397: Chapter 396: Unexpected Encounter 397: Chapter 396: Unexpected Encounter “Huh, it’s quiet all of a sudden?”

Su Ran was puzzled as there was no sound to be heard from the ground, which was completely contrary to what he had anticipated.

He had expected the storyline to be full of fierce battles between players and Beast Clan monsters, with the sound of fighting reverberating through the air.

However, the silence lasted for just a moment.

“Roar!”

“Brothers, kill them all!”

“Kill these beasts, and the territory will be ours!”

“Kill!

Whoever finds the Dream Seeker Mirror gets to keep it!

Take it and you’re a dead man!”

Christ, the intensity of the battle was apparent from the chaotic sounds coming from the ground, so much so that Su Ran was taken aback and fell directly into the underground space of the Beast King’s Tomb.

“Everything’s the same as before here, no changes at all.”

Su Ran roamed around for a bit and found that not a single monster had spawned.

He felt somewhat bored.

The yaksha who was originally guarding the tomb had also disappeared, which remained a mystery till now.

Su Ran knew that the task given to him by the Five-clawed Bone Dragon King in his territory should lead him to clues about the yaksha.

However, before finding the yaksha, he couldn’t rush this task.

“But I can’t just stay here doing nothing, I need to get out of here!”

Su Ran focused his gaze on the trembling layer of soil above.

He had more important things to do and couldn’t afford to stay here eking out a living!

Then, he used the Treading on Air Technique to reach the hole he had previously excavated, only to find that the main battleground had shifted.

Without hesitation, he dug up the soil and crawled out at once, without caring about the risks.

“Damn, you scared the hell out of me!

Thought it was a Beast Clan monster crawling out from the ground.

I was about to attack!”

Funnily enough, the person speaking was someone Su Ran knew—an elite warrior from the Righteous and Indomitable guild, Big Smoky.

He was well acquainted with Su Ran, having done a dungeon run together with him once before.

Seeing a familiar face, the dozen or so players nearby abandoned their attack.

They, however, did gather around him, curious to know what kind of place it was beneath Su Ran that allowed him to appear in such a manner.

Could it be a hidden terrain as mentioned in the legend?

“Phew, that was close!

Lucky it was you.

If it were someone else, they might have killed me on the spot!”

Su Ran heaved a sigh of relief, patting his chest as he spoke.

Seeing the ill-intentioned glances from the surrounding players, he understood what was going on, and hurriedly explained, “There’s nothing below there.

I guess it’s a trap set up by someone.

I just stepped on it.

How unlucky!”

“A trap?”

The players obviously didn’t quite believe him.

Some even pulled out torches and leaned in to peek inside the hole.

Seeing is believing after all.

However, they searched for a long time without finding anything, and their expressions soon turned disappointed.

“Overturning Water, I’ve been meaning to talk to you but never got the chance.

Now that I run into you today, let’s talk about the past.

I’m truly sorry about last time.

Our guild leader is just this kind of person.

Don’t take it to heart.

We may not be in the same guild now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, right?”

Big Smoky pulled Su Ran aside, not bothering to attack the Beast Clan monsters anymore.

He tried to comfort Su Ran, as being kicked out of a guild was indeed a demeaning experience, and seeing ex-guild members afterward usually felt awkward.

“Come on, it’s old news now!

You’re making a mountain out of a molehill!

An apology should come from Zhi Yuan Xing Fang, not you!”

Su Ran glared at Big Smoky and was surprised to see a powerful-looking iron stick on his back.

He asked, “Isn’t that the same iron stick you had before?”

“Hey, you noticed, huh?

I just got it not too long ago.

Don’t underestimate it.

This is a rare, gold weapon!”

Big Smoky held the iron stick in front of his chest, a look of joy in his eyes.

It was obvious that he was quite pleased with this weapon.

“Congrats on your progress!

Well, let’s play together sometime, but I’ve got some business to handle right now.

I’ll be on my way!”

Su Ran didn’t have time to dwell on old times.

After bidding him farewell, he turned to leave.

“Wait a minute, Overturning Water,”

Big Smoky suddenly called out to him with a complicated look on his face, “Ni Wudao has been demoted.

He’s not in a good mood.”

Su Ran was taken aback.

No wonder Ni Wudao hasn’t contacted him to this point.

So, that’s how it is.

“What happened?

She put in so much effort for the guild,”

Su Ran asked in confusion.

He remembered how Ni Wudao had tirelessly spent over an hour recruiting members for the guild.

She was diligent and completely dedicated to the guild, which showed her level of love for it.

But how could such an excellent vice-leader be demoted?

Su Ran couldn’t understand.

“Since Ni Wudao has a territory and can be taken advantage of, Zhi Yuan Xing Fang went out of his way to bring Ni Wudao into the guild.

He immediately arranged for him to be the vice-leader, which inevitably downgraded Ni Wudao.”

Big Smoky glanced around and whispered to Su Ran.

“Damn, does Zhi Yuan Xing Fang have no shame?”

“Hush, keep your voice down!

If someone hears you, it won’t be good for us!”

Seeing Su Ran’s righteous indignation, Big Smoky knew he was in trouble since Su Ran’s voice was unconsciously getting louder.

“Humph, this time Zhi Yuan Xing Fang will have to answer to the guild’s players.

Once Ni Wudao’s territory is taken over and he loses his value, let’s see how comfortable he remains in his position as vice-leader!”

Su Ran was contemptuous.

He even doubted how Zhi Yuan Xing Fang, given his capabilities, became the leader of the Righteous and Indomitable guild.

“Not only you think this way, all the players in the guild can’t wait to see Zhi Yuan Xing Fang’s face when that happens!”

Big Smoky laughed a few times, then continued in a low voice, “You’re on good terms with Ni Wudao.

If you have time, console her.

Don’t let her get too upset and quit the game.

That would be a great loss.”

“Yeah, ok.”

“Hey, Overturning Water, will you join my group?

We can kill Beast Clan monsters together to get experience points.

I heard these monsters might drop the ultra-rare Dream Seeker Mirror.

What do you say?

Will you join us?”

Big Smoky asked with anticipation.

He knew Su Ran wasn’t weak and could single-handedly complete the dungeon challenge, so no one in the group would dare to underestimate him.

“Uh, you guys have fun.

I still have a timed mission to do, and time is tight.”

Su Ran chuckled and bid Big Smoky farewell after chatting for a while.

After passing through the group of players, he bypassed the Beast Clan’s army and headed towards the deepest part of the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts.

Su Ran didn’t tell Big Smoky the truth.

The fewer people who knew about it, the better!

He was too naive before, telling Han Siying all the secrets in the game.

He had let himself become so passive that even his territory was constantly in danger.

Everything was his own fault, he couldn’t blame anyone else.

Once Su Ran was out of the players’ sight, he immediately used the Treading on Air Technique and full-tilt sprinted towards Ni Wudao’s territory.

No, it was the Beast Clan’s territory.

He almost forgot, the territory had been taken over by the Beast Clan.