46: Chapter 46 Territorial Expansion! The Absolute Territory of the Dragon God Tribe!

"A crack?!"

Su Qingyao let out an irrepressible cry of alarm, all color draining from her beautiful face!

With her peach-blossom eyes that could perceive the flow of energy, she saw it even more clearly than Qin Yu!

That wasn't just a physical crack!

It was a spatial rift!

Streams of pure, evil Abyss energy, filled with an aura of chaos and destruction, were frantically seeping out from that nearly imperceptible crack like a flood!

They were like living venomous snakes, greedily eroding the laws of this world!

"Thirty days..."

Qin Yu's expression was so dark it looked like it could drip water.

"It seems the system's estimate was optimistic."

"This broken door won't last that long at all!"

He could feel that as the Abyss energy leaked, the air in the entire cavern became viscous and cold.

Even the stone walls began to be coated in a layer of black frost that carried a faint, foul stench.

"We can't wait any longer!"

Su Qingyao's voice was full of anxiety.

"This energy will poison this land like venom! Over time, this entire rainforest will become a dead zone where not a single blade of grass grows!"

"It might even give rise to mutated monsters even more terrifying than the Titan Python!"

"I know."

Qin Yu's gaze was as cold as a blade.

He looked at the rift that continued to seep ominous red light, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

Repair it?

The system prompt said it could be repaired.

But how? With what?

It was a complete unknown!

Moreover, repairing it would be equivalent to opening the Pandora's box leading to the 'Nest of Ten Thousand Insects'!

With the Tribe's current strength, taking the initiative to attack would be like throwing eggs against a stone!

Destroy it?

Qin Yu glanced at the door made of an unknown metal, then at his own fist that could crush the air just by clenching, and ultimately abandoned that unrealistic idea.

If even the Titan Python couldn't digest this thing, he likely wouldn't be able to budge it an inch with his current power.

Then, there was only one choice left!

"Since we can't block it and we can't beat it..."

Qin Yu slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, the madness in his eyes once again replaced by absolute rationality.

"Then we can only do everything possible to increase our own strength before they arrive!"

"Resources! I need more resources!"

"Food, wood, stone, and..."

Qin Yu's gaze fell on the corner of the cavern, on several hard shells containing metallic components that had been scraped from beneath the Titan Python's scales.

"Ore!"

"Only by mastering metal can we forge stronger weapons and sturdier armor!"

"Only then will we have a chance to survive!"

Having made his decision, Qin Yu no longer hesitated.

He took Su Qingyao and resealed the cavern.

Then, in front of everyone, he issued a new command!

"The general combat readiness plan is temporarily adjusted!"

"From today on, the 'Dragon God Expeditionary Force' is established! I will lead it personally!"

Qin Yu's voice echoed in everyone's ears.

"Our goal is to clear all threats within a five-kilometer radius of the Tribe! We will establish an absolutely safe strategic buffer zone!"

"At the same time, mark all available resources within this area!"

"Chen Xiao!"

"Present!"

"Select ten elites with the best training results from your guard! Equipping them with the best leather armor and the strongest crossbows, they will serve as the core members of the expeditionary force!"

"Su Qingyao!"

"I am here, my God."

"You will accompany the expedition as the High Priestess! Your oracles and sensory abilities will be our greatest reliance!"

"The rest will be led by Lin Waner! Stay to guard the camp, continue producing weapons, and reinforce the defensive fortifications! Be ready to support us at any time!"

The orders were concise and clear.

The war machine that was the Dragon God Tribe began to operate efficiently once again!

Half an hour later.

An elite squad of thirteen, armed to the teeth, stood in neat formation before the Tribe's main gate.

At the head was, naturally, Qin Yu.

He was still dressed in simple beast-hide clothing, but the [saber-toothed tiger fang dagger] at his waist seemed to emit a faint, heart-stopping red glow, as if it had absorbed too much blood from powerful creatures.

Behind him was Chen Xiao, wearing black snake-skin armor and carrying a longbow on her back.

And Su Qingyao, in a white robe, holding a simple staff fashioned from scraps of a totem pillar.

Further back were the ten guard elites, also in snake-skin armor, holding standard-issue military crossbows, their gazes sharp and murderous!

This squad gathered the top combat power of the entire Dragon God Tribe!

"Move out!"

With Qin Yu's command, without the slightest hesitation, he took the first step into that prehistoric rainforest filled with the unknown and danger!

The rainforest was still the same rainforest.

Towering giant trees blotted out the sun.

