Chapter 463: Chapter 463: 274 Nightmare, Thrilling

Knowing that he could not persuade Xu Ran and company to abandon the idea of exploring the Thunderous Land, the Ground Raccoon Clan Leader simply stopped trying.

After offering his most sincere blessings, he watched in silence as the trio with their three pets set off on their journey.

As a Leader Stage creature, he fell into that terrifying nightmare, but it was possible that they, being of the General Stage and even stronger, might not.

They would surely return safely.

Only after Xu Ran and the three pets disappeared from his vision did the Ground Raccoon Clan Leader slowly turn around to face his own clan.

“Luru~”

The night has deepened, it’s time for us to sleep.

One by one, the earth raccoons in the group obediently nodded and returned to their burrows to sleep.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Soon, the land that belonged to the earth raccoons was once again empty.

Meanwhile, after bidding farewell to the Ground Raccoon Group, Xu Ran and his three pets quickly reached the location deep underneath the ground that Cancan had detected, where the thunderous sound was hidden.

They hadn’t yet delved underground and were still on the surface.

According to Cancan’s description, the underground source of the thunderous sound was right beneath their feet, over five thousand meters below the surface.

And upon sensing again, Cancan, unsurprisingly, detected another powerful presence near the thunderous sound.

Combining this with what the Ground Raccoon Clan Leader had experienced during his own explorations, it was without doubt that there was a guardian at that Thunderous Land.

Therefore, the trio and their pets did not immediately plan to dive below.

They needed a more meticulous plan.

“Based on what the Ground Raccoon Clan Leader said, the nightmare he fell into is likely a power of that very strong guardian,” Xu Ran analyzed. “And it seems the guardian does not have much malice, or else the Clan Leader wouldn’t have been able to free himself by just retreating a few steps.”

“Xi Lu~” (If that’s the case, leave it to me!)

Starlight nodded slightly and a glint of starlight flickered on the single horn on its forehead.

Nightmares and illusions should be similar powers, both falling within the super ability attribute.

Moreover, after the Immortal Star Attraction evolved into the Three-Star Skill, Star Refusal Ring, it also gained the ability to dispel negative effects, widening the scope of what it could resolve.

Thus, if the guardian’s power only caused people to fall into nightmares, it might be able to render that power ineffective with its own!

“Indeed, with your Star Refusal Ring, our chances of a successful operation this time will greatly increase,” Xu Ran said with a smile.

He insisted on exploring this place after learning of the Ground Raccoon Clan Leader’s experiences because he thought of Starlight’s ability to somewhat counteract those effects.

“Can you sense that guardian’s specific strength?” Xu Ran asked, turning to Cancan.

“Chaa~” (That might not be possible…)

Cancan shook its head slightly, its face taking on a troubled expression.

It wasn’t that it couldn’t, but didn’t dare to.

The power of Echoing of Earth Vein was easily perceived by living creatures.

After all, it relied on vibrations.

Cancan had been at the very edge of the detection range when looking for the thunderous sound and the guardian, relying on scant traces to explore without being easily discovered.

Using the power of Echoing of Earth Vein to detect the specific strength of the guardian below was something Cancan could do, but once detected, the guardian would certainly notice the exploratory force, and that would be alerting the enemy.

“Alright,” Xu Ran nodded in understanding and then patted Cancan’s head, “Well done, Cancan is maturing and not so reckless anymore.”

“Chaa~”

Cancan bashfully lowered its head.

The last time they ventured out of the city, it hadn’t considered so much. If the more meticulous-thinking Starlight hadn’t reminded it, it might have approached for a closer look.

So it felt somewhat undeserving of such praise.

“Since that’s the case, we’ll have to proceed with caution,” Xu Ran mused, speculating based on the experiences of the Ground Raccoon Clan Leader. “That guardian’s protection must have a certain range.”

“Once we enter within that range, we will be attacked and fall into a nightmare.”

At this point, an expression of helplessness crossed Xu Ran’s face, “Ideally, the best approach would be for each of us to maintain some distance from the others so that if the one in front falls into a nightmare, the one in back could pull him out of range.”

“But… our ability to descend underground relies on Cancan’s Subterranean Shape Pond,” Xu Ran looked at Cancan, “so we can only move together underground.”

“Chaa~” (It has to be that way.)

Cancan helplessly spread out its paws.

Subterranean Shape Pond granted the ability to delve into the earth on the condition that contact was maintained between individuals. As soon as they parted, that granted power would cease to exist.

And without the ability to move underground, Xu Ran and the two non-Earth attribute pets would probably be immobilized, making it far too dangerous.

Let’s hope that this problem can be solved when reaching a higher star level or proficiency.

“We’ll set off together, moving at a slower pace,” Xu Ran took a deep breath. “Approach the Thunderous Land bit by bit with Starlight’s Star Refusal Ring activated throughout the journey.”

“Any sign of movement, stop immediately, assess the situation, and then decide on the appropriate countermeasures.”

“Also,” Xu Ran looked at Ziyun, “leave an afterimage on the surface before you dive.”

“This way, you can always return using Step on Electric Traces, just in case.”

“Meow~” (As if such a ‘just in case’ would happen!)