Ma Xiong rushed towards the sound of Liu Quansheng’s voice, finding him weakly seated on the ground. Ma Xiong bent down and whispered, “Old Liu, are you alright? Which part did the bug hit you on?”

At this moment, Ma Xiong was worried that the insect had injured Liu Quansheng. To his surprise, Liu Quansheng was covered in a cold sweat, waving a hand at Ma Xiong. “The bug didn’t… didn’t hit me, it’s just that while dodging, I accidentally… wrenched my back again!”

A thin bead of cold sweat appeared on Ma Xiong’s forehead. He thought to himself that Liu Quansheng’s habitual back-sprain was truly exasperating. Ma Xiong was about to say something to Liu Quansheng as Lu Zong was still yelling enthusiastically over there, when suddenly Ge Mei’s shriek pierced the air from Lu Zong’s direction: “Ah, what is that? Help!”

Immediately following, Lu Zong’s voice rang out, “Girl, run!”

Soon, Ge Mei’s cry sounded again. Seeing this, Ma Xiong dared not hesitate any longer. After quickly instructing Liu Quansheng not to move, he immediately rushed towards the sound.

Upon arriving, Ma Xiong disregarded any immediate danger and promptly switched on his flashlight. As the light pierced the darkness, Ma Xiong was greeted by an utterly spectacular sight.

The enormous insect was writhing violently. Strangely, Lu Zong was clinging to its back. Lu Zong gripped a flagpole tightly, the pole driven directly into the creature’s dorsal side. Beneath the great bug’s massive mouth, Ge Mei was sprawled on the ground. It seemed the insect had been attacking her, and Lu Zong had charged in desperately. Ge Mei was already white with terror. When Ma Xiong illuminated the scene, the sight of the monstrous thing before her made her face drain even further of color.

Lu Zong was desperately latched onto the insect’s back, refusing to let go of the flagpole no matter how much the creature thrashed. Without a word, Ma Xiong rushed forward to help Ge Mei up, then shouted for her to get clear. Only then did Ge Mei snap out of her panic, spinning around quickly to hide behind a row of flags.

Ma Xiong handed the flashlight to Ge Mei, telling her to keep it trained on them. Then, Ma Xiong snatched up a bamboo pole from the ground and charged toward the giant insect.

This bug was too aggressive; if they couldn't take it down, the rest of their time here would be ruined. They still needed to escape the ancient tomb and couldn't afford to waste time fighting it. Through the shaking beam of the flashlight, Ma Xiong could feel Ge Mei trembling. Girls were naturally afraid of bugs, let alone one this size.

The insect’s appearance was bizarre; its entire body resembled a jujube pit—thin at both ends and bulbous in the middle. Its back was swollen into a large hump, looking as if it had sustained a massive blow. Furthermore, its six legs were not distributed evenly on either side like those of other beetles. Its two front legs stretched straight forward, shielding its head between them.

Ma Xiong lunged up to the insect and thrust the flagpole at its head. However, it was surprisingly agile. One front leg swept out, deflecting the flagpole, while the other front leg lifted high and stomped down toward Ma Xiong. Dreading being crushed, Ma Xiong quickly sidestepped.

Seeing Ge Mei was safe, Lu Zong tumbled off the insect’s back in a roll, scrambled to his feet, and rubbed his shoulder while cursing, “Damn it, this thing is stronger than an ox! It’s wearing Ma Xiong out!”

Before Ma Xiong could respond to Lu Zong, the insect suddenly twisted, sweeping its rear end toward them. Ma Xiong and Lu Zong quickly retreated. Simultaneously, Ma Xiong saw his chance and drove the flagpole into its rear. With a sickening crunch, half the pole remained embedded in the creature’s body.

The insect shrieked in pain, whipping its tail backward violently. Ma Xiong, who was holding the pole tightly, was swung around with the creature’s rear end, sending him flying sideways. Ma Xiong rolled twice on the ground. Just as he stopped, he saw the insect’s middle leg bearing down on him.

Seeing how ferocious the creature was, Ma Xiong resolved to fight back. He drew the dagger strapped to his waist and slashed at the leg. A sharp swish cut through the air, severing half of one of the creature’s limbs. The insect’s two front legs were already extended forward parallel to each other, making its balance tenuous to begin with. Losing half a middle leg sent its massive body listing sharply toward Ma Xiong.

Seizing the opening, Ma Xiong snatched a flagpole from the ground and drove it forcefully into the insect’s flank. This time, Ma Xiong was smarter; he quickly retracted the pole from its body. As the pole was pulled out, a stream of yellowish-green fluid jetted out from the hole, leaving another wound on its flank. The insect grew frantic, emitting a high-pitched screech, and suddenly spun around, its entire body launching forward to crush Ma Xiong. Ma Xiong had no time to dodge and thrust the flagpole toward its head.

