Chapter 837 - 272: What Kind of Monster! (Third Update)
"Where are the others?" asked the lone Golden Realm, loudly.
But who could answer him?
One of the Silver Realm members replied nervously, "There are too many forks in here, we kept splitting up, and in the end, everyone was alone."
"Maybe...maybe we were ambushed?" suggested another Silver Realm member.
This was indeed the truth, but—
"That’s impossible!" the Golden Realm instantly denied. As soon as he spoke, the others fell silent, not daring to speak casually.
The Golden Realm said, "You worthless bunch, getting ambushed is one thing. But don’t forget, there were also five Golden Realm members. Do you think a mere Golden Realm First Layer guy could silently kill someone stronger than him? Or did they encounter a fierce battle and didn’t even have the chance to signal for reinforcements?"
This...seems to make sense...
Over twenty Silver Realm individuals exchanged looks, all agreeing with this possibility.
Mu Qingge hid in the shadows, minimizing her presence as she listened to the Golden Realm’s analysis, finding it amusing.
Of course, they didn’t know she had sniping methods, so their speculation wasn’t entirely wrong.
After a moment of silence, the Golden Realm spoke gravely, "It seems they encountered other dangers in the cave. This place is full of threats. You all follow me and stick together; don’t get separated again."
"No...why don’t we go back?" someone suggested trembling.
Even strong Golden Realm members died ambiguously in here. How could they possibly escape?
"Go back? How? Do you remember the way out?" the Golden Realm sneered coldly.
Seeing everyone falling silent, he continued, "Once inside, we can only move forward. With good luck, we’ll find an exit. With bad luck, we’ll die of old age here."
His words inexplicably painted the atmosphere with fear.
"Damn it! It’s all because of that bastard!" The Golden Realm punched the wall beside him, dislodging several stones, the sound echoing throughout the cave.
The spreading sound reached deep underground, awakening something that had been dormant.
Its tentacle filled the cave, writhing slightly as it followed the sound through the cave passage.
"Once I find him, I’ll tear him to pieces!" the Golden Realm said angrily. In his mind, if Mu Qingge hadn’t jumped into the cave, they wouldn’t have been forced to follow, now lost in this labyrinth of life and death.
Mu Qingge listened with a cold sneer in her heart.
These people were really interesting; they relentlessly pursued her, forcing her to jump into the cave. Now, it was as if she was in the wrong.
’Perhaps I should change my strategy. Capture a few alive for interrogation; it might save some trouble,’ Mu Qingge thought to herself.
Just as Mu Qingge planned to capture a few alive, a rustling sound suddenly came from one of the passageways.
The sound was strange, not like footsteps, more like something crawling on the ground.
Mu Qingge heard it, and so did the Golden Realm.
"What sound is that?! Who’s there?" the Golden Realm shouted.
Yet, nobody responded, just the rustling sound approaching quickly.
"You, go check it out." The Golden Realm pointed at one person, instructing him to investigate.
The man was scared, standing still.
The Golden Realm’s eyes turned cold, threatening, "If you don’t go, I’ll kill you now."
Trembling with reluctance, the man had no choice but to walk towards the passage where the sound originated. He reached the cave entrance and poked his head inside. The Nine Springs Cave was dimly lit, especially the narrow passages, dark and damp.
After a look, he found nothing unusual. As he withdrew his head and turned to his companions, he said, "There’s noth—"
But before he could finish speaking, a thick tentacle emerged from the cave behind him, wrapping around his waist, lifting him off the ground.
The sudden change silenced him in fear.
And the remaining people, including the Golden Realm, looked at this scene in shock.
Mu Qingge, hidden, also narrowed her eyes suddenly. ’What on earth is this!’
The tentacle was massive and covered in suckers. It writhed, attaching to the man’s body, as if trying to suck out his flesh and blood.
"Help...help me..." the man wrapped in the tentacle pleaded with his companions.
