Here, You Cannot Survive

His hair was still a mess, and he was holding a can of beer, but he wasn't wearing an armband.

"Old brother, what a coincidence. It's almost like I'm stalking you."

Xu Mu walked over with a smile. "We just met at Reckless Mountain, and now we run into each other here."

"I was temporarily transferred here too."

Du Yan tilted his head back and took a swig of beer.

At that moment, the many cleaners in the distance all looked towards them.

Their gazes were fixed on Xu Mu, wondering just who this person was to make the notoriously taciturn Du Yan initiate a greeting.

"If they transferred even you here, old brother, it must be pretty dangerous, right?"

Xu Mu walked over and asked.

"It is indeed dangerous. Several intermediate-level cleaners have already gone missing. The Sanitation Department has contacted the major sects and is preparing for action."

Du Yan took another drink of beer.

"Is it convenient to ask which race is inside?"

Xu Mu asked curiously.

He knew quite a bit of the later plot and was familiar with some of the alien races.

"Most likely, it's the Four-Eyes Clan."

Du Yan explained, "Many sect scriptures have records about this race."

"The Four-Eyes Clan?"

Xu Mu was inwardly shocked. He actually did know about this race.

They were an absolutely evil race. They didn't just kill humans; they ate them directly.

He never expected this race to be hiding here.

Xu Mu immediately looked at Fang Kui. "I think you should give up on this mission. This race is extremely terrifying."

"No! Since I'm here, I won't give up. I can at least stay on the periphery."

Fang Kui refused outright. She wouldn't let this opportunity slip away.

It was hard enough getting the Great Elder to relent. As long as she killed these aliens, she could get the cultivation manual back.

Now that she was right at the doorstep, how could she turn back?

"Are you all going in for training?"

Du Yan looked at Xu Mu and asked.

"You could say that."

Xu Mu nodded.

"I need to go in to gather intelligence. How about we go together?"

Du Yan took another swig of his beer.

"Good. With you along, old brother, I'll feel more at ease."

Xu Mu agreed with a smile.

Fang Kui and Chen Xuan also breathed a sigh of relief. They had seen Du Yan's strength back at Reckless Mountain.

A Grandmaster-level expert couldn't last a single round against him.

With him there, their safety would undoubtedly be much higher.

"Let's go now, then."

Du Yan walked over to a building in the distance and picked up a black leather case.

Then he pinned a button camera to his chest.

Fang Kui, meanwhile, fastened hers to her waist, held down the power button, and turned it on.

"Which sect are you from?"

Du Yan asked, looking at Fang Kui.

"Kunlun Mountain."

Fang Kui explained.

"Hmm."

Du Yan acknowledged and said no more.

Under the watchful eyes of the surrounding crowd, Xu Mu and the others arrived at the entrance.

The entrance here was similar to the one at Kunlun Mountain: a mottled stone. By injecting Qi to activate the formation, one could enter.

Xu Mu knew from the plot that areas inhabited by alien races came in two types.

The first were hidden within ruins, which were relatively low-level.

The other, more advanced type, existed within minor worlds; these were home to the elite of the alien races.

The group entered the ruins. Before them stretched a seemingly endless mountain forest.

Both Chen Xuan and Fang Kui were somewhat nervous; it was their first time confronting an alien race.

Although Xu Mu felt the same, he had a few life-saving tricks up his sleeve, which made him feel slightly better.

For instance, he was currently spreading his perception; every living creature in the vicinity was visible to his mind's eye.

"Old brother, speaking of which, there really are a lot of cleaners outside."

Xu Mu spoke first to slightly ease the tense atmosphere.

"To be precise, being a cleaner is an external assignment. All across the country, at every alien race exit point, there are large numbers of cleaners stationed. Some are even assigned abroad."

Du Yan looked at Xu Mu. "Those assigned externally are the best of the best among experts."

"Are they all Sequence Captains?"

Xu Mu asked curiously. Come to think of it, he wasn't clear about this matter.

"No. Sequence Captains have an age limit; they must retire automatically upon turning forty."

Du Yan explained. "In most cases, cultivation level correlates with age. Without this limit, the position of Sequence Captain would almost always be held by older individuals."

"Where do the retired captains go?"

Xu Mu asked.

"I know this. Some of the younger elder-level members in our Kunlun Mountain are almost all former cleaners who retired."

Fang Kui chimed in from the side.

"That's right. Being a cleaner is a kind of credential. All the good deeds done, all the alien experts killed, are recorded by the state. Some retired captains return to their sects, others stay on at the Sanitation Department. The lucky ones might even become council members."

Du Yan continued the explanation.

Xu Mu nodded inwardly. This point hadn't been described in the earlier plot.

Suddenly, within Xu Mu's perception range, an alien clad in leather armor appeared.

He inwardly sighed, no wonder in the end, the ancient Yellow Emperor and his ancestors back then were willing to accept the Jiuli Tribe.

Because overall, alien races like the Jiuli Tribe didn't look too different from them.

The differences were mainly in eye and hair color.

But this alien before him... really was... unsettling.

"Careful, they're here!"

Du Yan suddenly stopped walking.

The others behind him all halted, looking around warily.

Bang!

On a distant hillside, a young man in leather armor appeared.

He had long black hair, and when he grinned, one could see canine teeth like those of a beast.

Of course, the most unsettling thing was the two extra eyes above his eyebrows, shaped like inverted "V"s.

Four eyes in total.

Seeing this person, Fang Kui and Chen Xuan were visibly startled.

Zhao Shengli had fought against alien races many times before and had seen all sorts of strange ones, so he wasn't as shocked.

Xu Mu knew from the plot, so he didn't react much.

"So this is an alien race?"

Chen Xuan thought to himself.

"You people are the aliens."

The young man on the hillside grinned. "Just right, there's a female. Females have more fat, tastier to eat!"

Boom!

He stomped on the hillside, causing the higher ground to collapse.

Instantly, he leaped to a higher point, and black dots of light appeared around his body.

Fang Kui was just about to make a move when Xu Mu grabbed her shoulder.

"Let me!"

Chen Xuan immediately pulled a hatchet from his woven bag. "Firewood Chopping First Style: Mountain Splitter!"

Crackle!

A golden lightning arc, half a meter thick, instantly erupted.

The young man high above saw this and immediately crossed his arms to block.

But even so, he was sent flying on the spot, blood spraying from his mouth.

Crash!

The Four-Eyes clansman smashed into a distant hillside. The leather armor on his arms was shattered, and his arms were covered in blood.

He took a deep breath and immediately started running into the distance.

"Don't chase. Be careful of falling into a trap. We have our own plan."

Du Yan spoke up, and then the group continued deeper in.

Suddenly, Du Yan stared diagonally ahead. His body began to tremble, his breathing became rapid, and his eyes widened.

Everyone followed his gaze to look in that direction.

"That's... ugh!"

Fang Kui immediately retched.

Xu Mu, Chen Xuan, and Zhao Shengli also had grave expressions.

"It's him!"

Du Yan's tone was low and heavy, his previously lifeless eyes suddenly wide with fury. "Xu Mu, I'll get you out of here. You can't survive in this place!"