Chapter 419 - 349: This Is What a Real Slick Move Looks Like

There were two great dangers in the wilds of the Underground City.

One was the Dark Creatures, and the other was the Natural Magnetic Zones.

Shen Ning’Er had mentioned this to Gao Neng before, but he hadn’t encountered any in Zone 93 or Zone 118 over the past two days.

So, in the back of Gao Neng’s mind, he had assumed that Natural Magnetic Zones would only appear in B-rank, A-rank, or even S-rank zones.

A C-rank zone like Zone 317 shouldn’t have one.

However, when he got to about four hundred meters from the edge of the Underground Swamp, he felt that something was off.

"Be careful. The Underground Swamp ahead seems to be a Natural Magnetic Zone!" Shen Ning’Er had also sensed the problem and quickly gave a warning.

"A Natural Magnetic Zone?!" Upon hearing this, Fang Tangtang’s confident expression turned somewhat nervous.

"..." Gao Neng said nothing.

He just focused on sensing his surroundings.

The feeling was incredibly strange, difficult to describe in words, but just getting closer made a sense of crisis rise in his heart.

BOOM!

BOOM!

...

The sounds from up ahead were now extremely close.

Gao Neng pinpointed the direction of the sounds. It should be exactly where the third growth site was. He was certain his guess was correct.

The others had really found a growth site for attribute materials.

’If I remember correctly...’

’This growth site has the most attribute materials in all of Zone 317, more than thirty plants in total, including one naturally evolved specimen.’

’That’s incredibly rare.’

However, since there was a Natural Magnetic Zone ahead, it was bound to be dangerous.

Whether to go or not became the question.

"Let’s vote. Majority rules!" Gao Neng looked at Shen Ning’Er and Fang Tangtang.

"We’ve come all this way, are we really going to turn back? There are obviously attribute materials up ahead. I vote we go!" Although Fang Tangtang looked nervous, her words were still bold.

"Mm, I want to go take a look too," Shen Ning’Er also nodded.

"Then let’s go." Gao Neng had also been leaning toward checking it out. Since Shen Ning’Er felt the same way, he no longer hesitated.

The three of them, along with one cat, slowly crept forward.

Four hundred meters!

Three hundred meters!

Two hundred and fifty meters!

One hundred and fifty meters!

When they were one hundred and fifty meters from the edge of the Underground Swamp, Gao Neng could vaguely make out what was happening inside.

At that moment, there were no fewer than twenty people inside the Underground Swamp.

Besides them, there were another thirty or so people at the edge of the swamp who hadn’t ventured deep inside.

Like Gao Neng’s group, they were all watching from the periphery, clearly not daring to enter the swamp proper due to their lack of strength.

Gao Neng was standing even farther back than they were.

Even so, he could still see the state of the Underground Swamp clearly.

It was a stretch of darkness.

From within came the occasional sound of dripping water.

Because of the battle between the twenty people in the middle of the Underground Swamp, he could faintly see the light from the fight reflecting off puddles of water.

"Something seems wrong!" Gao Neng’s eyes narrowed.

"What’s wrong?" Shen Ning’Er and Fang Tangtang looked at Gao Neng almost simultaneously.

"Can the Underground Swamp... shift its position?" Gao Neng couldn’t explain it clearly, but the scene before him was truly a little different from the one in his memory.

The direction of the growth site was correct.

But when he had seen this place two days ago, the growth site hadn’t been this deep inside. It was only about one hundred meters from the edge.

Now, however, it was nearly three hundred meters in.

’What does this mean?’

’The growth site of the attribute materials is moving!’

’And in just two short days, it moved two hundred meters!’

This was a little too strange.

Gao Neng’s earlier judgment was based on the general direction of the sound, but now that he could actually see it, he realized there was a problem.

"Shift its position?" Although Shen Ning’Er didn’t know why Gao Neng would suddenly ask this, she thought for a moment before replying, "There are many types of Natural Magnetic Zones. Some create special magnetic fields that affect a person’s mind and cause hallucinations. Others form special terrains like ice valleys, wind valleys, or fiery mountain ranges. As for what you said about shifting position... I suppose it’s possible."

"Special magnetic fields that cause hallucinations?" Gao Neng’s brow furrowed. He understood the part about special terrains, but these hallucinations were harder to gauge.

After all, it was just like dreaming.

Especially in some very realistic dreams, when you’re in one, you don’t know whether you’re dreaming or awake.

And once the word "hallucination" was involved, the possibilities were vast.

For example...

’Are the people I see entering the Underground Swamp real or fake? Are the attribute materials in the growth site an illusion or real?’

’Are the onlookers around us illusions, or are they real?’

’These are all questions!’

’Wait!’

’If all of these are questionable, then is it possible... that the ’shifting growth site’ I’m seeing is also an illusion?!’

