Chapter 61: Digging a Pit and Burying Oneself

“Huff… huff!”
The violent panting revealed that its owner had just endured an ordeal beyond human limits.
Her nostrils were filled with sand, making it hard to breathe.
Yu Yan had to stop, retrieve a bottle of fresh water, and rinse her nose. Several hours had passed since she was cornered near the high platform, and at last, she had shaken off the relentless pursuit of that determined Fire Tuo!
Honestly, was it really necessary? She had merely bumped into it—
And it was only a clone, not even the main body. How could it hold such a grudge?
Yu Yan lay flat on the ground and inhaled deeply, only to suck in another mouthful of sand—so difficult!
“Ptooey, ptooey.”
She spat out the sand and looked around.
Rolling yellow sand obscured her view; even with the vision of a fourth-rank spirit vein enhancer, she could only see a few meters ahead. In such conditions, running blindly was clearly unwise—don't even mention what happened earlier.
Wasn't she being hunted, unable to think straight?
Fortunately, throughout the ordeal, even the creatures beneath the sand seemed to sense that her pursuer was a formidable adversary; none dared to emerge and meet their end. Otherwise, Yu Yan would have been in real trouble, forced to fend off endless minor threats while escaping the Fire Tuo.
A single lapse and the Fire Tuo would have struck her hard two or three times.
Recalling her direct confrontation with the Fire Tuo, Yu Yan still felt lingering fear. As an illusion-type spirit vein enhancer, she had one disadvantage—her attack power was far weaker compared to others of her rank.
Faced with overwhelming strength, tricks and cunning became almost useless.
Though she had absorbed and refined Qu Ru's flesh to bridge the gap, she needed time to grow.
In just a few days, compared to the peak power of her previous life, Yu Yan was already much stronger. Yet, it was nothing compared to the goal she sought. Currently, she wielded only thirty percent of her might; when the dungeon's full power unleashed in a month, who knew what chaos would ensue!
Back at the high platform, had it not been for four of the seven Fire Tuos being distracted by the beetles atop the platform—
Even the three that came to encircle her were only half-hearted, their attention scattered by the intoxicating aroma of roasted beetles. Without that, Yu Yan would never have escaped.
More importantly, these seven Fire Tuos seemed to wield different abilities.
The three that beset Yu Yan could not unleash the fiery serpent that the leading Fire Tuo had.
They could only attack in close quarters, flapping their feathered wings at her.

Though their blows still carried powerful fire energy, it was not as terrifying a threat for Yu Yan. After suffering two deep, bone-revealing burns on her back, she finally used her “endurance” ability to escape the Fire Tuo’s pursuit.
She was so moved she nearly cried!
It truly hadn’t been easy.
The so-called “endurance” ability… well, though she couldn’t open the Plant Spirit World within the dungeon, her illusion lotus space, which lacked the power of rules, remained unaffected.
Whenever she felt thirsty or hungry, she could steal a moment to eat or drink.
The pursuing Fire Tuo had no such privilege.
Even if it possessed a similar space for storing food, with no hands or feet, eating while flying was clearly impossible. And such spaces aren’t easily acquired. Though Yu Yan seemed to obtain hers effortlessly, it was thanks to her advantage of rebirth.
She was brave, meticulous, and never cowardly!
In her previous life, among a thousand enhancers, scarcely one would develop a spatial ability.
Thus, the chase wore on, and Yu Yan noticed the Fire Tuo behind her growing distracted. Its wingbeats became sporadic, its occasional bursts of speed increasingly perfunctory, until finally, with a clear cry, it flew back.
Most likely thinking about those fragrant roasted beetles.
The thought of them made Yu Yan’s mouth water.
Those beetles were all show—impressive defenses outside, but incredibly fragile within. Completely unable to withstand attacks that ignored external armor, such as spiritual or fire-based heat. If only she had known earlier… cough, she couldn’t be blamed for being tempted!
The aroma was simply irresistible.
Having endured that harrowing ordeal hours earlier, Yu Yan dared not wander recklessly in the terrifying S-grade dungeon.
Her wounds and fatigue needed rest.
So she simply took out a shovel, dug a large pit, reinforced it with bamboo and wood, and tossed in a tent. Inside were pillows and a sleeping bag; nestled within, Yu Yan let out a contented sigh.
Immediately, she grimaced in pain.
Standing or working, she hadn’t noticed; now, relaxing, the wounds stung sharply whenever they touched anything.
At times like this, Yu Yan missed Cloudlet’s healing radiance intensely.
And Cloudlet’s holy light orb—even though it couldn’t directly heal wounds, it restored her overall condition. Yu Yan did not regret leaving Cloudlet in the Plant Spirit World; otherwise, during the Fire Tuo’s pursuit, mother and daughter might not have escaped.

Even if they had managed to escape, the price paid would have been far greater!
After a simple treatment, as a spirit vein enhancer, Yu Yan’s recovery was stronger than ordinary enhancers. Ordinary enhancers, in turn, surpassed regular people; even the common folk of the dungeon world now endured pain and injury far better than before its arrival.
Thus, she wasn’t worried that wounds fatal before the dungeon’s arrival would threaten her life now.
Still, to hasten her recovery, Yu Yan took out a pea-sized Zhu Fruit and popped it into her mouth.
It was a seventh-grade Zhu Fruit, cut into pieces. On her journey, to maintain stamina and restore her spiritual energy, Yu Yan had already eaten over a dozen. The deep burns on her back had healed more than halfway. Yet the charred, snake-burned mark on her chest showed no improvement at all.
It seemed the Fire Tuo that chased her was likely seventh-grade.
And the one that could unleash fiery serpents was at least eighth-grade.
Yu Yan, helpless, pulled out another Zhu Fruit and took a fierce bite—this time a whole eighth-grade one.
Once a Zhu Fruit is cut, even if stored in the illusion lotus space, its spiritual energy slowly dissipates.
Better to eat it outright, to avoid waste!
In truth, absorbing and refining too much attribute-free spiritual energy at once to boost one’s rank did little good for an enhancer. Cultivation and combat awareness grow steadily—handing a child a blade capable of wounding others is risky.
Not to mention whether it’s safe for others, it’s almost certain the child will hurt themselves.
So, though Yu Yan’s space held over a dozen Zhu Fruits, even a ninth-grade, she wouldn’t normally eat them. The last time she refined a Zhu Fruit, it was to save Tang Yan’s life, breaking open a fruit out of necessity.
This time was similar; with Cloudlet absent,
Yu Yan wanted to recover quickly to regain self-preservation, leaving her no choice.
Fortunately, she now possessed a wind ability; using part of the spiritual energy to enhance her power would minimize side effects. Still… this was an eighth-grade Zhu Fruit! It differed from her spirit vein rank by four grades—a whole major tier.
Yu Yan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety.