The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 286. A strange ’reunion’ ?

"Yo! Lian Fu?" Tyler called out, his voice breaking the eerie silence that blanketed the dried canal. He wore his usual carefree grin as he stepped closer. "Hey, where are the rest of the team?"

Lian Fu turned his head slowly to face Tyler. At first glance, he looked fine—his stance steady, his expression neutral—but something was off. Tyler narrowed his eyes as he took a closer look.

Lian Fu’s irises were glowing bright red.

Tyler blinked. "Uh... dude, why are your eyes red? Do you have pink eye syndrome?" He took an exaggerated step back, feigning concern.

To his surprise, Lian Fu nodded silently.

"Oh... it is pink eye syndrome..." Tyler muttered. He scratched his chin, feigning deep thought. "But why do they even call it pink eye when it’s clearly red? Shouldn’t it be called red-eye syndrome?"

Lian Fu simply stared at him, his eerie red irises unblinking.

Tyler took another step back and crossed his arms. "Man, that sucks. I heard it spreads through eye contact."

Without hesitation, Tyler rummaged through his storage device and pulled out a pair of black sunglasses. He strode over to Lian Fu and placed them on his face. "There! Now it’s safe," Tyler declared with satisfaction.

Lian Fu reached up, touching the glasses with a confused expression.

Tyler didn’t notice the hooded figure silently approaching from behind.

Lian Fu, still perplexed by the sudden addition of sunglasses, removed them instinctively.

"Oi! Don’t take them off! You’ll spread it!" Tyler shouted in alarm, quickly turning around to avoid looking at Lian Fu’s eyes.

And that was when he saw him.

A mage, shrouded in a dark hood, stood a few feet behind him. Tyler recognized him immediately—he was one of the mages from Team C, though his name escaped him. The mage’s posture was slouched, his head tilted downward, as if trying to avoid eye contact.

Tyler frowned. "Wait a second... aren’t you the mage guy? Uh... I forgot your name." He pointed at the staff in the mage’s hand. "But yeah, you. I recognize you from your stick—"

The hooded mage lifted his head.

His eyes glowed the same eerie, crimson red as Lian Fu’s.

Tyler stiffened. "Ahhh..." he let out a small, awkward noise, then immediately turned back to Lian Fu. "See! Look at what you did! Now he’s got pink eye too! Ugh, I told you not to take off the glasses!"

Lian Fu remained silent.

The mage also said nothing.

The quiet was unsettling.

A few minutes later...

Tyler continued walking toward the town, but he couldn’t shake the growing discomfort creeping up his spine. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Behind him, Lian Fu and the mage followed, their footsteps eerily synchronized. Both were now wearing black sunglasses, looking straight ahead without a word.

Tyler glanced over his shoulder. "...Why are you guys so silent?"

No response.

Tyler chuckled "You two acting cool or something?"

Still, silence.

Tyler sighed and rubbed his neck. "Man, it was Maxwell right? He doesn’t want you guys to talk to me... I understand."

Suddenly the whole ground shook. Tyler also felt the Abyss mist is getting denser. And got attracted towards himself and the two of them behind.

Tyler activated his Ghost mask. Hiding his both Aura and Prana Fluctuations. He looked back at the both and didn’t say anything.

The three of them made their way deeper into Water Street Town. The place was eerily deserted, its streets lined with abandoned stalls and half-collapsed buildings.

A dry wind swept through the empty streets, kicking up dust and debris. The town’s famous canals—once flowing with clear, blue water—were now cracked and barren.

Tyler glanced at his device, his brows furrowing. The screen displayed chaotic energy fluctuations. "There are some very abnormal readings ahead," he muttered. "We’re probably close to an Abyss Crack."

The thought sent a chill down his spine. Abyss Cracks were unstable rifts, bleeding corruption into the world. They warped reality, twisted creatures into mindless abominations, and possessed the weak-willed.

As he moved forward, the ruined town came into view. It was eerily quiet. Buildings stood half-collapsed, their structures blackened as if burned by an invisible fire. The streets were cracked, and strange dark tendrils pulsed from the center of the town like veins growing out of the land itself.

And there, at the heart of the destruction, Tyler saw it—a massive crack splitting the ground apart. A deep abyssal energy oozed from within, staining the air with its oppressive presence.

Standing near the crack were two figures. One of them was Maxwell, the leader of Team C. Beside him stood another man, a warrior whose name Tyler couldn’t immediately recall.