’Moving two hundred meters in two days... that’s just too bizarre!’ An idea suddenly struck Gao Neng, and he carefully recalled the image from his memory.

’That’s right!’

’Two days ago, the attribute material growth site wasn’t in its current location!’

’This Underground Swamp...’

’It has a special magnetic field!’

’Everything is an illusion.’

"Ning’Er, Tangtang, follow me!" Gao Neng quickly made his decision.

If he had to choose which was real between the scene he saw two days ago and the one before him now, he was more inclined to believe what he saw two days ago.

Because, at that time, he was at the entrance to the Underground City.

Moreover, he had seen the image of the Underground Swamp by extending his Spiritual Power through the Magnetic Mountain, so the chance of being affected by a special magnetic field was actually very small.

"Huh? Where are we going? Aren’t we going to fight for it?" Fang Tangtang pointed into the distance. Where she was pointing, there were several familiar figures.

Yi Qinglian, Shaximo, Wei Ya, and Zhou Jin were all among them.

Shaximo had clearly unleashed his power. His entire body was bathed in a golden light, making him stand out like a golden Arhat.

"No, we’re going somewhere else!" Gao Neng shook his head. It was difficult to explain it to Fang Tangtang, because her intelligence in this area was... lacking.

’This is something only a top student like me could figure out.’

"Somewhere else? Are there attribute materials somewhere else?" Just as Gao Neng expected, Fang Tangtang looked completely bewildered.

However, although Fang Tangtang was confused...

...her body was very honest.

She immediately fell in line behind Gao Neng.

"Gao Neng, did you figure something out?" Shen Ning’Er also followed, moving extremely fast.

"Taking a gamble!" Gao Neng didn’t answer directly. First, because he couldn’t really explain it, and second, because he couldn’t be sure if he was right or wrong himself. He would only know after trying.

"Okay!" Shen Ning’Er had no objections.

The three of them, and the cat, didn’t bother with much concealment and charged directly toward the direction where Yi Qinglian, Shaximo, and the others were fighting.

Naturally, this scene was quickly noticed by the crowd watching from the edge.

"Huh?! It’s Gao Neng and his group!"

"They’re here too?!"

"They’re so late. Shaximo and Wei Ya’s group are about to succeed, aren’t they? If they join the fray now, can they still snatch anything?"

"Just watch. Gao Neng’s probably going to get shut down this time. His talent is terrifying, but this is a contest of true strength. Shaximo won’t lose to him!"

"Yeah, and Shaximo’s team also has Wei Ya and Zhou Jin. The first, second, and third on the Dragon List are all here! Trying to compete with them... is too difficult!"

A buzz of discussion went through the crowd.

Everyone knew Gao Neng’s talent was terrifying, but his cultivation and realm were a bit low. In a head-on fight, forget about dealing with Shaximo; even Yi Qingge could probably defeat Gao Neng with ease.

"Gao Neng’s group is charging in!"

"Is the fight about to start?!"

"Huh? Why’d they stop again?"

"..."

Just as everyone saw, after charging a little over a hundred meters into the Underground Swamp area, Gao Neng, Shen Ning’Er, and the others came to a stop.

They were about two hundred meters from where Shaximo and his group were fighting.

"It’s Gao Neng!" Yi Qinglian now noticed him too. Her chest heaved, her face filled with fury. "Brother, Gao Neng’s group is here to fight us for it."

"If they dare to come, I dare to fight!" Yi Qingge’s eyes narrowed.

With their strength, no one among the Dragon List Geniuses would dare try to snatch something from them. If it weren’t for a few adventurer teams from the Underground City joining the fray, they might have already ended the battle.

But even with Tier Seven experts competing for it, they still held the advantage.

BOOM!

He unleashed a strike.

A brilliant light flared from Yi Qingge’s body.

It forcefully sent a Tier Six Late Stage expert from an adventurer team flying more than ten meters away, where he landed in the swamp with a THUD.

And by the light of that flare, Yi Qingge happened to see Gao Neng squatting down, digging at something in the mud at his feet. He looked like he had no intention of joining the fight at all.

"Huh? What is Gao Neng doing? Why isn’t he coming over... Don’t tell me he ran over here just to dig in the mud?" Yi Qingge was genuinely confused.

’You already charged in.’

’And then you just stop two hundred meters away.’

’Fine, stop if you want.’

’But digging in the mud...’

’What the hell is that about?’

Just as he was thinking this, he saw Gao Neng’s hand seem to grab onto something. Then, with a hard pull, Gao Neng yanked out a plant bearing a turquoise fruit.

"!!!" Yi Qingge’s eyes went wide.

In fact, it wasn’t just him. Yi Qinglian and the crowd watching from the edge were also completely dumbfounded by this scene.

All eyes were on Gao Neng...

...as if they had just seen a ghost.