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墨書 Inktalez
Yasha stared at Xunuo for a moment. It seemed to harbor some fear of Xunuo, letting out a strange cry before abandoning him. With a flap of its wings, it flew toward Gongsun Sheng, following the sound.
Soon, a scream echoed back, suggesting that Gongsun Sheng had taken a hit, and his fate was uncertain.
Then came the sound of strikes from that direction. It seemed that Gongsun Sheng and the others had some protective items that were proving effective, causing Yasha to screech incessantly.
Xunuo could not afford to pay attention to that side anymore; he was now like a fish in a barrel and needed to find a way out quickly. He hurriedly picked up a torch and heard a loud thud coming from the tomb chamber. Following the sound, he realized it was emanating from the Sunken Wooden Coffin. His scalp tingled in fear; with no other options left, he could only burrow into the underground hole.
Just as he was contemplating this, there was a loud crash—the lid of the Sunken Wooden Coffin was knocked off and fell to the ground. Xunuo quickly dashed to the edge of the hole and turned back to look. He saw a shadow over ten feet tall approaching him, carrying with it a foul wind filled with Corpse Qi.
Without time to think further, Xunuo dove headfirst into the hole and slid down. He soon felt chaos behind him as rubble and dirt cascaded down. It seemed that the enormous shadow could not fit through and was digging up the hole.
The tunnel was roughly excavated as Xunuo slid downwards. Initially, it was just sand and dirt, but after two or three yards, he found himself scraping against rock. The impacts were so hard that it felt like his bones might break. Ignoring the pain, Xunuo protected his head with his arms and crashed against the tunnel walls as he continued downward.
He did not know how long it took before he finally heard a thud—his body landed on solid ground. Immediately after, more rubble fell down, burying him securely.
Xunuo shook his arms and emerged from the pile of dirt. Ignoring his aching body, he moved slightly to check if his head and limbs were unharmed before feeling somewhat relieved. However, he realized that his Short Blade was missing.
This Short Blade was currently his only means of defense. Knowing there were unknown dangers lurking in this cave, Xunuo figured that it must have fallen into this pile of dirt during his descent. He hurriedly kicked through the debris in search of it. After rummaging around for a bit, he first found a Jade Fragment. Recognizing its value, he quickly tucked it away in his pocket. Continuing to search, he eventually discovered his Short Blade and picked it up to examine his surroundings.
At this point, his vision was no longer impaired; he could see more clearly now. However, this place was an entirely dark cave without any light source. It certainly couldn't compare to being outside under the stars or moonlight where visibility was limitless. Still, he could make out that this was a natural underground Cave about thirty feet high, with the excavation hole above him.
The Black Shadow continued relentlessly digging into the cave. It seemed to have penetrated through the sandy layers and started excavating rock, producing strange clattering sounds as debris fell from the entrance above.
Around this Cave were several openings leading to unknown places. Xunuo dared not linger; peering into a few openings revealed one with a slight breeze blowing through. His heart lifted at this discovery as he crouched down and crawled inside.
This tunnel was small; once inside, Xunuo could only stand in a crouched position and had to crawl to move forward. After advancing for a short while, the space within suddenly widened. Seeing that there was enough room to stand upright again, Xunuo quickly got up and walked briskly ahead. Before long, he arrived at another large cavern.
Xunuo looked around the cave, which appeared to be over a hundred feet wide and more than ten feet high. In the center, a winding spring bubbled up, while beside it sat a black creature.
This creature was slightly smaller than the previous shadow but still as massive as a black bear. Its body was covered in black fur, emanating a foul stench. Its large head resembled that of a human, yet it was grotesquely ugly. At this moment, it stared at Xunuo with its two gray eyes wide open.
Xunuo thought to himself: How unfortunate, just escaped from the Wolf's Den and now I’ve stumbled into the Tiger's Den.
He quickly drew his Short Blade and activated the Huayang Classic, channeling True Qi throughout his body.
