American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

With a muffled thud like breaking hardwood, two large, brass-colored hands came together, delivering a simple yet powerful Double Wind Piercing Ears strike that shattered the calf-sized, ferocious crustacean into pieces, its semi-transparent, viscous fluid spilling onto the ground.

"Sigh, it'll be inconvenient to eat if it gets dirty. I was thinking of trying to make crab meat balls..."

Zhu Mingyao looked at the giant land crab, which was mixed with withered branches and mud, and said with a regretful expression.

"You...you really intend to eat it?" Madison manipulated five or six fire elementals with long, fiery tails, resembling genies in a lamp, to patrol the area, acting as guards and providing light as well.

She opened her eyes wide and covered her nose in disgust.

"That's a scavenger! If you dare to eat such disgusting stuff, don't come near me again!"

Zhu Mingyao ordered the Yaksha demon general to tear open the hard, iron-like shell, pull out a handful of crab roe the size of soybeans, and casually put them into his treasure bag.

"I didn't say I'd eat it now. I'll take it back and study it. This thing that produces such a lot of meat would be a blessing to the whole world if it could be farmed! In the long run, its real value is much greater than a few extraordinary treasures."

"Come and see, I found something!" Zoe's excited shout rang out just in time, interrupting the two's bickering.

She stood in front of a mountain hollow surrounded by rock walls, her ten fingers gripping and pulling on the psionic spider silk. After driving away a giant bird, she pulled a bird's nest, which was two or three meters in diameter, down from above.

The giant nest woven from withered branches crashed heavily to the ground and shattered into pieces. From beneath the dry, yellowed, and disheveled old feathers, several golden objects rolled out.

"This gold statue is actually solid! It must weigh at least several tens of kilograms!"

He summoned a stream of clean water to wash his spoils, then squatted down, weighed them in his hands, and explained with a beaming smile:

"Many birds have a habit of stealing shiny items from humans, but due to their size, they can only decorate their nests with things like coins and earrings. The birds here are huge, and I never expected their collections to be so impressive. Now we're the ones who benefit."

The three of them discussed it briefly and then handed the items over to Madison to store in her spatial storage. Several of the items were antiques, and it would be more cost-effective for her family to take them to an auction for the wealthy and famous to exchange for cash and then redistribute them.

He patted his pants and was about to turn and leave when Zhu Mingyao glanced at him and suddenly stopped. He took two steps forward, carefully examining the marks on the rock wall, and his expression became serious.

Before me were three faint, fresh scratches, seemingly the claws of some creature that had recently rubbed against them.

Skull Island is home to many creatures, so these marks were not unusual. However, Zhu Mingyao estimated the size of the claw's owner and his heart immediately skipped a beat.

At least 100 meters away!

I finally got the leave slip. I'll be taking a day off tomorrow, December 22nd. Please forgive me, brothers.

So, once the leave slip is redeemed, it's automatically used, right? (ˊωˋ*)

I need to take a day off tomorrow, December 22nd.

I need to take a short break and recharge. My drafts are about to run out. Does anyone know if a leave slip is automatically used once it's redeemed?

Chapter 201: First Night

"Did they sense a ferocious monster lurking nearby? That's why they dragged us back?"

On the flat square in front of the walled city temple, a bonfire was burning fiercely. The oppressive heat dispelled the gloomy atmosphere and blocked the eyes of the ferocious beasts in the darkness.

Madison tossed a piece of firewood into the fire, saying nonchalantly:

"In just half a day, we've seen enough monsters: car-sized bloodthirsty lizards, hard-shelled giant crabs, miniature tank-like land crabs, and fist-sized poisonous mosquitoes and flies. They would be deadly dangers to ordinary people, but to us, they were just scary to look at."

"But what if it's a giant beast that's hundreds of meters tall, incredibly strong, moves like the wind, and has a strength above the [Knight Rank]?" Zhu Mingyao glanced at her.

