“I don't care what your plan is, as long as I catch you first!” Po Kong’s eyes sharpened as he took a large stride forward.
The distance between them was barely ten meters. For a warrior like Po Kong, this was close enough to close the gap in an instant.
If the opponent was merely a mage who relied on controlling skeletons, Po Kong was absolutely confident he could restrain them before they could cast any lethal spells.
After all, not every mage possessed the formidable physical constitution and agility of Starlight.
However, the mysterious hooded figure showed no signs of panic or intent to flee. Instead, he reached out a withered hand and lightly tapped the wall beside him.
With that tap, a seemingly ordinary stone brick recessed. Immediately after, a dull yet distinct sound of sliding gears echoed from within the wall; it seemed he had triggered some kind of mechanism.
“Po Kong! Get back! It’s a trap!” From behind, Starlight’s gaze had been fixed on every movement the mysterious person made. When he saw this, an ominous premonition surged in his heart.
Without time to think or worry about accidentally hitting Po Kong, he waved his hand, sending a fireball condensed with searing fire elements toward Po Kong’s position.
Just as the fireball was about to reach the strange figure, a solid stone wall suddenly dropped from above, cutting off the path between them.
The appearance of this stone wall not only blocked Po Kong’s way but also perfectly obstructed the fireball’s trajectory.
As the two hesitated, the floor beneath their feet underwent a sudden change. The previously solid ground split apart, revealing a massive, bottomless pit.
Caught off guard, both felt the ground vanish beneath them. Accompanied by a strong sensation of weightlessness, they plunged into the deep, dark hole.
In the chaos, Starlight only had enough time to wrap them both in a layer of wind elements to slow their descent.
Fortunately, after falling through the darkness for only two or three seconds, they landed heavily at the bottom of the pit.
The soft, damp sensation beneath their feet made them realize this wasn't hard stone ground, but some kind of softer, elastic substance. This material significantly cushioned the impact, preventing them from being injured.
However, just as they were about to sigh in relief, they opened their mouths only to be met with an overwhelming stench.
“Where the hell did we fall? Why does it smell so bad! Can we even find a way back up?” Po Kong pinched his nose shut, looking up with a deep frown, but the opening they had fallen through had already vanished without a trace.
Suppressing the urge to gag, Starlight summoned his light orbs once more. With the help of the light, they finally saw their surroundings clearly.
They were in a cramped room, only about a few dozen square meters in size. The surrounding walls were covered in moss and water droplets, with various pipes of different thicknesses crisscrossing and extending into the unknown distance.
Beneath their feet was a thick layer of black sludge that reached their ankles. The unbearable stench was emanating from this very muck.
“If I’m not mistaken, we’ve likely fallen into some ancient sewer system. That mechanism earlier was probably an old sewage disposal facility.” Noah grumbled with disgust as he floated into Starlight’s arms, trying to stay as far away from the nauseating sludge as possible.
“So this cemetery really is connected to a sewer? Then how deep have we actually gone now?” After hearing Noah’s guess, Po Kong’s expression became exceptionally strained as he spoke in a pained tone.
“You should be glad the smell in this room is just foul and not toxic. If this were a sealed chamber filled with poisonous gas, we’d probably both be dead by now!”
As Starlight spoke, he gathered water elements and froze the slippery sludge beneath them into ice, which slightly dampened the odor in the room.
“I guess... but what’s the point of that guy trapping us here? He can’t possibly think this would kill us, right? Or did he just want to stink us to death?” Po Kong looked down at the black mud on his boots, his face full of displeasure.
Just then, Noah, who was huddled in Starlight’s arms, seemed to notice something unusual and whispered a warning: “Others aren’t as naive as you. A trap is just one of many methods. Something is already coming. Be careful!”
Before he could finish, a series of dense rubbing sounds erupted from the surrounding pipes. It seemed something was approaching them at an alarming speed through the complex network of tubes.
“That sound... is it...?” Starlight listened to the sounds growing clearer and felt a sense of familiarity, asking in a low voice.
Po Kong also clearly remembered the familiar noise. He gripped his weapon tightly, his expression grim. “It’s likely the same thing we heard before entering the fourth layer. But this time... the numbers don’t look good!”
In the next instant, a long, narrow figure as thick as a water bucket suddenly lunged out from a pipe overhead. Like a bolt of black lightning, it struck directly at the two of them.
Feeling the gusts of foul wind from above, the two instinctively leapt to either side, narrowly dodging the sudden ambush.
The creature’s downward strike hit empty air, smashing the hard ice beneath them into pieces. Shards of ice and sludge splattered everywhere.
“Is it a snake? Or...?”
As the light orbs overhead illuminated the figure before them, Po Kong’s voice cut off abruptly, as if he were being strangled.
Coiled between the two was a ten-meter-long body, winding like a snake. The sides of its thick torso were lined with dozens of pairs of wriggling shadows.
Starlight initially thought it was a massive centipede, but when he looked up at the black figure’s head, a chill shot straight to the top of his skull.
The monster’s head bore a hollow human face, ghastly pale. From where the eyes should have been, two long, thin tentacles protruded. A sharp mouthpart extended from the mouth area, dripping with viscous saliva.
And those wriggling shadows along its dark body were nothing else but scarred human arms. They seemed to retain the memories and agony of their former lives, struggling helplessly against the monster’s flesh.
“What kind of freakish thing is this!” Before Starlight could even process the sight, the monster’s head snapped around and lunged straight for him.
Starlight retreated quickly, dodging the strike, and threw a ball of searing fire at it.
The fireball traced a brilliant arc through the air and slammed into the monster. However, it caused no substantial damage, only causing a puff of grey smoke to rise from its black hide.
“Pah! What kind of disgusting monster is this now! I told you I hate this place!” Po Kong spat, his face full of revulsion, but his longsword didn't hesitate as it hacked toward the creature.
Squelch! Clang! Two distinct sounds rang out almost simultaneously. Po Kong’s attack successfully severed two arms from the monster’s side, but when the blade struck its main body, it was repelled by an inexplicable force.
“This thing’s body is incredibly hard. Those arms don’t seem to be its weak points either.” Po Kong glanced at the two severed arms; the clean cuts were pitch black, with no blood flowing out.
The monster seemed completely unfazed, continuing its charge toward Starlight.
Without needing a reminder, Starlight waved his hands again. The light orbs above suddenly merged into one massive sphere of light, which he slammed into the monster’s human face like a miniature sun.
Simultaneously, the sludge beneath the monster burst open. Ice mixed with muck surged up to coat its body, forcefully slowing its massive frame by a beat.
In that moment of hesitation, the basin-sized light orb landed precisely on its head.
Upon contact with the light orb, the monster’s horrific head immediately emitted a sizzling sound and began to melt at a visible rate.
Under this assault, the monster finally seemed to feel pain. It began to writhe its long body, letting out a shrill, agonizing shriek.
Rate on N.U.
