on spot.

"C-can't we just... ask the pilot to land the plane?" Though Liu Mingyu had found it humiliating to be such a coward in front of Xiao Zhiqing, it was just too difficult to calm the terror in her heart.

Parachuting was exciting to look at but when it came to the real thing, the adrenaline rush definitely wasn't for everyone.

Yang Chen was at a loss. "The terrain is too uneven to land a plane. The savanna is not suitable for landing too, the plane won't be able to dodge any boulders or trees. Parachuting is the best choice now. Plus, I've already prepared everything for this! It'll all go to waste if you refuse to jump!"

"God... If I knew earlier I wouldn't have come! No wonder CEO Lin didn't want to come herself! She's obviously against me!"

"Haha. I already made it clear that you're not here on holiday. You're here to suffer with me." Yang Chen noticed that the woman was close to tears, but he continued to laugh happily.

"Pilot, open the hatch!"

Ignoring Liu Mingyu's shrill screams, Yang Chen was ready for the fall. It had been years since he last did this for fun.

Whoosh!

The strong wind abruptly blew into the cabin as the hatch opened.

"Safe trip, Your Majesty Pluto!"

Yang Chen let out a breathy laugh and motioned for Xiao Zhiqing to go ahead.

Xiao Zhiqing was fearless. Parachuting seemed like an interesting opportunity for her.

With a deep breath, Xiao Zhiqing leapt off the plane!

"Look at her, she's really into it!" Yang Chen gave Liu Mingyu's back a comforting pat. Then, he placed his arms securely around her waist. With a loud cheer, he leapt out of the plane with her in his arms!

Far beneath the aircraft, two colorful flowers bloomed mid-air, one higher and the other lower.

The fancy flowers then slowly fell to the ground below.

Chapter 1062 - The Idiot Has Become A Scholar

She could hear the loud rush of air by her ears. Unsure of how much time had passed, Liu Mingyu was finally willing to open her eyes.

Hovering over her was Yang Chen. He was laughing at her. Liu Mingyu felt the sudden urge to rip off that cheeky smile with her teeth.

"Are you still afraid?" Yang Chen yelled so that his words could be audible to her despite the wind.

Liu Mingyu cautiously lifted her head to look around, then looked down to watch the ground come closer to them both. While hints of terror remained in her heart, she was starting to understand the excitement.

The savanna was filled with patches of wilted yellow grass in the middle of green pastures. In the distance was a lonely little stream running along a few awkward-looking stone mountains.

"It looks amazing..." Liu Mingyu marvelled. If Yang Chen didn't possess a heightened sense of hearing, he certainly would've missed it.

Indeed, the natural beauty of the complex ecology was something ordinary people did not get to experience.

It didn't take long before all the parachutes landed. The warmth and humidity of the ground soon came looming over them.

Xiao Zhiqing had landed earlier on a spot not far from them. She discarded the bag, placed her arms on her waist and scowled. "I would've brought along sunscreen had I known that I would be burnt this badly."

To ensure that there was no dead weight, only Yang Chen's backpack was stocked with food, water, and other necessities. The two women had bags too but they were essentially empty, intended for the storage of materials.

Liu Mingyu had too found it difficult to get used to the climate. Instinctively, she enabled a flow of True Qi to circulate within her, finally feeling much more comfortable.

Noticing it, Yang Chen quickly reminded. "Mingyu, try not to use too much True Qi. Your body is not strong enough yet. If you concentrate your True Qi on cooling yourself down, your body will become weak. We're not here for a few hours, we might be here for weeks until we find the materials."

Liu Mingyu was a little reluctant but ultimately decided to stop using her Qi.

To be honest, Yang Chen's intention behind stopping her usage of Qi was to make sure that Liu Mingyu's physical body received sufficient training from their trip here. Depending on her True Qi would be equivalent to slacking off. If she had stuck to exercising her body along the way, the strengthening of her physical constitution would be very helpful on her journey.

Strengthening one's body was a must to enter the Xiantian realm. Cai Ning and Rose, who had started martial arts training since young, found no difficulties in that aspect. The other women, on the other hand, still had a long way to go.

After that, Yang Chen instructed the other two to wait at a spot. He ran to retrieve Xiao Zhiqing's parachute and had it spread flat alongside him on the grass.

He then found some rocks and mud and placed it on top of the parachutes to keep them still.

"Yang Chen, what are you doing?" Xiao Zhiqing was curious.

Clapping off the dirt on his hand, Yang Chen answered, "It's a mark for the plane. It also serves as a mark for our starting point since we don't have any transmitters. It'll be difficult to pinpoint a pickup location for the plane if we have none, so marking out a location like this would make things easier."

Since this journey was decided in a rush, Yang Chen felt no need to bring along any special communication device. Regular smartphones would pose a problem when it came to battery longevity and there was no guarantee if they'd receive any signal here.

Other than that, Yang Chen was also unsure if they would be able to find materials or what the foraged quantity would be. If they managed to gather more than they could carry, arranging a plane to transport them back would be a better choice.

"Which direction should we head to?" asked Liu Mingyu while she wiped away the sweat on her forehead.

Yang Chen looked at the sun's position then looked at the time. "We're in the depths of Arnhem, we should head North for now. A majority of Australians live around the coastal region. If we don't find anything along the way, we'll just consider this an inland trip."

"You call this a trip?! I'm already sticky and sweaty. This place is suffocating." Liu Mingyu groaned.

Despite the fact that she wasn't brought up in wealth, she was a city girl through and through. It was only natural for her to find it difficult to get used to the wilderness.

Yang Chen extended an arm to pinch her cheek with a smile then turned around to look at Xiao Zhiqing whose cheeks were flushed from the heat. "Let's move. Tell me if you see anything. I can't tell the right ingredients for alchemy."

Xiao Zhiqing noticed how intimate Yang Chen and Liu Mingyu's interaction was. She felt a pang of jealousy but quickly tossed it aside. The reason behind Liu Mingyu's presence was not hard to guess. Xiao Zhiqing was aware that she was in no place to comment on anything, all she could do was to accept reality.

Thankfully, Lin Ruoxi had made it known to Liu Mingyu on her decision to send her along Yang Chen's journey. With this knowledge, Liu Mingyu acted cautiously to not provoke Xiao Zhiqing.

The two women were strangers and were cautious with one another. It made their conversations sound very ingenuine but it couldn't be helped.

Yang Chen was aware but he chose to ignore it. There was no need to involve himself in their problems as long as nothing too severe had stemmed out from it.

Despite that, there were certain measures to take. Yang Chen figured that he should keep his distance away from Xiao Zhiqing to avoid placing pressure on Liu Mingyu, which would be easier for her to report to Lin Ruoxi.

Absorbing every ounce of heat from the sun, Arnhem in the afternoon felt like a gigantic oven.

As they continued to walk, more rivers and streams began to appear around them. The patches of tropical rainforests around them combined with the presence of water bodies intensified the humidity further.

Xiao Zhiqing was wiping sweat off continuously. Though the heat was very uncomfortable, she remained focused on identifying every plant they had come across. Her sheer determination was impressive to Yang Chen. The woman was undeniably feminine but she was most definitely one tough cookie.

Thanks to the training she had received, Liu Mingyu's body had improved enough to stomach the harsh conditions. Noting how professional Xiao Zhiqing was along the journey, Liu Mingyu tried to pay attention to the plants around her. Her impression on the other female changing ever so slightly.

Approaching dusk, the three made it to a small rocky hill where Yang Chen gestured for the both of them to sit and get some well-deserved rest.

Retrieving two water bottles from his bag, he distributed them to Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing.

After two loud gulps, Liu Mingyu's throat immediately felt better. She noticed Yang Chen wasn't having any himself, so she quickly passed her bottle to him. "Yang Chen, are you not thirsty? Here, have some of mine."

Yang Chen declined the offer and flashed her a smile. "I'm not trying to save water for the two of you. My training has allowed me to control the water in my body. I no longer need to rehydrate intentionally. Your bodies are still akin to that of a regular person. If you don't drink at least a gallon of water in such a place, you'll suffer from heatstroke soon."

Xiao Zhiqing scoffed and laughed. "You make it sound like you're not human."

"What did I do?" Yang Chen raised a brow.

The exchange triggered a round of laughter from the two women. Suddenly, the atmosphere was less awkward.

After some rest, Yang Chen stood up. "Let's walk a little further now. The rivers are very concentrated in this region, let's find somewhere less damp to rest."

