267: Let it all become energy.

Those who wanted to escape finally reached the exit, grabbed the thick bones, and tried to jump down, only to be blocked by a layer of transparent film.

No matter what they did, they couldn't break through.

Gong Qiuqiu and the others saw this, and their expressions changed. If they couldn't get out, would there be any way for them to escape?

Gong Qiuqiu looked at the narrow passage in front of him, his gaze sharpening as he immediately called for the others to enter.

Since they couldn't get out, staying there would only result in everyone being shaken to death by the Nameless Monster's roar. Their only sliver of hope now was to continue heading inside.

They quickly crawled into the passage, and as they went deeper, the roars gradually weakened.

However, what they didn't know was that not only were they unable to leave this 'cave', but even those on the monster's back, those outside fighting zombies, and all the zombies themselves were trapped inside a layer of transparent film shaped like a giant bowl.

All humans and zombies were trapped!

Sensing all this, Jing Xi endured the piercing pain and laughed maniacally, "Haha..."

"Now, all humans and zombies will become energy for the heart's crystallization!"

Ai Yue watched the increasingly frenzied Jing Xi, her nerves tight.

She also realized things were bad.

But now, she didn't know how to stop it. She found that the passage out of here was blocked. She... couldn't get out!

She wanted to kill Jing Xi but had no way to get close. Just as she was feeling anxious, Gong Qiuqiu and the others crawled out of the passage in a disheveled state.

"Ai Yue?"

Gong Qiuqiu, the first to emerge, saw Ai Yue and shouted in surprise. Unexpectedly, his footing was unstable, and he lunged straight toward her.

Ai Yue tried to dodge, but the entire 'cave' was shaking violently. Her movement was too small, and she was caught squarely by Gong Qiuqiu.

Ai Yue groaned in pain, her face contorted. Gong Qiuqiu was stunned and tried to scramble up quickly, but the more he rushed, the more he struggled.

Ai Yue was angry because her chest was hurting from being pressed by Gong Qiuqiu.

With a forceful push, she finally moved Gong Qiuqiu off her.

The others also entered one after another.

Having regained her senses, Ai Yue saw that they could enter, so she immediately stood up and tried to crawl out.

To her disappointment, she still couldn't leave.

Seeing her intention, Gong Qiuqiu immediately stood up and tried to crawl out as well.

However, he couldn't leave either.

Ai Yue understood—one could only enter, not leave!

At that moment, the vibrations and roars stopped.

Jing Xi closed her eyes with a look of enjoyment, though it was unclear what she was doing.

Anger flashed in Ai Yue's eyes. Without a word, she blurred toward Jing Xi, intent on killing her.

To her surprise, Jing Xi suddenly vanished and reappeared in another spot in the next instant.

At this moment, Jing Xi opened her eyes, her face filled with excitement.

She murmured to herself, "It's almost done, almost done. Haha, I'm about to achieve eternal life!"

Murderous intent flashed in Ai Yue's eyes, and she couldn't help but curse, "Done my ass! Eternal life, my foot! With your looks, even if you lived forever, you'd still be the type to get struck by lightning!"

With a flick of Ai Yue's hand, a Lightning Orb instantly appeared above her head and leapt in front of Jing Xi in the blink of an eye.

Jing Xi dodged again in the next instant, but the orb was like it had a GPS, constantly tracking her. Wherever Jing Xi appeared, the orb followed.

After dozens of exchanges, when Jing Xi's reaction slowed for a moment, it slammed hard into her body.

Jing Xi immediately let out a blood-curdling scream.

The current Lightning Orb was far more powerful than before; this strike took half of Jing Xi's life.

Ai Yue didn't stop, pressing her advantage.

Suddenly, the Lightning Orb was swatted away by a dark red tentacle that suddenly emerged.

With a "smack," it hit the blood-colored wall, leaving a black mark and nothing else.

The dark red tentacle extended from the wall, constantly stretching and slithering in the air, with slime dripping from it. It looked utterly disgusting.

Jing Xi, who had been struck, lay on the ground for a while before suddenly laughing lowly. The unpleasant sound gave everyone who heard it goosebumps.

"Hehe... Ai Yue, oh Ai Yue, look at how arrogant you are. Do you think you're super powerful? Hmm? You actually managed to hurt me. Hmph, now it's time for you to have a taste."

Jing Xi slowly crawled up and stood steadily.

"Mo Xi, it's time for you to enjoy the feast!"

After Jing Xi spoke tenderly, countless slimy tentacles extended from the walls, whipping toward Ai Yue and the others.

Ai Yue and the others panicked for a moment but quickly calmed down to block the tentacles.

Simultaneously, wherever the transparent film covered, these slimy tentacles emerged.

Even from the body of the Nameless Monster outside, countless tentacles extended.

What was even more suffocating was that these tentacles looked extremely soft, but in reality, they were impervious to blades and spears.

No matter how they slashed, they couldn't cut them. Only a few people like Ai Yue, Gong Qiuqiu, and Gu Xiheng had the ability to sever these viscous tentacles.

Ai Yue's blade fell, and the slimy tentacles were shredded onto the ground.

However, there were simply too many tentacles to cut through. Once one got close, it would instantly bind the target and "whoosh," pull them back into the wall to be swallowed by the blood-colored surface, leaving no room for resistance.

Seeing this scene, everyone grew increasingly anxious and even fearful.

"Everyone, form circles of ten to reduce the attack surface. Work in pairs to fight back together!" Gu Xiheng shouted sternly.

Everyone followed his instructions and quickly grouped together.

Most could only struggle to force the tentacles back; only Ai Yue and a few others could actually cut down the incoming tentacles.

"Stop struggling and just offer up your energy! Hahaha!" Jing Xi laughed arrogantly at the scene before her.

"Bah! You old hag, keep dreaming! If you want my life, come and take it yourself! You half-human, half-ghost thing!"

A little fat boy, struggling to block the tentacles, cursed irritably while drenched in sweat.

Hearing his words, Jing Xi's smug smile slowly faded. She looked at him with a sinister gaze, as if she wanted to tear him into a thousand pieces.

Unfortunately, she couldn't pass through the mass of tentacles to kill the fat kid who had spoken so rudely to her.

After Jing Xi summoned these slimy tentacles with an ancient incantation, she had no other way to control them. She could only wait for the tentacles to finish capturing all the sacrifices before they would automatically retract.

Only then could she retrieve the crystallized heart.

"Jing Xi, we are all humans. How can you be so cruel?" Cheng Siyu, lacking strength, hid behind Gu Xiheng and shouted at Jing Xi with lingering fear.

For the past two years, her mind had been entirely on Gu Xiheng and busy consolidating her position within the Safety Tower, so she had no time to focus on improving her abilities.

This time, she realized her abilities were too weak by comparison. If she hadn't been by Gu Xiheng's side, she wouldn't have been able to protect herself at all. For the first time, she felt some regret about following Gu Xiheng out.