I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

Klaus's voice came from in front of Lu Yuan.

"You only saw one?"

Lu Yuan looked in the direction where the special individual had disappeared and nodded.

"I only sensed the presence of one."

Klaus understood somewhat. Lu Yuan, on the other hand, clearly couldn't offer any further confirmation. He paused for a moment.

After the special individuals escaped, the giant ghouls on the battlefield surged even more fiercely, climbing out of the gap one after another.

But those infected by the forest seed quietly retreated.

Those who weren't infected were still holding out at the front, as if they had received some order to use themselves as shields to cover the infected as they retreated.

They already know the most basic tactics.

Klaus didn't need to lift a finger; his servants wiped them out all by themselves.

However, using his abilities on such a large scale was also a burden on his attendants. He took out a bottle of unknown potion from his pocket and drank it down, and his heaving chest gradually calmed down.

As the last ghoul fell, the sudden surge receded, in a somewhat comical manner.

The plaza was a scene of utter devastation. A thick layer of ghoul flesh and remnants of forest wood covered the area, and large sections of the bronze-plated ground were charred black—the bronze had clearly lost its original power. The remains of the massive chimera had crumbled into pieces of green crystal, scattered near the collapsed area. The air was thick with the stench of burning and blood, and faint embers of fire still burned on the ground, casting shadows on everyone's faces.

Everyone waited for Klaus to speak.

Klaus didn't hesitate, looking at the mess before him.

"Intelligent individuals have been confirmed among the ghouls; this is just the beginning."

"Moreover, I strongly suspect this counterattack was a premeditated attack. It didn't expect us to gather so many Tier 4 forces at once, which is why it fled."

No one responded.

Because what Klaus said is most likely true. A fourth-tier anomaly who knows how to assassinate must be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.

Klaus continued speaking.

"So we can't wait any longer. Let's go down now and proceed according to the previously established plan and preparations."

Everyone nodded.

Adrian closed the book, holy light gathering between the pages, and the bronze cover snapped shut. He nodded, stood up, and dusted off his robe.

"Alright." The old bishop paused, "However, now that this alien species has gained intelligence, it won't let us go down so easily. Bronze City needs to be well-defended—I suspect it will launch an attack on the surface while we're submerged."

"Everything's arranged here," Klaus nodded. "The ground should hold for a while."

"Alright, let's set off then."

The Blue Knight sheathed her rapier, and the pale blue threads receded from the surface of her armor. The faint mist on her body dissipated, and the stains were washed away.

She stood beside the collapse, looking down at the dark hole below, her brows furrowed slightly.

That brief exchange just now clearly made her realize the significance of that special individual.

Margaret, on the other hand, eagerly moved closer to Klaus.

"If that's the case, then what are we waiting for?"

Klaus didn't say anything more. He walked to the edge of the gap and looked down.

A foul stench, mingled with the smell of decay and earth, billowed up from the collapsed opening. From deeper within, the howls and footsteps of retreating ghouls could already be heard.

The figure disappeared into the darkness.

The Great Ascendant followed closely behind, its mechanical legs launching it downwards.

Adrian tucked the scripture under his arm, grabbed the rope at the edge of the opening with one hand, and leaped in silently. The Blue Knight followed closely behind, carrying the coffin-like container.

The attendant leaped directly from the edge, his robes fluttering in the wind.

Margaret took one last look at the ground, a smile playing on her lips, and then leaped in.

Lu Yuan stood at the edge of the gap, watching their figures disappear into the darkness one by one.

Without further hesitation, he leaped into the collapsed area.

Lu Yuan was the last to land, and the ground beneath his feet felt surprisingly soft.

It felt like stepping on a layer of wet, sticky stuff, something that was hard to tell if it was mud or flesh. The stench of decay mixed with the stench of mud hit him, making Lu Yuan frown involuntarily.

The people in front had already taken their positions. The last bit of sunlight filtering through the collapse was cast into a grayish-white circle a dozen meters above their heads.

A broken copper sealing line hung from the edge of the round opening, dangling down in sections, the broken ends covered with dense, jagged marks.

This is a large cavity created by a secondary collapse.

The ground was uneven and riddled with drag marks and claw marks. Deep trenches stretched from the center of the cavity into the darkness in all directions, some deep enough to reach half a calf. The giant ghoul had crawled back and forth here countless times, thoroughly plowing the ground.

The gray and white text in the corner of Lu Yuan's field of vision floated quietly, without jumping out of the "extremely strong" line.

He breathed a sigh of relief and used the silver light emanating from the Ascended One to survey his surroundings.

Embedded in the hollow rock walls were patches of grayish-green saprophytic fungi, their fuzz spreading out against the stone. But now the fungi were retreating into the shadows, their fuzz curling and burrowing into the crevices, as if something ominous was approaching.

