Watching the Gold-Munching Mouse gnaw away at Ling Xuan's corpse was a sight that made Ye Qiao's scalp tingle. His whole body trembled as though struck by lightning, barely able to control himself, his teeth chattering nonstop.
Ling Shi and Ling Feng exchanged a glance, murder blazing in both their eyes. Two figures shot forward from either side, charging at Jiang Chen once more.
They had no other choice now. Only by taking down Jiang Chen did they have any hope. Even if Boss Ling Xuan was dead, their objective could not change.
If they failed to capture Jiang Chen, they were dead for certain.
At this moment, their only wish was that Ling Xuan's death would keep the Gold-Munching Mouse occupied so it would lose interest in the two of them.
Footwork and speed were pushed to the absolute limit in this life-or-death moment.
Ling Feng and Ling Shi could almost see hope.
Then, in that very instant, the Gold-Munching Mouse moved again. Its speed was so extreme it completely surpassed their comprehension.
A flash of golden light flickered left and right.
Smack! Smack!
Two crisp sounds rang out. The bodies of Ling Feng and Ling Shi, hurtling through the air, were slapped straight down like limp rags.
When the two of them hit the ground, their skulls had been flattened outright, and not a trace of life remained.
In the blink of an eye, both Spirit Realm powerhouses were killed!
Ye Qiao collapsed completely. In that moment, he could finally understand the despair Ye Dai and Ye Zheng must have felt.
Staring at the golden tide sweeping toward him like a vast ocean, looking at the three Personal Guards lying dead on the ground, Ye Qiao had no chance to react before he was swallowed by the boundless tide of mice.
Half a quarter of an hour later, the mouse tide receded like a wind scouring away the last clouds, flowing back into the Wanhao Stone Nest, leaving behind nothing but a carpet of bones.
...
Half an hour later, Jiang Chen caught up with Ye Rong and the others.
"Jiang Chen? You're back already?" Ye Rong was surprised to see him return. How long had it even been?
"I'm back," Jiang Chen said with an odd smile.
"Did you take care of it?"
"I didn't lift a finger. The Second Prince's group — I don't know what was wrong with them — somehow stumbled into that valley area and got wiped out by the mouse tide."
"What?" Ye Rong was stunned. "Wiped out by the mouse tide? Ye Qiao, he…?"
"Dead, all of them. Nothing left but bones." Jiang Chen shook his head with a sigh, as if the whole affair had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Consort Dan gave Jiang Chen a meaningful look, half-believing and half-doubting, but said nothing.
Xue Tong, for his part, had a faint smile hanging at the corner of his lips and likewise kept quiet.
"Forget it. He brought it on himself. Let's move on. This place really is cursed."
After everything that had happened, Ye Rong no longer felt any excitement over Ye Qiao's death. He just wanted to leave this Labyrinth world as soon as possible.
After all, the competitors who could rival him — Ye Dai and Ye Qiao, his two main adversaries — had both been destroyed by the mouse tide.
And Ye Zheng had brought ruin upon himself by tagging along with Ye Dai, playing dog to Ye Dai, so he naturally posed no threat to Ye Rong either.
With that, Ye Rong's thoughts had already drifted back to the Royal Capital. He had no particular interest in the hunt itself anymore.
Consort Dan, having obtained four Silver Moon Demon Ape cubs, was likewise returning fully satisfied and had little enthusiasm left for the Labyrinth Autumn Hunt.
Jiang Chen, on the other hand — though he had originally come along only to accompany Consort Dan — was now the most eager of them all. Along the way, he showed no special enthusiasm for hunting Spirit Beasts or fierce creatures, but whenever they encountered spiritual medicines or herbs, he collected every last one without exception. His haul was far from negligible.
As time passed, they occasionally crossed paths with other teams, but with no conflicting interests, they passed each other peacefully.
That day, the group headed south, making for the exit.
"There are seven days left until the hunt ends. I suggest we head back to the designated point as soon as possible," Ye Rong proposed.
Consort Dan considered briefly but did not speak. Her bright eyes drifted to Jiang Chen, clearly deferring to his opinion.
Jiang Chen, however, said: "You all go on to the exit. I'll meet you at the designated point before the deadline."
"What else do you have in mind?" Consort Dan asked, curious.
Jiang Chen smiled and let his gaze drift leisurely toward some area to the south. "I just feel that since I've come all this way, leaving now would be a bit of a waste."
Ye Rong and Consort Dan exchanged a glance, both feeling a twinge of guilt. They had each achieved what they came for, yet Jiang Chen had contributed the most and seemed to have gained the least.
Ye Rong had reaped the biggest rewards of this hunt — all his competitors had been swallowed by the mouse tide, effectively clearing his path to the throne.
Consort Dan had gotten the Spirit Beast cubs she wanted, so the trip had certainly not been in vain.
Jiang Chen, by contrast, had done the most work while essentially serving everyone else's interests. Seeing that he wanted to linger a while longer, they could all understand.