Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 396 - 274: Long Time No See

The reaction of the Crimson Pioneer Team was quite normal; anyone who hears about Diamond’s defection would feel a chill run down their spine.

To talk about the precautions among the Celestial Level Teams at this point is a joke.

With winter approaching, the rational thing to do is to hold together for warmth, so put aside those unnecessary thoughts.

As for whether this is an excuse by Black Rain to integrate the dependencies among the Celestial Level Teams... the people of Crimson are not that foolish.

The only remaining A-level known as Old Ghost in Crimson is not only highly cultivated but also very shrewd; you might give the wrong name, but never shout the wrong nickname.

He stated that he had long suspected something was off with Diamond’s two A-levels.

Even the death of the A-level warrior Black Mountain, the leader of Crimson, gives Diamond the suspicion of standing idly by, though he had no way to complain.

Moreover, the leader of the Engineer Battalion, Hongyun, has a good reputation among the Pioneer Teams.

Not only on Zarif Star but in all the Imperial Pioneer Teams, the Engineer Battalion has a notably good reputation.

After all, it’s an old brand of many years; even if it fell from a Celestial Level Team to a Profound Level, who would dislike an ally that provides support?

Old Ghost has clearly stated that he will go to aid Black Rain, and Crimson will fully retract its defense line.

Firstly to resist potential retaliation from star pirates, and secondly to facilitate Black Rain in verifying Crimson’s numbers.

His low posture doesn’t fit the demeanor expected of a Celestial Level Team, but as the saying goes, under such circumstances, there is no other choice.

Qu Jianlei was not overly concerned with Crimson’s reaction; instead, he asked if they had notified the Qian Duoduo Pioneer Team.

Commander Mu indicated that Bald Commander was in contact with all the Pioneer Teams.

Taking advantage of the fact that the two A-levels of Diamond haven’t returned yet, he wants to warn all the Pioneer Teams to prevent anyone from suffering losses.

Qu Jianlei was not very interested in Black Rain’s follow-up operations; after confirming once again that Fat Fox had defected to the star pirates, he closed the radio.

Although he wasn’t interested in Pan Yifu, he couldn’t just watch him get plotted against by Fat Fox, right?

He once again perceived Pan Yifu and discovered that he had actually entered that small restaurant... the one owned by the family of Fat Fox’s spy.

That night, Pan Yifu and two other B-level warriors stayed at the restaurant, leaving only after having breakfast the next day.

The three were walking through the forest, chatting and laughing, when a lazy voice came from ahead, "Pan Yifu, long time no see!"

Pan Yifu immediately assumed a combat stance, while the B-level Earth Attribute warrior started a finger technique, activating Rock Armor.

After ten or so seconds, Pan Yifu noticed there was no energy fluctuation from the opposite side, then asked, "Who is there?"

"Lord Pan’s memory is really poor," a figure emerged from the front, dressed in camouflage clothing and wearing a hood.

This person carried a sniper rifle and a long blade on their back, with a short blade and hand cannon at their waist, along with magazines and an energy box.

This kind of armament to the teeth was typical of a modified warrior’s kit, but the words spoken were unusual.

"Back at the spaceport dock, wasn’t it I who held the rear for you, otherwise you’d have faced not just the Third Master, but the Fourth Master as well."

"Is it you?" Pan Yifu frowned, "Earth Attribute A-level... why does your aura seem off?"

"Who doesn’t have a few secrets?" Qu Jianlei replied lazily, "Do I need to demonstrate?"

Pan Yifu waved a hand, "Go ahead."

The other party didn’t make a move, clearly not wanting any misunderstanding, but measuring strength was necessary.

Qu Jianlei raised his hand and performed a finger technique, and the forest was filled with densely packed earth spikes, totaling over a hundred.

These earth spikes weren’t very high, only about half a foot or so, which was because he wanted to conserve Inner Breath.

In any case, displaying his control over the range and quantity was enough to prove his A-level cultivation.

Pan Yifu was discerning, nodding at the sight, "Indeed, it’s an earth spike swarm, but... something still feels off."

This was a true expert; there was indeed a subtle difference between Qu Jianlei’s attributeless nature and a genuine Earth Attribute.

However, Qu Jianlei ignored his doubts, "Don’t hope for me to use the Quicksand Technique, my resources are also tight."

Pan Yifu’s eyes narrowed slightly, "So it was you who killed the Ninth Master of the star pirates?"

Qu Jianlei casually nodded, "That’s right, I even cut off his head. If star pirates can do it, why can’t I?"

Pan Yifu remained silent for a while before speaking, "Your combat power surpasses mine."

Qu Jianlei knew he was referring to not only taking down the Seventh Master but also an entire team and subsequent reinforcements.

An A-level warrior, capable of forcing a battalion from continuing its rescue and resorting to bombardment to retaliate, should indeed be proud.

But he still answered nonchalantly, "It just so happened that I encountered two helpers; it wasn’t done by me alone."

He wasn’t sure if the other could detect the lingering attribute aura on the severed head, so he made up a story.

