Little Yi walked carefully, groping his way forward, "Because of Zhong Shenxiu's little bright spots, the group has been very safe along the way, and no murders have occurred for a long time!"
As everyone marveled at the magic of these small bright spots, they became increasingly cautious, because the density of the small spots had clearly increased significantly, indicating that there were also more traps.
Soon, the group arrived at a three-way intersection. This time, Zhong Shenxiu proceeded into the leftmost passage with almost no pause. It was because the creature that interested him was in that direction!
Unaware of Zhong Shenxiu's intentions, the others assumed this path was the safest and quickest!
Those mercenaries always thought Zhong Shenxiu was leading them out, little realizing that their path was bringing them closer and closer to the core of the ancient tomb.
Zhong Shenxiu had no intention of turning back so soon; having finally found something that piqued his interest, he was determined to explore every corner. Moreover, he absolutely had to take every treasure here, or it would be a massive waste!
If these mercenaries knew Zhong Shenxiu's thoughts, their hearts would likely break from despair!
After walking for about half an hour, strange sounds suddenly drifted from ahead in the passage, resembling ghostly cries and wolf howls. The sounds were very faint, as if coming from a great distance!
Everyone's hearts leaped instantly. The sound distinctly suggested a monstrous beast, utterly different from those they had encountered before; those howls seemed to be screaming: I am hungry, I am hungry!
In that instant, as if by unspoken agreement, all eyes fixed on Zhong Shenxiu. Some mercenaries were even thinking: Perhaps we should choose a different route?
However, what caused them immense turmoil was that they saw no tension or unease on Zhong Shenxiu’s face, only excitement and anticipation!
Heavens above, how could such a person exist?
Zhong Shenxiu glanced back at the group, his expression seeming to say: Brothers, follow me!
Having no choice, the others reluctantly followed the little oddity forward, their only prayer being not to encounter that monster.
As the group pressed on, the unsettling howls grew more distinct, as if something was about to pounce from ahead at any moment!
The tension among them was at its peak. They had to be careful not to step on the bright spots underfoot, while simultaneously remaining vigilant against anything that might suddenly bite them from the front or the sides!
To cut a long story short, after walking for over an hour, a colossal stone gate suddenly appeared before them. The beast's voice was now clearly emanating from within!
The mercenaries exchanged glances, their looks seeming to declare that this door absolutely must not be opened!
"Uh... there seems to be something inside. I suggest we take another route, even if it means a longer detour!" Haliman Fu proposed.
Just hearing those howls was enough to chill the bone; who knew what kind of monster was waiting inside, ready for them to offer themselves up as sacrifices!
"Magister Haliman Fu makes a valid point. I think we should go another way!"
"Yes, yes, this place feels rather sinister. We better not take any unnecessary risks!"
"Why don't we backtrack the way you guys came in?"
The mercenaries began to chatter amongst themselves, but they quickly fell silent because the massive stone gate before them was slowly opening, emitting a deafening "rumble, rumble" that seemed to shake the entire ancient tomb!
Judging by the gate alone, it was at least thirty meters high, and only when it cracked open slightly did they realize its thickness was nearly two meters. How much weight must such a huge gate possess?
But now was not the time to analyze the door. Everyone stared intently at the gap, not daring to even draw a breath!
No one knew what lay behind the stone gate, nor where that howling originated. At that moment, everyone felt their hearts were about to leap out of their chests; the oppressive feeling was nearly suffocating!
Strangely, as the stone door opened, the howling sound vanished!
This did not reassure the group; instead, it heightened their tension, because an unseen enemy is always the most terrifying!
This massive stone door had clearly not been opened for a long time, stirring up a cloud of dust that immediately stung everyone’s five senses!
Although the sensation was deeply uncomfortable, not a single person dared to lose focus. They forced their eyes open, terrified that a moment's distraction would allow some horrific monster to dart out and snatch them away!
When the dust finally settled, the group could finally glimpse the interior: an enormous circular arena, roughly the size of half a football field.
What was peculiar was that this circular area was brightly lit, as if by some unknown source in the ceiling; because the ceiling was so high, they couldn't make out the source immediately.
Directly ahead of them was another stone door, matching the size of the massive entrance they had just passed through. The surrounding doors, though placed side by side, were noticeably smaller!
Where were they?
Having grown accustomed to the narrow passages, the sudden emergence into such an open space caused everyone to freeze!
While they were still taking in the surroundings, Zhong Shenxiu eagerly stepped inside.
Once inside, Zhong Shenxiu didn't walk far before stopping, tilting his head back as if admiring some captivating view!
Could it be treasure again? Gandalf thought suddenly, stepping inside with an eager expression. But as soon as one of his feet crossed the threshold, he recoiled as if electrocuted, retreating rapidly behind the others!
What happened?
Everyone was stunned. They had only seen Gandalf look up once, yet his reaction was so extreme. What exactly did he see?
", Wang Fabibei"
"Hey, Gandalf, what's wrong? What is in there?" Faraday asked, curious and tense.
The others also stared at Gandalf with nervous expressions, looking more frightened than Gandalf himself!
Gandalf stared wide-eyed at the group, trembling uncontrollably, unable to utter a word.
This made everyone even more anxious. What could possibly frighten someone into speechless terror?
The others peered inside, only to see Zhong Shenxiu and Robin both looking up with expressions of sheer excitement, certainly not those of witnessing a terrifying sight.
What could possibly be up there?
Xia Luo could no longer bear her curiosity. She tiptoed closer, took a lightning-fast glimpse, and retreated immediately.
