"Captain Yuluo, there's a team ahead!"
A Level 102 Tier 2 Ranger spotted the blurry figures over four hundred yards away in the darkness and quickly reported to Yuluo.
The deeper one ventured into the passage, the more visibility was suppressed. Even Tier 3 Classes could only see about three to four hundred yards ahead—beyond that, it was nearly impossible to make out details. Only those with special Classes could see a bit farther.
"A returning team?" Yuluo watched the approaching group and raised her voice in the team chat. "Everyone, be careful! Keep your distance from them and don't give them any reason to misunderstand. We're not here to fight!"
The passage to the Molten Ruins' inner area was the only route, but it was easy to leave and hard to enter. Before Yuluo's group, only Shi Feng's five-man team and the Demon Emperor Palace's team had gone in—and that had been several hours ago, with no one entering since.
At this point, they had already passed most of the passage's difficulties, and reaching the Inner Corridor was no longer an issue. If any other team could make it this far, they would certainly be able to enter the inner area.
A team returning now could only mean they were heading back from the inner area.
And any team that had reached the inner area was no ordinary group—they would have harvested valuable loot there. If a misunderstanding arose, it could easily lead to unnecessary conflict and fighting.
The teams from the other major superpowers nodded and moved to the far left of the passage, making it clear they harbored no hostile intent or desire to loot. No one wanted unnecessary conflict here—there were still plenty of treasures and opportunities waiting in the inner area, and the inner area was far more dangerous than the outer zone. Preserving their fighting strength was always preferable.
However, as the two teams drew closer, the expressions on Yuluo and her companions' faces shifted to unmistakable shock and confusion.
The members of this returning team were all too familiar to them.
The Demon Emperor Palace!
Back at the passage entrance, virtually every faction had watched with wariness as the Demon Emperor Palace's group entered the passage. Yuluo herself had hastily joined forces with the other major superpowers' teams to enter as well.
But now, the Demon Emperor Palace's people were returning—and they looked utterly disheveled. Nearly half of their Tier 3 Classes had been lost.
"How is that possible?!"
"Why are they heading back?"
"Could they not get through the section ahead either?"
The members of every major superpower present stared at Lin Xie and his group in disbelief, their hearts growing uneasy.
They knew exactly how powerful the Demon Emperor Palace's team was—sixteen Tier 3 Classes in total, with Lin Xie, a top-ten expert on Dragonheart Island, leading them. Their team strength surpassed even Yuluo's coalition.
Yet here they were, retreating. That made everyone question whether they could make it through the passage at all.
The leaders of the two major superpowers couldn't help but look at Yuluo, their gazes filled with inquiry and doubt. After all, Yuluo had assured them that reaching this point meant they had essentially passed the passage—that there would be no further problems and they could safely enter the Inner Corridor to search for treasures and opportunities.
"Did the difficulty of the passage's second half change?" Yuluo stared blankly, not knowing what to say.
The intel from the faction leaders had been clear: the second half of the passage contained only some monsters and a gate boss. Kill the gate boss, obtain the key, and they could enter the Inner Corridor.
The gate boss was merely a Level 105 High Great Lord. Its skills were somewhat powerful, and there might be some casualties, but defeating it was entirely feasible. For the Demon Emperor Palace's people, it should have been trivially easy—so how did they end up in such a wretched state?
Just as everyone was wracking their minds in confusion, Lin Xie walked over and locked his gaze directly onto Yuluo. A terrifying aura washed over the area, and the other Tier 3 experts from the Demon Emperor Palace fixed Yuluo with intense stares. The atmosphere grew incredibly tense.
"You people from Blade of the Firmament are quite something. Truly impressive." Lin Xie stared straight at Yuluo, his voice low and frigid. "I underestimated you before. I didn't expect you to have such a powerful backer. We in the Demon Emperor Palace will accept this loss for now. But remember this—they won't be able to protect you forever. Who has the last laugh is still anyone's call."
With that, Lin Xie turned and left without another glance at Yuluo and her people. The other members of the Demon Emperor Palace shot venomous looks at Yuluo's group before following Lin Xie, gradually disappearing from everyone's sight.
As Lin Xie and his group departed, the members of the two major superpowers couldn't help but look toward Yuluo's people.
Though Lin Xie hadn't said much, the information packed into his words was explosive.
Blade of the Firmament had a powerful backer this time—and that backer had forced the Demon Emperor Palace to take losses and retreat from the passage. If word of this got out, it would undoubtedly shake all of Dragonheart Island.