The girls' expressions immediately turned serious. An enemy of this level, even if they were unharmed, let alone with their power suppressed, would be enough to pose a fatal threat to them.

"Are you talking about the giant ape that wreaked havoc in New York seventy years ago? We've looked at the records, and we didn't seem to find any similar traces just now, did we?" Zoe asked astutely.

Zhu Mingyao held a sharpened wooden skewer, threaded several pieces of specially made compressed bread onto it, and roasted them over the fire.

"Since you've read the documents, you should know how a group of ordinary crew members captured the giant ape monster back then."

He carefully controlled the distance between the food and the flames, watching the bread expand and soften after absorbing the heat, and continued speaking.

"There were marks left by a giant reptile on the cliff just now. Each of its two feet had four toes and hooks, and its lower body was long and thin like a snake. It should be the same giant lizard that fought the giant ape to a standstill. According to the eyewitness, it is not only extremely ferocious, but also quite cunning. The environment is complicated at night, so we don't need to take too many risks. Let's wait until dawn to go deeper."

After saying that, he took out a square object and placed it on the ground. He chanted a spell and released white smoke, which revealed a small house made of yellow paper talismans. He pushed open the door and found that the house was fully furnished with paper beds, tables and chairs.

Zhu Mingyao tore off two pieces of fragrant bread and handed them over, waving his hand with a gentlemanly air, "You guys go in and rest first, I'll take the night watch."

Unexpectedly, he was so considerate. Madison pursed her red lips, trying hard to suppress the urge to smile, and nodded slightly with restraint:

"Thank you so much! After my birthday party, I'm planning a long trip to have some fun. Please come with me then, and I'll treat you to a good time!"

Zhu Mingyao chuckled in agreement. After the two had rested, he took out a notebook and recorded all the terrain and resources he had seen along the way since entering the secret realm.

A cool night breeze swept by, causing the campfire to flicker and casting indistinct shadows on the stone buildings.

His spiritual senses, severely affected by the laws of the secret realm, failed to detect that within the shadow cast by the fortress on the sea, several faint, eerie lights were floating and sinking.

It felt as if... something was gently swaying.

……

……

Two points of emerald fluorescence flickered, and a jaguar with purplish-black demonic stripes crouched down, silently approaching a giant centipede that had emerged from the ground under the cover of night to devour rotten wood.

Even with its sharp fangs and potent venom, this large arthropod, over a meter long, is still considered a rare target for leopards.

They're much easier to bully than those guys with all sorts of special abilities.

—Today is truly a lucky day.

If the brain structure of a jaguar were a little more complex, it would probably think something like this.

Its limbs were taut, its strong tendons were contracted, and its muscles and bones instantly transmitted an explosive force, pouncing on its unsuspecting prey with lightning speed!

The chirping of insects around us paused for a second, then resumed its noisy chorus.

Unaware of what was happening, the giant centipede continued to feast, while the leopard had vanished without a trace.

After a while, the centipede, having eaten and drunk its fill, lazily crawled back to the ground, its antennae waving happily, as if telling its story.

Today is truly a lucky day!

"Sir Michael, should we...should we continue further?"

The blond battle priest raised his spiked scepter, parted a vine blocking his path, his jaw clenched, and the protective holy light surrounding his body was reduced to a thin layer, flickering like a faulty light bulb.

As night fell, the inexplicable suppressive force within the secret realm intensified by three points, making it extremely difficult for him to endure. Besides that…

As he watched the increasing number of dark figures surrounding his "companions," his apprehension grew stronger.

A rhinoceros with thick, rock-like keratinous skin; a jaguar with sharp teeth and claws; a giant scorpion with bony spikes protruding from its chitinous exoskeleton...

These creatures, who appeared docile and followed the young wizard, were all emaciated, with phosphorescent green flames burning in their eye sockets, clearly no longer living beings.

"Just how strong is he...?" The blond priest swallowed hard, secretly shocked. He was also being targeted by the laws of the secret realm, and he was almost losing his ability to cast spells, while the other man could easily convert a bunch of undead guards. Is the difference between people really that big?

