Chapter 419: The Core Area of the Battlefield

The skeleton found the thoughts of this human, who was even smaller than its own palm, utterly insane—trying to steal something right under the noses of those Dark Lords. Not only was such an act impossible, but it was something it didn’t even dare to consider. Yet, it secretly felt relieved that this guy had given up on the idea after learning that the three Dark Lords could also act during the day.
“Where do you want to go?” the skeleton asked.
“Where there are the most damaged weapons, armor, and other equipment, and the higher their quality!” Ye Feng gave a very clear requirement.
“What’s the use of those things?” The skeleton was stunned. Those damaged weapons and equipment could indeed be recycled to obtain materials for remanufacturing, but it would take much more time and effort, and the success rate of remanufacturing would decrease.
“Don’t ask so many questions. Just take me there.” Of course, Ye Feng wouldn’t reveal that he had the ultimate repair ability to restore damaged items to their original state.
“Alright!” The skeleton changed direction in mid-air and flew in another direction, then transmitted a message to Ye Feng, “We’re currently on the edge of the battlefield. The density of bones and equipment here is much lower, and the enemies here are mostly at the rank of mere soldiers. The more you want, the closer to the center of the battlefield you need to go. Of course, their strength also increases exponentially. At the very center, there should be generals at the level of Holy Kings. If we’re discovered, we’ll be killed instantly.”
“I understand. Be careful. Let’s see how far we can go.” Ye Feng knew the skeleton wasn’t lying. “If things get too bad, we’ll just retreat!”
“I’m afraid there won’t be time to retreat by then!” The skeleton wasn’t as optimistic as Ye Feng. It knew that if it encountered a Holy King-level warrior, it might be detected first even before it noticed the opponent. With the speed of such warriors, there would be no time to retreat—likely dying without even knowing how.
“Don’t worry. I’m confident we can both get out unharmed.” Ye Feng understood what the skeleton was worried about. “But it’s better to avoid them if possible.”
“Alright!” Though skeptical of Ye Feng’s words, the skeleton had no choice but to try to believe them.

He shrank his height to match Ye Feng’s before slowing down and leading Ye Feng slowly deeper toward the center of the battlefield. His previously towering stature had been enough to attract the attention of many others from a distance.

Ye Feng had planned to use a detector, but upon putting it on, he found he couldn’t detect anything. He then realized that these beings were no longer alive—only souls inhabiting bodies, completely different from real living people. The detector detected life energy, which none of the war victims, including the skeletons before him, possessed. To be precise, according to the detector, they were no different from fossilized bones on Earth, only more colorful.

With no other choice, Ye Feng took off his glasses and put them back in his storage ring, then followed the skeleton deeper.

Suddenly, the skeleton crouched down and turned to signal Ye Feng to do the same.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Feng crouched as instructed and peeked out cautiously but saw nothing unusual.

“There’s someone lurking underground not far ahead,” the skeleton transmitted.

“How do you know?” Ye Feng looked in the direction the skeleton was pointing but still saw nothing amiss.

“The soil there may seem the same as elsewhere, but upon closer inspection, there are extremely subtle color differences—this is because the soil has been disturbed. Even in the same area, there are slight differences between the lower layers and the surface soil,” the skeleton explained.

After this reminder, Ye Feng finally noticed the subtle differences, which he would never have noticed otherwise. “Your observation skills are truly meticulous—you notice such details.”

“Actually, the one hiding here is from the Houtu tribe of the Sacred Realm. They’re naturally skilled at manipulating earth elements for attacks and setting traps. In past battles, many of our brothers were killed by their ambush tactics. That’s why I’m especially wary of them.”

“If he can manipulate earth elements, he must have detected our presence from afar, right?” Ye Feng knew that those who controlled earth elements had the ability to sense movement underground, so the other party must have discovered them long before the skeleton did.

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s because he sensed our presence and knew our route that he set an ambush here. He’s not the kind to wait passively in the soil for someone to fall for his trap,” the skeleton nodded.