To be honest, he also didn’t want to be too high-profile; stirring up too much hatred was dangerous.

Pan Yifu didn’t mind his vague words, instead asking, "You came to find me for something, right?"

Qu Jianlei nodded; Pan Yifu’s keen perception surprised him a little.

Who says a Fire Attribute warrior has to be hot-tempered? Obviously not this one.

"I knew it would be like this," Pan Yifu said blandly, "If you wanted to find me, you would have done so already... What’s the matter?"

Qu Jianlei raised his hand and performed a finger technique, "Wait a moment, I need to set up some defenses first."

As he donned his rock armor, Pan Yifu’s body flickered and retreated more than two hundred meters.

Seeing this, the two B-level warriors also swiftly retreated, forming a "V" shape facing Qu Jianlei.

Qu Jianlei spoke calmly, "According to reliable information, Fat Fox has already sided with the Star Thieves."

As soon as he finished speaking, the B-level wood attribute warrior turned and fled.

Qu Jianlei performed another finger technique, and a quicksand appeared right in front of the wood attribute warrior.

The warrior was prepared and leapt up, releasing a vine that attached to a large tree.

Then he exerted his arm, swiftly swinging away, and attempted to release a second vine to continue his momentum.

Pan Yifu snorted coldly, a flash of white light, and a short flame blade cut through the air.

The short blade struck directly on the stressed vine, slicing it effortlessly like a hot knife through butter.

The warrior, losing support, plummeted headfirst towards the ground swiftly.

He somersaulted in the air, trying to adjust his posture and land on his feet, but his legs sank right into the quicksand.

Then Pan Yifu snorted coldly, "Dare to run again... and die!"

The wood attribute warrior froze, not daring to move an inch.

He understood well that if that blade wasn’t aimed at the vine, breaking through his wood armor would have been easy.

Fire attributes naturally suppress wood attributes, not to mention the opponent’s cultivation level overwhelmed his.

And the B-level earth attribute warrior just stood there dumbfounded, trembling all over.

Qu Jianlei gave Pan Yifu a peculiar look, "So, my worry was unnecessary?"

He could see that the flame saber emitted by the opponent was not red or yellow, but white.

The temperature of white flames is second only to blue and colorless, but higher than red and yellow, hence easily cutting the vine.

An A-level warrior’s fire control ability is strong, but to effortlessly and instantly produce white flame is nearly impossible.

This indicated that Pan Yifu had been gathering power in advance, and his target was not Qu Jianlei, the A-level earth attribute.

Frankly speaking, the white flame saber might not easily penetrate A-level rock armor, not to mention he could still summon an earth shield.

Pan Yifu touched his forehead and asked helplessly, "Do I look that stupid?"

Qu Jianlei spread his hands with a wry smile, "Okay, my mistake, I was just worried you might be harmed... Do you have anything else?"

Pan Yifu shook his head and said calmly, "It’s not that you were wrong, I just held a certain level of caution towards them."

He learned about the Pioneer Team while recovering from injury and later encountered people from Fat Fox by chance.

Before Pan Yifu set off from the base, he brought four A-level and seven or eight B-level crystals, which he carried during the breakout.

Relying on these crystals, he could recover from injuries, but using them without replenishment was indeed troublesome.

Later on, people from Fat Fox reported, and two B-level warriors came to assist him, bringing some healing medicine and food.

The Fat Fox Pioneer Team didn’t save Pan Yifu’s life, but they certainly helped him conserve crystals.

So he got along with these two quite well, never putting on A-level airs and even helping out occasionally.

But how much did he trust Fat Fox? He was sorry to say, not much at all; Pan Yifu didn’t live his years in vain.

Over time, he gathered some info on the local situation and learned Fat Fox’s territory wasn’t nearby.

Not nearby... It’s not impossible to send scouts, but it’s quite rare for a scout to encounter him.

Pan Yifu understood clearly, there aren’t many coincidences in the world, so he deliberately kept a distance from Fat Fox.

Would he say he was suspicious? Not really, but in an unfamiliar environment, a bit of caution never hurts.

He didn’t go to Fat Fox’s camp, officially to avoid suspicion, but that wasn’t the only reason.

Fat Fox’s two B-levels didn’t feel like they had stirred an A-level warrior’s wariness.

Because Pan Yifu’s behavior also matched the norms of the Pioneers.

So they attempted twice to invite him to the Secret Camp, but were both declined.

On an unrelated note, when Qu Jianlei encountered Blazing Fire, he thought a bit and immediately went to its camp, which was quite unusual.

However, posing as a B-level, the core camp of Blazing Fire had two B-levels, so they weren’t overly concerned.

Also... The Pioneer Team above Blazing Fire had an A-level, so the bit of irrationality wasn’t too serious.

Pan Yifu had realized that this sudden visit from an earth attribute A-level definitely meant something.

Then seeing the opponent openly forming rock armor, he roughly deduced what might be the issue.

Therefore, his quick retreat was to guard not only against the opposing equal-level opponent but also to distance himself from his companions!