In a short period of time, the seal was loosened, and this collapsed area grew into an independent little world.

No one could answer the question: where did all these giant ghouls come from?

Klaus stood at the front, his eyes fixed on the darkness in the distance.

Lu Yuan followed his gaze.

On the other side of the cavity was a dark opening leading down a passage. Deep within the passage, a faint red figure stood in the darkness.

It was a special individual; instead of escaping, it stood there quietly, waiting for them.

"That thing... seems to be waiting for us?" Klaus's voice held a hint of doubt, his eyes never leaving the red figure. "Is it trying to lure us inside?"

He didn't rush to make a decision; he twirled the bone ring halfway around his finger.

"Should we just follow them?" he asked, as if addressing the crowd, but also as if asking himself.

The Great Ascendant and Adrian exchanged a glance. One mechanical eyeball flickered slightly, while the other nodded slightly. The attendant remained silent, indicating that he had no objections.

The Blue Knight weighed the container on his shoulder, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and Margaret surveyed her surroundings, appearing indifferent.

Klaus looked away.

"Let's go," Klaus said. "If it's willing to lead the way, let's see where it wants to take us."

With Klaus taking the lead, the entire team followed.

Seeing that they were following, the red figure turned and disappeared into the depths of the passage. It didn't walk fast, always keeping its figure at the edge of everyone's sight, slowing down and waiting for a while when it turned a corner.

This time the road was surprisingly easy to travel.

The carrion fungi on the ground retreated to both sides, making way for a path in the middle.

The giant ghouls that should have pounced out of the holes in the collapsed wall were all cowering, their eerie green eyes peering at the crowd from the entrances, none daring to cross the line.

But Lu Yuan quickly realized something was wrong and cleared the only path he could walk on.

The path opened up only after the red shadow had passed. The forks in the road on both sides and the dark, collapsed openings were still filled with ghouls, their eerie eyes layered upon layer.

Several of them were still entangled with grayish-green roots, firmly tied to the spot and unable to move.

The thing was urging them to go, only allowing them to follow the path it pointed out.

Klaus's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and the faces of the people walking in the middle also looked grim.

A strange light flashed in the mechanical eyeball of the Great Ascendant.

"This thing's brain..." A gear clicked in his throat, "...is it really a giant ghoul?"

Although it was astonishing, it was true; there seemed to be a highly intelligent being lurking beneath this abyss.

Klaus didn't just keep walking forward.

Lu Yuan followed behind and caught a glimpse of five pale green afterimages behind him, staggered one after the other, their outlines floating indistinctly.

As they reached a fork in the road, one of the paths quietly slipped away. It didn't follow the group and remained at the edge of the fork, its outline fading away little by little until it blended into the shadows of the rock face.

One of the five paths is gone, leaving four paths.

Almost simultaneously, a movement appeared at Lu Yuan's feet. It was the green crystals flowing out from Klaus's feet, slowly spreading outwards along the patterns on the ground.

The flow left a very faint trace where it passed, which then faded away in the blink of an eye, and could not be seen at all without close inspection.

Clearly, Klaus was preparing for his future.

Klaus wasn't the only one with this idea.

Ascended beings at the front took advantage of a turn, flicked their wrists, and stuffed something into a crevice in the rock wall. It was so fast it was almost invisible, clearly indicating that they were preparing for the worst.

Lu Yuan walked at the very end of the group.

He clutched a ghoul brain core in his hand, its grayish-brown shell pressed against his palm, covered with dense, eerie inscriptions that emitted a faint aura.

He carried seventeen of them with him on this trip. With his aura enveloping him, he became "one of the same kind" as the ghouls scattered all over the ground, making him difficult to single out.

As for why they weren't given to Klaus and the others, the reason is simple: they still have...

A large expanse of gray and white text floated before my eyes, all of it being prompts from the ghouls on both sides of the road.

As he went deeper, Lu Yuan's consciousness sank into the depths of his body.

The two key fragments that had already been connected were still there. As soon as he focused his mind on them, they responded faintly. Lu Yuan was confirming that he could bring the two fragments to his side at any time if he wanted to.

What chilled him to the bone was something else entirely.

He tried to observe the red shadow ahead using the gray and white characters, but the thing moved too fast, and the time required to observe it seemed unusually long, so that every time he wanted to get some information, it would dodge him.

'What exactly is it...' He stared at the intermittently appearing red light. 'It seems I'll only have a chance when Klaus and the others fight it.'

However, not having to lift a finger along the way, while frightening, has an unexpected advantage.

The further you go down this path, the more bronze pillars you might encounter that you haven't touched before. The more pillars you touch, the more fragments you can collect.

Thinking this way, Lu Yuan quickened his pace.