Chapter 130: That’s Right, We’ll Listen to Little Brother Pig

The others also had expressions of great joy. Although they had prepared themselves for a calm death, who would actually want to die if they could live? Among those present, everyone had family waiting at home. Most were unmarried, and some were even their parents' only child. Dying here like this would truly be a betrayal of their elders.

With so many Spirit Recovery Pills, Zi Shu and the others felt a renewed sense of confidence. They had initially considered distributing the pills to let everyone vent their frustration, but they ultimately abandoned that idea. Looking at the current situation, even Chen Long, with his lightning-based abilities, could not kill the Gold-Eating Rats as quickly as Si She and You Ji. Of course, this wasn't because Chen Long was inadequate; in terms of raw power, the spiritual techniques of Chen Long and the others were indeed stronger. However, against a swarm of Gold-Eating Rats, it felt like using a cannon to swat mosquitoes. Their techniques could only cover a specific area and were not as efficient as those of Si She and You Ji, whose abilities were perfectly suited for dealing with large numbers of low-level spirit beasts.

Zi Shu quickly made a decision: these Spirit Recovery Pills would be prioritized for them.

Si She had been killing enemies with peace of mind, unaware of what the others were discussing. By now, she had consumed her last pill, and her spiritual energy was nearly exhausted. Just as she was about to call out to Zi Shu and the others, she saw Zi Shu handing her another bottle. Si She was surprised—Zi Shu only had two pills when they were at the auction, didn't he? But she shook the thought away—why dwell on it? Better to hold on for as long as she could. However, when she realized the bottle contained ten pills instead of one, she couldn't remain calm. Despite her questions, she knew this wasn't the time to ask; surviving the rat tide was the priority. She took another pill and returned to her role as a workhorse.

After taking the fifth pill, Si She started to reach her limit—not because her energy was running out, but because she was genuinely exhausted. Even a donkey on a production farm wouldn't be worked this hard! You Ji, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately stepped in. As her sonic attacks rang out, Si She, who had been about to ask questions, could only cover her ears. She really couldn't fathom where all these pills had suddenly come from.

"Ah~!" You Ji also began to falter after taking her seventh pill. Her output was effective, but it was taxing on her throat; her voice had already turned hoarse. The good news was that the surrounding swarm of Gold-Eating Rats had noticeably thinned. With a little more effort, wiping them out entirely was only a matter of time. Seeing that You Ji could no longer hold on, Zi Shu and the others stepped in before Si She had to. While Si She and You Ji had been holding the line, the others hadn't been idle, and with the high concentration of spiritual energy in the area, they had recovered most of their own reserves.

Everyone was brimming with suppressed anger, and seeing the number of rats dwindle, they knew if they didn't act now, they might lose their chance. Suddenly, spiritual techniques ravaged the area, and a massive number of Gold-Eating Rats were slaughtered. Through their combined efforts, the remaining rats were finally wiped out.

Feeling that no more rats were charging, Zi Shu and the others collapsed to the ground. They had essentially walked through the gates of hell. While the high-tension battle kept them going, they now felt completely drained. The corpses of the Gold-Eating Rats had piled up into a small mountain; heaven only knew how many they had killed.

The sky was beginning to brighten, but shielded by the mounds of rat carcasses, their surroundings remained dim. Staying in such an environment felt oppressive, and with bodies everywhere, moving was difficult.

"Yin Hu, incinerate these carcasses," Zi Shu commanded. Yin Hu nodded. Even though this was a secret realm, humans and mercenaries often traveled here. If they didn't deal with the remains, it might lead to a plague. Moreover, a large portion had been killed by Si She’s toxins, so they couldn't just leave them.

Chou Niu used his earth-based abilities to create a protective barrier for the group, while Yin Hu began to unleash his fire-based abilities. Yin Hu had expected to be exhausted, given the sheer volume of corpses, but to his surprise, a single technique caused them all to ignite. The carcasses sizzled as they burned, and the fire spread rapidly. The reason it hadn't spread during the battle was simply because the oncoming waves of rats had been stamping it out with their own bodies.

A foul stench soon filled the air. Zi Shu waved his hand, using a wind-based technique to keep the air around them clear. Wei Yang used water-based abilities to keep the temperature down, so no one felt any discomfort. While the fire raged, the group’s eyes turned toward Lin Xiao.

"Hai Zhu, you saved our lives this time."

Si She was the only one who hadn't known what was going on, but she wasn't foolish; she quickly guessed that the pills had come from Lin Xiao. If that was the case, he truly had saved them.

Lin Xiao waved his hand dismissively. "Brother Zi Shu, please don't say that. I was just saving myself. Without you all, even with the pills, I wouldn't have made it out."

"That's not the right way to look at it. From now on, you are our brother!"

"That's right! We recognize you as our brother!"

...

Everyone showered Lin Xiao with praise, making him feel a bit embarrassed. "Come on, haven't we been brothers for a while now?"

Everyone burst into laughter, and the topic was naturally set aside. Zi Shu and the others weren't the type to be ungrateful; they just didn't like empty words. They would prove it with their actions later.

"Putting that aside, this rat tide was quite unusual."

"Yes, it’s definitely strange. We've encountered rat tides before, but the sheer volume this time was absurd."

Lin Xiao hadn't entered high-level secret realms before, so he hadn't realized anything was amiss. "It gave me a scare. I thought this was just common in secret realms."

"What are you thinking? If it were like this all the time, we wouldn't dare come here—that would be suicide. I suspect something has happened in the core of the secret realm."

Once Zi Shu suggested this, the others agreed it was highly likely. Only a disturbance in the core area could cause the Gold-Eating Rats to act so violently. Now, the question was: should they continue to venture deeper?

"Let everyone share their thoughts. Do we push forward, or do we retreat?"

No one spoke; they were all indecisive. Seeing the silence, Zi Shu looked directly at Lin Xiao. "Hai Zhu, you make the decision. You saved our lives. If you want us to push forward, we will. If you say we go back, we go back."

The others nodded fervently. "That's right, we listen to little brother Pig!"

Lin Xiao: (⊙_⊙)

Really? Why throw this problem to him? Lin Xiao wasn't really willing to go back just like that; he hadn't earned enough points yet. With that in mind, he made his decision. Even though he didn't know what was waiting for him ahead, who cared? He had his own cards to play.

"In that case, let's go a bit further and see. Aren't you all curious about what exactly happened in this secret realm?"