Ma Han also wore a solemn expression. With it being so late and still no sign of their return, there was a high chance something had gone wrong. Although such incidents were common here, they inevitably tugged at the heartstrings.
"Big brother Ma Han, let's go find them. Maybe they just got lost because it's too dark."
Lu Keke tried to remain optimistic, her voice betraying her concern.
Ma Han merely sighed while the others shook their heads helplessly. Going out to search this late was akin to courting death.
"There's nothing we can do, Lu Keke. You've been out here before; you know how dangerous it is to be out at night. All we can do now is hope that Lin Feng and Wang Dako are lucky. We'll stay here tonight and wait. If they haven't returned by tomorrow morning, we'll move on."
Ma Han shook his head and went back into the cave, followed by the others in silence.
Lu Keke bit her thin lip. She wanted to go search on her own, but the Hu Ben Mountains at night resembled a massive monster, causing her to turn pale and retreat. She felt reluctant, but her strength alone was too meager.
"I'm sorry, Lin Feng. I hope you're safe."
...
Lin Feng opened his eyes; the skies had already darkened. He stood up with a calm expression and looked around. The Hu Ben Mountains were indeed perilous at night, filled with demon beasts, but the presence of the Demon General's potent aura was enough to suppress the other beasts. Thus, during this time as he absorbed the soul, no demon beasts approached him.
As for Wang Dako, he was dead beyond any doubt, his face even smeared with bird droppings. Lin Feng didn't bother to glance at his body, nor did he care to search through his wallet. Such a low-level character would only possess worthless trinkets.
Rather than waste effort on that, Lin Feng decided to extract the Demon Cores of the few Demon Generals they had encountered. Each Demon Core was valuable. Lin Feng took his dagger and stabbed one of the Demon Generals, but the blade was instantly repelled.
"The Demon General is indeed different from ordinary demon beasts. Dead for so long, yet the hide is so tough."
Lin Feng shook his head, suddenly generating a burst of Gang Qi in his hand, and with a swoosh, he thrust the dagger down again. This time, the blade easily pierced the Demon General's body.
Indeed, just a moment ago, he had advanced to the Martial Master Realm. However, Lin Feng didn't see it as something to be ecstatic about. Just a Martial Master, still considered low-level, and he wouldn't feel proud over such a minor achievement.
Soon after, Lin Feng cut open the entire Demon General, rummaging inside and extracting a palm-sized Demon Core.
Lin Feng wiped off the blood and stashed it in his backpack. As for other materials, although valuable, Lin Feng lacked a large enough backpack or a Storage Ring, so he decided to leave them. After all, the most valuable Demon Cores were already secured.
"Four Demon Generals total; that should be at least four hundred Gold Pearls."
Lin Feng remarked indifferently.
"After breaking through to the Martial Master, I at least have the capability to defend myself. It's time to check out the location on the Treasure Map and hope it's not a hoax."
Lin Feng directly took out the Treasure Map, took a swift glance, figured out his current location, then promptly set off. The strength of a martial master was much more formidable than that of a Martial Apprentice because of the Gang Qi, which skyrocketed his strength to 1000 kilograms—double that of a Martial Apprentice. Besides, his speed also significantly increased. Lin Feng was moving quickly among the treetops when suddenly he stopped. Unknowingly, he had arrived at the cave where he took shelter from the rain last night. Not far from there, a small fire was still flickering.
Lin Feng was stunned for a moment. Lighting a fire at night was a foolish act, as it was essentially giving away a beacon to Demon Beasts. Ma Han's group seemed to have good experience; they were not absolute beginners. Thinking it over, since he was passing by, he might as well give them a reminder.
When he reached the outside of the cave, he noticed a figure sitting there. Upon closer inspection, it was Lu Keke.
At that moment, this slightly chubby little girl was shivering from the cold, holding a dagger in her hand and nervously watching her surroundings.
"Why are you outside?"
A detached voice sounded, causing Lu Keke to immediately point her dagger in that direction. However, her face soon showed a mix of surprise and joy.
"Lin Feng? You're back, that's great, I'm so glad you're okay."
Lin Feng was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding why Lu Keke had such a strong reaction, but soon, he showed a knowing smile, "Sorry, I got lost in the mountains."
Getting lost was the most normal excuse.
Lu Keke sighed in relief and patted her chest, "I thought so too. Everyone was about to go look for you, but you know, it's dangerous now that it's dark. Lin Feng, you won't hold it against us, right?"
Lin Feng gave a faint smile. Was he someone small-minded like Wang Dako? Not to mention searching for him, even if Ma Han and the others turned around and left, that would be reasonable. Their relationship was just a fragile alliance of temporary teammates, there was no need to risk danger for it.
"Actually, Brother Ma Han and the others were really worried about you and kept talking about you. I couldn't sit still and lit a bonfire outside, hoping it might guide you. Turns out, it really did work."
Lu Keke said this with a naive and sweet smile.
Seeing this, Lin Feng also gave a toothy grin.
"Thank you."
Lin Feng sincerely expressed his gratitude, thought for a moment, and then directly took out a Demon Core and handed it to her—it was the most valuable thing he had on him.
"Take this, and also tell Ma Han and the others that I'm safe. However, I still have things to do, so I'll be leaving first. Also, don't light bonfires at night anymore, it might attract Demon Beasts."
Lin Feng handed a Demon Core to Lu Keke, smiled slightly, then waved his hand and turned to leave, disappearing into the darkness.
Lu Keke was still a bit stunned. Lin Feng had barely returned, yet he was leaving again. And if she wasn't mistaken, that was a Demon Core typically possessed by a Demon General. Where did Lin Feng get it? She wanted to chase after him for an explanation, but Lin Feng's figure was nowhere to be found, only an endless darkness remained.
Lin Feng didn't waste more time staying another day with Ma Han and the others. His plans had completely changed due to the sudden thunderstorm. As the saying goes, man's plans are inferior to those made by heaven. Originally, he wanted to familiarize himself with the terrain together with Ma Han and the others in this mountain range, to gain some strength before searching for the treasure. After all, nobody knew whether the map indicated traps or terrifying creatures waiting. Heading there without sufficient strength would be like a lamb walking into a tiger's den.
However, now, with the self-preserving strength of the First Layer martial master, plus the Fourth Grade Demon Core from Demon Dragon Star!