The blond man finished speaking and looked at the four of them. After a moment of silence, they all agreed to take the risk.
Having personally witnessed the invincible Death Claw being dealt with so casually, and by just one person at that, they all felt a suppressed sense of defiance. Even Number Three felt it.
Since someone could truly kill them, they believed they could too!
Perhaps one-on-one, none of them could match that burly man. But with their inherent pride, they couldn't accept that five of them working together couldn't defeat him.
Yes, it was pure defiance!
The blond man felt the same way, so he immediately made his decision, leading the others into the strange slopes.
However, the Muay Thai woman didn't notice that as they decided to enter the strange slopes, the little girl behind her suddenly clenched her fists.
A hint of despair rose on the little face hidden behind her.
Not long after everyone entered the strange slopes, Li Chonglou returned from afar. Because he didn't see everyone, Li Chonglou assumed they were waiting for him at their original spot and bypassed it.
But soon he realized something was wrong. They were supposed to be back near where he was before he started his journey, yet he still couldn't find them.
With a sense of uncertainty, Li Chonglou rushed back to the entrance of the strange slopes, his expression changing drastically.
"They wouldn't have gone in, would they?"
Li Chonglou suddenly looked towards the strange slopes. The slopes still appeared calm, exuding an aura of peace.
The successive strange slopes stretched all the way to the mountaintop. Besides the lush green grass, there was nothing else. This mountain with its peculiar slopes didn't even have a single small tree.
Yet, in such a place, Li Chonglou could inherently sense the hidden danger within.
He couldn't understand why they would suddenly choose to go inside.
However, now was not the time to ponder such things. He had to confirm whether they were alive or dead.
Thus, Li Chonglou no longer hesitated, directly unfolding his movement technique and heading towards the strange slopes.
Upon actually arriving at the strange slopes, Li Chonglou finally understood why they were called "strange."
From angles not visible from the outside, they were actually a series of dark caves. Standing at the edge of a strange slope, he could even hear whistling sounds emanating from within.
It was a sound like a baby's cry. Anyone with an unsteady mind would tremble just standing by the strange slope for a moment, because this sound not only entered the ears but also pierced the spirit.
After a brief look, Li Chonglou intended to continue his journey, but the earth beneath his feet suddenly loosened, and a massive crab claw lunged towards his waist.
With a slight twist to avoid it, Li Chonglou used the momentum to leap to the side. At this moment, the thing hidden beneath the soil was fully exposed: it was a crab as large as a Tibetan Mastiff!
Li Chonglou's brows furrowed, but he had no intention of engaging it. He directly unfolded his movement technique and sprinted away!
The giant crab pursued relentlessly, seemingly determined to make him its prey.
"Catch me if you can!"
Li Chonglou glanced back, unleashing his full speed, transforming into a blur as he streaked towards the horizon.
Meanwhile, the blond man and the others had finally reached two-thirds of the way through the strange slopes.
The journey had been uneventful, not even encountering a single monster. They were in high spirits.
"We should have come in directly long ago. Why fear the Death Claw and waste so much time!"
Number Two grumbled with a hint of self-mockery. The Muay Thai woman couldn't help but comment.
"Perhaps it's because we got lucky and met a powerful figure."
"Heh, no matter how strong, how weak could the five of us be together? Since he could deal with the Death Claw, even if another one appeared now, we could still handle it."
With the smooth progress so far, Number Two no longer suppressed his thoughts but expressed them directly.
This was also the sentiment of the other four, so no one objected when he spoke.
The blond man smiled and said, "Alright, once we pass through the strange slopes, we'll have cleared Devil's Valley. As for the remaining beast cages, if we cooperate well, it won't be difficult to get through."
As for the final iron forest, the blond man didn't mention it, but everyone understood what it meant. This temporarily assembled team, once they cleared the beast cages, would part ways.
For a moment, they all felt a surge of excitement. At the current pace, they might actually have a chance to contend for the top ten.
No, in their own hearts, they were aiming for first place.
However, at that very moment, Number Three, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
"Uh, isn't that the big shot?"
Hearing Number Three's words, they all looked in the direction he indicated. There, on the last stretch of the strange slopes, the burly man from before was standing upright at the edge of a strange slope.
He was still holding that long spear, but the Death Claw impaled on it was nowhere to be seen.
Due to their apprehension of the man's strength, they quickly steadied themselves and hid on the spot. After several minutes, they found that the burly man was still motionless.
The blond man hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "You all wait here. I'll go ask."
As the temporary captain, there were things he had to do, and he clearly had the resolve for it.
The others naturally had no objections, only telling him to be careful.
The blond man stepped out of the strange slope beneath his feet and walked towards the burly man. When he was about ten meters away, he clasped his fists and asked.
"Excuse me, brother, is there any situation here?"
Silence. After the blond man finished speaking, the only response was the sound of the wind.
"Brother?"
The blond man raised his voice slightly, but the other party still didn't react, standing erect with his spear held steady.
After waiting for about another minute, the blond man sensed that something was wrong and quickly circled around to look at the man's front.
However, upon seeing it, he almost lost his soul.
The burly man's face, his internal organs, and everything else were gone. Only a skeleton, still clinging to flesh and blood, stood there. The blood within hadn't fully drained and was dripping from his intact feet onto the cave floor in front of him.
The blond man froze on the spot, his eyes wide open, staring in horror at the gruesome and unbelievable sight.
Number Three, growing impatient behind him, also stepped out of the strange slope to see what was happening, but the blond man noticed and yelled at him to stop.
"Don't come over!"
It was a warning born of instinct, but after he spoke, he immediately regretted it. Shouting and yelling at a time like this was almost equivalent to courting death.
"Run!"