208: Chapter 208 You seem a little disappointed?

When the first wave of monsters slammed into the cave entrance, the entire cave shook. Bang!

The Source Array on the surface of the outer stone wall lit up, and pale blue light patterns spread out like ripples on water.

Xu Xinglan stood beside the center of the Formation, her fingertips hovering over the Source Array ring, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the terminal projection.

"The pressure is still within a controllable range."

Jiang Xuance lay behind a rock crevice to the side of the cave entrance and took a look outside. Then, he fell silent.

The outside was full of monsters. Rotting mermen, with fish gills hanging off half their faces, bulging eyes, and mouths full of fine, sharp teeth.

Some looked like severed arms stitched together, crawling with four or five palms supporting them on the ground, their nails scraping against the stone with a piercing sound.

Some humanoid monsters were draped in tattered armor plates; their necks were empty, but a mouth had split open from their chests, holding a rusted blade.

There were also smaller things, only half the height of a person, their wrinkled skin clinging to their bones, with long, thin limbs, crawling rapidly along the ground.

Jiang Xuance watched for two seconds, then silently pulled his head back. "I don't think I'll be able to eat dinner tonight."

Heavenly King Lin stood behind the entrance, gripping his battle axe. "As long as they can't get in, it's fine."

As soon as he finished speaking, another wave of dense impacts followed. Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The light patterns of the Source Array on the first layer of the stone wall began to flicker violently.

Ye Beihan raised his hand and pressed it against the ice wall. Profound Frost Source Power surged from his palm, freezing the cracked ice layer back together. "There are too many."

"They are piling up and climbing over each other."

Tang Zhiwei stood to the side, silver needles held between her fingers. Listening to the sounds coming from outside, the smile on her face faded slightly. "Half of my poison powder has already been triggered, but they don't seem to fear death."

Jinguji Ayane stood before the final layer of the paper talisman barrier, the Kagura bell held in her hand, its chime extremely faint. "They have already died once before."

This sentence made the cave go silent for a moment... Then, new noises arose from outside. It sounded like many wet things crawling out of the water.

Xu Xinglan watched the red dots on the map continuously increasing and said in a low voice: "The numbers are still rising." "The first wave should only be small monsters."

Time passed bit by bit. The Source Array set up by Xu Xinglan was indeed strong, and Tang Zhiwei's poison powder and Jinguji Ayane's paper talisman barrier also played a significant role.

A large number of monsters were corroded by the poison mist, shredded by the Source Array, or burned to ash by the talisman flames the moment they approached the cave entrance.

A layer of monster remains piled up outside the entrance. The remains were then crushed by the monsters behind them. Shredded flesh, scales, severed hands, and feathers were all mixed together.

Just looking at the scene made one's stomach tighten. Yet, the monsters did not decrease.

They seemed to be endlessly spawning from the sea; as the ones in front fell, the ones behind continued to climb up.

As the first hour was coming to an end, Xu Xinglan suddenly looked up. "The first layer is starting to loosen."

Heavenly King Lin stepped forward immediately. "I'll do it." He gripped his battle axe with both hands, pouring Source Power into the ground.

Pale golden king-patterns spread along the stone wall, forcibly pressing the rock layer that was about to collapse back into place. Ye Beihan also took action, covering the outer cracks with Profound Frost.

Gu Changqing stood beneath the cave ceiling, his long sword unsheathed. Sword Qi flew out along the drainage channels he had previously carved, slicing several monsters that were climbing in along the rock wall into pieces.

Tang Zhiwei raised her hand and scattered new medicinal powder. The powder fell into the crevices of the stone wall, forming a circle of faint green mist. Jinguji Ayane also replenished a layer of paper talismans.

White paper talismans were pasted one by one onto the cave entrance, and fine red patterns lit up on their surfaces. Xu Xinglan continuously adjusted the nodes of the Source Array with her fingertips. "It can hold." "But at most, for another hour."

Lu Cheng looked at her. "Can't it be reinforced further?" Xu Xinglan shook her head. "Temporary Formations have a limit."

"This isn't a pre-built defensive point; the Materials and the carving of the Formation patterns are not complete enough." She paused, her tone very calm. "We have already done everything we could."

Lu Cheng nodded. "Alright." "Then prepare the second plan." Jiang Xuance asked: "What is the second plan?"

Lu Cheng glanced at him. "After the Formation breaks, we fight our way out." Jiang Xuance: "..." Very simple.