"What is it?" everyone asked, looking at Xia Luo, whose breathing was slightly ragged.
"Black, huge... thing! It moves!!," Xia Luo had only seen a rough outline, so she couldn't describe the exact appearance of that... thing.
And so, the group began to construct images of what kind of monster this might be in their minds!
Lingering there was not an option. After some discussion, they decided to look together!
Fortunately, the entrance was large enough for them to squeeze through simultaneously. Once inside, they all looked up at the ceiling, and every single one of them froze as if struck by lightning.
Hanging above them was a colossal silhouette, utterly black, with two blade-like fangs exposed, gleaming coldly. Unbelievably, this monster possessed four eyes clustered in a square formation on its forehead.
Furthermore, the creature had eight legs, each as thick as a giant scythe. It strongly resembled a massive black spider, yet it was clearly not one, as a pair of huge, black wings sprouted from its back!
Th-this... what kind of monster is this?
Even these brave mercenaries were nearly scared senseless. This creature was too bizarre and too enormous, almost matching the size of the giant stone door they had just seen!
This monster could no longer be called a Magic Beast; it had far surpassed that category! If one had to assign it a definition, "Magic Insect" would be more fitting, and a mutated one at that!
Magic Insects, like Magic Beasts, were generally easy to understand—insectile in appearance but capable of casting magic. However, the magic level of Magic Insects was limited, with the highest only capable of Second-tier magic. Ordinary Magic Insects cast magic barely considered First-tier!
However, the Magic Insect before them, judging by its appearance alone, clearly could not be described by the standard definition; it was obviously not easy to provoke!
Zhong Shenxiu had encountered some Magic Insects before, but they were too weak for him to pay much mind. This one, however, had thoroughly piqued his interest. He was now trying to determine if this creature's immense size was due to mutation or some other special cause?
The Magic Insect's four eyes shifted constantly; it was clearly observing the people below. What was baffling was why it remained so still. Was it merely imposing in appearance?
Far from it! This Magic Insect wasn't unwilling to move; it could not move!
Following its body upwards, a complex magic array was clearly embedded in the ceiling. Many "Light Element Crystal Orbs" were set around this array, providing all the illumination for the great hall!
It was obvious these "Light Element Crystal Orbs" weren't placed there merely for lighting, but to suppress this Magic Insect. These orbs interacted with the intricate array, forming an extremely powerful restraint, preventing the Magic Insect from moving even a fraction, no matter its strength!
Zhong Shenxiu had now shifted his gaze to the array. Based on his prior studies of magic arrays, he recognized it as an ancient type of "Complementary Magic Array," whose advantages lay in its stability, long lifespan, and potent effect!
And these "Light Element Crystal Orbs" were extraordinary; at the very least, Zhong Shenxiu had never seen such large crystal spheres before!
It seemed this place truly held some unknown secret!
A slight smile played on Zhong Shenxiu's lips; he found the situation increasingly fascinating!
The others, conversely, felt the place was growing more terrifying. They hadn't expected such an overwhelmingly monstrous creature to appear; what horrors lay ahead?
These people felt an involuntary chill just staring at the Magic Insect's eyes. Thankfully, it seemed incapable of movement; otherwise, the group would have felt utterly doomed!
Even so, the group dared not make any sudden moves, as they weren't certain the Magic Insect had lost all mobility. If they accidentally provoked it, things would go badly! They desperately wanted to avoid confronting this behemoth, unsure even how they would fight it!
Now, the group only hoped Zhong Shenxiu would stop observing and hurry them home; they truly couldn't endure this level of shock any longer!
Yet, these people had no idea that the real thrill hadn't even begun! And the excitement to come would be relentless, precisely because Zhong Shenxiu was there to seek thrills!
At this point, Zhong Shenxiu had retracted his gaze and begun surveying the surroundings.
The area was bare of any furnishings, but the surrounding walls were etched with various writings and patterns, one of which depicted this very Magic Insect!
Zhong Shenxiu stepped forward to study the inscriptions closely. The more he read, the more incredible it seemed, and one sentence particularly caught his attention:
"When war rises, the demon emerges; rivers of blood flow, ten thousand bones wither!"
What did this mean?
Zhong Shenxiu couldn't help but frown. Did this "war" have some connection to demon entities?
With this question lingering, Zhong Shenxiu turned his attention to the other stone walls, hoping for a more specific clue!
To his frustration, the writings on the surrounding walls were fragmented phrases, making them difficult to piece together. However, the expedition wasn't without fruit; at least he learned one crucial piece of information that made Zhong Shenxiu extremely excited: this Magic Insect did not originate from this world!
Although the wall inscriptions didn't detail how the Magic Insect arrived, one thing was certain: "other worlds" truly existed!
Simultaneously, Zhong Shenxiu found answers to several lingering questions. He had long suspected how Summoners managed their summons—how did those summoned beasts appear from thin air? If these summoned creatures weren't illusions, where did they originate?
Now, there was an answer to this puzzle: Summoners used some method to pull creatures from other realms. Those so-called summoned beasts were not native to this world!
To gain more detailed insight, it seemed he would need to conduct a thorough study of this art of summoning!
Zhong Shenxiu now had a new research topic. He felt that by fully grasping this summoning technique, he might gain a deeper understanding of the two "bizarre worlds" within his own body, as they shared common ground!
But that was for later. What Zhong Shenxiu wanted to do now was to get this behemoth down from above!
He needed to see what made this being from another world so different, and why such an elaborate measure—using so many "Light Element Crystal Orbs"—was required to suppress it!
A wicked smile began to spread across Zhong Shenxiu's lips.