The Golden Realm wielded a large knife, sending a golden arc of spiritual power in the form of a blade towards the tentacle.
However, the golden light struck the tentacle, producing a loud noise, but the tentacle remained unharmed.
Such formidable defensive power startled not only the Golden Realm but also created a heavy feeling in Mu Qingge’s heart.
"Ah—! No—don’t—ah—!"
Suddenly, the tentacle seemed enraged, tightening its grip. The trapped man screamed in agony, his voice full of despair.
He struggled desperately with his hands, trying to find a glimmer of hope.
He even tore off the mask on his face, which fell to the ground, revealing a face full of terror.
The fallen silver mask was crushed by the tentacle.
"Ah—!"
The man wrapped in the tentacle let out a scream, his body twisted by the tentacle, severed in two, falling to the ground.
This happened extremely quickly, just moments after the Golden Realm’s attempt to intervene.
It happened too fast, there was no time to save him, and the companion was already dead.
The body on the ground spewed intestines and organs from the abdominal cavity, flooding the cave with the stench of blood.
Yet, a more terrifying scene unfolded.
The tentacle rose, revealing rows of menacing suckers underneath.
The suckers were covered with sharp, dense teeth, layer by layer, row by row, glinting coldly, sending shivers down the spine.
’What kind of monster is this!’ Mu Qingge was struck by the scene before her.
She could tell that this tentacle was just a part of some creature’s body. But even just a part was so alarming—what would it be like if the whole creature was exposed?
All twenty-something people started backing away, their eyes filled with terror at the sight of the tentacle.
Squeal—!
The suckers beneath the tentacle emitted a slight sound, their sharp teeth rapidly opening and closing.
It lunged toward the severed corpse, and in the blink of an eye, chewed it into mincemeat, directly swallowed it through its suction cups. The blood, flesh, and bone fragments were transmitted through the tentacles to some unknown place.
"Go!" The man in the mask, in the Golden Realm, watched this scene unfolding with terror. He had lost the courage to resist and shouted loudly, then immediately turned around and rushed into the cave behind him.
As he fled, the twenty or so people following him also desperately charged inside, as if a moment’s delay would cause them to be entangled by those terrifying tentacles and end up devoured by the suction cups, just like their previous companions.
Their flight seemed to infuriate the tentacles.
It rose up and suddenly charged, closely chasing those people into the cave.
Mu Qingge hid in the shadows, watching the long tentacles slither past her eyes and into another cave, feeling a bit creepy.
’The defensive power and attack power of these tentacles are absolutely not something ordinary people can handle!’ Mu Qingge concluded in her heart.
At the moment, with those people attracting the tentacles away, she should seize this opportunity and escape as well.
From within the cave came faint screams of agony.
This made Mu Qingge speculate that some people inside had met with misfortune.
’Go! It’s now!’ Mu Qingge made up her mind.
The monsters inside are far more terrifying than the people outside, she must not continue wandering in the cave, she has to return to the surface.
Mu Qingge stepped out from her hiding spot, intending to leave through another fork.
Just as she stepped out and prepared to enter the fork, a chill suddenly rose up her spine, as if she was being watched by something.
Swiftly, her figure flashed, leaving her original spot.
At the same time she departed, a tentacle fell from above, striking directly at the spot where she had just stood.
She was a mere hair’s breadth away from being caught by the tentacle.
Mu Qingge’s eyes were sharp, and only then did she realize that a tentacle had been hiding in another cave all this time. Despite everything that had happened, it had remained concealed!
The tentacle, seemingly able to see, raised itself, twisting to face Mu Qingge.
The menacing, terrifying suction cups at its base were fully exposed in front of Mu Qingge, making her throat itch.
Golden Realm power cannot break through this monster’s defense!
Mu Qingge hadn’t forgotten that the Golden Realm man had already tested this. So she wasted no time, without hesitation, turning around to rush into another cave.
