372: Bone Island

Water droplets on the top of the cave suddenly became dense. Su Han looked up and saw countless dark figures shuttling among the stalactites on the cave ceiling.

These dark figures resembled bats, but had compound eyes larger than a human palm, emitting a faint green light in the darkness.

One at the very front suddenly swooped down, its sharp claws grazing past Su Han's ear, cutting off a strand of his hair.

"Don't use the torch!"

Bi Yao suddenly threw her torch far away. The faint green compound eyes instantly shrank to pinpricks in the firelight.

It turned out these creatures feared flames, but bright light would enrage them.

Su Han immediately drew out the tinderbox from his waist, keeping only the weakest spark. Using this faint light, he saw the protruding rock ridges on the cave wall—they were natural climbing points.

"Climb up!"

Su Han grabbed Bi Yao's wrist, and the two used their hands and feet to climb the rock wall.

The group of Monsters below let out piercing screams, and the air currents generated by countless wings almost knocked them off.

Bi Yao's knee hit a rock ridge hard, and blood streamed down her calf, but she gritted her teeth and continued upward, her fingernails filled with crushed rock.

When they finally climbed onto a protruding rock platform, the group of Monsters below stopped attacking.

Su Han gripped his weapon warily, but found that these creatures were surrounding the remnants of the torch on the ground, poking at the burning wood with their sharp claws.

Even more bizarrely, they began to mimic the crackling sound of the burning flame. The sound became increasingly similar, eventually sounding as if a real sea of fire was spreading in the cave.

"They are learning."

Bi Yao's voice trembled.

Before she finished speaking, a Monster suddenly threw a burning piece of wood at the rock wall. The dry moss was instantly ignited, and flames climbed upward along the vines.

Su Han's pupils contracted. These Monsters not only used tools, but also knew how to utilize their environment.

He quickly looked around and found a narrow crack in the rock on the other side of the platform, barely wide enough for one person to pass through.

"Go through there!"

As soon as the two squeezed into the crack, they heard a loud bang behind them as the Monsters crashed into the rock wall.

The crack was damp and cold. Su Han's shoulders constantly scraped against the rock wall, leaving streaks of blood.

After walking about twenty meters, the area ahead suddenly opened up, and a huge underground lake appeared before their eyes.

The lake water emitted a faint blue light. In the center of the lake floated an "island" made of piled-up bones. The bones were layered upon layer, and at the very top lay a human skull, with half a broken torch stuck in its eye socket.

Bi Yao's torch suddenly made a "pop" sound, and sparks splashed into the lake water, causing a ripple.

Su Han abruptly grabbed her arm: "Don't move!"

They saw dense bubbles rising to the surface of the lake water, and countless slender tentacles emerged from the bottom of the lake. The tips of the tentacles had suction-cup-like mouthparts, greedily sucking up the firelight in the air.

The screams of the Monster group came from the other end of the crack, getting closer.

Su Han looked at the human skull on the bone "island". Before he could think further, the lake water suddenly churned violently.

A creature three times the size of the previous Monsters broke out of the water.

Its skin was covered in wrinkles, each line embedded with glowing spores. From its gaping maw, hundreds of smaller Monsters surged out like a tide.

Su Han's back was pressed tightly against the rock wall. The damp moss became slippery as it was soaked with his cold sweat.

The foul wind mixed with spore powder sprayed from the giant creature's mouth. Bi Yao choked and coughed violently, but her fingertips were clenched tightly onto the cloth belt around Su Han's waist.

Those glowing spores landed on the surface of the lake, and the faint blue lake water instantly boiled. The slender tentacles twisted wildly like a swarm of snakes, lashing out towards their location.