Unexpected Crisis, Lucrative Lures

This plant had no leaves, only a straight stalk protruding directly from the ground, with a heart-shaped, dark red flower blooming at the tip.

At the very center of the flower, instead of pistils or stamens, were square, crystal-clear grains of Ghost Sand.

Oddly enough, the bones in the burial ground were all black and dirty, looking scorched as if they had been burned in a massive fire.

“This is the place!”

Hu Manni said with a hint of excitement, pointing at one of the heart-shaped flowers. “Little Aunt said that Ghost Sand is toxic and requires the harvester to wear gold implements to gather it. Earlier, I used my personal gold knife to harvest Ghost Sand from this flower.”

“We'll treat our current position as true north and bury locators at the boundaries of all four cardinal directions. I'll head west and south, while you head east. Once we're done burying them, we'll meet back here.”

Qin Yue used her military-grade camera equipment to record the surrounding landmarks, adding: “Nothing here can be judged by common sense. I can't be sure if its location will shift the next time we come. To be safe, we must prepare for both possibilities.”

Hu Manni nodded, grabbed a locator, and headed east.

Her cultivation was low, but she knew Qin Yue's arrangement was logical.

Qin Yue circulated the Small Twelve Bone Forging Method. With her blood qi surging within her, a gentle red glow faintly shimmered across her exposed skin.

She immediately began digging a hole on the spot. In less than five minutes, a square pit two meters deep appeared before her.

Using the same method, Qin Yue buried the locators at the northern and western points of the burial ground one after another. However, before she could head south, her ears suddenly twitched.

Rustling sounds echoed from the dense forest, as if a pack of wild beasts were rapidly rushing toward her. Without a second thought, Qin Yue leaped up and dove into a dilapidated coffin with a hole in it, perfectly concealing her figure.

The sounds drew closer. Five tall, grotesque werewolves, covered in coarse, short black fur, slouched forward.

Although these werewolves still retained basic human characteristics, their faces were almost entirely covered in fur. Their muzzles were long and protruding, and two sharp canine teeth jutted out.

Their upper bodies were robust and massive, yet their lower halves still resembled human legs, making them look like partially evolved apes.

Qin Yue held her breath and concentrated, peeking out through the cracks in the coffin lid.

“‘Legend has it that in the land abandoned by the gods, the kingdom of the dead, everything is inverted and untrustworthy.

‘Here, shining diamonds and beautiful flowers as red as fresh blood grow everywhere.

‘A terrifying, grotesque, bloodthirsty monster guards the crimson treasure, and only the bravest witch can subdue this beast.’”

The Black witch, Harley, sat on the shoulders of the alpha wolf. She narrowed her eyes as she scanned the burial ground and smiled coquettishly: “That's enough, Sergey. Put me down. This is the place we are looking for.”

The alpha wolf shook his head, tossed the witch off, and then let out a howl before crouching on the ground.

The werewolves did not seem to have good control over their transformation duration.

They let out painful wails as their bones cracked with a series of sharp pop-pop sounds. They collapsed to the ground, struggling for a moment before finally reverting to human form.

“‘Shining diamonds,’ ‘flowers as red as fresh blood.’”

Harley bent down and snapped off one of the strange, heart-shaped flowers. She held it under her nose and inhaled deeply, a look of intoxication crossing her face: “Ah, what a surging life force, what pure dark energy. If we can bring these back and refine them into a secret medicine—”

Before she could finish her sentence, her expression shifted drastically. Crystal-like, scale-like pollen drifted down from the flower in her hand, igniting spontaneously in the windless air. With a loud whoosh, a serpent of fire shot straight up her face!

“Fuck!!”

The roaring flames licked at her face. Fortunately, her sixth sense saved her; the bizarre fire only singed off half of her eyebrow. However, another werewolf was not nearly as lucky.

“Aaaaaah! Oh my God! Help me! Mary! Mary! I want to go home!!”

The fire had erupted with bizarre, violent speed. Once it touched flesh, it was impossible to shake off. The other werewolves had no time to save him. In the blink of an eye, the soldier was transformed into a blazing fireball!

“Jack! Jack! Stay away from him! Damn it! Damn it! What the hell is this thing?!”

“This fire won't go out! Damn it! It's alive!!”

“Oh my God!! Somebody save him!”

Watching their teammate burn to death right before their eyes, the remaining three werewolves completely broke down.

...

Even Qin Yue, who was hiding in the coffin, was secretly shocked.

The secret realm was indeed fraught with deadly perils at every turn.

Even the seemingly harmless Ghost Sand possessed such terrifying power.

Fortunately, they had strictly followed Nan Zhi's instructions and carried gold items on their persons.

Otherwise, they would have likely been reduced to ashes just like that werewolf.

...

“Damn it! Another one of my men is dead! His wife and child are still at home waiting for him to return!

You sent us to our deaths for a myth that doesn't even exist!!”

The alpha, Martin, gritted his teeth and rushed forward to grab the witch by her collar. The corners of his eyes were wet, and his shoulders trembled slightly: “Damn it! Who knows what other kind of monsters are out there! We are leaving! We are getting out of here! Go find your own damn treasure!!”

“You need to understand that I didn't send you to your deaths. Your deaths were destined from the very beginning.

Don't forget, the only reason we are here is because a certain incredibly powerful figure is terrified of death. He commissioned our witch coven to find a secret medicine that can resurrect the dead.

According to the ancient texts left behind by the great Voodoo god, the divine medicine capable of bringing the dead back to life is right here.”

Harley was being choked, but her face was full of defiance and mockery: “Hey, super soldiers? Serum warriors? Hahaha, what they injected you with is nothing but purified werewolf blood.

While it grants you a quarter of a werewolf's abilities, it also robs you of your human lifespan.

You are failures. Even if you don't die here, you will die without dignity in a laboratory. Is that really what you want?”

The others stared at Martin in disbelief, their expressions a mix of panic, despair, and fury.

No one questioned the truth of the witch's words.

They should have realized it long ago.

They should have realized.

This damn, bizarre alternate dimension had no oil, no energy. They had paid such a heavy price, and it was all just to find a life-extending potion for a guy who wore adult diapers?!

“Jaris Johnson Beto promised that as long as we bring back what he wants, everyone here—and I mean everyone—will receive wealth they can't spend in a lifetime.”

The witch uttered a household name in America. Seeming to have anticipated their reactions, she enticed them further: “If we get the potion, it might even solve your lifespan issue.

Besides, the American military abandoned you long ago. Don't you want to enjoy life to the fullest after leaving the army?

Think about it: Hawaiian beaches, private yachts, wineries, hunting cabins in the winter, luxury RVs, high-end neighborhoods, and wealth you could never use up in a lifetime.”

Martin slowly released his grip.

Jaris Johnson Beto.

Among the top one hundred arms dealers globally, forty-one were American enterprises, and the Beto family's businesses accounted for more than half of those.

The Beto family was the de facto ruler of the American Senate, and even in the House of Representatives, many were under their control.

And Jaris was the actual person in charge of the Beto family, already a damn seventy-three years old this year.

He was once famous on Blue Star for using his blood relatives for full-body blood transfusions to prolong his life.

Jaris suffered from cancer and should have died long ago.

If it were him, it was indeed possible that he would pay a massive price to commission the Voodoo coven to make a prophecy and dispatch their most outstanding witch, Harley Gisele, to Manggu.

“...Where is that thing?”

Martin took a step back and spat out a vicious curse: “Where the hell is the treasure that damn Jaris wants?!”