Liu Mingyu was confused. "Why find somewhere else? Wouldn't being close to a river make it easier for us to fetch water?"

"Oh, don't think too highly of the rivers here." Yang Chen continued, "In Arnhem, the real murderers roaming this place are carnivorous crocodiles. In fact, this place has more than one hundred thousand of them! Their jaws are big enough to swallow your body in one go."

Listening to that sent shivers down their spine. The two women quickly followed suit and stood up.

Yang Chen couldn't help but find it funny. "Although you can relax because I'm here. I don't wish to be constantly alert of crocodile appearances. Plus, places with access to water are often loaded with insects, scorpions, and mosquitoes!

Australia houses twenty-one species out of all twenty-five of the world's most venomous snakes. I've remained cautious throughout our journey, you two better pay attention to your surroundings."

Xiao Zhiqing gulped nervously. She asked, "Yang Chen, how do you know so much about this?"

Liu Mingyu too was equally perplexed. It was weird to see someone who had spent most of his time in the office playing games and snoring so knowledgeable. This was the first time she had realized that he had skills outside of combat.

Noticing their bewildered stares, Yang Chen couldn't help but feel troubled. He helplessly explained, "It's nothing. You don't know much about how I was brought up in the past. I lived in a place with conditions much harsher than Arnhem. When I was thirteen, I was already able to survive alone in the intense Siberian mountains. I must admit I'm pretty skilled when it comes to survival.

It was compulsory to identify and study most of the world's flora and fauna. Other than that, it was required of me to understand their features and their application in human survival. I'm blessed with great memory so it's not difficult for me.

It's a pity that I don't know which plants could be used for alchemy. Plus, their local names may differ from their scientific names. If it wasn't for that, I would've come here alone."

While he continued to explain, Yang Chen gestured for them to pick up their bags and continued their journey up north.

Remembering that they would be sleeping under the stars for a while, Liu Mingyu questioned. "Yang Chen, weren't you able to fly us here? Why didn't you make the choice of venturing to a nearby city for accommodation?"

Yang Chen shrugged. "You've got to ask Xiao Zhiqing about that."

Xiao Zhiqing quickly explained herself. "Some herbs are not detectable in daylight, especially those that glow in the dark. Some would even display special appearances around in the dim hours before sunrise. Those properties make them hard to obtain. If we were to travel back and forth, there will be too much wasted time and we'll miss out on a lot of things."

In the middle of the conversation, Xiao Zhiqing let out a small gasp. Her eyes were glued in the direction of a small stream ahead. Slowly, her eyes brightened.

Chapter 1063 - Peking Opera

Xiao Zhiqing's expression reminded Yang Chen of something. He quickly asked, "What do you see?"

The woman tried to suppress her excitement. "I'm not sure yet. Let's take a closer look."

With that, she left her two companions and ran towards the stream's bank.

The shore was obstructed by various plants and among them was Xiao Zhiqing's target. It was an unassuming eucalyptus-looking tree.

Noticing that, Yang Chen quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back harshly. He yelled, "Wait! Didn't I say to always walk behind me?!"

Xiao Zhiqing was taken by surprise but she quickly moved to stand behind him.

Yang Chen grinned. "Remember to always stay behind me."

He then started to walk towards the edge of the bank.

Just as he stepped foot on the bank, something happened!

"Roar!"

A rough animalistic roar rang out alongside the rustle of plants and splashing. What they saw next was a gigantic mass pouncing out from the plants.

Its movements were as fast as lightning despite its body being humongous! The animal opened his wide gnarly jaw and dove straight for Yang Chen's leg!

Xiao Zhiqing and Liu Mingyu screamed in unison, their faces went pale.

As soon as the green bodied Giant Crocodile was about to land its jaw on Yang Chen, the man's right leg quickly sprung into action!

Thud!

With a muffled thud, Yang Chen kicked the bottom of its jaw!

"Hiss!"

The impact of Yang Chen's counterattack sent the Giant Crocodile flying like a broken kite. It flew for a few good meters before it was returned to its habitat!

Making a gigantic splash, the crocodile frantically scurried away with its tail shaking with each stride. Its small puny brain hadn't imagined that it would've met such scary 'hunters' today!

Yang Chen whistled. "Damn, this thing is pretty tough. I thought it'd have died after I sent it flying." Though he hadn't channelled much power into that kick, the fact that it survived his attack was pretty commendable.

On the other hand, Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing were thoroughly traumatized by the incident.

Liu Mingyu was even close to tears. She quickly rushed forward to hit on Yang Chen's back. "You had the heart to whistle?! Do you think that was funny?! We almost got a heart attack because of you!"

Yang Chen chucked. "Well, I just wanted to show you the dangers of this place. Remember, I mentioned that this place houses about one hundred thousand crocodiles? These vicious reptiles are natural hunters. You better remember to check every water body here before approaching it."

Xiao Zhiqing patted her chest in relief. She felt indebted to Yang Chen. "But there wasn't a need to scare us like that."

Yang Chen rubbed his nose then turned around. "I won't do it next time. Right, you wanted to check on this tree?"

"Yeah!" Xiao Zhiqing made her way over to the tree and observed it carefully.

Yang Chen tried to identify the plant. He frowned. "This looks like a eucalyptus tree, but the veins on the leaves are different and its bark is brownish-red."

Xiao Zhiqing seemed to have confirmed it. "This is probably a Cardinal Tree. It's pretty accessible but relatively rare alchemy material. We don't see this much in China, it's usually used for mid to low-grade elixirs."

Yang Chen was joyous until he realized something. "The entire tree is the ingredient? Gosh, how am I going to move this home?"

Xiao Zhiqing shook her head. "Only certain parts of the tree are usable, all we need is its root hair. The hairs must be immature. The matured portions have no special medicinal properties."

Receiving the influx of information drove Yang Chen dizzy. Why were there so many rules and in this field? Thankfully, getting the root hairs wasn't too much of a hassle. All they had to do was to dig it up. Yang Chen was the best at getting physical after all!

Taking Xiao Zhiqing's suggestion to mind, Yang Chen was cautious enough to leave behind some root hairs while he dug. It was to ensure the tree's survival or such precious materials would die out. There would be more to harvest the next time they came.

Now that they had some results on the first day, Yang Chen's confidence in the coming days grew.

They continued to trek for a while but found nothing new. Hence, they found a dry cave, placed some simple tree bark on the ground as bedding and slept the night away.

When morning came, Xiao Zhiqing was sharp enough to notice a herb nearby the cave they slept at. It was a Dragon Knot, a herb that absorbs morning dew at dawn.

Yang Chen wondered to himself. He felt like he had seen this plant before but he had never known that this weed-looking being was a herb to the friars.

But one thing was sure, the ancient continents outside of China certainly had more unexploited materials lying around.

The three continued to brave the night breeze and slept outdoors for another four days. By then, their bags were almost full of materials.

The contents in all three bags had amounted to at least twenty kinds of herbs. According to Xiao Zhiqing, if all the elixirs could be made, he'd have about ten different types and more than one hundred pieces. But of course, it was under the assumption of Yang Chen's mastery of the Samadhi True Fire and successful alchemy.

Yang Chen was troubled. He was lacking a breakthrough before mastering the Samadhi True Fire. He knew that he was close but still so far.

To get to the northern coastal region of Arnhem would require at least a week on foot. Yang Chen wasn't too pressed to get there, opting to bag as much he can find along the path. The man still had his ring made of mustard plant and Sumeru to use. It was only the concern was that the materials would go bad inside its space which stopped him from doing so.

Liu Mingyu's trained body was able to utilize True Qi to nourish her veins. After she had gotten used to the terrain and weather, her body was improving very quickly.

Reaching the fifth night, the two women were completely accustomed to sleeping outdoors. Their search for shelter did not take long. Following what Yang Chen had taught them, they went to peel off some tree bark and collected some dried leaves nearby. They laid the bedding down and proceeded to get some shut-eye.

Yang Chen had no need for those. Looking at the three herb-filled bags, he began to ponder out loud. "We have enough water but we have run out of food. Should I consider going to a nearby city to replenish our rations before continuing our search?"

Liu Mingyu stretched her body and mumbled, "How about you contact the plane and we all go back to the city? Are we really going to continue walking for another week here?"

Yang Chen missed his family back in Zhonghai. Though Yan Buwen was no longer a threat, Yang Chen couldn't help but be a little worried due to the lack of communication.

