After giving Heavenly Defect and Earthly Defect his instructions, Ye Fan set off.

He traveled alone to the Qilian Mountain Base. Qilian Mountain was a vast area, and its outermost—and safest—part was a tourist zone. Behind the tourist zone lay a primeval forest that seemed to serve as the mountain’s outer defense, a place where few people dared to venture. Civilians had reported seeing ghosts and wildmen here, so very few people—not even seasoned explorers—dared to enter. They regarded this mysterious place with a healthy dose of fear and respect.

By the time Ye Fan passed through the primeval forest, night had already fallen. To a Martial Artist like him, this wasn’t yet the dangerous part of the territory. As the moonlight shone down, however, Ye Fan felt its rays piercing through the canopy, so clear and transparent that they seemed to illuminate everything before him. Just then, a cool breeze swept by, and an involuntary shiver ran through him—not from fear, but from some other deep-seated tremor. He immediately drew a sharp breath.

A dense fog rose ahead, and within it, he saw silhouettes that looked like people, floating back and forth. Could these be specters? Ye Fan strode quickly toward the figures. As the King of Heaven, he had no reason to fear such things. Even if they were genuine ghosts, he would feel no dread. When he drew closer, however, he found that nothing had changed; the area remained shrouded in dense fog.

Strange. Could it be an illusion? Ye Fan wondered. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a sound calling out to him.

Ye Fan looked ahead and instantly understood where he was.

The Ghost Cave!

This was the first dangerous checkpoint in the mysterious Qilian Mountain range. Ordinary people would never dare to come here, for the place was saturated with a sense of dread. Yet Ye Fan walked forward without a moment’s hesitation.

About ten minutes later, he reached the Ghost Cave. It was completely enveloped in a thick fog, and there was nothing strange about it. It just seemed like a place of Darkness Without Boundaries. As he prepared to delve deeper, he noticed a bracelet. It was the agate bracelet he had given Alice as a gift.

Is this the message you left for me? Ye Fan wondered. Something unfortunate had indeed happened to Alice here. Realizing this, he bypassed the Ghost Cave and headed directly for the mountainous forest beyond. The mountainous forest was a terrifyingly boundless place. An ordinary person who wandered in here would likely be scared to death, if they weren’t killed outright. But Ye Fan’s expression remained perfectly serene.

ROAR!

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed, deafening in its intensity. Following the sound, a massive figure charged down at him from the depths of the dense forest. It was a gigantic, ferocious-looking black bear, and riding on its back was a savage wildman. The wildman looked terrifying as he swung a spear and charged at Ye Fan.

"Seeking death!"

Just as the black bear was about five meters away, Ye Fan lashed out with a decisive punch.

BANG!

The bear instantly collapsed, and the wildman tumbled to the ground. He didn’t give up his attack, however, and continued to charge, swinging his spear. Ye Fan threw another punch, killing the wildman instantly.

Then, a volley of sharp projectiles flew out from the forest. They were all made of sharpened stone, but Ye Fan dodged every one of them. He then shouted, "A pack of barbaric wildmen, daring to act so presumptuously before this King! Surrender your lives!"

Ye Fan swiftly charged forward to attack. The group of wildmen immediately turned and fled, disappearing into the dense forest, which was like a mysterious maze. Ye Fan did not pursue them, though he surely could have caught up. He stood his ground and noticed an old video camera.

Ye Fan picked it up. Fortunately, it had been protected under a rock; otherwise, it would have been destroyed long ago. He tried to turn it on but failed. Ye Fan was speechless, though on second thought, it made sense. The camera’s casing was already covered in rust. It looked like it had been here for at least a year. There were many withered bones scattered nearby.

Ye Fan took out the storage card and inserted it into his phone. Sure enough, there was a video on it. He played it and was instantly confronted by a bloody scene. Four or five explorers had just arrived in the area when they were captured by the group of wildmen, who proceeded to boil them alive. The person filming was apparently the only survivor. He had been hiding and recording in secret but was discovered, forcing him to flee in a panic. At that moment, he tripped over a stone, and the camera flew from his grasp. It landed on the ground, perfectly capturing his terrified expression as he scrambled to his feet. However, just as the cameraman scrambled up, a long spear flew through the air and pierced his skull, killing him instantly. The wildmen then dragged him away as if he were prey.

The sight was so horrifying it made Ye Fan feel nauseous. He now knew something was terribly wrong. If Alice had also been dragged away by these people, the consequences would be unimaginable. At that thought, Ye Fan quickly got to his feet and rushed toward the wildmen’s lair. His heart was in his throat, as he had no way of knowing Alice’s current situation.

By dawn, Ye Fan finally arrived outside the cave where the wildmen lived. There, he saw them preparing to go hunting. However, among the wildmen, he spotted a normal human. The man had disheveled hair and a scraggly beard, and he was issuing orders to the group. The wildmen seemed remarkably obedient, following his commands without question. Ye Fan knew this man must be an evil Martial Artist, especially since he was holding a human skull.

Without a second thought, he appeared directly in front of the cave entrance, and the group of wildmen immediately surrounded him.

The man with the scraggly beard looked at Ye Fan and spoke, his voice dripping with contempt, "Another one who doesn’t fear death."

"Taming wildmen here to endanger the outside world... your ambition is quite something," Ye Fan rebuked.

The disheveled man sneered, "That’s right. I am taming them, turning them into a powerful legion. Since you’ve intruded here, don’t even think about leaving alive!"

He then uttered a few words in the wildmen’s language to the Wildman Commander. Immediately, the throng of wildmen grew enraged, roaring as they rushed toward Ye Fan with the clear intent to tear him apart.

At this moment, Ye Fan remained calm and asked, "What did you do to this person?"

He held up the agate bracelet.

"We ate her! HAHAHAHA!" the man with the terrifying face laughed wildly at Ye Fan.

Ye Fan, who had been perfectly calm just a moment ago, instantly erupted. He lost all reason, his entire being on the verge of a violent explosion.

He roared, "I will have you all buried with her!"

"Accompany her in death?" the man sneered. "You’re not worthy!"

A group of wildmen charged. Ye Fan unleashed the full might of his Pure Yang Power, and with a single strike, dozens of them fell in heaps. The disheveled man was shocked. He hadn’t expected Ye Fan to be so powerful—a true expert. A level of strength like this was enough to drive anyone to despair. The man charged forward, a cloud of Black Fog billowing from his hand. As the Black Fog descended, Ye Fan felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. Yet even through the haze, he struck his opponent with a single blow, sending him flying.

The remaining wildmen scattered and fled in terror.

Now, only Ye Fan and the man remained. Ye Fan picked up a long spear, stood before him, and asked, "How do you want to die?"

The disheveled man felt the aura of death descend upon him. He realized that Ye Fan possessed the strength of a King—a level of power sufficient to instantly kill most Martial Artists.

He trembled and stammered, "You... you can’t kill me!"

"Give me a reason not to," Ye Fan demanded.

"She’s not dead!" the man hastily blurted out.