Swallowing the Stars: I Have a Primordial Dao Seed

"A good harvest!" A hint of surprise flashed in Gao Tao's eyes. "Adding the seven Water-Nourishing Grasses from before, the harvest from this operation is almost 100 Mixed Yuan Units!"

He paused, looked at everyone, and said, "Keep these things for now. We'll distribute them according to your contributions once we get back to the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance base."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Gao Tao then took out a virtual map and projected it into the air. The map clearly showed the location of the valley they were in, as well as the general outline of the surrounding mountains.

"We're here now," he said, pointing to a red dot in the center of the map. "This mountain range is enormous. Our detection range was limited when we landed, so we only captured the outer area. The depths are completely unknown."

"Based on my previous experience here, the deeper into the mountains, the more numerous and stronger the Lord-level ferocious beasts become, but correspondingly, the density of precious resources will also be higher." Gao Tao's finger moved along the depths of the mountains.

Gao Tao continued, "Now we have two choices. One is to continue exploring along the outer edge of the mountain range, where we are already familiar with the strength of the ferocious beasts, so the risk is relatively low. The other is to venture deeper into the mountain range. Although the danger level will increase, the rewards may increase exponentially. Let's hear your thoughts."

Kahn spoke first, his tone calm: "I suggest that it's safer to explore the outer perimeter. Although we won the last battle, we paid a heavy price; three people sustained minor injuries. If we venture deeper and encounter stronger beasts, and someone is seriously injured and needs a long recovery period, it will actually hinder our overall progress, making it a losing proposition."

Mu Feng shook his head, a glint of adventure in his eyes: "The resources inside are much richer. As long as we act cautiously, we may not encounter any fatal danger."

Yun Yan immediately echoed, "I agree with Mu Feng's opinion. Since we've come here to search for valuable resources, as long as we don't act rashly, with our strength, we should be able to retreat unscathed. It's not that easy to encounter fatal danger."

"Since everyone has a disagreement, let's vote by raising our hands," Gao Tao said. "Those who agree to continue exploring the outer perimeter, please raise your hands."

Kahn and Sorin raised their hands without hesitation.

Sorin is skilled in stealth assassinations and prefers a safe plan to avoid unnecessary risks.

Kahn, for the sake of team safety, felt that a steady and cautious approach was the best strategy.

Zhou Yuan remained silent for a moment, quickly weighing his options. He possessed the ever-changing secret technique, enabling him to evade the detection of ferocious beasts, and he also had an E2-class spaceship as a backup plan, giving him a survival ability far superior to others of the same level.

Moreover, cultivating the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique requires a large amount of resources, and the resources inside the mountain range are even more abundant. Thinking of this, he did not raise his hand.

"Raise your hand if you agree to go deeper into the mountains." Gao Tao was the first to raise his hand. Immediately afterward, Mu Feng, Yun Yan, and Zhou Yuan also raised their hands.

"Four votes to two, that's settled then," Gao Tao said with a smile. "However, we're not in a hurry to go deeper. Let's first advance ten million kilometers in to explore the situation, see the strength of the ferocious beasts and the distribution of resources, and then decide on the next step of our plan."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the atmosphere around the campfire became lively once again.

******

Three months passed quietly during their rapid exploration. Zhou Yuan and his six companions had already traveled eight million kilometers into the mountains, and were now looking out over their initial valley outpost.

During their journey, they encountered two sizable packs of ferocious beasts. Thanks to their excellent teamwork and precise tactics, they managed to escape unscathed each time and reaped considerable rewards.

Each battle yields resources from hundreds of mixed-element units.

At noon that day, the six people stopped at the edge of a dense coniferous forest.

Gao Tao raised his hand to signal the team to pause, then tapped the virtual map with his fingertip: "There's a valley ten thousand kilometers ahead, where primal energy is gathering; it should be a beast's lair. Sorin, could you please go and scout out the details?"