Perhaps Lanlan's grandfather was already back in Zhonghai. Yang Chen had promised Lin Ruoxi that he would try his best to have the girl remain with them. Perhaps it was about time for his return home.

"You're right. When morning comes, I'll contact the plane," decided Yang Chen.

The stars above the savanna were exceptionally bright and radiant.

Yang Chen lifted his chin to glance at the stars, then laid on his back. He was about to close his eyes when an oddly intense sense of danger enveloped him!

"Who's there?!"

Yang Chen quickly sat up, teleporting himself ten meters away from his position.

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing jolted, quickly leaving their beddings to check on the situation.

Yang Chen's expression tense as he glanced at the air one meter ahead of him.

Standing mid-air was a golden-masked, long-haired mysterious person clad in black. His attire was synched at the waist with a dark belt and his face was shielded by a Peking Opera mask.

Yang Chen clenched his fist tightly. Not out of rage, but out of fear!

Yang Chen couldn't help but feel nervous. There was an inexplicably ominous feeling that the mysterious person had as if Yang Chen was about to face unprecedented threats!

Yang Chen had a faint feeling that this wasn't the first time he had encountered this mysterious person. The mysterious person had never shown Yang Chen his true capabilities!

Weirdly, Yang Chen couldn't detect what his skills were!

"Who the hell are you?" Yang Chen had a strong feeling that this person meant harm!

The voice that rolled out of the mysterious person was obviously altered. His voice was scratchy and gruff.

"My identity is not important. The important thing is that you know that you're no match against me."

Watching the scene unfold before them, Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing were perplexed. The only thing they could do was to cast worrying glances towards Yang Chen. They were well aware that Yang Chen had brought this onto himself.

"I finally found you after a few days." The masked man chuckled slowly. "I have not much time left so I'm going to offer you two choices. One, surrender the Endless Resolve Restoration Scripture to me or two, let me take control of your body and retrieve the scripture myself."

Chapter 1064 - Purple Butterfly Fantasy

Yang Chen was pissed. What kind of shitty luck was this?

The pressure the masked man exerted on him was intense. How was he supposed to fight someone with no information? It was suicide!

If Yang Chen had fully mastered the Tai Qing Heavenly Lightning, he'd probably have some advantage. Sadly, the current him hadn't completely absorbed the powers offered by the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation. How was he expected to take him on?

With a heavy expression, he turned around to Xiao Zhiqing and Liu Minyu. "Run as far as you can. Do your best to not get involved in this. I don't think I can protect you now..."

Liu Mingyu wanted to say something but Xiao Zhiqing quickly understood the weight of the situation. She quickly tugged Liu Mingyu along and began a mad dash towards the savanna behind.

Their increasing distance provided Yang Chen with some relief.

Though he was aware that his opponent was strong, Yang Chen had no habit of admitting defeat!

The fact that his opponent had come to Australia all the way from China was a violation of the Treaty of Gods. If Yang Chen chose to create trouble here, perhaps the other gods would rush to his aid.

Oddly, the masked man seemed to have seen through Yang Chen's thoughts in a glance. He grinned, "You're trying to use the laws of space to attract the other gods here?"

Yang Chen's pupils contracted. How was this man still so calm?

"You won't have a chance for that..."

As soon as the masked man uttered his last words, a tsunami-like force of icy True Yuan surged around him. It looked like a gigantic skydome. Before long, his powers covered a large radius of about a few hundred square meters.

Picking up the odd True Yuan properties, Yang Chen could no longer suppress his surprise.

"The Northern Dark Ice Soul?!"

"Oh? You seem to know your stuff." Rich laughter rumbled from the masked man. "Within the frozen territory of the Northern Dark Ice Soul technique, your measly space law is useless. No one will come to your aid."

Yang Chen gritted his teeth. "Are you from the Yan family? Are you Yan Feiyun's father?"

Recounting details from his last battle with Yan Feiyun, Yang Chen had learned from them that their family's unique technique was the Northern Dark Ice Soul.

He had initially thought the masked man was part of the Luo family. Yang Chen hadn't expected him to be from the Yan family! Had Yan Sanniang failed to stop her father?

If this was really the old Yan Wuchen that achieved the Heavenly Realms of Hongmeng, why did he require a mask? Did something happen to his face?

"Too many questions. I'm going to give you one last chance. Are you going to surrender it to me or not?"

Yang Chen bared his fists. "Come get it if you can!"

"Very well, you asked for this!"

The masked man scoffed. He raised his arms and abruptly dropped them!

"Magic Ice Star Rain!"

Countless frost spikes emerged from the ground on the entire frozen surface. The spikes zapped towards Yang Chen within the azure hemisphere dome.

From a distance, Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing held their breaths as they watched the fight.

Blue rays of light came crashing down onto Yang Chen's body. The whole scene looked like a Grim Reaper's barrage!

As he braced himself through the violent icy rain, Yang Chen was clear that the law of space would allow him to fight unscrupulously against his opponent. The man knew that using only the Heaven and Earth Restoration Energy wouldn't do him good, so he decided to exercise both powers at the same time!

"Unseal, space barrier!"

The sudden explosion of energy warped the parallel space around Yang Chen to block the frost spikes!

Presented with abundant True Yuan, the spikes began feasting on the energy from the parallel space. Soon enough, it started to encase Yang Chen in a frozen barrier!

Yang Chen could only groan. The masked man's True Yuan was very deadly. He had used the same Northern Dark Ice Soul technique but the level of mastery was obviously much different from that of Yan Feiyun!

The masked man was at least at the Weak Waters stage of his Tribulation Passing stage cultivation! Or else it wouldn't make sense for him to be able to display such a drastic difference to the same technique!

"It's probably better to now rely on your law of space. You're just a half-assed cultivator. Even the previous Hades wouldn't stand a chance to lay a finger on me." The masked man's advice sounded genuine but it was laced with a hefty amount of contempt.

Enraged, Yang Chen roared. His body abruptly engulfed in Nanming Li Fire!

The heat from the fiery flames slowly melted away the frost around him. However, the frost spikes continued to attack him from every corner. It was starting to get too much for Yang Chen to handle!

Yang Chen wasn't about to give in, opting to unleash all his powers. He was trying to use the law of space to shatter the ice!

"Space tremor!"

With Yang Chen in the center, the parallel space around him became turbulent like strong ocean waves. It surged and rolled, blasting away everything it encountered with an increasing radius!

Ka-boom!

Receiving the impact, the icy territory only returned an earth-shattering rumble!

"I've told you so. The law of space does nothing within this dome." The masked man cackled maliciously. "I'm not about to waste my time coaching you. Hurry up and give up already!"

Abruptly, the masked man zoomed closer to Yang Chen in a flash! They were less than ten meters apart now!

A weird purplish-black swirling True Yuan manifested on one of his hands.

Yang Chen could feel the urgency to avoid contact with the odd True Yuan. His instincts were warning of terrible consequences!

"Hmph, I'll go easy on you. If I wasn't for your techniques and the fact that I cannot take your life, I wouldn't have wasted my Purple Butterfly Fantasy on you!"

Yang Chen didn't dare for him to come closer. He wasn't sure of what the Purple Butterfly Fantasy was but it couldn't have been a good thing!

Frantically, Yang Chen mustered up all the Heaven and Earth Restoration Energy he could and used his newly acquired Kui Water energy to form an impenetrable shield in front of him. He then unleashed the Kui Water violently!

Combating the ice with freezing abilities, the navy blue Kui Water energy enveloped most of the frozen territory!

"You're so full of yourself!" The masked man roared.

He did not flinch in the face of the approaching solidifying Kui Water layer. Inexplicably, his body made it past the Kui Water barrier with ease.

He was like a human-sized bomb. The man feared none of the incoming waves, destroying off everything coming his way like a breeze!

Everything in Yang Chen's being was telling him to retreat at once. Unfortunately, his Heaven and Earth Restoration Energy were not strong enough to break through the walls of the frozen dome. As soon as he reached the edge of the barrier, the masked man had already caught up with him.

In a blink of the eye, his sight was blinded by the swirling Purple Butterfly Fantasy. Yang Chen could feel his body being tied down by its energy!

"Gaaaaaah!"

Yang Chen let out an agonizing scream before slumping against the ground with a thud.

His entire body was shrouded in purple mist.

Yang Chen could feel his dantian being restricted by some sort of weird energy, causing his veins to lose its usual activity. His body functions were starting to cease rapidly. To make matters worse, his brain was no longer heeding to him!

