201: Chapter 201 The Same Mural

The Blood Demon let out a sharp screech, its entire body's blood aura exploding as several blood shadows lunged out from the sacrificial pool.

Heavenly King Lin stepped forward, his giant axe sweeping horizontally, forcefully blocking the Blood Demon's frontal assault.

Gu Changqing's sword light followed closely behind, slicing through the blood mist to force out its true form.

Ye Beihan's cold aura spread, freezing the edges of the sacrificial pool and cutting off the Blood Demon's path to recover using the blood water.

Xu Xinglan seized the opportunity to deploy her Source Array, locking onto the core location of the Blood Demon.

A flash of silver light shone in Jiang Xuance's eyes as he instantly captured the chaotic flow of Source Power within the Blood Demon.

He stepped out, and the Red-Armored Zheng by his side attacked the core in sync with him.

Just as the Blood Demon tried to retreat, Lu Cheng struck its core with a punch.

Boom!

Flesh and blood exploded, the bone mask shattered, and the blood water in the sacrificial pool completely lost its vitality.

The terminal then displayed a notification.

[Killed Hidden Beast: Blood Demon]

The moment the Blood Demon fell, the entire sacrificial pool shook along with it.

The black-red blood water seemed to lose its support, draining away bit by bit through the cracks at the bottom of the sacrificial pool, while the sweet, bloody mist that had been surging in the air rapidly faded.

This Dragon team was, after all, the most capable batch selected from the younger generation.

Heavenly King Lin, Gu Changqing, and Ye Beihan were all experts at frontal assault.

Xu Xinglan was responsible for Source Array control and information analysis.

Tang Zhiwei was responsible for poisons, hidden weapons, and assessing special status effects.

Jiang Xuance and the Red-Armored Zheng provided supplementary charges and beast-like perception.

A monster at the Peak of the Hua Hai Realm might be a hidden Boss capable of wiping out a team in the eyes of others.

But in their hands, it only lasted two rounds.

Just at the moment the Blood Demon's remains completely collapsed, a point of dark red light suddenly lit up in the center of the sacrificial pool.

A thumb-sized crystal core floated out from the flesh and blood.

The crystal core was entirely dark red, with what looked like blood threads slowly flowing inside, and its outer layer was wrapped in an extremely thin black crystal shell.

A terminal notification popped up accordingly.

[Obtained Special Drop: Blood Core]

[Item Description: A special core condensed within the body of a Blood Sacrifice Corrupted Entity, containing high concentrations of blood energy and traces of contamination. Can be submitted for points or used to activate certain hidden mechanisms.]

[Submission Points: 80]

[Special Usage: Unknown]

The Blood Core was put away by Tang Zhiwei using a special storage bag.

Afterwards, the group began to inspect the passage behind the Blood Demon.

There was a crack behind the sacrificial pool.

Viewed from the outside, the crack was very narrow, but once inside, it became increasingly wider.

The stone walls on both sides of the passage were damp and cold, and black-green water droplets constantly dripped from the ceiling, making a faint sizzling sound as they landed on the ground.

That was not ordinary water.

It was corrosive.

Xu Xinglan released detection array patterns, and pale green light beams extended forward along the ground.

"This passage should lead to the other side of the poisonous river."

"Looking at the terrain, it might be a natural fissure inside the island that has been artificially modified."

Heavenly King Lin touched the wall.

"Artificially?"

"Who would build a passage in a place like this?"

Lu Cheng pointed to the stone wall ahead.

"The person who drew the pictures."

The group looked in the direction he was pointing.

Sure enough, murals appeared on both sides of the passage again.

The murals this time were more complete than the ones outside.

The first painting depicted an elderly couple.

They were wearing tattered clothes, their faces gaunt, their backs hunched, and they were holding the hand of a little girl.

The little girl was small in stature, her hair tied into two short pigtails, and she was clutching a tattered rag doll.

In the picture, the old couple had their heads bowed, looking as if they were pleading, or perhaps terrified.

In the second painting, they stood below a sacrificial altar.