Another hour and a half passed, and the monsters outside became stronger and stronger. The initial low-level monsters had been pushed to the back, and larger demon-ghosts began to appear at the front.

There were Sea Monks with three faces, dragging black stone hammers in their hands. There were ghost birds with wet wings growing on their backs, slamming against the cave ceiling while clinging to the rock walls.

There were giants covered in fish scales, embracing the stone wall with both hands and ramming into it again and again. With every impact, gravel would fall from the cave.

Sweat seeped from Xu Xinglan's forehead. The light on the Source Array ring had become unstable. Tang Zhiwei's poison powder was being consumed quickly, and many small compartments in her medicine box were already empty.

Jinguji Ayane's face was also paler than before. The bell chime had been maintained for too long, causing a great mental drain on her. Boom! Another loud noise rang out.

The outermost stone wall finally collapsed. The next second, a dense swarm of monsters poured in through the breach. Ye Beihan let out a low shout, and an ice wall rose up, blocking them.

But in just three seconds, the surface of the ice wall was covered in cracks. Xu Xinglan's voice sank. "We can't hold it."

Lu Cheng looked up. "Go out." "Don't let them crowd at the entrance."

Heavenly King Lin had been waiting for these words. He grinned, holding his battle axe horizontally in front of him. "Finally, I can hack away." Boom!

Heavenly King Lin smashed the ice wall with one axe swing, sending the dozen or so monsters in the front flying along with it.

Lu Cheng stepped out, the Holy Dragon Armament covering his right arm, golden-white Dragon scales lighting up in the darkness. Gu Changqing's sword light followed closely behind.

Ye Beihan expanded his Frost Domain, freezing a large area of ground outside the cave entrance. Jiang Xuance charged out riding the Red-Armored Zheng, which smashed open a bloody path.

Jinguji Ayane and the Sakura Island team used paper talismans to protect the rear, preventing any monsters from circling into the cave.

The moment everyone rushed out of the cave, the scene before them fully unfolded. Darkness. Darkness that pressed down very low.

The sky looked as if it had been stained with a layer of dark red, the sea surface was murky and yellowish, and waves kept crashing against the island shore. The entire island was emitting strange sounds.

There was crying, there was laughter. There was the sound of bones rubbing against each other, and also the muffled sound of people crying for help underwater. Monsters were everywhere.

On the hillsides, in the woodlands, between rock crevices, on the edges of bridges, and even in mid-air, it was packed with demon-ghosts.

If Lu Cheng had to use one word to describe the scene in front of him, it would be Hell. It was no exaggeration, and no other word was more fitting.

Jiang Xuance watched, his scalp tingling. "This number..." "Do we really have to kill them all?"

Xu Xinglan's voice was calm. "No need to kill them all." "Just hold out until the floating bridge stabilizes."

Lu Cheng looked up toward the distant sky. The five bridge nails on the central ruined bridge were all lit up. Black-red, scarlet, black-gold, pitch-black, and wine-red.

Five types of light continuously spread along the cracks of the ruined bridge. The originally broken floating bridge was piecing itself together bit by bit. The bridge body rose from the sea surface, extending toward the sky. But the speed was very slow. They still needed time.

Lu Cheng withdrew his gaze. "It's almost there... Killing more monsters will earn us points!" The next second, he charged into the swarm of monsters.

His fist descended, and the chest of the Sea Monk in front directly collapsed. The Dragon might brought by the Holy Dragon Armament suppressed the surrounding low-level demon-ghosts, causing their movements to slow down by a beat.

Snow Spirit jumped into mid-air, her two tails unfurling. Ice-Fire Fox Flames rained down, and a large swathe of monsters were frozen before being ignited by the star flames.

Heavenly King Lin was responsible for the front. With one horizontal swing of his axe, the monsters flew backward like a pushed-aside tide. There were too many monsters. Everyone felt like they had been swept into a tide with no visible end.

Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Half an hour. Every time they thought the monsters were decreasing, more black shadows would crawl out from the coast.

The Dragon scales on Lu Cheng's body were splattered with filthy blood. Tang Zhiwei sat on a rock, injected her arm with a needle, and then stood up again. "It's truly endless," she gritted her teeth and said.

Jinguji Ayane looked toward the sky. "It's almost there." The floating bridge had completely detached from the sea surface. The bridge body continued upward, leading into the depths of the dark sky.

