Ch. 2371..2375: The Secretly Rich Man Chapter 2371-2375

Chapter 2371

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2371

The Demondie’s power was no fluke, and combined with Gerald’s immense strength, the sword was able to pierce right through the spider’s stomach…!

Following a terrifying roar, the spider began glowing red as a dense purple fog gushed out from its wound…! That was probably its spiritual essence! Naturally, the agony was overwhelming, but all the spider could do was glare at Gerald with resentment. It wasn’t long before cracks began forming all over the spider’s body… and in the end, it exploded into a cloud of swirling dust…!

Upon seeing that, Walter slowly got to his feet—his hand still against his chest—as he said, “…You know, this creature was mentioned on the map that my ancestors left me… Since it always lurked in the shadows, locating it was never easy. Regardless, those who knew of the beast had either never seen it in person, or had died because they encountered it. Still… To think that you’d be able to kill it, Brother Gerald…!”

Gerald himself hadn’t expected to bump into such a horrific creature this early on. It definitely made him realize that getting into Fyre Cave was truly going to be as difficult as dealing with the Redflame Dragon…

Regardless, after looking at Walter’s injuries, Gerald was prompted to reply, “…Either way… Are you going to be alright?”

“I’ll live. Still, I’ve hurt my Triton qi quite badly, so I need to find someplace to rest for a bit,” muttered Walter with a cough. Since the spider kept on attacking him earlier, it was clear that it saw Walter as the

biggest threat among them all…

“I agree. Also, though I’ve only mastered the fourth level of my Herculean Primordial Spirit, I can still help you heal!” replied Gerald…

After that horrific attack, everyone was now much more vigilant. Thankfully, they managed to pass through a dozen caverns with no incident. Upon arriving at an underground river, everyone figured that this was the prime time for them to get some rest. With that, Gerald began helping Walter recover while the others stood guard…

While helping Walter heal, Gerald’s eyes kept wandering to the other side of the river. After all, a massive creature as big as a house was sleeping there, its eyes so huge that they were almost the size of doors. However, due to how fat it was, Gerald figured that even moving around was taxing for it. It wasn’t the only creature there either. Surrounding it were also a few larvae…

As Gerald thought about just how many jaw-dropping creatures he had encountered down here, the boy was prompted to say, “…You know, I once found a prompt on a tomb, stating that there was an entirely different world bebeath the earth… To think I actually managed to make it down here…

The fact that there really is an underground world with all sorts of unimaginable creatures is truly eye- opening!”

“Heh… Well, sights like these aren’t out fo the ordinary in the cutivation realm… if we manage to leave this place alive, I’ll give you a few books from my family’s library. Hopefully they’ll be able to help you better they’ll also help improve your future cutivation,” replied the smiling Walter with a nod.

“I appreciate it, Uncle Zeman!” said Gerald with a smile.

It was about four hours later when Walter began looking much better. With that, the group began journeying further into the caves…

While everything seemed to be going much smoother now, Gerald couldn’t help but notice the many skeletons they passed along the way…

 

Chapter 2372

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2372

Noticing what Gerald was looking at, Walter was prompted to say in a slightly worried tone, “ Countless cultivators have tried to enter Fyre Cave in the past thousand years. Unfortunately, even the most powerful among them ended up succumbing to this maze -like cave… Only a few extraordinarily intelligent people were ever able to reach the Red River, the final checkpoint to Fyre Cave! Regardless, these skeletons you see all over the place? They’re actually the luckier individuals. After all, this means that they died naturally. The other cultivators most likely died from getting devoured or falling into the river…”

“…I see… I’m guessing we’ve only bumped into a few monsters along the way since the others have already been killed off by other cultivators,” replied Gerald with a nod.

“Indeed. With that in mind, we’re currently walking on a path paved with the flesh and blood of our seniors. If we’re lucky enough to get out alive, we definitely need to bring these skeletons out for a proper burial,” muttered Walter with a sigh as he stared at a few other skeletons laying around.

Naturally, Gerald nodded in agreement.

After walking a little longer, Gerald was prompted to ask, “Speaking of which, you mentioned a Red River earlier, right? Why weren’t the previous cultivators able to cross it? Weren’t they capable enough since they managed to get there in the first place…? Also, I recall hearing a legend about a red river capable of dissolving humans whole… Could this be…?”

“This is the one, yes. Also, is that all you’ve heard about the river? The truth is, the river has already existed for billions of years. We know since an ancient civilization has made records about it.

