Who said this card is outrageous?

However, using the still-warm lava outside as a "moat" did keep many uninvited guests away from Zhang Che.

Of course, Zhang Che felt the main reason was that the people outside didn't expect that someone inside had already gotten there first—the fire-attribute extraordinary energy released by the Flame Dragon Armor was perfectly concealed by the volcano and the two extraordinary plants, allowing him to stay here with peace of mind without worrying about being disturbed.

But this is only temporary. With the treasure right in front of them, few people can really wait patiently.

So when the magma outside began to cool down, the people who had been entangled with each other could no longer hold back. They temporarily gave up the idea of ​​blocking others and instead gathered together to head into the volcano.

It can only be said that anyone chosen to be the leader of a squad is unlikely to be a reckless person. They all know very well that they are still on someone else's territory, and such a big commotion here will attract extraordinary creatures from other places sooner or later.

When playing away against home, you're the one who suffers in the end.

Therefore, if things are truly beyond their control, the team leaders can cooperate with each other, and at worst, they can share the points together in the end.

After all, this exploration mission is officially organized and has a natural endorsement. Unless you are confident that you can deal with everyone, you should try to cooperate as much as possible.

That way, when we get out, things won't get too ugly.

However, just as a group of people with similar ideas entered the depths of the volcano, they had to stop because they could not withstand the high temperature environment. Suddenly, a far-sighted person noticed a red figure standing steadily on the churning lava in the distance, seemingly unafraid of the high temperature that could melt steel.

No, what exactly is that?!

As more and more people came to a clear understanding of the existence of the Flame Dragon Armor, the same thought inevitably arose in their minds.

Zhang Che felt a gaze from behind and subconsciously turned his head. Then, almost everyone who saw the armor suddenly move began to retreat, leaving only a few skilled and daring individuals who stared back at him without backing down.

"interesting……"

Zhang Che saw Song Ruolan and Su Muxue among those people, but the former knew very well that now was not the time to acknowledge her, and had already taken the opportunity to retreat.

As for Su Muxue, she was one of the few who refused to back down.

For some reason, she felt that the shape of the armored figure was somewhat familiar.

Chapter 258 Standoff

Good things never grow by the roadside waiting to be taken, especially in the warp beyond the rift.

Even students who haven't graduated from the extraordinary academy know this, let alone those present who are almost all genuine fourth-order extraordinary beings.

Even those who live a life of luxury will almost always have some experience going to rifts in search of extraordinary resources.

The two extraordinary fire-attribute spiritual plants, at least at the fifth rank, are nearing maturity. However, apart from the armored figure, there are no other living beings present. Therefore, there is only one answer—

Their original guardians have most likely been driven away by the armor or killed outright.

Either way, it proves that the person in front of them is definitely not someone to be trifled with, which is why Zhang Che was able to scare away some of the less confident guys just by turning around.

However, with the treasure right in front of them, the role that reason can play is something that only those who understand it can understand. Sure enough, after only a short while, the few people who had just left returned.

Fortunately, they were self-aware enough not to get too close and instead hid behind the three people who hadn't retreated.

Su Muxue glanced at them coldly without saying a word, but the contempt in her eyes was unmistakable.

The other two men were the same, except one of them, who looked to be in his early forties, was noticeably more discreet.

The transformation of the two extraordinary spiritual plants continued, and Zhang Che didn't mind playing with these people a little longer, since he had nothing better to do anyway.

At this moment, the younger man among the three stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and spoke with a deliberately matter-of-fact tone: "My friend, when a precious treasure appears, everyone who sees it gets a share. We can't let everyone come here for nothing, can we?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the group of extraordinary individuals behind him, and he deliberately raised his voice, intending to tie everyone to the same side as him: "These two fifth-order extraordinary spiritual plants are naturally born unclaimed objects in the subspace, and do not belong to you personally. It is inappropriate for you to keep them all to yourself. Everyone present here is a witness, and it will inevitably give others grounds for criticism if you take the treasure for yourself."

"Why don't we all divide it equally, each taking our turn for the opportunity? That would be a win-win situation for everyone."

To be honest, this deliberately pretentious, literary tone almost gave Zhang Che goosebumps.

Moreover, these words, though seemingly fair, are actually shameless.

The young man knew very well that he probably couldn't handle the armored guy on his own; the fact that he could stand on the lava unscathed was enough to intimidate anyone.

That's why he deliberately brought up the "everyone who sees it gets a share" rhetoric, attempting to coerce everyone in the room into banding together to exert pressure.

