Looking at the crystal skull lying on the ground, everyone was utterly shocked.
'Lin, you... killed it!' Han Chengyong exclaimed excitedly.
'I suppose so.' Zhou Ran looked at the black mist, sensing through the beast contract in his mind. At that moment, the Liu Ying Huan Yue Dog was greedily absorbing the dark energy.
Soon, the black mist began to dissipate. The crowd gathered around, staring at the crystal skull on the ground.
'Is this the skull of the zombie king?' Li Feng asked.
'That's right. It contains powerful spiritual energy and is the most important material for the Star Helmet. Legend has it that wearing it can greatly enhance a beast tamer's star energy, allowing them to reach a state of materialisation,' Han Chengyong said, his eyes burning with excitement.
'We're rich! This thing is worth at least 3 million honour points,' Li Feng said excitedly.
However, this was after all killed by Zhou Ran, and they had agreed to let him choose one first.
They all turned to look at Zhou Ran.
Zhou Ran was slightly startled. He hadn't expected that besides the Divine Mind Technique being able to materialise star power in advance, the Starry Sky Helmet could do the same. No wonder they were all as eager as cats seeing mice.
But Zhou Ran had no interest in this item. He could already materialise it himself, and to him, it was just 3 million honour points.
Zhou Ran thought for a moment and said, 'I don't really need this item. Han Team Leader, you guys can distribute it among yourselves.'
Han Chengyong was taken aback, then shouted, 'Lin Brother, are you sure? This is a rare treasure!'
Han Chengyong even doubted whether he had heard correctly and confirmed it several times.
Zhou Ran merely smiled and shook his head before walking away.
He felt there must be better items in this fissure, and he couldn't waste his first chance to select an item on something he didn't need. It was a pity about the 3 million Honor Points, though.
Everyone was speechless, then immediately began cheering, saying, 'Indeed, the children of wealthy families are different; they don't even care about this item.'
After some discussion, Su Heng eventually obtained the crystal skull, and Han Chengyong sighed deeply in relief—the Dragon Horse Beast wouldn't have to be compensated after all...
Su Heng also wore a smile. Although Zhou Ran had really annoyed him, obtaining this treasure seemed to have improved his mood considerably.
After Su Heng put away the crystal skull, the treasure-hunting team's instruments also lost their response, clearly indicating that there were no more treasures in this cave.
'Han Team Leader, how long does this spacetime fissure usually last?' Zhou Ran walked over and suddenly asked.
'How long does it last? As long as the fissure doesn't collapse, it can generally exist for a long time,' Han Chengyong explained.
Zhou Ran couldn't help but be startled. It could actually exist indefinitely! This was much better than the temporary planar fragments opened by the system, though it couldn't provide infinite revivals...
However, considering the numerous walls, fortresses, and armies guarding the foot of Holy Emperor Mountain, if it couldn't remain open indefinitely, then it would be meaningless.
'Can I come back in later?' Zhou Ran continued to ask.
'Um... Temporary team members can't enter alone; they need to be accompanied by a treasure hunting team,' Han Chengyong said.
"Huh? Are you so interested in treasure hunting, Lin? Why not join us?" Li Feng said excitedly.
Zhou Ran furrowed his brows slightly. He hadn't expected it to be so troublesome, and he would have to become a formal member of the treasure hunting team. Did he really have to join?
'I'll think about it, haha!' Zhou Ran said with a smile. He was just completing a task, and earning points by opening a shop was the most important thing. If he really joined this treasure hunting team, he wouldn't even know how he'd end up dying...
Everyone sighed wryly before continuing on their way.
Thus, the team searched for treasures around the periphery of the spacetime fissure. Along the way, they encountered many other teams—some with bountiful harvests, others battered and bruised, missing limbs—which made Zhou Ran gasp in horror.
Indeed, this was a high-risk, high-reward profession.
...
The group was now sitting together under a tree, eating dry rations.
"Brother, this trip wasn't too bad," He Ziming said, counting the treasures they had obtained, clearly delighted.
"After all, it's a B-class temporal rift, heh heh," Han Chengyong said, stuffing a pie into his mouth.
'I say, Lin brother, oh no, Lin boss, you're no wonder you run a shop—your eyes are sharp. Even in such a remote little cave, you could spot the clues at a glance,' Li Feng laughed.
Just moments ago, under Zhou Ran's lead, they had entered a small cave and discovered a pile of mystical crystal stones, which could be used to craft water-type beast battle armour. Once worn by water-type beasts, their combat power would increase significantly.
'But Lin, you haven't used your chance to pick first this time. Don't go out and say we cheated you,' Li Feng said as he walked over to Zhou Ran.
'Haha, my standards are too high. I don't even like these,' Zhou Ran said with a laugh as he took a sip of water.
'Hmm...' Everyone smiled wryly.
If he hadn't been here before, he wouldn't have discovered those items. Zhou Ran had already had the mystical crystal stones in his shop, displayed for sale, but no one wanted them—the price had scared everyone away.
At first, Zhou Ran thought the system had set the price too high, but after asking them, he realised that selling them for 20,000 each was a huge loss. Even a small scrap of this material was worth more than 20,000...
Zhou Ran growled in frustration.
"Huh? What's wrong, Lin?" Han Chengyong looked over and asked.
"Nothing, I'm just thinking…" Zhou Ran said awkwardly.
Since seeing Zhou Ran's powerful abilities, Su Heng had said very little, instead holding the crystal skull tightly in his arms with great affection.
Just then, cries for help echoed from the distance!
"Something's happening!" He Ziming shouted immediately.
Zhou Ran quickly put on the Star Spirit Mirror to investigate. He saw a man and a woman in the depths of the dense forest, supporting each other. Two heavily wounded beasts were desperately protecting their masters, while a massive demonic eye swiftly approached from behind.
Zhou Ran's pupils contracted, and he said, 'Is that... a Demon Eye Beast?'
'Demon Eye Beast! Everyone, prepare for battle!' Han Chengyong immediately commanded his team.
Everyone's hair stood on end, and they immediately dropped their provisions and summoned their beasts.
The Demon Eye Beast was about ten metres in size, with no extra organs on its body, just a blood-red eye, which was quite eerie.
'It's an adult eighth-stage Demon Eye Beast!' Zhou Ran shouted.
Everyone's faces turned pale. They had just escaped from the Demon King Beast's lair, and now a Demon Eye Beast had appeared. Oh my god! Was this still the outskirts of the temporal rift? Were they sure they hadn't taken a wrong turn?
After a period of rest, everyone's beasts had recovered to a large extent, except for those that had already died...
Zhou Ran's Shadow Moon Dog was now full of fighting spirit and immediately pounced, entangling itself with the Demon Eye Beast.
The others' beasts followed closely behind, coordinating seamlessly.
At that moment, the man and woman struggled over, trembling as they said, 'Help... save us.'
Han Chengyong caught them both, saying, 'You two look familiar.'