Luo Yunyang's words made the old man feel a little dizzy. Deep down he was absolutely certain that Mr. Li had left Researcher Qin behind and headed off first.
Where exactly had he gone, though?
Could Mr. Li have been killed by this insignificant being? The old man shook his head as he thought about the possibility of such a thing happening. Although he believed Luo Yunyang, this outcome was just too strange.
He simply couldn't believe that Mr. Li could have been killed at the hands of this young soldier. Even if the soldier's cultivation base was...
He is actually a martial master! The old man's expression suddenly turned grave. No martial master could be underestimated after all.
However, when he sensed the weak vibe of a martial master on Luo Yunyang's body, the worry in his heart vanished completely.
Mr. Li was a second-grade martial master. If he were in the Rising Dragon Army, he would have been able to lead 1,000 soldiers. How could such a man be killed that easily?
"He hasn't returned yet!" The old man stared at Luo Yunyang before he asked, "Tell me, why hasn't he returned?"
Although Luo Yunyang knew the answer to his question, he put on an innocent expression as he faced the old man. "He is an officer. Why would he report to a lowly soldier like me over something so insignificant? Why would you think he would?"
The old man turned away from Luo Yunyang without another word.
The majority of the soldiers didn't say anything, but they kept glancing at Luo Yunyang.
They glanced at him over and over again...
15 minutes went by, but Mr. Li didn't reappear. A hint of decisiveness was visible on Researcher Qin's beautiful face. "Let's move. Perhaps something happened to Mr. Li and he had to move forward."
Although Researcher Qin was the highest-ranking commander of the operation, Mr. Li's confident presence had stolen the spotlight. However, now that his whereabouts were unknown, it seemed that all authority had naturally returned to her.
Although Mr. Li was no longer there, Researcher Qin was also a capable leader. She quickly divided Luo Yunyang and the 30 other soldiers into a formation according to everyone's respective abilities. Luo Yunyang had a feeling that she was much more reliable than Mr. Li.
The path wasn't narrow, but the passage created from the accumulation of massive rocks felt really fragile. Luo Yunyang found it hard to imagine how Zulong had managed to wear down these massive rocks.
"Have you ever heard about this? Zulong's Tomb, which is beneath us, is actually just a facade!" Researcher Qin suddenly told Luo Yunyang.
Luo Yunyang hadn't expected Researcher Qin to start a conversation with him. He froze for a second before he shook his head.
He had never heard of such a thing before!
"He has been on the edge of the sky and at the ends of the earth. He has been sent to Hell and Heaven..." Researcher Qin added. "One day, he will return!"
Although Researcher Qin's voice was gentle, Luo Yunyang couldn't help but feel his hair stand on end when he heard her dream-like voice recite these words.
The passageway, which was made of huge rocks, seemed endless. Luo Yunyang and the others kept trudging forward mechanically.
"Damn it! How long has it been?" someone cursed angrily.
Luo Yunyang noticed that the soldier cursing was wearing a Sky High Military uniform and his eyes were a little bloodshot.
"Hang in there, Brother. If we press on, we will definitely make it out of here!" another soldier wearing the same uniform asserted.
Judging by his unsteady manner, his words had been meant to console himself rather than his comrade.
Those two weren't experiencing any problems, though. It was Zhang Hu that had a big problem.
At first, Zhang Hu had still been able to joke around with Lu Tiefeng and the others, but suddenly his face turned ghastly pale and he nearly crashed face-first into the ground.
If it hadn't been for Lu Tiefeng's quick reaction, Zhang Hu would have already been lying on the ground.
"Zhang Hu! How are you feeling?" Lu Tiefeng asked as he took a small bottle out of his rucksack.
"It's no use. I already took some earlier." Zhang Hu waved the medicine away. "It feels like there are countless needles scattered all over my body. It's probably that Li fellow's source power."
His last two words made all the soldiers around him fall silent. Although they were all crack troops from various armies, none of them possessed a source core. As a result, when a source power entered their bodies, they found it very difficult to expel it.
Unless there was a martial master that could help them expel the source power...
However, a martial master was hard to come by under the circumstances. Plus, a faint sense of danger had been shrouding everyone's minds ever since they had entered that place. A martial master wouldn't be willing to waste any of their own precious source power while there was a threat of danger.
"Press on! We'll make it out of here soon!" Lu Tiefeng poured out a pill before he said, "Swallow this. I will carry you out on my back."
"It's fine. I have been waiting for this day ever since I joined the Rising Dragon Army. I was lucky I ended things completely with that woman!" Zhang Hu waved off his comrades. "You can leave me some supplies and let me wait here for you!"