Unfortunately, its two front legs protected its head too well, and Ma Xiong’s flagpole was blocked again. As the massive body bore down on him, Ma Xiong suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He rapidly dropped his stance and simultaneously raised his dagger, cleaving off a section of one of its front legs.

This time, the insect nearly toppled over sideways. It managed to swing the remaining front leg out just in time to brace its huge body. However, this movement momentarily slowed its momentum, allowing Ma Xiong to slip away calmly. Lu Zong, recovering his strength, let out a yell, grabbed a flagpole from the ground, and savagely stabbed it into the other side of the insect’s body. The pole sank in deeply, left behind in the creature. Enraged, the insect lashed out a leg and kicked Lu Zong away.

Lu Zong was sent flying two meters. He staggered up, clutching his lower abdomen, and roared, “To hell with you, you stinking bug! You… where did you kick? If you had kicked just a little lower… you’d owe me a son!”

Ma Xiong was astonished that even after they had practically turned the insect into a pincushion, it was still full of fight. They always said insects had the strongest vitality in the world, and now he knew it was true. Lu Zong, likely injured badly, felt his legs give way, and he sat down on the ground again.

Seeing Lu Zong fall, the insect prepared to attack him. Ma Xiong quickly swept the flagpole at the creature’s injured leg. Struck on the wounded limb, the insect staggered again. Ma Xiong took advantage of the pause to gouge another round hole into its side.

The insect seemed panicked now. Likely due to the severity of its injuries, it suddenly took several large steps backward, creating distance between them. Ma Xiong refused to let the menace escape and immediately took off in pursuit. Just as he moved, the wings on the insect’s back began to beat rapidly. Then, that familiar, monotonous wooden-clapper sound began emanating from its fluttering wings!

Ma Xiong initially thought the insect was trying to flee, but instead, it retreated a few steps and began flapping wings that shouldn't have been capable of flight. Suddenly, the Mie Shen Feng (God-Slaying Wind) roared to life! The incessant wooden-clapper sounds from its beating wings grew so intense that Ma Xiong’s eardrums throbbed painfully!

Lu Zong was the first to cover his ears, screaming, “Damn it, so this sound was its trick!”

As the insect beat its wings faster and faster, the frequency of the sound began to accelerate. Before long, a heavy pressure settled onto Ma Xiong’s chest. Ma Xiong realized this couldn't continue. Since the source of the Mie Shen Feng was this insect, and they were so close, if it continued, none of them would survive.

With this thought, Ma Xiong ignored covering his ears, grabbed the flagpole, and charged toward the insect. The Mie Shen Feng hammered against Ma Xiong’s head, causing dizziness. Ignoring his unsteady gait, swaying left and right, Ma Xiong reached the creature and swung the flagpole at its wings, reasoning that damaging the wings would stop the Mie Shen Feng.

To his surprise, the creature was cunning. It leaped backward several meters. Ma Xiong’s flagpole slammed heavily onto the floor, the force nearly splitting the webbing of his thumb.

Ma Xiong felt his arm go numb. He silently cursed the old monster for its slipperiness, preparing to grab his pole and pursue, but found he could no longer move his feet. The Mie Shen Feng was potent; in less than half a minute of release, Ma Xiong was already struggling to breathe. Ma Xiong wondered how this bug had evolved such an ability. Thankfully, there was only one; if there had been many, no one could have ever breached this tomb!

Ge Mei had already given up trying to hold the flashlight, which had dropped to the floor. The insect’s body vanished into the darkness, leaving only its two front legs exposed under the beam of light. This time, the Mie Shen Feng was not like the previous two; its power was considerable. When the insect emitted the sound deep within the cavern, they could barely withstand it. Now, with the creature just meters away, the noise was deafening, hammering against Ma Xiong’s eardrums. Even with his hands desperately covering his ears, he could not block it out.

He tried to go with the sound, to follow its rhythm, but this time, using that method achieved nothing! No matter how he tried to relax his mind, he could not find a moment of peace.

Ma Xiong felt his heart pounding faster and his breath growing increasingly shallow, as if something heavy was pressing on his chest. His body began showing signs of shock, and his mind grew hazier. Gritting his teeth, Ma Xiong struggled to stand up, but a wave of dizziness forced him back onto one knee.

Lu Zong lay flat on his back, covering his ears and twisting back and forth, muttering curses under his breath: “Damn it, dead bug, son of a bitch, go to hell!”

Ma Xiong knew he had to risk everything now. He snatched his dagger and hurled it like a throwing dart toward the insect.

The dagger shot out with a whoosh. In the dark, Ma Xiong had no idea which part he had aimed at. Suddenly, there was the sound of the dagger burying itself into the insect’s flesh. The creature let out a screech, and the Mie Shen Feng immediately began to subside slowly.