In just a short time, Yang Chen felt as if he was down with some severe illness. His face started to lose its color, the exhaustion was overwhelming!

"Yang Chen!"

Watching that, Liu Mingyu could no longer hold her cries in. Her tears started flowing down pitifully. All she wanted to do now was to rush over to Yang Chen.

Xiao Zhiqing tried to stop her with all her might. The woman even used her neck to barricade Liu Mingyu from acting rashly. "No! Don't go over there! It's suicidal!"

"Let go!"

Liu Mingyu flung Xiao Zhiqing away. Xiao Zhiqing fell to the ground like a rag doll.

Helplessly, she watched Liu Mingyu dashed over to where Yang Chen was. Ignoring her wounded palm, Xiao Zhiqing quickly followed suit with gritted teeth and a face full of tears.

Noticing the two approaching women, the masked man scoffed. "Your women are really loyal. They still had the heart to come back for you in such circumstances. I'm sure the two will be in despair when they see you."

Devoid of any color, Yang Chen was sickeningly pale. He heaved heavily. Uttering a word now was extremely difficult, let alone standing up to continue the fight.

With his glares towards the masked man, Yang Chen felt like his lungs were about to explode!

How was he rendered completely useless?!

Noticing that Liu Mingyu was headed here, Yang Chen frantically called out hoarsely with every ounce of energy that was left. "Go! Go away!" Sadly, it did nothing to halt her footsteps.

The masked man laughed. "Just bid farewell to her. I've got no time to waste on killing a regular chick. Come, let me take you elsewhere. I was only after your Endless Resolve Restoration Scripture."

He then bent down to pick up Yang Chen from the ground.

Abruptly, the masked man scowled, quickly jumping away from Yang Chen with lightning speed!

Bam!

A deafening crash was heard. As if it were made of ink, an arrow manifested out of True Yuan landed on where the masked man was!

Following that, the eerie True Yuan started to dissipate as it let out a whiff of the unpleasant rotting scent. Slowly, it disappeared...

Chapter 1065 - King

Yang Chen wasn't the only one in a daze. The masked man was equally as terrorized.

Though the face of the masked man remained hidden, it was clear that this ink-like True Yuan arrow was a threat to him!

At this moment, Yang Chen's veins were bound. He did not have much strength. His dantian felt heavier than a rock and he was slowly losing perception and everything else. The damage was done. He no longer had control over his cultivation.

In this state, Yang Chen couldn't even detect who had shot the True Yuan arrow, let alone analyze the person's capabilities.

The only thing he could feel was a kind of mass of gloomy energy, looming above them in the sky.

"Who the hell are you? If your cultivation is so strong, why not show yourself?!" The masked man asked in his deep voice.

Haunting cackles echoed around in the empty night sky.

"You know you're no match for me and I don't plan on attacking you any further. How about you drop your act and leave before I call the other gods over?"

His entire body began to shake from fury. The masked man was enraged but he wasn't about to look for trouble with the mysterious new appearance.

Though he was sure that he wouldn't lose, the appearance of stronger gods would certainly be a problem.

"Hmph! Consider yourself lucky!"

The masked man jeered at Yang Chen. He was displeased but retreating was the right course of action!

A few moments after the masked man left, the eerie presence slowly faded away.

Yang Chen could feel that the two were gone.

Plagued by the mist, his assaulter and savior remained a mystery.

He was certain that his savior didn't save him out of kindness. He must've had some ulterior motive or else he wouldn't have left Yang Chen motionless on the ground in the vast wilderness.

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing finally made it over to Yang Chen's side.

Gathering him in her arms, Liu Mingyu allowed Yang Chen's head to rest against her body as she extended a palm to touch his pale face. Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"What happened to you? Say something, please! Don't scare me like that!"

Yang Chen forced an arm up to wipe away her tears.

"No need to cry... I'm not dead just yet..."

Liu Mingyu threw her arms around Yang Chen tightly. "What's the matter with you? Please... please be alright! I'm so scared to see you like this..."

She had never seen Yang Chen in such a disheveled state. Finding it difficult to calm herself, pain crushed her heart to fill it with intense pain and anxiety.

Yang Chen sighed deeply. "I think I've been poisoned. I have no strength and my mind is heavy. I can't even bring out half of my cultivation. Damn it, I'm supposed to be immune to all poison."

Xiao Zhiqing's eyes were red. Worried, she asked, "Do you think you're under some special technique? What did he do to you?"

Yang Chen tried to remember. "I think he called it the Purple Butterfly Fantasy..."

"Ah."

The answer made Xiao Zhiqing widen her big round eyes. She covered her mouth and inhaled sharply.

Yang Chen frowned. "You seem to know something about this."

Xiao Zhiqing proceeded to gaze at Yang Chen intently. Her eyes were filled with disbelief but at the same time, sorrow started to seep through its corners...

Meanwhile in the North Pole, on a glacier connected to a towering mountain of snow and ice near the pole...

After the autumn equinox, the North Pole will be entering perpetual night starting from the pole before it begins its slow crawl down South.

Under the night sky, radiant stars cast light onto the marvelous iceberg. There stood a flowy graceful presence.

Her black silk dress flew with the wind. In the bone-shilling snow-filled environment, her exposed skin was incredibly pale but her eyes were as intense as bright moonlight!

Her long raven hair fell behind her elegantly like a waterfall. Strands of it were picked up by the wind.

The woman seemed to be concentrating on something. Despite that, the expression on her dainty face was ultimately unreadable, rendering her thoughts vague to the outside eye.

Abruptly, a tall mass clad in long black robes appeared out of thin air behind her.

The robed man removed his hood to unveil a demonic metal mask!

Letting out a few eerie cackles, the metal masked man dashed towards the female and scoffed. "That Yang Chen boy is incompetent. Are you really sure this is the man in your prophecy?"

Athena didn't turn to face him. She continued to stare at the vast landscape. Nonchalantly, she asked, "He's not dead?"

With disdain, the metal masked man answered, "The little bastard was no idiot. All I did was show a teensy bit of my skill and he had already understood that he couldn't do anything against us. Worried about your sudden appearance, he decided to retreat naturally. The Yang Chen boy is injured but with protection from the Endless Resolve Restoration Scripture, he probably won't die."

"All is well as long as he is alive." Athena started to mumble, seemingly to herself. "There should be no errors in my prophecy. In the future, some things need to be done to tweak the entire situation into reality."

The metal mask scowled. "I've heard the 'King' say that any failures to your prophecy are your own fault. Why can't you just admit that you suck at prophecies?"

"You insolent fool!"

Athena reprimanded coldly, abruptly unleashing her unhinged powers!

Rumble... Rumble... Rumble...

A good ten-mile radius was affected by the surge of energy. Under its influence, the iceberg rumbled and shook. Soon, it was blasted into debris with Athena at its core!

Only standing about ten meters behind her, the metal masked man frantically threw himself against the floor for stability, losing all strength to pick himself up after the blast.

The metal masked man was shocked to the core, quickly changing his tone to beg for mercy. "I'm... I'm terribly sorry! Please, madam, spare me!"

He had never once seen or experienced Athena's capabilities. To stop her from causing any potential harm to himself, it was better to cease all resistance.

Though psychological fear had played a bigger part in this, the damage that he had received without even launching retaliation was obvious enough to warn him against doing so. If he had really retaliated, Athena would be able to completely destroy him without breaking a sweat!

Athena retracted her powers like a rapid tide falling against the shore.

"Hmph, know your place! Your king may not even stand a chance against me and yet you're here spewing nonsense? If this happens again next time, I'll make sure to turn you into dust!"

The man quickly slammed his head against the ground to beg for forgiveness. "I was stupid! Very stupid! "

Athena turned back. She uttered, "Stand up. Your next task is to search for all divine marks left behind by different God tribes around the globe in my stead. Other than that, you need to keep your eyes on the underground laboratory in the North Pole. I need constant updates of their research progress on God's Stone. Don't you dare act without my instructions."

Scarred by earlier, the man was quick to nod. "Madam, I'm a little confused. Other than you, major gods like Poseidon and Apollo are no match against the experts in Hongmeng and Hidden clans. That goes without saying that Ares and Venus are not even close to their Soul Forming stage.

Why are you putting in so much effort to understand the powers of God's Stone in order to resurrect the normal gods? Even if they were to be resurrected, they can't be of much use to you."

Athena laughed. "Are you trying to say that other than Zeus and I, everyone else is useless?"

