Chapter - 3471

Only Vela shot a concerned look at Zeke, feeling sorry for him. "Zeke, Aretta didn't do anything awful to you, right? You'd just gotten away from that witch's grip, and now you find yourself in this situation..."

"Oh, stop it," Zeke said as his expression darkened. "What nonsense are you spouting? I was just having a business discussion with her, nothing more. Don't get any wrong idea. I'm a married man, and I have a wife!"

"Oh..." Vela nodded quickly, like a chick pecking at grains.

"Got it! We know what you mean!" Evis and the others, too, nodded in agreement, trying to look serious.

Zeke rolled his eyes before finding a chair to sit down. "Let's drop this topic, shall we? Stop speculating. Is there anything else to talk about?"

Zeke pulled out a sheet of white paper, sketching out a map as he spoke. "I've already grasped part of the map. There's nothing much worth seeking in Dark Swamp anymore. After hunting for a few more beams of heaven's energy, we should head outside to seek other opportunities."

"Outside?" Elvis was taken aback. Could there possibly be better opportunities outside than the favor of heaven's energy? I don't think so.

He asked, "Zeke, why don't you stay here a little longer? Why the rush to leave?”

"That's right. Opportunities are rare out there. The beams of heaven's energy show there's plenty of opportunity here, and our cultivation has improved a lot these past few days. Even Elvis is about to break through to the late stage of the Sun and Moon Class." another person added, "By the way, Zeke, have you made a breakthrough to the late stage of Sun and Moon Class?"

Suddenly, someone began to pay attention to Zeke.

In fact, they had noticed some changes in him earlier.

Zeke hummed and nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, that's right."

Upon hearing that, the crowd showed no signs of surprise or excitement. On the contrary, they couldn't help but sympathize with him.

Vela let out a sigh before offering words of comfort. Vela sighed before offering words of comfort. "Zeke, I'm sorry you went through this alone. We were all supposed to face the ordeal together. We didn't expect you'd trade your body for power. But we totally understand that it was an act of desperation."

"Yes, we do!" Anvindr nodded solemnly.

Ajolt of shock surged through Zeke, causing him to abruptly stand up. D*mn it!

"I've told you guys to stop making wild guesses. Just stop speculating! How many more times do I have to repeat myself!" He was so furious that he nearly flipped the table.

Upon seeing his state, everyone exchanged glances, all sighing deeply. They also shook their heads discreetly, whispering among themselves. "Looks like Zeke was so tormented that he's now dealing with some serious trauma and doesn't want to talk about it anymore."

"Yeah, seriously! That witch is ruthless. I wonder what she did to him. Let's avoid talking about it from now on."

Zeke just glared at him, not knowing how else to respond to them. "That's enough!"

Subsequently, he gathered everyone once more, arranging them around a table, and delivered instructions with a stern expression. "We've missed our chance to get the Demonic Lotus because the demon cultivators beat us to it! They've mastered a unique technique to eliminate depraved spirits without paying a significant price. With just Vesper leading the team, they quickly breached the palace and seized the opportunities inside. The opportunity was related to the petals of the Demonic Lotus. Once they gather all the pieces, they'll be able to assemble the Demonic Lotus, the ultimate treasure the demon cultivators are after."

Seeing everyone's expressions turn serious, Zeke continued explaining, "Dark Swamp has drawn together an array of unmatched prodigies, even practitioners of dark arts. There are also ferocious beasts lurking around, though they've kept their distance so far. But their presence means we can't assume they're not a threat. For our safety, it's wise to retreat."

Indeed, Zeke decided to retreat.

Part of the reason was Vesper, as he didn't want to encounter her again, but the main concern was that Dark Swamp had become increasingly dangerous for them.

No doubt the chances of stumbling upon the opportunity were substantial, but even without the Demonic Lotus, they might still find a similar opportunity elsewhere.

Accessing heaven's energy wasn't something easily achievable.

"Zeke, we agree with you," Elvis said, furrowing his brows. "But we're currently on Aretta's turf. If she finds out we're planning to retreat, will she try to stop us?"