The humid air mixed the scents of earth and humus.

From time to time, the roars of unknown beasts echoed from the distance.

But this time, everyone's mindset was completely different.

They were no longer lambs to be slaughtered, but hunters holding sharp blades!

Soon, they encountered the first wave of enemies.

A pack of seven or eight Velociraptors!

These carnivorous dinosaurs, nearly two meters tall with incredible speed and sharp claws and teeth, would have been a fatal disaster for the Tribe just a few days ago.

"Enemy attack! Form up!"

Chen Xiao's reaction was lightning-fast. With a sharp cry, the ten guard members immediately knelt on one knee, raising their crossbows and aiming at the pack of Velociraptors flanking them from the woods!

The atmosphere instantly became tense and ready for battle!

However, Qin Yu didn't even bother to lift an eyelid.

He just gave a faint glance toward the pack of Velociraptors, which were already baring their teeth, salivating, and about to charge.

Then, he let out a casual cold snort from his nose.

"Hmph."

The sound wasn't loud.

But the moment that cold snort rang out!

An invisible, terrifying pressure, as if coming from the highest point of life itself, crashed down!

[Dragon Might]!

[Conquerors Haki (Pseudo)]!

Dual activation!

The Velociraptors, which were about to pounce and tear the "food" before them to pieces, suddenly froze!

Their pupils, which had been flickering with brutal light, were instantly filled with an endless fear originating from the depths of their souls!

It was as if they weren't looking at a human.

But at an ancient Divine Dragon ten thousand times more terrifying than a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a hundred million times more majestic than a Titan Python!

That Divine Dragon was looking down at them with an indifferent gaze, as if they were ants!

"Awooo..."

The lead Velociraptor let out a shrill, pitiful wail like a small dog!

Its legs went weak, and it actually collapsed onto the ground, losing control of its bowels!

Immediately following that!

The remaining Velociraptors also acted as if they had seen a ghost, letting out bursts of terrified screams as they turned tail and fled!

They wished they had grown two extra legs!

In the blink of an eye, they had vanished without a trace!

The entire process took less than three seconds.

"..."

Chen Xiao and the ten guard members all watched this scene dumbstruck.

Their crossbows were still in an aiming position.

But their targets had run so far away that not even a shadow was left.

"This... it's... over?"

One girl murmured to herself in disbelief.

Everyone's gaze converged on the man who was still standing with his hands behind his back, not having moved a single step.

In their eyes, besides admiration, there was now an added layer of heartfelt awe for a "God"!

Subduing the enemy without fighting!

This was the true majesty of a God!

"What are you dazing for?"

Qin Yu's voice broke the silence.

"Keep moving! We don't have much time!"

"Yes! Patriarch!"

The group snapped out of it and hurriedly followed Qin Yu's lead, though the looks they gave him became increasingly fanatical!

The subsequent exploration became exceptionally smooth.

Or rather, it was boring.

Whether it was a ferocious Saber-toothed Tiger, a pack of Deinonychus, or even a lone Triceratops as large as a truck.

In the face of Qin Yu's god-like pressure, they all had only one end.

Either flee in a panic,

Or be scared to death on the spot!

Qin Yu and his party were like a Divine King inspecting his territory, strolling through this peril-filled rainforest and sweeping through everything in their path!

Su Qingyao held the map, constantly making markings on it.

"Three hundred meters to the front-left, there's a wild banana grove; the fruit is edible!"

"One kilometer to the front-right, there's a stream; the water source is clean!"

"Below the cliff face directly ahead, I feel a very dense energy of metal and earth elements! There must be the ore we need!"

Unknowingly, they had already ventured nearly five kilometers into the rainforest.

They reached a precipice.

Standing here, they could overlook a vast dark-green swamp below.

"Alright, that's enough for today."

Qin Yu looked at the precious resource points marked on the map and nodded with satisfaction.

"From this day on, this five-kilometer radius is the absolute territory of our Dragon God Tribe!"

"Any creature that dares to step into this territory shall be shown no mercy!"

His voice was full of dominance and confidence.

Chen Xiao was about to mark this precipice as the new boundary point on the map.

Suddenly, her movements stopped.

Her hawk-like sharp gaze was fixed intently on a spot at the edge of the swamp below.

Her breathing hitched slightly.

"Patriarch!"

Chen Xiao's voice carried a hint of irrepressible gravity.

"Look over there!"

"By the edge of the swamp!"

Qin Yu looked in the direction she was pointing.

There, on the moist black mud below,

Was a string of clearly visible...

Footprints?!