Cold sweat ran down Yang Ming’s forehead, slowly trickling along his cheek before dripping onto the ground.
Looking at the tall guards patrolling back and forth around the altar, Yang Ming instinctively quieted even his breathing.
“I never thought that such a huge boss would be hiding within ten thousand meters of my territory.”
Yang Ming could not even scan the information of a single guard.
It was difficult to imagine how powerful the boss behind this altar truly was.
“Whew~” Yang Ming took a deep breath. After steadying his emotions, he quietly retreated.
In any case, for the sake of safety, he definitely could not explore this Evil God Altar right now.
Even any one of the guards patrolling around the altar made Yang Ming feel immense pressure.
What difference was there between not retreating now and seeking death?
After retreating to a safe distance, Yang Ming could not help turning around to scan the information of the enormous altar.
He had thought it would be impossible to detect anything, but to Yang Ming’s surprise, he actually captured quite a bit of information.
【Name】: Evil God Altar.
【Quality tier】: Legendary Grade.
【Introduction】: The place where hero Aminos died. For some mysterious reason, Aminos, the human hero who had once slaughtered countless demons, ultimately fell into an Evil God.
【Current Status】: Unoccupied.
【Hint】: You can try to trade with Evil God Aminos, provided that you have already prepared yourself to offer up your soul.
Yang Ming took one look, then decisively turned around and continued retreating.
At this stage, unless Yang Ming was sick in the head, he absolutely would not get involved with this Evil God Altar.
He would focus on developing for a while first. Once he became stronger in the future, Yang Ming would return and try to explore this place.
The group retreated along the route they had come in, maintaining perfect order.
After retreating five hundred meters, Cocolite, who had been following beside Yang Ming, suddenly collapsed face-first onto the ground with a thud.
“Huff, huff, huff…”
Cocolite’s little face looked extremely pale. Her legs had gone weak, and she lay on the ground, panting heavily.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Ming hurriedly helped her up and asked with concern.
“Lord, I’m fine… I’m just a little tired,” Cocolite said dizzily.
Only then did Yang Ming remember that she was a weakling with a combat power of only 3.
After walking such a long distance, compounded by the influence of the Evil God Altar, Cocolite’s physical strength and energy had both reached their limits.
Yang Ming took out the dried meat and water he had brought with him and handed them to Cocolite, saying softly:
“Rest for a while if you’re tired. Eat something to replenish your strength.”
Cocolite accepted the food and then repeatedly thanked Yang Ming:
“Thank you, lord.”
Cocolite opened her little mouth and took a small bite, then carefully chewed it slowly.
Unlike last time, she did not wolf it down. Instead, she sat on a rock and slowly savored the hard-won aroma of the meat.
“Lord really is a good person.” Cocolite’s eyes grew slightly moist. She could no longer remember when she had last eaten meat.
While Cocolite was eating, Yang Ming ordered the group to rest where they were.
Yang Ming also casually found a rock to sit on, then picked up a pen and his blueprint and marked the resource points they had explored over the past few days.
He planned to make a map, using the territory as the center and drawing all the surrounding terrain and routes.
With a map, developing the territory would be much more convenient in the future.
Ten minutes later, a crude map was completed.
The map covered an area centered on the territory, extending ten kilometers to the east and three kilometers to the west, south, and north.
Yang Ming marked the Evil God Altar prominently in red. It was located one hundred thousand meters east of the territory and was currently regarded as one of the forbidden lands.
Of course, this map was very crude and would need to be improved further in the future.
After resting sufficiently, Yang Ming gave the order to begin the return journey.
On the way back, Yang Ming encountered no danger. Instead, he discovered a herd of goats near a small river.
The goats were ordinary goats whose combat power was too low to pose any threat. Under Yang Ming’s command, the group quickly hunted down the entire herd.
After a quick count, there were thirty goats in total, each weighing approximately sixty jin.
“Carry all the goats back. We’ll stew them for soup tonight,” Yang Ming ordered.
Hearing that there would be meat to eat, the warriors cheered softly before eagerly hoisting the goats onto their shoulders.
Before sunset, Yang Ming finally returned to the vicinity of his territory.
“Hmm?”
Yang Ming suddenly smelled a faint scent of blood.
The bloody smell was coming from the direction of the territory.
“Could someone have attacked my territory?” Yang Ming’s expression changed, and he hurriedly quickened his pace.
Yang Ming saw that there were extensive bloodstains on the fence surrounding the territory. A battle had clearly taken place.
As soon as Yang Ming entered the territory, several people immediately gathered around him.
“Greetings, lord!”
Upon hearing that Yang Ming had returned, Chen Jian immediately rushed over.
“What happened to the territory?” Yang Ming took the initiative to ask before Chen Jian could speak.
Chen Jian lowered his head and cupped his fists before Yang Ming as he said:
“Reporting to you, lord, at noon, three Fine-Grade demon Wolves led a pack of Wild Wolves in attacking your territory. However, I have already eliminated them all.”
Hearing this, Yang Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Yang Ming had been clever enough to leave Chen Jian behind to protect the territory that morning. Otherwise, the losses would have been disastrous.
“Very good. Well done.” Yang Ming stepped forward, patted Chen Jian on the shoulder, and praised him. “And you, my friend—you are the true hero!”
Receiving Yang Ming’s affirmation, Chen Jian’s body trembled slightly, and his voice became even more powerful:
“Lord, I am willing to give everything for you, including my life.”
At the same time, Chen Jian’s loyalty instantly rose to 95 points.
Yang Ming asked again:
“Aside from the demon wolf attack, did anything else happen?”
Chen Jian thought for a moment before saying:
“Not long ago, a group of refugees arrived near the territory. The village where they lived was destroyed by an exotic beast, and they hoped to receive protection, so I took them in.”
“Hmm, you did very well.” Yang Ming was quite satisfied, because he had long ago ordered that all natives be accepted.
Population was one of the important conditions for a territory upgrade.
Yang Ming pointed at the goat carcasses behind him and said to Chen Jian:
“Find one or two chefs among the natives. Have them process these goats, then heat oil in a pot and make mutton soup to distribute to everyone.”
“Yes.” Chen Jian lowered his head.
“Oh, and one more thing.” Yang Ming suddenly spoke again. “Take some demon wolf meat and skyhorn azure bull meat from the warehouse, boil them together, and distribute them to the warriors who performed well in battle.”
“Thank you, lord.”
“Hmm, go ahead.”
After receiving the order, Chen Jian immediately called over more than a dozen people and began processing the goat meat.
Before long, night fell.
Above Yang Ming’s territory, the lights shone brightly, while the rich aroma of meat drifted into every corner.
Several large pots had been set up in the open ground. Boiling water roiled inside them, and under the heat of the raging fire, the bones and chunks of meat were almost stewed to softness, filling the air with an enticing fragrance.
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