"Go!" "To return, there is neither wind nor rain, nor clear skies!" "Listen up, the volume of the Taiping Jing I took is buried beneath the spirit tablet in the Mountain God Temple. Only one of the three scrolls is missing. You must find the last one… fulfill my wish!" Ge Shuanwa continued to shout hoarsely from behind, but Young Master Liu paid him no mind, slowly moving away.

All that remained for Ge Shuanwa was a gray silhouette, witnessing his dream—a dream that had already flowed into his very blood—being torn, crushed, and shredded until nothing remained. At the base of the cliff, the wave had passed, but the water level was still steadily rising. While they were talking, it had already reached Fan Debiao’s knees.

Fan Debiao reacted first, letting out an "Aow!" and scrambling upward. In just a few quick motions, he reached Liu Da Shao’s side and exclaimed, "Damn it, Da Shao, do you know what’s going on? Why is there a flash flood all of a sudden?" In truth, Liu Da Shao had a clue the moment the first wave struck.

However, he hadn't had a chance to speak before the subsequent waves battered him speechless, forcing him to shout, "In my opinion, this place is half in water and half out. I didn't observe the terrain carefully when we arrived. There must be a river behind this ridge.

Because the explosive charge we just used was too powerful, it blew a hole through the stone wall, allowing the water to rush in. Judging by the force of that last wave, the river must be quite large." Fan Debiao nodded. "So that’s it.

Didn’t we see the stone wall seeping water when we first got here? That must have been caused by the river." Hearing this, Liu Da Shao nodded in agreement. As the two were talking, Da Guoguo and the others managed to climb up as well.

Da Guoguo urged, "Hurry up, everyone, the water is about to flood us." Hearing Da Guoguo’s warning, Liu Da Shao looked down. The water level had risen further in the unnoticed passage of time, and the rate of ascent had also quickened. Seeing this, he didn't even have time to register surprise before frantically beginning to climb higher.

After climbing for about four or five minutes, Fan Debiao cried out that he couldn't go on and requested a rest. Da Guoguo looked down; they were about twenty meters above the water surface, and the water wasn't catching up immediately, so he told everyone to take a break, emphasizing that they must constantly monitor the water level. Resting on the sheer cliff face was far more exhausting than on solid ground.

Liu Da Shao found a spot where he could place his feet and rested, a thought suddenly flashing through his mind. He recalled seeing a topographical map of this mountain on the silk painting; he didn't remember seeing any river there. To insist this was river water seemed a bit forced.

With this thought, Liu Da Shao intended to ask Da Guoguo for his opinion, but before he could speak, he heard the faint sound of trickling water. Everyone was immediately drawn to the sound. Jackson pointed toward the section of the cliff with a cave entrance and said, "Look, the sound is coming from there." Following Jackson’s pointing finger, the group saw several small jets of water spraying out from multiple points on that wall.

These seemed to be the aftereffects of the explosion scarring the wall. At this moment, Liu Da Shao’s only hope was that the opposite stone wall wouldn't collapse entirely, or they would all perish. Suddenly, Fan Debiao roared, "Look!

There’s something on the water!" He kept pointing frantically at the surface. Fan Debiao’s shout instantly tightened everyone’s nerves. Following his gaze, they saw a reddish object wriggling on the water’s surface.

Suddenly, it leaped out of the water and clung to the stone wall. At first glance, wasn't that the Zongzi? The Zongzi had transformed from bloated to shriveled, entirely crimson, with long claws sprouting from its hands and feet.

Liu Da Shao called it the Zongzi because its head hadn't changed; it was still shaped like a basketball. Instead of being blown to ash, the explosion had forced it to evolve. Now, the Zongzi looked even more terrifying than before, making Liu Da Shao’s scalp tingle and his head feel like it was exploding.

The creature turned its head toward them, pushed off with its feet, and charged. The rising water situation was already awkward enough, but now a Zongzi had arrived—truly, whatever they feared most was what they got. It was definitely not a time for resting; escaping was paramount.

Liu Da Shao looked up and saw that Fan Debiao and Jackson had already climbed a good distance ahead. Liu Da Shao cursed internally, "Damn it, didn't you say you were out of strength? You run faster than a rabbit when danger strikes!" The Zongzi was incredibly fast; in a moment, it caught up, its claws about to reach Liu Da Shao’s feet.

Liu Da Shao was astonished to the extreme and involuntarily let out a shout, using every ounce of strength he had to scramble upward. Suddenly, a streak of red light flashed past Liu Da Shao, making him nearly lose his grip and fall. He looked up, intending to see what the light was, but was surprised to see that the Zongzi had shot past him and was heading straight for Fan Debiao.

