In the eyes of the intelligent beings of the Dark Continent, the remains of a Mender were a treasure trove.
It was like an era where the knowledge system was extremely backward... the remains of a Mender were a book containing rich knowledge.
Of course, this was just an analogy.
As long as one could obtain the remains of a Mender, they could be used for multiple purposes.
Don Freecss did not have an in-depth understanding of the Menders, but he certainly knew more than this group of humans who had come from the Six Continents.
And he was certain that Beyond's group did not know of the Menders' existence.
To insist on confronting a fierce tiger for an object whose nature was unknown…
This phenomenon was very common among explorers.
Those experienced explorers could keenly detect unknown dangers and also vaguely judge the value of some unknown things.
In his view, Beyond was a veteran among explorers.
Beyond's group was on high alert, while Don Freecss was calm and composed.
The Aura on his body remained as thin as a cicada's wing, showing no sign of preparing for battle.
Watching Don Freecss, who made no next move, Beyond was puzzled but did not let his guard down.
For them, Don Freecss was an interloper. If Don Freecss did not leave, they could not safely take away the book inside the icicle.
At the same time, they did not know how strong Don Freecss truly was, so naturally, they could not initiate an attack.
Otherwise, why be so passive? They could just start fighting directly.
Don Freecss's words received no answer, but the posture of Beyond's group was the clearest response.
His gaze flowed between the Mender's remains and Beyond's group. The deep, calm look in his eyes made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
No fighting spirit, no Aura, not even Nen.
Overall, he seemed to pose no threat, yet when Don Freecss remained still, he continuously applied pressure on Beyond's group.
To break this continuously pressurizing situation, Beyond and his group would have to take the initiative to attack. But given the circumstances, they would not make the first move regardless.
The stalemate lasted about five minutes. Neither side moved, nor did anyone speak. The scene fell silent.
Until Don Freecss spoke again.
"This is your decision, I have no right to interfere. However, I would like to take a closer look at it."
The feet that had been paused on the ice layer for a long time suddenly stepped forward.
He had not come here for the Mender's remains in the first place. In fact, he did not know there was a Mender's remains here either.
Even knowing now, he did not intend to snatch the Mender's remains from Beyond and his group.
As Don Freecss made a move, Beyond's group tensed up, mentally prepared to defend and counterattack.
However, Don Freecss gave them no such chance.
Completely disappearing from sight!
That was what happened in everyone's field of vision when Don Freecss took a step forward.
He vanished without a trace or trajectory, leaving them unable to capture his movements after disappearing.
However, everyone present had rich experience. When Don Freecss's figure was no longer in their direct line of sight, he would naturally appear in another direction.
Almost simultaneously, everyone spun around, gravely watching Don Freecss, who was already standing before the icicle.
Unknowingly, in this extremely low-temperature environment, cold sweat had seeped from their backs.
If Don Freecss had just attacked one of them, what would the outcome have been?
Seeing Don Freecss at such close range, the moment Golem recovered his senses, he instinctively turned his gun barrel, aiming at the back of Don Freecss's head.
But before he could pull the trigger, Beyond reached out and stopped him.
"Beyond?"
Golem made a puzzled sound.
Beyond did not explain. He waved his hand, signaling his teammates to relax.
Then, his eyes, still tinged with lingering gravity, silently stared at Don Freecss's back.
"Don Freecss, the purpose of your coming here has nothing to do with this frozen book, does it?"
"You are correct."
Don Freecss, his back to Beyond and the others, still had only a thin layer of Nen covering his body.
Given the current relationship between the two parties, Don Freecss's state was like a young woman stripping naked before a group of robust men.
Yet, under Beyond's restraint, no member attempted to sneak attack Don Freecss from behind.
Because Don Freecss's earlier words had made Beyond understand his intent.
From the very beginning, Don Freecss's motive for stopping them from touching the Mender's remains was not that Don Freecss wanted the remains for himself.
Since Don Freecss had no desire for the Mender's remains, then if they fought Don Freecss over the remains, they would be doing something foolish.
"Captain, shall we...?"
Marione suppressed her urge to attack Don Freecss.
She did not know if Don Freecss was doing it on purpose, exposing openings at such close range that made people want to strike, yet Beyond would not let them.
For combat-oriented ability users who excelled at seizing opportunities, this was torment.
Beyond shook his head at Marione, who was second in combat strength in the team, then stared intently at Don Freecss's back.
The speed Don Freecss had just demonstrated had already revealed a certain degree of gap.
Truth be told, he did not know whether to feel lingering fear or relief at this moment.
This human, who had lived for centuries, was not an existence they could currently contend with.
Earlier, they had thought to guard the book inside the icicle. Now it seemed, no doubt, like wishful thinking.
The good news was that Don Freecss did not seem to intend to compete with them for the book.
In short, they currently lacked the capital to engage Don Freecss in battle.
Before the icicle, Don Freecss silently looked at the characters below the fiery red bead, a faint light shining in his eyes.
"There are too many powerful beings here who want to obtain the Mender's remains. If you insist on taking it, you will only invite unnecessary disaster."
The book was reflected in Don Freecss's eyes.
"Ha, you need not worry about that."
A heavy look flashed deep in Beyond's eyes.
'The Mender's remains were the book inside this icicle?'
'So it seemed Don Freecss knew something, but...'
Don Freecss looked back at Beyond and the others. His eyes still held deep calm.
He had said all he would say and then said no more.
He had come cleanly, and he left cleanly.
Don Freecss headed straight in another direction.
Watching this, the members of Beyond's team all sighed in relief inwardly.
If they were to fight, even if they did not lose, it would certainly be a brutal battle.
The group silently watched Don Freecss walk away. Suddenly, the thick cloud layer in the distance churned without warning.
Such an anomaly naturally drew their attention. Don Freecss, about to step out of the ice layer area, also seemed to notice the anomaly and stopped, looking up at the clouds that seemed within reach.