Chapter 287: Following the Plan

Their group quickly returned to the barrier. In the end, not even an entire day's time passed. When Lire and the leaders of the other groups saw they coming back, they immediately got puzzled. Why would they come back? Shouldn't they use the extra time as much as possible?

When they arrived, it was just like Krune's group had predicted before. The only extra team that was there was that one they almost met after fighting for the first Destiny Flowers.

Haro asked Krune to reopen the protection formation and then said.

"Come in, wasn't that what all you wanted?"

Krune had an idea about what Haro was doing, but he decided to leave it on his hands.

Lire and the other teams immediately rushed inside the protection formation. But surprisingly, they didn't attack as Marshine, and the others predicted.

Another exploration team leader approached Haro and asked him.

"Haro, I know you as well as the others. For you to come back so early could only mean that you need our help, or you had no other choice."

Haro laughed, hearing that.

"I sure wish that it wasn't the case, Lila. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. That is why I have come back since I had no other option. Do you think I would come back if I had the capability of taking anything precious? Haha, you know I wouldn't, and you wouldn't either."

Another team leader called Janos then asked.

"It's not like I believe you. Still, I can at least hear what you have to say. What happened inside to force you to come back?"

Haro smiled and then explained everything they found in this place.

"So you are saying that the Elemental Flowers were literally the only thing you found so far? Those buildings that you found aren't opening at all, either. Is that correct?"

Haro nodded.

"I know you won't believe before seeing it, so why don't you come with me for now and I show you? We can come back here after you have checked it with your own eyes."

The other teams looked at each other and nodded. After that, they immediately departed. Sure enough, they visited each and every building that was found before. Just as Haro expected, it turned out fruitless. None of them could open those buildings at all!

After visiting the last building, which just so happens to be the Yang Hall, the other teams finally gave up.

Haro saw that and then laughed.

"See? We found quite a few Elemental Flowers in this short time, but that is basically everything that you can get here. I wished someone of you had some secret weapon that could open this thing, but it seems like I was wrong."

Lire immediately rebuked.

"Cut the crap. I understand that you really didn't enter those buildings. But everyone here knows that you probably have a plan, or at the very least, an idea."

Haro nodded and looked at the Ball of Purple Lightning that was Krune.

"Jolk, just explain to them the same thing you did to me."

Krune agreed with that and repeated the same words again.

"I see. It is indeed true that we are inside this place because of a flaw in the formation. So what everyone wanna do now? Return to the protection barrier and wait for the other teams?"

Krune then said.

"The six of us are not like your sects and clans, we do need those flowers. So we are going to stay inside and keep collecting them. If you want to go back, I don't mind opening the barrier again."

Some of the cultivators and demon beasts looked weirdly at Krune. After all, he was the only one with the power to open the protection formation. Everyone here was curious about the fact that he can already use so many laws. Still, they also didn't want to start a fight with him.

The reason was very simple, anyone with so many laws must be at least at the late stages of the Divine Soul Realm, probably even at the peak! The leaders are also at the peak of the Divine Soul Realm, but they would be no match against someone with that many laws.

Lire was even feeling lucky that he didn't start a fight with Krune back then. He is sure now that he would have definitely lost, and lost in a gruesome fashion.

Of course, they were the only ones thinking like that. Krune's group knows way too well that Krune, or better, Jolk, is only at the Core Formation Realm. Still, they had also thought about this possibility before, so they are keeping it a secret. Otherwise, they might become a target due to their lower cultivation realms.

Haro then gave an idea.

"We need to have some of our exploration group members there to receive the other participants. If we leave that place empty, those teams that have more marks will not stick around. Don't forget that they are still fighting for more Elemental Flowers, so they won't simply stay put waiting to be targeted by stronger teams."

Everyone nodded. It would be better to leave enough members outside who could talk and protect those who wished to enter later. If Jolk's conjecture is right, they need enough marks to have the protection formation to open.

Of course, Krune and Feifei knew very well that it will not happen, but they still played their role and pretended that they didn't know anything.

Everyone then returned to the protection formation, and Krune let those who would stay out leave. After that, they agreed that they would come back two days later to check if there were enough participants to open the protection formation regularly.

Just as Krune was about to leave with his group, Haro asked to let one of his members follow him. Not only him, but the other teams also did the same.

Because Krune was the only one who could open the protection formation, they were afraid that he would be able to find a way into the buildings too. Simply put, those extra members would just be watching over him. If Krune was in his human form, he would have definitely smiled at that.

"Sure thing. But the flowers that my team finds during this time will not be shared with them. Is that okay?"

Haro laughed and nodded.

"That's not a problem at all. As you know, our six powers have been promoting the Elemental Path entrance for who knows how long. If there is something we don't lack, that is Elemental Flowers. After all, from every three flowers taken, two stay with us. So we don't have much of a desire for them as you guys do."

Krune then received the extra members and immediately departed.

Time passed, and Krune's group was able to gather thousands of flowers. Even after sharing them with everyone, they still had over a thousand each. Two days soon went by, and Krune's group extra members reminded him that it was time to go back.

Once they approached the protection formation again, they noticed that several teams had already gathered outside. There were also the other half of the exploration teams that stayed inside to explore the place. Still, the explorer teams didn't find anything else other than those buildings of the Major Core names.

Krune opened the protection formation once more, and everyone went out. The new teams outside couldn't help but feel impressed with Krune. After all, they had already heard that only someone with comprehension of at least one sub-law of each of the five main elements could do that. They too set Krune, or better, Jolk, as an entity that should not be messed with.

With the rest of the exploration team and Krune's group, there were finally enough marks to be used in the pillars outside. As mentioned before, each pillar needed at least 20 marks of every type for the Protection Formation to be open. Every power gathered their marks in front of their own pillars, and they immediately brought out their marks.

Sure enough, those marks merged with the pillar, and the protection formation that only Krune could pass through was now deactivated. Except for Feifei and Krune, everyone else seemed excited. They immediately entered and headed for the closest building. They were hoping that with this, those places had finally opened.

Unfortunately for them, it was as Karine mentioned to Krune and Feifei. Even after the protection formation was disabled outside, the buildings' formations were still working as if nothing happened.

Haro and everyone else got disappointed. To make sure that they didn't miss anything, all the teams paid a visit to every building in this place. Still, that was to no avail.

Haro couldn't help but sigh.

"Well, that was only an idea. There was no guarantee that we would be able to open these places just because the protection formation outside was deactivated."

Lila then commented.

"So what are these buildings here for? Are they just some kind of decoration?"

Everyone got silent until someone thought about something.

"Maybe these buildings only exist to make sure that the Elemental Path Realm keeps working fine."

Lire got angry and then suggested.

"Let's all attack together. With this many Divine Soul Realm participants, we might be able to crack it open. It is better than doing nothing."

Although the exploration teams felt that it would be meaningless, they still nodded. Just like that, their last try to open those buildings started.