On top of the altar lay a monster resembling the Blood Demon.

The monster's body was twisted, its limbs long and slender, its back covered in fleshy thorns, and its face wore a half-human, half-fish bone mask.

The old couple pushed the little girl toward the altar.

The little girl looked back at them.

The lines of the mural were very rough.

Yet for some reason, that backward glance was carved with unusual clarity.

In the third painting, the little girl was gone.

Only a pool of blood remained on the altar.

The group felt slightly nauseous looking at these murals, but as a sea breeze blew from the end of the passage, everyone continued walking forward.

About ten minutes later, the light ahead brightened.

They passed through the passage and arrived at the other side of the poisonous river.

This place was completely different from the dense forest just now.

There was no thick blood aura here.

Although the air was still damp, it was no longer fishy and sweet.

The path under their feet, which should have been muddy, had become extremely hard.

It looked like it had been scorched by something, or perhaps compacted over a long period.

The dark brown ground had a stony luster, and stepping on it produced a faint, crisp sound.

The trees on both sides of the road were also very strange.

Their trunks were straight, and their leaves were grayish-green.

There was no chirping of insects.

There was no singing of birds.

It was as quiet as a painting kept in a sealed box.

Ye Beihan crouched down and tapped the ground lightly with his finger.

"Very hard."

Jiang Xuance looked into the distance.

"This doesn't look like a natural ecosystem."

Xu Xinglan brought up the map.

"Judging by the terrain, we have crossed the first poisonous river."

"But this area still belongs to the initial island."

"Let's continue forward."

The group explored along the hard road.

Not long after, they discovered another river.

This river was narrower than the previous one, and the water also presented an abnormal color.

But the difference was that this river water was not flowing downstream.

Instead, it was slowly flowing upstream against the slope from the low-lying land beneath their feet.

The current was very slow.

Yet it was very steady.

As if something upstream was attracting it.

Jiang Xuance stared at the river for a long time.

"Is this water flowing backward?"

Heavenly King Lin frowned.

"A river flowing uphill?"

Gu Changqing said calmly:

"Not normal."

Lu Cheng looked down at the river flowing upstream.

Tiny black scales were floating on the surface of the water.

Occasionally, one or two bubbles would emerge from the bottom of the water, emitting a faint fishy smell when they burst.

They walked upstream following the current.

The source of the river was among a pile of rocks.

And behind the rocks, they indeed saw another cave.

The entrance was half-hidden in the mountain wall, surrounded by large patches of grayish-green vines, and the stone wall at the entrance was carved with patterns similar to the ones before.

Only this time, the patterns were not blood-red.

They were in the shape of blue-black scales.

Xu Xinglan looked at the terminal scanning data, her expression gradually becoming serious.

"The structure is very similar to the Blood Sacrifice cave from before."

"The energy reaction is also similar."

Tang Zhiwei said softly:

"There should be a connection between these caves."

Gu Changqing nodded.

"Sacrificial points?"

Ye Beihan said:

"Multiple."

Jiang Xuance glanced at the cave entrance.

"Then, could there be another Hua Hai Realm Peak inside this one?"

Just as he finished speaking, the terminal popped up a notification.

[Discovered Hidden Area: Scale Sacrifice Cave]

[Warning: High-Risk Target]

[Target Rank Assessment: Hua Hai Realm Peak]

Jiang Xuance was silent for a moment.

Then he looked at his own mouth.

"Has my mouth been blessed?"

Lu Cheng patted his shoulder.

"Look on the bright side."

"At least you guessed right."

Jiang Xuance: "I thank you so much."

The group quickly entered the cave.

Unlike the Blood Sacrifice cave, the air here was colder and damper.

The cave walls were not covered in blood moss, but rather layers of slippery, scale-like minerals, making it easy to slip when walking on them.

Deep inside the cave, a low, heavy breathing sound could be heard constantly.

It was as if some large creature was lying in the water.

After walking to the deepest part, the group saw the second monster.

It was a humanoid monster covered in scales.

It was taller than the Blood Demon, nearly three meters tall.

