(I wonder what her inner demon is. My own is the pursuit of ultimate freedom and liberation. Surely, everyone’s inner demon must be different. So, what is hers?) As Zheng Zha pondered this question, and Zhao Yingkong hovered on the precipice of her inner demon, a figure shot in from the far distance—another petite and exquisite girl.

She ran directly down the sheer cliff face, utilizing subtle leverage with every footfall, ensuring she remained anchored to the rock while gaining enough momentum to rush forward rapidly.

In merely ten seconds, this girl had covered the vast distance. Only when she was close could Zheng Zha clearly make out that the girl was Zhao Zhaikong’s sister, Zhao Ruikong—a near-expert poised to enter the Fourth Order, or perhaps already having stepped across that threshold.

At this moment, Zhao Yingkong’s trembling intensified violently; a feral roar even escaped her lips. Zhao Ruikong hesitated for no moment, immediately grabbing Zhao Yingkong’s head and fixing her gaze upon Zhao Yingkong’s blood-red eyes.

Simultaneously, Zhao Ruikong placed her hands against Zhao Yingkong’s temples. They stared at each other like that, and as time passed,

the bloodshot veins in Zhao Yingkong’s eyes slowly faded, and her body’s tremors gradually ceased. However, what struck Zheng Zha as wrong was that faint traces of red appeared in Zhao Ruikong’s eyes, which were otherwise as clear as water—though these traces vanished completely almost instantly.

Even this brief scene allowed Zheng Zha to sense an underlying secret.

(Oh… so that’s how it is? This girl…) As Zhao Yingkong emerged from the grip of her inner demon state, her entire body felt utterly drained, causing her to collapse softly into Zhao Ruikong’s embrace.

It took a long while before she could speak: “Little girl, didn’t I tell you not to use that ability again? My inner demon’s savagery is being transferred into your body again and again. Even though you haven’t reached the inner demon stage yet, and yours might not lean toward sheer brutality, if you accumulate this burden repeatedly, I truly fear what might happen to you…” Zhao Ruikong chuckled playfully, “Relax, relax, Sister Yingkong is just being nagging, didn’t you notice how much you nag at my brother when you’re with him? Good thing I can sense the mental fluctuations of those around me, otherwise I wouldn't even know if something happened to you. Next time, big sister, don’t use such powerful force, especially that Fourth Order gene lock unlocking—don't even touch it, understood?” Zhao Yingkong had regained some strength. She smiled, ruffled Zhao Ruikong’s hair, then helped her up by the shoulders. The two girls laughed and chatted as they headed towards the large fish. Despite their formidable strength, having such a substantial catch on this isolated island was a rare delicacy, and the danger Zhao Yingkong had just skirted was instantly forgotten by both of them.

(No, the danger has only just begun… or perhaps the previous accumulation has already sealed the outcome… if my guess is correct, the truth of the matter might be…) There is no time in a dream, which doesn't mean dreaming requires no time, but rather that the time within the dream does not align with real time. When Zhao Yingkong’s dream accelerated fiftyfold, several hours of subjective time allowed the dream to advance by about half a year. But even so, Zheng Zha showed no signs of waking before the next attack by the Yellow Turban Warriors. As time slowly dragged on, worry deepened among the group. Qi Tengyi used the silver metal chip to contact Chu Xuan multiple times, but each attempt failed to connect. Chu Xuan seemed to be constantly using his own chip, which cast a dark premonition over Qi Tengyi and Liu Yu… Had they truly been abandoned? “I was just joking…” Qi Tengyi sighed mournfully, “My skill hasn’t even fully formed yet, and even if it does, I don’t know if it can stand against these Yellow Turban Warriors. I was just kidding when I said Chu Xuan wouldn’t come to save us. While Chu Xuan is extremely focused on team benefits, he is a member of the Central Continent Team, and we are his comrades. Isn’t this bond enough for him to come for us?” “It seems that sort of bond isn't quite enough,” Liu Yu commented. Although his time with the Central Continent Team was short, based on what he had personally experienced and what others had said, he had managed to form a rough understanding of what kind of person Chu Xuan was—essentially a walking computer.

As the two lamented their fate, Jonathan and the other two displayed remarkable composure. After all, they were natives of this world; even if the mission failed, it didn't matter to them. Furthermore, once the Buddha Head was handed over, they could leave whenever they wished. The only reasons they remained now were their desire to explore the tomb and, more significantly, the debt they owed Zheng Zha and the fact that they had once fought side-by-side as allies; thus, they felt obligated to stay.

“Wait.”

Imhotep suddenly stood up from the distance. He instantly pulled Anck-su-namun behind him. A whirlwind instantly began to circle the handsome bald man, and the vortex showed signs of growing larger.

“Be careful… the Yellow Turban Warriors are here!” Before Imhotep’s words faded, vague patches of yellow cloth could indeed be seen on the open ground nearby. As the yellow fabric became clearer, five Yellow Turban Warriors materialized on the clearing some distance away from the group… Their size was even greater than the last time they appeared. The one representing Wind arrived the fastest; in the blink of an eye, it was less than ten meters away from them and brought a massive palm down toward Qi Tengyi. And behind Qi Tengyi was exactly where the Buddha Head had been placed… He leaped into action.