Forcing a change in the cave path she had initially chosen.
Daring to enter the cave, she naturally made full preparations. She wouldn’t dare to wander recklessly unless there was a way to escape.
Before jumping into the cave, she had sprinkled herself with Tracking Incense, so wherever she passed would leave a scent recognizable only to her.
The cave she initially chose was the one she passed through, which also served as her escape route.
But now, she’s forced by the tentacle to enter another tunnel, unsure of how deviated she is from the path she planned.
Mu Qingge ran away, the tentacle seemed infuriated, charging into the cave, chasing behind.
The cave, with many forks in the path, had two tentacles intersect, heading into different forked tunnels, hunting down their prey.
The situation flipped again.
Now Mu Qingge is no longer in the hunter’s role but has become the prey.
The true hunter is the monster residing in the Nine Springs Cave.
Indeed, at this moment, she still hadn’t seen the monster’s main body, only being chased desperately by one of its tentacles.
The tentacles behind her were constantly closing in, and Mu Qingge accelerated once more.
However, no matter how fast she was, the tentacle always seemed to be a bit faster, and the distance between them was gradually narrowing. Mu Qingge could even feel the tip of the tentacle brushing against the back of her clothing.
Mu Qingge’s gaze deepened, she pushed herself further, choosing convoluted forks to increase the difficulty for the pursuing tentacle. Still, the tentacle persisted, as if it wouldn’t stop until it caught Mu Qingge.
Mu Qingge dashed out from the fork, entering a large cave.
This cave was tens of feet long, wide, and high, very spacious. In the middle stood naturally formed stone columns supporting the space. As Mu Qingge entered the cave, the tentacle followed closely behind.
The stench from behind made Mu Qingge nauseous.
She pressed her lips tightly together, fixated on her target, and ran toward one of the stone columns.
She circled around the stone column, the tentacle also pursued her, running circles around the column. Gradually, the tentacle entangled upon the column, finally allowing some distance between itself and Mu Qingge.
It’s enough, Mu Qingge ran forward. As she turned her gaze, she saw the tentacle was tied around the stone column, struggling.
A cold smile emerged at the corner of her mouth, as Mu Qingge continued her escape.
Yet at this moment, a loud boom echoed from behind her. The entire ground and cave shuddered slightly. Mu Qingge turned to see the tentacle had indeed fractured the stone column, discarding its constraints, rushing towards her once more.
Almost in a blink, the tentacle menacingly reached in front of Mu Qingge.
Mu Qingge’s eyes widened, holding her breath.
Thud!
The tentacle violently slapped toward Mu Qingge but landed directly on the floor, shattering the stones.
Mu Qingge, however, had disappeared without a trace.
The tentacle halted, laying on the ground. It raised its tip like a snake, revealing the suction cups underneath.
Those suction cups, like breathing, inhaled and relaxed, seemingly... searching for Mu Qingge’s scent. But no matter how it searched, the traces of Mu Qingge’s scent seemed to have vanished.
The tentacle stayed in place for a long time, waiting for Mu Qingge to suddenly appear.
But as time slowly passed, it never saw Mu Qingge return.
Eventually, after a long wait, it gave up, slowly retreating, disappearing into the big cave.
Only after it left for a while did Mu Qingge’s figure reappear in the original spot.
She stood on her feet, holding a mirror in her hand, letting out a sigh of relief, ’Thankfully, Mengmeng’s treasure allowed me to see the situation outside.’
Throwing the mirror back into her space, Mu Qingge looked at the giant cavern in front of her, starting to analyze the path to escape.
Returning the same way was definitely not an option.
That tentacle might be waiting for her somewhere.
If she can’t take the original path, she can only find another route.
Mu Qingge raised her head, looking at the complex interwoven pathways. In her heart, she thought: "As long as I keep heading upwards, I should get closer and closer to the surface. When there’s no path, I’ll just create an opening and return above ground!"