The man fell silent though what she said was exactly his thoughts. If they had harbored no fear over Athena's existence, the sneaky Chinese Tribulation Passing stage experts would've already been all over the globe scavenging rare and precious treasures. Yang Chen wouldn't even have the opportunity to be in Australia for his alchemy material hunt.

"If you really think that our current powers are our real capabilities, you would be sorely mistaken." Athena continued emotionlessly, "I'll be frank, we're only left with the possession of merely the law of space now. Compared to my actual battle form, I'm only left with at most forty percent of my original powers. The other gods who ranked weaker than me and Zeus are only left with less than twenty to thirty percent of their powers."

"What?!"

Overwhelmed with great disbelief, the man couldn't help but exclaim. How could it be that the gods were restricted that far?

Athena turned to face him with a raised brow. "Why? You don't believe it?"

"Uh... Well... That's not it..." The man frantically shook his head. "If Madam says so, it must be the truth."

Unfazed, Athena spoke, "No need to force yourself to believe what I said. Ever since we came to Earth, our powers have been diminishing continuously till the point of our damaged current state.

This is a humiliation to us and this is where it hurts most. Not many are willing to bring that up. Funnily, the friars in China had really thought that we're only truly capable of this.

It won't be long until I create the thing I desire most. Soon enough, the renaissance of the gods will take place."

Chapter 1066 - Troubled Times Test One's Resolution

Right in the middle of Arnhem, the bonfire burnt brightly by the mountain wall.

Yang Chen sat cross-legged next to the fire with a grim expression. He was looking less pale but his face was still dull.

Liu Mingyu sat on tree bark as she looked at him nervously with Xiao Zhiqing by her side who seemed to be at a loss.

Moments later, Yang Chen opened his eyes and let out a long sigh before shaking his head.

"It's...still not working?" Liu Mingyu forced these words out.

Yang Chen smiled bitterly. "I can't summon any True Yuan. It feels as if my dantian has been blocked by a boulder. My meridians feel frail and my body feels weak...it's as if..."

"You've turned into a normal human, right?"

Yang Chen bit his lips and nodded helplessly. "This Purple Butterfly Fantasy. Is it really untreatable?"

"I don't know." Xiao Zhiqing racked through her mind, "I've only seen limited information about this venom in one of the books in the Xiao clan. I only know that it's made from a great ancient poisonous insect. The user can transform it into a poisonous fog with the use of True Yuan. That's how it enters the target's body along with the user's True Yuan. It only works on cultivators who are of the same rank or lower rank. If the target has a stronger True Yuan, the venom would not be able to enter the target's dantian. Once it gets into the body, the target's dantian would be locked completely and his True Yuan would be dried up. This is why it's a strong venom used mainly to control cultivators..."

"It's not that bad, I just feel like a normal human." Yang Chen gave a mocking laugh. "Ever since I became an assassin, I've forgotten how it felt like to be a normal person. It sucks."

Tears welled up in Xiao Zhiqing's eyes. "How can you still laugh at this? Do you know that you're able to withstand part of the venom because of your special body? Any other cultivator would have been rendered useless! You're fortunate enough to be able to function at all!"

Liu Mingyu's eyes reddened when she heard Xiao Zhiqing's words. Her heart wrenched at Yang Chen's self-deprecating attitude.

Yang Chen cut them off hurriedly when he noticed that they were close to crying. "I'm asking if there's any way to solve this. Is there really no way?"

Xiao Zhiqing shook her head and clenched her teeth. "I don't know, it wasn't mentioned in the book. As a matter of fact, he must be so afraid of you, seeing how he used such a rare venom on you. He didn't want anything to go wrong."

Yang Chen narrowed his eyes. True, if it wasn't for the strange person who showed up unexpectedly, he wouldn't have been able to escape.

Judging from the person's tactics and the fact that he had been turned into a normal person, it would only be a matter of time before he got his hands on his scripture.

Unfortunately, he couldn't be sure if he was Yan Wuchen, nor could he identify the mysterious man.

Even so, he couldn't think about it anymore. He had lost all of his cultivation!

His strength had deteriorated to the level of a normal human being. That was the worst thing!

He couldn't possibly hope for the venom to cure on its own, so he was forced to move along with the flow. Heaven would never bar one's way, he would definitely find a solution!

With the number of enemies around him, if he were to give up just like that, wouldn't his family suffer?!

If he were to die, how would his women survive?

At the thought of this, Yang Chen snapped out of it. With glowing eyes, he resolved to himself that he would not fail!

If Xiao Zhiqing had no solution, he could ask Christen and the others. He could also ask Jane to try and cure him using medicine or surgery. He couldn't give up when there was still hope!

Yang Chen had grown up in an appalling environment. This wasn't the first time in a near-death experience. He would keep on fighting in spite of all setbacks, this was his greatest weapon!

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing could feel his resolution from the side, causing them to hold their tears back in.

Yang Chen threw some dry wood into the bonfire and patted dust away from his palms before saying, "Since we can't solve it now, our first aim is to get out of here safely. It wouldn't have been a problem if I still have my cultivation but things are different now. We can't stay here any longer, we don't have food or communication devices. This is a deserted place and it's unrealistic to wait for people to look for us. We have to follow the sea and trek north, find someone and return home. Even though it'll be a tough trip, I still have strength and experience. It shouldn't be hard to bring you guys out of here. Of course, I have to apologize. It should've been a rather safe trip but now you guys will have to suffer."

"Yang Chen...you..."

Xiao Zhiqing was dumbfounded. She thought Yang Chen would be down for some time even if he didn't give up on himself.

She never expected him to bounce back so quickly!

"Why are you looking at me like that. Did you expect a tantrum? Listen to me, you guys must stay strong. As long as I'm alive, I won't give up. We will definitely come up with a solution." Yang Chen smiled.

Liu Mingyu's heart warmed and she looked at him with a gentle gaze, her heart swelling with pride.

This was why she was willing to be his lover, even if she would never be given an official status.

For a woman, a man could be normal but he couldn't be unambitious and fickle.

At this moment, Liu Mingyu thought it didn't sound bad to die with him here. Her emotions had taken over her.

Yang Chen chuckled at their reaction. "Stop staring at me like that. Even though it's depressing, at least I'm still alive. Go to sleep now, we'll leave early in the morning tomorrow. We need to walk for four to five days to reach the beach. We will only have enough energy by resting well!"

"Mmh."

They nodded at his words. Even when Yang Chen had lost his cultivation, he was still their leader.

The three of them were already worn out from the incident, so it only took them a while to fall into a deep slumber.

Yang Chen opened his eyes in the dark. Other than thinking of a way to retrieve his cultivation, he was also wondering what he should do if his enemy came to him back home.

However, no matter how hard he thought about it, he did not have a solution. His only option was to go with the flow.

Chapter 1067 - Misfortune Tests Sincerity

The next morning, the three of them picked up their bags and began their trek.

Before leaving, Yang Chen even picked some burnt wood and placed it into his bag.

Liu Mingyu was curious and asked, "Hubby, wouldn't you get tired? Why would you carry the burnt wood? We might not have food and water, but we have a lighter. Starting a fire is no big deal."

She wasn't used to calling him intimately in front of Xiao Zhiqing but ever since the incident, she couldn't resist.

Yang Chen explained with a smile. "It's not for fire. The water here isn't clean and it's full of parasites and toxins. We don't have time to boil the water so we can use this wood to make a rough filter to remove the toxins. It's better than having a stomachache."

Yang Chen didn't dare to risk it. His body was still fighting the venom and if something were to happen to them, he wouldn't be able to help.

Liu Mingyu didn't expect him to think so far ahead. She didn't ask any further and smiled at him instead.

Yang Chen led them towards the north by following the sun, but halfway through he realized that his stamina was depleting. It was becoming harder for him to move and he was perspiring heavily just like the girls.

The humidity of the tropical rainforest made him realize why no one lived here. It was practically a sauna all day every day!

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing's lips were cracking due to dehydration and perspiration but they were more worried about Yang Chen.

There were hardly any water sources on their way there and when they passed by a dried-up lake, Yang Chen couldn't be bothered to explain himself before he jumped into the muddy soil and dug up the river bed.

After digging around half a meter deep, to the ladies' surprise, water started to flow out of it!

"Most of the time when it comes to rivers like this, there's usually water underneath the soil. It was just a theory but I guess we got lucky."