Its body surface was covered in thick, blue-black scales, a row of fish-fin-like bone spurs grew along its back, its arms were extremely long, and its palms looked like a combination of a fish-man's and a beast's claws.

There was no complete mask on its face.

But a piece of broken bone was embedded in its forehead, and that same eye pattern was carved on it.

The terminal notification popped up.

[Hidden Beast: Scale Demon]

[Rank: Hua Hai Realm Peak]

[Special Status: Scale Sacrifice Corrupted Entity]

[Kill Points: 300]

[Extra Task: Investigate the cause of its birth]

The Scale Demon slowly opened its eyes.

Yellow vertical pupils locked onto the group.

The next second, it leaped violently.

Its massive body smashed the edge of the water pool, lunging over with a large splash of foul-smelling water.

Heavenly King Lin stepped forward, his giant axe held horizontally in front of him.

"Let me take this one first!"

Boom!

The Scale Demon's sharp claws slammed into the giant axe.

The ground under Heavenly King Lin's feet instantly cracked.

He grinned, and pale golden king patterns appeared on the surface of his body.

"Not bad strength!"

Ye Beihan stepped out from the side, his cold aura spreading along the ground and freezing the water beneath the Scale Demon's feet.

Gu Changqing's sword light followed closely behind, precisely slashing at the gaps between the scales.

Clang!

The sword blade landed on the Scale Demon, actually sparking a string of fire.

Gu Changqing frowned slightly.

"The scale defense is very strong."

Xu Xinglan formed seals with her hands, and a Source Array expanded in mid-air.

"It has Source Power weak points below its right ribs, behind its left shoulder, and at the junctions of the scales on its neck."

"Marked."

Pale green light spots instantly landed on the Scale Demon.

Jiang Xuance patted the Red-Armored Zheng.

"Go!"

The Red-Armored Zheng roared and lunged, biting into the Scale Demon's leg.

Crack!

The scales shattered.

The Scale Demon roared in anger and backhanded a claw toward the Red-Armored Zheng.

Silver needles flew out from Tang Zhiwei's sleeves, pinning into the gaps of the Scale Demon's wrist.

"The poison can't get in."

"This thing also has an insulating layer beneath its scales."

Lu Cheng stood at the rear, looking down at Snow Spirit.

"You want to try?"

Snow Spirit's eyes immediately lit up.

"Mm!"

It jumped out of Lu Cheng's arms, and the moment it landed, its two tails unfurled simultaneously.

Icy blue star dots and crimson gold sparks lit up at its feet.

The little guy's figure flashed.

First stage of Star-Treading, frost star marks landed on the Scale Demon's back.

The Scale Demon's movements stalled slightly.

Second stage of Star-Treading, fox-fire star marks circled to its side, and crimson-gold fox flames attached to the scales, making a sizzling sound.

Third stage of Star-Treading, Snow Spirit leaped directly into mid-air, its two tails crossed.

"Ying!"

A small fox-fire ball, interwoven with icy blue and crimson gold, slammed into the weak point on the Scale Demon's neck.

Frost-Flame Fox Burst!

Boom!

The scales on half of the Scale Demon's neck shattered on the spot.

Heavenly King Lin's eyes lit up.

"Good fox!"

After its defense was blasted open by the Frost-Flame Fox, the Scale Demon's weak point was completely exposed.

Heavenly King Lin suppressed it from the front.

Ye Beihan sealed its movement.

Gu Changqing pierced through the scale gap in its neck with one sword strike.

Jiang Xuance and the Red-Armored Zheng tore open its leg defense.

Finally, Lu Cheng delivered a finishing punch.

Boom!

The Scale Demon's massive body collapsed, causing the entire cave to shake.

The terminal notification popped up again.

[Killed Hidden Beast: Scale Demon]

[Obtained Points: 300]

[Obtained Special Drop: Scale Core]

[Item Description: A special core condensed within the body of a Scale Sacrifice Corrupted Entity, containing high-density defensive Source matter and traces of contamination. Can be submitted for points or used to activate certain hidden mechanisms.]