Regardless, according to those records, the Red River was the cause of a massive flood that led to a mass extinction event! While the earth ended up being mostly submerged underwater after that, once the water finally subsided, new lands were formed on the earth’s surface. That wasn’t the first time it happened either. The process has actually repeated quite a few times! Whatever the case is, I think you should know that the land we’re currently standing on is part of the earth’s original surface!” explained Walter.

“…I see… So, the Red River ended up getting buried underground together with the civilization back then…” said Gerald.

“Exactly. Anyway, after the owner of the saintly ruins eventually discovered the Red River, he used his supreme heavenly techniques to transform it into a formation! With that in mind, you can see the river as an extremely powerful magic artifact. An almost impenetrable tomb-guarding magic artifact, to be exact… Either way, after thousands of lives were lost across the span of several generations, my ancestors were finally able to gain some insight into the tomb-guarding magic artifact. The knowledge itself was obtained in exchange for their blood, but putting that aside, the map they drew is the key to solving the Red River’s formation. Though we had the map, my ancestors also left instructions, stating that until someone could figure out the secret behind the solution, we weren’t permitted to head to Fyre Cave… ” replied Walter.

“So that’s the full story… It all makes sense now!” said Gerald who was finally able to see the bigger picture.

At that moment, one of the Zemans couldn’t help but exclaim, “My god… It’s getting so hot!”

True enough, the further they went, the greater the blazing heat felt. Knowing what this meant, Walter then began picking up the pace as he seriously said,

“After passing through so many caverns, I believe that we’re exceedingly close to the innermost cave. With that said, since we’re getting closer to Fyre Cave, this much heat is to be expected! ”

“Really? That was… an oddly smooth trip. There were certainly less dangers than I anticipated… Even so, it’s still sad that we ended up having to lose a few of our brothers… ” muttered one of the Zemans.

“While I agree, we’ve already come this far, so let’s not think about that for the moment… Instead, focus on our upcoming challenge, the Red River!” replied Walter with a slight frown…

Following that, the group made their way past a complex tunnel… and the second they stepped foot into a massive cavern, all of them found their jaws dropping. After all, despite clearly still being underground, clouds could be seen hovering around in the approximately three-meter-tall cavern!

What more, the artificial sky seemed to light the place up, even though there wasn’t any sunlight !

As it turned out, all this was caused by an extremely wide river within the cavern. The ‘sunlight’ was basically the reflection of the river’s silverish water, and the steam clouds had been formed due to the area’s great humidity.

It took Walter a moment to find his voice, but when he did, he immediately exclaimed, ” It’s… it’s the Red River…! ”

 

Chapter 2373

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2373

“D-despite how dangerous our trip was, we actually managed to get here…! Congratulations, Patriarch! Mr. Gerald!” exclaimed several of the overjoyed Zemans. After all, they were about to be part of the rare few who had ever entered Fyre Cave and

located the saintly ruins!

“Indeed! If we manage to cross the Red River, we’ll be the first to have achieved that feat! ” declared Walter as he beamed with joy.

“Hah! I’m afraid that’s easier said than done!” scoffed a familiar voice out of the blue!

Turning around, everyone —including Walter and Gerald—found their eyes widening in shock as they watched an old man leap off the wall before casually landing on his feet…

“…R-Ryder…?! Haven’t I injured you heavily enough?! How dare you still enter Fyre Cave?! ” growled Walter, his eyes twitching as he watched Ryder sit cross-legged before the river.

“Heh. I’ll admit that your Lonsdaleite Extermination Formation was surprisingly strong enough to damage my Triton qi. I’ll be needing at least a week to fully recover from that! Regardless, if you’re wondering how I made my way down here, allow me to remind you that getting to the saintly ruins has been my lifelong pursuit. With that in mind, I’ve come down here so many times throughout the decades that this place honestly feels like my backyard now!” scoffed Ryder with a smirk.

“…So this isn’t your first time down here either…! ” muttered Walter as he took a few steps back.

“But of course! Why else would there be so few demons lingering about? Speaking of demons, there’s one that kept evading me. The Corpse Demon Spider, I believe. I’m sure I’ve bumped into it on several occasions, but the cunning thing kept managing to slip away! Since a few of you look quite hurt, I’ m assuming you encountered it. Color me surprised that you’re all still alive. I guess you do have a bit of power in you after all!” scoffed Ryder with a laugh.

“…With how familiar you are with this place, why don’t you just head in? You don’t even need the Zeman family’s map!” said Gerald as both he and Walter began mobilizing their essential qi, fully prepared to enter combat at any moment.

