I told you to plant peas, and you summon Mordekaiser?

As the soil beneath their feet thinned and the surrounding trees gradually thinned, they finally stepped into the cliff area.

The stone wall, exposed to the wind, was dull and pale, like bones eroded by time.

The cliffs rise and fall, and the wind whistles through the cracks.

This area is unusually rocky; trees have vanished, as if to isolate something.

“The change in geographical conditions is too sudden,” Chi Zigao said. “It’s definitely not normal.”

Chen Yang did not respond. His gaze swept over the rocks beneath his feet, and his brows furrowed slightly.

These rock crevices were covered with a dense array of thorny bushes.

They huddled in the shadows, like predators who had been lying in wait for a long time.

"These spikes... how come there are so many?" Huangfu Qinghe's tone revealed a hint of unease.

"It might be related to the environment of this place."

Chen Yang had Rek'Sai take action, and in just a moment, the spikes between the cliffs were completely devoured.

"Its level is pitifully low, probably only one or two ranks, it's not a threat at all."

Chi Zigao chuckled, "I thought the restricted area would be much more dangerous."

"No, this is probably just the outermost periphery."

Chen Yang looked at the desolate area with a solemn expression.

"There are already such dense spikes here; if we go any deeper, there might be even more advanced spikes."

After traveling for another day, the rocky terrain finally receded, and they could see in the distance a jungle enveloped by this bare rocky mountain range.

The air in the jungle was damp and oppressive, with sunlight blocked by the dense canopy, casting large shadows.

The view inside the jungle is unseen.

As they traveled through the day, they discovered that there were only two types of plants in this bare rock mountain area.

Spikeweed and squash.

Inside the mountainous region, the squash and ground thorn are noticeably different from before.

They lurked in the shadows, larger than those in the outer areas, and their aura was more ferocious.

Most of them have already reached the fourth level.

The three decided not to enter the jungle, but to settle in the mountainous area outside the jungle.

Fourth-tier squash and spiked gouramis are their perfect hunting targets.

They found a natural cave at the foot of a cliff.

The entrance to the cave is narrow, but the interior is spacious enough, with rugged stone walls that keep out the cold winds from the outside.

Chen Yang went in first, put his backpack on the ground, and glanced around: "This place is a good place to settle down for now."

Chizi Gao leaned against the cave entrance and joked, "Won't those squash gouramis launch a sneak attack in the middle of the night? I don't want to fall asleep and get blown up in the head by a squash."

"Don't worry, we have enough machine gunners; they can at least keep your head."

Huangfu Qinghe also entered the cave.

Chi Zigao shrugged and looked around the cave: "This place is really desolate."

As they arrived, night was falling.

Faint rustling sounds occasionally drifted through the jungle, as if unknown eyes were watching the intruders on this land.

After setting up the machine gunner and camouflage nut as usual, the three sat quietly in the cave, listening to the wind whistling through the mountain wall, each lost in their own thoughts.

......

......

Time flies like sand through an hourglass, and half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The silence of the mountain was broken by the footsteps of the three, and the fourth-tier earth spikes and squash became the nourishment for their growth.

These spikes lurking in the crevices of the rocks offered almost no resistance to the combined assault of the three men.

Occasionally, a few fifth-tier plants will emerge from the jungle.

Aside from the fifth-tier garlic causing some trouble for Chen Yang and his companions, the cave was filled with a pungent stench, forcing them to make do outside for the night.

All the other plants were killed by Rex and became nutrients for this ferocious beast.

But this massacre was not going to end indefinitely.

As the hunt progressed, the number of spikes and squash around their caves decreased sharply, and the surrounding area became increasingly desolate.

"We've almost wiped out all the plants in this area."

While munching on his dry rations, Chi Zigao lazily said, "I have a feeling that my Destruction Mushroom Archer is just a little short of reaching Tier 6."

Without the bracelets, they couldn't check the plant status through the panel.

However, they can roughly judge the current strength of a plant by its scent.

"We need to explore the outside world."

Huangfu Qinghe spoke calmly, looking up at the distant, rolling mountain shadows.

To improve efficiency, the three changed their methods of operation.

Chi Zigao and Huangfu Qinghe formed a team, while Chen Yang, alone with Youmi, headed to the other side to search for the target.

Rex has been hunting alone from the very beginning.

It has almost become the king of this mountainous region.

Having been tempered in the enchanted forest, it is like a wild beast whose hunting instincts have been awakened.

These rocky cliffs are Rex's home ground.

It traverses the ground at lightning speed, turning any spikes and squash that try to resist into fragments under its fangs.

Ordinary Tier 4 plants are no match for Rek'Sai and are almost instantly defeated.

Two weeks of peace and tranquility were shattered by an unexpected event.

On this day, Chi Zigao and Huangfu Qinghe brought back unsettling news.

"We discovered a huge explosion site in the distance."

Chi Zigao frowned and lowered his voice, "The entire mountain was blown flat."

“If it was caused by zombies…” Huangfu Qinghe continued, “then it means this place is not safe.”

A massive explosion.

The three quickly recalled the massive explosion caused by the zombies at the human settlement.

Chen Yang's expression hardened, and he hurriedly followed them to the scene.

It was a breathtaking scene.

A mountain peak was almost blown in half, and the surrounding hilltops were also covered with traces of the explosion.

The air was thick with the smell of scorched earth, and broken rocks were scattered all around, making it look like a ruin.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, Chen Yang's gaze swept over the devastated land, and a strong sense of familiarity suddenly welled up in his heart.

“Here…” he murmured, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

Fragments of memory pieced together in his mind, and he suddenly realized something.

"Isn't this... the place where the Doom Mushroom destroyed during the first Ascension Qualifier?"

Upon hearing Chen Yang's words, Chi Zigao and Huangfu Qinghe were both taken aback.

"What are you talking about? The first Ascension Qualifying Tournament?" Huangfu Qinghe pressed, his eyes filled with surprise.

During that competition, apart from Chen Yang, no one else had ever left the jungle or seen anything beyond it.

Chen Yang's tone became more firm: "I'm sure, this is the location of our first Ascension Qualifying Tournament."

The group exchanged glances for a moment, and all of them saw shock and unease in each other's eyes.

They never expected that they would stumble upon the location of their first ascension qualifying competition.

"This place is not simple."

Chi Zigao said in a low voice, the smile on his face long gone.

"No wonder this jungle is marked as a restricted area."

Huangfu Qinghe pondered for a moment, then said softly, "The dangers inside are probably far beyond our imagination."

They had been to this jungle before and knew that there were some terrible things inside.

The mystery of why the zombies were unwilling to attack this area was thus solved.

Chen Yang looked up at the dense forest in the distance, his eyes cold and stern: "It seems we need to be more cautious from now on."