Jiang Xuance looked at the dropped Scale Core and couldn't help but say:

"Another core."

Xu Xinglan nodded.

"Blood Core, Scale Core."

"If classified by sacrifice type, there might be other cores later."

Heavenly King Lin frowned.

"How many things is this island hiding, exactly?"

Lu Cheng looked at the passage behind the Scale Demon's corpse.

"We'll know if we go in and take a look."

The group passed through the narrow path behind the Scale Demon cave.

Sure enough, it was another mural passage.

Seeing the walls on both sides, Lu Cheng couldn't help but complain.

"These people really love to paint."

The content of the murals this time was similar to the previous Blood Demon passage.

It was still that old couple.

It was still that little girl holding a rag doll.

Only this time, the monster on the altar had been replaced by a Scale Demon covered in scales.

In the first painting, the old couple stood at the edge of the village, with cracked land and dead fish behind them.

In the second painting, they brought the little girl to the entrance of the Scale Sacrifice cave.

The little girl clutched the woman's hem, seemingly unwilling to move forward.

In the third painting, the old couple pushed the girl toward the Scale Demon.

The Scale Demon looked down at her, the scales on its body opening up like tiny mouths.

In the fourth painting, the little girl disappeared.

The scales on the Scale Demon's body became more complete.

And the road under the old couple's feet turned into hard black stone.

Heavenly King Lin's expression grew darker as he watched.

"Them again?"

The group looked at each other; it was clear that some of their earlier thoughts were likely incorrect...

They continued walking forward.

Just as they were about to exit the passage, Tang Zhiwei suddenly raised her hand.

"Wait."

The group stopped in their tracks instantly.

Tang Zhiwei stood at the very front, her eyes fixed on the slightly lit exit at the end of the passage.

"Something is wrong ahead."

She took a tiny silver sphere from her wrist.

The sphere was only the size of a fingernail, with fine runes engraved on its surface.

She flicked it with her finger.

The silver sphere instantly flew out of the passage and circled outside the exit.

A few seconds later, the sphere flew back.

As soon as it landed in Tang Zhiwei's palm, its originally silver-bright surface had turned a faint blue-purple.

Tang Zhiwei's expression changed slightly.

"There is poison ahead."

Jiang Xuance was stunned for a moment.

"Poison?"

Tang Zhiwei held the discolored sphere, her expression very serious.

"The air is full of extremely fine toxins, colorless and odorless, a slow-acting poison that will slowly attach itself to the Source Power circulation."

Xu Xinglan frowned slightly.

"Plants?"

Tang Zhiwei nodded.

"Very likely."

"To be able to fill an entire area with toxins without spreading through rivers, it's likely some kind of plant-based contamination source."

She took a small medicine box from her waist, opened it, and inside were several pale green pills neatly arranged.

Tang Zhiwei distributed the medicine to everyone.

"Hold it under your tongue, don't swallow."

"This medicine can temporarily block the toxins from entering your Source Power circulation."

"The duration is about one hour."

Heavenly King Lin took the pill and glanced at it.

"Is this poison fatal?"

Tang Zhiwei shook her head.

"Not fatal."

"At least not fatal at first."

"The really troublesome part is that it will slowly erode your Source Power."

"At first, you will only feel that the circulation of Source Power is a bit sluggish, and your body feels a bit tired."

"By the time you realize something is wrong, you are often already in battle or trapped in a dangerous area."

"At that point, a sudden interruption of Source Power is enough to be fatal."

Lu Cheng took the pill and put it in his mouth.

A cool sensation immediately spread under his tongue.

Snow Spirit leaned over to sniff it.

"Do I need it too?"

Lu Cheng looked at Tang Zhiwei.

Tang Zhiwei took out a smaller pill.

"The dosage for spiritual pets cannot be too high."

Snow Spirit opened its mouth and held the small pill.

The next second, its entire little fox face scrunched up.

"Bitter..."

Tang Zhiwei watched this scene, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes.

"Let's go."

"But be careful from here on out..."