They were overjoyed to hear this. Even though they didn't show it, the two of them were extremely thirsty.

"Let me help you!"

Liu Mingyu jumped next to Yang Chen and started to widen the hole with her bare hands.

Xiao Zhiqing was dumbfounded at first but she quickly smiled and joined her.

Yang Chen chuckled at their reaction. "You guys don't need to help me, I've got it."

Liu Mingyu rubbed the sweat off her face. "Why are you trying to act tough? Stop talking and let us help you. Are you afraid your pride will be badly hurt?"

"You...I didn't mean that." Yang Chen smiled bitterly. He gestured at her face with his lips. "Mingyu babe, you rubbed the mud onto your nose, are you applying a mask?"

Only then Liu Mingyu realized that her hands were dirty. She pouted out of annoyance and glared at Yang Chen before continuing to dig.

Even though it wasn't anything major, Yang Chen felt warmed at heart seeing how she was willing to dirty herself in order to help her. It was obvious that she didn't want him to overwork himself.

No matter how frustrated he was, Yang Chen was willing to convert his feelings into motivation.

Water flowed out of the hole continuously when it was finished.

Liu Mingyu furrowed her brows and said, "The water's out now but how are we going to get it out. It looks so murky too."

"Watch me."

Yang Chen raised his eyebrow and took out a T-shirt to absorb the murky water from the hole. After that, he squeezed it into the container and purified it with charcoal to get drinkable water.

The ladies were surprised to see this and they were once again impressed by Yang Chen's survival skills.

They moved on once again after drinking water and refilling their bottles.

Due to the loss of his cultivation, Yang Chen paid more attention to the bushes but they were lucky enough as they didn't face any danger.

However, because they kept rushing, Xiao Zhiqing's stomach growled when it was around noon.

Liu Mingyu and Yang Chen heard it clearly since they were the only ones next to her.

Yang Chen looked behind and saw Xiao Zhiqing lower her head out of embarrassment while covering her stomach.

"Hubby, I'm hungry too. We didn't eat anything yesterday and we've been walking for a long time," Liu Mingyu said.

Xiao Zhiqing was embarrassed. She knew Liu Mingyu was trying to cover for her so she cast a grateful glance at her.

Liu Mingyu had changed her opinion towards Xiao Zhiqing, no longer thinking of her as a vixen.

After all, a vixen wouldn't try to stop her yesterday night and would've run away by herself.

Now that Yang Chen lost his cultivation, she didn't show any other feelings except for sadness.

Being a woman herself, Liu Mingyu could tell that she was genuinely worried about Yang Chen.

Even though it felt awkward, Liu Mingyu was willing to believe that she was a kind and friendly person.

Yang Chen nodded in agreement. He had forgotten about their stamina since his body was quite resistant to hunger.

True, they wouldn't last any longer if they kept drinking instead of eating something.

Yang Chen looked around and he couldn't see anything that was edible. But when he laid his eyes into a tree that was growing near a pile of rocks, he gestured them over. "Follow me."

Plenty of fruits were growing on the tree.

Yang Chen climbed onto a branch to pluck off the fruits. "Look, this is a wild fig. The leaves are oval-shaped and there are fine hairs on it to retain water. The whole fruit can be eaten including the skin. It might not look tasty but just bear with it and replenish some vitamin C. We will walk a bit more and see if we can get any food."

The ladies couldn't be bothered by the sourness and they forced themselves to eat a few. Anything was better than nothing.

Yang Chen took some with him, but he knew they wouldn't be able to last any longer without high-calorie food.

It felt as though he had returned to his childhood, trying his best to stay alive in the wilderness.

However, this time he had the ladies with him and his cultivation was gone too. His strength was barely comparable to Liu Mingyu who could use her internal energy. Things were worse than last time.

After walking for a few more kilometers, they finally walked to a riverside. Since it was already evening, he asked the ladies to find a resting place for tonight.

"Be careful and try to collect some dried grass and tree bark for sleeping. I'll try to find some food in the river." Yang Chen told them.

They ladies had nothing against it. They had learned lots of survival skills from Yang Chen and they immediately went to search for materials to start a fire.

Yang Chen ran to the river and looked around. Because he didn't have the appropriate tools, it would be impossible to do some fishing. Plus, it was impossible to fish in a river with no fishes.

Fortunately, with his sharp eyes, Yang Chen noticed a plump looking water snake swimming towards him.

Yang Chen recognized it as a non-venomous snake. As a matter of fact, most water snakes weren't really venomous.

Besides, Yang Chen wouldn't be afraid of a venomous snake. With a swift move, he caught the snake easily!

Yang Chen was an expert in catching snakes, gripping its head to stop it from getting away.

Yang Chen didn't hesitate and he opened his mouth to bite the snake's head!

"Pfft!"

After biting the snake's head off, Yang Chen spat it onto the ground. Now that the snake was dead, it would be easy to carry it back.

Because he didn't bring any knives, Yang Chen had to use the primitive way to save time.

Luckily he had eaten his fair share of raw animals so even though biting a snake's head was disgusting, he was used to it. The ladies would have been terrified if they were to witness this.

Chapter 1068 - Two Hundred Thousand Rats

Even though there was only one snake, it was better than nothing. Yang Chen ran back to their base camp cheerily but just when he was about to arrive, he heard Liu Mingyu's scream!

His heart dropped and he quickened his pace.

Yang Chen's face darkened at the sight.

A snake was hissing at them, signaling that it was about to attack. Their motions might have alerted it, causing it to feel uneasy and annoyed.

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing cowered by the fire, trying to move back as much as possible.

"Stay away from it. This is an Australian coastal taipan. It's one of the most venomous snakes in the world. If it attacks, we won't be able to dodge it." Yang Chen said with a stern voice.

Having heard that, they moved backward instinctively but their backs bumped into the rock. They had no way out!

Yang Chen didn't hesitate any further. He tossed the water snake aside and tried to move closer to the coastal taipan.

"Yang Chen, what are you doing!?" Xiao Zhiqing yelled.

Yang Chen grinned at them, trying to tell them it was fine. He picked up a branch from the ground and tried to move it to the snake's head.

Right when Yang Chen was about to press the snake's head onto the ground with the branch, the snake moved first!

The snake flew up and attacked Yang Chen's arm!

Yang Chen couldn't even react in time and his arm was already bitten by the snake!

"Fuck!"

Yang Chen cursed. Even though he was prepared to face this, it still annoyed him.

If this had happened in the past, he would've been able to get away from it with his divinity and space laws.

Not only had he lost his cultivation, but his brain was also too weak to activate the space laws!

However, Yang Chen had no plans of letting it go. He extended his hand and caught its neck. With the other hand on its head, Yang Chen bit the part under its head!

The sound of meat tearing up rang out and with its head detached from the body, the venomous reptile was finally dead!

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing were completely dumbfounded. Seconds later they snapped out of it and ran towards Yang Chen while shrieking!

They couldn't understand how the snake attacked him since its motions were too fast. It might look as if the snake had only bitten once but it could've actually done it three to four times!

Even though they were frightened and disgusted to see Yang Chen biting a snake's head off, they were mostly appalled by Yang Chen's wound!

"Hubby, how are you feeling!?"

Liu Mingyu held Yang Chen when his legs gave out.

"Don't worry...I won't die..."

Yang Chen tossed the coastal taipan snake next to the fire before saying with a bitter smile, "Even though I've lost all of my cultivation, my body and blood are still resistant against the venom. I should be fine after some rest."

He made it sound so simple but Yang Chen hid the fact that this snake could cause hundreds of deaths with one bite. More than two hundred thousand rats were killed by it, let alone humans!

If anyone was bitten by it, they would surely die!

Liu Mingyu sobbed when she saw Yang Chen's face had turned gray again. "Why must you catch the snake! Can't you just chase it away!? Why would you force yourself when you're already in this state!?"

She was already blaming Yang Chen for not taking care of himself.

Yang Chen struggles to point at the snakes. "One snake isn't enough for both of you. It's getting dark now, I couldn't let it go when it came to us on its own..."

Liu Mingyu held her breath. Xiao Zhiqing was baffled too, they never would've expected Yang Chen to do this for them.

He was willing to be poisoned so that they would get enough food to replenish their energy?

It was a 'dumb' move but how could they not feel touched!?

Xiao Zhiqing felt touched the most. Liu Mingyu was Yang Chen's lover so it made sense for him to do it for her but she was just relying on him like a burden.

