After exploring a little more, the two finally returned to their tent with their armies. This expedition had brought them substantial rewards. They had obtained 9 Rank 3 fragments, 16 Rank 2 fragments, and 169 Rank 1 fragments. They had also secured 2 complete Rank 1 Divine Aspects.
Han Wu wanted to sell everything to upgrade the tent, but Tian Wen stopped him. As a Support, he couldn’t stand the idea of spending all their resources so recklessly. Individual fragments held little value, but a complete Divine Aspect was an entirely different matter.
Tian Wen sorted the fragments by type and used his authority to access the campsite’s free market. There, he repeatedly traded lower-tier fragments for random ones. After several exchanges, they managed to assemble 6 complete Divine Aspects, including 1 Rank 2 Divine Aspect.
They sold the completed Divine Aspects to the guide and acquired enough resources to significantly upgrade their tent. They invested everything, transforming the tent completely. The rooms grew larger and filled with more furniture, while the arena doubled in size.
Han Wu could now summon many more units for battle. In contrast, Tian Wen, having already summoned all his higher-ranking units, resorted to summoning Common Rabbitmen as cannon fodder.
With their improved army, they returned to explore the Ancient Battleground. This time, they ventured deeper into the area, where larger groups of Divine Souls patrolled. They fought fiercely and gained more high-ranking Divine Aspect fragments.
Days passed as they continued farming fragments. Meanwhile, two Demigods used a ticket to enter the Ancient Battleground.
Liu Letian smiled as he complimented Zhang Gang, “Brother Zhang, I have to admit, it’s impressive that you secured a ticket to the Ancient Battleground.”
Zhang Gang was clearly pleased by the praise. The God King had granted him generous rewards after he submitted intelligence on Han Wu, and the ticket was part of that compensation.
“It’s just a ticket to the Ancient Battleground,” Zhang Gang said with a chuckle. “Nothing special.”
After gaining wealth, Zhang Gang finally felt free to boast. He could say what he wanted and do things he couldn’t before. With those resources, he could ascend into a God.
Liu Letian laughed. “Brother Zhang, you’re too modest.”
Zhang Gang laughed harder. It felt good to be served by another Demigod. “Liu Letian, we came this time to find a strong support-oriented Rank 3 Divine Aspect for my wife. She just became a Demigod and needs a reliable Divine Aspect to support her.”
“I understand. I’ll work hard to find a suitable one for her.” Liu Letian patted his chest with confidence, though inside, he felt unsatisfied. He needed one for himself to increase his own strength,
Zhang Gang’s plan meant that even if Liu Letian found a suitable support-oriented Rank 3 Divine Aspect, he would have to yield it to Zhang Gang’s wife. Yet, Liu Letian had no choice but to endure it. He couldn’t surpass Zhang Gang and still depended on him to grow stronger.
The guide soon assigned them the same shabby tent. Once inside, they started to summon their units. Zhang Gang summoned his formidable Wolf Riders, which was a hybrid of orcs and Raid Wolves. This unit surpassed its peers in coordinated combat.
Liu Letian summoned his core race, the Dark Frogmen. Though Common life forms, they had a strong affinity for the dark attribute and curses. A single Heroic Dark Frogman could easily master several types of curses. Zhang Gang had witnessed their power firsthand, which led him to invite Liu Letian to the Ancient Battleground.
After summoning their units and making brief preparations, they set out to explore. Empowered by the Dark Frogmen’s curses, Zhang Gang finally felt the thrill of crushing his enemies. He eliminated 30 Divine Souls in rapid succession with minimal casualties.
Buoyed by success, Zhang Gang aimed to hunt higher-ranking Divine Souls to obtain rarer fragments. He led Liu Letian deeper into the Ancient Battleground, where groups of purple-halo Divine Souls appeared in small clusters.
By chance, the two came across a small group of purple-halo Divine Souls patrolling the area. The patrol launched a vicious assault that decimated half of Zhang Gang and Liu Letian’s armies. Fortunately, the two managed to escape in time.
Back in the camp, Liu Letian combined the fragments and started selling them. He gained enough resources to upgrade the tent before summoning more units. With larger armies, they set out again, heading deeper into the Ancient Battleground.
However, neither of them had expected to run into anyone familiar that far in. Liu Letian’s anger flared the moment he saw Han Wu and Tian Wen. One had ruined his reputation; the other had taken most of his resources in both bets. He wanted to kill them both then and there to vent his fury.
Zhang Gang noticed them too, but instead of anger, excitement lit his face. Seeing Han Wu, he could already picture the resources that would soon flow into his pocket.