Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned considerably grim.

Although Wang Zhan did not know exactly how terrifying Extinct Ridge was, they were acutely aware of its perils. The thought of the potential encounters within Extinct Ridge, and the frightening legends surrounding it, naturally filled them with dread.

"Mr. Wang, if we are to venture into Extinct Ridge now, we must consider our decision carefully. You must understand, while entry is easy, exiting is far from it."

For a moment, the group exchanged hesitant glances. Even though they had all reached the Martial Saint realm in their cultivation, they understood from legends that more terrifying entities might exist within Extinct Ridge. Once inside, a safe retreat would not be easy.

Wang Zhan squinted, glanced at his companions, and then asked with a smile, "What? Are you not prepared to continue?"

"Rest assured. Despite the horrors of Extinct Ridge you describe, since we've made our choice, we should have no fear. Moreover, isn't this a good thing for us? After all, by entering, we can continuously improve our cultivation. Even if we encounter formidable demonic beasts, we can face them head-on. I don't think that's such a bad thing for everyone."

Time ticked by, but the group still hadn't made a decision.

All eyes focused on Wang Zhan. Evidently, he had become their pillar of support. They needed his help to improve their cultivation, but the thought of entering Extinct Ridge filled them with trepidation.

"If you're still worried, then leave now. After all, Brother Wang isn't lacking for company. With our strength, even if Extinct Ridge is formidable, we can surely carve a bloody path through it. Even if we can't eliminate all the demonic beasts inside, retreating unscathed won't be difficult. So, you'd better make your decision quickly. Wanting to back out after we've entered will be an exceedingly difficult matter."

Upon hearing this, the crowd's expressions turned even grimmer. They looked at each other, but no one spoke, clearly wanting someone else to propose a viable solution.

After all, someone needed to step forward and state their position so they could follow Wang Zhan's lead into Extinct Ridge without any worries.

Wang Zhan's gaze returned to the group, and he asked again, "So, have you decided?"

The group exchanged looks, their expressions turning grim again. Finally, one man stepped forward, gritted his teeth, and declared word by word, "I'm not going to worry about it anymore! Mr. Wang can provide us with plenty of elixirs. Staying by Mr. Wang's side will surely be a great benefit to us, so there's no need to worry about anything else. Even if I die in there, I don't care."

Once one person stepped forward, many others quickly followed suit, stating their intentions. In the blink of an eye, most of them had moved to Wang Zhan's side, having clearly made their decision.

However, a few individuals still hesitated. Han Junxiong approached them and said in a low voice, "Since you still can't figure out what to do, we don't need to waste any more time. You should return to the city first."

Wang Zhan simply smiled at them, not making things difficult.

The remaining few exchanged awkward glances, then cupped their fists towards Wang Zhan and said apologetically, "Mr. Wang, we are truly sorry. Our fear of Extinct Ridge far exceeds what you might imagine, so we dare not enter recklessly. After all, we can't joke about our own lives. Although improving our means is extremely important, we still need to consider things thoroughly. If we lose our lives, what's the use of obtaining anything, no matter how much?"

The few men standing beside the speaker also bowed to Wang Zhan. They didn't want to fall out with him, especially given his evident strength. Perhaps they could become comrades-in-arms in the future.

Wang Zhan smiled, nodded, and waved at them, saying, "Alright. In that case, let's not hesitate any longer. We'll part ways here. It's still early; perhaps we can reach Extinct Ridge before nightfall."

Everyone nodded, and then the two groups separated.

Wang Zhan glanced at the eight men remaining by his side, a faint smile touching his lips. He then said, also smiling, "Quality over quantity. Since we still have this many people, there's naturally no need to worry."

Everyone nodded emphatically. Indeed, with Wang Zhan by their side, they naturally felt fearless. After all, they had witnessed his strength firsthand and understood just how formidable he was.

Before Wang Zhan, at least, they stood no chance in a fight.

Wang Zhan waved his hand at the group and continued, "Alright, in that case, let's not waste any more time. Who will lead the way? We head to Extinct Ridge immediately. Time is of the essence."

One man immediately stepped forward and said with a smile, "Mr. Wang, I've been there before and am very familiar with the area. Please, let me take on the task of guiding us."

Wang Zhan smiled and nodded, then followed the man.

In the blink of an eye, they had all headed into the distance.

Several hours later, as nightfall approached, a towering mountain peak finally appeared in the distance, with a continuous mountain range stretching out before it.

Merely looking at the mountain range before them, they could already sense that this place was different.

An eerie stillness permeated the air, making everyone extremely uncomfortable.

Wang Zhan squinted, staring at the mountain range before him for a good while. A faint smile gradually appeared on his lips as he said, "It seems there really are some troublesome fellows in here. After all, the moment I arrived, I felt a strong intimidation around us. It looks like we truly didn't come to the wrong place this time. If we can carve a bloody path out of here, I imagine our strength will have improved to a certain extent by the time we return to the city. The elixirs we'll be able to refine then will naturally be extraordinary."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions brightened considerably. After all, they all wanted to stay by Wang Zhan's side.

Wang Zhan waved to the group and said with a smile, "Since we're already here, there's no need to waste any more time. Let's quickly prepare and head inside. I'm quite curious to find out what's in there."

Everyone nodded at once and immediately stood behind Wang Zhan. Clearly, they needed him to take the lead. After all, with their strength, if they entered and encountered a troublesome demonic beast, even retreating unscathed would be difficult. But with Wang Zhan by their side, they didn't need to worry anymore. At the very least, Wang Zhan could help them hold out for a while. Even if they were outmatched then, they could still quickly escape from Extinct Ridge. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Time ticked by. The group had entered a dark, oppressive forest. As far as the eye could see, everything was deathly still, creating an extremely uncomfortable feeling. This sensation intensified the deeper they ventured.

However, even after being in the forest for a good while, they still hadn't sensed anything unusual. There wasn't even a common demonic beast, and strangest of all, not even ordinary animals were present.

Wang Zhan stood to one side, a cold smirk touching his lips. He patted Han Junxiong's shoulder, glanced at the others behind them, and cautioned, "It seems this place is indeed not as simple as we imagined."

"Mr. Wang, did you sense something?"

All eyes fell on Wang Zhan, their faces instantly filled with alarm.

Wang Zhan smiled and waved his hand dismissively. After scanning the surroundings, the doubt in his eyes deepened considerably. "It's far too quiet here," he said. "So quiet it's almost unsettling. How could there be a place in this world utterly devoid of sound, especially a forest?"

Hearing Wang Zhan say this, everyone's nerves immediately tensed. They too had sensed something was amiss. When they first entered, they had thought Heaven was favoring them since they hadn't seen any demonic beasts. But they never imagined this silence was so peculiar. How could it be that simple?

Wang Zhan, at their side, spoke again: "This situation can only mean one thing: an extremely ferocious demonic beast resides here. Its presence has likely sealed off this entire space, or perhaps all the other demonic beasts here don't dare provoke it. It's also possible they've all been absorbed by it. Any of these are possibilities."