Seeing those three Dragon Country warriors leaving, the people from the other two factions didn’t follow them.

Instead, some of them mocked softly.

"Dragon Country warriors, their guts are too small," said a bounty hunter.

Another bounty hunter laughingly said, "Do you think every martial artist has the kind of courage we bounty hunters have, which is beyond ordinary people’s reach?"

"That’s true, timid people are destined not to go far. Perhaps they have never heard the saying, ’The bigger the waves, the bigger the fish.’"

"Although entering that ancient ruins might indeed be dangerous, for the sake of those treasures, it’s worth the risk."

"..."

They overestimated themselves, thinking the danger here was the same as the dangers they had experienced before.

Unknown to them, even Heavenly Realm Martial Artists warned about the dangers here, which were unlike any danger they had encountered before.

Dracula, seeing this, said nothing more.

They looked at the two factions and let out a humph.

Then saying, "Since you’re going yourself, if anything happens, I won’t save you."

After saying this, Dracula flew forward.

As for Lin Dong, he also headed toward the dark waters ahead with Ye Linglong.

Behind, the people from those two factions, eyes shimmering with greed, quickly followed.

Behind them, they continued to whisper discussions.

The leader of that bounty hunter faction said, "It seems our actions did indeed anger Lord Dracula. If we get extra treasures, we should honor him with one to earn his forgiveness."

Someone replied, "He might not appreciate it; I think we should just forget it."

Some also felt their strength was insufficient.

A bounty hunter with only Half-Step Earth Realm strength said, "As long as I get even one treasure, I’m leaving. I won’t go deeper. After all, my strength is only that of a Half-Step Earth Realm martial artist."

The person who said this was much like those who say they’ll run as soon as they make ten points in stocks. In reality, it’s completely different.

Moreover, he wasn’t the only one thinking this way. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

In the first faction, the Ancient European Country faction over there, several with grandmaster strength actually went as well.

Their strength wasn’t even as good as the three Dragon Country warriors who chose to leave.

Their thinking was to only go to the outskirts of the ancient ruins, just to follow behind, and get a few treasures, even if they are not impressive, and then exit immediately.

However, imagination is beautiful.

Dracula, at this moment, said nothing and flew ahead at the forefront.

Lin Dong, with Ye Linglong, remained within a hundred-meter range of him.

As for behind, those two factions followed from afar.

As the night deepened, the surrounding water became darker.

And Dracula’s body, draped in a black cloak, resembled a ghost of the night, leading everyone through this sea area, finally reaching a terrifying dark water area.

This area, called the Netherworld Swamp, was said to be a cursed land left from ancient times, with strange ripples and dark bubbles occasionally surfacing, as if countless souls were wandering within, seeking release.

At the end of the Netherworld Swamp, a palace loomed indistinctly, neither standing on land nor floating on the water, but suspended in the void, like a mirage, beautiful yet illusory. The palace’s silhouette shimmered with ghostly blue light under the moonlight, enticing for deeper exploration yet instilling fear.

The palace seemed close at hand, yet was unreachable, as if some mysterious force protected it, any efforts to approach it turning into bubbles.

"That must be the ancient ruins!"

"It’s actually an ancient palace. There must be a lot of supreme treasures inside such a palace. But it’s strange, it looks like it’s right in front of us, but after flying for so long, we still haven’t reached it?"

"I seem to have already seen the treasures beckoning me."

"..."

Behind, those bounty hunters and the Ancient European Country warriors whispered excitedly, the greed in their eyes intensifying.

At that point, Dracula, at the front, stopped, his deep eyes gleaming with wisdom and shrewdness, evidently knowing this area inside out.

He turned around and loudly said to everyone, "The place where that palace stands is the ancient ruins I told you about, and it is our destination. But to enter that palace, you need to overcome many obstacles."

Under his guidance, everyone struggled to cross the Netherworld Swamp, each step seemingly treading in nothingness, the surrounding mist and cold causing involuntary shivers.

Finally, they reached in front of the palace, only to find an invisible dark gate blocking the way, like the entrance to an abyss, swallowing all light and hope.

Dracula’s expression turned grave, and he whispered to Lin Dong, "Brother Lin, to enter this palace, we must open this dark gate. However, the method to open it is not easily obtainable; only through a blood sacrifice can its mechanism be triggered. But don’t worry, we don’t need to do it ourselves."

His words carried a hint of cold indifference, seemingly unbothered by the imminent sacrifices.

Dracula continued, "Once someone forcefully touches this dark gate, it will awaken the General Corpse Slave slumbering here. These corpse slaves were the death warriors under the command of the ancient general, transformed into undead beings with astonishing combat power, far beyond what those low-level martial artists behind us can handle."

"They will mercilessly slaughter intruders, and their fresh blood will be the blood sacrifice we need."

Upon saying this, Dracula’s gaze swept over the crowd behind, where a group of martial artists stood nervously, the tension and excitement in their faces evident yet not enough to make them retreat due to their desire for treasure or power.

Dracula’s eyes held no sympathy, as if in his eyes, these people’s lives were merely tools to achieve ends and mattered little.

In the darkness, the palace outline grew clearer, and that invisible dark gate seemed to be stirring.

Dracula took a deep breath, looked at Lin Dong, and found Lin Dong stood there indifferently as well.

Obviously, regarding the bounty hunters behind, and the Ancient European Country warriors, Lin Dong did not care about their lives.

Lin Dong had already saved those three Dragon Country warriors; as for this group of Ancient European Country warriors and bounty hunters, Lin Dong indeed wasn’t kind enough to save them.

Since they were greedy, let them bear the consequences of greed.

At this moment, Dracula shouted to them loudly, "Everyone, the treasures are before your eyes; whether you can get them depends on your fortune."

"Charge～～～" he said, heading towards that dark gate.

As for the bounty hunters and those Ancient European Country warriors behind, their eyes also reddened as they rushed towards that dark gate.