Though this place seemed shrouded in eerie mystery everywhere, Fang Senyan and his companion were left with only two choices: advance or retreat. To retreat meant traversing that strange lake, the dead, silent pine forest, and the frigid ice valley, only to ultimately face the pursuit of the Orcs once more. Having personally experienced the horror and danger of these obstacles, they were absolutely unwilling to endure them a second time.

Thus, the two made their decision without much effort: they would keep moving forward, sustained by the feeling that they had already gained a substantial advantage—no matter what dangers awaited them ahead, every extra second spent here was profit.

Throughout this journey, although they were powerful Contract Holders, in this A-rank difficulty world, they were suppressed to a level barely stronger than ordinary people. Having already endured so many horrors and twists, these ice corpses, after startling them initially, could no longer cause them much further confusion. Jiao Shi sat down on a section of pine wood, casually weighing a wineskin in his hand, and wondered aloud, "What in the world did this group come here to do?"

At this time, craftsmanship was extremely backward, mainly due to the absence of plastics, making it very troublesome to carry liquids over long distances. Items like wineskins were usually constructed with an inner bladder and an outer hide. The inner liner was often made from the bladder of a large animal (commonly known as a 'urine sac'), processed through a complex tanning procedure, while the outer layer was fashioned from cowhide, treated and sewn. It could hold liquids without a single drop leaking, making it quite valuable. This kind of wineskin Jiao Shi held, if taken to the Elven territories, would fetch at least two or three oxen, even if empty.

Fang Senyan’s thoughts, however, were far more meticulous. Despite being surrounded by mysteries, as he traveled, he harbored a persistent premonition that some great truth was gradually drawing near. This feeling made Fang Senyan increasingly restless. He picked up another wineskin, uncorked it, and took a long, deep drink.

The liquor was potent, yet the wineskin had been buried in the snow for ages, so the liquid remained icy cold in his mouth, only radiating a fierce heat once it reached his belly—a contradictory sensation of extreme cold and heat that was hard to describe. Jiao Shi gulped down several mouthfuls, a sudden flush warming his body, and abruptly asked, "Should we stop here and rest for a while?"

Fang Senyan also downed several drinks, offering a wry smile. "Looking at the fate of these ice corpses, do you dare linger here? We are quite vulnerable in this difficulty setting. Moreover, what worries me most is that the Space might soon weaken us again!"

Jiao Shi exclaimed, "Weaken us again?"

"Precisely," Fang Senyan sighed bitterly. "There was a prompt when they sealed our storage space. Every time we linger in this world for a certain duration, a critical point should be triggered. I estimate we are about to hit our second critical threshold."

Jiao Shi, who usually maintained great composure, couldn't help but curse, "FUCK, are they going to seal away all our active abilities this time?"

Fang Senyan replied helplessly, "The second critical point might be manageable, but we can expect that the intervals between triggering these points will become shorter and more frequent. Eventually, it might—directly revert us to the status of ordinary people, stripping away any buffs from the Space! At that point, regardless of natural disasters or man-made calamities, the freezing temperatures and scarce food will become our greatest enemies, forcing us back into the Space unprepared."

Jiao Shi found Fang Senyan’s words deeply resonant, pondering for a moment. "So, what you're saying is: we had better find a safe, warmer place before the Space completely strips us bare." Fang Senyan nodded seriously. "That’s exactly what I mean. Even the place where we first entered this world, despite the presence of Orcs and Half-Orcs, at least the natural environment wasn't actively hostile to us."

Putting aside their worries, the two continued forward. The alcohol’s effects gradually circulated through their veins, warming them and washing away fatigue. After walking less than a few miles more, they emerged from the pine forest. The valley gradually narrowed, eventually becoming a gorge. Sparse snow dotted the ground, and no vegetation grew, only scattered piles of strange rocks lying haphazardly. Faint traces of water erosion were visible, suggesting a massive flood had occurred when the temperature warmed and the snow melted. Looking up, they could see sheer cliffs towering on all sides, with only a sliver of the sky visible above, stretching resolutely ahead.

Traversing such rugged terrain was undoubtedly arduous. Fortunately, both Fang Senyan and Jiao Shi still possessed their various enhancement abilities, so even while carrying an unconscious person, adaptation wasn't overwhelmingly difficult. For them, slightly harder roads were manageable; the truly despairing situation would be if the path ahead simply vanished.