Liu Da Shao wondered why the creature wasn't attacking him now. Liu Da Shao yelled, "Fan Debiao, watch out! The Zongzi is biting at you!" Hearing Liu Da Shao, Fan Debiao lowered his head for a quick look and let out a startled cry of "Holy crap!" He scrambled upward with renewed vigor.

Yet, no matter how fast Fan Debiao climbed, he was no match for the Zongzi. In barely a second or two, it was beside him. Fan Debiao turned his head, cried out "Aow!", and before he could fully react, the Zongzi lunged toward him.

Fan Debiao managed to lean aside and dodge the attack. The creature missed, turned, and prepared to strike again. Fan Debiao reacted quickly and climbed upward.

Due to the violent motion, his backpack slipped off and crashed right onto Liu Da Shao. Suddenly, a "Boom!" echoed from behind them. Turning around, a tsunami-like wave was rushing toward them.

This surge momentarily startled even the Zongzi. However, the wave didn't strike it; instead, it crashed onto the water surface, instantly creating a massive vortex that began sucking everything on the surface inward. Liu Da Shao surmised this must be a structural effect of the subterranean palace; the water was sinking too rapidly, causing a whirlpool.

It looked like the water level wouldn't rise for the moment, but that wasn't guaranteed forever. Liu Da Shao dared not hesitate; he slung Fan Debiao’s backpack over his shoulder and resumed climbing. As he exerted force, he saw the Zongzi charging fiercely toward him.

Liu Da Shao thought, How strange, why didn't the Zongzi attack me before, but now it targets me again? A thought flashed through his mind: could there be something in Fan Debiao’s pack that the Zongzi desired? He quickly unzipped the backpack and immediately understood: the 'Human Scroll' of the Taiping Jing was still inside Fan Debiao’s bag!

Was this Zongzi here for the scripture? A plan instantly formed in his mind. He couldn't worry about anything else; closing his eyes, gritting his teeth, he let go of his grip and hurled the backpack toward the vortex.

Just as Liu Da Shao expected, the Zongzi truly wanted the scripture. As soon as the bag was thrown, the creature launched itself after it, flying into the vortex. Inside, it was churned violently—one moment its head was visible, the next its feet—and soon it vanished completely into the whirlpool.

A wave of relief washed over him, and he rested on the cliff face, catching his breath and regaining his senses. Just as he recovered a sliver of energy, Fan Debiao shouted from above, "Da Shao, hurry up and climb!" Hearing Fan Debiao, Liu Da Shao realized the water level must be rising again, which meant the giant vortex was drawing closer to him. Being sucked in would have catastrophic consequences.

Liu Da Shao looked up; it was exactly as he feared. He climbed upward without looking back, and everyone else was climbing with desperate energy. After climbing for about two minutes, Liu Da Shao estimated he was still ten meters from the top, while the others were about five meters away.

He took a deep breath, preparing to sprint the rest of the way in one go—that was his only chance to survive. In the very moment Liu Da Shao inhaled deeply, he felt a cold sensation beneath his feet. He looked down—not good!

The vortex had reached his feet and was rapidly spreading upward. Liu Da Shao didn't dare think; he simply buried his head and climbed. The speed of the vortex didn't slow down; instead, it increased.

Every time he ascended a section, the foot he pulled up would be instantly caught by the swirling water. Liu Da Shao wanted to move faster, but he had reached his limit, and his scalp tingled with panic. Looking up, he saw the others had reached the top and were watching him anxiously.

Fan Debiao gritted his teeth and roared, "Da Shao, hurry up! The vortex is catching you!" Liu Da Shao forced himself to remain calm and replied to Fan Debiao, "Relax. I’ve been successful my whole life; I won’t perish here." With that, he scaled upward rapidly, the vortex relentlessly pursuing him.

The situation remained tense. Liu Da Shao was getting closer to the top—three meters, two meters, one meter... He made it.

Fan Debiao reached out to pull him up as Liu Da Shao extended his left hand to meet him. Suddenly, a searing, drilling pain shot through his right arm. Damn it!

Did the wound split open? His entire body convulsed, and he began to fall backward. His mind became a chaotic jumble, and he vaguely thought he saw the Black and White Impermanence brothers.

Suddenly, he felt a heavy impact against his back. This shock sent his internal organs reeling, leaving him dizzy and nauseous, feeling like he was about to vomit blood, his head feeling ready to explode. His vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.