“While I admit that you’re strong for your age, you only know very little about this world. Look, a great, ancient cultivator once set up a Septar Dipper Formation within the river. Because of it, I’ve been unable to cross the Red River, even after all these years! Every attempt I make simply leads to me almost dying! Regardless, I’ve waited this long since I know that the method of crossing the river is either written on the Zeman family’s map, or has been memorized by Walter! ” said Ryder—who was still sitting cross-legged—before going silent for a while…

After only a few breaths, the rosiness in his pale cheeks returned, instantly shocking both Gerald and Walter!

“Y-You… Did you just fully restore your Triton qi But how?! ” exclaimed Walter, sweating bullets a s he watched Ryder get to his feet…

 

Chapter 2374

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2374

“Heh. So, you could tell? Good eye!” replied Ryder with a nod.

“This… This isn’t possible…! Though I know my Lonsdaleite Extermination Formation can’t outright kill you, I’m confident that the injuries you sustained need at least a full week to recover!

You shouldn’t be able to use your essential qi at all.. !” exclaimed Walter, his great disbelief plastered all over his face.

“Hah! Well, since you’ll all be dead soon anyway, I may as well tell you the truth! You see, my essential qi a few decades ago was barely strong enough to rival my seniors’! Despite that, all of them were cowards! For context, I had proposed to work together with them to search for the supreme heavenly technique in Fyre Cave. However, all of them were simply too afraid to even go against the ancestral instructions of the Thunder Sword Sect! I’m honestly ashamed to share the same sect as them! ”

“After having my proposal outright rejected, I made it my quest to secretly search for Fyre Cave. When I finally found it, however, I quickly realized that the Red River posed an immense challenge ! Though I eventually realized that it was impossible to break the Septar Dipper Formation with my own strength, I did manage to learn some things from my failures.”

“For one, by carefully studying the formation, I found that it was closely related to the power of the five elements as well as the Yin Yang energy commonly found in the bodies of cultivators. Aside from that, I also learned that the holy spirit of the Red River significantly eased the process of cultivating. It honestly isn’t a stretch to say that cultivating here for a year is equivalent to cultivating for ten!

Regardless, after cultivating here for the longest time, I tried to break the formation again. As you may have already guessed, I failed once more, ” explained Ryder as he shook his head.

“…I see. So in order to vent your anger, you killed all seventy-one of your seniors and juniors?” asked Walter who couldn’t help but admire and fear Ryder at the same time. This old man was a true cultivating prodigy…

“Hah! They were all idiots anyway. After all, they actually dared to ask whether I had secretly been entering Fyre Cave! They even threatened to scrape my cultivation at the time! Unfortunately for them, I had already mastered the final three tactics of the

Thunder Sword Technique by then! Like the scum they were, none of them could even come close to handling my attacks! It was then when I finally realized just how strong I had become! ” scoffed Ryder as he paced back and forth.

“…Aren’t you strong enough, senior…? Why do you keep insisting on entering Fyre Cave…?” muttered Walter as he shook his head.

“Because I wish to become the strongest, of course! The strongest in the cultivation realm! I’ll make everyone in the realm serve me, and only me! But putting that aside, I’m glad that I was so stubborn about remaining down here back then. After all, it gave me the idea of turning one of the caverns into my secret cultivating spot! Following that, I’d always come down here to recover whenever I got hurt. Had I not done so, I wouldn’t have been able to bump into you on your way here! Regardless, I’ll finally be able to break the Septar Dipper Formation today! ” declared Ryder with a sinister laugh.

“ Speaking of which, though I’m killing all of you, I’ll make sure to be creative with each of your murders! Of course, I could also give all of you quick deaths… as long as you willingly hand me the proper method of breaking the formation! ” added the evil old man.

“Don’t even dream about it, Ryder! If I hand it to you, who knows how many more people will perish! With that said, I, Walter Zeman, admit defeat! I apologize for dragging you into this, Brother Gerald.. !” declared Walter who fully understood that escape was no longer an option.

“ It’s no big deal, Uncle Zeman! Let’s just die here together!” replied Gerald as he clenched his fists.

“So your name’s Gerald, huh… Now that I’ve fully recovered, be sure to show me your true potential!” roared Ryder.

Before the old man could say anything else, Walter turned to face his men before shouting, “The Ultimate Immobilizing Net! ”

Upon hearing that, all of them immediately began activating the net… And once it was ready, the group of men pounced toward Ryder…!

