CHAPTER 270: CHAPTER270-REAPING THE BENEFITS ALONE

"Then you accompany him," Tristan said, his eyes showing disdain.

It seemed he thought Anderson’s intervention was due to seeing his friend targeted, but he restrained himself due to Tristan’s status.

As Owen and Anderson ventured forth once more, Norma’s eyes flickered with a hint of triumph.

Offending her meant being prepared for regret.

Yashum’s breathing grew heavier.

Owen and Anderson were his picks for the team, and seeing them constantly targeted stirred unrest within him.

He decided that once Owen and they returned, he would no longer subject them to such risks.

If someone had to explore, he would take their place.

"Anderson, your acting is too good," Owen communicated through a transmitting stone as they approached the entrance, sensing the dense arcanergy within.

"Haha, much obliged.

But what do we do next? We can’t stay inside for long," Anderson replied through the stone.

Owen smiled confidently.

"Leave it to me. Just remember to scream in agony when it’s time."

As they spoke, Owen stepped into the entrance.

When half his body was through, Owen suddenly showed a look of terror and shouted towards Anderson, "Anderson, save me!"

Anderson, startled, hurriedly reached for Owen’s other hand, calling out, "Give me your hand!"

With an expression of utter despair, Owen desperately grabbed Anderson’s hand, his eyes filled with hopelessness.

"I’m done for, a terrifying force is dragging me, save me, save me!"

In the midst of speaking, Owen’s body gradually disappeared into the entrance, leaving only his arms yet to fully enter.

Anderson’s eyes widened in fear, attempting to pull away, but Owen held on tightly.

"Let go of me, let go!"

Anderson panicked, exerting all his strength to break free from Owen’s grip.

Then, terrified, he looked towards the entrance, "Let go..."

Before Anderson could finish his sentence, he was dragged into the entrance, and a scream echoed.

The onlookers, standing at a distance, turned pale with shock.

The man in blue and the others retreated in unison.

Yashum’s eyes bulged, and he fell to his knees, powerless, blaming himself and the collaboration with the man in blue for the demise of Owen and Anderson...

Norma also stepped back, somewhat frightened by the scene before her.

Although she wished Owen and Anderson would regret their actions, she didn’t want them in danger.

The man in blue glanced at the entrance, fear evident in his eyes, and advised the group, "Don’t go near that entrance. Let’s look for another mechanism."

...

While Tristan and the others were unsettled by the incident with Owen and Anderson, Owen and Anderson were actually enjoying the highly concentrated arcanergy in a geomantic treasure spot behind the entrance.

"Owen, next time you start acting, at least give me a heads-up.

I actually thought you were being pulled in," Anderson glared at Owen.

Owen chuckled lightly.

"Wasn’t that to make it more realistic?"

While speaking, Owen explored the geomantic treasure land, sensing where the arcanergy was richest.

A moment later, Owen sat down in a spot towards the center of the treasure land, calling out, "Anderson, come here."

Anderson immediately headed over and sat down beside Owen.

"How long do we plan to stay here?" Anderson asked.

"I intend to break through to nirvana-tier grade 2 here," Owen replied, gazing around at the space enveloped in a mist of arcanergy.

"The arcanergy here is only slightly weaker than the Sanctuary’s Sacred Pool. Given the time constraints associated with the Sacred Pool, we must seize this opportunity."

Anderson nodded silently.

Although as a saint he had access to many of the Sanctuary’s resources for cultivation, opportunities like the Sacred Pool still had to be earned.

"Then let’s get started. The most prudent course of action is to enhance our strength first."

Anderson smiled and immediately entered a meditative state, aiming to stabilize his nirvana-tier grade 2 realm before attempting to break through to nirvana-tier grade 3.

Owen also closed his eyes and began to meditate.

His avatar had been in the Sanctuary for many days, with the strength of nirvana-tier grade 1 fully stabilized.

He presumed that advancing to nirvana-tier grade 2 wouldn’t take long.

Once he achieved nirvana-tier grade 2, Owen planned to first deal with Norma.

Previously, he had held back, considering her an acquaintance of Yashum and owing him a favor.

However, after being repeatedly provoked by her, he felt no need to restrain himself any longer.

Although the presence of the man in blue and others warranted caution, Owen’s concerns would dissipate upon reaching nirvana-tier grade 2.

