Chapter 117: Want to Withdraw? Not a Chance!

Li Jinghua, however, remained unwilling to let it go. He turned his attention to Yan Kaiji, who had remained silent throughout the discussion. Yan Kaiji was the official in charge of this year’s Spirit Void expedition.

Furthermore, it was common knowledge that Yan Kaiji and Xiang Nan had been at odds even before entering the Spirit Void, having even made a wager against one another. Naturally, Yan Kaiji was the last person who would want to see Xiang Nan win the championship. If he could easily eliminate Xiang Nan using this as a pretext, it would be an effortless way to dispose of a thorn in his side.

"Mad Yama, you’re the one in charge of this Spirit Void expedition; the rules are whatever you say they are. This Xiang Nan doesn't even hold you in the slightest regard. We support you—just disqualify him!"

Sun Liren, standing nearby, felt a bit uneasy seeing Li Jinghua actually inciting Yan Kaiji. Clearly, Yan Kaiji was the one who wanted Xiang Nan to fail the most. If he abandoned all pretense of fairness and disqualified Xiang Nan, no one would truly be in a position to object. Yan Kaiji was known for his eccentric personality, never caring for social grace, let alone sportsmanship. It wouldn't be surprising if he did something drastic.

To everyone’s surprise, Yan Kaiji simply said with a blank expression, "Xiang Nan has not violated any rules. Disqualifying him is out of the question."

"You!" Li Jinghua felt snubbed. "You really are a Mad Yama. You had such a perfect opportunity to turn the tables, and you just threw it away."

Yan Kaiji swept a gaze as cold as ice shards over Li Jinghua. "Are you looking down on me? He is merely a second-rank student. Do you honestly believe he could win the championship? If so, I suggest you go see an ophthalmologist!"

"Indeed, you should probably have your brain checked as well," Sun Liren added, keeping his tone calm and detached.

Li Jinghua glared at them, snorted coldly, and fell silent. He knew full well the nature of Mad Yama Yan Kaiji; once the man made a decision, it was impossible to change his mind.

Sun Liren glanced sideways at Yan Kaiji, who had returned to his impassive state. He muttered to himself, "This madman is only letting Xiang Nan go because he wants to see him meet an even more miserable end. What a petty, narrow-minded wretch!"

Inside the Spirit Void, as seen on the screen, Xiang Nan’s team had piloted their helicopter to survey the entire area. The explorable region of the Spirit Void consisted of eight islands separated by a lake.

Double Moon Island served as the entrance and exit, with sparse woods, few demonic beasts, and those that were present were of low rank. Further in, the Blue Fish Islands flanked the center, with three islands on each side surrounding the central island of the Spirit Void. Each island had a unique landscape, and Xiang Nan had chosen the third island as their base. It was scenic, featured a large meadow perfect for setting up camp, and according to the electronic map, the demonic beasts here were mostly second or third-rank, with a few fourth-rank specimens—ideal for hunting to earn spirit pearls.

As soon as they landed, Xiang Nan reached into his storage space and pulled out a bundle of machine guns. Leng Ruoshuang had given them to him, and they were finally coming in handy.

"Here you go. Each of you take two. For second and third-rank beasts, unless they have extremely thick hides, they won't be able to withstand this firepower."

"Damn! Following Boss Nan really is different; the gear is limitless! Think of how much spirit energy this is going to save me." Li Xiang was the first to excitedly strap on the machine guns, taking plenty of ammunition as well. Why waste spirit energy when you have tools at your disposal? The two girls also stepped forward, happily taking two guns each for self-defense. Only Xu Jiya, who was busy piloting the helicopter, could not carry such heavy weapons while flying.

Xiang Nan waved his hand grandly. "Team, our hunting hour has begun." He raised an eyebrow at Xu Jiya. "Aim for the middle path, let’s go!"

No sooner had he spoken than Xu Jiya started the helicopter. The propellers roared to life as they flew toward the center of the dense forest.

The first creature they encountered was a second-rank War Camel Beast, known for its formidable physical attacks. The beast had been foraging when a sudden gale whipped up, and a massive, never-before-seen "giant bird" roared toward it, giving the creature quite a fright. Then, it saw humans poking their heads out of the belly of the giant bird, waving at it.

It was no exaggeration to say that Xiang Nan’s current behavior was beyond arrogant. He grinned and shouted at the War Camel Beast, "Little Camel, let your blood be the first to break in my guns!"

Seeing that Xiang Nan had already locked onto the beast, the others stopped competing and simply leaned out, eyes scanning the sky for new prey.

In the dense forest, the War Camel Beast finally realized that the creature calling out from the belly of the giant bird was nothing more than a weak human. It wasn't one to be trifled with, and it had been looking for a fresh meal anyway. With an excited roar, the beast crouched on its hind legs, preparing to leap and turn the human who had invaded its territory into dinner.

But before it could let out its third roar, "Rat-tat-tat-tat..." The machine gun in Xiang Nan’s hand opened fire. The massive War Camel Beast was instantly stunned. While these beasts possessed immense strength—capable of toppling a building with a single kick—their agility was abysmal. To Xiang Nan, their attempts to dodge were like slow-motion comedy. After a burst of gunfire, the War Camel Beast collapsed with a thud.

The War Camel Beast had the added benefit of having tender, chewy meat that tasted much like beef. Unlike the Obsidian Bat Beast, which was not only repulsive in appearance but also had a rank, gamey smell, the War Camel was a favorite among food-loving explorers. With a long journey ahead in the Spirit Void, one couldn't go without meat.

Xiang Nan had Xu Jiya hover the helicopter at a low altitude. He risked climbing down a rope ladder and tossed the six-hundred-pound carcass into his storage space.

"Tonight’s midnight snack is settled!"

For a while, the sound of machine-gun fire echoed periodically through the forest on the third island. It went without saying that Xiang Nan’s team was on a monster-slaying spree. Once the nearby beasts were cleared, Xiang Nan signaled Xu Jiya to keep moving forward.

"Damn, there’s nothing like hunting monsters from this vantage point! Come on, little monsters, bite me! Oh, wait, you can't reach me! Hahahaha!" After downing a few beasts, Li Xiang was riding high. "No matter the monster, none can escape my great pillaging! Hahahaha!"

The infectious laughter affected Su Yao, who was on the same helicopter. After finishing a burst of fire, she looked at Li Xiang with annoyance. "Li Xiang, can you act normal? Being this 'chuunibyou' is a sickness, and it needs to be cured!"

"If it's a sickness, so be it. It’s a sickness I’m happy to have." Li Xiang was completely shameless.

Along the way, Xiang Nan’s hunting party proceeded smoothly. No matter what demonic beast they encountered, they were met with a hail of machine-gun fire first. Those that couldn't withstand it perished on the spot, and they would simply drop the ladder to retrieve the spirit pearls. For those with thick hides that could resist the damage, Xiang Nan was ready with his Three-Ultimate Divine Arts; if that failed, a blast of Blazing Flame Waves would instantly roast them into barbecue.

The five-member team had each racked up a significant number of kills, yet they became more excited with every encounter, unable to stop.

Following their path, a dark shadow flickered through the dense forest, tailing them closely.