There, a gate could be vaguely seen. The gate was very high. Its outline was blurry, as if hidden between clouds and fog. There was no light behind the gate. Only deeper darkness.

Another ten minutes passed. The final section of the floating bridge finally stabilized. The five bridge nails lit up simultaneously. Clang! A heavy sound came from the sky.

The fish-scaled giant that was pouncing toward Lu Cheng stopped in mid-air. The severed-hand demon-ghost reaching for Xu Xinglan froze in place.

In that instant, all the monsters stopped, and they all walked toward the direction of the floating bridge. As if summoned by something, they walked step by step toward that bridge leading to the sky.

The black, dense swarm of monsters passed by them. Tang Zhiwei finally couldn't hold on, slumped onto the ground, and let out a long breath. "Is it finally over..."

Jinguji Ayane did not rest for too long. She walked in front of Lu Cheng. Under the dark sky, her face was very pale, and her bangs were stuck to the side of her face by sweat. But her eyes were very serious.

"I have already shown my sincerity." She paused for a moment and reached out her hand to Lu Cheng. "I don't know if you are willing to cooperate with me?"

Lu Cheng looked down at her outstretched hand. The answer given by Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck was very clear. Auspicious. At least for now, cooperating with Jinguji Ayane was beneficial to them.

Lu Cheng was silent for a moment, then reached out and took her hand. Jinguji Ayane's hand was very cold. Lu Cheng said: "Cooperation is possible."

"However, you at least need to explain clearly to me what you are going to do next." "I will not accept having us act first and then hear the results, like just now."

He glanced at his teammates behind him. If it were only himself, it wouldn't matter. But his teammates were here too.

Monsters at the Peak War-General level had already appeared in front. It would only get more dangerous later. He could take risks, but he could not make everyone take risks blindly.

Jinguji Ayane nodded gently. "I understand." She looked toward the floating bridge in the sky.

"There are two gatekeepers on the bridge in a moment." "I need to sacrifice my own Qi and blood, along with the key, in order to open that gate."

"When opening the gate, many monsters like the ones from just now will attack me." "The two gatekeepers might also launch an attack on me."

Her voice was very soft. "At that time, I will be very vulnerable." "So..." Jinguji Ayane looked at Lu Cheng and said. "I hope you can let me, at least, stay alive."

Lu Cheng looked at her; the young girl's eyes were very clear. He smiled. "Rest assured, since I have promised you, I will do it."

Jinguji Ayane looked at him and nodded gently. "Mm."

Everyone simply tidied up their state. Xu Xinglan distributed the remaining potions to everyone. Tang Zhiwei also took out the last few emergency injections.

Most of Jinguji Ayane's Sakura Island team members had already reached their limit, but everyone still followed along. They only had one thought, which was to complete this mission.

The group walked along the path left behind by the retreating monsters toward the floating bridge. The closer they got to the floating bridge, the more monsters there were around. But none of them attacked.

They kept their heads low, dragging their broken bodies, and stepped onto the bridge surface one step at a time. It was as if they were rushing to some ceremony that was long overdue.

By the time Lu Cheng and the others arrived near the floating bridge, the people from the Nordic Team and the Tianlan Ancient Kingdom had already arrived.

The Nordic Team only had Reinhardt and two other core members left. Reinhardt's hair was still blindingly white, and the crescent moon divine pattern had not yet completely faded.

Most of his outer armor was shattered, a piece of cloth torn off temporarily was draped over his shoulder, and there were several black claw marks on his arm. The other two were also in very poor condition.

One was supporting himself with a broken long spear, and one was half-kneeling on the ground adjusting their breathing. On the Tianlan Ancient Kingdom side, only three people remained.

Lan Jin stood at the very front, his robes severely damaged, and there was a wound on his chest that hadn't fully healed. The ancient bronze compass in Yue Wujiu's hand was cracked at one corner, and her face was pale.

Yun Qi leaned against a stone pillar, blood stained his hair, but his eyes remained calm. One could barely find any intact clothing on any of them.

Their hems were tattered, cuffs scorched, armor broken, and even the uppers of their shoes were covered in black filth and blood. One look was enough to know that they had also just experienced a rather tragic defense.

Seeing that Lu Cheng and his group were so intact, Reinhardt twitched the corner of his mouth. "You... seem to not have suffered any injuries..." Lu Cheng glanced at him. "That sounds like you're quite disappointed?"