Ren Ping chuckled, "Next time there's an operation like this, we absolutely have to bring him along."
As they walked further in, Ye Tian saw trees toppled by the shockwave, knowing he wasn't far from the impact crater.
Suddenly, strange laughter echoed around them. Seven palm-sized paper figures flew in the air, their eyes blood-red and incredibly eerie. The paper figures resembled various ancient deities from the Land of the Rising Sun, appearing very bizarre.
Then, one of the paper figures spoke, "Retreat!"
Ye Tian sneered, "A few pieces of paper think they can make me retreat?"
One paper figure suddenly ignited, and a green phantom emerged from the flames, lunging fiercely at Ye Tian.
Ye Tian showed no fear. He thrust his bronze short sword forward. Fueled by his true energy, the sword emitted a sword light several meters long, cleaving the green phantom in two.
The green phantom let out a scream and vanished into smoke. Ye Tian then leaped into the air, his sword light sweeping across. Three of the remaining six paper figures were cut down. The remaining three hastily flew towards the sky.
A muffled groan came from not far away. Ye Tian employed his Ghost God Steps, instantly closing the distance.
He saw a woman in red sitting in a withered tree. She was beautiful, but her face was deathly pale, and blood continuously seeped from the corner of her mouth. Ye Tian's destruction of her paper figures had caused a severe backlash.
Their eyes met. The woman closed her eyes and said faintly, "Strike."
Ye Tian, hearing her speak the Central Plains Mandarin, became curious and asked, "You're not from the Land of the Rising Sun?"
The woman reopened her eyes, "I lived in the Central Plains before I was six."
Ye Tian, "You are the Ninja King, aren't you?"
The woman replied, "No. The Ninja King has entered the impact crater."
Just then, Ren Ping and the others arrived. He took out an instrument to test the area and exclaimed, "Brother, radiation levels are off the charts. Kill her quickly."
Ye Tian placed a hand on the woman and said, "I'll let you off this time. Leave this place."
The woman seemed surprised. She gazed deeply at Ye Tian with her beautiful eyes, then silently got up and left.
Ren Ping shook his head, "Brother, this is no time for tender mercies. This woman is very dangerous. I would have killed her directly."
Ye Tian replied, "She's from the Central Plains. I spared her life."
Ren Ping continued, "Never mind her. Quickly put on your protective suits and see what's happening inside."
Ye Tian stated, "You all shouldn't go. I'll scout ahead."
Without donning a protective suit, he strode forward. Ren Ping quickly called out, "Brother, be extremely careful!"
The impact crater was vast. As Ye Tian descended, he felt a peculiar energy, carried by the radiation, permeating his body. Judging that this energy had no adverse effects, he ignored it.
Soon, he saw a corpse. It was two Caucasians. They had seemingly self-immolated, their bodies reduced to ash except for their heads. However, their brains had also burned away, leaving their eye sockets as two charred holes.
At that moment, a purple shockwave erupted from the bottom of the crater. With no time to react, the purple light surged into his body. Fortunately, his cells stored immortal energy, which absorbed and refined the purple light before it could cause any damage, transforming it into a different, mysterious power.
Simultaneously, the inner core automatically flew out, seemingly eager for the purple light.
He was astonished; this purple light seemed somewhat similar to immortal energy!
He continued inward. After dozens of meters, he saw two more corpses, this time of Japanese individuals. One of them was likely the Ninja King.
"Buzz!"
A second purple light emitted, and the inner core vibrated violently, forming a force field that directly captured the purple light. Soon, a faint purple glow appeared on the surface of the inner core.
Similarly, Ye Tian absorbed some more purple light, which only deepened his curiosity. He quickened his pace towards the crater's floor.
Finally, upon reaching the very bottom of the impact crater, he saw a semi-transparent stone emitting a faint purple glow. The stone was as large as a millstone, its surface covered in mysterious runes.
At that moment, the inner core suddenly emitted a "buzz" and violently collided with the meteorite. With a tremendous roar, the meteorite shattered, and a purple bead was adhered to the inner core.
The two flew into the air, both attempting to devour the other, like a purple meteor streaking through the sky at high speed, emitting a piercing whine.