61: dusk

Bang.

A thud echoed as a body hit the ground.

Qin Jin walked past Xiang Yichen, decisively finishing him off.

The silver-haired woman hadn't lied to him.

With the strength of these two, they must have killed many constructs, but after finishing them off, he still hadn't gained that special power.

Qin Jin's gaze turned to the front.

The battlefield ahead was somewhat tragic.

Three against one.

But currently, it was Ji Xiuyuan and his two teammates who were at a disadvantage.

At a glance, all three were covered in blood and severely injured.

This Heavenly Selection squad, belonging to the [Collapsing Mountain Dojo], indeed possessed the strength to justify their arrogance.

However.

As Qin Jin's gaze swept over, the third member of that squad also perceived the situation on this side of the battlefield, and a look of horror rose in his eyes.

He was very clear about his teammates' strength.

But now…

Both of them had fallen to the ground, their fates unknown.

While engaging the enemy, he glanced at Qin Jin out of the corner of his eye, a chill intensifying in his heart, and without the slightest hesitation, he prepared to flee.

He made his decision quickly, but he still had three opponents beside him.

Ji Xiuyuan was covered in wounds, but he remembered one thing: the more the enemy wanted to do something, the less he could let them succeed.

The moment he sensed the opponent's intention to leave the battlefield, he unleashed his last burst of strength, leaping up and directly grabbing the opponent's calf.

"Let go!"

A startled shout rang out, accompanied by a heavy blow.

Ji Xiuyuan just wouldn't let go.

It was at this moment.

Divine light shimmered in Qin Jin's eyes as Divine Intent shot forth.

The Golden Armored Heavenly Selection leaped into the air, advanced, struck down the enemy, and returned!

The third person, tightly held by Ji Xiuyuan, stiffened, the light in his eyes completely dimming, and due to Ji Xiuyuan's exertion, his body fell backward, crashing directly onto him.

Puff…

Blood seeped from Ji Xiuyuan's lips.

His consciousness was already hazy, but his two equally injured teammates beside him realized what had happened. Their arms trembling, they took out the secret medicine they carried, pushed away the third member of the Collapsing Mountain Dojo, and gave it to Ji Xiuyuan to help him initially stabilize his injuries.

Qin Jin's gaze swept over, then he retracted his sight.

He had no intention of acting against this squad, which had not attacked him and was now utterly defenseless.

Just then…

From behind, a call rang out.

"Hey, friend."

Qin Jin stopped and looked back.

It was Ji Xiuyuan who had called out.

He could barely stand at this moment, leaning on his teammates for support. His loud shout pulled at his injuries, and he couldn't help but cough violently a few times.

Seeing Qin Jin look back, he managed to stop coughing, wincing in pain, and said, "I am Ji Xiuyuan."

Just like their initial meeting, he introduced himself once more.

Then, he continued, "We will immediately withdraw from the Heavenly Selection Competition."

"Friend, what should I call you?"

"I'm still a nobody right now, but if I ever make a name for myself in the future, I will definitely repay your life-saving kindness!"

By the end, he was shouting, enduring the pain.

Qin Jin's eyebrows slightly raised.

He turned around, and his voice carried far as he spoke softly.

"Qin Jin."

After speaking, he met Yu Sheng and Jiang Panxia, who were walking towards him, confirmed the direction, and continued deeper into the restricted zone.

"Qin Jin, hiss… pain, so much pain."

Ji Xiuyuan watched Qin Jin and his two teammates disappear into the distance, then sat down with the help of his teammates, enduring the pain as he said, "Briefly treat the injuries, then leave this area first."

"Next, we might not encounter such a master who would let us go."

…

Qin Jin led the way as the three delved deeper.

After advancing another distance, Qin Jin clearly sensed that the repulsive force had increased further.

His initial assumption was correct.

The closer they got to the birthplace of the Star God, the stronger the repulsive force would become.

Qin Jin stopped and looked back at his two teammates, saying in a deep voice, "This is as far as we go."

"You two leave the supplies and return directly."

This repulsive force was a natural method of elimination.

Since Qin Jin had made his decision earlier, he would naturally execute it decisively now.

Jiang Panxia bent down, organized the items in her backpack, placed it at Qin Jin's feet, hesitated, and finally said, "Captain, please be careful."

"Mm."

Qin Jin nodded.

Beside him.

Yu Sheng clenched and waved his fist: "Captain, we'll wait for your good news!"

"After the Heavenly Selection Competition ends, we must get Boss Chu to throw a celebration feast for you."

Qin Jin smiled calmly.

After bidding farewell.

Yu Sheng and Jiang Panxia left together.

As teammates, from the trials in the wilderness to the battles in the restricted zone, they were the ones who knew Qin Jin's strength best.

They had also fully carried out what they had promised before the Heavenly Selection Competition.

Everything revolved around Qin Jin.