Upon hearing his question, a strange light flashed in Michael's eyes, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips, his tone as warm as a spring breeze:

"Please be patient. Let's go ahead and conduct an experiment. Once the experiment is over, we'll return to the edge area, okay?"

Although he was asking for opinions in his words, he didn't stop walking and kept moving forward on his own.

Seeing this, the blond pastor could only curse under his breath and reluctantly follow.

……

……

The sun and moon revolve, eternally unchanged. Even the high and mighty Aztec gods, within their own divine realm, follow the supreme laws of this world.

As the orange-red light shone down, many strange and dangerous creatures finished their nighttime foraging and returned to their respective burrows, and the dense jungle returned to its apparent tranquility.

On the square, a few flames still stubbornly flickered on the bonfire pile, which was mostly charred into black charcoal.

With a "click," Zhu Mingyao closed the notebook filled with various patterns and lines, and greeted the girl who emerged from the magical paper house.

"The area we passed yesterday has been mapped out. Go and bury the spatial locators, and then we can continue on our way."

Seeing the two little witches carrying a space positioning artifact shaped like a celestial globe, wandering around the fortress looking for the best place to put it, Zhu Mingyao's eyes lit up and he ran back to the temple where the blood pool stone coffin was placed.

He stared at the jewels adorning the Tescatlipoca statue, which shimmered with an ethereal aura, rubbed his hands together like a fly, and grinned without any respect.

Since you've already left Earth, all this money you've accumulated is probably useless to you, so let's not be polite!

After a brief stay, the visitors from outside embarked on new journeys, leaving behind only a few embers of bonfires in the square, emitting wisps of smoke.

Inside the temple, a slender figure quietly emerged. With unusual gait, she staggered out, glanced at the now-smooth statue, and, with a delicate, flamboyant gesture, sighed softly:

"Goodness, they really stripped her clean! Is being a thief a legal profession these days?"

"Your skill in looting treasures is almost on par with mine back in the day..."

Chapter 202 The Road to Hajj

"You get one, I get one, I get one, she gets one..."

"You bastard, you did this on purpose, didn't you? Dividing it like this, you clearly got the lion's share!"

Stepping onto the jungle path cleared by the demon general, Zhu Mingyao, clutching the antique jewelry he had plundered, teased Madison with a grin.

This treasure is of truly superior quality. Nourished by the residual divine power of the statue over a long period, it has developed a spiritual quality. With a little processing, it can become the prototype of a magical artifact.

Seeing the blonde haughty girl's red, puffed-up face, he was about to make another joke when his eyelids suddenly twitched. He turned his head to look at the stone fortress, which was now just a blurry outline, and a strange feeling inexplicably arose in his heart.

"Hehe, bring it to me!"

Before he could investigate the reason, he felt a lightness in his hand and saw Madison running ahead with her pigtails swaying triumphantly, carrying a bag full of jewelry.

"Hmm, Zoe, this tourmaline pendant really suits your style..."

That gold belt is ugly, but the ruby ​​on it is quite pure…”

"Ah...this fire opal is so big and beautiful, even better than the one my aunt has in her collection!"

The sounds of the two young girls enthusiastically dividing their spoils broke Zhu Mingyao's thoughts. As for his earlier whim, he simply sent a ghost soldier back to scout the area from afar before continuing on his journey.

After all, the secret realm is fraught with danger, and there are countless similar sensations every day. How can one truly investigate each one in depth?

Beyond the boundary between the coast and the jungle, the vegetation suddenly becomes denser, abundant and diverse, including trees, shrubs, ground cover, ferns, fungi, and mosses.

Under the influence of the laws of the divine realm, these colorful plants grow regardless of the changing climate and latitude, even to the point of baffling botanists.

North American shortleaf pine and red sandalwood from the Amazon rainforest stand side by side;

The emerald green Asian bamboo and the fiery red European maple complement each other beautifully.