Not only did he not abandon her, but he was also mindful of her and tried his best to take care of her. Xiao Zhiqing's heart melted at his gesture, she had never experienced this before in her life.

Unknowingly, her gaze became more tender when she looked at Yang Chen.

Yang Chen didn't have the time to think about their feelings, he was just trying to bring them home safely.

"Mingyu darling, if you don't mind, can you bury the taipan's head? Don't touch it with your hand, it's still venomous even when it's dead. I don't want you to get hurt."

Xiao Zhiqing interjected, "Let me do it. Mingyu, you can just take care of Yang Chen."

Having said so, Xiao Zhiqing picked up a branch to take care of it. She could only help out in small matters like this.

Yang Chen breathed out. "I don't have any energy now. Let me rest for a while and I'll cook the snake for you two."

Liu Mingyu shook her head and wiped her tears. "I'll do it, you should just rest. How should I do it?

Yang Chen chuckled. "Well if I was alone, I would've just thrown it into the fire and eaten it when it was cooked. But I'm sure you guys can't stand the organs and the skin. Tear off the skin and scrape out the organs. Pierce it with a branch then cook it. You have to make sure it's fully cooked, snakes usually have a lot of parasites and if you ate it by accident, you might vomit and get sick."

Liu Mingyu was humored by Yang Chen's nagging. He was running out of energy and he still tried to say it as detailed as possible so that they wouldn't get hurt.

Even though Yang Chen was always a scatterbrain in the city, he was very meticulous when it came to situations like this.

Liu Mingyu shuddered internally when she was reminded of the scene where Yang Chen bit the snake. What kind of surroundings did he grow up in to be able to do such terrifying things?!

At the thought of this, Liu Mingyu's heart wrenched. She made him lie onto the tree barks and proceeded to cook the snakes according to his direction.

Yang Chen rested around one hour until the snake's venom was completely cleared off.

Sadly, he still couldn't do anything against the Purple Butterfly Fantasy.

When the snakes were fully cooked, it was ready to be consumed. No matter how disgusting it felt, the ladies were too hungry to be bothered by it anymore.

Right when Yang Chen got up, they quickly passed the snake meat to him.

Yang Chen waved his hands. "I don't need it. I can last pretty long without eating. You guys haven't eaten in a long time so dig in and I'll find some food tomorrow."

"But..." Liu Mingyu furrowed her brows."Eat some, you were poisoned again earlier, it's not good for your body."

Yang Chen smiled and ate one bite. "Enough? You guys can eat it, I'll walk around and maybe I'll find something to eat."

Having said so, Yang Chen got up and walked towards the dark field.

Yang Chen was hungry too. Due to the loss of his cultivation, his body became weaker and he started to become dependent on food.

However, they needed food more than him. Therefore, instead of staying by the fire and watching them eat, he'd rather look around for more food.

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing exchanged glances with each other, being able to read the helplessness in their eyes.

"It looks like he's determined to let us eat it." Liu Mingyu forced a smile. "Then let's eat then."

Xiao Zhiqing nodded and took a bite of the snake meat. It wasn't tasty and it tasted rough, but the snake was still food.

"Has he always...been this good to you guys?" Xiao Zhiqing threw the question at Liu Mingyu randomly.

Liu Mingyu was trying to bite the meat and was taken aback by her question. With a faint smile, she said, "I didn't know he had this side of him but he has always been protective of us. Even though this gave me the chance to learn more about him, I'd rather not."

Xiao Zhiqing pursed her lips and didn't ask any further. She chewed the meat while silently pondering to herself. If any man had treated her the way he has, she wouldn't mind dying with him out here.

Snake meat wasn't a pleasant meal to have. They chewed on it for forty minutes and could barely tear the meat off the bones. Their masseters were sore from all the chewing and they were only eighty percent full.

At this time, they saw Yang Chen running back to them excitedly.

He seemed to have caught something weird in his hand and the ladies were astonished to see him half-naked!

Chapter 1069 - Illegal Armies

Once he got closer, the ladies realized he was holding something covered with soil.

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing stood up subconsciously but they didn't dare to move closer to him.

"Hubby, what are you carrying?"

Yang Chen dumped it onto the floor and a bunch of insects crawled out of it!

"Ah!"

They shrieked and hugged each other!

With a closer look, they realized that a lump of soil was an insect's nest!

Yang Chen chuckled at their reaction. "It's fine, this is just part of a termite's nest. It's not harmful, it's actually a good thing!"

"Termite's nest?!"

They looked closer and realized that the crawling insects were actually termites. This was their first time witnessing the real deal!

Liu Mingyu got anxious. "Why did you bring this here? Are you trying to scare us to death?!"

Yang Chen scratched his head and sat down. He grabbed a bunch of termites and swallowed them!

"Ah...you...you..."

The ladies widened their eyes out of shock, unable to believe their eyes.

Xiao Zhiqing felt disgusted, covering her mouth to prevent her from gagging.

Yang Chen chewed onto the termites and swallowed them while frowning. At the same time, he looked around to grab more termites.

He explained while eating, "Termite has twice the calories of beef so it's worth eating it. I know you guys can't stand it so I'll just eat it myself."

Even though it made sense in this situation, they still found it disgusting!

"Then you should have eaten it before coming back! Why would you carry the nest here!" Liu Mingyu grumbled.

Yang Chen shrugged. "The nest is made out of their saliva and different kinds of soil. Indigenous people would burn the nest to release a smell that could act as a mosquito repellant. I know you guys were bitten by mosquitoes so I brought it back."

It finally dawned on them after hearing his explanation. Even though his gesture warmed their heart, it was difficult watching him chew live termites.

Yang Chen didn't mind it. Although he was doing something which he was used to, he knew it looked crazy in their eyes.

At the same time, he was aware that he had to do this in order to bring them out of here alive.

No matter how disgusting or dirty it was, he had to do it to survive!

When the next day arrived, they departed once again.

Having gotten used to Yang Chen's 'weird' behaviors, they weren't surprised by him anymore when Yang Chen used all sorts of methods to catch a Papuan python, Australian tortoise, including scorpions and spiders.

They almost passed out when Yang Chen bit a Huntsman spider's head off and swallowed it whole.

Fortunately, Yang Chen didn't force them to eat the valuable 'proteins', instead, he cooked and served them cooked meat.

On the fourth day, they had finally reached the Northern sea.

While they were resting by a river, Yang Chen tore a prick from the Pandanus tree and used it as a fishhook.

He pulled a thread from his bag and turned it into a piece of fishing equipment. Following that, Yang Chen dug out worms from a rotten bark, eating half of it before sticking it onto the hook.

Even though it was crudely made, Yang Chen still managed to catch two catfishes which weren't surprising since freshwater fishes like this were common all around the world.

They roasted the catfishes to eat and once they had replenished their energy, they continued their journey.

Xiao Zhiqing was relieved to hear that they could leave Arnhem by tomorrow, but at that same time, a feeling of regret washed over her. "We've been focused on getting out of here and we couldn't even search for the herbs. How unfortunate."

Yang Chen chuckled. "There's no point in doing that. I haven't even thought of a way to recover my cultivation, let alone master the Samadhi True Fire."

Xiao Zhiqing sounded helpless. "You can't force it. The Samadhi True Fire is much harder than the Li Fire. For someone at your age, your cultivation is already extraordinary enough."

Yang Chen knew she was just trying to comfort him but he didn't want to talk about it anymore. He knew he was close but he did not know what he was lacking.

However, it was meaningless to think about it now when he had lost all of his cultivation.

After walking for a half a day, their surroundings were becoming colder and the plants around them were starting to look like coastal trees.

Even though there were still no signs of humans, they knew they were almost there.

At this time, Yang Chen noticed three off-road vehicles driving towards them at a high speed!

Something felt extremely odd!

These were military vehicles!

He was certain that there weren't any armies here. This meant that they were illegal armies!

Just as he had expected, as the vehicles got closer, Yang Chen saw their faces. They tied headbands around their head and their faces were sinister with machine guns on their arms!

Liu Mingyu gripped onto Yang Chen's arm anxiously, knowing that they couldn't get away from them. "Hubby, are they targeting us?!"

Yang Chen's heart was heavy too. He wouldn't be afraid of them if he still had his cultivation, but as of now, he was no different from a normal man. How was he supposed to protect them from guns when all he had was hand to hand combat?

Liu Mingyu might have Houtian internal energy, but she was inexperienced in terms of real combat.