Luo Yunyang felt some admiration for the serene Zhang Hu. Although Zhang Hu and the other soldiers were much more ordinary compared to the martialists in the Rising Dragon Army's elite class, their audacity in the face of death was admirable.
"Sir, I'm begging you. Please help my brother expel this source power!" Lu Tiefeng beseeched the old man.
The old man snorted, but didn't say anything.
His stance was clear. Even though helping Zhang Hu wouldn't consume much of his source power, he believed that wasting his energy on someone this insignificant was not worth it.
Lu Tiefeng's expression kept changing. In the end, he clenched his teeth and prepared to sacrifice the last ounce of his dignity. However, just as he was about to make a decision, Luo Yunyang grabbed him.
"Are you afraid of pain?" Luo Yunyang asked Zhang Hu.
Everyone was stunned by his abrupt tone. The other soldiers, who were sympathizing with Zhang Hu, were flabbergasted.
Weren't Luo Yunyang and the other Rising Dragon Army soldiers supposed to be comrades? This fella seemed a little out of sorts.
Was it possible that he would end Zhang Hu's life and save him from this misery? If that was the case, it would be too...
"I am not afraid of death. Why would I fear pain?" Zhang Hu declared heroically, staring straight at Luo Yunyang.
However, he had answered too quickly and he soon regretted it slightly. He had barely finished speaking, when Luo Yunyang's fist smashed hard into his face.
In an instant, Zhang Hu was sent crashing to the ground.
"What are you doing?" Ma Longlei and Zhang Hu were good friends. Although he could only look on helplessly as Zhang Hu passed away, he couldn't permit anyone to trample over his body.
Luo Yunyang wiped his hands silently. He had a faint smile on his face, as though he had just done a good deed.
"Ha ha! The injuries on my body are all healed!" Zhang Hu jumped up from the ground. His face was radiant, and he seemed ecstatic. He looked completely different from his weak self moments ago.
The old man stared fixedly at Luo Yunyang. Considering Zhang Hu's situation, even his own cultivation base would have taken at least 10 minutes to save him.
Plus, saving him would still require some source energy. That kid had only thrown a punch and made Zhang Hu all vigorous and lively.
What was going on exactly?
"Could you hit me again, Brother Yunyang? I feel like there are some parts of my body that haven't fully recovered." Zhang Hu bounced on the spot a few times before scurrying over to Luo Yunyang's side.
The Zhang Hu before him was full of vigor. How could he not have fully recovered? Luo Yunyang, who understood his own punch very well, stared at Zhang Hu and flexed his arm.
"It's said that someone in the Rising Dragon Army awakened a grade-one life source core that can assist in cultivation and heal injuries!"
Researcher Qin's eyes were glowing as she looked at Luo Yunyang earnestly. "I always thought that the Rising Dragon Army was lying. I never expected that the rumors would actually be true! This grade of a source core really exists in the world!"
Luo Yunyang only flashed Researcher Qin a dim smile in reply. Even the old man was staring at him in astonishment right now.
"What are you doing here?" the old man said after muttering something to himself. "Considering your rank, you shouldn't have been dispatched here and be put at risk."
Although Luo Yunyang didn't like the old man very much, he still answered, "I have a friend that's stuck in here, so I decided to come over and take a look."
Helping a friend was ordinary, but only a very righteous man would help a friend who was trapped inside Zulong's Tomb.
"What a hero! Punch me again!" Zhang Hu gave Luo Yunyang a thumbs-up as he kept trying to badger him.
Luo Yunyang remained silent. Meanwhile, Lu Tiefeng and Ma Longlei acted like they didn't know Zhang Hu, who was acting like an idiot. No matter how much they pretended, it wasn't any use. Everyone there knew that Zhang Hu was their subordinate.
"Do you know when we will be able to get out, Yunyang?" the Sky High Military soldier that had been very irritable previously suddenly hollered at Luo Yunyang.
It just so happened that Luo Yunyang's mind power was able to see from a distance, so he immediately replied, "We will get out in five minutes."
A flash of excitement appeared on the soldier's face.
"Don't get carried away, Luo Yunyang. If we aren't able to get out in five minutes, do you know what the consequences will be?" The old man, who was somewhat annoyed, sounded like he was criticizing Luo Yunyang.
However, reality soon smacked him across the face.
He had barely finished speaking, when a glimmer of light shone through from the front. This glimmer of light allowed them to see a large hall in the distance.
After this long trek, they had finally reached the end of the stone passageway, which had clearly tested their willpower.
Immediately, practically everyone turned and gazed at Luo Yunyang reverently.