Between the two groups, both were exerting minimal effort and proceeded slowly; hence, they were not far apart.
The sudden halt of Zi Liyuan's march naturally caught the attention of Ying Xueji in the rear, so they picked up the pace a bit and drew closer.
"The Abyss Rift is fraught with danger. Care to join forces?"
These light words reached the ears of Ying Xueji and her companions, causing them a moment of unusual reflection.
"What sort of cooperation do you propose?"
Raising her attractive willow-shaped eyebrows, Ying Xueji asked directly.
After all, ever since the entrance to the rift, this guy had shown indomitable strength. Upon entering the Abyss Rift and facing the onslaught of monsters, he had stood alone, unwavering against them.
Hence, his current proposal for cooperation surely had some strategy behind it.
"Our two parties could cooperate to conquer this Abyssal Castle together. We could split all the benefits fifty-fifty or each keep whatever trophies we slay — sharing the loot based on our contribution in joint objectives. How does that sound?"
Zi Liyuan's side had only four people, whereas Ying Xueji's party consisted of roughly four hundred.
Normally, the other party would not agree to splitting all profits fifty-fifty since a larger group would most likely slay more monsters and consequently have greater gains.
Therefore, Lord Zi had played a trick, proposing an alternative distribution scheme that seemed unfavorable at face value, but the actual situation was another matter.
After all, Lord Zi was notoriously crafty, and monsters would drop loot of the maximum value and highest quality for him.
"Are you so sure we can conquer this Abyssal Castle?"
Glancing at the enormous castle, Ying Xueji asked with some surprise.
The dangers of the Abyss are many, especially for the beings capable of constructing an Abyssal Castle — each one is a powerful Abyss entity, a veritable Fourth Order Level 100 presence.
They were not forces Ying Xueji and her companions could reckon with directly — could it be that this guy became delusional after reaching Third Order Level 80?
"Of course we can take it down. After all, we won't have to face the master of the castle, will we?"
Smiling faintly, Zi Liyuan's gaze shifted to a large rock nearby.
At the same moment, Number Two, Ying Xueji, Liu Shengnan, Zhu Wu, and Li Fengwen also glanced at the same boulder.
"Pleased to cooperate. As for the loot distribution, let's agree that individuals keep their kills, and joint objective spoils are chosen based on contribution."
The group observed the boulder — its surface was charred black, as if scorched, making it smooth to the touch, yet there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.
But as soon as everyone's attention shifted away, the boulder moved slightly, and a transparent silhouette leaped down from it.
"Damn, is the quality of newbies this year this high? They've seen through that too."
A certain teacher grumbled quietly and shifted to a new hiding spot to continue the covert protection.
With the Eyes of Death open, Zi Liyuan was extra attentive to his surroundings. A few more strong presences nearby and their life force's intensity made them readily discernible.
Every year, the baseline task differs, but one thing remains constant: The dispatch of academy teachers to escort and protect.
The teachers from the academy take action to clear away or delay those overly formidable creatures, leaving the rest for the newbies to handle on their own.
But this time, the challenge was the Abyss Rift, significantly complicating the teachers' work.
Meanwhile, Zi Liyuan had already joined Ying Xueji and her group.
"Do you have any information about the Abyssal Castle? Since we're cooperating, shouldn't we also share intelligence?"
"I see, so your sudden proposal for cooperation was all to get information about the Abyssal Castle."
Li Fengwen looked enlightened, glancing contemptuously at Lord Zi, but still shared what they knew about the Abyss.
"The strength of the master of the Abyssal Castle can be inferred from the size of the castle itself."
The construction of an Abyssal Castle is meant to provide a dwelling for its master, and Abyssal beings are generally enormous in stature.
"The size of the castle gate can generally determine the size of the castle's master, which, in turn, hints at the master's power."
"This Abyssal Castle is colossal; just look at the height of its gate — one can only imagine how majestic the master must be."
"If I am not mistaken, the master of this castle could be an Abyssal Lord!"
Abyssal Lords qualify as high-order beings, born as a boss template, and once matured, they are without exception Lord-level bosses.
They are the commanders that lead the slaughter of various Abyssal creatures after invading a world, focusing their intellect on nothing but the destruction of all planes to seize the worlds' origins and strengthen the Abyss.
"You mean the master of this castle might be an Abyssal Lord that can demonize and mutate beings with just a drop of blood, instantly creating creatures with a boss template?"
The fact that a solitary drop of blood could demonize and mutate ordinary creatures, evolving them into beings with a boss template, speaks to the immense power of an Abyssal Lord's bloodline.
The appearance of an Abyssal Lord is somewhat like a mammoth, but with an extra pair of arms and a set of enormous demon wings on its back.
"We're not going to die from collateral damage during the fight, are we?"
Swallowing hard, Wang Fatty looked fearful.
After all, an Abyssal Lord is a top-tier entity in the Abyss, not just for its formidable personal combat abilities, but also for commanding vast armies.
"The task issued by the academy must involve us clearing out all the monsters within this Abyssal Castle, except for the castle's master."
Zi Liyuan glanced at his own Skeleton Cannon Fodder Group. Despite numbering 20,000, they would likely disintegrate at the first charge of a genuine Demon Army.