He was confident that with the strength of nirvana-tier grade 2, even facing ordinary nirvana-tier grade 4 practitioners wouldn’t pose much of a problem, not to mention Tristan’s companions who were merely at nirvana-tier grade 2.

As Owen commenced his cultivation, arcanergy vortexes appeared around him, drawing in the surrounding arcanergy in a frenzy.

Owen felt exhilarated, sensing his strength increasing at a visibly rapid pace.

With the current rate of progress, he estimated that a breakthrough could be achieved in just ten days.

Anderson suddenly woke up, gasping as he saw the terrifying arcanergy madly rushing towards them.

He even feared that this geomantic treasure spot, under Owen’s cultivation for a few months, might directly turn into a wasteland.

Despite his shock, Anderson understood this was a rare opportunity for him.

He immediately closed his eyes and continued his meditation.

Although most of the arcanergy was absorbed by Owen, the movement of arcanergy stirred by Owen made it even denser than before, doubling the efficiency of his cultivation.

Unknowingly, Owen and Anderson spent eight days in this geomantic treasure spot.

On that day, Owen’s body shook as a powerful wave of arcanergy, several times stronger than before, slowly released from him.

Anderson was instantly alerted by Owen’s breakthrough.

"Owen, did you break through?" Anderson asked.

"Indeed!"

Owen replied with a hearty laugh, having entered nirvana-tier grade 2 sooner and stronger than he had anticipated.

Anderson glanced towards the distant passage, suggesting, "It’s about time we head out."

"There’s no rush. Let’s stay a few more days; besides this place, they have nowhere else to go."

"Oh? Did you find the entrance?"

Anderson looked over in surprise.

"Yes."

Owen nodded, having used the ability of mind shackles not only to find the entrance but also to gain a deep understanding of the Endless Contraption.

After a moment, Owen withdrew his gaze, his eyes gradually revealing a look of astonishment.

Anderson, seeing this, quickly asked, "What’s it like?"

Owen took a deep breath and slowly explained, "The so-called Endless Contraption is composed of two level 8 arrays, which are further divided into hundreds of smaller arrays."

Looking up into the void, Owen continued, "The space we’re currently in is the real Ancient Ruins and the only way out."

Upon hearing this, Anderson’s heart jolted.

Level 8 arrays?

Level 7 arrays were already considered incredibly complex in the world, let alone level 8.

He estimated that no one in the current world could break such an array.

Gathering his thoughts, Anderson looked towards Owen and asked, "Then, do you have a way to get out?"

Owen shook his head, "Although we’re outside the array, this space is sealed. We can’t break through..."

His voice trailed off suddenly.

Owen looked up, the blue sky and white clouds catching his eye.

The walls surrounding them weren’t too high, but beyond the walls clearly lay the level 8 array.

Escaping over the walls would mean entering the confines of the level 8 array again.

After a while, Owen withdrew his gaze, sighing deeply.

The level 8 array was far beyond his comprehension in array formation.

If he could decipher it, it wouldn’t be called a level 8 array.

"Let’s absorb all the arcanergy here before we go looking for them," Owen said, resigned to the fact that they would ultimately have to navigate through mechanisms to leave.

Anderson, having anticipated this, wasn’t greatly disappointed.

"Let’s continue then. In another two months, I might also try breaking through to nirvana-tier grade 3."

Owen nodded, not surprised at Anderson’s rapid progress.

Not to mention Anderson’s exceptional constitution, even without it, cultivating in Owen’s presence could accelerate anyone’s progress to unimaginable speeds.

Thus, the two of them began their relentless cultivation, days and nights blending into one as time relentlessly passed.

Two months later, the concentration of arcanergy in this geomantic treasure land had diminished to ordinary levels, and Anderson finally succeeded in breaking through to nirvana-tier grade 3.

"Owen, let’s go," Anderson’s voice, filled with joy, echoed from the side.

Naturally, his spirits were exceptionally high after the breakthrough.

Owen smiled and nodded, sensing the geomantic treasure land once more.

Seeing no issues, Owen and Anderson headed towards the entrance they had used to come in.

After over two months of searching for the mechanism, Tristan, Yashum, and the others had gradually lost hope, and a sense of despair began to spread...