375: Half Map

In the darkness, a hunched figure slowly emerged.

The person's clothes were already tattered, their skin a strange grayish-green, eye sockets deeply sunken, and a faint green light oozed from their pupils.

Rusting iron chains were on their wrists and ankles, dragging against the ground with an ear-piercing sound with every step.

"Who are you?!"

Bi Yao's voice trembled.

The person ignored her, continuing to approach slowly, making unclear roars.

Su Han noticed marks on his neck similar to tentacle suckers, clearly indicating he had been parasitized by the Monster in the lake.

When the person was only three steps away, Su Han suddenly swung his knife, but just as the blade was about to touch the other's throat, he heard a faint murmur.

"Run..."

A flicker of clarity appeared in the person's muddy pupils, and he suddenly used all his strength to push Su Han away, turning and sprinting towards the depths of the stone path.

The cries of the Monster group suddenly erupted, and only then did Su Han and Bi Yao realize that the back of the stone path had been blocked by dense Monsters at some point.

The faint green compound eyes merged into a single expanse in the darkness, like surging will-o'-the-wisps.

"Chase!"

Su Han grabbed Bi Yao and chased after the figure; he vaguely felt that this infected person might know the key to escaping the cave.

The stone path forked ahead, and the person turned left without hesitation, the sound of the iron chains echoing in the empty cave.

However, when they turned the corner, they found the person lying in a pool of blood, several Monsters tearing at his body with sharp claws, their faint green compound eyes flashing amidst the gore.

Bi Yao turned her face away, but Su Han noticed a broken stone slab clutched tightly in the dead person's hand.

He rushed forward, kicked the Monsters away, and snatched the stone slab—it was engraved with half a map, the edges of the map depicted burning torches, and in the center was a vortex emitting a faint blue light.

The Monster group's attack came again, Su Han stuffed the stone slab into his chest, and he and Bi Yao continued to flee forward.

The stone path began to slope downwards, and the damp air grew increasingly cold.

Suddenly, the roar of water came from ahead, and a huge waterfall appeared before their eyes; behind the waterfall, a faint blue light cascaded like a river of stars.

Su Han looked at the map in his hand, then at the waterfall, and a bold guess arose in his heart.

"Go behind the waterfall!" he shouted.

Before Bi Yao could respond, he dragged her into the waterfall.

The cold water rushed over their bodies, and as they passed through the water curtain, Su Han felt a stinging sensation on his skin, as if countless tiny currents were darting across it.

When they stumbled onto the platform behind the waterfall, the sight before them froze both of them completely...

This was a massive circular cave, with glowing stalactites hanging from the ceiling, and the ground covered with complex rune arrays.

And in the center of the rune array, stood an altar constructed of bones and crystals.

At the top of the altar, a pulsating faint blue flame was suspended, and within the flame, human outlines could be vaguely seen twisting and struggling.

The cries of the Monster group came from outside the waterfall, Su Han gripped his dagger, and he and Bi Yao cautiously approached the altar.

When they were five steps away from the altar, the faint blue flame suddenly surged, and countless glowing spores flew out from the flame, forming an image in the air.

Thousands of years ago, humans held sacrifices here, offering the flame to the Monster in the lake in exchange for peace.

However, the Monster ultimately betrayed the agreement, devoured the entire sacrificial team, and claimed the flame for itself, transforming it into the core that maintained its power.

The moment the image dissipated, the rune arrays around the altar lit up with a blinding red light. (End of this chapter)