“Since he’s discovered us, what should we do? Kill him?” Ye Feng frowned slightly. The two had only ventured inward for less than a tea break when they encountered this situation, and they were still extremely far from the center of the battlefield.
“No, the sound of battle will attract his companions. The Houtu tribe are social creatures. Although these guys’ souls are incomplete now, their instinct to live in groups won’t change easily. And once we’re surrounded, we won’t even have a chance to retreat,” the skeleton rejected Ye Feng’s proposal.
“Do we have to turn back just because we’ve come this far?” Ye Feng looked unwilling.
“Let’s go around!” The skeleton pondered for a moment before offering a suggestion that surprised Ye Feng. “Although it has detected our presence, as long as we don’t enter its attack range or step on the traps it sets, it probably won’t attack first. Their usual attack pattern is to set traps and then launch surprise attacks once their prey falls in. Even though their souls are incomplete now, I guess their attack pattern remains roughly the same. So as long as we avoid their traps, we shouldn’t be attacked. Of course, this is just an inference based on past experience; it might not be correct. If things go wrong, we’ll retreat!”
“Okay, let’s give it a try!” Ye Feng agreed immediately.
The skeleton led Ye Feng in a semicircle. Along the way, the Houtu creature indeed didn’t attack, and the two continued deeper unharmed.
Along the way, they encountered several increasingly powerful beings several times, but managed to avoid them safely. Ye Feng also picked up five or six damaged pieces of equipment.
“Going any further will take us to the core area of the battlefield,” the skeleton said, looking into the distance from behind a broken giant rib. “The creatures here are extremely aggressive and have a strong sense of territory. I’m of the same kind as them. As long as I leave immediately after entering, I’ll be fine. But if you go, the scent of flesh and blood from you will likely provoke them to tear you to pieces in an instant.”
Ye Feng frowned at the skeletons wandering around. The distance between many of those skeletons was less than a hundred meters. At such a distance, those creatures could kill him instantly.
“How do you tell if they’re of the same kind?” Ye Feng suddenly asked.

“It’s simple—just make sure the other party doesn’t have any trace of flesh or life energy.” The skeleton was very curious why Ye Feng would ask such a question. “But since my soul is intact, I sometimes proactively detect their soul energy to assess their strength. Those with incomplete souls probably wouldn’t do such things.”

Ye Feng sent a trace of his mental energy into the first realm of the Void Domain.

“I want an intelligent robot, preferably in the shape of a skeleton,” Ye Feng stated his request.

Soon, several different skeleton robots appeared on the shelves.

Ye Feng randomly chose one. “This one!”

After purchasing the robot for free and reading the operation manual, Ye Feng took out the robot. “Is this good enough?”

The skeleton was shocked upon seeing the white skeleton-shaped robot. “Where did you get this body?”

“I collected it before,” Ye Feng lied casually. “Can they tell this is a fake?”

“If you don’t use mental energy to detect it, you won’t realize there’s no soul inside this body,” the skeleton shook its head. “But without a soul, how can you make it move? Controlling it with mental energy definitely won’t work. Even though those guys have incomplete souls, they can still easily track you using your mental energy.”

“I know. I don’t need to control it.” Ye Feng smiled as he activated the chip of the robot according to the instructions.

“Hello, master. Is there anything I can help you with?” After being activated, the robot bowed to Ye Feng.

“Go over there and pick up all the items scattered on the ground and put them in this ring. After that, return to where you are now.” Ye Feng handed the skeleton robot a storage ring. “If anyone tries to stop you, go look elsewhere.”

“Task received!” The robot walked slowly toward the core of the battlefield.

“Why is this happening?” The skeleton was puzzled. “There’s no soul inside it, and no one is controlling it with mental energy. Why can it still move?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure either how this thing works,” Ye Feng said helplessly, spreading his hands. “I only know how to use it.”

By now, the robot had finally reached the core of the battlefield. A creature whose territory had been invaded growled at it angrily. Following Ye Feng’s earlier instructions, it went to another place if anyone tried to stop it. It stepped back a few times and then headed in another direction.

Half an hour passed quickly. Ye Feng watched with anticipation as he put each item into his storage ring. Just then, an angry shout came from the sky, “Who are you, wretch, daring to steal right under my nose?”