I Contracted Myself-Chapter 100 – Breath

"Warm, soft, alive, thank goodness," she said tearfully, confirming that Zhang Ping was still alive.

Zhang Ping helplessly freed himself from Liu Sishan's hands and said, "Sister Sisi, this is really awkward for me. You might as well kiss me."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. It seemed not only they misunderstood the situation, but Zhang Ping did too.

"Smooth talker," Liu Sishan rolled her eyes at Zhang Ping and gently tapped his forehead.

Seeing everyone had calmed down, Zhang Ping cleared his throat, put on a serious expression, and said, "Alright, don't celebrate too soon. That door is a two-way door; one side is an exit, the other an entrance. So that Firebird is actually inside Base 08. With its strength, it might not take long to get out, so we better get moving!"

"Yes, yes, let's go quickly!" Lu Han reacted immediately, agreeing.

Everyone quickly composed themselves and continued heading towards the Changsha River. On the way, Zhang Shouzhong curiously asked, "Zhang Ping, how did you know we were here and come to rescue us so precisely?"

"I heard it," Zhang Ping replied with a smile.

He had heard their conversation through the Wind Whisperer. At that time, he was also at a loss, knowing that even Feng Laixian couldn't handle the enemy. Rushing over would be suicidal.

He never chose options that meant certain death.

Rescuing people wasn't about dying; it was about leaving a way out for himself.

Don't be fooled by his all-out effort to save Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu. In reality, he could have transformed into a Pure Water Body and escaped with Su Qingbo, never in any real danger.

Because he knew this, he wasn't panicked at all.

But this time, he was genuinely scared.

So, he didn't appear during the Firebird's first attack.

Then the Wind Whisperer suddenly went silent, and at that moment, his heart almost stopped.

Scenes of his past interactions with Liu Sishan flashed through his mind, along with Bai De, Feng Laixian, Zhang Shouzhong...

When the Firebird attacked a second time, he was mentally prepared to die, which is why he initiated the rescue operation.

When he held the gemstone key and activated his ability, he was surprised to discover that the gemstone door could be set as either a two-way or one-way door.

A two-way door allowed both sides to be used for teleportation, while a one-way door only allowed entry from one side and exit from the other, with no way back.

So, he had a flash of inspiration and set the other end of the door right in the path of the Firebird's dive.

And that's how the previous scene unfolded.

As Zhang Ping ran, he sorted out his emotions. Despite his radiant smile earlier, he was more afraid than anyone else.

He feared losing the people he cared about, feared not being able to save them in time, feared losing important companions once again—something he would rather die than face.

Boom!

A sudden loud noise disrupted his thoughts.

The ground shook violently, and exaggerated cracks appeared in many places, with streams of lava gushing out from the fissures.

"Not good, that Firebird is probably about to come out."

Feng Laixian immediately sensed the Firebird's presence, his face changing dramatically.

Everyone started running faster. Zhang Ping threw Zhao Yanlong and Zhao Yanhu to Zhang Shouzhong and said, "Hold these for me."

"You're still worried about them? Just leave them," Zhang Shouzhong caught the Zhao brothers and couldn't help but complain.

Zhang Ping began creating the King's Gem. As he activated his ability, he replied, "Since we saved them, we might as well take them along."

As he spoke, a golden gemstone shaped like an index finger formed instantly. Holding the gemstone, he immediately understood its purpose.

This was a Golden Finger Gem, which, when used, doubled the effect of the next ability and had a small chance of a critical hit, increasing the effect tenfold.

Without hesitation, Zhang Ping gently squeezed the index finger-shaped gemstone, which then turned into golden energy and flowed into his body. He silently prayed that the next King's Gem would be the Gemstone Door Key!

He activated his ability, and a gemstone quickly took shape.

It was a round gemstone with a double-circle pattern on its surface.

A Breath-Hiding Gem?

Zhang Ping frowned slightly, instantly understanding the gemstone's effect.

Ordinarily, a Breath-Hiding Gem would conceal and isolate one's aura, making it difficult for enemies to detect one's presence for 30 minutes.

Because he had used the Golden Finger Gem earlier, the Breath-Hiding Gem's effect expanded to isolate the aura of all living beings within a ten-meter radius, centered on him, making it impossible for enemies to detect them.

He thought for a moment and decisively used the Breath-Hiding Gem. An invisible energy shield enveloped everyone, making it impossible for any living being outside the ten-meter range to sense the aura of those inside.

Moments later, the earthquake suddenly stopped.

Feng Laixian, who had been running, suddenly halted, looking puzzled. "Wait, the Firebird stopped."

He looked towards where the Firebird was, which was about seven or eight hundred meters above the ground, eerily frozen in place.

"You mean it just stopped suddenly?" Zhang Ping mused.

Feng Laixian nodded. "Yes."

"Just now, I used an ability that isolates the aura within a ten-meter radius centered on me for thirty minutes," Zhang Ping explained directly.

Feng Laixian immediately understood Zhang Ping's implication. If the Firebird was tracking their aura, it meant there was an unknown enemy targeting them.

"Let me try!"

Everyone present understood the implication of Zhang Ping's words, and Lu Han immediately volunteered.

He stepped outside the energy shield, and as soon as he did, the ground began to tremble slightly again.

"The Firebird is moving!" Feng Laixian exclaimed, eyes wide.

Lu Han quickly returned to the energy shield, pondering, "This method doesn't seem like something the Tianchang Fox could pull off."

"Could it be Zuo Xiangming's group?" Bai De speculated.

Feng Laixian shook his head. "Unlikely. If they had the means to control a King Grade Mutated Beast..."

"It's the Zhu Family. That Firebird is called the Sunbird, and the Zhu Family has long been known as the Solar Clan," Situ Shibai suddenly interjected.

Liu Sishan said gravely, "Is the Zhu Family targeting us, or a specific person among us?"

"Does it matter if they're targeting us or one of us?" Zhang Shouzhong laughed, then pushed Zhang Ping forward, saying as he did, "Clearly, the Firebird is attacking based on our aura or one of our auras. We can't abandon anyone, so the most important thing now is to head to the Trial Grounds!"

Cheng Xuejie clapped in agreement. "Exactly, since Zhang Ping is back, let's head straight to the Trial Grounds."