Chapter 2375

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2375

“Hah! Can’t cast the Lonsdaleite Extermination Formation here, can you? Either way, do you seriously think you can defeat me with that lousy net?! ” scoffed Ryder with a disdainful look before entering an attack stance and yelling, “Thunder Strike! ”

Following that, a mighty golden aurablade materialized before charging toward the group of disciples! Any Zeman the aurablade passed ended up having their chests slashed open, resulting in blood flying all over the place…! Even the Ultimate Immobilizing Net was chopped to pieces!

It was only because of Gerald and Walter’s lightning speed that they were able to dodge the fatal blow in time. However, to their horror, only eight of the Zeman disciples remained standing. The rest had been swiftly taken out in just a single attack…!

“He… he’s too strong…!” said Walter as he held onto his bloody palm. Despite dodging as fast as he could, he was still unable to fully dodge the attack…

“Now then… Are you finally willing to hand me the solution? Or would you like to experience my Thunderous Bone-crushing Palm instead?” scoffed Ryder as he smiled bitterly while shaking his head.

“How about a third option! Allow me to kill you instead! ” roared the enraged Walter as he immediately began releasing all his essential qi!

Watching as Walter’s shirt and jacket were ripped to shreds, the remaining Zemans immediately yelled, “P-please patriarch! Don’t do it…!”

Unfortunately, they were too late. Walter had already summoned his Demondie Sword… and with a swift slice, he chopped his entire left arm off…! Seemingly unfazed by the gushing blood, Walter then tossed his sword to the side before starting to extract the fresh blood…

Within seconds, a shock wave of energy shot out from Walter, causing debris to fly all over the place! With how strong the force was, Gerald found it difficult to even get proper footing…!

“Oh? How interesting! Is this the Zeman family’s Thousand Sorrow Palm attack?” yelled Ryder— whose eyes were now gleaming brilliantly—as he launched his own Thunderous Bone-crushing Palm attack toward Walter!

On one end, was Walter, who was surrounded by a misty, dark red aura. On the other, was Ryder, who was surrounded by flashes of lightning! The second

their palms met, a massive and deafening shockwave swept across the now rumbling cavern, followed by the water in the Red River splashing all over the place!

All it took was a single drop of water coming into contact with one of the Zemans, for him to instantly melt into a pulp…!

Regardless, despite doing his best, Walter soon found himself coughing out mouthfuls of blood as he crashed to the ground, his body growing darker by the second…!

Ryder himself—who appeared to be slightly impressed—took three steps back before laughing aloud and saying, “While the Thousand Sorrow Palm is a good move, the last tactic, Drag Down Hell, can sadly only be used once per lifetime.

Either way, you’ve officially lost all your cultivation, Walter! ”

Angered to hear that, the remaining Zemans then charged toward Ryder while yelling, “Go to hell!”

Upon hearing that, Ryder simply pointed toward them… and with a simple swipe, all seven of them were dead, completely sliced in half from the waist down!

Seeing his chance, Gerald then summoned his Herculean Sword, prompting an aurablade to shoot out toward Ryder! To the boy’s dismay, all it took was a sway of Ryder’s hand to dismiss the attack! Even so, Ryder couldn’t help but look slightly surprised that Gerald’s attack had managed to burn a hole in his sleeve…

Still, it wasn’t all that shocking to the old man, and Ryder simply laughed before scoffing, “Though your essential qi is strong, you’ve unfortunately only achieved the first out of nine levels, kid!

Because of that, you’re still unable to exert your tactic’s full power! Also, your technique simply isn’t powerful enough. You could say that it lacks the ability to kill! With that said, are you a new cultivator or something?”

Though Gerald was stunned that Ryder could see through him so easily, he quickly snapped out of it when the pale and exhausted-looking Walter—who appeared to be in great pain—yelled in between coughs of blood, “B-brother Gerald…! Run…! I’m now useless in this fight, so please…! Run while you can…!”

“Hah! Run? Dream on, kid! Now allow me to show you what real cultivation realm martial arts looks like!” declared Ryder with a smirk before pointing a t Gerald and yelling, “Blood Shower!”

Following that, countless aurablades began materializing in the air… before flying toward Gerald! Though Gerald immediately began frantically dodging them with his lightness skill, it was ultimately useless. His legs were quickly immobilized by the Blood Shower’s aura, causing them to feel as heavy as lead…!

“Now show me what secrets lie within you…” scoffed Ryder before sending all the aurablades bolting toward the immobile boy…!