Sorin nodded, her figure instantly becoming blurred. The fundamental laws of light on her body merged with the surrounding light and shadow, like a leaf fluttering in the wind, silently drifting towards the valley.

She moved incredibly fast, yet made no sound, disappearing into the depths of the woods in the blink of an eye.

Shortly after, Sorin sent a message: "Captain, six ferocious beasts have been discovered here, all of them are giant earth-attribute scorpions. Preliminary assessment indicates that one is a peak Realm Lord, one is an eighth-level Realm Lord, two are seventh-level Realm Lords, and two are sixth-level Realm Lords."

"Let's do it, Captain!" Yun Yan couldn't contain himself any longer. The flaming longsword in his hand trembled slightly, the red runes on the blade shimmering with a scorching light. "Their strength is about the same as last time. If we cooperate like this, we'll definitely take them down!"

Gao Tao looked at the others, his gaze sweeping over Mu Feng, Zhou Yuan, and Kahn in turn: "What are your opinions?"

"Come on, resources don't wait!" Mu Feng said with a smile.

"I'm fine." Zhou Yuan gripped the Zhenkong Blade at his waist. His Instant Void Slash had become increasingly proficient, more than enough to deal with a sixth-tier Realm Lord beast.

Kahn nodded and said, "I'm fine with that too. I'll handle that eighth-level World Lord."

"Alright, since everyone agrees, let's get started!" A fierce glint flashed in Gao Tao's eyes as he quickly assigned tactics.

"I'll take on the giant scorpion at the peak of the Realm Lord level. Kahn, you take on the eighth-level Realm Lord. Sorin will deal with a seventh-level Realm Lord. The three of us can handle it."

Gao Tao paused, then looked at Yun Yan: "Yun Yan, you'll hold off one seventh-tier World Lord. Your strength is a bit weak, so just stall until Zhou Yuan and Mu Feng deal with the two sixth-tier World Lords. Zhou Yuan, you'll cooperate with Mu Feng to deal with the two sixth-tier World Lords. You need to finish the battle as quickly as possible, then go help Yun Yan. Is everything clear?"

"Understood!" the five replied in unison.

"Charge!" Gao Tao gave the order and took the lead, transforming into a golden light and rushing out. The sharpness of the golden primordial law drew a dazzling trajectory in the forest.

Kahn followed closely behind, holding a shield in his left hand and a knife in his right, his massive body resembling a moving hill.

Mu Feng spread his wings and followed behind, riding on the telekinetic flying weapon, the Cloud Disc.

Finally, Zhou Yuan and Yun Yan caught up quickly.

Soon, the five approached the valley. At this moment, the six giant scorpions in the valley had already sensed the threat and let out a hissing roar.

Gao Tao, wielding the Star Pattern Spear, thrust it directly at the giant scorpion beast at the peak of the Realm Lord level.

Kahn swung the long sword in his right hand directly at the giant scorpion beast, an eighth-level World Lord.

The red runes on Yun Yan's longsword flashed, transforming into a ball of flame that slashed towards the seventh-tier World Lord giant scorpion beast in the center.

Sorin transformed into a shadow, revealing herself from behind. She swung a blade of light from her short dagger, slashing at a seventh-tier world lord giant scorpion beast on her left.

Mu Feng was the most dashing, riding on the psychic flying weapon, the Cloud Disc, and using his psychic power to control the Wind Spirit Blade, which transformed into more than ten wind blades, directly ensnaring the two sixth-tier World Lord giant scorpion beasts.

Zhou Yuan followed Mu Feng, wielding the Zhen Kong Blade, and used the Instant Void Slash to directly strike a sixth-tier World Lord giant scorpion beast.

The giant scorpion at the peak of the realm master level was the largest, measuring over three hundred meters in length. Its entire body was covered in a dark golden carapace, and the venomous stinger at its tail gleamed with a ghostly green light. It was raised high, aiming at the charging Gao Tao.