It was obvious that these hunks were experienced mercenaries!

Even if Liu Mingyu was experienced, she couldn't get away safely with all the guns around them!

"Keep quiet, we'll see what they want." Yang Chen held onto her hand tightly.

Xiao Zhiqing cowered behind Yang Chen, not daring to say anything.

The vehicles drove closer and surrounded the trio. A bearded caucasian raised his G36C rifle whilst looking at them with a teasing gaze. "Yellow skinned, Chinese? Japanese? North Korean?" he asked with a bad English accent.

Yang Chen couldn't tell which mercenary group he belonged to but even if he did recognize him, Yang Chen would never confess his identity. What if he was Yang Chen's enemy? It would be a suicide attempt to reveal himself when he had no cultivation!

Thus, Yang Chen knew he could never let them know of his identity.

"We're Chinese, our plane crashed so we landed here. What's the matter?" Yang Chen tried to ask him calmly.

The hunk nodded in realization but he kept sneaking glances at the ladies with a greedy gaze.

"Friends from China. You guys must be tired, right? How about I get you a drink? Besides, I never would've expected to meet such beauty here. My name is Ryan, it would be my pleasure to invite the ladies to our base."

Ryan cackled, showing his yellow teeth.

The other mercenaries whistled while locking their eyes at the two ladies.

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing were stupefied by their reactions, holding onto Yang Chen tightly.

"Hubby, what should we do?" Even though Liu Mingyu had been cultivating for a while, she had never fought before.

Yang Chen's heart dropped. They really bumped into the Grey Mercenary Group. A completely immoral and vile group of people!

However, now that Yang Chen had lost his cultivation, they couldn't get away at all!

Chapter 1070 - Sanctimonious

Even though Yang Chen couldn't understand how or why they came, he knew that he couldn't defeat them. With his eyes, he signaled the ladies to not resist them and follow them for now.

Even if he lost his cultivation, it wasn't the right choice to act rashly. They would have a greater chance of surviving if they remained calm and collected.

"Lead the way then." Yang Chen showed a faint smile.

Ryan grinned and motioned his subordinates to give them space on their vehicles.

Under the gun nozzle, Yang Chen separated from the ladies and they each sat on different vehicles.

After a long bumpy ride, they arrived at the Northern beach.

By the highland were seven to eight canvas tents which should be the Grey Mercenary Group's temporary base camp.

There were guards patrolling around the camp with rifles in their hands and judging from the number of people outside, there should be more than thirty people in the group.

Something struck Yang Chen's eyes. A transport ship and two escort vessels by the bay which was probably their means of transportation.

Yang Chen could tell that they were doing illegal business seeing how they chose to have their base camp at a place like this.

In other words, they were smugglers.

Yang Chen became slightly hopeful at this because smugglers were usually less experienced than those who fought in wars.

Before he could think much about it, the three of them were already dragged out of the vehicles and forced into the base camp.

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing were trembling with fear, overwhelmed by their greedy stares. They couldn't think of any way to get out of here and could only stick close to Yang Chen.

Ryan walked to a grey tent and pointed towards the inside with his nozzle.

"Go in, our Chinese friends." Ryan grinned.

Yang Chen tried his best to remain calm. "What are you going to do to us?"

Ryan put on a fake smile. "I've already informed our boss and you'll know soon once he gets here."

Having said so, he pushed Yang Chen into the tent! The ladies were naturally forced into the tent with him.

Once they were inside, two men stood outside with guns in their hands.

Liu Mingyu was worried. "What does it mean? They aren't killing us, nor did they give us any reason for locking us here."

"He said his boss will meet us, which I'm guessing it's their leader. We will know soon."

While saying that, Yang Chen glanced around the tent and he furrowed his brows as a response. Wooden boxes with various shapes filled the tent and they were intricately carved as if there were valuable items inside. Most importantly, they were placed individually, as if someone was afraid of damaging the boxes.

"Yang Chen, did you find something?" Xiao Zhiqing asked, being the braver one.

Yang Chen contemplated for a while before walking towards one of the smaller boxes. He opened the cover gently and realized that it was filled with a thick layer of newspapers.

To his surprise, these newspapers were printed in Mandarin.

This meant that it must be related to China!

After taking out the newspapers, a layer of soft plastic was revealed which was used for protection and to soften the impact.

Yang Chen's eyes widened when he found out what was inside the box. No wonder they were being so careful!

"This is..."

Xiao Zhiqing covered her mouth out of disbelief when she saw the item too.

Yang Chen nodded and said with a low voice, "It's a blue and white porcelain antique patterned with clouds and dragons. Its estimated worth is around ten million dollars."

Liu Mingyu finally understood what was going on. Even though she wasn't familiar with antiquities, she has heard about blue and white porcelain before. With a gasp, she exclaimed, "Are they smuggling relics?!"

"It's not just that. Think about it, they could've locked us into an empty tent instead of this one. There's only one reason behind this. All their tents were filled with relics that are worth billions! No wonder they used a transport ship for this. I'm sure other countries other than China would have ordered the arrest if they found out about the lost relics."

Right when Yang Chen was still talking, a charming voice was heard from outside.

"You have a keen eye." He spoke in perfect Mandarin.

Following that, a tall Asian man walked into the tent. He was wearing a tight fitted camouflage T-shirt with his hair right above his shoulders.

Ryan stood behind him while grinning widely.

The man glanced over at Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing before turning his gaze towards Yang Chen. With glinting eyes, he said, "Dude, I heard from Ryan that you guys were trapped in this place because your plane crashed?"

Yang Chen was surprised. "You're Chinese?"

The man was taken aback at first. His gaze was deep when he noticed Yang Chen's fearless gaze. "You don't look like a spy since you don't recognize me. I'm the leader of the Hydralisk Mercenary Group, Jin Zhe. They call me Hydra. Have you heard about me?"

While saying that, Jin Zhe stared at Yang Chen like a cobra, careful not to miss out on any changes in his facial expression and gaze.

Yang Chen shook his head. He was telling the truth. He had never heard of them. They were probably not famous enough or were new to the game.

"It doesn't matter. I believe you. You guys really have nothing to do with those who are after us." Jin Zhe said with a grin. He could tell that Yang Chen didn't know them at all which meant that he didn't have to worry about being exposed.

Liu Mingyu seemed expectant when she asked him, "Does it mean that you'll let us go?"

"Go?" Jin Zhe shook his finger, "My beautiful lady, you think too highly of us..."

Yang Chen tightened his fist, thinking to himself that this wouldn't end well whereas the girls turned pale.

Jin Zhe snorted. "We've been having a hard time here staying at this deserted place. It's so rare for us to have such beauties here. It wouldn't make sense if I don't send you guys over to be raped by my brothers, would it?"

"You...you're shameless!" Liu Mingyu never expected him to be so frank and brazen.

Xiao Zhiqing bit her lip and hugged her chest anxiously.

Jin Zhe sounded sorry for them. "I'm really sorry. Even though we're all from China, I can't really be bothered by that when we're all living such dangerous lives. Don't worry, my brothers might be willing to take you guys in if you two were to serve them well."

"Not only did you steal from your own county, but you're also even doing dirty deeds like this. Aren't you ashamed of yourself!?" Liu Mingyu reprimanded him.

Yang Chen smiled at her bitterly. She was trying to put on a brave face but was only making things worse.

Not like it could get any worse.

Yang Chen started to glance around, looking for a chance.

Just as he had expected, veins started bulging on Jin Zhe's forehead!

"Ashamed? Haha! How sanctimonious! What do rich people like you even know!?"

He snickered, "Why would I be embarrassed? My father wouldn't have died from being framed by corrupt officials! My sister wouldn't have turned into a retard after being raped and beaten by a group of animals! My mom wouldn't have gone blind from crying and died by eating sleeping pills! None of it would have happened if I wasn't born in China! I was a soldier for so many years, thinking about my family every day. When I finally returned home from serving my country, they were all dead! Relics my ass, they would only be left in the museum so that the animals can earn money by selling entrance tickets. I might as well take it and sell them to foreigners for money so that I can take care of my brothers and their families. Why must we be oppressed by villains like them?! To hell with that!"

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing weren't the only ones who were startled, Yang Chen was moved by his words too.

This man was smiling at them minutes ago yet now he was looking like a ferocious beast!

Liu Mingyu and Xiao Zhiqing couldn't utter a single word. Even though they knew he was doing something illegal, they couldn't stop themselves from feeling sorry for him.