As long as everyone agrees to join forces, even if the other party is powerful, they may not dare to oppose a group of fourth-tier extraordinary beings at the same time.

In any case, everyone who was able to enter the rift this time belongs to Qi'an City. Even if it is difficult for individuals to have any further entanglements, the relationship between cities cannot be completely severed, right?

One or two might be okay, but what about five or six?

What if we add his team and Su Muxue's team, who come from the three major powers in the provincial capital?

The young man was betting that the other party wouldn't dare to oppose so many forces. Besides, he hadn't made any absolute statements. If the other party really resisted, he could back down and let them take half of the spoils, while the other half would be divided equally among them.

They've given us a way out; if we don't appreciate it, these guys aren't pushovers!

Things did start out just as the young man had predicted; after he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

The other extraordinary individuals inwardly cursed this person for being shameless. He clearly wanted to reap the benefits without sowing and use the power of the crowd to seize the treasure, yet he spoke in such a high-sounding manner.

However, everyone only thought about it in their hearts; no one on the scene spoke up to refute it, nor did anyone take a step back.

The group exchanged glances, all tacitly agreeing with this explanation.

Those who dared to venture into this volcano in search of treasure, following the unusual energy fluctuations, were not truly weak, nor were they mere brutes.

Having walked the path of the extraordinary for many years, they seemed to be wary of Zhang Che, but in reality, each of them had a backup plan and still harbored a sense of侥幸 (a lucky break).

Despite their apprehension, they didn't believe the other party could single-handedly crush everyone.

If they stick together and continue to stand their ground, the other side will most likely choose to compromise and back down.

Even if we take a step back and assume they ultimately return empty-handed, leaving in a sorry state with nothing to show for it, they will not suffer any substantial loss.

Why not take a gamble?

At the same time, Zhang Che listened to the young man's clumsy explanation, but instead of being annoyed, he couldn't help but chuckle.

He didn't offer any explanation, but simply stepped aside, revealing the two extraordinary spiritual plants that had been blocking his way, and said in a calm tone, "You're right, treasures are for everyone who sees them. But if you want to fight for them, don't make excuses, just come over."

A seemingly casual remark instantly froze the atmosphere once again.

Everyone's eyes were immediately focused on the lava river that was more than five meters wide at Zhang Che's feet. Their expressions suddenly turned serious, and the greed that had just risen in their hearts was instantly extinguished.

As mentioned before, in order to ensure fairness in this exploration, the higher-ups of Qi'an City did not inform the team of the specific situation in the subspace in advance, mainly because they did not know much about it either.

Therefore, even the nine squads directly under Qi'an City's control did not know much more information than the other squads, and they still had to rely on the cooling supplies provided by the city to resist the high temperature in this space.

This resulted in some people, despite being wealthy, not bringing much equipment to cope with the high temperatures.

After all, when exploring an unknown new rift, the most important things are survival and combat power. Therefore, everyone has prepared trump cards in these two aspects, so other aspects will inevitably be neglected.

The fact that they can now stand safely on the outer edge of the lava river, resisting the overflowing heat, is already a testament to their strength as mid-level extraordinary beings.

However, if one tries to get close to the core of the magma to compete for spiritual plants, the extreme heat will instantly tear apart the defenses of ordinary fourth-tier experts, causing irreversible damage to their bodies.

In contrast, Zhang Che stood on the lava from beginning to end, as if the scorching magma beneath his feet was nothing more than ordinary flat ground. This terrifying ability to withstand high temperatures was something that no one else present possessed.

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged bewildered glances. Their earlier confidence in putting pressure on each other vanished almost instantly, and no one dared to risk being swallowed by the lava and take even half a step forward.

However, not everyone chose to give up. At least the young man who spoke earlier, after a struggle with himself, ultimately chose to take that step.

Chapter 259 Treasure Acquired

The man's actions were quite obvious, and Zhang Che couldn't help but become interested: "An interesting fellow."

Since someone wanted to test the law, Chang Cheh was naturally happy to see it happen and raised his hand to indicate that the performance should begin.

The young man took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes, and then gripped the circular amulet he wore on his chest tightly.

This was the most treasured item his family had given him before he entered the rift: the fifth-tier alchemical artifact, the [Radiant Jade]. Once activated, it could create a protective shield around the user with enough power to withstand the continuous onslaught of a fifth-tier transcendent being.

During his previous exploration, he relied on this treasure to withstand the siege of four fourth-tier extraordinary creatures without being defeated, and then, with the cooperation of his teammates, he killed them all.