Tyler stepped forward. "Finally, found you guys!" he shouted, raising a hand in greeting.

Both men jerked in surprise. Their reactions weren’t of relief or recognition—but of fear.

They spun around, weapons drawn, eyes filled with panic.

"Why are you still here!?" Maxwell demanded, his voice tense and uncertain.

Tyler tilted his head. "Why can’t I be here? You idiots left me behind—" He paused, then gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. "Anyway, This might be shocking to you guys. But don’t Panic. Both of these guys behind me might be corrupted by the Abyss."

Maxwell’s expression darkened. "Attack!"

"What the hell? I said Don’t panic." Tyler barely had time to react before Maxwell pointed his staff at him.

A massive water dragon surged from the mage’s hands, roaring as it crashed down on Tyler, drowning him in an overwhelming flood.

For a moment, silence.

Then—

"Huh?" Tyler stood there, completely drenched, but otherwise unharmed. "Why are you attacking me? It’s those two-"

Maxwell’s eyes widened in shock. "Why didn’t it work?"

The water dragon had enough pressure to crush a man’s bones instantly—yet Tyler stood there like he had just walked through a mild rainstorm.

Tyler shook his wet hair and rolled his shoulders. "I’m fine with this level of pressure," he muttered. He didn’t bother explaining further—thanks to the Kun Peng inheritance, water was actually a source of strength for him. If anything, Maxwell had just refreshed him.

He was about to say more when—

**Whoosh!**

A steel blade whistled through the air toward his neck.

Tyler barely dodged in time. "Woah—STOP IT!"

His body reacted on instinct. Dragon scales began forming over his skin, reinforcing his defenses.

The other man—the warrior—was relentless. Without hesitation, he drew another broad sword and lunged at Tyler, his eyes locked with killing intent.

"Alright, that’s it—" Tyler was about to use his Ice Escape Art, but before he could—

**CLANG!**

A spear blocked the incoming sword.

Lian Fu had stepped between them, still wearing the Sunglasses. He planted his feet, pushing the warrior back.

"You focus on the zombie, I’ll handle him," Maxwell ordered, pointing his staff once more.

"Water Prison."

A sphere of water formed around Tyler, trapping him inside.

Maxwell exhaled. "That should hold him—"

But a second later, Tyler slipped out effortlessly like a fish darting through water.

"...How!?" Maxwell staggered backward, stunned.

Tyler sighed. "You’re really trying to drown me? Me, of all people?" He crossed his arms. "Did you even think this through?"

Maxwell clenched his fists, frustration visible on his face. "Why isn’t it working!?"

Tyler, still dripping, pointed a finger at Lian Fu and asked. "Wait—did you just call him a zombie?"

The realization hit him all at once.

"Then is that guy is also zombie?" Tyler pointed behind him.

Maxwell turned around.

**BOOM!**

A lava-covered rock slammed into Maxwell’s side, sending him flying.

Tyler turned his head towards the flying Maxwell.

"That’s strange. Why there is no creature from the mist in the sky trying to capture Maxwell?" Tyler muttered and looked at the attacker.

The mage guy the one who had been with Lian Fu—stood there, his hands still smoking from the fire spell he had just launched. His sunglasses were still in place, but his expression was unreadable.

"Okay... What the hell is happening?"

He quickly glanced between the groups.

On one side, Maxwell and the warrior had tried to kill him.

"Maybe he thinks I am zombie?" Tyler tilted his head and looked at Maxwell.

On the other side, Lian Fu and the mage guy —whom Tyler had suspected of being corrupted—were now attacking Maxwell’s group.

"...Alright." Tyler took a deep breath. "Now I’m totes confused. Who’s the bad guy here?"

The ground trembled.

The Abyss Crack pulsed, sending out another wave of dark energy.

And then— a monstrous growl echoed from within.

The fighting stopped. Everyone turned toward the crack.

Tyler narrowed his eyes. "it’s immortal pressure."

From the depths of the abyss, a massive creature emerged, its grotesque body twisting unnaturally, covered in dark, pulsating veins.

Suddenly, a Merman wielding a trident materialized as if teleported. The oppressive immortal pressure vanished instantly. He stood cool and composed—until he heard Tyler’s voice.

"Another immortal?" Tyler muttered, eyeing the newcomer.

The Merman turned, his composure shattering. "The heck, why are you here?" he blurted out.

Tyler rubbing his temples. "Oh, come on... "