Since Jiao Shi possessed sharp eyesight and was unencumbered, he walked at the front of the party. After struggling through the field of rubble for several hundred meters, they were blocked by a significantly large, broad rock formation.

This rock appeared to be the product of a mountain collapse, completely sealing the valley floor. It must have tumbled down from the nearby precipice and was riddled with cracks. To the lower left, pressed against the mountain wall, there was a dark, hollow opening. Peering in, one could feel a cold draft emanating from within; it was clearly deep, but there was no hope of a person squeezing through.

To proceed, they had to climb over the top. If they were ordinary people, they would certainly have to sigh in defeat, return to the pine forest, and fashion a ladder. But for Contract Holders like Fang Senyan and Jiao Shi, this height was not an insurmountable obstacle.

Jiao Shi, who had superior jumping ability and agility, started running from a distance, then leaped high towards the massive rock. However, his fingertips still fell short of reaching the top edge.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Fang Senyan stood before the immense rock, brought his hands together in the motion of a volleyball player executing a set, and instructed Jiao Shi. Jiao Shi accelerated his run and stamped down onto Fang Senyan's hands!

At that moment, Fang Senyan pushed upwards with all his might. His strength rating of thirty-seven was already considerable, and coupled with Jiao Shi's own impressive vertical leap, the upward thrust sent Jiao Shi soaring. His hands successfully grasped the rock’s edge, and he smoothly pulled himself onto the top of the boulder.

On flat ground, Jiao Shi’s move would have been flawless, but he had landed on Fang Senyan’s hands. Even though he was prepared, Fang Senyan was sent staggering backward by the immense recoil force, ultimately losing his balance and tumbling onto the ground.

As he sat down, Fang Senyan felt a small stone beneath his rear end, causing sharp pain. He grimaced in annoyance, cursed softly, and shifted sideways to reach back and feel for it. What he pulled out was a small, black stone about the size of a ping-pong ball. As he was about to toss it aside, he suddenly felt something was amiss: why was this stone so light? And why were there several fresh cracks appearing on its surface? Had sitting on it actually cracked the stone open?

Curiosity instantly flared in Fang Senyan, growing stronger and more compelling. He immediately began to examine the "stone" closely, discovering that while its exterior strongly resembled a rounded piece of black rock, its weight was significantly less. Its surface was actually an extremely hard outer shell. Prying it open along the cracks on the shell, the inner wall emitted a faint, lychee-red glow. At the center of the shell lay a bluish core, slightly pale on its surface.

Even more astonishing was that the internal wrinkles had grown into light-like radial patterns, giving the whole object the appearance of the blazing midday sun! Such an extraordinary phenomenon generated within an inconspicuous "stone" evoked awe and admiration for nature's divine craftsmanship.

For some inexplicable reason, seeing that "stone," Fang Senyan felt something essential was missing, much like looking at an exquisitely painted portrait of a figure who lacked the crucial element: eyes.

While he was studying this strange object, Fang Senyan suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, and a loud shout erupted from across the rock! It was immediately cut short, followed by absolute silence.

Fang Senyan sprang up as if stung by a needle; that shout was clearly Jiao Shi's. Could there be some immense danger on the other side? He immediately stood up and shouted loudly, hoping to find out what had happened ahead.

Alas, the massive rock stood like an insurmountable wall before him. Though Fang Senyan was burning with anxiety and his throat was nearly raw from shouting, no reply came from the other side. He tried contacting Jiao Shi via their team communication channel—still nothing!

What kind of peril could make someone as formidable as Jiao Shi vanish instantly, unable even to issue a warning?

The valley was silent, the surroundings deathly still. Only the echoes of Fang Senyan’s recent shouts faintly returned. The air seemed completely solidified. In this oppressive solitude, a person's negative emotions would be amplified to the maximum, yet there was no outlet, no one to confide in. A person with a weaker spirit might very well commit suicide out of despair and terror!

However, Fang Senyan was inherently a man of extremely firm will, and knowing he could retreat to the Space at any time allowed him to manage his emotions quite well. After confirming that an unimaginable accident had indeed occurred on the other side, he swiftly retreated, carrying the still-unconscious Elf girl to a spot with a wider field of vision.