He got right to it!
Zhang Chen walked to the other side of the bonfire and began to construct an energy formation condensed from crystal cores.
*Creak...*
As huge trees toppled, balls of energy crystal cores landed in Zhang Chen's hands and were promptly stored in his ring.
Once a crystal core was synthesized, the surrounding energy would become extremely thin, making it difficult to condense another.
Zhang Chen had to keep moving forward.
Wherever he went, he left behind large areas of withered plants and mutated insects that couldn't escape in time.
Mutated animals in the distance sensed the abnormal energy fluctuations and scattered with strange cries.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Chen stopped, feeling his energy almost depleted.
The bonfire in the distance had now become a small point of light.
"I've walked so far..."
Zhang Chen checked his ring.
He had stored twelve bundles of [Inheritance Cores].
That was good enough. He'd continue tomorrow!
Zhang Chen returned to the bonfire.
By this time, Er Pang, Ao Xue, and the reindeer monster's battle was nearing its end.
Er Pang was biting fiercely into the reindeer monster's neck, while Ao Xue had climbed onto the reindeer monster's back, tearing at its hindquarters.
The reindeer monster's body was covered in bite and scratch wounds, with blue blood splattering everywhere.
Shortly after, the reindeer monster fell to the ground, kicked its legs, and became still.
"Awooo!~"
"Awooo!"
Er Pang and Ao Xue excitedly led the wolf pack in howling at the sky, as if proclaiming their dominance in the area.
Beside the reindeer monster's corpse lay numerous dimly colored crystal core condensates.
Zhang Chen took a brief look; they were all [Energy Cores] and [Energy Gathering Cores] of that level.
He guessed the monster was somewhat flawed, as it had to condense a crystal core whenever it attacked another creature.
However, the surrounding energy had been mostly drained by Zhang Chen, so it could only condense these weak energy crystal cores.
"Let's go, we can head to the camp to spend the night now!"
Zhang Chen clapped his hands and casually threw the dim crystal cores onto the ground.
"Alright, True God, I've already contacted the believers on my end!"
"They'll be waiting for us at the side entrance of the camp!"
Zhang Wenwen said.
"Good, you lead the way!"
About ten minutes later, they arrived at the camp with 700 survivors.
The camp was situated on the rooftop of a building.
Half of the building was buried in the earth, entwined with the gnarled roots of giant trees.
The dense branches of two giant trees concealed the camp's location, making it very hidden.
"Are you fellow believer Zhang Wenwen?"
A man asked in a falsetto voice.
"That's right, it's me. Are you fellow believer Lu Xuefeng?"
Zhang Wenwen asked.
She hadn't mentioned that she was the leader of the True God Cult, nor that she had brought the True God and a group of deities with her...
She simply said she was an ordinary fellow believer who needed help.
Firstly, Zhang Wenwen wanted to test Lu Xuefeng's devotion to the True God Cult. Secondly, she wanted to understand what difficulties he had encountered in spreading the faith here.
He had joined the True God Cult since the second phase of the apocalypse, yet hadn't managed to develop a single follower.
"Yes, it's me. You... brought pets?"
Lu Xuefeng frowned, looking at the small-sized Er Pang and Ao Xue, and asked.
"They are essentially our family members, very important. They can't be counted as pets!"
Zhang Wenwen quickly explained.
After all, Er Pang and Ao Xue were deified within the True God Cult, so being called pets was a bit too much.
"Oh, oh... Sigh, alright, but you must keep them under control and absolutely don't let them make any loud noises!"
"The camp has very strict rules; it requires silence at night. Even making loud noises during intimacy is forbidden!"
"I'm taking a great risk coming out this late to pick you up, so please cooperate!"
Lu Xuefeng repeatedly warned.
"Alright, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. We naturally understand that principle!"
Zhang Wenwen glanced back at Zhang Chen. After receiving his affirmation, she said with a smile.
The group followed Lu Xuefeng, climbing along the base of a giant tree for a while, then turned into the interior of the building.
The entire corridor was filled with earth, dark and damp. Torches were placed only every ten meters, making the place look particularly dim and yellow.
Through this corridor, after turning left and right for another ten minutes, they finally entered an abandoned cinema.
The big screen was scribbled all over, and the seats were covered in dust.
"I apologize, fellow believers, you'll have to make do with staying here for the night. Tomorrow, after I report to the camp leader, I'll arrange other rooms for you!"
Lu Xuefeng said apologetically.
"Where we stay isn't the main point. I have something I want to ask you about!"
"Does your camp have any aircraft that can accommodate many people? We'll be traveling long distances and might need it!"
"Of course, it's not for free. We can exchange it for supplies or crystal cores!"
Zhang Wenwen said with a smile.
"Aircraft... Yes, we do... but the High Priest doesn't allow us to use them, saying they will bring misfortune!"
"So, they are only brought out for everyone to see during sacrifices, and then put back after the ceremony..."
Lu Xuefeng replied truthfully.
"High Priest? You have such a position in your camp?"
Zhang Wenwen asked, surprised.
"Oh, right, I forgot to mention, this camp has other religious beliefs. It was also established after the apocalypse!"
"It's called the Cult of All Gods. The High Priest selects a commoner every so often to sacrifice to the gods, to ensure our safety..."
"Previously, people who made mistakes in the camp were sacrificed. Now that there's a new batch of survivors with blue rings, they're weak and don't have many acquaintances in the camp, so these are basically the ones sacrificed."
"It's strange, though. The camp was constantly attacked by monsters before, and we've moved three or four times."
"But since the sacrifices began, no monsters have come here!"
Lu Xuefeng explained with a gossipy tone.
"No monsters coming isn't a good thing. After all, without monsters, you have no income of crystal cores. How will you improve your strength?!"
Zhang Wenwen asked indirectly.
"Yes, that's what I thought at first. But the core members of those cults all see significant improvements in their strength after each sacrifice. I'm quite puzzled by that."
"Of course, I still believe in the True God Cult. Otherwise, I wouldn't have stayed here alone for so long!"
Lu Xuefeng quickly steered the conversation back.
Zhang Chen and Zhang Wenwen exchanged glances, smiling without speaking.
They probably wouldn't be able to obtain crystal cores through sacrifices anymore, because Er Pang had already killed the reindeer monster.