The petty greed and shrewdness that had previously defined the merchant’s face had vanished, replaced by a hideous, terrifying expression. His small, triangular eyes were bloodshot, making him look like a rabid beast.
“So, selling that fake holy water at the entrance was just to screw over everyone who came down here?” Seeing the merchant’s face, Po Kong’s temper flared. He stepped forward, grabbed the man by the collar, and roared.
At that moment, the two finally understood that everything in this underground tomb had been prepared specifically to lure more people in.
It wasn't just the fake holy water; even those crude maps had been meticulously designed. They deliberately omitted certain key areas to ensure the black-robed mages could operate without interference.
It was no coincidence. As soon as Po Kong had submitted the information to the guild, someone at the cemetery entrance started selling these essentials. The information Po Kong had turned in was merely the catalyst for the entire scheme.
Even if he hadn't discovered it, someone else certainly would have reported it. The hundreds of missing people were the perfect hook.
Realizing that his actions might have indirectly caused the deaths of many, Po Kong’s hand began to tremble uncontrollably as he gripped the merchant. His teeth ground together with a harsh, audible creak.
Seeing Po Kong’s fury, a twisted smile actually surfaced on the merchant’s thin, gaunt face. He slowly turned his head toward Po Kong and spoke.
“Oh, it’s you two. I remember you. It’s a shame those ghosts didn't eat you. If you had just let them suck out your souls like everyone else, perhaps you wouldn't have to die such a miserable death.”
“What the hell are you barking about?! What did you do to the others?!” Enraged, Po Kong swung his hand and delivered a heavy slap to the merchant’s face, causing his cheek to swell instantly.
However, the merchant didn't seem to feel any pain at all. He began to shake his head and mutter to himself.
“It’s useless... it’s useless... everything in District One will eventually become food for the Great God of Darkness. You... you’ve only managed to delay your deaths by a little bit.”
“Soon... darkness will sweep across the entire Violet City-State... everyone will bow at the feet of the Great One!”
“You’re too late... too late... Great One... please take me away...”
As he spoke, his head slumped down and his voice grew faint. His last few words were barely a whisper before he suddenly fell silent.
With a grim expression, Po Kong reached out to check the merchant’s pulse, only to find that he had already stopped breathing.
“This guy... how did he just die? Did I really hit him that hard?”
While Po Kong was muttering to himself with a frown, the merchant’s corpse suddenly lit up with the same crimson glow as the runes on the walls.
The sudden red light startled Po Kong into dropping the body. As the corpse hit the floor, the same red light erupted from the unconscious black-robed men nearby.
After flashing rapidly several times, the red light sank into the ground beneath them. Within just a breath or two, the bodies beneath the black robes began to wither rapidly, as if their blood had been sucked dry in an instant.
“This is bad. It’s just like before. These people are sacrificing themselves. You better hurry; if you don't stop the source of this, everyone is going to die here!” Noah’s voice suddenly rang out in the eerily quiet corridor.
“Are we supposed to stop this formation from activating? It looks like that’s our only option... but how?” Starlight frowned, looking toward the distance.
By now, the bodies of the two treants had completely dissipated. In the spot where they had stood, a passage leading deeper underground was revealed. It seemed this tomb had an even lower level.
“Senior Noah... do you think we’ll run into another Saint Rank opponent like last time?”
While Starlight was lost in thought, Po Kong’s calm voice suddenly broke his concentration.
“Yes, and I’m almost certain of it! If we had more time, I’d tell you to run away immediately, but...”
“If we run now, it’s certain death, right? Since you’ve spoken up, it means we still have a sliver of hope, doesn't it? Let’s go, Little Star!”
Po Kong interrupted Noah’s unfinished sentence and pulled his sword out of the withered corpse, turning to Starlight with a determined gaze.
“Sigh... I really can't deal with you two. But you’re right. How will we know if we can do it unless we try? A Saint Rank... sounds like a decent challenge.” After a sigh, Starlight gave a firm reply.
Barring any surprises, the mastermind behind all this was in the depths. The two shared a knowing glance before the downward entrance and stepped into the deep corridor together.
The moment he entered the passage, Starlight felt the difference. The stairs connecting the previous floors had mostly gone straight down, but this passage stretched straight toward the center of the tomb.
This meant the area of the next floor was definitely much smaller than the ones above, and it was very likely the final layer of this place.
As they moved through the tunnel, Starlight could clearly feel the surrounding dark elements slowly converging downward.
It seemed the dark elements that should have been more concentrated in the upper two floors had all been sucked into this place. No wonder the dark elements had grown thinner the deeper they went.
Before long, the two reached the end of the passage, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.
Illuminated by a piercing red light, a massive circular room was revealed before their eyes.
Starlight roughly estimated that the room was at least dozens of meters high, and its floor space exceeded the massive plaza in front of the Adventurers Guild.
The tunnel they had come through seemed to be the only entrance, but looking up, there were countless pipes on the ceiling leading to unknown locations. The sound of howling wind echoed from the pipes, making the entire space noisy and chaotic.
Blocking their path not far ahead was a black object over ten meters tall. The moment they saw it, both felt a chill run down their spines.
By the flickering red light on the walls, they could clearly see that the mountain-like mound was actually composed of countless skeletons and severed limbs.
“This... how did this get here? Just how many people have been murdered?!”
Just as Po Kong shouted the question in shock, the commotion from the top of the room seemed to answer him.
From those pipes, more than a dozen monsters crawled out, resembling a cross between humans and centipedes.
Each of them gripped several desiccated bodies, which they then tossed onto the bone pile ahead like discarded trash.
“You damn things! Stop right there!”
After dumping the remains, the monsters had intended to crawl back into the pipes, but Po Kong’s roar drew their attention. They all turned toward the two men.
Seeing two living humans, they immediately changed direction and leaped down from the ceiling, lunging straight for the pair.
“Little Star, give me some light! I want a double portion this time!”
Having faced many emergencies together during this time, Starlight naturally understood what Po Kong meant.
While Po Kong usually maintained a sword-and-shield configuration, he could adjust his gear according to the battle, just as he had previously merged the two into a tower shield.
This time, the grey shield in his hand twisted and transformed into a longer broadsword.
Turning both weapons into blades meant Po Kong didn't intend to fight defensively; he was going to abandon his guard and crush the enemy with absolute power.
Under the infusion of Starlight’s energy, both longswords emitted a dazzling light. Po Kong became like a meteor, meeting the descending monsters head-on.
Facing these monsters again, Po Kong was already well-acquainted with their weaknesses.
Like the vital point of a snake, as long as he could seize the opportunity to strike their weak spots, the sheer number of enemies was merely a matter of time.
Rate on N.U.