As the Mie Shen Feng stopped, the pressure on Ma Xiong’s chest eased significantly. Just as he was about to take a full breath, the insect suddenly began screeching wildly again, and the Mie Shen Feng erupted anew!

Although inwardly startled again, Ma Xiong felt much lighter this time. If he didn't seize this moment to stop the monster, he wouldn't get another chance. Thinking quickly, Ma Xiong used the flagpole to push himself up and charged toward the insect. As he reached it, a rush of wind sounded by his ear in the darkness, and Ma Xiong dodged to the side. In the exact spot where he had stood moments before, there was a loud thump—the sound of the insect stomping the ground. A cold sweat broke out on Ma Xiong’s back. If he had been hit by that stomp, he would have been skinned alive, if not killed outright.

Ma Xiong raised his flagpole, about to stab it, when the monstrous insect’s other leg suddenly lashed out unexpectedly. This time, Ma Xiong was caught off guard and was kicked solidly on the thigh, the force knocking him sprawling onto the ground. As Ma Xiong tried to rise, the Mie Shen Feng intensified again. Ma Xiong felt his head sink, and he fell face down onto the floor. This time, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't muster any strength.

Just as Ma Xiong thought they were done for, a loud shout rang out. In the darkness, a figure rushed forward, accompanied by a beam of flashlight. There was a sharp smack, followed by the insect’s frantic screeching. The Mie Shen Feng wavered, then weakened considerably.

Before Ma Xiong could process what happened, a hand grabbed him, pulling him up and dragging him away.

After a few steps, Ma Xiong clearly saw that the rescuer was Liu Quansheng.

Liu Quansheng aimed his flashlight at the insect, keeping an eye on its movements, while asking Ma Xiong, “Brother Ouyang, are you alright?”

At this moment, the insect chirped a few times, and the Mie Shen Feng began to slowly rise again.

Ma Xiong shook his head at Liu Quansheng, then said, “This bug can generate the Mie Shen Feng. We need to find a solution, or none of us will escape.”

Liu Quansheng frowned and replied, “Ma Xiong believes that since this is one of the Four Forbidden Grounds, there must be a solution, but we just don't know what object breaks this Mie Shen Feng.”

Ma Xiong nodded. “You’re right. The item that breaks the Mie Shen Feng must be here! Let’s think about what it could be.”

As he spoke, the Mie Shen Feng grew much stronger. A thought struck Ma Xiong. Without hesitation, he grabbed Liu Quansheng. “Let’s go, to the center of the flag formation!”

Without further explanation to Liu Quansheng, he pulled him and started running toward the formation center, yelling back at Lu Zong and Ge Mei, “Hold on! I’m going to break this sound array!”

With that, Ma Xiong and Liu Quansheng sprinted toward the center of the flag array. The rampage of the giant bug had already wrecked the formation almost entirely, rendering it useless. Thus, guided by the flashlight, Ma Xiong and Liu Quansheng quickly reached the spot.

Ma Xiong took several deep breaths, suppressing the effects of the Mie Shen Feng, and said to Liu Quansheng, “Look at this bell. If we strike it, what do you think will happen?”

Liu Quansheng was stunned, then slapped his forehead. “Right! This giant bronze bell hanging here—it hasn’t seemed to serve any purpose before. Maybe it’s the magical artifact to break this sound array!”

A thick rope was tied to the bronze bell, leading down. Swinging the rope would cause the clapper inside to strike the great bell. However, directly beneath the bell was the giant bug’s nest, its depth unknown. Falling in would almost certainly mean doom.

Under normal circumstances, ringing the bell wouldn’t be an issue; one could simply leap over the edge of the pit, grab the rope leading to the bell, and pull. But now, suffering from the sonic attack of the Mie Shen Feng, their movements were severely restricted. Ringing this bell now meant risking something huge. If they missed the rope during the leap, or if the vibration of the Mie Shen Feng caused them to lose their grip, the result would be falling into the bottomless abyss, forever accompanied by darkness!

Liu Quansheng recognized the danger of this maneuver. He looked down at the large hole in the ground, then up at the massive bronze bell, gritted his teeth, and said, “I’ll go.”

Ma Xiong shook his head. “No need. I’ll do it, but I can’t summon much strength right now. I’ll need the ‘Great Roc Spreads Its Wings’ move to be sure I can grab the rope. You help me set up a springboard.”

Liu Quansheng was not one to dither. He immediately nodded at Ma Xiong. “Fine. Be careful!”

With that, Liu Quansheng walked to the edge of the pit, squatted down, and said to Ma Xiong, “Come on, step on my shoulder!”

The Mie Shen Feng continued to resonate. Although Liu Quansheng had injured the giant bug badly just now, the sound wave attack still affected Ma Xiong. His mind was unsettled, and he couldn’t exert much force. Seeing Liu Quansheng ready, Ma Xiong told himself inwardly: Success or failure rests on this single move!