The creature, furious at Xunuo for intruding into its territory, became even more enraged upon seeing his actions. It suddenly stood up and let out a roar before slowly advancing toward Xunuo.
Xunuo had no intention of engaging with this monster and dared not turn back to confront the Black Shadow. Instead, he frantically searched for another escape route. Soon, he discovered several openings scattered throughout the Cave.
Knowing he needed to find an exit leading outside quickly to escape, Xunuo realized that fighting this creature would only lead to his demise. Fortunately, the vastness of the Cave allowed him some room to maneuver.
As Xunuo contemplated his next move, the creature charged at him. It extended its claws, which were as large as fans, aiming to swipe at Xunuo's head.
Since cultivating the second level of Huayang Classic, Xunuo had not noticed any other changes except that his body felt much lighter. When he saw the monster lunging at him, he leaped aside just in time to avoid it.
The creature let out a strange cry upon missing its target and quickly turned around to pounce again. Xunuo dared not confront it directly; instead, he began to leap and dodge around the Cave while leading the monster in circles. After several rounds, he spotted an opening where fresh air flowed in. Realizing it was a potential escape route, he pondered how to shake off this creature.
The opening was small enough that Xunuo could only crawl through it, while the monster would not fit. However, if it managed to grab his leg before he could escape, there would be no chance of survival. In this enclosed space with no way to distract the monster, he had no choice but to wait for an opportunity to strike hard enough to make it feel pain so he could then escape.
Like walking a dog, Xunuo led the monster in chaotic circles within the cave. Although the creature was strong, its movements were clumsy and seemed devoid of intelligence; it merely followed behind Xunuo and lunged at him repeatedly.
As time passed and Xunuo grew bolder from leading the chase, he kept an eye on the monster’s position while preparing to strike when an opportunity arose.
Just as he was readying himself for action, a loud roar echoed from the entrance through which he had come. Xunuo immediately recognized it as that of the larger creature from before.
While inwardly lamenting his misfortune, he noticed that the monster behind him suddenly halted and turned its head toward the source of the roar, responding with a mighty growl of its own.
Xunuo's attention was no longer on itself as it spotted the Black-Furred Monster. It bent down and squeezed into the previously examined hole, scrambling forward with hands and feet.
Just as Xunuo entered the hole, it felt a furry giant hand reaching in from behind. Instantly, Xunuo's heart sank, and it let out a sharp scream, instinctively darting forward. Fortunately, it managed to evade the monster's grasp. For some reason, the creature ignored the thunderous roar from the shadow outside and instead began to dig into the escape route Xunuo had found, as if intent on swallowing it whole.
The deafening roars of the two monsters behind Xunuo shook it to its core, mixing fear with a primal urge to survive that generated immense strength. In no time, Xunuo crawled over ten feet deep into the cave, temporarily shaking off the Black Monster.
The cave widened below, nearly half a person's height. Xunuo could now crawl on its knees with a slight bend. However, its expression turned grim. The width was no obstacle for the pursuing monsters; their sharp fingers dug through the cave with incredible speed, climbing just as effectively.
Xunuo understood that the only hindrance for this monster was that small section at the entrance. Once past that narrow stretch, it would surely catch up quickly. All Xunuo could do was try to increase the distance between itself and the creature during this time. Otherwise, once the monster passed through that tight spot, it would likely close in within moments.
As the cave continued to widen, Xunuo soon found itself able to stand upright and run. Behind it, the monster had also squeezed through the narrow entrance, its claws scraping against the ground with a menacing sound as it pursued.
Tears nearly streamed down Xunuo's face: this was a desperate flight for survival.
This was a naturally formed passage in the mountains—twisting and turning without any clear direction. Throughout its frantic escape, Xunuo had not encountered a single fork in the path. In such an open space with nowhere to hide or turn back, Xunuo questioned the purpose of its flight—perhaps it was simply instinctual fear driving it onward.
The cave gradually widened further. As soon as the Black Monster could stand upright to chase, Xunuo felt their distance closing rapidly.
Before long, Xunuo heard the rumbling footsteps of the black creature behind it.
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