Under the current restrictions of the restricted zone's rules, continuing to travel together would only become a burden to Qin Jin. Therefore, the two of them were not at all wishy-washy, directly executing Qin Jin's order and choosing to return.

After watching the two disappear into the distance, Qin Jin retracted his gaze, looked towards the depths of the restricted zone, and strode forward.

…

"Retreat, retreat, retreat!"

A deliberately lowered voice emanated from a certain part of the restricted zone, where a three-person squad of two males and one female communicated with each other as they slowly retreated.

After creating some distance, the three exchanged glances and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Su Su, thankfully you noticed quickly."

The golden-haired man in battle armor breathed a sigh of relief: "We need to change our route. I didn't expect there to be a big guy sleeping here. Transcendent beings are completely different from constructs; they possess intelligence and are not easy to deal with."

"We'll try to go around; it's safer at least."

"Mm."

The other two nodded, and the woman named Su Su softly said, "Diaz, Zhang Cheng, have you noticed? After entering deeper into the restricted zone, not only have constructs increased, but many transcendent beings have also appeared."

"This might be the power of the Star God overflowing, spontaneously attracting bodyguards."

Su Su was about to say more when she sensed something, and her expression became vigilant: "It seems someone is approaching from that direction."

The three looked solemn, simultaneously gazing in the direction Su Su indicated.

Among the three, Su Su had the highest mental index and the most acute perception.

Not long after.

Accompanied by footsteps, a man in a black and gold combat suit with a backpack stepped closer.

Su Su and her two teammates watched him warily.

However, the other party seemed to have no intention of attacking. After merely glancing at the three, he continued forward.

His direction of travel was precisely the direction from which the three had retreated.

Seeing this scene.

Su Su bit her lip and suddenly spoke, "Don't go any further."

The man stopped.

Su Su's teammates beside her looked surprised for a moment, but then showed helplessness. Facing the man's gaze, Su Su continued, "There's a transcendent being sleeping ahead on this route. You're alone now, so it's better to take a detour."

This man was Qin Jin.

Hearing the woman's warning, Qin Jin also showed some surprise in his eyes and nodded in response, "Thank you for the information."

After speaking.

He did not stop his steps and continued forward.

Seeing this scene, all three, including Su Su, were simultaneously astonished.

They watched Qin Jin go deeper.

"Is he crazy?"

Su Su looked at her two teammates, puzzled: "What is this? Knowing there are tigers on the mountain, he insists on heading for the tiger mountain? He's all alone, his teammates are gone, and he's still so fierce?"

"Who knows."

Zhang Cheng rolled his eyes: "Sister Su, Big Sister Su, this is the Heavenly Selection Competition, we are competitors!"

Diaz nodded from the side.

"There can only be one final winner in the Heavenly Selection Competition, after all."

Su Su shook her head, looking at the two: "Do you really think you can get lucky and connect with a god?"

"Putting aside the Heavenly Selection Competition, everyone in the restricted zone right now is our peer, our fellow countryman. If we can help, we should. He didn't attack us."

"Those who can participate in the Heavenly Selection Competition are not ordinary people. Who knows, maybe we'll get a reward in the future?"

At this point, she paused slightly, looking in the direction where Qin Jin had disappeared.

"How about we follow him and see?"

"You want to follow him?!"

Zhang Cheng's eyes widened.

"Let's follow and see."

Su Su's expression became serious: "He's alone, he poses no threat to us. If we can save him, we should."

"What if…"

She thought of more: "If he's so fearless, and he really has the strength to take down that big guy, wouldn't we not need to take a detour?"

Her two teammates were speechless.

"Alright, fine, have it your way."

After sighing, Diaz was the first to speak: "If it weren't for Su Su's perception ability, we wouldn't have been able to reach here easily."

"Let's do as she says."

"Let's go."

Zhang Cheng also chimed in, no longer hesitating.

"I hope this guy is faking it, and he actually has some Combat Method that allows him to conceal himself, which is why he chose this path."

During their conversation.

The three figures disappeared into the distance.

…

Somewhere in the restricted zone.

Three figures dressed in dark yellow robes stood on a high cliff, gazing far at the Thunder God Tree in the distant sky.

"It's almost time."

The person in the middle retracted his gaze: "As He approaches birth, the restrictive power on the periphery of this restricted zone has almost completely disappeared."

"Begin the arrangements."

"After the arrangements are complete, go find the Corona Squad's traces."

"The God Cult cannot participate in the Heavenly Selection Competition without reason. Don't let them ruin things."

Among the three, the tallest figure bent down and took out various items from the large backpack behind him.

Abnormal white bones, secret blood, shattered crystals, a wide variety of items were taken out one by one, emitting various colors of light, looking somewhat eerie.

The only thing they had in common was…

If one looked directly at these items with the naked eye, faintly, one could see a mysterious pattern.

It was a bleeding pupil, colored like twilight, exuding a dim aura.

[Twilight Society]