This treasure is his greatest asset on this trip!

As a faint light bloomed, a thick, semi-transparent light shield instantly enveloped his entire body, the warm barrier completely isolating him from the outside heat.

After making preparations, the young man no longer hesitated and rushed straight towards the core of the volcanic lava.

Strictly speaking, his idea was correct, and his judgment was rational enough. Under normal circumstances, this protective shield would be enough to ensure that he could safely obtain the treasure.

However, he ultimately overlooked the special nature of this unique subspace. The excessively high concentration of fire-attribute energy had already exceeded the critical point, making the magma of the entire volcano not ordinary geothermal lava, but a highly concentrated aggregate of fire elements.

Compared to the Flame Dragon Armor, which can absorb and assimilate these fire-attribute energies, the ordinary protective shield, which only passively resists damage, is completely unable to channel and neutralize the rampaging torrent of fire elements.

Moreover, the deeper one goes into the lava river, the more terrifying the surrounding fire pressure becomes. The crimson heat waves rage wildly against the entire light shield, causing the originally relatively stable [Gilded Shield] to dim at a visible speed, and the surface runes to quickly crack and extinguish.

The man was terrified. He desperately activated his mental energy to strengthen the protective shield and pushed his speed to the limit. He was only a few steps away from touching the two mature fire-attribute spiritual plants.

But just then, accompanied by a "crack" sound, fine cracks instantly spread across the entire light shield. Once the light shield shattered, the raging fire element would pour in through the cracks and begin to burn his clothes and flesh.

At the critical moment, Zhang Che, who had been standing quietly observing, suddenly made his move, using a skillful force to throw Xie Lingyang, who was on the verge of being engulfed in flames, horizontally.

The force was just right to save the person, but the angle wasn't adjusted in time.

"Pfft!"

The young man crashed heavily to the ground, falling face-first into the dirt in a rather embarrassing manner, his appearance somewhat disheveled amidst the flying dust.

Fortunately, he survived.

Everyone present could clearly see that Zhang Che's casual toss just now was tantamount to snatching his life back from the jaws of a magma tiger.

Otherwise, if it had been even a little later, the man would most likely have fallen into the lava and been completely destroyed.

Zhang Che knew very well that his true identity under the Flame Dragon Armor would be exposed sooner or later. While it was selfish to monopolize the treasure, the world of extraordinary beings was a dog-eat-dog world. At most, he would be gossiped about behind his back, which was not a big deal. However, failing to save someone in front of a group of extraordinary beings was a major issue of character and morality. It would easily leave him with a handle and attract unnecessary public opinion trouble.

Zhang Che is only concerned about himself and has no family to worry about, so he doesn't need to worry about these rumors. But don't forget that Zhang Che now represents both Binhai City and Hezhou City. The former is his hometown, and the latter is where his closest relatives live. He has to consider them.

Therefore, saving lives is the most appropriate choice.

As the dust slowly settled, Xie Lingyang struggled to his feet, his protective talisman completely destroyed, his clothes charred and torn, his exposed skin covered in fine burns, his face pale, and he looked visibly shaken.

He knew what was good for him and did not harbor resentment for being humiliated in public. Instead, he solemnly bowed to Zhang Che in the lava and said sincerely, "Thank you for saving my life."

After a brief pause, he spoke seriously, his demeanor refined and proper, no longer displaying the mercenary attitude of his previous group's pressure tactics: "I am Xie Lingyang, captain of the second squad of the Adventurers' Guild, and the third son of the Xie family of Qi'an. Today's matter was due to my greed and recklessness; my skills were inferior to others, and I am willing to admit defeat."

"If you have the time after you leave the rift, I hope you will do me the honor of visiting my humble abode so that I may formally express my gratitude for saving my life."

After speaking, Xie Lingyang didn't look at the two extraordinary spiritual plants that were about to mature again, turned around and left resolutely, completely giving up on this opportunity.

For some reason, having shed his shameless, gang-crammed demeanor, he now appears refined, honest, and upright, making it impossible to feel any dislike towards him.

As Xie Lingyang left, the atmosphere became increasingly quiet, with everyone's eyes focused on the remaining Su Muxue and the middle-aged man, filled with a mixture of observation and anticipation.

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on the graceful Su Muxue. He tentatively spoke, his tone slightly urging, "Miss Su, I've heard that your Flowing Shadow Movement Technique is as dazzling as lightning. Would you like to give it a try?"